Tomorrow Will Be Better by Vanessa Lafleur

Author:Vanessa Lafleur [Vanessa Lafleur]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BQB Publishing
Published: 2021-08-16T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

ROCHELLE

July 28, 2090

“What’s wrong, hummingbird?” My dad sat on the open tailgate of his truck, smiling.

“I keep telling everyone I have everything under control, but I don’t really know what I’m doing.” Bracing my arms on the tailgate, I hoisted myself up next to him. “Kat’s good at cooking, Todd’s good at drawing, Kinley’s good at everything, but I . . .”

“You’re good at sewing. You made my favorite shirt.” He held out his arms so he could proudly survey my work.

“I put the buttonholes in the wrong place. It’s all lopsided.”

“You mean it’s not supposed to be like that?” Dad’s green eyes sparkled with laughter. “I kind of like it. Thought I was making a fashion statement.”

A big yellow butterfly glided in front of me, and I struggled to remember what I was talking about. “I’m trying to take care of everyone, but Kinley and Kat are always fighting and now Todd’s gone.”

“Don’t give up, Rochelle.” Dad wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer. “If they didn’t have you, they’d be far worse off.” He kissed the top of my head, and I suddenly felt like everything would be okay. “You’re the glue that keeps this family together, even when it’s hard. That’s what you’re really good at.”

I huddled closer to him, trying to remember why it was strange for him to be sitting on the driveway with me.

“But what about Todd? And Molly keeps asking me about your pendant . . .”

“I promise tomorrow will be better.” His voice sounded softer and farther away. “You’ll figure it out, Rochelle.”

“Rochelle. Rochelle.” I opened my eyes to Kinley sitting on the edge of the couch next to me. “Hey, how are you feeling?”

Alexander stood behind her, dressed in a suit and tie. My cousin wore a blue dress and her hair fell in loose curls to her waist. Dr. Brooks and the students in his medical training program were hosting a dinner, inviting interested doctors and educators from other communities to showcase the success of the program and hopefully spark interest for more programs like it. Kinley had written a speech and rehearsed it in front of me a hundred times.

I sat up, starting to scratch my arm before making myself stop. The day before, I had spent the morning helping Alexander with some landscaping work and ended up with poison ivy that both Keppler and Alexander had managed to avoid. “I had a dream about Dad.” It still felt so real I expected him to walk into the room any minute.

Kinley smiled and brushed my hair behind my ear. “Was it a good one?”

I nodded. “You guys look nice.” Back in March, when my cousin had first told me about the dinner, I had planned to go with Todd. Now it was hard to look forward to anything when I feared I’d never see him again. Part of me was thankful for the rash since it was a good excuse to stay home. I didn’t feel like even leaving the couch.

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