go bad. To me, preventing it from happening, at any expense, is like saving a life. Mallory’s is well worth saving." He stood and extended his hand to her. "I think you’d better get your daughter home. She didn’t look too great. I think this has upset her."
"I hope it scared the hell out of her."
"So do I. Good night, now. See you at Betty’s."
Anna shook his hand and smiled into his warm brown eyes. "Thank you for being so helpful with Mallory. See you."
She turned and went out to the waiting area to find Mallory hunched in the red chair, clutching her stomach. Helping her up, she led her daughter out the door. "Come on, babe. Let’s get you home before you mess up their floor."
Back home, Rose left with a quick glance at Mallory after Anna told her she’d call her in the morning. Once Mallory got rid of most of the source of her discomfort in the bathroom toilet, Anna helped her on with her jammie pants and tee shirt, and put her to bed. With a dull moan, Mallory started to roll over to face the wall.
Anna stopped her. "No, honey. Not yet. We’ve got to talk."
"No." Mallory shook her head weakly. "I can’t. It was awful. I don’t even want to think about it ever again."
"Do you mean you’ve learned your lesson?"
"Like a small child?" Mallory’s fists clenched on the bedspread. "Don't worry. Your little girl has learned her lesson from the big, bad policeman."
"He had some insightful things to say and you should think about them, especially what he said about staying away from Terry."
"I'm not going anywhere near Terry. And I will think about everything, but not tonight. I feel too awful right now."
"Okay, but be sure you do. You were nearly arrested tonight. If you had been, it would have changed the course of the rest of your life. So no, Mallory, this isn't child stuff. Not by a long shot."
"But I didn't get arrested, okay? You don't have to worry about everybody in church and the neighborhood getting wind of just how awful your daughter is."
"There’s no need to get sarcastic, Eliza Mallory. You committed a crime. It doesn't get much more serious than this."
"I know." She pouted, looking like a spoiled three-year-old. "Terry dared me to do it."
"That’s no excuse whatsoever for doing what you did. If she dared you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?" Anna frowned. Now I sound like my own mother .
"I’m not going ‘shopping’ with her again." Mallory simulated quote marks with her fingers. "I’m not stupid."
"I told you to watch your sarcastic mouth." Anna pointed her forefinger in Mallory’s face for emphasis. "You never would have talked to your father like this."
"But Dad isn’t here, is he?" Mallory asked, sitting up.
"No, he isn’t. And as much as I’d like to metamorphose sometimes, I can’t become him. I can’t be both your mother and your father, and you’ve got to stop expecting me to be."
"I don’t expect you to be him!" Mallory suddenly screamed, shaking. "You never could be!"
Anna stood up with gruff abruptness and left without another word. She couldn’t take any more from Mallory, but didn’t want to punish her further after what the girl had been through tonight. Her father’s death came at such an unfortunate age for her. She was undergoing so many changes within herself. She couldn’t cope with those terrible external changes. Maybe as she got older, she’d be able to grieve more naturally.
Let it happen. Oh please, God, let it happen.
On Sunday, Anna paid her stack of bills. She didn’t know how Mike used to manage it, paying every bill on the day it came. She hated it, writing check after check, watching her balance drop, bit by bit. Her week's paycheck from the diner, which she’d deposited yesterday, paid the electric bill and the telephone bill and food, but practically nothing else.
The house payment took out a huge chunk in one fell swoop. Hopefully, it was one of the last she would have to make. She could see the new sign on the front
"I hope it scared the hell out of her."
"So do I. Good night, now. See you at Betty’s."
Anna shook his hand and smiled into his warm brown eyes. "Thank you for being so helpful with Mallory. See you."
She turned and went out to the waiting area to find Mallory hunched in the red chair, clutching her stomach. Helping her up, she led her daughter out the door. "Come on, babe. Let’s get you home before you mess up their floor."
Back home, Rose left with a quick glance at Mallory after Anna told her she’d call her in the morning. Once Mallory got rid of most of the source of her discomfort in the bathroom toilet, Anna helped her on with her jammie pants and tee shirt, and put her to bed. With a dull moan, Mallory started to roll over to face the wall.
Anna stopped her. "No, honey. Not yet. We’ve got to talk."
"No." Mallory shook her head weakly. "I can’t. It was awful. I don’t even want to think about it ever again."
"Do you mean you’ve learned your lesson?"
"Like a small child?" Mallory’s fists clenched on the bedspread. "Don't worry. Your little girl has learned her lesson from the big, bad policeman."
"He had some insightful things to say and you should think about them, especially what he said about staying away from Terry."
"I'm not going anywhere near Terry. And I will think about everything, but not tonight. I feel too awful right now."
"Okay, but be sure you do. You were nearly arrested tonight. If you had been, it would have changed the course of the rest of your life. So no, Mallory, this isn't child stuff. Not by a long shot."
"But I didn't get arrested, okay? You don't have to worry about everybody in church and the neighborhood getting wind of just how awful your daughter is."
"There’s no need to get sarcastic, Eliza Mallory. You committed a crime. It doesn't get much more serious than this."
"I know." She pouted, looking like a spoiled three-year-old. "Terry dared me to do it."
"That’s no excuse whatsoever for doing what you did. If she dared you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?" Anna frowned. Now I sound like my own mother .
"I’m not going ‘shopping’ with her again." Mallory simulated quote marks with her fingers. "I’m not stupid."
"I told you to watch your sarcastic mouth." Anna pointed her forefinger in Mallory’s face for emphasis. "You never would have talked to your father like this."
"But Dad isn’t here, is he?" Mallory asked, sitting up.
"No, he isn’t. And as much as I’d like to metamorphose sometimes, I can’t become him. I can’t be both your mother and your father, and you’ve got to stop expecting me to be."
"I don’t expect you to be him!" Mallory suddenly screamed, shaking. "You never could be!"
Anna stood up with gruff abruptness and left without another word. She couldn’t take any more from Mallory, but didn’t want to punish her further after what the girl had been through tonight. Her father’s death came at such an unfortunate age for her. She was undergoing so many changes within herself. She couldn’t cope with those terrible external changes. Maybe as she got older, she’d be able to grieve more naturally.
Let it happen. Oh please, God, let it happen.
On Sunday, Anna paid her stack of bills. She didn’t know how Mike used to manage it, paying every bill on the day it came. She hated it, writing check after check, watching her balance drop, bit by bit. Her week's paycheck from the diner, which she’d deposited yesterday, paid the electric bill and the telephone bill and food, but practically nothing else.
The house payment took out a huge chunk in one fell swoop. Hopefully, it was one of the last she would have to make. She could see the new sign on the front
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