Page 28 - My FlipBook

L IS A J. L A W R E N C E

Whether positive or negative, the results would change every-
thing from that point on. Good news would make life clear—
they’d never spend another second being sad or fighting over
the tv remote. Bad news would twist them all into something
unrecognizable—characters in a tragic story that happens to
other people.
“If they call a family meeting,” Greta told Ash, “I’m not
going.”

But they didn’t call a family meeting. Nor did Roger come
to her room, apologizing or babbling in rage. He must have
seen the burned photos of Diana. He used to tell Greta and
Ash the story of how he’d chased her—the trucker who fell in
love with the hippie. They seemed mismatched in every way.
Diana was even an inch taller than him. It took him three
years to show her that they worked. Ten years of marriage ADVANCE READING COPY

and two children. He fell to pieces when she died. What was
he saying to Patty behind that door?
“What did Dad do when you told him?” Greta asked after
they had turned off the light, Ash on the floor beside her bed.
He thought for a second. “He looked mad, but he didn’t
say much. Not when I was there anyway.”
She drifted off but woke frequently—listening, waiting.
What would Roger decide in the morning, Patty or them? She
stared at the dim circle of her ceiling light at 3:00 am and

knew Ash was awake too. His breath made no sound, shallow
in his chest. Neither of them spoke.
Her alarm jolted her awake at 6:30 am. For one second it
was just another morning. Then the memory rolled over her.

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