What Family Means. Geri Krotow

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      Fear twisted her tummy.

      “But where are you going?” He wasn’t leaving her alone here, was he?

      “Home.”

      Tears welled up in her eyes and she scrubbed at them with the back of her hand. Her hand had freckles, but Will’s was smooth and a rich dark brown that reminded her of the chocolate frosting on her favorite doughnut. The kind with the pink sprinkles.

      “But this is your home, Will. My mommy said to go home with you.”

      “This is my father’s office. Our house is round back.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

      Her bottom lip shook and she tried to be brave and keep her chin still.

      Will sighed. A big-boy sigh.

      “I’ll take you in.” His voice sounded mad, but he put his arm around her shoulders and guided her through the front door, which he opened with his other arm.

      Debra decided Will wasn’t so bad, after all. They stepped together into the front parlor. Debra saw lots of folks, mostly Colored like Will, sitting in chairs and on sofas around the room.

      “There you are, pumpkin! Come on back. Thanks, William.” Mommy was sitting behind a counter and still had her suit on.

      “You’re welcome, Mrs. Schaefer.”

      William left then, and the warmth of his arm around her was gone.

      “Hi, Mommy.” She stood at the back of the counter with her mom.

      Mommy leaned down and kissed her cheek.

      “Listen, sweetheart, Mommy has to work for a couple more hours. There’s a little chair and table for you, see?” She pointed at the corner, where it was set up, kind of like in Debra’s classroom.

      “Okay, Mommy.” Debra unzipped her jacket and hung it on the back of the chair like she saw grown-ups do. She could work just like Mommy but on her drawings. If she stayed quiet, she knew Mommy could work longer and earn more money for groceries. Last time they went to the grocery store, Mommy didn’t have enough money for cereal. “Bread goes further, Debra,” she’d said. “We can have toast in the morning and sandwiches for supper.”

      But Debra hadn’t been able to take her eyes off the bright cereal boxes, with pictures of the prizes inside. Maybe this time Mommy would have enough for the cereal with the rabbit on the box.

      CHAPTER TWO

      Present Day

       Buffalo, New York

      WILL PULLED the vibrating cell phone out of his pocket. He cast a quick glance at his watch. He had plenty of time before his flight left Buffalo International for L.A.

      “Hi, Angie. What’s going on with my favorite daughter?”

      “Hey, Daddy.” He visualized Angie rolling her eyes as she grinned wryly, the way she always did when he referred to her as his “favorite daughter.” She was his only daughter, and he never got tired of yanking her chain, even if she was thirty-five and he was fifty-nine.

      “Is this a bad time?”

      “No.” He shoved his papers into his briefcase. “I’m getting ready to leave on a trip. Your mom beat me out the door today—she’s got a lot to do.”

      “I know, and I’m thrilled for her.” A pause, not usual for his loquacious daughter. “I need to talk to you, Dad.”

      Uh-oh. It was a serious, adult-Angie topic.

      “Shoot.”

      “I’m going to talk to Mom later today.” He heard her voice tremble, and wondered what the deal was.

      “Okay.” He silently braced himself.

      “Jesse doesn’t know I want to stay here permanently. We’re…having some problems, Dad.”

      “What?” The cogs clicked. He’d thought it odd that they hadn’t purchased a home when Angie landed a job with the local weather station; he’d also wondered why they hadn’t mentioned the specific job Jesse, a gifted neurosurgeon, would take here in Buffalo.

      The biggest clue he’d overlooked was the fact that Angie had rented an apartment. She’d said that she and Jesse would “find a house later.”

      “No. Yes, well, partly.” Evasiveness wasn’t a typical trait of Angie’s and her behavior wasn’t doing much to ease his concern.

      “Just spit it out, Angie.”

      “I’m not sure we’re going to make it, Dad.”

      Will waited, holding his breath.

      “Jesse’s great. It’s nothing he’s done but sometimes it’s really hard, with the two careers and everything.”

      “You two have always worked it out before, Angie. I’m confident this won’t be any different.” Will knew his words sounded too businesslike but he also knew that if he pushed Angie too hard, she’d clam up and not ask for help when she really needed it. Besides, Angie was meeting with Debra later today. Angie would give Deb the details, and Deb would share them with Will.

      “Thanks, Dad. Did you and Mom ever have problems like this?”

      “Honey bunny, I don’t know what particular problems you’re having, but, yes, we’ve had our ups and downs. Every marriage does. We were blessed with a strong love early on. But when we decided to give it a run, well, we’ve told you kids what we went through.”

      “I know, Dad.” Of the three kids, Angie had taken the brunt of the racism and prejudice faced by their young family. But that was more than thirty years ago. Angie had grown into an intelligent, beautiful woman with a mind of her own.

      “If you want me, I’ll come over later this week, when I’m back from my trip, sweetheart.” He’d helped her unpack a few days earlier, and hung some pictures on the walls of her tiny apartment.

      “No, that’s okay, Dad. With the weather this time of year, there’s no telling when I’ll get home at night.”

      “It is Buffalo in February.” He was grateful for the heated interior of his SUV.

      “Talk to you later, Dad.” She paused. “Dad? Thanks for being here for me, not just today, but all the time.”

      “I’m honored to be here for you, Angie.”

      And he was. Nothing made Will prouder than his family.

      December 1958

       Buffalo, New York

      “ARE YOU SURE it’s okay for us to come in here?”

      Debra’s bottom was still sore from the spanking she got from Mommy last night. She and Will had been in the woods, out of sight СКАЧАТЬ