Finding November by J. E. Dyer

Author:J. E. Dyer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Joshua Dyer
Published: 2014-02-14T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

OUTSIDE HER WINDOW, the snow fell in a white sheet. Sarah whimpered and slapped the snooze button. Her knock-off Italian lamp came into focus.

“Come on,” she said, rolling over to peek out her window. “No school.”

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and snuggled her feet into her white bunny slippers. The cold drafts bit at her body through the thin flannel pajamas as she wandered into the kitchen for some breakfast.

“Mornin’, kiddo,” her mom said, setting her coffee on the table.

The local weatherman talked over a graphic of area closings and delays on their TV.

“Do I even need to get dressed?” Sarah shuffled to the counter and pulled down a box of cereal. Please, let it be closed.

Karla stared at the screen shaking her head. “Looks like there’s still school.” She went back to nibbling on her waffles. “Weather guy says the ground’s too warm for most of it to stick.”

Perfect. Sarah shook some flakes into her bowl and doused them with a small helping of milk. She lumbered to the table and plunked down in a cold chair occasionally glancing at her mom in between bites. She seems relatively laid back today. Maybe now’s the best time.

“Mom?”

Karla took another bite of her waffles. “Hmm?”

“Who is Albert Jenkins?”

Her mother’s face went pale as she choked on her breakfast.

“He’s alive, isn’t he?” This would be a delicate game of chess requiring finesse and poise.

“What the hell are you doin’ snoopin’ around where you shouldn’t be?” Karla tossed her fork on her plate and leaned back in her chair.

Sarah slurped another spoonful of her flakes. “The lie wouldn’t have lasted.” She continued her meal keeping calm and collected. “Why didn’t you ever tell me the truth?”

“What,” Karla said, crossing her arms, “that your dad is a deadbeat that abandoned us?” Her rage welled up behind her infuriated stare. “That he didn’t have enough of a spine to stay in our lives? Is that what you wanna hear?”

“If that’s the truth, yes.” Sarah stirred the last few drifting flakes in deep thought. “Why did he leave?”

Karla grabbed her fork and hacked at her waffles. “I don’t know.” She shoved the bite in and looked away to the national morning news show. Sarah stared at her mom in silence. “I seriously don’t know, Sarah!”

“It all seems so strange to me,” Sarah said, spooning a flake and dropping it back into the bowl.

“Don’t you go swattin’ the beehive, young lady.” Her mother got up and swaggered into the kitchen sink. “We’ve been doing fine without him. So, just you leave well alone.”

Sarah downed the last of the milk in her bowl and took it to the dishwasher. The faucet distorted beyond her burning tears. It’s all been a lie, hasn’t it? My whole life. She closed up the machine and plodded into the bathroom to get ready for school.

Tears cut their painful trail down her pale cheeks under the fluorescent lights. “Who am I?” She dropped a bead of toothpaste onto her brush and dug in.

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