Erik

As Erik pulled up to the small estate on the upper side of town, he could already feel the anxiety creeping in. His family life had always been complicated, especially after his parents got divorced when he was seven years old. However, things got even worse after his mother remarried a man who was known for both his money and for gambling said money away.

The only saving grace was that his mother had been given a small inheritance from her own family after the death of her father a few years back, which she used to pay the bills and maintain their current residence. As a teenager, Erik always wondered why she never left her second husband, but now as an adult, he understood things well enough. His mother had fallen in love, and even now she was still in love, so it didn’t matter if the rest of the world was burning down.

As of late, Erik’s grandmother, the mother of his stepfather, had fallen ill, and according to his half-sister Amanda, today might be her last day. So, naturally, things were about to get uncomfortable.

After the front gate was buzzed open for him, Erik drove up to the house and parked by the front entrance. Before he could even open the door, he noticed his half-sister Amanda running out to meet him. Erik got out of the car with a smile and embraced her with a tender hug.

“Thanks for coming, Erik. I know you’re really busy, so it means a lot that you’re here,” she said, wiping her tear-stained eyes.

“I always have time for my family,” he replied gently. “Now, how’s Granny doing?”

“Better, but the doctors said we should still be prepared for the worst,” Amanda said as they made their way up the stairs and inside the house.

“I’m glad to hear her condition has improved,” Erik said with a small sigh of relief. “Maybe she’ll even be able to fight it off again.”

“It’s possible, but the cancer will win eventually. It’s only a matter of time.”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

His sister glanced back at him. “So, what happened at the hospital? Is your co-worker alright?”

Erik chuckled. “She woke up with minor injuries and plenty of sass, so I think she’ll be just fine.”

“Uh oh. You’ve always had a thing for sassy girls.”

He scoffed. “I’m most certainly not interested in the woman my father hired to micromanage my company. Like I said earlier, I only stayed with her because it wouldn’t be right to leave, especially since she only got hurt trying to save me. And besides, May might seem like the sassy type, but that doesn’t mean she’s any fun to be around. She’s simultaneously the most stubborn and the most boring person in the world.”

“What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s kind of cute on the outside, but whenever she opens her mouth, all she talks about is work, and it makes me want to pull my hair out.”

“And what does she think about you?”

“I’m pretty sure she has me pegged as a lazy, good-for-nothing playboy with no merits.”

Amanda burst out in loud laughter. “Then I’d say she’s the perfect woman for the job!”

“Perfect how, exactly?” Erik asked with annoyance.

“All I’m saying is that it might be good for you to spend time around someone who seems focused, driven, and in no way attracted to you.”

“I never said she wasn’t attracted to me.”

Amanda returned a small grin. “If she’s making you feel this frustrated after knowing her for less than two days, then trust me, she’s not interested.”

Erik didn’t know why, but those words hurt a lot more than he could have imagined. After all, he was every woman’s type.

“Anyways, Mom has been feeling stressed all day, so try not to mention your dad,” his sister warned as they reached the door at the end of the hall.

Erik took a deep breath and tried to brace himself as the door opened. Right away, he saw his mother standing there, waiting for their arrival. His stepfather was nowhere to be seen, likely out of town again for business, or for pleasure.

“Oh, Erik! You’re here!” she exclaimed.

His mother rushed over to embrace him. Erik hugged her back and kissed her cheek. “Sorry I’m late. I came as fast as I could.”

“I know. Amanda told me about the incident at work. I can’t believe you almost got hit by a car!”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. Not a scratch on me.”

“Good. That’s good…”

“Is that my grandson?” his granny called.

Erik looked over and saw the mother of his stepfather lying on a large bed surrounded by half a dozen screens meant to monitor her heart rate, oxygen levels, and so forth. It was an unsettling sight, no matter how many times he saw it.

“Hello, granny,” he said, putting on the biggest smile he could manage.

She held her arms out. “Come here, dear!”

Erik ran over and bent down to give her a hug. Then he sat down in the seat beside her bed, holding her hands in his. Even though she wasn’t related to him by blood, Granny was the one person he loved most in this world aside from his mother and Amanda.

“You gave me quite a scare earlier, but I should have known you’d be fine by the time I got here,” he teased.

The old woman gave his head a soft pat. “I don’t know why the doctors keep trying to upset my grandchildren when I’ve told them I’ll be just fine. I’m not ready to die yet, you know.”

Erik kissed her hands. “I know, Granny. None of us are ready for you to go.”

“How could you be? Neither you nor your sister are married, or even engaged,” his granny scolded. “Although Amanda does have a boyfriend, which is more than I can say for you.”

“You know I want to settle down one day, Granny. I just haven’t met the right girl yet.”

“But how can you meet the right girl when you spend your nights out gallivanting with a new woman at some dark party every night? You’re never going to meet your future wife in one of those.”

“There’s nothing wrong with any of the girls I meet at the club,” Erik assured gently. “Not everyone who likes to have fun is bad news.”

“I’m not saying they’re bad girls, Erik. I’m just saying they could never be the right girl for you,” she replied.

“And why is that?”

His grandmother placed one hand on his cheek. “Because you need someone who will encourage you to do better things with your time and money. Parties and drinking may be fun, but where will they lead you in life, except on the cover of some newspaper? What you need is a woman who makes you want to do the right thing, not one who will walk right into trouble with you.”

Erik felt a sharp stab of shame. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Erik, a girl who loves you won’t ask you for money, and she won’t brag about you to her friends. She won’t care if you’re handsome, and she won’t expect you to be perfect.”

“Well, if she’s that great, I doubt she’d be interested in a troublesome guy like me,” he noted.

Granny shook her head with a smirk. “Don’t focus on the girls who seem interested in you, look for the girls who seem to care about you first. Then you can swoop in and try to win her over with your charms!”

Erik tried to hold back his amusement. “Yes, of course, Granny.”

“Alright, everyone, that’s enough lecturing,” his mother said softly. “Let’s just be happy that we’re all here together.”

And just like that, all the tension in the room faded away, being replaced by warmth and tenderness. And when Erik left the estate late that night, instead of stopping by the bar for a drink, he went straight home and read through the papers May had left him, just like he had promised to the woman who had saved his life earlier that day.