“Hi, Mom.”
“Are you at work, Brad?”
Brad closed his eyes and leaned back in the beige leather easy chair he’d been sitting in for the last hour. His favorite place in his apartment. When life ceased to make sense for whatever reason, he crawled into the chair. It had been his father’s before his.
“No, I’m taking a few days off.”
“A vacation? Brad, that’s wonderful. I want you to come for dinner.”
“Not really a vacation exactly. Just a few days off.”
“How many?”
“I’m not really sure. The thing is, Justin, Justin Lowe is here.”
A slight pause before his mother said, “Here in California.”
Brad winced. “Um yeah. Actually, here. In my apartment.”
“Brad.” Her tone all censure.
“I know. There was this accident. It was pretty bad. Justin said something about being forced off the road an
