Page 63 of Torn In Two

“I did. Pasta and garlic bread. It won’t be long, if you want some of that?”

Hayley Jade glanced over at me, and I held the container of sauce up so she could see it. “Queenie is pretty excited to have hers with cheese on the top.”

“Sounds delicious.” Kara got up and cracked open the lid on one of the containers. “Smells even better. Do you want to try some?”

Hayley Jade shook her head.

Kara frowned, moving to the cupboards. “Okay, but you need to eat something. You’ve been at school all day, and the teachers said you didn’t eat your lunch either.”

Hayley Jade screwed her face up.

Kara paused, interpreting her daughter’s expression. “You didn’t like it?”

She shrugged.

“Okay. No more peanut butter and jelly.” Kara eyed the uneaten mac and cheese. “Clearly not that stuff either, though I can’t blame you. Not sure that counts as proper food.”

The processed packet recipe definitely didn’t appear very appetizing.

Kara pulled out some cans of soup. “What about chicken? Beef? French onion?”

Hayley Jade looked about as enthusiastic as if we’d asked her if she wanted to go to the dentist.

Kara sighed. “She’s not used to anything processed, I don’t think. We made everything from scratch at Ethereal Eden.”

I pointed at the refrigerator, trying to think what was inside it. “I can make anything you want. Eggs? Sausages?”

Hayley Jade shook her head again, this time more forcefully and again made a bunch of points and gestures.

I had no idea what she was trying to say. I glanced at Kara. “Do you know what she means?”

Kara looked like she wanted to cry and moved a few steps away, motioning for me to follow her. She lowered her voice so Hayley Jade wouldn’t hear. “No. And it’s not the first time. I can’t get her to eat anything because I don’t know what she likes, and she can’t tell me.” She glanced past my shoulder at her daughter. “She’s already so skinny. It’s really worrying me that she’s not eating enough.”

Hayley Jade made a frustrated sound in the back of her throat, and some more unintelligible signs, clearly trying to tell us something.

I just had no idea what.

And neither did Kara.

Hayley Jade’s expression morphed from frustration to anger. She shoved the bowl of mac and cheese away and pushed to her feet so fast her chair fell over. She flinched at the sound and turned big, scared eyes on the two of us, like she was waiting to be yelled at or berated for making a mess.

When Kara simply said, “It’s okay,” Hayley Jade ran off, her bedroom door slamming closed a moment later.

Kara’s face crumpled, and she bent over to pick up the fallen chair. “School has been so good for her. She’s really started coming out of her shell. She wants to communicate. I can see it in her eyes.”

“But she still won’t talk.”

“We just need to be patient. I know that. But it’s hard seeing her so frustrated.” She sighed heavily but drew her shoulders back. “And I get it! I’m frustrated too, but I don’t want her to see that. I’m going to go see if she wants to read a story or play a game. I don’t want her going to bed upset. I need to fix this. Somehow.”

I tugged her into my arms now that we were alone and kissed the top of her head. “You’re a good mom.”

She breathed into my shirt, some of the fight going out of her posture as she relaxed into my arms. “I’m the worst mom. I don’t know how to help her.”

“You don’t have to know all the answers to be what she needs. Just being there for her is enough.”

Kara sniffed and pulled back, forcing a smile onto her face. “I hope that’s true. Save me some dinner, please?”

I kissed her mouth. “Sure.”

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