Moose and Goose

Chapter Thirty-eight

"It started because of my dad's mom," she begins, her voice wavering at the thought of them. Jerome's sitting in the chair to her left with a stoic look. "She was – morbidly obese, and it killed her. I don't hate her for getting like that because, after years of talking to her, I understood why. She was suffering from melancholy. Her husband, my granddad, died trying to get to the hospital when I was born. I never got over it – her passing, then my brother died, and now my dad."

"Wait, what," he speaks, but she's unable to hear him.

"It's like the world is slowly ending, and I can't do anything but sit here and watch," she finishes, then takes a deep breath. She looks at him when he doesn't respond, and with her head tilted confusedly, she mutters, "What?"

"You said your dad died?" Her heart skips a beat, and they silently stare into each other's eyes as they wait for the other to speak. They look ahead when the door creaks open and watch Sheryl walk across the threshold. She has her purse over her shoulder and dark circles under her baggy eyes. "Um, I'll just – I'll see you on campus, Judy."

He stands up and walks past her mother, shutting the door behind him and leaving an awkward silence.

"Your doctor told me about the bottle. I won't get on you about using it, nor will I scold you for stealing it from me and lying about it; I'm drained." Sheryl takes a deep, shaky breath. "It's bad enough that Stevie is acting a plumb fool at home, fighting with Vera every chance he gets, and her crying at night for your father; we all cry but what I need is for you to pull it together. If you're thinking about trying to kill yourself again, then I'll have no choice but to send you back to Red Cave."

Red Cave is a mental institution in Sumter. One of the lowest of the lows with nurses that hate their jobs, doctors who'll gladly prescribe medication for patients merely suffering from homesickness, and therapists who hardly ever show up. She was there for months and vowed to never go back.

"I'm not thinking about that, Mom," she assures her with a forced smile. "Honestly, I'm just tired – and sad. I'll be okay."

"I hope so," Sheryl says with a sigh. Judith's grin doesn't falter as she watches her step away from the bed. "I'm gonna go powder my nose, then talk to your doctor about getting you out of here."

Judith nods with an affirming hum. She turns to face the exit, then walks out, shutting the door behind her. The corners of her strained lips drop, and tears accumulate on her lashes before slowly gliding down her cheeks.

***

Judith descends the stairs at three in the afternoon and finds Stevie sitting in front of the television. They're the only ones home since everyone else went to Piggly Wiggly. She walks toward him, and he glances at her then rolls his eyes onto the cartoon playing.

"Whatcha watchin'," she asks before following his gaze. A pale boy with short yellow hair and a turtleneck talks to another character off-screen.

"Jonny Quest," he answers with a dry tone. She sits beside him, and he groans. "What do you want, Judy?"

"I just want to spend time with you," she tells him. His cheeks puff and his nostrils flare as he breathes out his annoyance. "Mom told me you and Vera are fighting? Do you wanna talk about it?"

"I don't need a shrink." He glares at her, hoping to intimidate her into silence, but it's to no avail. As he returns his head forward, Judith pulls her lips into her mouth and licks them.

"She says you're mourning." He lifts the remote to his right and slowly clicks through the channels. "If you're suffering inside, talk to me; I tell you this so often."