The Wondrous World of Violet Barnaby by Jenny Lundquist

Author:Jenny Lundquist
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin

CHAPTER

19

GRIEF AND GHOSTS

On Wednesday after school, I was standing in the hallway applying lip gloss when Melanie walked in, and said, “Where are you going?”

“Over to Austin’s,” I answered as I checked my reflection in the mirror. “We need to work on our Egyptian project.”

She frowned. “When did you tell me this?”

“I told Dad last night after dinner,” I said.

Melanie ran a hand through her hair. “Violet—look, I realize you’re used to coming and going as you please, but that’s going to have to change. We need to all start checking in with one another. That means telling your Dad and me.”

“Okay,” I said, fighting hard to stay calm. Just because Dad was now officially “Joey’s dad” did not mean I thought of Melanie as my mother. “Would you rather I not go? I’m not really excited to spend the afternoon studying,” I added, which was true, but my heart was doing jumping jacks at the idea of seeing Austin.

“How much work have you gotten done on the project?”

“Well . . . so far, none,” I admitted. Before she could get upset about that, I added, “But we’ll catch up, I promise.”

Melanie sighed. “Okay—you can go. But come back in a couple hours. Your dad is picking up a Christmas tree from Caulfield Farm after he leaves work, and we’re going to decorate it before dinner.”

Sometimes grief feels like a ghost—the ghost of all the Christmas pasts that I had with Mom—and it’s moments like these where they rise up and make the Terrible Beautiful Ache inside me squeeze tight. Last year during Black Christmas, Dad and I hadn’t gotten a tree, and even though I knew decorating one was on Mom’s list, it still felt wrong to be doing it without her.

“Sure,” I said, my voice catching a little as I zipped up my jacket. “That sounds great.”

“Violet.” Melanie’s voice softened. “I know—”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, opening the front door. “I’ll be home in time.”

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