Winnie took a step toward her, then another. From the bottom of the steps, she asked, “Mom, why doesn’t Taylor take any of this trash out?” As far as Winnie knew, her sister didn’t even have a job.
“She’s just so busy,” Momma said.
“Doing what?” Winnie bit out. “Momma, she isnotbusy.”
“Taking care of your dad takes a toll,” Momma said next, excuses lining her voice.
“Momma, how long has Daddy been bad enough that you can’t walk the trash to the barrel and put the barrel out on Thursday mornings?”
Her mother swallowed, hands fretting around one another. “He’s been in a lot of pain for months,” she whispered.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Winnie asked. “Does Brad know?”
“He does now,” Momma said.
“What is the point of hiding this from us?”
Tears ran down Momma’s face and Winnie’s heart broke, though she found it very hard to have sympathy for her mother. Empathy, yes, but sympathy came much harder.
“You and Brad are off living good lives,” Momma said, voice choked and full of emotion. “And Daddy and I don’t want to burden either one of you.” She wiped quickly at her face. “We’re fine here. Come on, Lucky. Come inside.”
Winnie didn’t know how to argue withwe’re fineandI didn’t want to burden you.She turned her back, collected Lucky’s half-eaten dish, topped it off, and urged the canine inside. She refreshed his water with fresh, cold water, set it next to his food, and moved to the kitchen with her mother.
She opened her own Styrofoam container. “Did you eat, Momma?” she asked quietly.
“Not yet,” her mother whispered back.
Winnie nodded, picked up Momma’s order, put the container on a plate, and faced her. “Where do you want it? Couch or table?”
“On the couch, please,” Momma said, and turned that way.
Winnie followed, waited while her mother put up the footrest, helped her tuck a blanket around her legs, then handed her the plate. Their eyes met, and pure understanding moved between the two women. Winnie knew her mother was doing the best she could. She had never worked and didn’t have many skills that would bring money in.
Daddy had retired a couple of years ago, and as far as Winnie knew, they had what they needed—the house paid off, no car payment, and health insurance from the state. Momma had always claimed that having Taylor here was not a burden, as she paid for her own Dr. Pepper—though now Winnie wondered how exactly she did that if she didn’t have a job.
No matter what, it was a conversation for another time. Winnie turned back into the kitchen to get her own food. She’d eaten with Ty before making the drive, so she’d only ordered cheese fries. She sat at the dining room table to eat them, Lucky still chowing down and reminding her that he had been very hungry.
She had shared her location with Tyson during the dust storm and had never rescinded it. She smiled at the word he’d once used with her, then pulled out her phone to text him, her heart heavy even as her fingers flew.
33
Things are so much worse here than I thought.Winnie’s message glowed on Ty’s screen. He read it again, waiting for the next one.
The garage is full of trash, and our family dog wasn’t even fed. Momma’s pantry looked like a bomb had gone off, and Daddy was in good spirits but already in bed. I have no idea what tomorrow will bring. I’ll keep you updated.
Ty’s jaw tightened. He could read between the lines.I’ll keep you updatedmeant she would likely be in Oklahoma longer than just through the weekend.
He glanced at Rocky as the cat jumped onto the bed beside him. He’d gone back to Winnie’s house instead of his apartment. Her guest room was immaculately clean and smelled like fresh linen—probably a room spray. He reached for the cat and stroked him once before focusing on his phone again.
I’m sorry things are a mess there, sweetheart. Do you want to call?
Taylor’s not here,Winnie said.And I honestly don’t know when she’ll be back, and I think I may be too tired to talk.
“Okay,” he said aloud as he typed.I’m back at your place, and the cats are fine.
Thank you so much,she sent, followed by a couple of cat emojis, a couple of smiley faces in cowboy hats, and three pink hearts.
Ty grinned despite himself and sent three black cats, three red hearts, and then three potatoes.Did you get your cheese fries at least?
