Page 130 of My All American Girl

55

SARAH

Iwatched Dean disappear into the garage and debated what I should do. Did I follow? Did I get my phone and have the police on standby? I went back to the patio. Mom looked up at me. “What’s wrong?”

“Dad’s home,” I murmured.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. He was out?”

She nodded. “I told you that. He went out with a couple of buddies. He’s been so stressed lately.”

“He’s drunk, Mom.”

Mom frowned. “Did he drive home?”

“No, but he just pulled Dean into the garage for a chat,” I replied.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh! Mom, this isn’t good.”

“It’s fine,” she said and got to her feet. “They’re old friends.”

I followed her into the kitchen. “Dad punched him last time,” I reminded her. “I don’t think old friends go around punching each other.”

She shrugged. “Sometimes they do.”

I paced the kitchen. My heart hammered as I tried to imagine what was happening in the garage. My mind was racing, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something would go horribly wrong. I glanced at the clock again, willing the minutes to pass more quickly. I didn’t think Dean would get violent, but my dad was drunk. He might do something stupid. Dean would have every right to defend himself.

“Sarah, honey, take a breath and calm down,” my mother said from where she sat at the kitchen island, her voice gentle but firm. She and Meg were both seated, watching me. I felt like a caged animal. I wanted to go out there and find out what was happening. I wanted to save Dean. Or maybe save my father. The last thing I wanted was the man I loved fighting my father, who I loved and respected. We were at odds, but he was still my father.

“Nothing crazy is going to happen,” Mom continued. “They’re both reasonable men. And if you want this thing to work, they need to talk about it the way men do.”

“Daddy should punch him again,” Meg muttered under her breath, her eyes dark with lingering resentment. “He has it coming.”

My mouth dropped open in shock and horror. “We’ll see how you feel when it’s your boyfriend in the garage with Dad.”

“Stop it, Meg,” Mom scolded, shooting her a stern look. “You’re not helping.”

I stopped pacing and took a deep breath, trying to center myself. This was my chance to make things right with Meg. This anger she had toward me was not getting any better. I didn’t want to have this ugly thing hanging between us. I only had one sister. I didn’t want to lose her because I had been oblivious my whole life. She deserved an apology. She deserved to know I thought the world of her, and I knew our parents did as well. She was special and loved. I owed her that much. I walked over to the island and took a seat across from her. She barely looked at me.

“Meg, I need to talk to you,” I began, my voice trembling slightly. “I know this has been hard on you, and I haven’t always been fair. I never gave much thought to how my bond with Dad and our common ground with the Air Force made you feel over the years.”

Meg looked at me, her eyes narrowing. “What do you mean?”

“I see now that I was being selfish,” I said, looking her in the eyes. “I should have thought about how it made you feel excluded. As your big sister, I should have helped you find something you and Dad had in common. I regret that, and I’m sorry.”

Mom watched us with a small smile.

Meg’s eyes grew teary. “Thank you for saying that, Sarah. I’ve been waiting a long time for someone to notice that I’ve always taken the back seat to you. It’s hard to be overlooked all the time.”

I nodded, my throat tightening with guilt. “I should have been more aware, and I’m really sorry. You’re not in the back seat in any way, Meg. You’re unique and amazing in your own ways. We all see that.”

A tear slipped down Meg’s cheek as she gave a slight nod. I pulled her in for a hug. She didn’t pull away.

“Thank you, Sarah,” she murmured, sniffling a little.