What was it about time? Looking back, Katy couldn’t understand wanting what she once had. Now there was a sense of peace, certainty, and needing to close the door and finish something that she knew all too well had at one time gutted her.
Katy took in her nails, the manicure and teal polish she’d splurged on, and stepped out of her black Jeep. It wasn’t new but was as close as she could afford, a few years old, a decent amount of mileage, with a backseat for Fletcher. She shut the door, gripping the stiff straps of her mint green bag and taking in the mix of sun and cloud, hearing a tractor in the distance, the singing of birds, and the lack of white noise that was constant in the city. She felt the breeze brush against her bare legs.
“Hey, you!” Emily said. Her mom was in the dirt on her knees with a flat of marigolds, planting them in the bed at the front of the house. “I didn’t expect you. You should have told me you were coming…”
Everything looked so different.
Her mom brushed her hands as she stood up, sounding so happy. Then, for a second, her smile faded. “Did something happen?” Emily said. There it was, the worry that seemed to be a constant for her.
“No, everything is fine, Mom. Just got off my shift on time and thought I’d slip down and see Fletcher, see how he’s doing.”
It was time for him to come home. There it was in the way her mom glanced to the side, a hesitation as she walked toward her. She had to know something was up.
“Is Dad here?” Katy asked as her mom held out her arms and hugged her after only another second, pulling her close, maybe unsure of how she looked in the pale blue shirt and faded jean shorts she had on.
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