My mom bit her lips and nodded slowly. “I see. Well, I knocked, so that was my announcement, and he started it, so I know he’s okay with me going upstairs.”

“What do you mean he started it?”

“We’re friends. Just friends. Sometimes we watch TV together down here. Sometimes we hang out and have a beer or two. I don’t even know when it happened really, but he’d knock twice to come down here, and I’d have to go up the stairs to unlock the door. So eventually, I stopped locking it on my side, and he stopped locking it on his side. But, by all means, if it makes you more comfortable, you can lock it while I’m gone.”

I traced my fingernail along the zipper to her suitcase. “It’s no big deal. I might lock it if I remember.” Oh … I was locking it. That was a guarantee. However, there was no need for my mom to know just how little I trusted the naked fisherman.

“Well, I trust him. I wouldn’t leave you in the same house with someone unless I trusted them with my life and yours. I’m a good judge of character. Fisher is one of the good ones. I mean…” she smirked “…don’t get me wrong, I told him I’d remove his testicles if he for one minute looked at you inappropriately.” She laughed.

I wasn’t sure what she was laughing about because I felt certain he had already given me that look more than once.

So I wasn’t so sure about his “good one” status, but I knew I was about to find out.

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

Keeping her gaze on the shirt in her hands, she smiled. A sad smile. “I don’t have a boyfriend. I’m pretty sure I’m done with men.”

“But you have so much life left to live. I’ve prayed for you. I’ve prayed that you would find happiness again. I’ve prayed that you would be able to stay clean too.”

“Clean?” She glanced up.

“The marijuana.”

After a few seconds of intense contemplation, she found her sad smile again. “Thanks for praying for me. I’m not sure God’s ready to give me His grace yet, but I do appreciate you thinking I deserve it.”

I let her finish packing without asking anymore questions, but I had a lot. There was so much Dad didn’t tell me. Maybe he thought he was protecting me, but I didn’t feel protected when he died, leaving me with so many unanswered questions.

“Fisher’s taking me to the airport in the morning. We’re leaving early … four-thirty. You can come if you want to, but I understand if you want to sleep in.” She zipped her suitcase and set it by her bedroom door next to her carry-on bag.

“I’ll come.”