Page 11 of September

“Your brother is going through a rough time. His wife left him, and his children are adults now, so they’re not around much anyway.”

“Yes,he’sgoing through a rough time. I’m not. I’m happy, Mom. Spend your time helping your son, whocausedthat rough time he’s going through.”

“I can’t believe you’re happy doing what you’re doing.”

“Because I don’t want to have a job where I stare at a computer all day or have to go to meetings all the time? This is what I like, Mom.”

“Fine. Will you come to dinner anyway?”

“No, Mom. I have plans. I’m going to Elisa’s.”

“She divorced your brother, Gwen.”

“She’s one of my closest friends, and she’s the mother of your grandchildren.”

“I know that. But she gave up on her family.”

“No, she divorcedArchie. She’s very much involved with her family. She just texted that Adele came home this morning unexpectedly, so I’m going over there to see what’s up.”

“Is something wrong with Adele? She just got to school.”

“I don’t know, Mom. That’s why I’m going over there to check and spend time with her and Elisa.”

Blaze was still sniffing everything in sight, but they had just arrived at the apartment building where his family lived, so she used this as her opportunity.

“Mom, I have to go. I’m dropping off one of the dogs, and I have to get him settled inside.”

“Fine. I’ll give up on dinner tonight. But soon, Gwen.”

“Sure. Okay,” she said to get her mom off the phone.

She dropped Blaze off at home and made sure to give him a bone to chew on, hoping that would occupy him while his parents were out. Then, she headed to Elisa’s and found her niece sitting in the living room, typing on her computer.

“Hey. I heard you were home,” she said.

“Yes, she arrived unexpectedly,” Elisa added when she walked out of the kitchen.

“Mom’s just mad because she was making out with Myra in the living room when I got here.”

“Mom is wondering why you’re not on campus at that new college youjustgot to,” Elisa replied.

“I told you, I needed a quiet place to study.”

Gwen sat down next to Adele and asked, “They don’t have libraries at your fancy school?”

“They do, but they’retooquiet. You can’t even chew gum in there without the librarian looking at you weirdly. I tried to reserve a study room, but they were all taken. My roommate blares music in her headphones, and it’s so loud that I can hear it through my own. I don’t know how she doesn’t have damage to her ears yet.”

“So, you came home to study? Isn’t that a long drive?”

“Yes, it is,” Elisa replied instead, glaring at Gwen as if she expected Aunt Gwen to convince her favorite niece to go back to school. “And it’s a long driveback, too.”

“Mom, am I really in the way of you and Myra getting it on? She has a house right over there.” Adele pointed in the direction of Myra’s house. “I don’t have a key to it. You can go crazy, and I’ll be here trying to write my very first college paper in peace.”

“It’s not about–”

“Hey, Elisa? Why don’t you go wherever Myra is probably hiding, and Adele and I will hang out for a minute?” Gwen suggested.

“Adeleis trying to work,” Adele noted.