Page 113 of Lethal Weakness

“I hope so.” He yawns, and I realize it’s the first time I’ve ever seen him do that. It’s too easy to see him as this invincible superhero.

“Eat, sleep. Bad news isn’t going anywhere,” I whisper, kissing him gently.

“I still want you in my arms again after Avery goes to sleep.”

“Okay,” I whisper.

* * *

Sleeping in the car all day has Avery all out of whack, so after we eat, when Jack excuses himself to get some sleep, we end up staying up to watch cartoons with Aunt Kay in the living room.

When I get up to take the empty ice cream bowls to the kitchen, Kay follows me, shooing me away from the sink to do it herself.

“Where are you from, dear?”

“Albany. My parents are still there.”

“That’s not too far. Hopefully you can visit them while you’re up this way.”

“Yeah, maybe. They’ve never had the chance to meet Avery.”

“What? How come?”

“My dad is disabled. My mom takes care of him. I was never allowed to take Avery out of Virginia.” That’s putting it simply, but I don’t have the energy to explain all of the complexities of my life.

“That must have been hard on you.” She looks at me sympathetically, and it’s so earnest it brings tears to my eyes.

“It was.”

I don’t know how it’s possible to feel more cared about by a woman you just met today versus the people who gave birth to you, but that’s a lot to unpack after the long day I’ve had.

“My parents couldn’t afford to travel, so…” I start to defend them like I always have.

“Still. I was never blessed to be a mother, but I helped raise Jack’s dad, and I worked in the church nursery for years. Babies don’t make it easy on you.”

A sad laugh escapes me. “That’s for sure.”

“Avery is a great little girl. You’ve done a good job with her.”

“Thank you. I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher before I had her. I guess I put all of my energy into her when I no longer had the opportunity to work.”

“Well, I don’t know what the future holds for you all, but I could always use you at the community center while you’re here. We run programs for kids of all ages, and can always use more help. They’re getting a bit rambunctious for this old lady.” She chuckles.

“That’d be great. I’d love to check it out.” I don’t know what the future holds either, but having options is better than the zero that I had before. “Do you still go to church?” I wonder aloud.

She’s made quite a few religious-adjacent comments.

“I haven’t gone to church formally in years. There is one large church in the area that most Catholics practice at, but we had our… differences. I have my own relationship with God now, and I choose to spend my time helping the community.”

“I’m sure the community center is glad to have you.”

“Truth be told, they might keep me around for my weekly contributions to the soup kitchen. People come from all over to get some of my banana pudding,” she tells me graciously, but I know for a fact that isn’t why they keep her around.

I can tell that Aunt Kay is someone that anyone would love to have on their side.

She opens the fridge, pointing to the already made pan filled with banana pudding. “Have some whenever you like.”

When she closes the fridge, though, something else catches my eye. Cards in all varieties of designs and colors are stuck to the fridge with magnets.