door and call her child back. Instead, Laura slowly made her way upstairs. “I’m just not going to have it. It’s not right. Brenda’s always had a problem with Cora. What am I suppose to do? Cora is a good child. She’s been a good girl. She’s just not like Brenda, and Brenda has never understood that.”
Laura reached the last step and her head started to swim. She tried to pull herself up, but her vision blurred and she grabbed empty air instead. Laura gasped and tumbled down the stairs.
Nebia's Story...
“Was she hurt real bad?” Erica asked.
“Bad enough,” Nebia replied. “You see, I was the one who found her. I heard all this noise and I had a feel ing something dreadful had happened. I went and knocked on Laura’s door, and when she didn’t come I called out to her. I heard her call my name. She sounded weak, so I went inside. And there she was, just one big, crying heap on the floor. Did she cry that day... ” Nebia shook her head. “I think she cried about everything when it came to her children and her life, too. Her youngest was dead, her middle child was gone in a way that she didn’t know how to call her back, and how she had never really been able to hold her eldest close to her heart.”
“Why was that, Miss Nebia?” Cynthia held her face in her hands.
“To be honest, I think it was because Brenda looked so much like Steve. Like her father.”
“That wasn’t Brenda’s fault,” Cynthia replied.
“No, it wasn’t. And of course Laura knew that, and that’s why it ate at her so. Because she really did love Brenda.”
The porch grew quiet, then Nebia continued. “Laura cried for her own life, too. All the sacrifices she had made to raise her girls right, to try to make life for them better than what she’d had. I think while she lay there helpless on the floor, she realized her whole life had slipped to the wayside. Laura hadn’t given her self the kind of attention she needed, and that’s what the doctors told her. They told Laura her sugar was bad. Real bad. And—duh...you know, after her bruised leg didn’t heal the doctors told her it was because of the sugar.” Nebia focused ahead. “That leg never acted right after that, and Laura had to use a walker around the house. Sometimes when we went out she had to be in a wheelchair.”
“Oh, no,” Sheila said.
“Ye-es, life can deal some hard blows sometimes,”
Nebia replied. “But a lot of times it’s just to get our at tention. If we paid attention before the tragedy, I think most outcomes would be less painful.”
“But what about Brenda? Did she come back and stay with her mother?” Erica enquired.
“No.” Nebia chewed on her lip. “No. Laura didn’t even want Brenda to know how badly she had hurt herself. She just shut her out. Hmm-hmm-hmm. That argument hurt both of them. It hurt both of them real bad.”
CHAPTER 14
“I don’t want to get up,” Brenda said with her eyes closed. “What time is it?”
“It’s two twelve,” Michael replied. “I guess we fell asleep.”
“Obviously.” Brenda sighed and removed her arm, which rested across Michael’s chest.
They lay in silence.
“I think I’ll count to three. That’ll help me get up.” Brenda yawned. “One...two...th—”
“Don’t go,” Michael said softly. “I don’t want you to have to drive home this time of morning. Just stay here. We’ll get up early enough for you to go home and change clothes for work.”
“You won’t get any resistance out of me.” Brenda relaxed and propped herself up on her elbow. She faced Michael, who had his eyes closed. “So I’m actually going to get to spend the night here.”
“Sure.” Michael glanced at her before he closed his eyes again. “You could have spent the night before.”
She picked at his pillow slip. “I knew I could have, but I wanted to be invited.”
“I guess I’m a little slow sometimes.”
Brenda looked at the ceiling. “At least let me
Laura reached the last step and her head started to swim. She tried to pull herself up, but her vision blurred and she grabbed empty air instead. Laura gasped and tumbled down the stairs.
Nebia's Story...
“Was she hurt real bad?” Erica asked.
“Bad enough,” Nebia replied. “You see, I was the one who found her. I heard all this noise and I had a feel ing something dreadful had happened. I went and knocked on Laura’s door, and when she didn’t come I called out to her. I heard her call my name. She sounded weak, so I went inside. And there she was, just one big, crying heap on the floor. Did she cry that day... ” Nebia shook her head. “I think she cried about everything when it came to her children and her life, too. Her youngest was dead, her middle child was gone in a way that she didn’t know how to call her back, and how she had never really been able to hold her eldest close to her heart.”
“Why was that, Miss Nebia?” Cynthia held her face in her hands.
“To be honest, I think it was because Brenda looked so much like Steve. Like her father.”
“That wasn’t Brenda’s fault,” Cynthia replied.
“No, it wasn’t. And of course Laura knew that, and that’s why it ate at her so. Because she really did love Brenda.”
The porch grew quiet, then Nebia continued. “Laura cried for her own life, too. All the sacrifices she had made to raise her girls right, to try to make life for them better than what she’d had. I think while she lay there helpless on the floor, she realized her whole life had slipped to the wayside. Laura hadn’t given her self the kind of attention she needed, and that’s what the doctors told her. They told Laura her sugar was bad. Real bad. And—duh...you know, after her bruised leg didn’t heal the doctors told her it was because of the sugar.” Nebia focused ahead. “That leg never acted right after that, and Laura had to use a walker around the house. Sometimes when we went out she had to be in a wheelchair.”
“Oh, no,” Sheila said.
“Ye-es, life can deal some hard blows sometimes,”
Nebia replied. “But a lot of times it’s just to get our at tention. If we paid attention before the tragedy, I think most outcomes would be less painful.”
“But what about Brenda? Did she come back and stay with her mother?” Erica enquired.
“No.” Nebia chewed on her lip. “No. Laura didn’t even want Brenda to know how badly she had hurt herself. She just shut her out. Hmm-hmm-hmm. That argument hurt both of them. It hurt both of them real bad.”
CHAPTER 14
“I don’t want to get up,” Brenda said with her eyes closed. “What time is it?”
“It’s two twelve,” Michael replied. “I guess we fell asleep.”
“Obviously.” Brenda sighed and removed her arm, which rested across Michael’s chest.
They lay in silence.
“I think I’ll count to three. That’ll help me get up.” Brenda yawned. “One...two...th—”
“Don’t go,” Michael said softly. “I don’t want you to have to drive home this time of morning. Just stay here. We’ll get up early enough for you to go home and change clothes for work.”
“You won’t get any resistance out of me.” Brenda relaxed and propped herself up on her elbow. She faced Michael, who had his eyes closed. “So I’m actually going to get to spend the night here.”
“Sure.” Michael glanced at her before he closed his eyes again. “You could have spent the night before.”
She picked at his pillow slip. “I knew I could have, but I wanted to be invited.”
“I guess I’m a little slow sometimes.”
Brenda looked at the ceiling. “At least let me
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