Laurie folded forward on the bed and sobbed.
She felt wretched for venting her misery in front of Mia, but she couldn’t contain it anymore. Staying strong in the face of anger and cruelty was one thing, but her sisters’ immediate support had pushed her over the edge. Somehow, her gratitude undid her more easily than her grief.
Within a couple of minutes, she’d pulled herself together.
It would take Oakley about half an hour to get there.
Thirty minutes to pack up her whole life.
Laurie got to work, all the while praying that Chris didn’t return before they were safely out the door. Future worries – divorce, finances, custody battles – hovered on the periphery of her mind, but she denied them entrance. Her focus for the moment was on practicalities.
It took less than half an hour to pack up everything that they needed. Her clothes and her daughter’s. A bag of Mia’s favorite books and toys. Her laptop.
Mia stayed glued to her side the whole time, but she didn’t speak – not even with her hands. Not even to ask where they were going.
When their bags were packed, Laurie went to her bookshelves. She stood in front of the library she’d amassed overthe years, considering – but in that moment, her most treasured possessions felt utterly unimportant.
What if he came home while she was loading boxes of books into Oakley’s car?
It didn’t bear thinking about.
She grabbed an album that held all of her favorite photos of Mia and pulled it down from the shelf. That was it. That’s all she took.
She could come back for the rest later, or not.
He could burn them for all she cared.
All of her books, even the most treasured, were replaceable. She wasn’t.
And so she turned her back on the bookcase and walked out onto the front porch to wait beside their bags. As soon as she sat down, Mia crawled into her lap.
They had only been there for a minute when Oakley’s car came peeling up the drive.
Laurie gently pushed Mia out of her lap and grabbed the two heaviest bags. Mia put on her backpack and held her favorite stuffie tight with both arms.
What happened?Oakley signed as she hurried over.
Laurie just shook her head and walked to the back of the car. Oakley opened the trunk, and they put their bags inside.
She opened the door and gestured for Mia to get into the car. But when she tried to get in with her, Oakley intercepted her and took her face between her hands.
“Are you hurt?” she asked, examining her like she was looking for bruises.
“Just drive,” Laurie said. “Please.”
“Okay.” Oakley pulled her into a tight hug, then released her a moment later.
Let’s go, she signed, circling around to the driver’s side.
Laurie nodded and climbed in back with Mia.
Normally Oakley would gripe about Laurie treating her like a chauffeur, but she didn’t say a word as mother and daughter curled up together in the back seat.
Laurie waited for a sense of relief to overtake her with each mile they drove, but that respite never came. Instead, as the shock dissipated, a new anxiety tightened around her lungs.
What had she done?
There was still time to go back.
