For Nicky Read Free Page A

wasn’t something I did to “share something” with another person. In a way, this bothered me because I grew up in a very loving home with parents who were obviously still very into each other; on the other hand, I think I was so used to being angry and pissed off and fighting that the detached feeling was fairly normal for me. Also, in retrospect, I think that I was fearful of letting any girl in; it would mean letting down my guard and I was much more comfortable with my walls up, in constant ready position to fight or defend my brother.
    So, I graduated college with a degree in school counseling, but I had no desire to use it. I told my parents as much, and they seemed to understand and support me, even though I got the feeling that they thought I should have attempted a counseling job. I got a small apartment about five minutes from Mom and Dad and Nick.  I made sure it was a two-bedroom so Nicky could stay whenever he wanted. I had a little breakfast nook in my kitchen where I put a small table and chairs. I didn’t cook a lot beyond pizza, toast, cereal, and eggs so my small kitchen wasn’t much of a problem for me. Mom always complained that I didn’t have any space, but I never felt deprived. Dad and I had painted the kitchen a cream and green color combo and Mom had decorated it with pictures and knick-knacks of grasses and flowers. My kitchen also had a little technology nook so I set up my laptop and printer there, but I usually had my laptop with me in the living room. The living room wasn’t huge but it had room for a couch and love seat, an entertainment center for my TV and game system, and a coffee table that Mom insisted I needed. Mom had chosen the same tan and burnt orange color scheme from her house for my living room as well. The bathroom was small, a stool, shower, and sink, but it was enough for me; it’s not like I was wanting to take bubble baths. Mom had Dad paint the bathroom blue and yellow and decorated it with white and yellow daisies. She was convinced if the rooms were decorated by a woman then a woman I brought home might be enticed to stay with me. Whatever. The two bedrooms were almost identical, but mine was slightly larger. I had asked Dad to help me paint my room my usual gray, but we added dark purple and dark teal accents with white mixed in occasionally. I fit a king size bed in there even though it meant I had very little room for anything else. I put my dresser in the closet. I loved a king sized bed. The spare room, which I had gotten specifically for Nicky, had a full sized bed. I let Nicky pick his colors. He wanted the same as his room at home, so blue with yellow and red it was. Nicky liked things to stay consistent. He didn’t always deal well with change. We kept a few changes of clothes and pajamas at my place, but mostly, he just brought an overnight bag if he was going to stay over.
    Nicky spent 2-3 nights a week with me and often brought a friend to play video games.  Nicky walked or rode his bike places. He and my parents were just not ok with him driving.  It made him nervous so he was perfectly content with his own feet or two wheels or someone else driving him around.  Nick loved my Jeep. It was the usual red and black that most people think of when they hear Jeep. I could take the top down or leave it up. Nick loved when I left the top down.
    I loved the nights when Nicky stayed over.  We’d drive his friend home after pizza, pop, and video games.  Then we’d just hang out and talk.  I loved listening to Nick tell stories of his day at work or the community center.  The first time I heard the name Miss Elizabeth was the first time Nicky brought a book to my apartment and told me he wanted to practice reading it to me.  He said that Miss Elizabeth, the new librarian at the center, had helped him pick it out and she was excited to hear him read some of it to her, so he had to practice.  I helped him read it and we settled on a part that he could