Chapter 41

Jenny always turned her phone off at work.  She'd seen at least a dozen people fired for texting on the job.  Mr. Jackson was a very tolerant boss, Jenny felt, but he wanted his people to work.  She took it out of her locker, flipping it open and closed, finally turning it on. 

She had 3 messages from Mr.Jones.  She called him back.  "Hey, sweetheart!" he caroled "I found something great for you.  It's a nice horse trailer with a water trough.  You can put hay on the floor when you need to..." Jenny howled with laughter.  "Actually, I found something a little better than that, but I need you to make a promise.  You have to take it.  I know you hate to accept anything, from anyone.  You don't even take a disability check.  But I want you to take this, OK?"  Jenny wondered just what he'd gotten her, and was silent a moment.  "Why are you doing this?" 

Jack Jones, JJ to his friends, ran his hand over his bald head.  "I'm doing this because you're like a daughter to me."  Jenny gulped as her eyes filled with tears.  Her own father had walked off years ago.  A tear rolled down her cheek as Lavon rose from his chair, alarmed.  She waved him down again, turning to face the wall. "I wouldn't leave my daughter out in the cold, so I want you to have this.   Just.  Please. Take. It!"  Jenny agreed, wondering what she'd gotten herself into. 

Charlie met Jenny at the bus stop and offered to drive her home.  She looked up at the sky, dark with rain, and agreed.  As they rounded the corner, Jenny clapped with glee as she saw the pickup truck with a travel trailer, in her driveway.  Mr Jones sat proudly in his wheelchair, the scars on his head catching the light as he waved. 

Charlie gulped.  Who was this guy?  And what the heck was that?  He braked quickly, out of the way, and leapt out to inspect the travel trailer. 

Jenny squealed with glee as she looked around it, then frowned at Mr Jones.  "Does it have a bed and a toilet?"  He grinned  "All that and a tub, even!"  Jenny gaped as he gave her a key.  "It's a little old but it ought to do the trick for you."  He frowned at Charlie "Until you figure something out." 

Jenny bounced inside, spotting a nice queen bed on the right.  The bathroom sat in front of her, a simple and modest arrangement of sink, shower, toilet.  To her her left lay a tiny kitchen, table, and sofa.  She began gushing as she stuck her head back out to yell at Mr. Jones. 

"Please" he finally told her "I've asked you a million times, call me JJ?  Please?  That's what I want for this" he said with finality "Call me JJ."  Jenny blinked back tears as a large, tattooed man began connecting the trailer to her utilities. 

Shortly afterward, the spare container arrived, thanks to Jeff, along with supply of boxes. 

Chapter 40

Steve nodded somberly as he heard the bad news.  "I don't know what to do with her" Charlie admitted.  It was killing him to ask this guy for help, but sadly, he knew Charlie's wife better than Charlie did.  "Have you got any ideas?" 

Steve shrugged  "You could put her up in one of those residential motels.  We have one down the street - she might agree to that one."  The one where it looked like people did drugs in the parking lot?  Charlie choked.  "She can't stay with me, clearly.  What about you?"  Charlie shook his head sadly, full of regret.   He cursed himself under his breath, said goodbye, and headed back to the wholesale warehouse, where they'd actually held his merchandise. 

Jenny cried for a bit, furious.  It wasn't all men who vexed her, she decided, just certain men named Williams!   They came into her life, wrecked it, and then wanted to save her!  Well, no thanks!  She could... she sighed. 

She couldn't fix this on her own.  She got herself a Diet Dr Pepper and prayed about it for half an hour.  Mr Jones kept coming to mind. 

As in "Right On!" used car dealer Mr Jones.  Maybe he could help her find something.  She called him, explaining her situation.  "All I need is a bed and a toilet.." she continued.  She could always join a gym.  She held the phone away from her ear as Mr Jones cackled in her ear "You gonna use the hose, girl?"  She smiled and started to explain the gym idea as he hushed her. 

"Don't worry.  I've got this.  You've done a lot for me over the years."  He teared up, thinking of the tiny Christmas tree she'd brought for his bedside the first year after his accident.  He brought it out every year.  The constant stream of delicious, manic-baked goods and frozen dinners, her tender care of his dying yard - transforming it into an oasis of easy-care.  Taking him, on paratransit, to the animal shelter, where he'd found Orange, his fat orange tabby.  He hung up, and called the lot. 

Jenny tried to sleep as best she could, tossing and turning.  She considered the by-the-week motel, then rejected it.  It looked like people did drugs in the parking lot, and the expense would burn through her savings quickly.  Mom would be happy to have her, but she hovered. 

God, she prayed, please fix this. 

Chapter 39

Charlie cursed inside as he patted Jenny's back.  He'd hoped her house wasn't that bad, a busy work weekend with some guys from the church and... 

"You need to be out of this house in a week" Jeff continued, somberly.  "I'll have a storage unit delivered for your stuff.  I'm sure Charlie can get some guys to help" Charlie nodded absently.  Looks like they'd have that work weekend.  Jeff looked from Jenny to Charlie, and back. 

"How are things with you two?  Can you stay with Paul for a bit?"  Jenny tensed immediately and sat up, shaking her head.  She wouldn't put herself in his power again!  Look what he'd done last time!  She looked around the tiny, cluttered, living room, assessing her treasures. 

Charlie cursed inwardly.  Plan B was shot.  He'd planned to sleep on his couch, but Jeff had just killed that one. 

Paul sighed and ran a hand through his neatly trimmed light brown hair, sticking out at all angles after his work outside.  Jenny offered him another drink, which he accepted.  He apologized again and left. 

Charlie stood up, looming over Jenny.  She immediately rose and stared him in the eye.  "Don't say it, Charlie!  You have no right to tell me how to live my life!" 

"But" Charlie felt himself whining "What will you..." 
"I will handle it." She snapped.  "Go!"  She pointed at the door. 
Jenny had boundaries, alright, Charlie thought.  It had been so easy, years ago, to turn a no into a yes with her, but clearly those days were past. 

Charlie left, crossing the street to talk to Steve. 

Chapter 38

Charlie, wearing his work uniform, was working his way through the wholesale club when his brother called.  "You really need to come by" Jeff had said, somberly.  "I did the inspection." 

Charlie left the flatbed full of merchandise in the middle of the warehouse and sprinted to his SUV, driving quickly to Jenny's house.  He jumped out and looked around, finding Jenny on a porch across the street. 

He tried not to frown as he noticed the man giving her a bottle of Diet Dr Pepper.  Jenny loved that soda.  He must know her awfully well. 

He felt the old jealousy rising up, and reminded himself if she had a connection, it was his fault.  He'd rejected her, neglected her, and ignored her.  If he wanted her, he'd have to win her back. 

He tried his best to smile as he wandered up to the chain link fence.  Caught aback, he admired the roses for a moment and smiled.  "These are lovely". 

Steve nodded quietly, watching him, as they sized each other up.   They introduced themselves.  Damn.  Why did Jenny have to fall for a doctor?  How could he measure up? 

Jenny swallowed, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and capped the soda.  "Jeff's waiting, Char, let's go."  She turned and bade Steve goodbye, her voice warm. 

Charlie floundered, offering his elbow like a wedding usher.  She smiled gently at him and took it.  "Thank you, sir."  She told him how she'd come home to find Jeff on her house, thinking he was a hallucination. 

"Happily Steve saw him too so I didn't have to call my doctor."  Charlie thought, sourly, that Dr Steve would have been happy to fix her up.  Bad thoughts.  Gotta work on the bad thoughts. 

He'd read that in Jenny's blog.  She'd been strangely quiet of late, ever since he told her he'd been reading.  He felt bad about that. 

The three of them sat down in Jenny's living room as Jeff asked Jenny various questions.  What was her water bill?  Did outlets ever go out for no reason?  Did she have leaks?  Jenny answered them as best she could, and sat back to wait for Jeff's reply. 

"Your house should be condemned" he began, as Jenny gasped.  She didn't process a lot of the following statements, but noted Charlie making notes on a sheet of paper.  Plumbing leaks.  Foundation issues.  Termites.  Electrical issues.  Fire hazard.  Roofing issues.  Thousands - not just thousands, but dozens of thousands of dollars in repairs. 

Jenny began to hyperventilate and put her head between her knees, as Charlie placed a comforting hand on her back. 

Chapter 37

Jenny stopped and did a double-take in front of her house.  Was there a man on the roof? 

She looked around for a car.  Surely, a man would come with a car.  No car.  The guy was working his way along the roofline now, and she could see a few spray-painted circles on her shingles.  Hey! 

Was he real, though?  She'd been under a lot of stress, and he couldn't have just flown there... she turned around, looking for help. 

"Steve!"  She ran across the street, as Steve stood to greet her. She loved how he did that.  She pointed over her shoulder, her mouth open to ask the question.  "Yes, there's a man on your roof."  She closed her mouth and sat down in a plastic chair next to Steve.  It was so nice to live with someone who understood her illness without judging, throwing out her medication, or trying to "fix" her like Mom did sometimes. 

Live with?  She shut that train of thought down for now, and turned back to the immediate problem as Steve continued talking.  "He was there when I got in this morning.  He's been under the house , around back, looked at your water meter for a while, and then went up on the roof."  He anticipated her question "He climbed on the fence."  Jenny winced, and stood up to confront him. 

Jeff climbed down off the roof, amazed Jenny had never complained of leaks, and walked across the street to her as she sat with her - friend?  Charlie had mentioned something about another man. 

"Jeff!" Jenny's voice was relieved as she met him at the street.  He was wearing cutoff chinos and a paint-stained, baggy t-shirt.  "What's up?"  Jeff explained he had finally had time to do an inspection on her home.  He was a certified home inspector.  However, he needed access to her home. 

He held up her key.  "Paul gave me your key, but I didn't want you to find me in your bedroom."  Jenny snerked with laughter.  He knew her well.  "Territorial as a pitbull" Charlie said.  "Permission?"  Jenny nodded and went back to Steve's porch, a move noticed by both men. 

"I dread your report" she replied.  "I think God's the only thing holding my house together."

Chapter 36

Jenny walked home from the bus stop, thinking.  She sidestepped a broken beer bottle thrown out by someone the night before, musing at least she didn't have to dodge the broken crack pipes and used condoms like she had at her last place. 

She sighed deeply, passing the gas station and coming up on the corner with her favorite oak tree.  The weather was oppressively hot, humid, and overcast.  She imagined she'd see rain soon, a welcome change. 

Her house might be a dump, but the roof was OK.  She hoped.  She ran her hand over her hair, and pulled on her ponytail, thinking about Steve. 

She knew Lavon was right.  She was too attached.  She remembered the first time she'd met Steve.  He'd been the quiet guy across the street, the one she'd wave at as she checked her mail.  She'd secretly coveted his lovely rose collection.  He had so many healthy bushes lined up along his fence line, blooming almost every month of the year. 

He'd gotten her new ATM card, and brought it over in person.  He was an average looking guy with a receding hairline, brown hair he kept in a short buzz cut.  His face was tanned from his time outside, with a few middle aged lines that didn't seem to matter.  He liked to wear cargo shorts, even in the winter. They'd gotten to talking and hit it off.  In so many ways, he was the man she'd always hoped Charlie would become; strong, mature, quiet.  Level; not prone to Charlie's jealousy.  Even better, he was a man of faith.  They talked often in one yard or the other, and had gradually moved into kitchens, talking with their shoes kicked off and the windows open. 

She'd moved in the winter, so Jenny, manic, her first summer in her new home, had decided to dig up some garden beds.  She'd come straight home after work, changed into her grubbies and workboots, and preceeded to dig up a 20 foot stretch of grass, edging it and mixing in some amendments she'd had delivered. 

She had woken up on her back, under a tree, looking up at the sky, Steve's brown eyes looking down into hers, a mixture of fury and concern.  "What have you had to drink?" he'd demanded. 

"Nothing," she'd mumbled.  "I don't -"
"WATER?  Have you had ANY WATER?  Electrolytes?"  Steve was fuming.  "If your temperature doesn't go down I'll have to call an ambulance." 

Oh, no.  Jenny'd tried to stand, and Steve had pushed her down.  She whimpered, "Please don't send me to the hospital."  She was terrified of hospitals.  Steve, taking her pulse, had moved to hold her hand and peered down at her. 

"Jenny," he murmured "I don't want you on my table." For autopsy.  She swallowed.  His eyes burned a hole in her soul and she knew he was telling her he loved her.  She nodded, and he'd started plying her with drinks, putting ice packs on her chest, and she'd recovered. 

She had never gone out into the yard, in the heat, without drinking a quart of hydration drink and setting alarms for more drinks.  She didn't want to scare Steve like that again.  Not to mention, she'd been queasy for days afterward. 

She'd finally thought Charlie might let her go - and he'd come back.  What did that mean for Jenny and Steve? 

Steve was thinking the same thing as he watched a strange man climb on Jenny's roof.  The guy, wearing cutoffs and a t-shirt, appeared to be doing some sort of inspection. 

Steve doubted Jenny knew anything about it; she was intensely private and would never consent to someone wandering around her property unsupervised.  He debated going over to talk to the man, but decided that wasn't his business now. 

He would have, a month ago, but now the husband was back in the picture.  When he'd passed the guy, slumped over Jenny's fence as he went to work, he'd wondered if he'd get the guy on his table.  However, "just" a migraine, he'd recovered, and was working his way back towards Jenny. 

It was clear Paul/Charlie wanted her back.  No man spent that kind of money on Bibles because they wanted a divorce.  Or, maybe they did... to salve their guilt. 

Steve sighed and got a cold bottle of iced tea from the fridge, sitting on the porch and cracking it open.  He'd at least watch the place and make sure Jenny wasn't robbed. 

Chapter 35

"This is business"  Jenny hissed at Charlie, while giving Lavon a sharp glance.  "Mr Jackson needs a vendor.  You're the only one I know.  You're here to make his life better." 

Charlie sighed and ran his hand through his hair.  It had been a long day with multiple problems.  Sales were down.  Jenny had put herself behind a wall sometime during the time she'd been sick, and he couldn't get her out.  "I'll take care of it, Baby."

Jenny tensed.  He had no right to use that name with her again, as if he'd never - she'd never - never had to leave her husband.  He made me leave, she reminded herself.  She sighed, fisted her hands, and glanced at the clock.  Thank God, she could go back to work.  Frozen pizzas never looked so good.  She left without saying goodbye. 

Charlie watched her leave, and turned to the vending machines.  First order of business, the coin jam.  He opened the lock, popping the crossbar out and rotating it until the machine swung open.  Charlie separated the inner door from the outer door, and hissed as he saw the coin jam.  What a mess.  He got to work. 

"Man" Charlie raised his head, almost hitting it on the lockbar, and peered around the door.  "It's not my business, but I'll tell you anyway."  Lavon took a deep breath.  "You've got a lot of work."  Charlie stared at him, baffled, and Lavon leaned forward.  "I'm a pastor.  She'll talk to me, sometimes.  I try to encourage her on God's path."  Lavon looked around the empty breakroom.  "You burned her bad.  When you didn't come after her, you left a hole.  Some men might be looking to fill it."  Charlie bristled and came out around the machine.  "NOT me.  But she might have a friend... hoping."  Lavon swallowed.  "You didn't hear it from me."   Lavon got out of his chair, punched the time clock, and left the room, and Charlie alone with his thoughts. 

Charlie prayed for a while as he cleared the coin jam and cleaned the mechanism.  A few minutes of routine maintenence would have saved the employees a lot of aggravation.  He put the money in a zip top plastic bag and gave it to Mr Jackson.  He came back and reviewed the soda selection. 

Too many diet selections for night-shift workers.  Not enough caffeine.  He added another type of Mountain Dew and removed the Diet Lemon Lime.  He moved the Cokes to a double column and test vended every selection.  He removed a panel and adjusted a slipping rotor, then closed everything up and cleaned the machine with a basic spray cleanser. 

He taped one of his cards onto the vending machine, with "For service or refunds, call..." highlighted.   Charlie then moved on to the snack machine and whistled sadly.  Fingerprints smudged the front of the machine.  Wide products were stocked into narrow coils, ensuring hang-ups and annoyed customers.  Three pastry items were out of code. 

He had a quick talk with Mr Jackson about demographics and reloaded the machine.  Hot peanuts, hot Cheetos, and pork rinds made it into the lineup.  Baked chips came out of their too-narrow coils and returned to store inventory.   Pretzels were gone, but he added a new flavored pretzel bite.  They'd done well at his other location.  Charlie scoffed at the stuffed row of graham crackers.  What was this, daycare?  He pulled his handcart closer and got to work. 

Charlie had left by the time Jenny came back for her last break, but the machines looked fantastic.  The employees stood around, exclaiming over the selections and buying snacks.  They couldn't stop talking about the new vendor.  Maria liked his butt. 

She hadn't thought of this.  Charlie had followed her to work.  He'd be spending every break and lunch with her for the future.  Worse, she'd invited him. 

At least Mr Jackon looked happy, munching on a Moon pie and Mountain Dew.   A red one, no less.  Who knew? 

Chapter 34

Jenny, better now, leaned back in her chair in the breakroom.  The familiar white walls surrounded her, commercial flooring, and a wall of red lockers adjoining the sink and microwave.  She frowned at the snack vending machine. 

"He didn't come in again?"  The store owned the machine, which was contracted to an outside vendor.  He hadn't been doing a good job of stocking, and a lot of items hung up.  Charlie'd explained to her that meant it was badly stocked.  Jenny stared at the half-empty vending machines, empty coils everywhere. 

"Yeah," Lavon replied, his bald black head shining under the fluorescent lights.  "And the soda machine's stealing coins."  Jenny muttered in disgust.  A coin jam, left untended, continued to rip of every new customer.  "Do you think your husband might want the contract?"  Jenny shrugged and tried to look uninterested. 

"I don't know" she sighed.  She didn't trust Charlie any more than she had a month ago, when she never expected to hear from him again.  He wanted to just walk into her life as if he'd never left it, but he had, and she'd moved on.  She wasn't the same woman. 

Lavon leaned back in his chair, his work polo straining over his broad shoulders, and steepled his hands under his chin.  His gold wedding band gleamed in the light as he caught her eyes. 

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Doctor Death, now, would it?"  Jenny flinched.  Her across the street neighbor, Dr Steven Black, worked for the medical examiner's office.  They were good friends - too good, according to Lavon, who'd believed she should cut off all contact, and that was before Charlie had made his big return. 

"Lavon" she started, as their boss came into the room.  He looked around at her, Lavon, Javier, and Maria, chattering on her cell phone.  Javier scrolled on his smart phone, snickering now and then.  When Mr Jackson got to the vending machines, he paused, and growled. 

"Don't get a soda" Jenny warned. "It's got a coin jam."  Mr Jackson, his pasty white skin gleaming, frowned and took a key out of his pocket, then looked around.  "Does anyone know how to fix this?"  His thinning brown hair featured an unfortunate comb-over.   His white oxford and chinos looked wilted. 

Mr Jackson, bad hair aside, was the best and most understanding boss Jenny had ever had.  He took out his phone, dialed, and hung up when he went to voicemail.  He frowned at the machine, fingering the key. 

"I know a guy" Jenny started as Lavon grinned.  "He can give you a fair deal and I know he'll keep them stocked." 

Chapter 33

Charlie checked his email and put the phone on "Vibrate" as he bounded up the stairs to Jenny's house.  He frowned at the sagging trim and peeling paint.  He had to get her out of this dump. 

He adjusted the collar of his navy polo shirt, checked his chinos, and finger-combed his thick blonde hair into place.  The door opened suddenly and he stood face-to-face with - his mother in law. 

Her lined face tightened up as she frowned at him.  "What are you doing here?" 

Charlie took a deep breath and reminded himself to mind his witness.   "I'm here to see my wife."  He felt like he had the time Karen had caught them in bed, their senior year of high school. 

Karen scoffed at him and turned on her heel, leaving the door open.  "I never understood what she saw in you." she muttered.  Charlie took another deep breath. 

Their raised voices woke Jenny, a few minutes later.  She staggered down the hall, eyes blurry, coughing into her hand.   She glared and them both and pointed at Princess, hiding under the table.  Jenny then headed for the fridge, poured herself some juice, and drank it, putting her empty glass in the sink. 

The house was so quiet it echoed as Jenny shut the refrigerator door and absently pressed on it to make sure it was closed.  "I will" she began, "Throw you both out.  I am going to bed, to sleep.  If you can't be quiet, get out.  I'm sick and the last thing I need is you two bickering."  Jenny stomped off to bed as Karen and Charlie gaped at each other. 

"She's got boundaries."  Charlie murmured in approval. 

"Karen, please let me talk.  I think you need to hear my testimony." 

He shared how he'd been overwhelmed as a young husband, seeking God, and fallen into the cult.  They'd loved him so much, showering him with approval.  Slowly, though, the approval came with conditions.  Karen nodded somberly. 

"Jerks remind me of a few men I knew." she muttered.  Charlie nodded and continued. 

He told her of the slow slide into legalism, the increasing demands for larger "tithes", and a more restrictive dress code for Jenny.  "You know Jenny is..." Karen nodded.  If anything, her daughter was too conservative.  Jenny was very modest and self-concious of her scars. 

"Looking back, it was crazy, but I couldn't see it.  Jenny just wanted to make me happy and did whatever she could to make that happen.  She practically wore a burqua.  She covered her hair."  Their eyes met, Jenny always had such pretty hair, and she loved to wear her ponytail.  Charlie began to choke up.  "I was squeezing all the love out of her, but she still stayed." 

Charlie paused.  "What do you know about why she left?"  Karen thought for a moment.  "The obvious, I guess, you threw out her medication... let me tell you, when I found out I wanted to...."  Charlie held up his hand.  "My Dad beat me for it.  As he should."  Karen relaxed and took a sip of her tea. 

Charlie had brought his own drink, a bottle of Dr Pepper.  He unscrewed the cap and took a long drink before he resumed speaking.  "He tried to molest her."  Karen jerked. 

"The leader tried to molest her and she said no.  She tried to tell me but I wouldn't hear it.  The next day, he called me in for a private conference - when I got home I threw out the medication.  I have to think he figured if she were 'mental' no one would credit her story.  He was abusing several women in the cult." 

Karen's body felt like one giant knot as she processed the story.  She'd tried to protect her daughter; who'd been abused.  Jenny had eloped with Paul, who seemed like a decent man, and she'd been abused again.  Karen rolled her head from one side to the other as tears streamed down her face. 

"Why do we fail her, Paul?   She's made of love, and we..." Charlie held her as she cried, awkwardly patting her back.  He did the only thing he could think to do and offered her his other soda, which she drank greedily. 

"It has a better ending" Charlie resumed.  "After Jenny left, I went to the police.  You know I majored in accounting."  Karen nodded.  Jenny had been so proud when he'd gotten his degree.  Charlie smiled, a slow, evil grin.  Karen leaned forward.  "What?"

"The ah, brother had put me in charge of the books.  He had a lot of hidden assets.  After I'd read Jenny's letter I was able to determine his other victims.  I went to the Police."  Karen gasped.  "I was a confidential informant for several months, until they went to jail."  He smiled sadly.  "I wanted to go after Jenny, more than anything, but I had to cut the head off the snake."  He sighed.  "By then I was a mess, I didn't think I deserved her.  I still wanted God in my life but I was paranoid about another cult.  I didn't want to get back to Jenny until I was right."

Karen leaned back slowly, fingering the lace edge of her blouse as she appraised her son-in-law.  "Are you?"  Charlie sighed. 

"I don't deserve her, but I love her more than anything.  I want her in my life.  I finally found a real church and I want her to meet them.  How is she with God?"  He'd read some of her blog, enough to know Karen was saved, but Jenny was pretty close-mouthed about her own faith. 

"She reads the Bible every day.  She prays for everyone, even you and the people who hurt her."  Karen winced.  "Sorry."  Charlie waved it off. 

"I mentioned going to my church, it's a Calvary Chapel."  Charlie bolted up and grinned at her.  "You too, huh?  You must go to the Northside."  He nodded. 

"Charlie" Karen sighed.  "I think she'd rather die before going back to church.  You've burned her." 

Chapter 31

Karen held out the freshly made juice drink to Jenny, who dutifully gulped it down.  Jenny grinned.  "I can't taste it."  and began coughing again, drinking some hot tea on her nightstand. 

She may have made her mistakes, but Karen was determined to do right by her daughter as much as possible, for the rest of their lives.  When she'd gotten the text cancelling their weekly lunch, she'd leapt into action, packing her juicer, visiting the health food store, and making a final stop at the farmer's market on her way over. 

Jenny'd protested weakly, but let her in and gone back to bed.  Karen had quickly whipped up an immune stimulating tea (she was a certified herbalist, aromatherapist, and massage therapist) and detoxifying juice drink. 

Rather than nag Jenny about her medication, Karen had taken a quick peek at the pill organizer.  Good girl.  She passed the overflowing sink and placed a moistened hand towel in the microwave.  Poor Jen had the worst sinus congestion.  She dabbed the appropriate oils, refolded it, and placed it on Jenny's forehead. 

Jenny murmured her thanks and thought, ironically, how she'd wished for a mom like this in years past.  Who knew her own mother would turn out to be the one she'd wanted?   She drifted off to sleep, the soothing aromas of the oils unclenching the tightness in her head. 

Karen got to work.  She did a load of laundry, cleaned the litterboxes and bathroom as best she could, did the dishes, and cleaned the obvious out of the fridge.  She replaced the expired, discarded food with fresh organic options she knew Jenny liked. 

When she finished, Karen sat down on the couch, catching her reflection in the front hall mirror.  "One day I left the house with my shirt inside out" Jenny had confided.  "I need to to a last check".  Her somber brown eyes gazed back.  Her face showed her age, due to the years of heavy smoking.  Karen found it ironic she'd never really had any health problems, besides the drinking and bipolar disorder.  Her plump figure reflected a love of her own baked goods, but her husband was fine with that.   She was a lot shorter than Jenny, whose 5'8 must have been a gift from her father. 

The cat door clicked and Princess wandered in, headed over to Karen.  Karen held her breath.  She'd always worried her daughter's cat would hate her.  Princess adored Jenny, and had avoided Karen for as long as she could remember. 

Could she ever atone for her sins?  She knew Jesus' sacrifice had covered them, but she had such a terrible time forgiving herself.   Karen offered a shaking hand (a side effect of the lithium) to the cat, who butted up against it and demanded petting.  She stroked the cat gently.