Losing Love by B.J. Herron

Author:B.J. Herron [Herron, B.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781647044831
Publisher: Bublish, Inc.
Published: 2021-11-29T12:18:39+00:00

chapter 14

Standing firm

Cat picked at a napkin while I yawned over the hot cup of tea before me. We hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep since Granny had been moved to a new home, The Villa. My mama, Pat, Shirley, and I were alternating shifts. I stayed overnight most evenings, as I didn’t have any children, work, or a husband, in-state, to care for. Of course, her sons popped in when they could. Chase specifically let his stance be known.

“That ain’t my responsibility,” he’d said when asked when he would be able to take a shift.

“Y’all look horrible.” Terrell took a seat at the cafeteria’s table. He, of course, looked well rested and glowing.

Cat glared at him so hard I thought he would keel over. “You know we been staying nights to keep Mama company. She say the nurses bothering her.”

He shrugged half-heartedly. “You know she dramatic.”

“Whatever she is, she our mother,” she said, mocking him. “And she won’t get better if you keep moving her around. This the second home she been moved to. She ain’t had consistent therapy or nothing.”

Even with her cold eyes boring through him, Terrell’s smirk was colder. “She got stability.”

“She deserves better,” I interjected. “If we can all come together, I think we would really encourage Granny and help her recovery.”

Drops of tea splashed out of the cups as his clenched fists banged on the table, staining the white tablecloth. “This ain’t no courtroom and your word ain’t law. Y’all need to let me do what I need to.”

Cat’s voice didn’t waver. “Well, do it. This about Frances. If you gonna be in control, do what you supposed to do.”

“Like you?” He wiped his jacket’s lapel, though there was nothing there. “Do you do what you supposed to do?”

Cat was stoic. Terrell was unbothered. They glared at each other for what seemed like forever.

“Have you ever done what you supposed to?” she asked him.

I poured more ginger into my tea. The pungent, peppery scent lingered in the air, reminding me of the day I had ginger and tea for the first time. I was ten years old on that warm, sunny day. Aunt Whitney sat with me at Granny’s kitchen table. She was, and still is, the funniest person I’ve ever known. Aunt Whitney had a gorgeous smile and the personality to match. Her boisterous laugh was endearing, but it didn’t fit her slender frame.

We waited for the tea to steep while she taught me how to play solitaire. She loved playing the game and assured me that if I learned how to play, I’d love it as well. I didn’t doubt her, as her words were golden in my life. Not only because she was the best aunt in the world, but also because she introduced me to Janet Jackson’s The Velvet Rope. I instantly loved Janet just as much as she did.

“You know I taught her some of those dance moves,” she said mimicking the moves from If.

“You did?” My eyes widened and mind was blown.

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