JULIE
A few days went by with no word from Michael. Part of me was glad he took me seriously and stayed away. I couldn’t stand the idea of seeing him again. Just thinking about him was enough to reduce me to an angry puddle of emotions. Tears sprang into my eyes with little to no inducement and, soon, the only thing that could take my mind off him was work.
I threw myself into my writing. My boss sent me three assignments, and I finished them in as many days. Being unable to sleep helped my writing more than anything. I even sat down and knocked out a few more chapters of my book. When I wasn’t writing, I was taking long walks around town just for something to do. Anything that would keep my mind off Michael.
I sent off my last assignment on Friday night and decided to watch a movie. My couch had never felt more comfortable as I curled into a ball and pulled a blanket over myself. I watched two movies, barely paying attention to either one. Still, I kept my eyes glued to the T.V. It wasn’t until my phone rang that I looked away.
When I looked at my phone, I saw a random number flashing on the screen. With a frown, I tried to think if I’d seen it before. I hadn’t. I thought about ignoring it, but I was afraid it might be Andrea or my parents calling from a different number.
“Hello?” I asked, putting the phone to my ear.
“Julie, it’s me. Joshua. Don’t hang up, okay?”
I froze. Joshua’s voice was the last thing I expected to hear when I answered the phone. I considered the possibility that it might be Michael, calling from an unknown number to trick me into answering. His brother never crossed my mind.
“Joshua,” I said slowly. “Why are you calling from a weird number? Actually, why are you calling at all? I don’t have anything to say to you.”
“I know,” Joshua said with a sigh. “And I don’t blame you for that. I’ve been a total dick lately.”
“I won’t argue with that,” I said.
Joshua sighed again, and I pushed myself off the couch. If I was going to talk to him, I couldn’t sit still. I paced around my living room, waiting for him to explain himself.
“Listen,” he said. “There’s something you need to know.”
“I’m not interested in anything you or your brother have to say,” I snapped.
“You will be,” Joshua said. His confidence only made me angrier. “I was in a really bad car accident a few days ago. The day after Christmas. That’s why I’m calling from this number. I’m still in the hospital.”
My mouth fell open, but no words came out. That wasn’t at all what I thought he would say. I expected him to say something about wanting me back or something about how horrible Michael had become. When I first heard his voice, I thought Joshua was calling to play on my emotions like he’d done a million times before.
“Are you okay?” I asked. My voice cracked, but I cleared my throat and pushed on. “I mean, what happened?”
“I’m going to be fine,” Joshua said quickly. “I had surgery that night, and I’ve been in recovery ever since. They removed my spleen. I have a few broken bones, and my kidneys are a little messed up.”
“Oh my god.”
“But, I’m fine,” Joshua said again. “And that’s not why I’m calling you.”
“It’s not?” I asked.
“No.” Joshua took a deep breath before he continued. “Michael was here that night. I know you two had plans, and I know you think he stood you up, but he didn’t. He got the message that I was in the hospital, and he came up here without thinking. It wasn’t his fault, Julie. He just did what any good brother would have done, even though I didn’t deserve it.”
“He was there?” I asked. “On Tuesday night?”
“Yes,” Joshua said firmly. “He was here all night. My mom said he didn’t leave until early the next morning.”
“I—” I started to speak, but Joshua’s words suddenly registered. His mom was there. Michael’s biological mother, who he’d never met before.
“That’s why he never called,” Joshua said softly. “When he got here, he was ready to call and explain himself. Then, he saw our mom and he just, well, you can imagine how that must have felt.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I can’t believe it.”
“It sounds crazy,” Joshua said. “But it’s true. Michael didn’t do anything wrong. He didn’t stand you up. He didn’t forget about you. He just had one hell of a night.”
“I’m an idiot,” I said, speaking more to myself than to Joshua.
“Why?” Joshua asked.