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Gaby.” I try to sound light, but it’s still hard to talk to my sister even after all these years. I lean against the chain link fence outside the metal shop where I work. I shove one hand in my pocket and listen with a smile.
    “Uncle Corbie, guess what I did today? I made a, uh… I made a... What’s it called Mom?” I hear my nephew, Parker, stutter, and then clunk around while he whispers to my sister. I hear her whisper something back. “I um, I um, made a bolt.” He states so proud of himself that I laugh out loud.
    “A bolt? That’s amazing, Buddy. On the lathe?” I laugh again when he’s silent for a moment.
    “What’s a lathe, Uncle?” His squeaky voice becomes so serious, and I hear Gaby laugh this time.
    “It’s the machine that spins the metal round and round so you can shape it.”
    “Oh, yeah, I used that. Or my teacher did. I helped.”
    “That’s awesome! I can’t wait to see it. Can you put your mom on, Bud?”
    More shuffling and banging and yelling and then my sister sighs into the phone.
    “Hey, Corb.”
    “What the hell is a six year old doing operating a lathe?” I’m not angry, but astonished that she would let him operate heavy machinery like that.
    “It was for his class trip thing. They were doing some career fair series where they visit a bunch of different trade shops to see how things are made. And don’t get too excited, I only knew it was a bolt because his teacher said that’s what it was. It looks more like something a robot dog would shit out.” Parker giggles in the background and I relax. It’s always weird that my twenty one year old sister has a six year old son, but the sound of his voice calms me almost as much as the water does when I swim. His excitement for life makes me wish I could have a tenth of what he does. It also makes me hate my father, which is a weird association, but Dad almost forced Gaby to have an abortion. It’s part of the reason Mom took her away. I couldn’t imagine life without Parker. Even if I only see him once a year.
    “How are you doing?” My voice settles to normal, and I can almost see Gaby sitting on the kitchen counter, twirling her short hair in her fingers until it stands on end in little clusters, shrugging her shoulders like she used to when she’d talk to her friends. I doubt she’s changed much, and unless she’s right in front of me I can’t ever picture her as anything but that awkward sixteen year old girl she was before she had Parker.
    “I’m good. Parker’s losing teeth now, he looks like a rabbit. Don’t ya bud?” She speaks half to me and half to Parker. The sound of scraping chair legs fills my ear, and Gaby takes a minute to give him shit for it.
    “Are you gunna tell Uncle about the surprise?” Parker yells and Gaby shushes him.
    “What surprise?” I ask.
    “Well I wasn’t, but I guess now that you blabbed, I have to tell him. You stinker.”
    “Tell me what?” My chest tightens because I hate surprises. Every time a woman has said they had to tell me something it was ‘I’m cheating on you’ or ‘I just need to be single for a while’ or ‘I’m leaving your father and taking your sister with me.’
    “Parker and I are coming home for your birthday.” Parker starts yelling in the background, but my gut drops and I slump forward.
    “Corbin?” Gaby says, and I breathe in.
    “Yeah, I’m here.”
    “Is it okay that we were going to come home? I mean if you don’t want us...” she starts with that little sister tremble in her voice.
    “No. No, I want you to come. That’s awesome. Really. But Mom?”
    “Is not coming with us. She dropped a couple hints, but I didn’t think you’d want to see her.” Gab trails off.
    “I don’t.” My tone is harsh, and Gaby knows I don’t like to talk about Mom. Mostly because the things that crush me about her; clutter me up with guilt and lies, are things I never want my sister to know.
    “That’s what I thought. I really think you