Page 102 of Breathe Again

We had dinner with Willa and an ecstatically happy Olivia. Willa had ordered her a behind the scenes book for one of her favorite movies and she gave it to her today. She wouldn’t come to the table for dinner because she had not yet ‘seen all the pages properly’ so I brought her plate to her in the sunroom, which was her favorite place to read.

Willa, Zale, and I chatted and puttered around in the kitchen, picking at the leftovers while we cleared up. Mostly the topic centered around the wedding while Zale gently prodded Willa to see if she had any feelings toward Barrett. Sometimes he could be ashit disturber, but Willa was well practiced in the art of shit deflection, and he didn’t get any information out of her.

Nevertheless, at the mention of his name a myriad of emotions skipped across her pretty face which gave me plenty of insight into how she felt about Barrett. I smiled. I liked him for her.

“What are you smiling about, Mara?”

I faked an innocent expression. “Why whatever do you mean? It’s just the lady doth protest too much mayhap?”

“Stop drinking the cooking sherry, Merry.” Willa laughed. “Okay, he’s handsome. He’s smart, kind, and I do like him, more than I want to, which is why it’s going nowhere. A relationship with a friend of the family? I don’t think so.”

Zale had an annoyingly knowing smirk on his face.

“Quit it, Zee. No matchmaking. You’re going to lose your penis card.”

Zale laughed. “All right, Willa. You’re no fun. I’ll just say this, I like him for you. He’s a good guy and you’re well matched.”

“Don’t want to hear it.”

He put up his hands, his mouth still quirked up at one corner. “Willa, when have I ever liked anybody for you? Just think about that.”

He sauntered out of the kitchen to check on Olivia.

Willa’s mouth snapped shut and she turned to me. “Annoying.”

We heard him laughing as he entered the sunroom.

I loved his laugh, didn’t get to hear it nearly often enough. I should do something about that.

The house phone rang, and I picked it up without checking the call display. I was not prepared to hear my mother’s voice.

“Hello?”

“Mara? It’s mom.”

“Hi, mom. How are you?”

“I’ve been in bed all day, feeling so tired.”

“Why are you so tired?”

“You know me, can’t sit still. I’ve been running a lot these past couple of weeks, I’ve been much busier than usual. Sorry I haven’t been able to see you and Olivia as much as usual.”

No wonder I walked around clueless. She really did live in an alternate reality.

“That’s okay.” She had unwittingly offered me the perfect segue into a difficult topic and I took it. “I had an appointment at the doctor’s today. He’s worried about my blood pressure and wants me to take it easy for a couple of weeks. I’m going to stick close to home, take some time off from homeschooling, so we won’t see you for a couple of weeks.”

Silence stretched across the line. I felt the weight of it in the kitchen as well and turned to find both Willa and Zale standing silently watching and waiting.

“What do you mean you won’t see me for a couple of weeks?”

“I just told you. The doctor wants me to get some rest, he’s worried about my blood pressure…”

She interrupted and her tone had changed from bossy and demanding to bitter and accusing.

“It’s those people you’ve been hanging out with. Low class, crass, no family values. Did he divorce his first wife? She probably caught him sleeping all over town, he looks the type with his dirty boots and tattoos.”

I gasped. “Mom, do not talk about my friends like that!”

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