Pieces of the Heart by Karen White Read Free Book Online

thanks. This is fine.”
    Her mother wiped off the seat of a green lawn chair with the palm of her hand, then sat on the edge, facing Caroline. “What would you like to do today?”
    Caught by surprise, Caroline stammered, “I, uh, I thought I’d go see Rainy. But you don’t need to come with me. I’m sure you’ve got your own plans.”
    “Nonsense. I need to go see Rainy anyway. She just got back from Atlanta from her last round with chemo and I should go see how she’s doing.”
    Caroline’s mouth went dry around a forkful of eggs. “What? What chemo?”
    Margaret frowned, deep furrows creasing her forehead, reminding Caroline again of how quickly she seemed to be aging. Or maybe this was the first time in a long while she had really looked at her mother.
    “Oh, I thought Rainy would have told you by now.” She straightened her back. “She’s got ovarian cancer, but she’s responding real well to treatment. Not that a stubborn old coot like Rainy would ever allow cancer to get the better of her. I always knew it didn’t stand a chance.”
    “Mom! How can you talk like that? She’s your best friend and she’s got cancer.” Completely losing her appetite, Caroline moved the breakfast tray off her lap and sat up. “I’ve got to go see her. I can’t believe nobody told me.” Angry now, she turned on her mother. “How could you not tell me?”
    Margaret stood and stared her daughter in the eye. “It’s hard to tell you things when the only communication I have with you is by e-mail or by leaving you a message on your voice mail.” She paused. “Then you had your stress attack and she and I decided you didn’t need anything else to upset you.”
    A small ball of guilt found its way into Caroline’s throat. Her contact with her mother for years had been strictly superficial, easily compartmentalized into snippets of information that could be imparted without being discussed. She always thought she liked it that way. Caroline took a deep breath. “I need to see her.”
    A loud buzzing sounded from the laundry room. Margaret turned and said, “I’m going to go fold towels. Let me know when you’re ready to go and I’ll drive you.”
    Resigned, Caroline watched her mother march off to the laundry room as if she were walking on a fashion runway; then she carried the breakfast tray back to the kitchen, shuffling in her fuzzy slippers.
    She had almost made it to her room to get dressed when the doorbell rang. She looked toward the laundry room to see if her mom had heard over the noise of the washing machine. When Margaret didn’t appear, Caroline moved toward the front door, then yanked it open.
    Drew What’s-his-name stood on the covered front porch, a large dark wood cabinet with glass doors sitting on the floor next to him. He didn’t even have the manners to smile and look her in the eye and pretend she looked normal. Instead his eyes roamed over her bulky robe, fluffy slippers, and bare pale legs, then up to the chair creases on her face before resting on her hair. “Rough night?”
    She stared at him for a long moment, trying not to look as embarrassed as she felt. “Are you lost? I can draw you a map to show you the way home, if you like. No charge.”
    He was still staring at her hair. “How do you get it to stay up like that?”
    She started to close the door on him, but he stuck his hand out to stop it from shutting completely. “Is your mother in? She’s expecting me.”
    Margaret appeared from the laundry room, a look of horror crossing her face as she took in Caroline’s appearance and the man at the door. While greeting Drew, she reached into the hall table drawer, pulled out a tube of lipstick, and handed it to Caroline. Caroline stared at it, thinking that putting lipstick on her face at this point would be a bit like hanging ornaments on a dead tree. She slipped the tube into the pocket of her robe and crossed her arms, prepared for battle. Except no one was paying any