Unhealthy Coping Mechanism

Chapter 15

Harriet awoke to the sound of a doorbell ringing. Her back ached as she pried herself from the roughness of an unfamiliar couch. The chocolaty scent of a plateful of fresh brownies reminded her where she was. "Carol, how long have I been out?"

"You conked out when we put the banana bread in the oven, so a little over an hour and a half. Feel free to help yourself to a brownie if you want."

"Thanks." Harriet's stomach growled as she bit into the gooey, walnut-studded chocolate. What was the last thing she'd eaten, that pretzel at the mall?

"Would you mind getting the door?" Carol punched a ball of dough, leaving a fist-shaped indent before she reshaped it into a rough loaf. "They've been going at it for a while, and I'm fixing to introduce them to the business end of a wooden spoon if they don't knock it off."

Harriet sighed as she resisted the pull of the kitchen and dragged herself to the door.

Frank greeted her with a spine-cracking embrace. "There you are, babe!"

"Here I am." She winced at the tightness of his hug and gave him a pat on the back. "You're crushing me."

Frank loosened his grip. "Have you been here this whole time?"

"Where else would I be?"

"Heck if I know. You didn't answer any of my texts."

Harriet extracted her phone from her purse. A handful of texts from Patricia and Vicky, dozens of from Frank, and three increasingly concerned voicemails greeted her. "Sorry, had it on silent."

"This pot ain't gonna call the kettle black, but I will say Sam was gettin' real worried. If you hadn't grounded him, he'd have knocked the door down looking for you."

At least Sam had known not to try and appeal to his dad to get ungrounded. She was not in the mood to have another argument with Frank about following through on discipline.

After reminding Carol she'd be happy to come help her bake anytime, Harriet retreated home with Frank's hand wrapped around hers. "Can't have you running off on me now that I've found you," he said jokingly.

True to his father's word, Sam launched himself at his mom the moment she stepped through the door. "You're back!"

"Yup," she said, holding him close with fingers still sticky with dried-on pineapple juice. "Have you been behaving yourself?"

"Dad says so." He waved his favorite dinosaur toy in the air.

"If that doesn't make me feel ancient," Frank said with a chuckle, "I don't know what will."

"It's okay, Daddy," Sam said. "Grandpa dreams in black and white, too."

As Frank mimed growing wrinkles, Harriet let out a soft chuckle. Normally, she'd be laughing her head off or even joining in on the teasing, but her heart wasn't in it tonight. "Honey, did you happen to make dinner while I was out?"

"Indeed I did, babe." He led Harriet and her snarling stomach into the dining room. "Drumroll, please!"

Sam slapped his hands onto the table, and Harriet halfheartedly tapped her fingers against it. To heck with the theatrics. She was hungry!

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you..." Frank placed a loaded plate in front of Harriet. "Meatloaf!"

Gravy and ketchup pooled around a slab of ground beef like a puddle of blood, leaking into the dollop of mashed potatoes and soggy green beans. Harriet shoveled it down so quickly she barely tasted the thick globs of sauce on the lukewarm meat.