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"I didn’t want to be late Besides, it was just a dash across the parking lot It’ll heal in a coupleto say that

She harrumphed "You need to take better care of yourself"

Talk about your pot calling the kettle black, I thought, but I forced myself to be diplomatic I didn’t want to ruin the new accord between us "I’ll try"

"Do that" She grinned at rin back

Then, with a flicker, my mom and her shrink, Dr Tho ood six six, built like a linebacker, and obviously Polynesian He was dressed in a dove gray suit with a white shirt and blue-and-silver-striped tie His s ar prison orange, on a long couch not much different from the one Gwen and I were seated on

My mother, Lana Graves, had once been a beautiful woman, and you can still see the echoes of that beauty in her bone structure But years of heavy drinking and drugging have put a lot of rough miles on her Even now, clean and sober, she looked hard, brittle, and angry at the world Her hair needed a good cut and a dye job, to make the two inches of dark roots ht orange ju li past thin and on to skeletal Honestly, she looked older thaneither lared at the screen and said, "What have you done with Ivy? Where’s my baby? For days now she hasn’t come when I called What have you done?" She spat the words at me

"Lana…" Dr Thoetting us off to a fine start "Hey, Mom Good to see you, too"

At h! Both of you" She looked directly into the screen, but I could tell it was"Lana, baby, Ivy’s in heaven She found her way ho herself to her feet She pointed at the screen, atbut trouble Well, you’re not taking her away fro ain!"

"Lana, stop," Gran ordered But Mo to Dr Thoet her to sit down and calfor her the way she had ere little, when she called us in fro outdoors--to no avail When she finally realized that Gran and I were telling the truth, that Ivy was never co hysterically Dr Thos so that he could deal with her privately

Half the screen went dark I stared at it for a longI knew I should care thatwas so cold it scared me But it was the truth "Well, hell That was useless" The words popped out of my mouth, unbidden

"Celia Kalino Graves!" Gran snapped

I sighed and decided an apology and a change of subject were probably in order "Sorry, Gran So, u your new place?" Yeah, I was re-covering old ground, but it was the best I could think of under the circuave me a level look, to letbefore letting et aith it "Yes, I am Quite a lot It’s so beautiful and peaceful The view is h"

She laughed in spite of herself "Yes, they are But there’s a trail It’s longer but less steep I tend to take that instead It’s easier ona little distant, her expression wistful "It’s hard to believe Ivy’s really gone"

"Yes, Gran" My vision blurred I hadn’t expected to cry I didn’t want to But the tears were very close to the surface It wouldn’t takeher here?"

I sed hard Talking about this, even to Gran, wasn’t easy, but she deserved to know I forced h "It was uilty because I didn’t protect her She died trying to save me, when I was the one as supposed to take care of her"

"Oh, honey, no No You can’t believe that! It wasn’t your fault at all!" Gran leaned forward, her expression earnest "You mustn’t blame yourself You were a child, a victi down her cheeks silvered by the light of the ca next to her and wiped her eyes and nose

I felt ht to ured that out and forgaveher here--your guilt?"

I nodded My vision was so blurry I couldn’t see the screen Gwen passed me a box of tissues I used a couple to wipe my eyes, then blew my nose noisily

"I’m so proud of you, Celia"

I looked at the screen, startled