Hearts Afar

...3...

Chapter 3

It's been three weeks since we got the news of dad. We went to Hartford, Connecticut for the funeral. it was daddy's hometown so that's where mom wanted his final resting place to be. Duncan flew up there with me and I was thankful because I needed his support.

In the time since we've gotten back home, things are just going. Sometimes we don't know if we're coming or going and mom has been like a blank page. She gets up and takes care of us girls if we need it and she goes to work but she just kind of numbly walks around.

After school one day, Duncan drove me home and after dropping me off, he had to go get ready for work. He got a job at the local grocery store last week and even though I was feeling kind of down and wanted to be comforted, I didn't want him to get into any trouble so instead, I went into the den and started my homework. Thirty minutes later mom had called and told me that she was going to be a little late tonight and that Cassie and Lacey was getting a ride from a friends mother and that she would pick up something to eat on the way home.

Around six thirty, mom's car pulled into the driveway. I was finished with my homework and went out to help her carry the food in. She had several bags that I could still see the steam rising from the containers. When we got in, mom grabbed the plates and I went after the silverware after setting the bags on the tops.

When we were all sitting around the table, mom started dishing the food out and passing it down the table. It was tilapia on a bed of rice with some summer vegetables on the side. I realized that she had gotten Olive Garden because this was my favorite menu item. I guess I just wasn't paying any attention to the bags because now that I looked, it was right there. She had put the breadsticks in a bread basket and put it on the table.

We just sat there in silence, each of us probably wondering what the other was thinking. I was thinking about the up coming tests we had next week and about my place on the dance team for the next year. I hadn't shown up to one practice since the news of dad and I was informed that I was on the verge of losing my position for next year as a result. Cassie and Lacey just kept looking around, not wanting to make any kind of contact with mom. It still made them uncomfortable to see mom break down. Mom just stared straight ahead and I picked up the vibe that she wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to word it. When she opened her mouth to speak, it all came out very clearly.

"We're moving," she said simply then continued to eat.

I kind of just looked at her without saying anything. I figured that she was just going to sell this house and we would get a smaller house. I was ok with that because we needed to start fresh. We continued through the rest of dinner like this and before we all went our separate ways, mom dropped another bombshell on us.

"I've already put in and been approved for a traansfer. We'll be moving to Hartfor as soon as possible."

"Mom!" the twins screamed in unison. "You can't do that to us."

"Yeah mom, why didn't you talk it over with us and see what we thought?" I asked disappointed in the rash decision.

"Well considering that I am your mother and all of you are still underage, I'm the boss. It's really not up to you all if we move or not. And besides, your father is buried in Hartford. I was thinking that if one of us wanted to go to his gr..gravesite, it wouldn't be possible to just drive a few miles to put flowers at his headstone if we continued living here," she said, her voice cracking. I looked over at the girls and they instantly looked to the floor. I walked over next to mom and wrapped her in my arms.

"Of course mom, we just weren't thinking about that. It makes since but seeing as it's so close to the end of the year, it doesn't make much since to just up and leave, transferring school's," I told her.