September 9, Wednesday
MARSHAL WELLS took his position near the door as I settled in for the video call, close enough to be present, far enough to make it clear he wasn't listening—or pretending not to. I was aware of him anyway. The man emitted… energy.
Lily filled the screen, already mid-complaint.
"The house smells, Mom. Like, actually smells. I think something died in Josh's bathroom, honestly the CDC would probably condemn it if they saw it."
"Okay," I said carefully. "Have you tried—"
"And nobody's picking up after Tucker in the yard, which I found out the hard way because I stepped in a pile of poo in my good leather sandals, and I had to throw them out." She held up her bare foot as though presenting evidence to a jury of her own. "I need new ones. Obviously."
"Lily, you could've cleaned them off. And you have a hundred pairs of shoes."
"You should've just left me a credit card before you left. For emergencies. That's what normal moms do."
"Your dad is there for emergencies, Lily."
She rolled her eyes with a thoroughness that involved her entire upper body. "Dad only sleeps here. He's basically a ghost that occasionally leaves pizza money on the counter."
"I'll talk to him."
"Sure you will." The smirk arrived fast, sharp, entirely her father's. "Like he actually listens to anything you say anymore."
I let that one pass, mostly because I didn't have a good answer for it, and turned my attention to Josh, who'd been silent in the corner of the frame.
One knee bounced and he held his hand to his mouth.
It took me a second to register what he was doing—biting at the edge of his thumbnail, methodical, unconscious, a habit I'd never once seen in fourteen years.
"Josh, honey, how are your classes going?"
"Fine." He didn't look up.
"And your grades so far?"
"I'm not failing." His hand never left his mouth.
I turned to Lily, hoping for something more substantial, and got the same vague shrug dressed in slightly more words. "School's school. I'm passing everything, calm down."
"How's soccer, Josh?"
"The team sucks," he said. "It's not fun anymore."
"Well, hang in there. The team will get better before the end of the season. Lily, how's cheer team?"
Lily looked sullen. "April and Liv are trying to box me out. Liv said I'm not reliable anymore."
"Why would she say that?"
"Because I'm stressed out all the time because everything at home has gone to shit!"
"Language," I warned.
"She cusses all the time," Josh said.
Lily elbowed him. "Shut the fuck up!"
"Lily!" I admonished. "You will not talk to your brother like that."
Lily screwed up her mouth, then angled her head. "Who's going to stop me?"
I bit down on my tongue. "Show some respect for your brother—and for yourself."
"Whatever," Lily said, leaning back. "Are we done?"
I wanted to press further, wanted to ask Josh directly about the nail biting, wanted to know who they were hanging out with, and if they were eating vegetables. But I nodded. "If you want to be done. I love you both."
"Bye," Lily said in a hostile voice.
Josh mumbled something that might've been goodbye, and then the screen went dark.
I sat there a moment in the quiet, Deputy Wells still positioned by the door, still not looking my way.
I'd hoped this time away from each other would be good for all of us. But so far it looked as if the temporary separation was only benefiting, well… me.
Oh, and the Fulton County judicial system.