and she couldn’t help but laugh as she shot back, “You’re not giving yourself enough credit. You’re much too big a threat for common poison. I’m sure he’d whip up something extra special to slip in your water.”
“Hey, no killing my baby,” Nora cried, wrapping her arms around Tony’s head. He pretended to gag and tried to pull away, and Nora held him tighter, laughing.
Alice laughed too and fingered her phone regretfully. This place felt more like home than her house ever had.
Her front door flew open as she was reaching for the handle and her dad stormed out just in time to see Tony driving off. Even Alice, who was used to her dad’s moods, couldn’t remember seeing him this angry in a long time. His cheeks were spotted with red and his shoulders were visibly tight, the right one higher than the left.
To her surprise, he looked just as surprised to see her as she was to see him. He must have been about to leave, not waiting at the door for her to come home.
“Finally,” he said, masking his surprise. “Is your phone dead?”
“No, I just had it in my backpack and didn’t hear,” she said, bracing herself. Surely an explosion was imminent. “Are you going somewhere?”
“On a walk,” he said brusquely, then—to her surprise and relief—marched past her without another word. For a moment, she was amazed at her luck, but then the strangeness of the situation settled on her and she started to worry. Her dad never took walks at this time of the evening (if he needed to move, he usually got on the treadmill for a ten-minute sprint). Something must have really set him off. Had he been fired?
“Is something wrong, Dad?” she called after him.
“Ask your mother,” he yelled back.
Nervously, she opened the door and walked inside. There was no one in the front room, but she heard sniffling from down the hall and hurried toward it. The door to her parents’ room was open just a crack, and she could see the back of her mother’s head. She was sitting on the couch and her shoulders heaved every few seconds as she gasped down air.
“Mom?” Alice asked. The sound seemed small to her, like the voice of a young child.
The sniffling stopped immediately and her mother lifted a tissue to her face before turning around. The door opened noiselessly as Alice pushed it forward and stepped inside.
“Mom, what’s going on?”
Her mom’s eyes were obviously bloodshot, but she smiled at Alice as though nothing was wrong.
“Oh, sweetie. You know me and your dad. We just had another little fight.”
“He just went on a walk,” Alice said, sitting down on the other end of the small couch, a safe distance from her teary mother.
“I know,” her mom nodded, and her voice caught ever so slightly. “But it’s fine, hon. We’re fine. Come here.” She held out her arms and Alice curled herself up between them, resting her head on her mom’s shoulder, holding her knees to her chest. Her mom cradled her, rocking back and forth.
“Everything’s just fine,” she said, running a hand through Alice’s hair. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
But Alice found herself fighting back tears. People only insisted things were fine when they weren’t.
It was Jeremy who asked the question. He was shoveling down a bowl of cereal while Alice dug around in the pantry for a snack bar (she usually ate one during first period, since most of the time she was running too late for a real breakfast). Her mom wandered into the kitchen, puffy-eyed, and went immediately for the coffee machine.
Jeremy looked up and, without preamble, asked the question Alice would never have dared to.
“Mom? Are you and Dad getting a divorce?”
Alice froze and looked up from the box she was rifling through. Her mom nearly dropped the coffee pot in the sink.
“Oh, sweetie—now why would you think that?” she asked, gripping the countertop a little too tightly.
“You didn’t answer the
“Hey, no killing my baby,” Nora cried, wrapping her arms around Tony’s head. He pretended to gag and tried to pull away, and Nora held him tighter, laughing.
Alice laughed too and fingered her phone regretfully. This place felt more like home than her house ever had.
Her front door flew open as she was reaching for the handle and her dad stormed out just in time to see Tony driving off. Even Alice, who was used to her dad’s moods, couldn’t remember seeing him this angry in a long time. His cheeks were spotted with red and his shoulders were visibly tight, the right one higher than the left.
To her surprise, he looked just as surprised to see her as she was to see him. He must have been about to leave, not waiting at the door for her to come home.
“Finally,” he said, masking his surprise. “Is your phone dead?”
“No, I just had it in my backpack and didn’t hear,” she said, bracing herself. Surely an explosion was imminent. “Are you going somewhere?”
“On a walk,” he said brusquely, then—to her surprise and relief—marched past her without another word. For a moment, she was amazed at her luck, but then the strangeness of the situation settled on her and she started to worry. Her dad never took walks at this time of the evening (if he needed to move, he usually got on the treadmill for a ten-minute sprint). Something must have really set him off. Had he been fired?
“Is something wrong, Dad?” she called after him.
“Ask your mother,” he yelled back.
Nervously, she opened the door and walked inside. There was no one in the front room, but she heard sniffling from down the hall and hurried toward it. The door to her parents’ room was open just a crack, and she could see the back of her mother’s head. She was sitting on the couch and her shoulders heaved every few seconds as she gasped down air.
“Mom?” Alice asked. The sound seemed small to her, like the voice of a young child.
The sniffling stopped immediately and her mother lifted a tissue to her face before turning around. The door opened noiselessly as Alice pushed it forward and stepped inside.
“Mom, what’s going on?”
Her mom’s eyes were obviously bloodshot, but she smiled at Alice as though nothing was wrong.
“Oh, sweetie. You know me and your dad. We just had another little fight.”
“He just went on a walk,” Alice said, sitting down on the other end of the small couch, a safe distance from her teary mother.
“I know,” her mom nodded, and her voice caught ever so slightly. “But it’s fine, hon. We’re fine. Come here.” She held out her arms and Alice curled herself up between them, resting her head on her mom’s shoulder, holding her knees to her chest. Her mom cradled her, rocking back and forth.
“Everything’s just fine,” she said, running a hand through Alice’s hair. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
But Alice found herself fighting back tears. People only insisted things were fine when they weren’t.
It was Jeremy who asked the question. He was shoveling down a bowl of cereal while Alice dug around in the pantry for a snack bar (she usually ate one during first period, since most of the time she was running too late for a real breakfast). Her mom wandered into the kitchen, puffy-eyed, and went immediately for the coffee machine.
Jeremy looked up and, without preamble, asked the question Alice would never have dared to.
“Mom? Are you and Dad getting a divorce?”
Alice froze and looked up from the box she was rifling through. Her mom nearly dropped the coffee pot in the sink.
“Oh, sweetie—now why would you think that?” she asked, gripping the countertop a little too tightly.
“You didn’t answer the
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