“Being Mom, the provider, the one who didn’t need help.” She laughed bitterly. “I was the one who handled things, who got shit done. And then I got sick and had to figure out who I was without all the distractions.”
“Did you?”
“Not yet. I’m working on it, though.”
They stood in silence. Below them, someone shouted in Spanish, followed by laughter.
“Thank you for telling me all that.”
She shrugged. He shifted on his feet, nervous-like.
“I’ve never been to the beach,” Maurice said suddenly.
Monique blinked. “What?”
“The beach. Tomorrow. Tommie’s all excited about beach day, and I’ve never actually been to the beach.”
“How is that possible?”
“I’m a poor beige boy from Philly. Never left the city as a kid. And then…” He paused. “And then I was somewhere you don’t get beach days.”
Prison. He meant prison.“How long were you in?” The question came out before Monique could stop it.
Maurice didn’t flinch. “Twenty years.”
“Jesus.”
“Yeah.”
Twenty years was a long time. Not as long as some, but it might feel like a life sentence all the same.
“How old were you?”
“Sentenced at seventeen. Got out just before my thirty-eighth birthday.”
That meant that whatever went down, he’d been a child. Her chest tightened. He was what, fifty now? Fifty-one?
Monique did the math. He’d grown up in prison.
That’s… a lot.
“You know what?” She smiled at him big, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m proud of you.”
He didn’t react. Silence rushed forward, filling the space between. Something in his eyes shut down. He looked away. When he finally spoke, his voice was thick with emotion. “Thank you for that.” He turned to her and gave her a small smile.
She smiled back. “So, tomorrow morning, sand and sun and fun. What do we have to do to get you hype?”
Maurice rolled his eyes, and his posture relaxed, finally.
Monique did an internal fist pump.
“For my first official day at the beach? Yeah. I’m not sure.”
“You nervous?”
“A little. I don’t swim. But mostly, it’s…” He gestured vaguely. “All of it. Being half naked. Being that exposed. Being watched.”
Monique understood that completely. “Yeah. I’m not looking forward to that part either.”