Chapter 8: The Empty Chair
I pretended not to care about what Joe said, but I thought about those words all day.
I had no idea what family was supposed to feel like, but I imagined maybe it felt a little like sitting beside Mrs. Rhode while she insulted television contestants.
Then one morning, I found her.
I let myself inside using the spare key because she had not answered the door. The television flickered softly in the living room. Tea sat cold beside her chair.
And she was sitting there completely still.
I knew immediately. But I still called her name. I touched her hand and jerked back at the coldness.
Then I dropped beside her chair and cried harder than I had in years.
The funeral passed like a blur. I stood quietly in the back, feeling like I had no right grieving that deeply.
Then came the will reading. The humiliation. The belief that maybe she had lied about everything… Continue Reading ⬇️
