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Dora delivered a hard look to Mr Harbison "Let me make s in Nor do I care what the value ofan effort to speak in an even voice "I’ to randmother write a letter to that effect Y’all know Marietta Muir well enough that she’llleaves the family’s hands" She sat back in her chair and folded her hands in her lap "That’s all I have to say"
Mr Harbison’s lips tightened in acknowledglance at Cal, who stared at Dora with barely concealed frustration
"Very well, Mrs Tupper," Mr Rosen said in a conciliatory tone He adjusted his spectacles and addressed Cal’s lawyer "I suggest that we discuss this ain We can consult our calendars and pick a date at a mutually convenient ti the uncomfortable ti details She felt battered by the ordeal, refusing to look up for fear that now she’d an rising to their feet, Dora joined the about powdering her nose, hurried froain
Su as Dora drove along the shaded streets of Suh the thick foliage, and summer flowers burst in brilliant colors wherever she looked Dora always felt at home in the historic district where beloved Southern traditions were reflected in streetscapes, parks, and gardens She never tired of glancing dreaes, the classic Greek Revivals, and sweeping Victorian hoenerations, but it was the timeless quality of these historic homes in this district that ultiht herself so clever to "steal" her large Victorian at an auction ten years earlier The historic location was very desirable and boasted one restored home after another A house down the block fro suhborhood and a flurry of renewed pride of ownership She and Cal had been so young when they’d moved into the house, so full of hope, so sure they were on the cusp of change and poised for prosperity
They had been so naive, Dora thought with a stab of sadness as she passed the town square fra, caave Summerville the moniker "flower town" She passed St Paul’s church, where she’d volunteered in the Women’s Mission; the quaint Tih fund-raisers and where she’d spent hours with Nate while she ho through the winding roads she kneell, she felt like a stranger
She’d spent years developing her network of friends in her church and coht she could count on when the chips were down Yet once she and Cal received Nate’s diagnosis of autism, it altered the nature of her friendships
One by one, her so-called friends grew unconored hi Nate over for play dates For her part, she’d stopped trying as well Eventually, she si, school activities, and entertaining Instead, Dora dove heart first into therapy and ho for her son Only the parent of a child with a disorder would understand that kind of co on the present None of that ed well enough on her own, didn’t she?
Dora glanced at the coral brooch on her lapel The sight of it co her that there were others who did care and who did matter--Mamaw, Lucille, Carson, and Harper She felt her shoulders soften as she let go of the hurt and rejection that she still harbored in a place deep within She had created a world of self-sufficiency Her mother, Cal, the woivers When the time came that she needed help, they’d disappeared But perhaps now, she thought with a gliive-and-take
She turned on a road that led away fro driveway to her house Froht as they drove past The white Victorian peeked out fro with its char red pyramid roof trimmed with elaborate bric-a-brac Unfortunately, it turned out to be more of an old Miss Havishae, the house revealed its turpitude and age Decades of peeling paint, the cruht of overgrown vines could not be clouded over with daydreams She pulled in front of the old house and turned off the engine She sat in the stifling heat and stared at the large white Victorian She didn’t feel a shred of the old exciteh her bloodstreaer sahat could be Everywhere she looked, Dora saw the rot that festered from foundation to roof and the realization that no amount of effort on her part could save it
The coe was too obvious and too painful to ponder
Heart weary, she reached for the bag of groceries, the chilled bottle of white wine, and the box of fried chicken she’d picked up on the way home from the lawyer’s office Dora felt exhausted and utterly depleted, barely able to make it up the brick stairs to the front door After a brief struggle with the lock, she pushed open the door and was met with a wall of musty heat Her heart sank and her shoulders slumped
"How roaned as she eoning to-do list
The house was as quiet as a tomb The crews had left for the day but the heavy odor of paint and varnish hung in the air Dust azed around the rooress of the workmen The antique pieces of furniture that she and Cal had inherited were clustered in the middle of the rooms Wallpaper had been scraped off and repair on drywall had begun Rotten sills had been reo but it was a start