Read Online Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes by Denise Grover Swank - Free Book Online Page B

me.”
    She let her anger loose on him. “You were right next door when our Momma was killed, too. A lot of good that did her .” And with that she whipped around and walked out the door.
    My mouth dropped open in shock. I’d never seen Violet be so rude.
    Joe shut the door behind her and paused.
    “Joe, I apologize for my sister’s behavior.”
    He turned around to face me. “She’s right, you know.”
    “What?”
    “I was next door when your mother was killed and I didn't hear a thing. You’d be safer if you went with Violet.”
    It took me a moment to recover from my shock. “Go home, Joe.”
    His eyes widened. “What?”
    “Go. Home.” I enunciated each word slowly so there was no misinterpreting my meaning.
    “Rose, wait a minute.”
    I walked toward him and opened the door. “I appreciate everythin’ you’ve done to help me, but I’m done bein’ told what to do. Thanks for all your help paintin’ and thanks for installin’ the locks. Let me know how much I owe you.”
    Joe stood in the doorway. “Rose, I’m sorry. I wasn’t tryin’ to boss you around.”
    “I know, but you weren’t even supposed to help me paint anyway, remember? You were just goin’ to give me some pointers. You did, now you can go home.”
    Joe went outside, looking over his shoulder as he climbed down the steps.
    Ah, crap . I felt a vision coming. Go away, Joe. Go away . “The dog’s goin’ to get out the hole in your back fence.” That one confused me. Joe didn’t have dog.
    “ What ?”
    “See you around,” I said, shutting the door and locking it.
    I started to paint again, feeling lonely. Part of me was sorry I sent him away, but I knew I’d done the right thing. Besides, he would have figured out soon enough that I was a freak.
    Several hours later, I finished the last coat. The sun had set, making it difficult to see the true color. Still, I could see it was bright and cheerful, yet not overly yellow. It should have made me happy but the fight with Violet ate at me, stealing my joy. Violet and I never argued and it made me question everything.
    Was I being selfish? Was I stupid staying in the house? I couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to kill me. I decided Violet had been right the night of the murder; Momma’s murder was just a random crime and it would have been me if I hadn’t fought with her earlier that day.
    Nevertheless, I was still uneasy going to sleep that night.
     
    The next morning I called Betty at the DMV and told her I wouldn't be into work until Thursday. She insisted I take off the entire week, and I could only imagine Suzanne’s reaction to that. I wouldn't be surprised if she thought I killed Momma just to get out of a four-day work week. Seriously, I’m smarter than that. If I was going to go to that much trouble, surely I would have picked a five-day week instead.
    Next, I called Deanna Crawfield’s office to make an appointment but her receptionist said she had a family emergency and couldn’t see me until Thursday afternoon.
    The floral shop confounded what little decision-making skills I had left. I only hoped my choices would meet Violet’s approval. While I couldn’t care less what the town thought about Momma’s funeral, Violet did. My newfound independence may have disappointed her, but I hoped I could make it up with this.
    On the way home, I stopped by a local dress shop. I walked through the door and a wave of disbelief washed over me. I was shopping for Momma’s funeral. I shook it off, determined not to let Violet down in this either since part of the funeral judgment included the attire of the surviving family members.
    Normally, I would go in the store and hide behind the racks, hoping to go unnoticed. I didn’t really want to be noticed today, but I decided it was time to be more assertive.
    “Excuse me,” I choked out to a saleswoman, ignoring my rising anxiety. “I need to buy a dress for a funeral.”
    The middle-aged woman motioned me to the back.