I set the kettle on the stove and waited for the water to boil, though I knew the tea would not stop the coldness in my chest.
Lauren returned at seven o’clock, her key turning in the lock before she stepped onto the linoleum. She carried a small cardboard box for her remaining personal files, her movements hurried and her eyes darting toward the counter.
“I need to know if we are clear about this, Mom,” Lauren said, her words rushing together as she set the box down. “I need to know you are not going to show up and make things difficult for me.”
I stood by the sink, where the water was still dripping at a rate of one drop every ten seconds.
“I have never made your life difficult, Lauren,” I said.
“That is not an answer,” she said, twisting her engagement ring again. “Ethan’s mother is already asking about the guest list, and I had to tell her you were… busy. It is just a different world, Mom. Their friends are all corporate lawyers and judges. You wouldn’t have anything to say to them.”
