Chapter Twenty-Three

Once I told Joe I had heard the services were to be held for Ethel in the morning, but I wasn't sure of time or location, I agreed with Angel's suggestion he go lie down for a while. Angel went ahead and helped him up the stairs to his bedroom while I let myself out of the house.

By the time I was back in my car and driving, the afternoon was pretty well shot. I still had places to go, people to see, but I headed for home. I needed time to rest, to think, to churn things around inside my head. I also needed to get out of the dress and panty hose. And for the first time in hours, my ankle was throbbing.

Mail got tossed on the counter. Kitty got fed and watered. Then I headed upstairs to change into jeans and sneakers. Before the change though, I switched day old wet clothes from washer to dryer. I used the banister for support as I went down the steps and limped back into the kitchen. It took a few moments to decide if I go for ice packs in the freezer or look next door in the refrigerator for food.

It was during those brief moments that I stood at the counter debating my decision that I noticed the red light blinking on the answering machine. I hit the message button and opened the refrigerator door to start digging around for something quick and easy to prepare. The search ended with the sound of Alicia's voice.

"Mom, I can't come home this weekend because... I'm getting married, Mom."

"No you are not," I responded fiercely before it dawned on me I had shouted to a recording. "That will be solved real quick," I said to Kitty, who was busy sniffing her food. Then I picked up the phone and punched in the numbers from memory to my daughter's dormitory room.

I waited and waited for someone to answer one of the dozen or so rings. No one picked up. And it was obvious Alicia had turned off her answering machine intentionally. Smart girl. She knew I'd be calling, of course.

By the time I got my Lincoln backed out of the driveway, the sun was nowhere to be seen. Those monstrous clouds from Wednesday appeared to have rolled back into town to dump another round of misery.