burger as we watched the afternoon sun slowly drop behind the buildings. “You hear about the school board meeting?” I asked her between bites.
She nodded. “Too little, too late if you ask me.” She didn’t say anything else, but I could tell she wanted to.
“Never knew you to be one to hold your tongue,” I commented. “Don’t start on my account.”
She kept staring at her feet for a moment and then took a deep breath as she faced me. “You are grieving, and I am not going to be one of those people who use the moment to kick you while you’re down. It’s just good they are doing something finally instead of trying to hide the problem again.”
I had no idea what she was talking about, and then suddenly I did.
“Thank you for the meal,” I said politely, no longer feeling like eating at all. I opened my purse to grab my pocketbook. “What do I owe you?”
“Dorothy,” she said, putting her hand over mine. “I’m not attacking you—you asked.”
I slowly pulled my hand away from hers. “I did, and thank you for the honesty, Gayle.” I got up and smoothed the front of my blouse. “We need to do this again.”
I was being a bitch, and I knew it, but there was nothing else I could manage without tearing my own hair out. I needed to get out of there before I lost it, and thankfully she seemed to understand that. “Anytime. You are always welcome here.”
I nodded to her and walked through the back alley toward my car, beating a hasty retreat.
Thankfully it was dark enough to allow me a good ten minutes to cry hysterically in my car without anyone seeing me. After that, I wiped my eyes again and headed home.
I was in no way surprised to find William gone.
A COUPLE of days passed, and I found myself taking down things that were William’s the same way a surgeon would cut away cancerous tumors from healthy flesh.
Gayle’s words kept echoing back in my head, but I refused to entertain them since I had more than enough pain in my life without adding to it. As I have said before, karma is not one to waste time in tracking you down. A knock on the front door made me pause, wondering if it was William crawling back with an apology.
Not that there was anything he could apologize for; I was just curious if he was desperate enough to attempt one or not.
Instead I opened the door and found Sheriff Rogers standing there, his hat literally in hand.
“Afternoon, Dorothy,” he said in that low drawl that had always made girls smile when we were in high school.
“Stephen,” I said, smiling back. “Come in,” I offered, moving aside.
He did that little bowing of his head as he walked in that most boys these days never learn. It was an old world respect thing, and I was surprised to find myself sorry it had faded from popularity. “I come at a bad time?” he asked, not making the point that lately all times were bad for me.
“No, I was just—” I looked at the living room, where a small, untidy hill of William’s belongings lay piled. “—taking out some garbage. I can use a break. You thirsty?” I offered as we walked into the living room.
“Anything cold if it’s not a bother,” he said, sitting down on the couch.
I took the pitcher of iced tea from the fridge and put it next to a couple of glasses on a serving tray. I set it down on the table as I sat in the chair across from him. “It’s sweetened,” I told him as he poured himself a glass.
He took a huge drink and gave me a wide smile. “That is some good tea,” he exclaimed. “Tastes like your mom’s,” he added.
I nodded. “The very same,” I said, sipping my own. “So what brings you around?”
He put the glass down and took a moment before talking. “First, I wanted to see how you were doing. There hasn’t been any time since….” His voice trailed off, and I nodded for him to continue. “But something has come up, and I thought you might want to know about it.”
It’s funny, I had just buried
She nodded. “Too little, too late if you ask me.” She didn’t say anything else, but I could tell she wanted to.
“Never knew you to be one to hold your tongue,” I commented. “Don’t start on my account.”
She kept staring at her feet for a moment and then took a deep breath as she faced me. “You are grieving, and I am not going to be one of those people who use the moment to kick you while you’re down. It’s just good they are doing something finally instead of trying to hide the problem again.”
I had no idea what she was talking about, and then suddenly I did.
“Thank you for the meal,” I said politely, no longer feeling like eating at all. I opened my purse to grab my pocketbook. “What do I owe you?”
“Dorothy,” she said, putting her hand over mine. “I’m not attacking you—you asked.”
I slowly pulled my hand away from hers. “I did, and thank you for the honesty, Gayle.” I got up and smoothed the front of my blouse. “We need to do this again.”
I was being a bitch, and I knew it, but there was nothing else I could manage without tearing my own hair out. I needed to get out of there before I lost it, and thankfully she seemed to understand that. “Anytime. You are always welcome here.”
I nodded to her and walked through the back alley toward my car, beating a hasty retreat.
Thankfully it was dark enough to allow me a good ten minutes to cry hysterically in my car without anyone seeing me. After that, I wiped my eyes again and headed home.
I was in no way surprised to find William gone.
A COUPLE of days passed, and I found myself taking down things that were William’s the same way a surgeon would cut away cancerous tumors from healthy flesh.
Gayle’s words kept echoing back in my head, but I refused to entertain them since I had more than enough pain in my life without adding to it. As I have said before, karma is not one to waste time in tracking you down. A knock on the front door made me pause, wondering if it was William crawling back with an apology.
Not that there was anything he could apologize for; I was just curious if he was desperate enough to attempt one or not.
Instead I opened the door and found Sheriff Rogers standing there, his hat literally in hand.
“Afternoon, Dorothy,” he said in that low drawl that had always made girls smile when we were in high school.
“Stephen,” I said, smiling back. “Come in,” I offered, moving aside.
He did that little bowing of his head as he walked in that most boys these days never learn. It was an old world respect thing, and I was surprised to find myself sorry it had faded from popularity. “I come at a bad time?” he asked, not making the point that lately all times were bad for me.
“No, I was just—” I looked at the living room, where a small, untidy hill of William’s belongings lay piled. “—taking out some garbage. I can use a break. You thirsty?” I offered as we walked into the living room.
“Anything cold if it’s not a bother,” he said, sitting down on the couch.
I took the pitcher of iced tea from the fridge and put it next to a couple of glasses on a serving tray. I set it down on the table as I sat in the chair across from him. “It’s sweetened,” I told him as he poured himself a glass.
He took a huge drink and gave me a wide smile. “That is some good tea,” he exclaimed. “Tastes like your mom’s,” he added.
I nodded. “The very same,” I said, sipping my own. “So what brings you around?”
He put the glass down and took a moment before talking. “First, I wanted to see how you were doing. There hasn’t been any time since….” His voice trailed off, and I nodded for him to continue. “But something has come up, and I thought you might want to know about it.”
It’s funny, I had just buried
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