A Promise to Remember by Kathryn Cushman Read Free Book Online

friends are driving across
town again. They are inconveniencing themselves because they
care about you. How could that be wrong?"

    "Why do they want to punish that other boy's mother? She
didn't do anything wrong."
    The stress that had built up in Blair over the course of the
day exploded from him before he could think to calm it. "Andie,
she's trying to ruin what's left of our lives. What purpose does
it serve her to sue us, other than to make herself rich? We lost
our son, too, didn't we? She should be thankful for the child
she still has, instead of trying to destroy what remains of our
lives. How can you say she's done nothing wrong? She's selfish-that's what she is."
    Andie gasped. She stared at her fingernails and picked at the
chipped polish. "I'm sorry." Her words were a barely audible
whisper.
    Blair exhaled, thankful that she had seen the truth so easily.
"That's all right. I know you just didn't see the whole picture."
    She looked up, her eyes glistening and red. "I didn't mean for
questioning the boycott. I mean, I'm sorry that you don't have
any other children at home. I know you wanted more. I'm sorry
you got stuck with a defective wife."
    Oh no. Surely she's not going dawn this road. Blair didn't have
the strength to deal with one more piece of sorrow or regret.
"Andie, it's not your fault you couldn't have more children. You
were a terrific mother to Chad. He was blessed to live his short
life with you. I'm blessed, too." He gathered his papers to signal
her that the conversation had ended.
    "Listen, hon, I've got tons of paperwork. I'm going to go lock
myself in the office and plow through it, okay? We'll talk about
this more later."
    She nodded and swiveled her back to him again. Blair left the
room. When he walked through the kitchen, he grabbed two
granola bars and a bottled water. So much for dinner.

    The front door slammed with such force the entire house
rattled.
    Melanie jerked around, dropping the ladle she'd been using.
It clattered across the white linoleum floor and splattered everything, including her bare feet, with scalding drops of tomato-beef
broth. She yelped and reached for a dish towel.
    Sarah stormed into the kitchen. "That lawyer of yours has
ruined everything!"
    Bone-weary grief and exhaustion blended with such force,
Melanie didn't have the energy to rise to this fight. She wiped
her foot with the towel and picked up the ladle. Inhaling a deep
breath, she made a great effort to speak in her most interestedmother voice, hoping to disarm whatever it was that had Sarah
so worked up. "What did he ruin, sweetheart?"
    She dropped the ladle into the sink and reached into the
cabinets below for the all-purpose cleaner. She sprayed the
reddish-brown spots on the floor, counted to five, and then
straightened up and looked at Sarah.
    The beautiful oval face flushed with frustration. Framed by
long blond hair that had been meticulously straightened before
tonight's Groundhog Day pizza feast, bright blue eyes glared at
her. Since Jeff died, those eyes always seemed to be bloodshot
or puffy from tears or slitted in anger, and Melanie wanted
nothing more than for the beauty to return to them, that the
spark of hope and joy might glimmer in them again. It was too
much to ask for her own to do the same-she knew that. Still,
she had hopes for Sarah.
    Sarah must have seen something of the concern on her mother's face and her own expression softened. She turned away
and began to rummage through the refrigerator. "The mission
trip. You know, the one our youth group is supposed to take
this summer?"

    "What does Les Stewart have to do with building houses in
Mexico?"
    "We have to raise our support, remember?"
    The sarcasm spewing from Sarah's voice broke through Melanie's weariness. Exhausted as she was, she wasn't willing to
listen to sixteen-year-old sass.
    "Sarah, if you want to continue this conversation, you will
change your tone of voice now."
    Sarah