Asa comes home to us from war on a Monday. It’s dreary with rain, and the ride back from the airport makes me feel like none of us will ever be the same again. Weston and Asa’s reunion hug when he got off the plane made me weep. They clung to one another like they did when they were boys, pounding one another’s backs and getting all teary-eyed. Just wait until my brother finds out that Weston has broken all of his promises thanks to me. Asa looks okay; he’s got some scars, and he limps when he walks. But for the most part, his outward appearance is the same. What’s changed about Asa is deep inside. He seems shell-shocked, slower to process and respond, maybe a little bit numb to the world around him.
I soldier on, though, because he did, and I wipe my tears, refusing to cry in front of him.
“He’s going to be fine, Crosby. He nearly broke my ribs with that hug. We’ll get our Asa back,” Weston whispers to me as Asa hugs my mom. West has become the glue that holds our family together.
In the car, Asa is quiet, only asking after Dad and why he didn’t come. Weston carefully explains how advanced Dad’s cancer has gotten. Asa nods and accepts more burden on top of what he’s already holding.
None of us is expecting the force of nature that is Callie when we walk in the front door.
“Asa, welcome home!” She runs into his arms and hugs him like it’s just Callie and Asa. Meanwhile, the house is decorated with streamers and balloons, and there’s the sweet scent of brownies or cookies baking in the oven. Dad is up and wearing a tie—smiling too—instead of in his bed like he usually is these days. She’s thrown open the windows and put fresh flowers on the table.
“You did all this for Asa?” I ask her as we pull homemade cookies from the oven while Mom and Weston help get Asa settled in his room.
“Coming home is a big milestone, one I never got to enjoy with my brother. We’re going to have to celebrate all of his baby steps, BeBe. It will help your dad too. My goal is to have them both out of the house to enjoy an activity every day.”
I grab Callie and hug her hard. My best friend really has grown up.
“Won’t that be a massive amount of work?”
“The company gives me a van to use. The wheelchair isn’t a problem, and soon Asa will recover the motor skills to help me with your dad. I’m sure of it. Does Asa know about you and Weston? I was thinking maybe we might hold off just until he gets over the initial shock of being home.”
Weston walks up behind us and wraps his arms around my waist.
“Asa knows, but we’ll be as discreet as you think we should be, Callie. We appreciate your dedication so much—this really means a lot to all of us.”
Callie gathers up the platter of warm cookies and leads us into the living room. Asa is staring out the window at the basketball hoop over the garage door at the end of the driveway.
She doesn’t shy away.
“Asa, you’ll be back to shooting hoops with Weston in no time.” Asa turns and gives her a weak smile. But he takes a cookie from her, and so does my father. I do too, and eventually, we’re all smiling despite the melancholy that arrived with us. Callie offers to take Asa for a walk and suggests that reacquainting himself with familiar sights might be just what he needs to jog his memory and settle in.
I watch them as they leave the house and make their way down the sidewalk. Callie is animated, and Asa seems taken with whatever she’s saying. I feel thankful for the side of her that used to annoy me, how she’d bend all the rules and bulldoze through any obstacles. She’s exactly what Asa needs, and none of us would have been able to treat him like she is. She knows the devastation of war; she lost her own brother to it. It hurts to see Asa limp, but we’re lucky he’s alive. Weston wraps his arm around my shoulders, and I know he hates to see Asa struggle too.
“Don’t worry, you two kids. Asa is a fighter,” my father says. He’s resituating himself in his hospital bed. Dad has lost a lot of weight, but none of this has dampened his spirit. “Watch, he’ll come out of this stronger than he went in. As for your relationship, don’t waste one second feeling guilty. What Asa wants for BeBe is unconditional love. She’s found that in you, West. It might be hard for him to swallow right now, but he’ll come around and see that you are the best possible partner for his sister.”