Phone calls that grew shorter.
A slow, aching worry that I had become something to be tolerated rather than wanted.
« I won’t be a burden, » I whispered to the empty room. « I’ll help. I’ll make myself useful. »
Maybe that was why the invitation felt like a gift from heaven.
Someone needed me.
Someone wanted me under their roof.
***
The next morning I drove for three hours, having left before dawn.
I wanted to arrive in time for breakfast with the children.
I rehearsed the things I would say to the children.
The games we would play,
The stories I would read at bedtime.
When I finally pulled into Jason and Melissa’s driveway, I sat in the car for a moment.
I smoothed my hair, my hands trembling just slightly with excitement.
« You’re here for them, » I said to myself. « Just be here for them. »
I gathered my purse and stepped out into the cool morning air.
The house was large with tall windows and a wide green lawn.
The front door opened, and there was Melissa in silk pajamas, phone already in her hand.« Margaret, » she called, her smile wide but her eyes somewhere else. « You made it. Come in, come in. »
« Still asleep, » she said with a wave. « Go ahead and get settled in the guest room. »
I stepped inside, suitcase in hand.
I breathed in the smell of a home full of family.
I told myself this was the beginning of something good, something close.
But as I carried my bag down the hall, I noticed a thin layer of dust on the side table.
There was a heap of laundry slumped in the corner.
