“What do you mean he left?”
“Like, he walked out of our life. I haven’t seen him since I was fifteen.”
A deep rage forms in my gut at the thought of a man abandoning three daughters.
“Fortunately, my gram took us in. We went to live with her and had nearly two mostly blissful—if a bit quirky—years in her house.” Poppy smiles as if a memory is tickling at her toes, but then she turns serious again. “She died right before I graduated from high school.”
“I’m so sorry.”
I don’t know what I’m apologizing for. But there isn’t anything else to say. We need a new word in the English language that means:I don’t understand why bad things happen to good people, and none of it is fair, and I wish I could make it better, but since I can’t, know I’m here and Ifeeltorn up on your behalf.
Get on that, Webster’s Dictionary.
“Thanks.” Poppy takes a giant bite of pancake. Her eyes widen. “These are reawwly good.” She covers her mouth and chews.
“I’m glad.”
I add “feeding Poppy” to my mental list of favorite things, which is quickly filling with Poppy-related items.Swimming with Poppy.Singing with Poppy. Dancing with Poppy.
I could go on, but you get it.
“Anyway, after Gram died, all of my focus had to be on Noli and Rose. I was almost eighteen, but I couldn’t bear the thought of the two of them somehow ending up in the foster care system, so I sold Gram’s house, paid her debts with most of the profit, and used the rest to live off of for a little while. I took night classes at the local community college and took care of my sisters.”
I’ve been eating pancakes as she tells me all this, but I’m pretty sure my fork has been stuck halfway to my mouth through this last bit. I set it down on my plate, and it clatters obnoxiously.
“You’re incredible.”
“Not really. I did what I had to do.”
“No. I’m serious, Boo. You absolutely are. I just…that is a lot. A lot that you had to deal with. Alone. As a kid.”
“There were some lean days, but we made it through. My dad texts occasionally. I sort of wish he wouldn’t. It’s like a stab wound to my heart every time.” She squints at me. “Why am I telling you all this?”
“We were talking about our siblings.”
“Right.” She nods. “It’s hard for me to remember that my sisters are all grown up now when making sure they survived high school and we all had a roof over our heads was my singular focus for so long. Noli and Rose are quick to call me out when I’m being too much of a mom.” She rolls her eyes, but there’s affection there. “Even though I know she agrees with me, Rose thinks I’m mom-ing Noli by moving back to Pensacola.”
“Are you?”
She shrugs. “I want to be close by in case she needs anything.”
“So that’s a yes.”
She sticks out her tongue at me.
“No licking.”
Poppy laughs, but then her face falls. “Rose also thinks I’m phoning it in by leaving my job here. It’s the first job I’ve ever found in the field I’m passionate about. I’ve worked at gyms and gotten to coordinate some youth programs, but mostly it was a lot of checking patrons in and rolling towels.”
I consider this. “You could stay.”
She looks at me with wide eyes.
“For the job,” I add, and she blinks. “I’m sure they’d offer you a full-time position. Everyone thinks highly of you.”
She smiles at me, but then it dips. “Thanks, but Noli needs me, and it’s too weird with Holland.”
She stands, as if that’s all she’s going to say about that, and moves around the peninsula. “You cooked. I’ll do the dishes.” She tucks in at the sink, directly next to me, nudging me out of the way with her hip.
