talked about her?”
“No. Gregg doesn’t know anything about her. It’s like I just sprang from the ground, fully raised, and there were no parents involved as far as he’s concerned. He doesn’t even know my father was some artist Mamma had a one-night stand with. I’ve always been too ashamed to tell him. He’s always wondered about my past, of course, but from my reaction every time he brought it up, he decided to let it go, I guess. Until last night.”
“Because of the exhibition? Of course that would make him curious.”
“Yes, but he knows me well enough not to come right out and ask. Last night he finally got tired of me not talking and he started asking.”
“Well, you really can’t blame him, can you?”
“No, and that’s the thing. I’ve been trying to blame him and you and anyone else in my life rather than looking to the source. I even accused you of doing that, when here I was doing the same. God, I was so self-righteous. You must have hated me.”
“No. It made me look at myself for the first time in a very long time, maybe the first time ever.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really.” Anna pulled her hand away and ran both through her uncombed hair.
“What conclusions did you come to?” Jilly asked. “What are you going to do about Rob?”
“What about him?”
“Oh, come on, we all know how he treats you.” Jilly stopped, wondering if she should take it all the way. Then the words seemed to spring from her lips fully formed. “All the women he parades around town?” At the look on Anna’s face, Jilly wished she could take the words back.
Anna looked shocked for all of ten seconds before the truth began to dawn on her face. The transformation was startling.
“You didn’t know.”
“I suspected recently, but I didn’t know for sure.” Anna gave a weary sigh. “But, thanks for confirming it. Now I can do what I planned without feeling bad.” Anna stared at the floor.
“What’s that?”
“I’d already decided to leave him. Now, I know I’m leaving tomorrow morning. I’ll move into a hotel for a bit, but I’m going back to Toronto, Jill.”
“What?” Jilly shot up in the bed and gasped at the pain in her arms.
“Hey, hey, relax. Don’t do yourself damage.”
“But Anna, you can’t go back. What will you do?”
“I don’t know, Jill, but I’ve seemed to go wrong ever since I left there, so what I’m thinking is if I go back to the beginning and start there, maybe the next path will be a better one. Don’t worry, I’m not going to stay away forever. We’ll still see each other.”
Jilly pulled Anna into a fierce hug. “How am I going to live without my big sister?” Her voice was muffled against Anna’s hair.
Anna pulled back and looked in Jilly’s face. “You’ll do fine. But you need to deal with this pain. So I think you need to come back with me to see Mamma. Let’s face it together.”
Jilly thought about it, surprised that she didn’t hate the idea. She wasn’t excited about going home, but maybe Anna was right. Doing it her way hadn’t been a barrel of laughs.
“Okay.”
“Okay?” Anna said. “Really? Just okay.”
“Yeah, okay. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“Well, yeah.” Anna sat back and smiled. “I guess I expected a fight and you took the wind right out of my sails.”
Jilly smirked.
“You sure love that, don’t you?”
“Yep.” Jilly could feel her eyes begin to droop and Anna must have noticed.
“Okay, I’m going to go home and get a couple of hours sleep. You need some rest too. When do you think they’ll let you go?”
“Well, I’m here voluntarily, so I can leave anytime.”
“Then you talk to Gregg in the morning, but I’m going to book the tickets for us to leave in a week or two. Will that give you enough time to get things settled?”
“Yes, I
“No. Gregg doesn’t know anything about her. It’s like I just sprang from the ground, fully raised, and there were no parents involved as far as he’s concerned. He doesn’t even know my father was some artist Mamma had a one-night stand with. I’ve always been too ashamed to tell him. He’s always wondered about my past, of course, but from my reaction every time he brought it up, he decided to let it go, I guess. Until last night.”
“Because of the exhibition? Of course that would make him curious.”
“Yes, but he knows me well enough not to come right out and ask. Last night he finally got tired of me not talking and he started asking.”
“Well, you really can’t blame him, can you?”
“No, and that’s the thing. I’ve been trying to blame him and you and anyone else in my life rather than looking to the source. I even accused you of doing that, when here I was doing the same. God, I was so self-righteous. You must have hated me.”
“No. It made me look at myself for the first time in a very long time, maybe the first time ever.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really.” Anna pulled her hand away and ran both through her uncombed hair.
“What conclusions did you come to?” Jilly asked. “What are you going to do about Rob?”
“What about him?”
“Oh, come on, we all know how he treats you.” Jilly stopped, wondering if she should take it all the way. Then the words seemed to spring from her lips fully formed. “All the women he parades around town?” At the look on Anna’s face, Jilly wished she could take the words back.
Anna looked shocked for all of ten seconds before the truth began to dawn on her face. The transformation was startling.
“You didn’t know.”
“I suspected recently, but I didn’t know for sure.” Anna gave a weary sigh. “But, thanks for confirming it. Now I can do what I planned without feeling bad.” Anna stared at the floor.
“What’s that?”
“I’d already decided to leave him. Now, I know I’m leaving tomorrow morning. I’ll move into a hotel for a bit, but I’m going back to Toronto, Jill.”
“What?” Jilly shot up in the bed and gasped at the pain in her arms.
“Hey, hey, relax. Don’t do yourself damage.”
“But Anna, you can’t go back. What will you do?”
“I don’t know, Jill, but I’ve seemed to go wrong ever since I left there, so what I’m thinking is if I go back to the beginning and start there, maybe the next path will be a better one. Don’t worry, I’m not going to stay away forever. We’ll still see each other.”
Jilly pulled Anna into a fierce hug. “How am I going to live without my big sister?” Her voice was muffled against Anna’s hair.
Anna pulled back and looked in Jilly’s face. “You’ll do fine. But you need to deal with this pain. So I think you need to come back with me to see Mamma. Let’s face it together.”
Jilly thought about it, surprised that she didn’t hate the idea. She wasn’t excited about going home, but maybe Anna was right. Doing it her way hadn’t been a barrel of laughs.
“Okay.”
“Okay?” Anna said. “Really? Just okay.”
“Yeah, okay. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“Well, yeah.” Anna sat back and smiled. “I guess I expected a fight and you took the wind right out of my sails.”
Jilly smirked.
“You sure love that, don’t you?”
“Yep.” Jilly could feel her eyes begin to droop and Anna must have noticed.
“Okay, I’m going to go home and get a couple of hours sleep. You need some rest too. When do you think they’ll let you go?”
“Well, I’m here voluntarily, so I can leave anytime.”
“Then you talk to Gregg in the morning, but I’m going to book the tickets for us to leave in a week or two. Will that give you enough time to get things settled?”
“Yes, I
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