“Yeah, I guess it has been. I mean, that’s where I’ve landed after a couple years in therapy.”

As usual, I’d tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but he just nodded thoughtfully. As I shifted on the bench, the napkin I’d been fiddling with went flying onto the ground, and I reached down to grab it just as Hayes made a move for it. Our heads collided like two soccer players going for the same ball, connecting in a thud.

“Ow,” we said simultaneously.

I sat up, clutching my forehead, just as Hayes leaned toward me, my torn napkin in his hand. “Are you okay?” he asked, softly pressing his index and middle fingers to my brow.

I startled at his touch, and he pulled his hand back quickly but kept his eyes on me. They were concerned and caring and gentle, just as his touch had been. I gulped, and then played it off with a smile. “Yes, yes. I’m fine. Are you?”

“Just a mild concussion,” he said, smiling as he rubbed his forehead.

He handed me my napkin, and I tucked it in my lap. “Anyway,” I continued, “I took one of those DNA tests recently. Just on a lark, with my friends. And I learned I’m Italian and Irish, with some Scottish mixed in. Kinda cool to find out, but no big deal. But then someone tracked me down through the app and sent me a message.”

“Who?” His brow furrowed as he bit into his sandwich, listening intently.

“Apparently, I have a half sister in Italy. In Milan, actually.”

“Wow. That’s wild.”

“I know!” I said, my voice rising. “It’s bonkers. And honestly, there’s a part of it that feels amazing, if that even makes sense. But it also kind of freaked me out, and I haven’t responded yet.”

He nodded, giving me the space to talk.

“She also told me that my…our dad died a long time ago. And just knowing that has felt really…”

I swallowed, still trying to figure out my feelings in real time. “It’s heavy,” I said eventually. “And sad. It’s really sad.”

“I am really, really sorry for your loss,” he said in a quiet voice. I’d never thought about it like that: a loss. The word hit me deeply.

“My whole life, one side of who I am has been a literal blank space,” I continued. “And that can kinda mess with you growing up, when you don’t entirely know who you come from. Especially…”

I had never said this part out loud before.

“Especially when I’ve always kind of been the odd one in my family. You know…” I waved my hands at myself, as if this explained everything, and Hayes just laughed.

“I don’t know. You seem very normal to me.”