hallway to hear. “ Someday, Momma, I am going to move to the biggest city I can stand and start over where not a soul cares about who I see or don ’ t see or any other thing about my personal life. ”
Momma gave a gentile snort. “ Be easier to get yourself a wife and settle down right here or nearby so that nobody would care so much about your personal life anymore. ” She gave him a nod that he supposed meant she thought this solution was the best for everyone involved.
The clatter of plastic wheels and metal containers carried in from the open door at his back. The distinct aroma of hospital food, if anything as bland as pasty mashed potatoes and green gelatin could be said to have a distinct aroma, wafted in from the hallway.
“ Mmmm. Smells like its dinnertime. ” He didn ’ t even sound convincing to himself.
Momma ’ s expression soured. “ Smells like someone ’ s boiling flour and water to me. When are you going to spring me from this voodoo boardinghouse and get me home so I can whip up a real meal? ”
Just the thought of Momma ’ s cooking made Riley ’ s stomach grumble. He put his hand over the flat muscles of his belly and laughed. “ You have no idea how much I ’ d love to do that. Wendy is so sick of my cooking she ’ s wrangled herself invites to dinner with friends every night this week. I ’ ll need to go pick her up pretty soon now. ”
“ Not without giving me more details, you won ’ t. ” Her eyes twinkled, but the shadow of underlying pain gave her face a gray pallor. She angled her shoulders ever so slightly in his direction and exhaled loudly at the effort. All joking faded from her expression as she brushed her fingers over his. “ So, it ’ s a done deal with you and Carol, then? You ’ ve broken things off for good? ”
The hint of hope in her tone told Riley she wanted to hear a retraction, to have him deny the rumor and reassure her that everything was going ahead without a hitch.
“ Look, Mom, I... ”
She seemed so small in that long, metal-framed bed in the stark, impersonal room. He ’ d never seen his mother look so small before, so fragile. She ’ d always been the fierce one, the go-getter, a woman of unfathomable faith in herself, her family, and her God. Now, lying there waiting for him to answer, she looked like some little old lady pleading with her eyes to hear that everything was going to work out right for her son and granddaughter.
Momma tipped her head forward just enough to urge him to go on and finish what he had begun to say.
“ I...I don ’ t know, Mom. It ’ s complicated. ”
“ Because you don ’ t return the feelings she has for you? ”
“ That and— ” He shifted his boots. How did he explain Carol ’ s one and only strategy for arguing why he should be allowed to adopt Wendy without cutting Momma to the quick? How could he lay it out to her without making it seem as though she would have to choose between her loyalty to him and Wendy and her ever faithful love for his sister?
He couldn ’ t. “ The thing is, I should never have let someone that I know is...that has feelings for me...represent me in personal or business affairs, Mom. It ’ s not a good mix. ”
“ And this new one, that will be a good mix? ”
“ New one? ”
“ Lawyer. The one that called you up on the phone. You know, I had no idea lawyers did that kind of thing, calling folks up out of the blue in hopes they might have a law case they need tending to. ”
“ Momma, he didn ’ t exactly call me out of the— ”
“‘ Course as much as everybody goes to suing everybody else over every little thing these days, it don ’ t surprise me none that some smart legal eagle didn ’ t turn to the telemarketing approach. ”
“ Who said anything about telemarket— ”
“ You know what I think maybe you ought to do instead, though? ” She raised one finger both to keep him from interrupting and to wag at him as she spoke. “ Maybe you
Momma gave a gentile snort. “ Be easier to get yourself a wife and settle down right here or nearby so that nobody would care so much about your personal life anymore. ” She gave him a nod that he supposed meant she thought this solution was the best for everyone involved.
The clatter of plastic wheels and metal containers carried in from the open door at his back. The distinct aroma of hospital food, if anything as bland as pasty mashed potatoes and green gelatin could be said to have a distinct aroma, wafted in from the hallway.
“ Mmmm. Smells like its dinnertime. ” He didn ’ t even sound convincing to himself.
Momma ’ s expression soured. “ Smells like someone ’ s boiling flour and water to me. When are you going to spring me from this voodoo boardinghouse and get me home so I can whip up a real meal? ”
Just the thought of Momma ’ s cooking made Riley ’ s stomach grumble. He put his hand over the flat muscles of his belly and laughed. “ You have no idea how much I ’ d love to do that. Wendy is so sick of my cooking she ’ s wrangled herself invites to dinner with friends every night this week. I ’ ll need to go pick her up pretty soon now. ”
“ Not without giving me more details, you won ’ t. ” Her eyes twinkled, but the shadow of underlying pain gave her face a gray pallor. She angled her shoulders ever so slightly in his direction and exhaled loudly at the effort. All joking faded from her expression as she brushed her fingers over his. “ So, it ’ s a done deal with you and Carol, then? You ’ ve broken things off for good? ”
The hint of hope in her tone told Riley she wanted to hear a retraction, to have him deny the rumor and reassure her that everything was going ahead without a hitch.
“ Look, Mom, I... ”
She seemed so small in that long, metal-framed bed in the stark, impersonal room. He ’ d never seen his mother look so small before, so fragile. She ’ d always been the fierce one, the go-getter, a woman of unfathomable faith in herself, her family, and her God. Now, lying there waiting for him to answer, she looked like some little old lady pleading with her eyes to hear that everything was going to work out right for her son and granddaughter.
Momma tipped her head forward just enough to urge him to go on and finish what he had begun to say.
“ I...I don ’ t know, Mom. It ’ s complicated. ”
“ Because you don ’ t return the feelings she has for you? ”
“ That and— ” He shifted his boots. How did he explain Carol ’ s one and only strategy for arguing why he should be allowed to adopt Wendy without cutting Momma to the quick? How could he lay it out to her without making it seem as though she would have to choose between her loyalty to him and Wendy and her ever faithful love for his sister?
He couldn ’ t. “ The thing is, I should never have let someone that I know is...that has feelings for me...represent me in personal or business affairs, Mom. It ’ s not a good mix. ”
“ And this new one, that will be a good mix? ”
“ New one? ”
“ Lawyer. The one that called you up on the phone. You know, I had no idea lawyers did that kind of thing, calling folks up out of the blue in hopes they might have a law case they need tending to. ”
“ Momma, he didn ’ t exactly call me out of the— ”
“‘ Course as much as everybody goes to suing everybody else over every little thing these days, it don ’ t surprise me none that some smart legal eagle didn ’ t turn to the telemarketing approach. ”
“ Who said anything about telemarket— ”
“ You know what I think maybe you ought to do instead, though? ” She raised one finger both to keep him from interrupting and to wag at him as she spoke. “ Maybe you
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