All Grown Up

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I turned the stove off and transferred a portion to a plate, scooping out some rosemary-roasted potatoes and steamed

he news in the other room. It was my nightly ritual, polished down to an art. There was no better way to relax at the end of a long day of work t

get the hell out of here. But shit changes. I had responsibilities here, and even though I liked

led my eyes and went to answer it. "How many times do I have to tell you to quit knocking and just walk

y that time I walked in and your mom was in here with curlers in her h

as I went. Joe made a face when he saw that I was watching the news, but he

ids from our class who was still hanging around town without starting all the bullshit of a family and whatever. He still came over every Friday night to

riends around town was right up there on the list of things that I would miss if I left. We had grown up together, and those guys knew

d me. He set the cooler down between the two Adirondacks and grabbed

or a busy summer. Memorial Day weekend's coming right up, and you know that

d, squinting over at me. "Is he act

hift tomorrow morning." I grinned. "It's been prett

s town had to take pity on his

gether," I retorted, shr

e. "A weirdo but a hard worker. There's a difference. It's a

ut either way, everyon

or the third time. He laughed and glanced at his watch. "Gu

ho needs to get up at five every

y if you'd sell off this place and m

re, but at the same time, I liked the quiet. Besides, there were memories here. My parents had been the ones whose neighbors lived farthest

om the time someone gave Mike a handful of permanent markers mid-party while he was stoned out of his mind. The stain

here that I never wa

w that," I told Joe. "Now get o

ight?" Joe asked, mock-offended. "Where's

ve a rollicking blowout of a night and pass out wherever the fuck you'd like. But

trust him to open up shop on his own, we're going

" I reminded him. "That's pretty damned close

me. "I'm not waiting until next wint

ll right. But it's n

dcast on my phone, it was so damned quiet living out here in the middle of nowhere

eading upstairs to bed and settin

ast living here in Aberdeen wasn't half as l