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“Hi, I’ve been thinking about you.How’re you doing?”Carl asked.

“Not great.I’m home for a few days, but I need to head back to California and take care of some things.I hope taking a short leave of absence from work is okay.”

“Of course, the dead don’t wait, but I can.Take care of yourself, and don’t worry about us.If we get backed up, I still have the sign sending corpses to Samson’s Mortuary.”

Morgan thanked him and hung up.She thought about what she needed to pack for a more extended stay.The weather in Los Angeles was warmer than in Oregon, so she stuffed some of her lighter clothes from her closet and drawers into her biggest suitcase.Then, she googled AA meetings close to her mother’s house and printed the list.She needed to stay on track, especially during this time.Following her program had become the one constant she couldn’t do without.

Morgan did laundry, then packed again, grabbing a few more toiletries to add to her suitcase.She wasn’t leaving for four more days, but she liked to pack early, so she had more time not to forget something.She left room in the suitcase for the three books she kept on her nightstand.The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuckby Mark Manson, John Purkiss’sThe Power of Letting Go, and Nick Trenton’s23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind and Focus on the Present.Morgan wasn’t one to see a bright light at the end of the tunnel; she only saw a tiny flicker.All of these books helped her stay positive and continue moving forward.

The next few days went by quickly.When it was time for Morgan to head back to her mom’s, she went into the closet to get the cat carrier.Brigitta, who had been watching from the bathroom, scurried by Morgan, racing under the bed so fast that some of her fur flew into the air.Morgan stuck her tongue out and fished the hair out of her mouth.

“Brigitta…” she called out but knew it was useless.

Morgan got down on her stomach and looked under the bed.Next to a long plastic container holding mementos from her past and journals that she had written in over the years were two of the most beautiful copper eyes staring back at her.

“Come on, honey, we have to go.”Morgan pushed the crate toward the bed, hoping Brigitta would get in it.

“There’s a salmon treat in there,” Morgan said in a singsong voice.

Brigitta shook her head as if to say, ‘No flipping way.’Brigitta didn’t like to swear; she was a lady.

“We aren’t going to the vet.We’re going on an airplane, and then we’ll be staying at a much nicer place than this.”Brigitta yawned indifferently and still didn’t move.Morgan tried a different tack: “If I leave without you, you will starve and shrivel up and die under there, and then my whole room will stink.”

When Brigitta still didn’t come out, Morgan reached her hand under the bed and grabbed Brigitta, hoping she wouldn’t claw her.

“Ha, I got you now,” Morgan said.

She stroked Brigitta’s fur, which was the color of oatmeal, and Brigitta purred happily.Morgan put her in the carrier, then got Brigitta’s food and catnip and took them to her car.Lastly, she retrieved Albert and her suitcase and headed to the airport.

CHAPTER 10

Charlie

Charlie drove the twenty minutes home from Phoenix airport to her condo in Scottsdale.When she pulled up in front of the terracotta stucco building with the red tile roof, no matter how bad her day had been, she was grateful she could own a home in such a beautiful building.

As she exited the car, the sweltering sun radiating off the pavement made it appear that steam was rising from the surface.She let out a cough caused by the dust floating in the air.Charlie could barely walk without slouching as she dragged herself to her front door.The whole flight home she thought of nothing else but the tragic way her mother died.She told herself not to take her mother’s suicide personally, but she couldn’t make sense of why her mother wouldn’t want to be part of her life anymore.

Charlie walked inside leaving her suitcase at the front door.She grabbed an afghan off the arm of the couch and curled up under it.She picked up the remote, hoping an episode ofFamily Feudwould distract her.

Steve Harvey asked, “What’s something someone keeps in their car for emergencies?”One by one, the contestants came up with an answer.When the grandfather in the family answered, Charlie erupted off the couch.

“Did you seriously just say condoms?”she hollered at the TV so loudly she almost didn’t realize her phone was ringing.She fumbled in her purse to find it, tossing out receipts, her sunglasses, and her wallet.She cursed the purse for having so many pockets.It seemed to ring louder, as if the phone was aware she couldn’t find it.Then she turned her purse upside down and shook it and finally the phone fell out of a pocket on the side of the purse.A pocket she never knew was there.

“Hi, Rick,” she said a little curtly.

“Hey, are you home from LA yet?”he asked.

“I just got in.”

“Oh, good.Could you go to the market for me?I have my poker game tonight at Darryl’s place, and I won’t have time to get to the grocery store for days.”

“Sure… okay,” Charlie nodded.

“I desperately need milk.”

“Low fat or two percent?”

“Whichever.And I need a few more things.”