right?”
Avery just shrugged and stuck her spoon into the brown sugar, dumping two heaping spoonfuls onto her oatmeal.
“Would you feel bad if you didn’t get to see your grandmother . . . if she were to die?”
“I guess.”
Betty felt a stab of guilt. She knew she was being somewhat insincere with her granddaughter. But she was doing it for Avery’s own good. She wanted Avery out of harm’s way. More specifically, out of Jack’s way.
“I still regret not making one last trip out to see my own mother,” Betty said slowly. “I knew she’d been having some health problems, but I just didn’t believe it was terribly serious. I considered going out to visit in June. But then I changed my mind. I don’t even recall why exactly. The next thing I knew, she was gone. I never got another chance.”
Avery nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you, dear.”
“But that was your mother. Not your grandmother.”
“That’s true.”
“And I assume you had a good relationship with her?”
“Yes, very good.”
“Well, it’s not like that with me and my grandmother.”
“Perhaps that’s an even better reason to spend time with her.”
“So that she can torture me?”
Betty didn’t know what to say.
“Grandma Evelyn and my mom will probably gang up on me, Grandma. They’ll get on my case for taking off. They’ll lecture me about going back to school. They’ll remind me that I’m a failure, and then they’ll rub my nose in it.” Avery seemed on the verge of tears now. She set down her spoon with a clank. “And I just can’t take that—that’s not a happy way to spend Christmas.” She scooted her chair back and ran out of the kitchen, slamming her bedroom door behind her.
Betty felt like a villain. And her few bites of oatmeal now sat like hard little stones in her stomach. She just sat there with her hands laid flat on the kitchen table and wondered how she had managed to make such a mess of things. How was it possible to hurt someone so deeply when you only wished to help them?
Betty realized she was crying for the second time in one week. The tears surprised her. She was a woman who usually kept her emotions in check. But what surprised her even more was the feeling of something warm pressing against her leg. She looked down to see the dog sitting right next to her, looking up at her with the most compassionate brown eyes she’d ever seen.
Reaching down, she stroked his smooth head. “You really are a good dog, aren’t you?” She stood slowly. “But there is someone else who needs you more than I do right now. Come on, boy.” He obediently followed as she walked to Avery’s room and quietly opened the door. Betty let him into the darkened room, where the quiet sobs of a hurting girl cut through her like a knife. She knew the animal’s presence would just be a Band-Aid—a temporary solution to a problem that was much bigger than a little brown dog. But at the moment, it was all Betty had to offer.
10
Avery’s mother called again the next morning. Betty tried not to eavesdrop as she took over the chore of cleaning up the breakfast things, but she could tell that Avery was trying to be reasonable. She could hear the strained patience in Avery’s voice. She had to give the girl credit—she was trying.
“I’ll call you tonight,” Avery promised. “Yes, Mom, I love you too.”
Betty was just putting the last dish in the dishwasher when Avery came back to the kitchen. “Hey, Grandma, you weren’t supposed to clean up.”
“It’s all right.” Betty smiled as she gave the speckled Formica countertop one last swipe with the sponge. “I didn’t mind.”
“I told my mom that I’d make a decision by tonight.”
Betty just nodded.
Avery looked at her hopefully. “What do you want me to do, Grandma?”
“I want you to do what’s best for you.”
“But you think I need to be with my family?”
Betty pressed her lips together tightly.
“You’re not going to tell me,
Avery just shrugged and stuck her spoon into the brown sugar, dumping two heaping spoonfuls onto her oatmeal.
“Would you feel bad if you didn’t get to see your grandmother . . . if she were to die?”
“I guess.”
Betty felt a stab of guilt. She knew she was being somewhat insincere with her granddaughter. But she was doing it for Avery’s own good. She wanted Avery out of harm’s way. More specifically, out of Jack’s way.
“I still regret not making one last trip out to see my own mother,” Betty said slowly. “I knew she’d been having some health problems, but I just didn’t believe it was terribly serious. I considered going out to visit in June. But then I changed my mind. I don’t even recall why exactly. The next thing I knew, she was gone. I never got another chance.”
Avery nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you, dear.”
“But that was your mother. Not your grandmother.”
“That’s true.”
“And I assume you had a good relationship with her?”
“Yes, very good.”
“Well, it’s not like that with me and my grandmother.”
“Perhaps that’s an even better reason to spend time with her.”
“So that she can torture me?”
Betty didn’t know what to say.
“Grandma Evelyn and my mom will probably gang up on me, Grandma. They’ll get on my case for taking off. They’ll lecture me about going back to school. They’ll remind me that I’m a failure, and then they’ll rub my nose in it.” Avery seemed on the verge of tears now. She set down her spoon with a clank. “And I just can’t take that—that’s not a happy way to spend Christmas.” She scooted her chair back and ran out of the kitchen, slamming her bedroom door behind her.
Betty felt like a villain. And her few bites of oatmeal now sat like hard little stones in her stomach. She just sat there with her hands laid flat on the kitchen table and wondered how she had managed to make such a mess of things. How was it possible to hurt someone so deeply when you only wished to help them?
Betty realized she was crying for the second time in one week. The tears surprised her. She was a woman who usually kept her emotions in check. But what surprised her even more was the feeling of something warm pressing against her leg. She looked down to see the dog sitting right next to her, looking up at her with the most compassionate brown eyes she’d ever seen.
Reaching down, she stroked his smooth head. “You really are a good dog, aren’t you?” She stood slowly. “But there is someone else who needs you more than I do right now. Come on, boy.” He obediently followed as she walked to Avery’s room and quietly opened the door. Betty let him into the darkened room, where the quiet sobs of a hurting girl cut through her like a knife. She knew the animal’s presence would just be a Band-Aid—a temporary solution to a problem that was much bigger than a little brown dog. But at the moment, it was all Betty had to offer.
10
Avery’s mother called again the next morning. Betty tried not to eavesdrop as she took over the chore of cleaning up the breakfast things, but she could tell that Avery was trying to be reasonable. She could hear the strained patience in Avery’s voice. She had to give the girl credit—she was trying.
“I’ll call you tonight,” Avery promised. “Yes, Mom, I love you too.”
Betty was just putting the last dish in the dishwasher when Avery came back to the kitchen. “Hey, Grandma, you weren’t supposed to clean up.”
“It’s all right.” Betty smiled as she gave the speckled Formica countertop one last swipe with the sponge. “I didn’t mind.”
“I told my mom that I’d make a decision by tonight.”
Betty just nodded.
Avery looked at her hopefully. “What do you want me to do, Grandma?”
“I want you to do what’s best for you.”
“But you think I need to be with my family?”
Betty pressed her lips together tightly.
“You’re not going to tell me,
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