Mymama, however, was a different story.
“What’sup?” I asked when she’d been quiet for what I felt was long enough.
“Howare you?”
Ilicked dry lips and talked myself into relaxing. It was kind of her to ask, butthe truth was harrowing. I was exhausted to my bones. My feet hurt. My backhurt. I wanted a four-hour nap. But I wanted Sarita more. As a consequence, thiswas my life for the foreseeable future and I was okay with that. “I’m good,” Ilied. “Work is busy.”
“You’realways busy.” This was always her complaint. “Work is always like that foryou.”
“Itis,” I answered. “How are you? How’s Daddy?”
“Oh,you know us,” she tittered. “We can’t complain.”
“Didyou plant your garden?”
“Ihaven’t yet. Your daddy is going to get me what I need this weekend. Although,you know I’m not any good at it. I’d love it if you came home and did it forme. We’re going to start it on Friday.”
Idropped my head back and blinked up at the bright sky. She knew I couldn’t getaway this weekend—exactly why she’d asked. She wanted me to feel guilty.
“Workis tough right now, Mom. I can’t get away anytime soon.”
Shemade a sound in the back of her throat. “Do you think it would be possible foryou to take a break from it for at least a few days?”
Mybody immediately bristled, readying for a fight. I was afraid to ask her why.With my luck, she’d probably arranged my wedding to Nolan and was giving me acourtesy call to inform me of where to show up and what to do.
Keepingmy tone neutral, I asked, “Why? What’s going on?”
“Nothinglife changing,” she said quickly, helping me relax a teeny bit. “Your dad and Iwant to come visit you. It’s been too long since we’ve spent time together. Andsince we can’t get you to visit us for some silly reason, we thought we’d cometo you.”
“Oh.”
“Butwe don’t want to get out there only for you to ignore us and work the wholetime. Do you have vacation days or something? Can we get time with our eldestdaughter before we die? Or should we say goodbye now? I can leave funeralinstructions with the preacher if you’d rather. You won’t have to be botheredwith the details. I know how much you hate to be inconvenienced.”
Icouldn’t help but laugh at my mom’s sharp tongue. I’d stopped wondering where Igot my short-temper a long time ago. But with her it was impossible to tell ifshe was joking or not. Her voice never sounded sarcastic or teasing. And herexpression never ever gave anything away. But surely that was a joke, right?
Shecouldn’t be serious about wanting to spend time with me before she died… right?Or quite possibly this was a new low. Even for her. She was probably trying tolure me back home with death threats.
Itwas kind of working. I didn’t want my parents to feel like I didn’t love themor want to spend time with them. I did. Of course I did.
ButI also had a demanding job. And there was always that off chance of the zombieapocalypse starting while I was visiting them at home…making it impossible toleave…so I’d be stuck fighting zombies for the rest of my life in the same townI swore I would never live in again. Legit reasons for never going back there.
“Mom,I’d love it if you and Dad came to visit me.” I was also kind of dreading it.But this was always how it was with my parents. There was always equal sharesof love and trepidation. “When are you thinking?”
“Nextweekend,” she said quickly, the tone of her voice changing just slightly. Shesounded happier… softer. “Is that enough time for you to get one or two daysoff?”
“Ialready have Sunday off,” I assured her, even though I wanted to kick myselffor offering her one of Sarita’s days. I knew Vera would understand, but Ididn’t know if I would. I wanted to work at Sarita again, couldn’t wait for it.No matter what job Vera had waiting for me, and let’s get real, it could getworse before it ever got better. She could make me fill in the exterminatorposition, for example, to catch cockroaches by hand. She could send me rathunting and tell me not to bother coming back until I’d skewered them all.
Justkidding, from what I understood the rodent and bug problem was mostly undercontrol by now. Thank God. Still, there were plenty of jobs that I dreaded.
Andfor some reason, I trusted Vera to know that whatever she had waiting for me waspart of this growing and maturing business. In the long run, it would benefitme. And hopefully, Sarita. That was all I needed.
Bringon the proverbial cockroaches.
Kindof.
If Iabsolutely had no other choice and my future depended on it.
“Yourdad has a doctor’s appointment on Monday afternoon, so we’ll leave thatmorning. We’d like to see you while we’re there.”
