She nodded. “Yep. Known her for years. She’s been accepted into UCLA’s architecture program early.”
Cecilia smiled brightly. “Nice. So you’ll still be close. You hear that, Clint?”
I snickered. “I do. Thanks.”
“Are you wanting to go to UCLA, too?”
Rae shrugged. “I was thinking more of a community college. I don’t want to get into loans or anything like that. Maybe work part-time, go to school part-time. Or work out something like where I work full time a year then go to school full time a year or something like that.”
“That’s noble. I admire you for that.”
Rae paused. “You do?”
Cecilia nodded. “Mm-hmm. I graduated early from high school when I was seventeen and left home. I did part-time classes at a community college not too far from where I grew up and took on a job in between classes and such. Saved up as much as I could while living with three other girls in a two-bedroom apartment. It wasn’t easy, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.”
“What did you get your degree in?”
“Medical transcriptioning. A nice little work from home position that would have eventually paid an hourly wage equivalent to that of a full time job, plus benefits.”
Rae nodded. “Then you got married?”
Cecilia smiled. “Well, a few other things happened in between there. I did work for a while. Struggled, but made it through. I met Howard about six years ago, so I lived a lot of life between that job and now.”
“Is there a reason you graduated early?”
Cecilia looked at me from across the table and I shrugged. To be honest, I was simply excited they were getting along. Hitting it off. I was glad Cecilia didn’t hate Rae, or vice versa. I was content with taking a backseat and letting them get to know one another. Because things felt calm this way. Peaceful. There was no tension or anger like there would have been had Dad been around for this dinner.
Then again, this dinner wouldn't have happened at all had Dad been here.
“I grew up in a very conservative home. And while I loved my parents, I knew there was a great deal more out there for me to experience. They did a lot of things while I was younger. Tried marrying me off at sixteen. Grounded me by locking me in my room and not letting me do things like to go school and have meals with the family.”
Rae sighed. “I’m so sorry.”
I furrowed my brow. “I didn’t know that, Cecilia.”
She giggled bitterly. “It’s not really something you talk about. Especially with guests over. But she asked the question so I figured, why not answer it?”
Rae cleared her throat. “I mean, at least they taught you how to make awesome food. Plenty of grease pans to throw in their faces for later.”
Cecilia snickered, almost blowing her water through her nose. Rae fell apart in a fit of giggles, and I quickly joined in, though it still hurt my ribs to laugh that much. Cecilia’s head fell back as she barked with laughter, snorting and covering her mouth. Which only made us laugh harder. I’d never heard her laugh like this. Which meant I’d never heard her snort. And as we all leaned back into our chairs, I finally knew what it felt like.
Home.
I finally understood what the word meant.
“Oh, my gosh. I haven’t laughed like that in ages.”
Rae giggled. “You should hang around Clint more often, then. Some of the situations he can get himself into are hysterical.”
I paused. “Hey, now. Sometimes a guy has to blow off steam.”
Cecilia heaved for air. “You don’t blow off steam. Otherwise you wouldn't be so full of hot air.”
I playfully glared at her. “I think you’re confusing me with Dad at this point.”
And soon, the girls were falling over in their chairs with laughter.
The jokes continued through the night, even as we sat down with coffee and blueberry crumble. Tears crested our eyes from the hilarity of it all, and the worries of the accident quickly fell away from our memories. Cecilia looked comfortable in her own home. I felt comfortable in my own home. And Rae looked perfect in this home. With her red face and her silent laughter and her frazzled hair puffing out the redder her face got.