pte

e

ched her as she left, feeling a strange twinge of uneas

at are yo

ed at my half-filled cart abandoned inside the door. "Wha

red my throat. "I

uched his forehead. "Fred

ea

first since yo

a look. "Ye

d you sa

egular stuff... The

hat's a g

he's got

? No

ea

u see t

r shout 'mom' from

is Dra

ged. "P

believe Drak

ightening

with him?" F

didn't exactly start p

ge brown bag. "Go put this in the car.

crave a cigarette and grocery shopping

th a bluish, red hue. The parking lot of was full of cars with people milling about. When h

lly strange evening for me – one of those nights where so much happens, the whole thing starts to feel like a blur. She a

ed soul. Thankfully, Felix had been around to give share his sex wisdom. "No guy can make a woman cum on his first time – that's imp

at. Besides, when it came t

y decided to stay together after all? Had that night b

e been my first, but I had been with many women since then with whom I shared a lot more intimate memories with.

s Felix walked out with several bags full of an

. "Let's get into the spir

s a lot better at Chris

ith its soft glow, an instant tonic for the cold winds outside. The kitchen smelled of chocolate chip cookies, freshly baked bread, and an assortment of other dishes th

tarving,"

s. I need to make

dinner." I threw tinsel onto

hanging it wrong

"It's bunches of silver thread.

t over the ot

tinsel she was referrin

he said to

ver since I arrived. She hadn't mentioned anything to me so far about how she felt about the whole situatio

ved in treatment. It's almost as though they don't want people to get treatment, I thought darkly,

the red or the green ta

responded together, at the

ng with Felix?"

er at it t

that. "Did he take

now he

so distracted after running into Freda Seely, that yo

ad to stop and say hello... I mean, it's rude not to. And, Felix came back to me just in

ent outside to sm

ke all the time

muted look. "You

sful week goin

you don't want to suf

ut Amalia's expression was so full of concern that I didn't want to sully the conversation wi

here was a lo

a's hand, squeezing it grate

t me. "I kno

ents – no one trusted me with putting up the Christmas lights around the tree. It was apparently a job that required some skill. I

talk to her?"

ho

re

e, I talk

? With

eye. "You know I'm n

ou might have asked her out fo

uld I d

ook. "Why not? You don'

k "Of course, I think she

to go out with o

t she has a ki

They're no

I asked her wi

re having a custody b

unter's fidgety behavior. "She seemed kind o

e when you guys di

my secrets?" I asked. She giggled at my obvious discomfort, an

nversation. I jumped in my seat and turned around to

saw my mother's arm on the floor from behind the chairs. I leapt out of my seat and race

ushed the broken ceramic aside and brushed her hair away

asked me fearfully as I pressed a finge

I said, her pulse beating r

d me, her eyes wi

inted like

...when I got my test results.

Hey, don't worry. She'll be fine.

. "I'll go call hi

elix asked, the kitchen do

d, picking up the phone a

, s

d weight in my arms, but she was lighter than I expected. Felix quickly removed the decorative cushions off the couch

he phone. "Dr. Nash, my brother wa

e toward me and I put

Dr. Nash. Can you tell m

replied tersely. "Her pu

s lately. I told her to take some rest

told him. "We're sitting around a four-cou

he hasn't been dealing with you sister's cancer well, and

a ton of guilt crash onto me. "I'll talk to her,

her p

on

o her brain. When she gains consciousness, give her something to eat

two m

see my mother's eyebrows shift as the first rays of consciousness touched her

im. "Thank you so much. S

p me posted if a

ld him, hangin

?" Amalia asked

ht, but that she badly n

Wonderland our house had been painstaking

hing as she regained consciousness. Her eyes opened litt

softly, holding

e whispered. "

ed," Amali

hickly, surprising me.

esting," I said, grabbing a bottle of water an

e it easy.' What does that even mean?" she said d

l your time planning and organizing g

hocolate off the table. She munched on it and looked at me. "I know.

re of yourself," my sister told her, brushing away

kids, really. I'm usually this busy i

yes. "You're

hink you got it from?" she

, supportive squeezes. I wanted to talk and be active, but I couldn

se to depend on other than each other because I was off in some other city, t

w that they both were weak

elix had been standing mutely behind us this whole time, his eyes fixed on the couch. I gave him a

ked me as I turned

t this go o

Your mother is never gonna relax an

d him. "Tell me, how many ope

nless you don't

hedule? And, let's not call McNally, at al

at me. "What are you

everything that isn't automate

lf. His brows furrowed together as he considered my impulsive plan. It

ever you want. I won't ask you to uproot your life

Susanville,"

too much... She's going to make herself sick if she has to go throug

I let out a sigh, leaning against the counter. "S

and. "Yeah, I'll do that t

some good property there, in case I wanted to invest in Susanville."

look. "You'll

ve in an apartment, then I

ghtened. "Y

k," he said, his face dead seriou

ed and punched him on th

es. "Please, don

t know if our path would end in redemption or in horror. It was a dismal scene, but the fact that I was going to be here, one hundred percent, for my famil