“Whatever happens in there, you’re still Carol. The woman who traveled two thousand miles and drove almost one hundred miles through snow to get here. You’re a brave woman. I hardly know you, but I can see itinyou.”
“Thanks,Hank.”
She tucked her head under his chin and snuggled closer. The terrified girl inside her heart wasn’t ready for the possibility of being rejected by her mother. But she couldn’t cling to Hank forever. She needed to go out and face the woman who might be her mom and hope that the reunion wouldn’t be a totaldisaster.
A few minutes later, Carol opened the torn screen door and knocked on the frame. When she didn’t hear any movement inside, she pounded on the door. She’d seen smoke coming out of the chimney, so she knew someonewashome.
“Hold on,” someone screamed from inside. The door flew open to reveal a straggly gray-haired woman in a thick tattered robe. She pointed a shotgun at Carol. “What do youwant,girl?”
For a moment, Carol couldn’t speak. She’d never had a gun pointed at her before. Within seconds, a strange clawing sensation started in her chest. On instinct, she took a breath and waited until the pounding in her heartslowed.
“Well?” the womanasked.
“I… my name isCarol.”
“Yeah,sowhat?”
“I might be yourdaughter.”
“If you’re my daughter then I’m Queen Victoria in the flesh. What the hell are you talkin’about?”
The truck door opened and she turned to find Hank striding toward her. She held up a hand. He stopped but didn’t return to the car. He stood with his hands fisted at hissides.
“Are you Victoria Fuller?” Carolasked.
“Who’s askin’? You with the mortgage people? I told them I’ll have the money the day after tomorrow. I need my disability check to come infirst.”
“No. I’m fromNewYork.”
Vicki lowered the shotgun. “What’dyousay?”
“I’m from New York and I think I might be yourdaughter.”
“Jesus Christ in heaven. How old are you?” Vickiasked.
“Twenty-eight.”
“What year were ya born? My math ain’t so goodthesedays.”
“Nineteen eighty-seven.”
“Well hole-e-shit, girl. Youcouldbe her. Had a kid back in eighty-seven but left her inNewYork.”
“You’re my mother,” Carol whispered. She staggered back until she hit the railing, forgetting that it might not be strong enough toholdher.
“Could be. Money was tight back then. Stock market went to shit. I had just enough money to fly out to New York, give birth, and fly back. Then we had the damn fires in ’88. Everything went to shit that year. Damn near burned down all of Yellowstone.” She paused as if lost in memories. When she snapped out of it, she stepped back into the door. “Well, I hope life’s treatin’ you better than itdidme.”
When she tried to close the door, Carol rushed forward and jammed her foot against it to keep itopen. “Wait!”
“What?” Vicki asked in anexasperatedtone.
“You’remymom.”
“So what? Just cause I popped you out of my cootch doesn’t mean I’m your mom. What happened, you didn’t end up with some rich New York bitch who wanted toadoptyou?
“No, I was never adopted. I lived in the orphanage until I waseighteen.”
“Well too bad. I figured some Park Avenue princess would jump down off her pedestal to snap you up. You were a pretty little thing. I would have kept you but I could hardly feed myself, let alone another mouth,”Vickisaid.
