at one of the malls outside Chicago.”
“You could shop just as easily at the Mall of America, Mother.” A thin dark line, probably from the chocolate, was visible on her daughter’s lower lip.
“But that’s too close to home. I just want to take a road trip, Sam and me. To get away.” Her voice, even to herself, sounded unsure, hesitant, timid, not like someone who was taking charge of her life.
“Why don’t you delay that until summer so one of us could go with you?” Penny pressed.
Suzanna peered more closely at her daughter, whose eyes no longer focused on her, but seemed to be staring at Brad’s old seat, at the head of the table. She doesn’t trust me. The heat in her belly, generated by the butterflies that kept colliding with one another, made her push back her chair without warning.
“No, honey. I need to do this myself. If you don’t want to cover the bills for me while I’m gone…well, I’ll make other arrangements.” She walked into the kitchen and began filling the dishwasher.
When Suzanna returned to the dining room to retrieve more dishes, Penny was looking at the family pictures near the piano, running her fingers along the edge of the one featuring her father, his arm around her, taken at one of her recitals.
“Penny,” Suzanna’s voice was soft. “I want you to understand that I need to do this—for me. Can’t you see that?”
“Oh, Mother,” her daughter turned and reached for her. “I miss him so much. And I … I don’t think I know you anymore.”
Suzanna’s eyes filled. “I know you do, sweetheart. But I’m still here, just the same. I know it’s been hard since …” She patted her daughter’s back, then smiled. “I made that chocolate cake for you, and Kevin took the rest of it with him. I’m sorry about that.”
Penny gave her a wet-eyed grin. “It’s okay. One piece is enough for me. As usual, it was delicious. I’ll help you clean up.”
For the next several minutes, mother and daughter silently cleared the dining room table.
“Give me a hug before you leave,” Suzanna implored her daughter. “And let me show you where I’ve put things. You do have a key to both doors?”
Penny followed Suzanna into Brad’s office. “I’ll take care of anything that comes in. You’ll have your cell with you?”
Suzanna smiled. “Yes, even though you know I hate to use it when I’m driving, and the Jeep has GPS. Kevin was so impressed with all the little doodads it came with.” She chuckled. “And, I’ll have Sam with me. He won’t let me get into trouble, will you, Sam?”
The dog panted a happy smile and whined softly.
“Will you call and tell me when you’re leaving?”
“Of course.” She hugged her daughter again before she headed out the front door.
Suzanna plopped into one of the overstuffed chairs in the living room. “Well, that went better than I thought.” She smiled to herself before heading up the stairs.
The next day, Suzanna met Margaret at the door. “I’ve decided where I want to go.”
“Tell me.”
She reached for the tea pot as Margaret opened the container of chocolate bars. “Crater Lake—it’s in Oregon, or Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons—in Wyoming.”
“Crater Lake. That’s a long way.”
“I know but it’s supposed to be beautiful and it’s not that far from the coast. Maybe I’ll just stop there and then head west. I’ve never seen the Pacific Ocean.”
“But if you’ve seen one ocean, you’ve seen them all. Aren’t they all about the same? Pass me the teapot.”
“I know, but I haven’t seen it and that’s the point.” Suzanna grinned. “Maybe I’ll take another cruise—to Mexico or through the Panama Canal. We could do that together. Have you ever been?”
Margaret shook her silver curls. “No. Unlike Sylvia, I’ve decided I’m not into hot-blooded Latin types. But if you decide to take a boat to Europe, let me know. I’ve always wanted to do that.”
Suzanna laughed.
“You could shop just as easily at the Mall of America, Mother.” A thin dark line, probably from the chocolate, was visible on her daughter’s lower lip.
“But that’s too close to home. I just want to take a road trip, Sam and me. To get away.” Her voice, even to herself, sounded unsure, hesitant, timid, not like someone who was taking charge of her life.
“Why don’t you delay that until summer so one of us could go with you?” Penny pressed.
Suzanna peered more closely at her daughter, whose eyes no longer focused on her, but seemed to be staring at Brad’s old seat, at the head of the table. She doesn’t trust me. The heat in her belly, generated by the butterflies that kept colliding with one another, made her push back her chair without warning.
“No, honey. I need to do this myself. If you don’t want to cover the bills for me while I’m gone…well, I’ll make other arrangements.” She walked into the kitchen and began filling the dishwasher.
When Suzanna returned to the dining room to retrieve more dishes, Penny was looking at the family pictures near the piano, running her fingers along the edge of the one featuring her father, his arm around her, taken at one of her recitals.
“Penny,” Suzanna’s voice was soft. “I want you to understand that I need to do this—for me. Can’t you see that?”
“Oh, Mother,” her daughter turned and reached for her. “I miss him so much. And I … I don’t think I know you anymore.”
Suzanna’s eyes filled. “I know you do, sweetheart. But I’m still here, just the same. I know it’s been hard since …” She patted her daughter’s back, then smiled. “I made that chocolate cake for you, and Kevin took the rest of it with him. I’m sorry about that.”
Penny gave her a wet-eyed grin. “It’s okay. One piece is enough for me. As usual, it was delicious. I’ll help you clean up.”
For the next several minutes, mother and daughter silently cleared the dining room table.
“Give me a hug before you leave,” Suzanna implored her daughter. “And let me show you where I’ve put things. You do have a key to both doors?”
Penny followed Suzanna into Brad’s office. “I’ll take care of anything that comes in. You’ll have your cell with you?”
Suzanna smiled. “Yes, even though you know I hate to use it when I’m driving, and the Jeep has GPS. Kevin was so impressed with all the little doodads it came with.” She chuckled. “And, I’ll have Sam with me. He won’t let me get into trouble, will you, Sam?”
The dog panted a happy smile and whined softly.
“Will you call and tell me when you’re leaving?”
“Of course.” She hugged her daughter again before she headed out the front door.
Suzanna plopped into one of the overstuffed chairs in the living room. “Well, that went better than I thought.” She smiled to herself before heading up the stairs.
The next day, Suzanna met Margaret at the door. “I’ve decided where I want to go.”
“Tell me.”
She reached for the tea pot as Margaret opened the container of chocolate bars. “Crater Lake—it’s in Oregon, or Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons—in Wyoming.”
“Crater Lake. That’s a long way.”
“I know but it’s supposed to be beautiful and it’s not that far from the coast. Maybe I’ll just stop there and then head west. I’ve never seen the Pacific Ocean.”
“But if you’ve seen one ocean, you’ve seen them all. Aren’t they all about the same? Pass me the teapot.”
“I know, but I haven’t seen it and that’s the point.” Suzanna grinned. “Maybe I’ll take another cruise—to Mexico or through the Panama Canal. We could do that together. Have you ever been?”
Margaret shook her silver curls. “No. Unlike Sylvia, I’ve decided I’m not into hot-blooded Latin types. But if you decide to take a boat to Europe, let me know. I’ve always wanted to do that.”
Suzanna laughed.
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