A Hundred Years of Happiness by Nicole Seitz

Author:Nicole Seitz [Seitz, Nicole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2018-08-02T00:00:00+00:00

WHEN I WALK back outside, arms full, the women bark at me. “What took you so long?”

“Sorry. I . . . couldn’t find some things. Here.”

Connie grabs the gauze and tape, and Mama swipes the broom and dustpan. “Did you get a rag?”

“A rag? Oh, no.”

“She’s bleeding everywhere, Katie! In the laundry room closet. Hurry!” Mama has lost her patience with me. I can see how mortified she is. This daily pool gathering, this hosting of the Water Lilies, is her pride and joy. It’s her main contribution to us all. And now this. Hilda is hurt. But worse, I can see Mama’s wheels turning. She’s wondering, as we all are. Could my father have possibly done this?

I lean down and pick up a large piece of glass with a Dos Equis label still attached. Daddy loves his Dos Equis. Could he have done this? Was it an accident? Or has Daddy taken to drinking alone at night and smashing things?

Oh, heaven help us. What have I done to him? I’ve sent him over the edge, haven’t I? The Yorktown, it was just too much for him!

Oh, good gracious, Daddy’s drinking and smashing things. And the woman on the phone? She’s tied to Vietnam! There’s no avoiding it now, Daddy’s past is coming back to haunt him, and it looks as though none of us is out of harm’s way.

With furrowed brow, I run back into the house and rummage for rags. Grabbing a handful of white ones, I pass the notepad on the counter and stop. A split-second decision. I rip off the note, fold it, and press it into my bathing suit under my left breast. It pricks me when I face the Water Lilies again, handing over the rags. I make sure they don’t need anything else and then flip-flop over to the pool house. Sitting on the bench and breathing heavily, I stuff the moist paper into my purse. I don’t know who—if anyone—should see this.

Who is this woman who called? What’s going on here? I watch Mama, Connie, and Tillie help poor Hilda to her good foot, and they hold her up as she hops across the lawn. I’m almost glad she’s going to the hospital. Not that I want her hurt, but I want all these people out of here! I need to take a deep breath now. I’ve got to figure this all out.

The past is coming back for my father. It’s up to me now to find a way to protect him.

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