Chapter 4

Cicely and my father-in-law, Theo Pruitt, heard us fighting and heard Russ crying, and neither of them came out to look.

I saw everything they did, and everything they didn't.

The next morning when I got up, I cooked only for Russ and me.

Once Russ was up, the two of us had a bowl each. Cicely and Theo were already awake.

This was their usual breakfast hour. In the past I always dished everything out and waited for them to come sit down and eat.

This morning they came over the same as always, expecting to sit and be served, but once they sat down they found the table bare.

Cicely blew up on the spot, one step short of jabbing a finger in my face.

"Anita, what's the meaning of this? Where's the food?"

I didn't look at her. I set the fried egg into Russ's bowl before I answered.

"Starting today, I'm not cooking for you anymore. And I'm not handling this family's affairs either."

As I spoke I pulled out the bank card and slapped it down on the table.

Cicely saw that and looked lost for a second. She traded a glance with Theo, then turned her temper back on me.

"Anita, just what are you playing at?"

I didn't care that Russ was still right beside me. I told him to eat, then turned to face Cicely.

"This card is Kent's. It's his paycheck card. His paycheck card has always been with me. But you don't need a bank card to buy things online, do you? No, you don't."

"Yesterday you said your son hands every cent he earns over to me. Go check the balance on this card right now."

"Every month I hold your son's empty card and use my own salary to take care of this whole household. Starting today, I'm done waiting on you."

Cicely's face went green with rage when she heard that.

She traded another glance with Theo, then swung her head back to glare at me.

"Anita, talking to us like this in front of your own son. Aren't you afraid he'll pick it up from you?"

Cicely rambled on, pulling in this and that, and I didn't take any of it to heart.

"You're so good at raising children. I don't see how well-behaved yours turned out."

I fired it back low and quiet, without leaving her the slightest face.

Kent and I had been married five years, and I had never once spoken to her like this.

Cicely was so angry she nearly fainted backward.

I asked Russ gently, "All full?"

Russ nodded, and then, under Cicely's stunned stare, we walked out.

Once we were out the door and into the elevator, Russ looked up at me. I knew a small child would have questions inside.

I couldn't let anything knot up in his heart, so I told him patiently, "Russ, do you think Mommy was mean to Grandma?"

Russ shook his head. "They're mean to you too. Yesterday at Jared's birthday party I heard Grandma and Auntie saying bad things about you. None of it was true."

I pulled his head against me. I didn't want grown-up business touching the child.

That they would badmouth me came as no surprise at all.

If everything I did was wrong anyway, why bother doing any of it?

For several mornings running I cooked only for Russ and me. In the evenings Russ ate at his kindergarten, and I had no appetite either, so once I got home I went straight to my room to work on my writing.

Cicely trailed at my heels day after day, nagging, but I let it all go in one ear and out the other.

Theo saw us fighting like this and sighed and groaned all day. As for Kent, he certainly knew what I was doing, but he never said it out loud, and I had no wish to speak to him.

At night I slept in Russ's room.

On August 22, Theo got up early and waited for me. "Anita, you still haven't sent me this year's checkup form."

In past years I'd given it to him a full week ahead.

I lifted my eyes to him. "Sorry, I didn't book one this year. Go have your son or your daughter arrange it."

The moment Theo heard that, his whole face went white.