An Excerpt from Lily For A Day by Carolynn Carey
Chapter Seven
Glenna was on a rare rampage. As soon as the reverberations from the slammed back door died away, I heard the sound of cabinet doors being closed so hard that the glassware behind them rattled. I grabbed my crutches. I didn’t look forward to confronting Glenna, but at the same time, I wasn’t going to sit by and let her destroy my kitchen.
By the time I’d propelled myself halfway through the dining room, the popping of a cork told me that Glenna had found what she’d been looking for. Wine in the middle of the afternoon? What a wonderful idea.
“Pour a glass for me too,” I called to her. “And pull out a kitchen chair for me. I’m coming to join you.”
If Glenna was happy to have my company, she did a good job of hiding it. When I stepped into the kitchen, she stood, wine bottle clutched in her hand, and glared at me. “Did you know that Dad was going to invite my low-down, good-for-nothing, ratfink of a husband to live in the office building within spitting distance of the house?”
I quickly shook my head. “I had no idea, sweetheart. You have my word.”
She held my gaze for at least a half a minute. If I’d been lying to her, I’m sure I would have blinked. As it was, I had to hold my breath and call upon eyelid muscles I’d never known existed in order to keep my eyes innocently open.
Finally she dropped her gaze, sighed, and shook her head. “I can’t believe Dad did this to me. Do you really want a glass of wine?”
“Absolutely. Did you get me a glass?”
“No, but I will.” When Glenna turned back around to fetch my wineglass, I hurriedly blinked a few times to get a little moisture back onto my dry eyeballs. Then I pulled out a chair at the kitchen table. “You don’t mind if I sit with you, do you?”
She sighed again. “No.”
“Good. Once I heard that cork pop, I started craving a glass of wine. Could you step it up a bit?”
Glenna smiled. She also stepped it up a bit. She set my glass on the table, poured it three fourths full of the merlot she’d opened, and then helped herself to a generous measure before dropping into a chair on the far side of the table.
“Cheers. Although I’ll be damned if I know of anything to be cheerful about.” She lifted her glass, then downed half of its contents in three long swallows. “I don’t recall you being a daytime drinker, Mom.”
“Some days call for a glass of wine in the afternoon.” I took a sip of mine. Merlot wasn’t my favorite but it would do. “Can you believe that I didn’t recognize your husband when he came to the front door this afternoon?”
Her eyes widened. “Did he have to tell you who he was?”
“Yep.”
She giggled. “I’ll bet that deflated his ego quite a bit. He likes to think of himself as a household face in this country, and then his own mother-in-law doesn’t even recognize him.”
“He appeared a little shocked, I’ll have to admit.” I took another sip of wine. “He claims he wants you back, you know.”
Copyright © Sue Carey.
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It may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the permission of the author, Sue Carey.