“Just a second!” Cherry called. “House, Stevie.House.”
“Call off your hounds!” Honny shouted. None of Cherry’s sisters were dog people. They all found Stevie either irritating or terrifying.
Stevie reluctantly went to her kennel. Cherry gave her a treat and locked her in. When Cherry opened the front door, Honny walked past her.
Honny was three years older than Cherry, almost forty. She looked a lot like Cherry. A little fatter. A little moreethnic. They were part Sicilian, and Honny actually looked it. She was wearing a puffy pink coat (not puffy and pink in a way Cherry would endorse), and she looked put out. “Mom says you have her health insurance card.”
Cherry frowned. “Do I?”
Their mom was only in her mid-sixties, but she’d never been good with paperwork or bills. Cherry and her older sisters had been handling everything since they were teenagers.
“She says you took her to the eye doctor,” Honny said.
“Oh, right.” Cherry remembered now. “It’s probably in my purse. Is Mom with you?”
“She’s in the car. She’s got a mammogram at one.”
Cherry’s purse was in her bedroom. “Let me look. Just a second.” She ran upstairs.
The cardwasin her purse. “Found it!” Cherry called, coming down the stairs. “You’re lucky I was working from home.” Honny wasn’t in the foyer. “Honny?”
“Whatis going on here, Cherry?”
Honny was standing in the living room with her hands on her hips. Her face was aghast.
Cherry’s living room was a little... deconstructed.
The entire main floor was.
One whole corner of the dining room was stacked with boxes—and that was the only sign of order. Cabinets were open. Drawers were open. There was stuff spread out on the dining room table. There were Post-it notes everywhere. Long Post-it noteconversations...
“Tom came home last week to pack,” Cherry said.
“Tom came home?” Honny looked shocked.
“To Omaha.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Her eyes narrowed. “Did you tell everyone but me?”
“No, of course not. There’s really nothing to report.”
“Your husband came home for the first time in a year, and that’s nothing?”
“He’s not actuallyhome,” Cherry said. “He’s just packing.”
The front door opened. “Honny?”
“Mom, I’mcoming,” Honny said.
“Did you get my insurance card?” Their mom walked into the living room. She looked a lot like Cherry and Honny, but with all the Italian deducted. Her hair—salt and pepper now—was darker than Cherry’s, but her skin was pinker and her eyes were bright blue.
“I’ve got it.” Cherry held up the card.
Their mom was looking around the room. “Cherry, are you moving?”
“Tom came home,” Honny said.
Their mom’s face lit up. “Tom’s here?” She looked at the ceiling and raised her voice.“Tom?”
