Page 79 of Too Far To Sea
“I hate to ask this of you, Dana. I know you two don’t get along, but I’m really worried about her.”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about our mother since I returned from England. I want to see her and see if we can start to moveforward.” Dana pulled out her go bag and added an extra t-shirt, better for the summer heat.
“Really? That would be so nice.” The relief in Chey’s voice was palpable.
“I’ll leave as soon as I talk to Chris about a schedule change. Maybe twenty minutes.”
“Call me later?”
“I will. Hugs!”
The drive from Indiana to O’Hare reminded Dana why she always took the train out to the airport—parking was an absolute nightmare. She entered the terminal and checked the boards. Her mother’s plane had landed only five minutes prior. She’d need a good half hour, if not more, to clear customs.
Dana found a seat outside the customs exit and checked her phone. There were texts from Brit and Simone, welcoming her to crash at their apartment tonight. Dana wasn’t sure how the afternoon was going to go, but she knew she would not be up for the four-hour drive back.
Every few minutes, she looked up to see if Sheila had arrived. Her phone pinged with a notification from her weather app. A storm was coming in.
“What are you doing here?”
“Mother.” Dana forced a smile.
Sheila’s eyes softened.
“I came to get you. Chey’s worried.”
“Oh, posh. She doesn’t need to be worried. I can take a cab.”
“I’m here. I have my car. Why don’t I drive you home? It’ll be much faster.” Dana reached for the suitcase.
“Okay. With all my suitcases, I could use the help.” Her mother had obviously picked up an extra suitcase somewhere along the way.
Once in the car, Dana searched for something to say. “I didn’t think you would still have been in England.”
“Oh, we came home right after the wedding was cancelled. Then we went back. Didn’t Cheyanne tell you?”
“She said Mitchell left you.”
“Yes. It’s all my fault. I’m too needy. I’m not one of those women who can live without a man to provide for her. I never have been a good employee. I know it’s no excuse. I would have been a better woman if I was only strong like you.”
“Strong like me?” Dana inhaled. No stench of alcohol.
“You stood up for yourself. You stood up to me from the very start. I didn’t know what to do with you. I dragged you through some pretty horrid things. You were a little girl. It wasn’t your fault, even if I blamed you.”
Dana wasn’t about to question what specifically wasn’t her fault. “I don’t talk to you enough. And sometimes I think that makes things worse.”
“Do you know how worried I was when I saw you at O’Hare when we were leaving for Chey’s cruise? You were on crutches. Crutches! And you hadn’t even told me.”
“I kind of figured you wouldn’t care. I told Chey.”
“I know. Then when I couldn’t find you on the plane?—”
“You got a little upset.”
“Embarrassingly so.” Sheila scoffed.
Dana wondered if she should tell her father he was right. She turned onto the suburban street and stopped in front of the large house.
“Do you want to come in for a minute?” asked Sheila.
