"I can't leave until I do. It would be different if I could talk to her, if I could just ask her what the hell happened. But I have to put the puzzle pieces together without her."

"I get that. I want to make it clear that I'm not part of the puzzle."

"Okay. Thank you for being direct." I sat back as the waiter brought our order to the table. "This looks good."

"Yours looks very healthy," he said, a small smile on his face now, easing the tension that had grown between us.

"I try to eat healthy, but your French fries look better than my greens."

"I'll share," he said, pushing his plate forward.

"Really?"

"Absolutely. Take what you want."

"Maybe just one or two," I said as I stabbed two of his fries with my fork and moved them to my plate. I bit into one and the salty warmth washed over me. "This is delicious."

"You can have more."

"It's okay. I just wanted a taste." I picked up my fork and attacked my salad. The salmon was tasty, too, and in the long run, the salad would probably sit better in my perpetually nervous stomach. "Tell me about your life," I said, as we ate. "You were living in New York before this?"

"Yes, I grew up in the Bronx and then moved to Brooklyn about ten years ago. I work out of my studio apartment there."

"What about family? You mentioned you lost your father—what about the rest of your family?"

"I have a mother and a couple of aunts from my dad's side of the family, a few cousins, but we're not close. My mother still lives in the Bronx, but the rest of them are spread around the country."

"Are you and your mom close?"

"We are. It was just the two of us after my dad died. We took care of each other."

"What is your mom like?"

"She's very sweet, works hard, doesn't ask for a lot, hates when someone has to take care of her."

"Have you had to take care of her?" I asked curiously, picking up on a note in his voice.

"The past couple of years she has been battling breast cancer, and she's had some bad weeks. But she is in remission now and doing much better."

"I'm glad to hear that. Will you go back to New York after the show?"

"I haven't decided yet. The change has been good for my work. I've been getting a lot done the past few weeks. I'm really enjoying the city and the entire Bay Area. I'm glad your mother got me out here."

"It's interesting how she kind of adopted you."

"Interesting or irritating?" he challenged. "I've been thinking about your story, how she abandoned you and your sister, and the look on your face when I told you she was supporting my art. You were hurt."