Page 8 of The Summer We Mended
Lily relaxed marginally at the sound of Margot’s familiar voice.
A moment later, her best friend walked into the kitchen as though she owned the place, as she always had.Her silver curls were piled high on her head in a messy bun, and her bright coral lipstick was slightly smudged.Despite being indoors, she wore her signature oversized sunglasses and carried a canvas tote that said Still Hot, Just Older.
“There you are,” Margot said, dropping the bag onto a chair.Her eyes scanned the room, but her expression didn’t change.No judgment, no surprise.
“You can’t just walk in,” Lily murmured, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.
“You weren’t answering your phone or the door.How do I know that you didn’t fall in the bathtub or something?I wasn’t sure if you were okay.Besides, I know Anna and the kids are on their way, and I figured I’d come ahead and help get things ready.”
“I don’t need help.”
“Sure you do.And I’ve got two arms and a functioning spine.Seems like a fair trade.”
Margot peeled off her sunglasses and set them on the table.Then she rolled up the sleeves of her leopard-print blouse with a kind of flair that made even cleaning look stylish.
“You don’t have to—”
“Lily,” Margot said gently, “I’ve been showing up here for thirty years and have seen you every day before that.I brought you soup when you had that flu in ninety-seven, I babysat Anna when you and David took that trip to Vermont, and I cleaned this place top to bottom when you came home from the hospital after he…”
Lily looked down.
Margot didn’t finish the sentence.Instead, she moved to the sink and started filling it with hot water, squirting in generous amounts of lemon-scented soap from the nearly empty bottle.
“You sit.Or help.Or don’t.I don’t care.I know it’s all overwhelming.I’m not letting Anna and those sweet babies walk into this house and think their mother and grandmother have given up.”
A lump formed in Lily’s throat.She sank into a chair at the table, silently watching as Margot slipped on a pair of rubber gloves from under the sink, where she knew they would be, and began scrubbing.
Margot didn’t flinch at the sour smell of old dishes.She didn’t sigh or scowl at the wrappers, dried food, or crumbs.She worked methodically, her bangles clinking softly as she moved.
“You always do this,” Lily said finally, her voice barely audible.“You come in and fix everything without asking.”
Margot smiled over her shoulder.“I don’t fix anything.I just help until you feel strong enough to fix it yourself.”
Lily bit her lip.She didn’t deserve a friend like Margot, but she was grateful for her.
The silence stretched for a while, filled only with the soft sounds of running water and the clinking of plates being stacked.Every now and then, Margot would sing an old country tune under her breath.Lily rolled her eyes and shook her head.Her friend couldn’t carry a tune at all, but the sound was somehow comforting.
“Anna said Luke’s being deployed for a year,” Lily said eventually.
“Yes, she called me yesterday.That’s why she needs you.And you need her.You’ve been alone too long.”
Lily stared at the dusty sunlight filtering through the kitchen window.Her hand itched to wipe it clean, but she didn’t move.
“I don’t know if I can be what she needs.I barely keep myself going most days.”
“Then let her bring the light back in.That’s what family does.We trade off.You held her up when she scraped her knees and cried over college boys and had those babies.Let her hold you now.”
Margot began gathering the trash into a big bag she’d brought.Lily watched her friend move through the mess with quiet ease, never once looking down on it, never once flinching.
That was Margot’s gift.She never judged, only showed up.
Lily’s fingers trembled slightly as she reached for a sponge.Margot noticed, said nothing, and simply slid the dish soap closer.
For the next hour, they worked in near silence.Occasionally, Margot would hum a tune under her breath again.
“I think the birds keep coming back earlier and earlier each year,” Margot said randomly as she glanced out the back window.
When the last dish was rinsed and set to dry, she handed Lily a glass of water and nodded toward the couch.
