Must read
Genre: YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Family / Marriage & Divorce“I never know what to say to her.” Matty complains.
“You don’t need to say anything. Just your presence is enough.”
I put Sara’s old baby monitor in Mom’s room so I can hear Matty enter. I imagine Mom is watching TV with it turned off again.
“This is my favorite part.” Mom says.
Matty doesn’t say anything. She’s probably just staring at her. Matty often just stares at her.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Mom says.
After a moment, Matty says, “Did you know that Americans watch two hundred and fifty billion hours of television a year?”
I can hear Mom applauding and then saying softly, “I love you so much, Matty.”
Matty says nothing in response. I could almost hear her heart break into a million little pieces, then I heard footsteps, and then the door closing. Matty comes zooming down the stairs. She pauses and looks out the front window. “Grandma Gayle is here.”
Grandma Gayle is Dad’s mom and when she knocks on the door, it means one thing and one thing only: it’s payday.
I open the door. She stands there, studying me. I know I look like a mess with my wild, unbrushed hair and olive oil stained t-shirt. I’m the polar opposite of this woman who stands before me. Gayle is tall, super thin, and doesn’t look like anybody’s grandma.
| Language | Status |
|---|---|
|
Spanish
|
Already translated.
Translated by Enrique Laurentin
|
