trees. “I’ve had about as much change as I can stand.”
“I know you lost your father recently. I should also tell you that anything you say in front of Betsy or Ida, it spreads like wildfire through town. They don’t mean any harm, but they can’t keep their beaks shut to save their lives.”
“Four months ago,” Morgan said with a sigh, “and after him, my job and my girlfriend. I don’t even know who I am anymore, and when I wake up in the middle of the night, I’m not really sure where I’m at. It all feels like a dream I can’t escape.”
“That’s shitty.”
Morgan grinned. “Thank you for not saying ‘sorry.’ I’ve heard too much of that, too.”
Jaclyn took a drink and said, “I understand.”
“Ironically, I thought I needed change amongst all the change, so I came here, and my life feels like it has come to a screeching halt.”
“Well, it has,” Jaclyn said thoughtfully. “You’re kind of in suspended animation.”
Morgan raised her glass. “That’s it exactly.”
“I was very close to my grandma.” Jaclyn waved a hand at the store and house sitting nearby. “All of this was hers. It became mine after she passed away, and even though I was very busy taking care of everything, I felt like I was standing still and life was going on all around me. She took a part of me when she left, and I felt lost without it.”
“How long did that last?”
Jaclyn smiled wanly. “I’m speaking in the past tense because it’s gotten easier, but there’s still that part that I’m lacking. Were you close to your father?”
Morgan patted her chest as she stared at the water. “In here, but I didn’t see him as often as I should have. I was a product manager for a chain of grocery stores in Georgia. I managed a team of nineteen people, and we were responsible for choosing the items carried in the Menagerie Food Stores. I traveled around the state a lot, worked long hours, and there never seemed to be enough time for me to visit my family. When Dad got sick…” Morgan inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. “He’d been seriously ill for a while, and we didn’t know what it really was. The disease made him frail and pitiful…I couldn’t bear to see him like that. The frustration on his face when he needed help to stand or the inability to even hold a fork tore my heart out, and when I should’ve been there more often, I stayed away.” Morgan shook her head slowly. “He needed me the most then, and I let it all fall on my brother’s shoulders because I was a coward.”
“Was it cancer?”
Morgan shook her head. “Multiple System Atrophy, just as bad, I suppose, there’s no cure for it. We thought it was Parkinson’s, that was the original diagnosis. He started passing out or having seizures whenever he stood up, so they ran more tests and found that brain tissue that controlled just about everything was dying. He hallucinated a lot and found it difficult to articulate things. He was in pain but couldn’t tell us what hurt.” Morgan looked down at her drink. “In the end, he couldn’t even swallow, and the night he died, all we could do was stand there and watch him go.”
“Did he know you were there?”
“Yes, he did. We talked to him a lot, and the hospice nurse was there keeping him pretty doped up. He’d respond to something we said with a grunt, then that stopped. When he took his last breath, the whole world seemed to stop that night.”
“Where’s your mother?” Jaclyn asked softly.
“She died when I was six.” Morgan inhaled sharply. “He’s with her now.”
Jaclyn studied Morgan’s profile as she gazed out at the water. “I wish there was something I could say to make you feel better.”
“I beat a water hose against a tree today, and surprisingly, that took the edge off for a while.” Morgan shrugged and took a drink.
“I know, I heard all about it from my sister, who heard it from Betsy.” Jaclyn smiled when Morgan looked at her. “You
“I know you lost your father recently. I should also tell you that anything you say in front of Betsy or Ida, it spreads like wildfire through town. They don’t mean any harm, but they can’t keep their beaks shut to save their lives.”
“Four months ago,” Morgan said with a sigh, “and after him, my job and my girlfriend. I don’t even know who I am anymore, and when I wake up in the middle of the night, I’m not really sure where I’m at. It all feels like a dream I can’t escape.”
“That’s shitty.”
Morgan grinned. “Thank you for not saying ‘sorry.’ I’ve heard too much of that, too.”
Jaclyn took a drink and said, “I understand.”
“Ironically, I thought I needed change amongst all the change, so I came here, and my life feels like it has come to a screeching halt.”
“Well, it has,” Jaclyn said thoughtfully. “You’re kind of in suspended animation.”
Morgan raised her glass. “That’s it exactly.”
“I was very close to my grandma.” Jaclyn waved a hand at the store and house sitting nearby. “All of this was hers. It became mine after she passed away, and even though I was very busy taking care of everything, I felt like I was standing still and life was going on all around me. She took a part of me when she left, and I felt lost without it.”
“How long did that last?”
Jaclyn smiled wanly. “I’m speaking in the past tense because it’s gotten easier, but there’s still that part that I’m lacking. Were you close to your father?”
Morgan patted her chest as she stared at the water. “In here, but I didn’t see him as often as I should have. I was a product manager for a chain of grocery stores in Georgia. I managed a team of nineteen people, and we were responsible for choosing the items carried in the Menagerie Food Stores. I traveled around the state a lot, worked long hours, and there never seemed to be enough time for me to visit my family. When Dad got sick…” Morgan inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. “He’d been seriously ill for a while, and we didn’t know what it really was. The disease made him frail and pitiful…I couldn’t bear to see him like that. The frustration on his face when he needed help to stand or the inability to even hold a fork tore my heart out, and when I should’ve been there more often, I stayed away.” Morgan shook her head slowly. “He needed me the most then, and I let it all fall on my brother’s shoulders because I was a coward.”
“Was it cancer?”
Morgan shook her head. “Multiple System Atrophy, just as bad, I suppose, there’s no cure for it. We thought it was Parkinson’s, that was the original diagnosis. He started passing out or having seizures whenever he stood up, so they ran more tests and found that brain tissue that controlled just about everything was dying. He hallucinated a lot and found it difficult to articulate things. He was in pain but couldn’t tell us what hurt.” Morgan looked down at her drink. “In the end, he couldn’t even swallow, and the night he died, all we could do was stand there and watch him go.”
“Did he know you were there?”
“Yes, he did. We talked to him a lot, and the hospice nurse was there keeping him pretty doped up. He’d respond to something we said with a grunt, then that stopped. When he took his last breath, the whole world seemed to stop that night.”
“Where’s your mother?” Jaclyn asked softly.
“She died when I was six.” Morgan inhaled sharply. “He’s with her now.”
Jaclyn studied Morgan’s profile as she gazed out at the water. “I wish there was something I could say to make you feel better.”
“I beat a water hose against a tree today, and surprisingly, that took the edge off for a while.” Morgan shrugged and took a drink.
“I know, I heard all about it from my sister, who heard it from Betsy.” Jaclyn smiled when Morgan looked at her. “You
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