27
No Return Address
“Finally!” said Cody.
“What do you mean?”
Cody made a face like I should know
exactly what he meant. “It’s not just Uncle
Doug you’ve been avoiding. You haven’t seen
Auntie Lisa for a while either, Mom.”
I waved that off. “I’ve just been busy.”
“No, you’ve been depressed.”
I sat back. “I know I look sad today. It’s
the anniversary of my mother’s death. It’s only
natural that I would feel down.”
Cody shook his head. “No, you’ve been
miserable for longer than that. Ever since
Grandma died you’ve been keeping to your-
self. You hardly go out anymore.” He lowered
his voice as if someone might hear. “And
Mom, some days you don’t brush your hair.”
I glanced in the mirror by the kitchen
door and patted my hair into place. “I’ve
been trying to build my bookkeeping busi-
ness,” I said. “I work with most of my clients
