I got legal guardianship the following spring. The paperwork was a mountain, but my neighbor drove me, sat with me, and told me I was doing the right thing. Some days I believed her.
He simply disappeared.
***
I was now 68, looking after three young children.
As time went on, things slowly got a little better.
I got up to warm Grace’s bottle, stepping around the puzzle Dolly had abandoned on the rug.
Behind the cookie jar sat a stack of envelopes I hadn’t opened yet.
- Electric.
- Water.
- The pediatrician.
I knew what they said without looking.
Things slowly got a little better.
« Grandma? » Dolly stood in the doorway, dripping, her braid heavy on her shoulder. I hadn’t even heard the screen door.
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