Stephanie cried.
I want to be fair to her. I think they were real tears. At least at first.
“Oh, Mom. Oh my God. I can’t believe this. After everything with Dad. Oh, Mom.”
I let her cry. I sat at my kitchen table with the phone pressed to my ear and Walt’s reading glasses in my other hand.
Then she sniffed, and blew her nose, and asked, “How much is left? Like, after the house?”
“Nothing, sweetheart,” I said. “There’s nothing.”
The crying stopped. Like somebody had turned off a faucet.
“Nothing at all?”
“Nothing at all.”
There was a long pause.
“Have you looked into shelters?” she said. “Some of them are actually really nice now. The church ones especially. I saw a thing on the news.”
I didn’t say a word.
“Or there’s that program,” she went on. “For seniors. Where they match you with a roommate. I could send you the website…”
Then another pause. I heard a car door slam on her end.
“Mom, I’m so sorry. I have to go. I have to pick the kids up from tennis. Can I call you later?”
“Of course, honey.”
She didn’t call later.
I sat there holding the phone for a long while after she hung up. The dial tone turned into that awful beeping. I didn’t put it down.
The kitchen clock said 6:14.
I thought about Stephanie at six years old. She had the chicken pox, and she couldn’t sleep, and I sat up with her for three nights rubbing calamine lotion on her back and singing “You Are My Sunshine” until my voice gave out.
I thought about Michael at seventeen. He got into Northwestern. We couldn’t afford it. Walt drove an extra route every weekend for four years. Four years of Saturdays and Sundays on the road, so his son could go to that school.
Michael never knew that. Walt made me promise not to tell him.
I finally put the phone down.
Then I picked it back up, and I called Danny.
Lila Hart is a dedicated Digital Archivist and Research Specialist with a keen eye for preserving and curating meaningful content. At TheArchivists, she specializes in organizing and managing digital archives, ensuring that valuable stories and historical moments are accessible for generations to come.
Lila earned her degree in History and Archival Studies from the University of Edinburgh, where she cultivated her passion for documenting the past and preserving cultural heritage. Her expertise lies in combining traditional archival techniques with modern digital tools, allowing her to create comprehensive and engaging collections that resonate with audiences worldwide.
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