hugged her just a little longer than she might have under other circumstances. “Thank you for loving me,” she whispered.
Grammy stroked her head gently. “Thank you for loving me.”
Erica pulled away and sniffed back tears. “I’m so glad we have each other.”
“Me too.” Grammy went to the door and paused. “Sometimes life hands us surprises, like flowers coming back up a second year when you thought they were good for only one season. Maybe God will hand you a surprise in this situation as well. Just don’t run so far away that you aren’t around to see it when it comes.” She smiled and slipped away.
“Am I interrupting?” Deirdre questioned not a minute after Mattie had stepped from the room.
“Not at all,” Erica replied. “Grammy and I just had a conversation about Sean. Say, did you get ahold of Dave and Morgan?”
Deirdre came in and dropped into the wicker rocker. “Finally. Dave had taken her out for pizza and to play. They were just getting back. Sounded like they had a really good time. Dave sent his mom and dad to the theatre to give them the night off, so everyone’s doing just fine.”
“Sometimes I envy you,” Erica said, leaning against the wall. “You have your life so perfectly ordered.”
“Don’t bet on it,” Deirdre laughed. “If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that life has no perfect order. There’s always something to come along and zap you just when you least expect it. Take Rachelle, for instance. Who would have thought she’d be dead at such a young age?”
“I wonder if she killed herself,” Erica said absentmindedly.
“I guess we’ll never know. Either way, she’s gone. Not that she was ever here for us anyway.”
“I know you told me not to bother,” Erica confessed, “but I kepttrying to get a call through to her. I just kept thinking that maybe if I reached out to her, she’d be inclined to reach back.”
“People aren’t always going to respond that way,” her sister chided. “Just because you have a good heart doesn’t mean everyone in the world does. Rachelle’s heart was ice. She wasn’t about to let it thaw for even a minute.”
“Maybe she was afraid.”
“Afraid? Of us?” Deirdre questioned. “I can think of a lot of things in this world to be afraid of, but us?”
Erica shrugged. “Why not? We’re the one audience she couldn’t sell. We’re the ones who refused to buy into her hype.”
“She’s the one who walked out on us,” Deirdre said, shaking her head. “We weren’t to blame.”
“Maybe that’s what made it so impossible for her. She would have had to face up to her mistakes and see herself the way we do. That would have been enough to keep me away, had I been Rachelle.”
“Well, it wouldn’t have been for me. I have a daughter,” Deirdre replied. “Nothing could separate me from her. Nothing. And I’m not talking physical distance. She has to go to school, Dave and I will take our trips, and I had to come here. No, I’m talking about true separation. I’m talking about the heart.”
Erica nodded. “I know. I am too. I think Rachelle was afraid to love us. I think the price was too high and she was terrified of what it might mean to her if she let us in. Now she’s dead, so I guess we’ll never know.”
Sadly, Erica realized the truth in her own words. She had always hoped for one of those sappy reunions where she and her sisters could lovingly embrace their mother and find true happiness as a family. I’ve always been a dreamer , she told herself. She just always assumed everyone else was too.
“Erica, don’t let it get to you,” Deirdre said, getting to her feet. “I’m sure that wherever Rachelle is, she’s not giving us a second thought.”
“But what if she is?” Erica questioned.
“Then it’s her loss.”
Chapter 11
“Grammy?” Ashley called as she peeked into the sewing room. She figured it to be the one place she could count on finding her grandmother on a rainy
Grammy stroked her head gently. “Thank you for loving me.”
Erica pulled away and sniffed back tears. “I’m so glad we have each other.”
“Me too.” Grammy went to the door and paused. “Sometimes life hands us surprises, like flowers coming back up a second year when you thought they were good for only one season. Maybe God will hand you a surprise in this situation as well. Just don’t run so far away that you aren’t around to see it when it comes.” She smiled and slipped away.
“Am I interrupting?” Deirdre questioned not a minute after Mattie had stepped from the room.
“Not at all,” Erica replied. “Grammy and I just had a conversation about Sean. Say, did you get ahold of Dave and Morgan?”
Deirdre came in and dropped into the wicker rocker. “Finally. Dave had taken her out for pizza and to play. They were just getting back. Sounded like they had a really good time. Dave sent his mom and dad to the theatre to give them the night off, so everyone’s doing just fine.”
“Sometimes I envy you,” Erica said, leaning against the wall. “You have your life so perfectly ordered.”
“Don’t bet on it,” Deirdre laughed. “If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that life has no perfect order. There’s always something to come along and zap you just when you least expect it. Take Rachelle, for instance. Who would have thought she’d be dead at such a young age?”
“I wonder if she killed herself,” Erica said absentmindedly.
“I guess we’ll never know. Either way, she’s gone. Not that she was ever here for us anyway.”
“I know you told me not to bother,” Erica confessed, “but I kepttrying to get a call through to her. I just kept thinking that maybe if I reached out to her, she’d be inclined to reach back.”
“People aren’t always going to respond that way,” her sister chided. “Just because you have a good heart doesn’t mean everyone in the world does. Rachelle’s heart was ice. She wasn’t about to let it thaw for even a minute.”
“Maybe she was afraid.”
“Afraid? Of us?” Deirdre questioned. “I can think of a lot of things in this world to be afraid of, but us?”
Erica shrugged. “Why not? We’re the one audience she couldn’t sell. We’re the ones who refused to buy into her hype.”
“She’s the one who walked out on us,” Deirdre said, shaking her head. “We weren’t to blame.”
“Maybe that’s what made it so impossible for her. She would have had to face up to her mistakes and see herself the way we do. That would have been enough to keep me away, had I been Rachelle.”
“Well, it wouldn’t have been for me. I have a daughter,” Deirdre replied. “Nothing could separate me from her. Nothing. And I’m not talking physical distance. She has to go to school, Dave and I will take our trips, and I had to come here. No, I’m talking about true separation. I’m talking about the heart.”
Erica nodded. “I know. I am too. I think Rachelle was afraid to love us. I think the price was too high and she was terrified of what it might mean to her if she let us in. Now she’s dead, so I guess we’ll never know.”
Sadly, Erica realized the truth in her own words. She had always hoped for one of those sappy reunions where she and her sisters could lovingly embrace their mother and find true happiness as a family. I’ve always been a dreamer , she told herself. She just always assumed everyone else was too.
“Erica, don’t let it get to you,” Deirdre said, getting to her feet. “I’m sure that wherever Rachelle is, she’s not giving us a second thought.”
“But what if she is?” Erica questioned.
“Then it’s her loss.”
Chapter 11
“Grammy?” Ashley called as she peeked into the sewing room. She figured it to be the one place she could count on finding her grandmother on a rainy
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