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“Mom wasn’t sick.Not a single doctor’s appointment for the last six months,” Charlie said, closing the calendar.

“We need to figure out her computer password,” Morgan said.She sat quietly a moment thinking, then typed something in.Nothing happened.She tried again two more times, but still no luck.

“Try our birthdays,” Charlie asked.

“I just did,” Morgan said.

“Try her birthday,” Abby said.

“Mom wouldn’t be dumb enough to use her own birthday,” Morgan said, then tried it anyway, but still nothing.

“Okay, so much for the second thing on your list, Morgan,” Charlie said.

“Why don’t we each take a room and tear it apart?”Abby asked.

“That makes sense,” Charlie said.

“Hey, you thought it was stupid when I said that before,” Morgan said, and Charlie shrugged.

“Which one of us is going to take Mom’s room?”Abby asked.

They were silent.Then Charlie said, “None of us want to, but as adults, we can figure this out.”

After three rounds of rock paper scissors, Morgan got the job.

“Why do I always lose?”Morgan said.“You guys must be cheating.”

“How can you cheat at rock paper scissors?”Abby said.

Morgan struggled to find an answer, then conceded and went towards Carla’s room.Charlie went into the family room and Abby tackled the junk drawer in the kitchen.

As Morgan passed the back door, she let Albert in.He followed as she moved down the hall at the pace of honey pouring into a cup of tea.She stood in front of the closed door to Carla’s room.

Morgan gasped and couldn’t breathe as she remembered being little, scared and unable to sleep until she was curled up on the bed next to her mom.I can’t hyperventilate,she thought, abruptly turning and heading to the garage.

A little while later, she came back in carrying a shoebox that she placed under the kitchen table.The doorbell rang, and a delivery man held out a plastic bag to Morgan, and she thanked him.

“Who was at the door?”Charlie asked as she and Abby came into the room.

“Our lunch.”Morgan took the food and put it on the kitchen table.

“We didn’t order anything,” Abby said.

“I know what you guys like,” Morgan said.

Abby grabbed flatware and napkins, and they sat down at the kitchen table.Morgan pulled out three salads.She handed the beet salad to Abby and the cobb salad to Charlie and kept the chopped salad for herself.

“I don’t like beets,” Abby said, pushing her salad away from her.

“Yes, you do.You don’t like avocados,” Morgan said, grabbing plates from the cabinet.

“No,Idon’t like avocados,” Charlie said.“They’re too squishy.I’m the one who loves beets.”Abby handed Charlie the beet salad and took the cobb for herself.

“Just say thank you,” Morgan said.

“Thank you,” Charlie and Abby said in unison.

They all dug into their food.