Page 68 of No Judgements

“I’m talking about all the people from this island who evacuated and left their pets behind and now can’t get back to them because the bridge is out. You need to help me reach them before all their pets die.”

“Sabrina.” My mother’s voice was tight. She sounded furious. “That is ridiculous.”

“What? Why is it ridiculous?”

“Because those people should never have left their pets behind in the first place. Why should you go to all the trouble of helping them?”

“Because if I don’t they’ll die, Mom. And anyway, things happen. Don’t they? Like people panic and evacuate and then the bridge blows out and they can’t get back to their homes. And parents use a donor egg to have a baby and then never tell the kid, but eventually the kid finds out anyway. Do you think maybe we shouldn’t judge people so harshly for their poor decisions?”

My mom made a croaking noise. “Sabrina—”

“Most of these people were just scared, Mom. Most of them were just doing the best they could. Many of them were only thinking of their children or their family or friends. Let’s try to help them without judging them. Okay?”

“But... I just don’t understand. It seems like so much work. Why doyouhave to be the one to do it?”

I sighed. Sometimes I felt like I was never going to understand my mother, and she was never going to understand me. But that didn’t mean I didn’t love her.

“Because,” I said, “I’m here. And I’m not doing anything else. And I’m your daughter, and you have millions of followers on your social media. They, in turn, will spread the word to other people on social media, until it finally gets to the actual evacuees from Little Bridge who we’re offering this service to. And then we’ll be able to save these animals, and also prevent a possible potential health hazard. Okay? Can you just have someone do this, please? It would mean a lot to me, and I actually think it might do wonders for your reputation. It could even win you some new fans.”

“Sabrina.” My mom’s voice sounded choked. “I—”

“Mom. Could you just do it? Will you do thisonething your daughter is asking you to do?”

There was silence again over the phone. And then finally my mother said, quietly, “Yes. Yes, Sabrina, of course. Tell me again what it is you want me to do.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

The Little Bridge Electric Company continues to make progress bringing power back to its customers. Some homes have experienced saltwater intrusion and won’t be able to accept power until repairs are made. Progress will be slower in the hardest-hit areas where transmission poles were lost.

Iexplained it again.

“And remember,” I added when I was done. “It’s important that they don’t feel judged for having left their pets behind. If they do, they won’t call in. We want to save as many animals as we can, so thewhyof how it happened isn’t important.”

“I got it,” my mother said. “No judgments.”

“No judgments.” I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “Will you do it today? Like right now, when you hang up?”

“I’ll call Shawna right now and have her do it.” Shawnawas my mother’s longtime—and long-suffering—assistant. “And, honey—”

“Yes, Mom?”

“I... I like you like this.”

“Like what?”

“So... passionate.”

“What?”

“It’s true. You haven’t seemed actually to care about anything since... well, in a long time.” She tactfully avoided mentioning Caleb’s—and Kyle’s—name. “Except running away. You cared about that.”

I smiled wryly. “Thanks, Mom.”

“But now for the first time in quite a while you seem to care about something else... helping others, which, if I remember correctly, was why you went to law school in the first place—”

“Mom,” I said in a warning voice. “Don’t get your hopes up. I’m not going back to law school.”

“I know, I know. I’m just saying, at least you’re doing something that you feel passionate about, and not just wasting your time waitressing—”