Page 16 of Somewhere Without You
“What about Mom?”I asked.
Her face hardened, the way it always did whenever our motherwasmentioned. “What about her?”
I poked at my salad, pushing the lettuce around more thanactuallyeating it.“Don’t you think we should. . . I don’tknow,maybebury them together?”
Katherine’s brow furrowed.“Why would we dothat?”
Gran and Momhadn’tbeen close for years before Mom died. After we moved in with Gran, itwasas if our motherhadnever existed. We never spoke her name, never acknowledged her memory. I didn’tevenknowwhere shewasburied.
I shrugged.“Itjustfeelslike the right thing to do, I guess.”
Kat snorted.“The right thing to do would have been not to abandon us in the first place.”
My fork clattered onto my plate, the noise startling a couple sitting nearby. “What did you say?”
IknewKatherine carried trauma over Mom’s death, but itwasn’tlike our motherhada choice in the matter.
Katherine continued eating, unfazed. “Look, I’m not trying to speak ill of the dead. What’s done is done.Butcome on, Emily,evenyou can’t denythatwhat Mom didwascowardly and selfish.Asa mother myself, I can’t—”
“Momwasnota coward,”I snapped, my patience fraying.“Seriously, Kat, are you so caught up in your own demonsthatyou can’t let it go? Mom didn’t abandon us—she’s fucking dead!”
Katherine stared at me, her eyeswide.“How do you think Mom died?”
“A heart attack.Oran aneurysm. . . I don’tknow,” I murmured.
Katherine blinked, pushing her plate aside as she settled back in her seat.
Lunchwasover.
“Em. . .”she began, her voice thick with something I couldn’t quite place. Pity,maybe?“Mom didn’t die from an aneurysm or a heart attack,”she said, her eyes glistening.“She committed suicide.”
I stared at her as thoughshe’dsproutedanother head.“You’re lying.”
My sister lowered her gaze. “No, Emily. I’m not.”
I shook my head in disbelief.“Mom would never dothat. Shewashappy.”
“Wasshe?”Katherine challenged.“Becausehappy people don’t pop pills.”
“Justbecause she needed help doesn’t mean she killed herself,”I shot back, still reeling from the accusation.
Kat leaned back in her chair, her eyes narrowing.“Unfuckingbelievable,”she breathed, crossing her arms over her chest.“You’rejustlike her, youknowthat? Hell, you might as well be one slap away from joining her.”
The words slammed into me, and I flinched.
Katherineseemedto realize whatshe’dsaid, her face falling.“I’m sorry, I didn’t meanthat. . .”
I tossed my napkin onto my plate and stood.“Except you did.”
The waiter, oblivious to the tension, hurried over.“Would you like to take alookat the dessert menu?”
I pulled a twenty from my purse, slapping it down on the table in front of Katherine. “Ihearthe cheesecake is delicious.”
“Emily, stop. I’m. . .” Butmy sisters voice trailed off as I turned and walked out the door.
Eight
Before
