I couldn’t trust anything she said anymore.
Whatever had happened between them had driven Suzie to leave.
And now I was the one left behind to deal with the wreckage.
That night, after finally settling Callie and Jessica into their cribs, I sat alone at the kitchen table.
The note lay in one hand.
A glass of whiskey sat in the other.
My mother’s protests still echoed in my head, but they couldn’t drown out the question that kept repeating over and over in my mind.
What did you do, Mom?
I began replaying old family gatherings in my head.
The subtle comments.
The small jabs.
The passive-aggressive remarks my mother used to throw Suzie’s way.
Suzie had always laughed them off.
But now, looking back, I could see the hurt hiding behind her smiles.
The realization made my chest ache.
So I started digging.
Both literally and emotionally.For illustrative purposes only
While going through Suzie’s things, I found her jewelry box tucked away in the closet. I set it aside, but then I noticed a small slip of paper peeking out from beneath the lid.
Curious, I opened it.
