After the cookies were eaten, Lorna leashed up Aggie and drove to Peggy’s house. In her living room, Lorna presented the chewed piece of a dog toy to her.
“I don’t know what this is,” Peggy said, examining it.
“It’s a piece of a dog toy that Mrs. Tracy threw across the lawn.”
“Oh.” Peggy’s eyes widened.
Lorna filled her in on what happened. “I left her with the truth,” she said quietly. “I don’t think it makes a difference, but I wanted her to know.”
“Oh, I’m sure she will appreciate knowing the truth one day,” Peggy said kindly. “That must have been a hard one for you.”
“The hardest yet,” Lorna agreed.
Peggy reached over and patted her knee. “Well, my dear, you’ve done it. You’ve completed the list your mother left with the trust. Which means the trust is yours now. I’ll go to the bank tomorrow and sign some papers, but after that, it’s all yours.” She walked to a buffet and picked up a blue file, which she then handed to Lorna. “She would be so proud of you, Lolo. So proud. All the information you need to access the trust is in here.”
Lorna did not feel victorious. She felt like she should have done this a long time ago.
“Now promise me you will come and visit and bring that precious boy and this sweet dog,” she said, bending down to pet Aggie behind the ears.
Lorna smiled. “I will. And for the record, I’m not done yet.”
“Sure you are. We can get the list out and look again if you’d like.”
“No, I mean, I finished Mom’s list. But I haven’t finished what I started here.”
Peggy looked confused. “What do you mean? What did you start?”
“I...” Something snapped into place in Lorna. Some deep understanding she hadn’t known she possessed or, moreover, could even access. “I want to finish the long process of forgiveness. It’s part of my grief work.”
Peggy smiled. “That sounds important.”
Peggy probably thought she was referring to Kristen. But Lorna was talking about forgiving herself. And the only way to do that, to finally accept her grief and move on, was to apologize to her mother and her sister.
Chapter 33Lorna Is Thirty-Eight
At the company’s annual sales conference, there is an awards luncheon at which Lorna is named the top salesperson at Driskill for the fourth year in a row. She accepts the award shaped like a crystal mountain with an engraved snow top. She stares at the thing in her hands, wonders why it is a mountain with a snow top, then smiles at the audience and thanks the people she is supposed to thank. There is applause, but she doesn’t really hear it. She was given three tickets for her table, but there is no one here for her other than Deb, who is smiling at her and applauding harder than anyone. She is here as a representative of the company.
Lorna had no one to bring. Her mother is too ill, and she didn’t bother to tell Kristen about it. She didn’t see the point.
Lorna takes her award to her mother’s house. She waves to Peggy as she climbs up the stairs to the apartment above the garage. She opens the door and walks in... to find a strange man sitting on the couch, his feet propped on the coffee table, watching TV. He is heavyset, dressed in a tank top that displays his tattoo-covered arms and neck. His hair is a long, greasy ponytail. “Who are you?” he asks.
“I’m Lorna Lott. My mother lives here. Who are you?”
He shifts his gaze to the TV. “Friend of Kristen.”
What a charming fellow. “And where is Kristen?”
“Ran out for something. She’ll be back.” His tone sounds bored, like Lorna should know this. Like she’s bothering him by asking. Like he is there not to provide information to anyone but to watch the TV Lorna bought and lounge on the couch she bought after Kristen nearly burned down the cheap one that was here before.
The rage begins to build.
She stalks back to her mother’s room and finds her in bed, a scarf around her head. She is propped against the pillows and watching a smaller, older TV. “How long has that guy been here?” Lorna demands.
“What guy?” her mother asks idly. She tries to sit up and grimaces. “Lolo, I can’t find my pain pills. They should be right here on my nightstand. Will you look in the bathroom?”
Lorna goes into the bathroom. The countertop is covered with hair products, tooth-cleaning products, and brushes and combs. The toilet has a ring in the bowl. It doesn’t look like it’s been cleaned in weeks.
She can’t find the medication. She goes into the kitchen and searches there, opening drawers and doors.
