Page 42 of Life’s Too Short

It was worse. It was Grandma.

“Adrian?” she said, in her small, frail voice. “What time are you taking me to lunch today?”

I drew my brows down. “Grandma, I’m not coming to see you today.”

“But it’s Tuesday! You always take me to Perkins on Tuesday.”

It wasn’t Tuesday. It was Sunday. And I never took her to lunch. Dinner was our tradition.

She was confused again.

I rubbed my forehead tiredly. “Grandma, you’re in Nebraska now, remember?”

She went quiet and I knew she was doing that thing she did when her mind got turned around, drawing down her thin eyebrows and searching the floor with her eyes.

It was more difficult to connect with her on the phone. She was less disoriented in person. I hadn’t really talked to her since the move. Every time I’d call, she’d lose her train of thought or forget who she was talking to and set the receiver down and wander off.

It made me that much angrier that Mom had moved her away from everything familiar, and my hatred for Richard went up a notch.

I heard someone in the background. “Who are you talking to?” Shuffling, and then Mom got on the phone. “Who is this?”

“Mom, it’s me,” I said wearily.

“Adrian? I didn’t hear the phone ring.”

“She called me.”

Now she went quiet on me too.

“She’s been asking about you,” she said after a moment.

I squeezed my temples.

“She doesn’t understand why you’re not here,” she said. “And I can’t explain it to her.”

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t have moved her out of state,” I said, my tone more clipped than I’d intended.

“I have a life, Adrian. Even if you don’t want to be a part of it.”

Any truce we’d committed to on the phone yesterday when I called to ask how to wash Grace was officially over.

“I’m handing the phone back to Audrey so you can say goodbye,” she said curtly, obviously done with me.

There was more shuffling and then Grandma was back on the call. “Adrian?”

“Grandma, I love you. I have to go, okay?” My voice was getting thick.

“Okay. You stay out of trouble. I’ll see you soon. Bye bye.”

I hung up and squeezed my eyes shut, blowing out a long breath.

I was clearly in the throes of a custody battle and the only way I was getting visitation was if I agreed to make peace with Richard and go down there—which I would never do.

I felt instantly exhausted and like I was being punished for having principles.

I went back to making my coffee. The phone rang again and I looked down at it, half expecting it to be Grandma. This time it was Vanessa. I smiled at the screen and swiped the Answer Call button. “Hey—”

“Adrian, I need help. It’s an emergency.”