“I’ve been busy.”

“Too busy for your own mother?”

I sighed deeply, sinking into one of the chairs in the lobby and hanging my head back to stare at the wood-wrapped ceiling. “Did you need something?”

“I have to need something to call my son now?”

“Nope. Just wondering if you needed something.” I tried to keep my voice light, but everything about our interactions annoyed the shit out of me lately.

She started yammering away about a trip she had coming up. I pretended to listen.

“Did you see the post Charlie made of her and Nathan the other day? They don’t look so good. Too thin or something. Gaunt.”

I snorted. “Gaunt?”

I’d seen the post. It was one of Nathan and his wife, Charlie, at the end of a hike they’d completed, looking completely normal and healthy.

“Yes. And he never smiles. I’ll never understand him.”

The hairs on the back of my neck bristled—like they did any time she mentioned my brother. It was like she was hoping I’d want to talk shit about him with her. Like that would somehow solidify us as the closest two in the family, pushing him out again.

“They looked fine to me.”

“You really think so?”

“Yep.”

After a small pause, she continued. “When are you going to come visit?” she asked, hope tainting her voice.

Guilt trickled into my veins and replaced the frustration. I had been avoiding her. Typically, I always planned a few visits throughout the year, but I hadn’t been in over a year. The last time I had seen her was at Nathan’s wedding months ago. Things were already strained between the two of us. Well, at least they were strained on my side.

“Soon,” I said. “Listen, I’m actually working right now. I’ve got to go.”

“Oh. Okay,” she said, her voice uncharacteristically small.

“I’ll call you soon.”

I hung up. I stood up to go back to the bar before giving it a second thought and sinking back down into the chair. I pulled out my phone again and called the only other family member I still had contact with.

Nathan’s face appeared on my screen, mirroring my own features—but with a much more serious expression.

“Yo, brother. What’s up?” I asked.

“You know I hate video calls,” he grunted.

He was sitting on his couch. I could just make out the tail of Charlie’s cat splayed across the back. Never would I have thought I’d live to see the day where my no-nonsense brother was curled up with a cat. I loved every minute of it.

“And you know I love seeing your face,” I said with a smile.

“Lovely,” he deadpanned.

“Have you talked to Mom?” I asked him. “She’s driving me nuts.”

“She’s always driving you nuts lately,” he pointed out.

“She’s just…always trying to talk to me.”

Nathan sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. “Look, I don’t know what you want me to say. Your relationship with her is very different from mine.”