Broken: Macy's Story by Janice Broyles

Author:Janice Broyles [Broyles, Janice]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Late November Literary
Published: 2020-02-24T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16~

No Rest for the Weary

I finished making the bed, only to seriously consider lying down on it. The last two days had been highly-charged and emotional. Mostly because Derek had left and hadn’t come back.

Gramps said yesterday evening that it was okay, that he knew where Derek was. And Derek had called last night to talk to Lillian and to tell her that he had to take care of some things for her mommy. But my heart broke for Lillian who kept wondering if her father left because she drank from his grown-up soda bottle.

None of us told her the truth, but it hung in the air like a thick fog, making it hard to move around.

Last night, after Lillian had fallen asleep, I pressed Gramps. “Where is he?”

“He’s supposed to be back soon.”

“Gramps…” I said.

“Macy, do not push me for information. Part of being clergy is keeping things confidential.”

“Yes, that’s true. But right now, and I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, I’m a part of the ministry. Right?”

“It doesn’t work that way.”

“Who’s watching Lillian? I am. Who was up most of last night because that little girl kept having nightmares? I was. Who had to change the sheets because Lillian had an accident? I did. If I am an extension of your ministry, which I’d like to think I am, then I should know. At least the basics.”

Gramps stared at me for a moment before sighing, “Fine. You’re right. You should know some of it. He had to go back to his father. To see if he could help with funeral expenses. Then he had to go to her family.” He stopped and paused, clearly emotional.

“They don’t know yet?”

“None of it.”

I covered my mouth as the realization hit me. Her family had no idea that their daughter had been sick? “How could he not tell them?”

“Derek and his wife haven’t talked to their families since they ran away together. The families don’t even know about Lillian. That’s why she’s here for right now.”

The news hit me like a sledgehammer. “What happened? Do they not even know their daughter has been on a ventilator? And why wouldn’t their families want to know about Lillian? She’s such a beautiful little girl.”

“From what Derek shared with me, his father is a gambler and a drinker. He had a heavy hand with Derek, so Derek saved up enough money to try to go to college to get out of the dump they lived in. He had to work three jobs to stay in school. His wife, on the other hand, came from a highly influential and rich family. You get where this is going? He was the bad boy from the other side of the tracks. Her family forbid it, so the two ran away together and never looked back.”

I remembered Derek telling me about how they moved up north where they had first met. Had they been running away?

That question had been going through mind all morning. Now as I yawned, I pushed the cart to the next room in a sleepy daze.

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