Flat-Out Matt by Jessica Park Page B

kept her eyes glued to the view of the street through the window.
    He stepped closer and moved in front of her. “Mom.” He could see that her eyes were slightly puffy.
    “Hi, honey.” She sniffed. “Is everything okay?”
    While he hated her drinking, it was the one thing that seemed to make Erin at all motherly. “Yeah, everything is fine. Where’s Dad? What are you doing?”
    “Roger is up on the third floor in the guest room. He’s got that dreadful cold that’s been making him snore.” She took a long drink from her glass. “I was just looking out at the snow. The streets haven’t been plowed well, have they? It looks icy.”
    “They’re okay, Mom.”
    “Maybe not. People shouldn’t be driving tonight.” She paused and Matt could see her hold on the wine glass tighten. Gently, he took the stem of the glass in one hand and peeled her fingers from the globe.
    “The streets aren’t bad at all. It just looks like it from here.”
    “Julie is out with the car, isn’t she?” Erin looked directly at Matt. “Oh, have you heard from her? Oh, no, Matthew.” Her eyes filled with tears.
    “She’s just fine. I promise. Please don’t worry.”
    “You won’t let anything happen to her, will you?” Erin touched her hand to his cheek, a small smile coming through the haze of alcohol and pain. “She’s quite special to you, to all of us, isn’t she?”
    Matt nodded, but he couldn’t say anything. He felt near tears himself.
    Erin leaned into him, wrapping her arms over his shoulder and rubbing his back. This was so unlike Erin, that for a moment Matt just stood still, unsure what to do. Eventually he leaned in and rested his head on his mother’s shoulder. His free arm moved to hug her back.
    “You won’t tell her, Matthew, will you? Julie? Not yet.”
    “Mom….”
    “Please.”
    Matt sniffed. “This isn’t fair to her.”
    “Things feel better with her here, though, don’t they? Like this? She makes things easier. Don’t take that away. I miss him still, and now it’s easier.” Her hold around him grew tighter and Matt’s resolve began to weaken.
    “We can’t keep doing this,” he said softly.
    “Just for a while. Let her figure it out in her own time. When she’s ready, when she sees, it will be okay. I really believe that.” He felt his mother’s tears dampen his shirt and her fingers dug into him as she held on. “Please, Matthew. I am begging you. Let it come out in its own time.”
    “Okay.” He nodded against her. “Okay.”
    “Thank you.” He felt her relax a bit.
    “You can’t drink, Mom. You know that. No more?”
    “No more,” she agreed. “After tonight, no more. The snow, this time of year…. It triggers me. I think that your father and I will go out of town for New Year’s. You can stay with Celeste, right?”
    Matt dropped his hand and eased back. “Sure. I guess so.”
    “I think that I’ll take a bath now. Relax.”
    “That’s a good idea.” Matt walked to the door, discouraged. Resigned. He almost turned back, but he knew that there was little chance she would say something to make this better, to make him feel loved.
    He took a deep breath and knocked on Celeste’s door. “Hey. I came to say good night.”
    “Good night, Matty.” Celeste smiled as he sat down on her bed. “I am exceptionally tired this evening. The print in my thesaurus is obnoxiously small and my eyes suffered significant strain.”
    “I hope that you and your strained eyes rest well.” He reached to turn off the small light on her nightstand that was aimed directly at nearby Flat Finn. A spotlight on a star.
    “Julie said that after she helps me with my project tomorrow that she will teach me to make bouillabaisse. I have some reservations about her chosen assortment of seafood, notably the calamari tentacles, but I have agreed to be brave.”
    Matt patted her hand. “You are very brave.”
    “Will you come with us to the seafood market?”
    “Do you want me