own strength. If you can reach the darkest pits of yourself and still rise up from it, you come out ten times stronger. It’s all how we handle things. For instance, take my drinking problem. I know it’s going to be my test every day. But as long as I stay sober, then I’m conquering it.
I scribble down her story as she tells it. “Alcohol was a coping mechanism for dealing with your marriage?” I ask as I jot down more notes.
“Yes.” Karen says as she pours me some tea. “Like I said, it wasn’t a planned thing. I didn’t wish to fail at marriage or drink my woes away. It happened, though. And I’m slowly dealing with it each day.”
“How does Bryce handle this? I mean, he’s affected by it too, yes?”
“He is. He told me I had a problem. In fact, he had an intervention with me and my boyfriend, Dave. They sat me down and told me I had a problem and needed to fix it. Not everyone wants to hear that. But what they really don’t want to hear is if they don’t fix it there will be consequences that will follow shortly. Bryce told me he would never speak to or see me ever again if I didn’t fix it. That I could live in this house all by myself. Dave said the same thing. I couldn’t bear the thought of that happening. An empty life is my breaking point. I entered myself into rehab and then started going to AA meetings.”
“Do you feel you’re cured?”
She shakes her head. “I’ll never be cured. I constantly have to fight my battle. When I’m out at dinner, a nice glass of wine with the meal sounds great. But I can’t. One glass will lead me down a path I can’t come back from.”
Chapter Seventeen
Graham
“Graham, I need you to run to the store.”
“Mom, I can’t.” I start to step past her, but she latches on to my arm and jerks me back into the kitchen.
She hands me a huge list and an envelope full of cash. “I need you to go shopping for me. I won’t have time. Between cleaning this house, work, and the few errands I have in town, I don’t have time. You can do it after your meeting.”
She has no idea I’ve sworn to myself that I won’t go to any of the places where Sarah is. And since Sarah works at the grocery store, it’s off limits. I’m doing this for her. As much as it may kill me. She said she didn’t want to see me again, and I don’t blame her.
My main goal now is to serve my time, leave, and not get Sarah involved. It’s simple enough. But my mom is throwing a fucking wrench in those plans.
I take the stupid list and money and stomp out of the house. Mrs. Mayberry glares at me as I make my way to my car. I almost flip her off just to rile up her pruned ass. “I see you’re following in your friend’s footsteps after all,” she chirps.
“My friend?”
“That Matthews kid. Which jail is he at? I didn’t see it mentioned in the paper. But I haven’t seen him around town either.”
I raise a brow. “That’s because he’s not in jail, you nibby bitch!” Yep, I totally lost all my willpower to not let this old bitter woman get under my skin. She managed to, and now there’s no backing down from it.
She gasps, as if I smacked her in the face. She points a boney, wrinkled finger at me. “You have turned into one horrible boy, Graham Nichols.”
“And you shouldn’t talk about people as if you know them. Bryce, by the way, is working on an engineering degree at the University of Pittsburgh. But that’s what small-minded people like you will never get.”
“What exactly is that?” she asks as she crosses her arms.
I smile. “People can change.” I open my car door and slide into the seat. Her mouth hangs open as I drive off, and it’s the best damn moment of my life.
***
Walking up and down the aisles grabbing everything on the list my mother made, I’m happy I haven’t spotted Sarah. My heart is racing in my chest. My palms are slick with sweat against the plastic handle of the cart. I swear I wiped it
I scribble down her story as she tells it. “Alcohol was a coping mechanism for dealing with your marriage?” I ask as I jot down more notes.
“Yes.” Karen says as she pours me some tea. “Like I said, it wasn’t a planned thing. I didn’t wish to fail at marriage or drink my woes away. It happened, though. And I’m slowly dealing with it each day.”
“How does Bryce handle this? I mean, he’s affected by it too, yes?”
“He is. He told me I had a problem. In fact, he had an intervention with me and my boyfriend, Dave. They sat me down and told me I had a problem and needed to fix it. Not everyone wants to hear that. But what they really don’t want to hear is if they don’t fix it there will be consequences that will follow shortly. Bryce told me he would never speak to or see me ever again if I didn’t fix it. That I could live in this house all by myself. Dave said the same thing. I couldn’t bear the thought of that happening. An empty life is my breaking point. I entered myself into rehab and then started going to AA meetings.”
“Do you feel you’re cured?”
She shakes her head. “I’ll never be cured. I constantly have to fight my battle. When I’m out at dinner, a nice glass of wine with the meal sounds great. But I can’t. One glass will lead me down a path I can’t come back from.”
Chapter Seventeen
Graham
“Graham, I need you to run to the store.”
“Mom, I can’t.” I start to step past her, but she latches on to my arm and jerks me back into the kitchen.
She hands me a huge list and an envelope full of cash. “I need you to go shopping for me. I won’t have time. Between cleaning this house, work, and the few errands I have in town, I don’t have time. You can do it after your meeting.”
She has no idea I’ve sworn to myself that I won’t go to any of the places where Sarah is. And since Sarah works at the grocery store, it’s off limits. I’m doing this for her. As much as it may kill me. She said she didn’t want to see me again, and I don’t blame her.
My main goal now is to serve my time, leave, and not get Sarah involved. It’s simple enough. But my mom is throwing a fucking wrench in those plans.
I take the stupid list and money and stomp out of the house. Mrs. Mayberry glares at me as I make my way to my car. I almost flip her off just to rile up her pruned ass. “I see you’re following in your friend’s footsteps after all,” she chirps.
“My friend?”
“That Matthews kid. Which jail is he at? I didn’t see it mentioned in the paper. But I haven’t seen him around town either.”
I raise a brow. “That’s because he’s not in jail, you nibby bitch!” Yep, I totally lost all my willpower to not let this old bitter woman get under my skin. She managed to, and now there’s no backing down from it.
She gasps, as if I smacked her in the face. She points a boney, wrinkled finger at me. “You have turned into one horrible boy, Graham Nichols.”
“And you shouldn’t talk about people as if you know them. Bryce, by the way, is working on an engineering degree at the University of Pittsburgh. But that’s what small-minded people like you will never get.”
“What exactly is that?” she asks as she crosses her arms.
I smile. “People can change.” I open my car door and slide into the seat. Her mouth hangs open as I drive off, and it’s the best damn moment of my life.
***
Walking up and down the aisles grabbing everything on the list my mother made, I’m happy I haven’t spotted Sarah. My heart is racing in my chest. My palms are slick with sweat against the plastic handle of the cart. I swear I wiped it
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