Not out of the house.
Mom surprised me there.
“They can stay for two weeks,” she said.
“Mom.”
“Two weeks.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Dad nodded.
“With rules.”
The rules were simple.
The house belonged to Mom and Dad.
No guests without asking.
No financial decisions on their behalf.
No borrowing.
No rearranging their lives to avoid uncomfortable conversations.
“And,” Mom said, looking directly at Veronica, “I eat at my kitchen table whenever I want.”
Veronica’s eyes filled.
“Of course.”
“No crying your way out of agreeing,” Mom said.
To
