Cathy blew her nose into the napkin, then threw it in the trash. 'Tell me about last night,' she said, returning to the stove.
Sara shrugged. 'Jeffrey didn't have a choice.'
'I never doubted that. I want to know how you're holding up.'
Sara considered the question. The truth was, she was not holding up well at all.
Cathy seemed to sense this. She slipped a fresh piece of battered chicken into the hot oil and turned to face her daughter. 'I called you last night to check in with you.'
Sara stared at her mother, forcing herself not to look away. 'I was at Jeffrey's.'
'I figured that, but your father drove by his house just to make sure.'
'Daddy did?' Sara asked, surprised. 'Why?'
'We thought you would come here,' Cathy answered. 'When you weren't at home, that was the obvious place to check.'
Sara crossed her arms. 'Don't you think that's a little intrusive?'
'Not nearly as intrusive as childbirth,' Cathy snapped, pointing at Sara with her fork. 'Next time, call.'
After almost forty years, Cathy could still make Sara feel like a child. Sara looked out the window, feeling as if she had been caught doing something wrong.
'Sara?'
Sara mumbled a quiet, 'Yes, ma'am.'
'I worry about you.'
'I know, Mama.'
'Is everything okay?'
Sara felt her color rise again, but for a different reason. 'Where's Tessa?'
'She's not down yet.'
Tessa lived over the garage of their parents' home. Sara's house was just a mile down the road, but that was far enough to give her some sense of independence. Tessa did not seem to mind the closeness. She worked with Eddie, their father, in the family's plumbing business, so it was easier for her to walk down the stairs and report for work every morning. Besides, part of Tessa was still a teenage girl. It had not hit her yet that one day she would want a house of her own. Maybe it never would.
Cathy flipped the chicken, tapping her fork on the edge of the pan. She slipped it into the spoon rest, then turned to Sara, her arms crossed. 'What's going on?'
'Nothing,' Sara answered. 'I mean, other than last night with the girl. And the baby. I guess you heard about the baby.'
'It was all over the church before we even walked through the doors.'
'Well'-Sara shrugged-'it was very hard.'
'I can't even imagine how you do that job, baby.'
'Sometimes, I can't either.'
Cathy stood, waiting for the rest. 'And?' she prompted.
Sara rubbed the back of her neck. 'At Jeffrey's…' she began. 'It just didn't work out.'
'Didn't work out?' her mother asked.
'I mean, didn't work out as in…' Sara gestured with her hands, encouraging her mother to fill in the rest.
'Oh,' Cathy finally said. 'Physically?'
Sara blushed again, which was answer enough.
'Well, that's not a complete surprise, is it? After what happened?'
'He was so…' Sara looked for the right words. 'He was… abrupt. I mean, I tried…' Again, she left out the details.
'Is this the first time that's happened?'
Sara shrugged. It was the first time it had happened with her, but who knew about Jeffrey's other conquests. 'The part that was awful…' Sara began, then stopped. 'As long as I've known him, I have never seen him that mad. He was furious. I thought he was going to hit something.'
'I remember once when your father couldn't-'
'Mama,' Sara stopped her. It was hard enough talking to her mother about this without bringing Eddie into the picture. Not to mention that Jeffrey would kill Sara if he knew that she had told anyone his performance had been less than stellar. Jeffrey's sexual prowess was as important to him as his reputation as a good cop.
'You brought it up,' Cathy reminded her, turning back to the chicken. She snatched a paper towel off the roll and lined a plate to put the chicken on.
'Okay,' Sara answered. 'What should I do?'
'Do whatever he wants,' Cathy said. 'Or nothing at all.' She picked up another piece of chicken. 'Are you sure you even want to bother at this point?'
'Meaning what?'
'Meaning, do you want to be with him or not? Maybe that's what it boils down to. You've been dancing around this thing with Jeffrey since the divorce.' She tapped the fork on the pan. 'As your father would say, it's time for you either to shit or get off the pot.'
The front door opened, then banged shut, and Sara heard two thumping noises as Tessa kicked off her shoes.
Tessa yelled, 'Mama?'
'In the kitchen,' Cathy answered. She gave Sara a pointed look. 'You know what I mean?'
'Yes, ma'am.'
Tessa stomped her way down the hall, mumbling, 'Stupid dog,' as she obviously stepped over Billy. The kitchen door bumped open, and Tessa came into the kitchen with an irritated expression on her face. She was wearing an old pink bathrobe with a green T-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts underneath. Her face was pale, and she looked a bit sickly.
Cathy asked, 'Tessie?'
Tessa shook her head as she walked to the refrigerator and opened the freezer door, saying, 'I just need coffee.'
Cathy ignored this, and kissed her on the forehead to take her temperature. 'You feel warm.'
'It's a hundred freaking degrees outside,' Tessa whined, standing as close to the freezer as she could without actually getting in. 'Of course I'm warm.' As if to reinforce this, she flapped her robe open and closed several times to generate some cool air. 'Jesus, I'm moving somewhere where they get real seasons. I swear I am. I don't care how funny they talk or that they don't know how to make grits. There has got to be a better alternative.'
'Is that all that's wrong?' Sara asked, putting her hand on Tessa's forehead. As a doctor, Sara knew this was about as effective a gauge for a fever as Cathy's kiss, but Tessa was her baby sister. She had to do something.
Tessa pulled away. 'I'm premenstrual, I'm hot, and I need chocolate.' She stuck out her chin. 'Do you see this?' she asked, pointing to a large pimple.
'I don't see how we could miss it,' Cathy said, closing the refrigerator door.
Sara laughed, and Tessa popped her on the arm.
