Sometimes there’s nothing more cleansing than bawling your eyes out when the Titanic goes down or when Bette Midler sings “Wind Beneath my Wings” in Beaches. When I watch those movies, it makes me realize that my life’s not as bad as it seems. Laura washed her soup bowl and spoon, placing them in the drainer to dry. Though she had a dishwasher in the townhouse, she could count on one hand the number of times she’d used it. The only good thing to be said for eating alone was that it made for a quick, easy clean up. It had been a month since Mason’s trip to the emergency room. Since then, Katie had withdrawn from Laura once more. It was like the first few months after Laura left Mason all over again. Katie wouldn’t return her calls or texts. When Laura stopped by Katie’s school one day to surprise her with lunch, Katie had accepted the food Laura had packed with a quick thank you before dashing off for some important parent conference. Bryan, like Kristen, insisted that Katie just needed time, but Laura wasn’t sure that was true.
