Page 3 of January

“Sometimes, I wonder how we both came from that woman. We’re so different than her,” Jolie added.

“Well, I think we both grew up wanting more than what we had, and to change our circumstances, we had to do something about them because she couldn’t or wouldn’t,” Kyle said as Jolie buckled her seat belt.

“She hates that Dad helped us with college, you know?”

“I know. But it’s not like he paid for everything. He gave us a few hundred bucks a semester.”

“She didn’t have anythingtogive,” Jolie replied. “And if she did, she would’ve spent it on herself.”

“Addictions are addictions,” Kyle offered, starting up the car.

“And cigarettes and booze are more important than making sure your kids have food to eat? I swear, Kyle, I will never do that to my kids. They will always have food to eat. I don’t care if I have to work four jobs, give up Netflix, and never do anything fun in my life again – my kids will always have food.”

“You’re going to make a great mom one day,” Kyle said, smiling at her younger sister as she pulled them through the gravel toward the main road.

“One day. I’m only twenty-seven. I’ve got time. I’d like to have fun while I can.”

“Do you want to try to talk to Dad again?”

“No,” her sister replied, sighing. “He’s got a wife and another kid now. I don’t think he likes it when we bring up the past. His face scrunches up a lot whenever we mention Mom.”

Kyle laughed and said, “It does do that.”

“We can just drop it. We missed the funeral, anyway.”

“We could always visit the cemetery.”

“Why? What’s the point?” Jolie asked. “We never mether. What would we even do? Talk to the headstone or something?”

“Why not?” Kyle asked.

“Are you expecting her to say something back about why she never reached out? Explain herself, maybe?”

“No,” Kyle said, laughing a little. “It’s more about just getting some closure, I guess.”

“How can we do that when we don’t know anything about her?”

“Dad mentioned her house. He said it’s empty and that she left the key to the place with the neighbor.”

“So?”

“So, we could fly down and check it out. Maybe we’ll get some answers there.”

“Just show up and ask the neighbor for the key, telling them that we’re the grandchildren she never acknowledged? The neighbor probably knows nothing about us.”

“I haven’t exactly thought it out, but that’s the gist, yeah: we just go and see.”

“You’re serious?” Jolie asked.

“Yes. I feel like I need to know, Jol. Mom isn’t telling us the truth, and I don’t know why or what that means, but there’s this whole part of our history that we don’t even know. Dad’s family is pretty much gone, besides that distant cousin he told us about, and Mom, from what she told us, only had her mom left. That house might be our last chance to learn about where we come from.”

“So, you want to just pack and go? I’m sure that house will sell soon or is still owned by the bank or something, and they’ll have it all locked up.”

“That’s why I think that we have to leave soon. We might only have a few days to check it out before it’s gone.”

“You want to go now?”

“Before the new year, yes,” she replied, pulling them to a stop at a light.

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