Don’t you think it’s strange that her family doesn’t visit more often?”
He’d noticed that, too?
“You noticed too, huh?”
“Yeah. It’s like they don’t want to interact with her, but they’re happy to build this Coma Girl franchise around her.”
Yes, it’s kind of exactly like that.
“Shh,” Gina said.
“What?”
“She might be able to hear us, that’s what. And who wants to hear their family doesn’t want anything to do with them?”
Not me, that’s for sure.
August 24, Wednesday
“WE CAN SEE YOU,” my dad said.
“Speak up so Marigold can hear you,” my mother added.
“Hi, Sis!”
It was good to hear Alex’s voice, good to know he was safe.
“How are you doing, Marigold? You look good.”
Liar.
“You’ve got a big fan club over here. Someone ordered a bunch of Coma Girl T-shirts—I see them all the time. You’re famous!”
“Can you believe it?” my dad said. “Our little Marigold is known all over the world.”
“How is she?” Alex asked.
“The same,” my mom said. “We keep hoping to get a call that she’s up and walking around, but she’s still unresponsive.”
“What are the doctors saying?”
“More of the same,” my dad said. “Be patient, her brain is still healing.”
“We haven’t given up hope,” my Mom said.
Whew.
“Yet,” she added.
“I’m really sorry the medication Dr. Oscar suggested isn’t a good fit for Marigold’s case,” Alex said. “I’m going to send him a thank you card anyway.”
Hm… that could trigger questions…
“That’s nice,” Mom said. “It was good of you to take the time out of your busy schedule to do something for your sister.”
“Gosh, Mom, it wasn’t much. I’m going a little crazy over here knowing she’s in this state.”
“Oh, don’t worry about her, sweetie. She has good care here. How are you?”
Wow… she’d skimmed right over me.
“I’m fine. Although I was pretty upset when I heard Keith Young was definitely driving drunk when he crashed into Marigold.”
“We were going to tell you,” my dad said, “but you already heard?”
“One of my Army buddies in Atlanta called me. He’s been following the case in the news. In fact, he offered to dispense a little street justice if I want him to.”
“What’s that, dear?”
“He’s offering to rough up Keith Young,” my dad said.
How chivalrous.
“You know how these athletes get away with murder,” Alex said. “I wouldn’t mind seeing him banged up a little.”
“Let’s leave it up to the police,” Dad said.
“Yes, we don’t want you to get in trouble over something that was Marigold’s fault.”
Wait—my fault?
“But it wasn’t Marigold’s fault, Mom.”
“She was late picking up Sidney at the airport. You know how slow she is. If she’d only gotten to the airport on time, none of this would’ve happened.”
Wow.
“Mom, you can’t blame this on Marigold.”
She sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ve just had a long day and I’m tired.”
Translation: Her filter isn’t in place.
“Your mother is a full time real estate agent now,” Dad said, and I detected a little sarcasm in his voice.
“Really? Go, Mom.”
“Thanks,” she said, sounding pleased at Alex’s praise.
“She has a billboard on Georgia 400,” my dad said. “Her face is as big as a panel truck.”
Hostile much?
“Business must be good,” my brother said. “That’s great. Listen, I gotta run. Let’s do this again soon, okay?”
“Okay, bye, dear.”
“Bye, Marigold!”
My mother disconnected the Skype session, and my parents sat in charged silence.
Three, two, one…
“Did you have to make a dig at me in front of Alex?” my mother demanded.
“You mean the obnoxious billboard? It’s the truth, Carrie!”
“You’re just angry, Robert, because I didn’t go through you to get it made.”
“Well, it does beg the question why, if you needed a sign, you didn’t ask
He’d noticed that, too?
“You noticed too, huh?”
“Yeah. It’s like they don’t want to interact with her, but they’re happy to build this Coma Girl franchise around her.”
Yes, it’s kind of exactly like that.
“Shh,” Gina said.
“What?”
“She might be able to hear us, that’s what. And who wants to hear their family doesn’t want anything to do with them?”
Not me, that’s for sure.
August 24, Wednesday
“WE CAN SEE YOU,” my dad said.
“Speak up so Marigold can hear you,” my mother added.
“Hi, Sis!”
It was good to hear Alex’s voice, good to know he was safe.
“How are you doing, Marigold? You look good.”
Liar.
“You’ve got a big fan club over here. Someone ordered a bunch of Coma Girl T-shirts—I see them all the time. You’re famous!”
“Can you believe it?” my dad said. “Our little Marigold is known all over the world.”
“How is she?” Alex asked.
“The same,” my mom said. “We keep hoping to get a call that she’s up and walking around, but she’s still unresponsive.”
“What are the doctors saying?”
“More of the same,” my dad said. “Be patient, her brain is still healing.”
“We haven’t given up hope,” my Mom said.
Whew.
“Yet,” she added.
“I’m really sorry the medication Dr. Oscar suggested isn’t a good fit for Marigold’s case,” Alex said. “I’m going to send him a thank you card anyway.”
Hm… that could trigger questions…
“That’s nice,” Mom said. “It was good of you to take the time out of your busy schedule to do something for your sister.”
“Gosh, Mom, it wasn’t much. I’m going a little crazy over here knowing she’s in this state.”
“Oh, don’t worry about her, sweetie. She has good care here. How are you?”
Wow… she’d skimmed right over me.
“I’m fine. Although I was pretty upset when I heard Keith Young was definitely driving drunk when he crashed into Marigold.”
“We were going to tell you,” my dad said, “but you already heard?”
“One of my Army buddies in Atlanta called me. He’s been following the case in the news. In fact, he offered to dispense a little street justice if I want him to.”
“What’s that, dear?”
“He’s offering to rough up Keith Young,” my dad said.
How chivalrous.
“You know how these athletes get away with murder,” Alex said. “I wouldn’t mind seeing him banged up a little.”
“Let’s leave it up to the police,” Dad said.
“Yes, we don’t want you to get in trouble over something that was Marigold’s fault.”
Wait—my fault?
“But it wasn’t Marigold’s fault, Mom.”
“She was late picking up Sidney at the airport. You know how slow she is. If she’d only gotten to the airport on time, none of this would’ve happened.”
Wow.
“Mom, you can’t blame this on Marigold.”
She sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ve just had a long day and I’m tired.”
Translation: Her filter isn’t in place.
“Your mother is a full time real estate agent now,” Dad said, and I detected a little sarcasm in his voice.
“Really? Go, Mom.”
“Thanks,” she said, sounding pleased at Alex’s praise.
“She has a billboard on Georgia 400,” my dad said. “Her face is as big as a panel truck.”
Hostile much?
“Business must be good,” my brother said. “That’s great. Listen, I gotta run. Let’s do this again soon, okay?”
“Okay, bye, dear.”
“Bye, Marigold!”
My mother disconnected the Skype session, and my parents sat in charged silence.
Three, two, one…
“Did you have to make a dig at me in front of Alex?” my mother demanded.
“You mean the obnoxious billboard? It’s the truth, Carrie!”
“You’re just angry, Robert, because I didn’t go through you to get it made.”
“Well, it does beg the question why, if you needed a sign, you didn’t ask
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