Friday's Daughter by Patricia Sprinkle

Author:Patricia Sprinkle
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2010-12-31T00:00:00+00:00

When I got up, a freezing house did nothing to improve my mood. I found Tobias downstairs building a new fire in the fireplace. A bucket of ashes sat beside him.

I opened my mouth to say, “Tobias, I’m sorry. Forgive me, please?” but before I could speak, he said without looking around, “Empty these ashes in the backyard and make oatmeal. I’ll have the stove going in a minute.” His voice was chillier than the room.

All my good intentions flew up the chimney. “I have put up with your rudeness long enough. You’ll eat what I fix.” I snatched up the bucket and stomped outside, leaving the door open. What difference did it make, as cold as the house was?

“Empty ashes. Fix oatmeal. Who does he think he is?” I raged aloud, not caring if he could hear me. The day had only begun and already he had ruined it. It was such a beautiful day, too. The thermometer on the porch wall read twenty degrees, but sunshine turned ice-coated grass and branches into a glittering wonderland. Holly berries gleamed as red as the cardinal who sang from the tree’s branch. Above the trees, the blue of the sky went on forever. The air was so sharp that each breath pierced my lungs. I wished I had my boots so I could go for a walk in the woods instead of staying indoors.

With regret I took one last breath of pine-scented air and returned to the house. I found Tobias on the couch with his head in his hands. I forgot my anger in immediate concern for my patient. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” He lifted his head with obvious effort.

I repented of my tantrum. The man was sick. That was bad enough, without me opening a raw wound and making inexcusable statements about him. I would apologize for all of that eventually. Right now, he needed breakfast. “I’ve decided you’re right,” I told him. “Oatmeal would taste good on a day like this.”

He didn’t say a word until I set bowls on the table. As he poured milk on his cereal he said, “Your family is giving you trouble about staying here.”

That answered one question. He had heard too much.

“They wouldn’t know I was here except for Wonder. I think she told them because she’s angry that I’m up here and she isn’t. She wants you to tell her more ‘Cherky’ stories.” I hoped that would bring a smile to his eyes. They remained as hard as ebony marbles. “Don’t let it worry you,” I added. “My sisters always give me trouble. They treat me like I am Wonder’s age.”

“They are right. You don’t need to be here. I don’t need you!” He said the last four words with such force that I felt his spit on my cheek.

Rigid with anger, I wiped it away with my napkin. “At the moment I don’t have much choice.”

We finished breakfast without speaking again. Bray pierced the silence. I sighed. “Time to feed the animals.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.