I Left My House Empty Three Days Before Christmas

”

I waited.

She sniffed once. “It sounds bad.”

“It was bad.”

“I know.”

I pressed my thumb into the paper cup seam until it bent. “Did you mean to apologize, Diane, or just report the weather?”

That was mean.

A little.

But not more mean than she had earned.

She exhaled hard. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

I said nothing.

“I am. We got used to you handling everything. I did.continue reading …