stuff, I’ll damn well give up on men completely.”
As Deanna began pouring the steaming water into her cup, she heard a faint but cheerful, “Hello? Deanna?”
“In the kitchen, Mom,” she called back. “The tea is nearly ready.” Deanna was already pouring the second cup when her mom walked into the room carrying two bags of groceries. “Mom,” she muttered, “you do not have to buy me food every time you come over.”
As her mother placed the bags down on the counter, Deanna carried the cups to the table. She watched as her mom pulled out a chair and sat. “It’s just a few things I picked up at the store. Those cookies you love and that new romantic suspense book you and I’ve been waiting to read.”
Sweat beaded her mother’s brow, and she was panting slightly. “Are you okay, Mom?” Deanna leaned down to kiss her mom’s cheek before sitting adjacent to her. “I told you before not to overdo it.”
“Don’t fuss, young lady,” she admonished, grabbing a napkin out of the holder from the center of the table. After swiping it over her brow, she wadded it up and placed it on the table next to her cup. In a stronger voice, she added, “I’m not that old yet.”
Deanna snorted. With her soft skin, very few wrinkles and dark brown hair—that now came from a bottle—Audrey Harrison was still quite a catch. “You look great for your age and you know it, but why do you appear as if you’ve just run a marathon?”
Her mother’s eyes brightened. “It’s this new class I’m taking. One of the ladies down at the shelter recommended it. It’s tai chi. Great for flexibility.” She bit her lip and shook her head. “Or so they say. Today was my first class, and I feel about as flexible as a steel pipe.”
Deanna sipped her tea and tried not to laugh as an image of her mom doing the deep lung movement “snake creeps down” sprang to mind. “Sounds like a real blast.”
Her mom grinned. “You should’ve seen me trying to do some of those moves. I’m pretty sure the instructor thought I was going to pass out at any moment.”
They both laughed. “So, besides attempting to throw your back out, what else has been going on?”
“Things are going great down at the shelter. I’m still trying to get the hang of things, but I’m really enjoying talking to all the ladies. One woman is around my age. She’s been married to this guy, a real loser, for twenty-five years. He’s used her as a punching bag. Poor thing.” She finished off her tea, then sat back. “It’s nice to get out of the house. I didn’t know how much I needed it until now. I guess I was lonelier than I thought. I’m grateful to Gracie for suggesting it, honestly.”
Mention of the house gave Deanna the opening to try, again, to convince her mom to sell the family home. It’d become too big for her to live in alone. “Mom, you need to seriously consider selling the house and moving into an apartment. Dean called the other day and said he found a great place. And it’s right in town, so you wouldn’t have to drive as far to the shelter every day.”
“I don’t mind the drive, sweetie. It gives me time to think.”
Deanna couldn’t count the amount of times they’d had this conversation. “This isn’t really about the drive, Mom. You don’t want to sell because of Dad.” After Deanna’s dad had died from a brain aneurysm two years earlier, her mom had clung to the house. All their memories, the good and the bad, were tied to it. Deanna understood her mom too well. She wasn’t all that crazy about selling their family home either.
“We’ll talk about the house later. For now, let’s dig into those cookies I bought you.”
Well, I lost that round. “Fine, but someday soon we need to do something about the house. It’s too much for you to keep up, and it’s not safe for you to live alone and so far from Dean, Wade, and me.”
As Deanna stood to get the box of cookies out of the bag her mom had brought
As Deanna began pouring the steaming water into her cup, she heard a faint but cheerful, “Hello? Deanna?”
“In the kitchen, Mom,” she called back. “The tea is nearly ready.” Deanna was already pouring the second cup when her mom walked into the room carrying two bags of groceries. “Mom,” she muttered, “you do not have to buy me food every time you come over.”
As her mother placed the bags down on the counter, Deanna carried the cups to the table. She watched as her mom pulled out a chair and sat. “It’s just a few things I picked up at the store. Those cookies you love and that new romantic suspense book you and I’ve been waiting to read.”
Sweat beaded her mother’s brow, and she was panting slightly. “Are you okay, Mom?” Deanna leaned down to kiss her mom’s cheek before sitting adjacent to her. “I told you before not to overdo it.”
“Don’t fuss, young lady,” she admonished, grabbing a napkin out of the holder from the center of the table. After swiping it over her brow, she wadded it up and placed it on the table next to her cup. In a stronger voice, she added, “I’m not that old yet.”
Deanna snorted. With her soft skin, very few wrinkles and dark brown hair—that now came from a bottle—Audrey Harrison was still quite a catch. “You look great for your age and you know it, but why do you appear as if you’ve just run a marathon?”
Her mother’s eyes brightened. “It’s this new class I’m taking. One of the ladies down at the shelter recommended it. It’s tai chi. Great for flexibility.” She bit her lip and shook her head. “Or so they say. Today was my first class, and I feel about as flexible as a steel pipe.”
Deanna sipped her tea and tried not to laugh as an image of her mom doing the deep lung movement “snake creeps down” sprang to mind. “Sounds like a real blast.”
Her mom grinned. “You should’ve seen me trying to do some of those moves. I’m pretty sure the instructor thought I was going to pass out at any moment.”
They both laughed. “So, besides attempting to throw your back out, what else has been going on?”
“Things are going great down at the shelter. I’m still trying to get the hang of things, but I’m really enjoying talking to all the ladies. One woman is around my age. She’s been married to this guy, a real loser, for twenty-five years. He’s used her as a punching bag. Poor thing.” She finished off her tea, then sat back. “It’s nice to get out of the house. I didn’t know how much I needed it until now. I guess I was lonelier than I thought. I’m grateful to Gracie for suggesting it, honestly.”
Mention of the house gave Deanna the opening to try, again, to convince her mom to sell the family home. It’d become too big for her to live in alone. “Mom, you need to seriously consider selling the house and moving into an apartment. Dean called the other day and said he found a great place. And it’s right in town, so you wouldn’t have to drive as far to the shelter every day.”
“I don’t mind the drive, sweetie. It gives me time to think.”
Deanna couldn’t count the amount of times they’d had this conversation. “This isn’t really about the drive, Mom. You don’t want to sell because of Dad.” After Deanna’s dad had died from a brain aneurysm two years earlier, her mom had clung to the house. All their memories, the good and the bad, were tied to it. Deanna understood her mom too well. She wasn’t all that crazy about selling their family home either.
“We’ll talk about the house later. For now, let’s dig into those cookies I bought you.”
Well, I lost that round. “Fine, but someday soon we need to do something about the house. It’s too much for you to keep up, and it’s not safe for you to live alone and so far from Dean, Wade, and me.”
As Deanna stood to get the box of cookies out of the bag her mom had brought
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