I believed love could shield me from anything. That my spouse Theo would always catch me. When hubby urged me to quit my financial job to be a stay-at-home parent, he promised no worries. I agreed because I loved him. Hazel and Ivy, our twin girls, were everything.<\/p>\n
Then he left.<\/p>\n
The call arrived on a dreary afternoon. Theo rushed home from business, excited to meet us. The icy roads caused his automobile to go off the freeway. The officer stated it was painless and fast. I only heard my heart racing.<\/p>\n
Days blurred. The funeral ended. To hear Theo, I clutched my daughters close and replayed his last voicemail. I thought losing him was the hardest pain.<\/p>\n
Was wrong.<\/p>\n
I stayed at the cemetery after the funeral to spend time with Theo before returning to reality. My mother-in-law Selene took the girls home. \u201cWe\u2019ll talk when you\u2019re back,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ll bathe and settle the twins.\u201d<\/p>\n
Selene was waiting in the living room with her back tight, hands clutched, and chilly, keen gaze when I got home. \u201cThis house is mine, Nova,\u201d she continued. \u201cI let you and Theo live here, but now I\u2019m taking it back.\u201d<\/p>\n
My breath caught, like I was shoved. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She sighed, thinking I was wasting her time. \u201cTheo never changed action. I offered when the twins were born, but he declined. Still mine. You can stay in the garage.\u201d<\/p>\n
I examined her face for a sign of unintentional kindness while grieving. But she stared hard. She wanted me to beg. I knew.<\/p>\n
Hazel and Ivy, sleeping on the couch, watched me. Lost their dad. Can\u2019t let them lose their home. So I nodded.<\/p>\n
The garage reeked of grease and rust. My small mat and blanket let the chill into my bones at night. I cuddled in the car\u2019s backseat for warmth when it became worse. It was fleeting, I assured myself. We had money from Theo, but legal things takes time. I had no employment, accounts, or anywhere to go until it was resolved. Shame prevented me from speaking up.<\/p>\n
I merely came home to cook, do laundry, and kiss the girls goodnight. I wandered my home like a stranger. Only Selene glanced at me. Why would she? She won.<\/p>\n
I sat with Hazel and Ivy in the living room one afternoon. Drawing on the coffee table with crayons scattered, their faces twisted. Drawing Daddy\u2019s eyes blue! Hazel pressed her paper tightly. \u201cLike ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n
Head tilted, Ivy. \u201cMine smiles. Her smile showed as she said, \u201cDaddy always smiled.\u201d<\/p>\n
Swallowed hard. \u201cHe did,\u201d I muttered.<\/p>\n
Unspoken words weighed the air. The only sounds were crayons scraping and small feet moving on the rug.<\/p>\n
Then Ivy spoke. \u201cMommy? You sleep in the garage\u2014why?<\/p>\n
My hands froze. When asked about the girls\u2019 dreams, Hazel looked up with big, trusting eyes like Theo.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d Hazel said. Grandma sleeps in your bed. Why not?\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest twisted with pain. Tucking Ivy\u2019s hair behind her ear, I smiled. \u201cSweethearts, adults make tough decisions. Though unpleasant, it serves a purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ivy frowned, contemplating. \u201cBut you\u2019re Daddy\u2019s wife.\u201d<\/p>\n
Words hit hard. \u201cI am,\u201d I muttered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy does Grandma get the big bed?\u201d Hazel asks.<\/p>\n
I opened my mouth but said nothing. Hallway creaked. I looked up to see Selene holding the doorframe, pallid. She was watching the girls, not me. First, she looked like she\u2019d made a big mistake. She didn\u2019t speak. She turned and left.<\/p>\n
A knock on the garage door occurred one night. I opened it to find Selene. Not the same woman who expelled me. Gray hair stood prominent in her immaculate hair. Her lips were dry and face pallid. Her hands shook.<\/p>\n
I frowned. Was she always thin? I cooked plenty for everyone daily. Had she fasted?<\/p>\n
Cracked voice. \u201cNova, please.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited silently.<\/p>\n
\u201cI made a terrible mistake,\u201d she whispered. I\u2019m sick.<\/p>\n
Her lips quiver, and I saw terror in her eyes like never before.<\/p>\n
I should have felt good seeing her so vulnerable. It was just fatigue. What you want? Flat-voiced, I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe doctors say it\u2019s bad,\u201d she continued. \u201cI keep thinking\u2026maybe this is my punishment.\u201d<\/p>\n
I crossed arms. \u201cFor what? Kicking your widowed daughter-in-law into a garage?<\/p>\n
She recoiled. For everything, Nova. My treatment of you. For alienating people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence fell between us. She removed papers from her coat. \u201cI transferred the house to you and the girls,\u201d she continued. \u201cYou own it now. It should have been.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d Asking, my stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have nobody else.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the documents, proof I\u2019d never beg again. When Selene\u2019s face was weighted with regret, I viewed her as a woman who had faced her own brutality, not my opponent.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome inside,\u201d I urged.<\/p>\n
It caught her breath. \u201cIt\u2019s cold out here,\u201d she entered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d I said. \u201cYou adjust.\u201d<\/p>\n
Selene, who had ignored me, cried for the first time.<\/p>\n
A guest room didn\u2019t feel like hers. She moved carefully, not to disturb anything. She sat stiffly on the bed, palms clasped, staring at my nightstand tea. She looked little in the lamp\u2019s warm glow.<\/p>\n
I spent my first night back at the house in Theo and my bedroom. It felt odd, but I was glad to leave the garage. Sitting across from Selene with my legs tucked, I held my mug. Heavy but not angry quiet.<\/p>\n
The woman spoke first. \u201cI have cancer,\u201d she whispered. Stage 3.<\/p>\n
Slow exhalation. Even though I suspected it was serious, the words hit hard. \u201cI don\u2019t know what\u2019s next,\u201d she stuttered as she touched her cup. \u201cI\u2019m scared, Nova.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d I nodded. \u201cYou\u2019re not alone. I am here. Girls are here for hugs and laughs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Voice breaking, she added, \u201cI don\u2019t deserve you.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably not,\u201d I answered, keeping her from spiraling. \u201cBut Hazel and Ivy love you. You\u2019re family, like it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
She shakily breathed as her throat bobbed. \u201cTheo would want us to keep each other safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I answered. \u201cHe would.\u201d<\/p>\n
Selene laughed softly, rubbing her cheeks. God, I\u2019ll eat so much soup, right?<\/p>\n
I snorted. Yes, yes. Soup, herbal tea\u2014all the healthful stuff you skipped.\u201d<\/p>\n
She frowned. Why not wine\u2019s medicine?<\/p>\n
She laughed too, surprising me. Not ideal or simple, but I knew we\u2019d be fine. We were family.<\/p>\n
I took Selene to all her health visits after that. I wanted to work again, but this was more essential. We relied on Theo\u2019s money till I could restart.<\/p>\n
Doctors\u2019 offices smelt sterile. Selene sat next me, knuckles white, hands tight. The kind-eyed Dr. Patel, in his fifties, flipped through her chart. \u201cThe biopsy confirms stage three,\u201d he remarked gently. We must start chemo and radiation shortly. Treatment is possible but difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
Selene nodded stiffly, bracing herself. I waited for her to speak but never did.<\/p>\n
\u201cWill she need surgery?\u201d I requested.<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually, yes,\u201d Dr. Patel responded. \u201cWe shrink the tumor first. The road is long.\u201d<\/p>\n
Selene responded, \u201cI know,\u201d her voice low.<\/p>\n
She seemed delicate, unlike the woman who sent me to the garage.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have family to support you?\u201d the doctor inquired.<\/p>\n
Selene paused. \u201cShe has us,\u201d I stated confidently. \u201cShe\u2019s not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
I took her hand. Her fingers twitched like she wasn\u2019t used to being held, but she didn\u2019t pull away.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes all the difference,\u201d Dr. Patel smiled.<\/p>\n
Selene was quiet the whole way home. Her breath shook as we entered the driveway. Thank you, Nova. Thanks for being good.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll get through this,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
She nodded like she believed me for the first time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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