Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (80 page)

Again
she
shook
her
head
as
her
fingers
played
with
the
tassel
on
his
pillow.
“I
don’t
regret
telling
them
what
I
did.
I
do
regret
not
thinking
about
it
more
fully
before
I
jumped
in
like
I
did.”

“You
would
make
a
different
decision
today?”

It
took
some
time
for
her
to
answer,
but
at
last
she
said,
“No,
but
at
least
I
might
have
been
prepared
for
the
worst
rather
than
assuming
that
if
Allie
thought
I
could
do
it
then
I
must
be
able
to
manage
it.
She
didn’t
think
I
could
do
much
of
anything
practical.”

“I
doubt
that.”

“It’s
true.
I
can’t
tell
you
how
many
times
I
heard
her
tell
Doug,

Oh
well
,
Aggie
is
the
dreamer
in
the
family
,
you
know.’”

“And
how
does
that
translate
to
not
being
able
to
do
anything?”

She
shrugged.
“It’s
hard
to
explain
unless
you’ve
seen
it.”


Ok
,”
he
began,
trying
another
tactic,
“you’re
failing
at
everything.
What
everything?”

“Um,
I
think
the
word
is
pretty
self-explanatory.
Everything.
As
a
daughter,
I
barely
think
to
call
my
parents.
If
they
aren’t
online
late
at
night,
I
never
get
to
talk
to
them
anymore.
As
a
friend,
I
am
basically
a
user
now.
What
can
you
do
to
keep
my
head
above
water?
That’s
all
that
matters
now.
As
a
sister,
well
that’s
irrelevant
now—”
she
choked
back
a
sniffle.

“But
hardly
something
you
can
consider
a
failure.”

“Ok,
how
about
the
fact
that
I
haven’t
visited
the
graves
once?
What
about
the
fact
that
I
have
hardly
talked
to
the
kids
about
her
at
all
because
every
time
I
do
i
t
rips
me
apart?”

“Mibs…”

“No,
you
listen
to
me,”
she
said
, sitting
up
and
leaning
against
the
couch.
He
watched
her
cross
her
arms
and
felt
as
if
they
were
the
first
bricks
in
a
wall
she
was
determined
to
construct
between
them.
“I’m
trying
to
be
honest
here.
This
is
so
hard.
I’m
exhausted
.
I
can’t
seem
to
do
anything
right.
The
kids
are
behind
in
school,
they
are
bickering
almost
non-stop
at
times,
and
Laird…
I think
I’ve
totally
lost
him.”

“Remember
when
Uncle
Zeke
and
I
told
you
that
things
were
too
perfect—that
you
all
weren’t
grieving
right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well,
I
think
the
kids
got
on
with
the
process
pretty
well,
but
you
were
still
holding
up
the
fort.
Helping
them
grieve
was
just
one
more
to-do
thing
on
that
unending
list
of
yours.”

“See?
I
can’t
even
grieve
without
blowing
it!”
Her
eyes
widened
and
she
whispered
behind
a
strangled
giggle,
“Did
I
really
just
say
that?”

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