Mom was still sleeping on the bed, and Aunt Denise and Grandma were both buzzing around trying to keep themselves distracted while there was nothing else to do. They both gave me warm smiles when they saw me, and they asked how Haden was. I told them about the Rolling Stone article, and they thought it was the neatest thing they’d heard in a long time. I wished I could have shared their enthusiasm about it. I mean, the news was pretty cool—I just wished there weren’t so many strings attached to it. I sank into the couch next to Mom’s bed and laid there for the rest of the afternoon. I told them both that I didn’t mind watching over her for a while if they had other stuff they needed to get done. The truth was, though, that I just wanted some time alone to think. I wanted some peace and quiet so I might be able to figure out what I was going to do. As I lay there watching Mom, I wished more than anything that she were awake to talk to me.
