Through It All by A.K. Rose

Author:A.K. Rose [A.K. Rose]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B016C4G2WM
Published: 2015-10-07T04:00:00+00:00

FIVE

Laura Brighton sat alone in the dark, sobbing.

She’d been alone for holidays before, plenty of times. But, this was not a normal holiday. Once again, when she needed Mel most, she was alone.

The day started like any other, except this particular day was one that society said was “important.” A day to spend overeating and overdrinking, and for some, binge-watching football. A day for friends and family and awkward conversations with people you barely knew. At least, that’d always been her impression of Thanksgiving.

After a quick call to her mother to say hello, Laura spent most of the day working on her new book, a story of love—though not a love story—centered on the idea of redemption. The idea that everyone deserves a second chance. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone falters. But, there are some people that come into our lives that, even with their faults and fissures, even with their missteps along the way, we absolutely need because they make us better. Some of it was based on her relationship with her mother; some on Mel; some on her own mistakes and attempts at redemption; some on people she’d known through the years. She cranked out ten thousand words by five o’clock, not a lot by her standards, but plenty considering it was a holiday.

She hadn’t actually dressed for the day, so there she stood, barefoot in her sweats and T-shirt, surveying the contents of the fridge to see what she could put together for a dinner for one. The options weren’t great because she’d forgotten to go to the market, so she ended up with frozen fish sticks and toast. Not exactly a Thanksgiving feast, but it would do. When Laura got into her work, she often forgot to eat, and was sorely overdue for something—anything—right about then. Just as the timer on the oven buzzed to let her know the fish was ready, her phone rang.

It was her Aunt Margaret. They’d stayed in touch since she’d visited her mother in the hospital, so it wasn’t odd to hear from her these days. Laura figured she was just saying hello, being cordial with the niece she knew was alone on a holiday, and that’s exactly how the conversation started. Until. Until Margaret dropped the news like a ten pound hammer.

Laura’s mother had another heart attack. This time, she wasn’t so lucky. This time, she’d succumbed to the cardiac arrest. She’d taken a nap in the afternoon before Thanksgiving dinner at Margaret’s house, but didn’t wake up. She would never wake up.

It wasn’t uncommon to have a second heart attack within months of a first. It wasn’t outside the realm of probability, even, especially for heavy smokers and drinkers, both of which her mother was. But, it was still a shock.

Mary Brighton was dead.

And Mel was in London.

Laura was alone, the choke hold of grief suffocating her, the reality of the situation unfathomable. She’d always seen her mom as an obligation, but took for granted that she’d continue to have the obligation.

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