“I’m going to clean the house so that we can paint it.”
“Cool! Can I help?”
“I don’t see why not. Grab that orange extension cord there. Let’s get this thing plugged in.”
It was a clunky old machine, but it worked just fine. Pete had a blast attacking the dirt and grime with an industrial-strength watergun.
“Hey Claire!” He paused when his sister came around the corner. “Do you want a turn?”
“What are you doing?”
“Painting the house!”
“With that thing?”
“I’m washing it andthenI’m painting it.”
“Right.” She cast a dubious look at the wall, where water dripped in streaks of gray grime.
“Did you need something?” Anne asked.
“I need to know what day we’re going back.”
Anne took a breath, gathering her patience.
Meanwhile, Claire’s patience snapped immediately.
“We can’t just stay forever! What about school?”
“We can look into some online programs–” Anne started.
“No. I’m going to La Jolla High.” She crossed her arms. “School starts August eleventh.”
“Claire–”
“If you want to stay here, fine. I’ll just move in with dad.” She turned on her heel, red hair flying, and made her dramatic exit.
“Claire!” Pete dropped the power washer and ran after her. “Claire, you can’t go!”
Anne considered going after them, but she didn’t know what to say. She stood there for a moment, frozen with indecision. Then she sighed and picked up the trigger gun of the power washer.
As far as she knew, her ex-husband hadn’t called the kids once since they’d left. They had squabbled over a number of things throughout the process of their divorce, but custody wasn’t one of them.
She had agreed to forgo any right to child support or alimony, and in exchange he had signed full custody over to her like a man unburdening himself of unwanted baggage. It had been a relief, but it would also be a terrible blow to the kids… when they eventually found out about it.
The man was sponging off of his new girlfriend. Anne was sure that Claire hadn’t run this new plan of hers by her father; it was an empty threat, a flailing attempt to exercise control over her own life.
Anne was frustrated with the situation more than with Claire.
Of course her teenage daughter wanted to know where they would be living in August. So did she.
She put her energy into the house.
The sun dried everything so quickly that by the time she was done with the final wall, the front was bone dry. She sanded a few spots that needed it, went around with the pressure washer one last time, and then hauled the paint over from the car.
After running a few options past her mother and getting no real response, she had gotten a basic white exterior paint. It might not stay pristine for long, but she wanted something that gleamed in the pictures that she would post advertising the rooms for rent.
The place just needed to shine through summer… and then Anne would figure something else out, and Dawn could have the place painted whatever color she liked.
