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“Jo, honey, is that you?” Gran called from the back of the house. “I kind of expected you a bit earlier. It’s late to be cooking dinner.”
Jo managed to gather herself and answered, “No worries. I was at Marcie’s for a while longer than I expected so I brought you some take out.”
“Fried shrimp basket,” Susan said as she hobbled into the kitchen. “And before you throw a hissy at me, I am tired of those crutches and I can manage fine. In a day or two, I’ll be ready to get back to business.”
Jo smiled. She loved Susan’s tenacity and her positive attitude. She was one strong woman. “Here’s your shrimp basket, Gran. And Marcie says to say hey and she’s hoping to see you soon.”
“Marcie is a gem, for sure,” said Susan. She delved into the shrimp and fries with gusto and then looked up at Jo. “You look a bit peeked. Are you alright? I’m thinking you are really pushing it at the motel getting ready for your mom and dad tomorrow and you’ve got yourself all worked up. Am I right?”
“Probably,” Jo replied, thankful that Susan had given her a ready-made excuse. “But things really do look good. I think they’ll be pretty happy with how quickly we’ve put things back together. The sand piles look a little rough but they’ll smooth over with time. Just the roof now….” Her voice trailed off.
“A few folks have been checking in on me and I heard that a whole slew of contractors came onto the island today. I’m sure we’ll find someone. They are here looking for business and we can give them that. Just have to be sure they aren’t crooked.”
Jo pretended to be deeply involved in enjoying her burger. She hoped she could excuse herself and head for bed. She needed to think. Her head throbbed.
“You said you were at Marcie’s a little later than you expected,” asked Susan. “Everything OK there?”
“Sure,” replied Jo trying to think of how to make up the best little white lie. “Um, Dare was there and he and I got into a little spat. Took us a while to work through it but it’s all good now.”
“Glad to hear it,” said Susan. She appeared to be satisfied and let the subject drop. But then she was on to another sensitive topic.
“About your mom and dad coming,” she began. “You know, Jo, I have always struggled with why your mom and I don’t have the best relationship but I do understand it. I keep hoping over time it will get better but a lot of time has passed. I still keep hoping. You never lose hope with your child. But I also hope that the two of you can become closer.”
“Gran,” Jo interjected, “I’m so tired and really don’t think I want to go down that road again right now.”
“Just hear me out,” Susan said. “You had a wonderful education, even though boarding school wasn’t your thing and it did keep you apart from your folks. But your parents have both only wanted the best for you. I know neither one of them particularly cares for the island but they allowed you to come and stay with me for years. You saw it as them wanting to ‘get rid’ of you for a month each summer. But I think, in fact I know, they saw how you flourished here and how much you loved everything about this place. I suspect your mom sees a lot of me in you and sometimes that’s hard for a parent to accept. Genetics are a funny thing and sometimes traits and interests and talents skip right through one generation onto the next. Now, your dad wasn’t raised here, so I’m not surprised he isn’t a coastal person. Some people just don’t like the sea and the sand and all. Your mom was raised here but she has too many bad memories. You, however, were drawn here like a magnet. And you love studying jellyfish as much as I did. I love seeing you follow in my footsteps. You’ll do the research I never could complete and that’s a great thing. But it wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t spent so much time here.”
“But, Gran,” Jo pleaded. “Mom hurt me. Not with actions, she never beat me or anything, but her words hurt more than I could handle. I never told you that, but she did. Once. A long time ago. She tried to take it back but I can’t forget it.”
“And how long ago was this?” Susan asked.
“I was twelve or thirteen, I think. We were having an argument about something stupid. I probably told her I hated her or something but I didn’t really mean I hated her. I was just so mad.”
“Ha. There you go, Jo,” Susan said. “You told her you hated her but you didn’t mean it, and yet, you are certain that she meant whatever it was she said that hurt you. Does that really make sense to you? And you’re telling me you hardened your heart to her for all these years because of that?” Gran shook her head. “JoBell, I am more than a bit surprised. Life is too short. She is your mom. Her experience was not the same as yours. She was always absent one parent but you have two. And to be honest, I think your dad is really getting tired of trying to be the go-between with the two of you. Think about all of this tonight and see if you can’t try to at least start to mend fences when she gets here tomorrow. Someone has to make the first step. Will you try?”
Jo looked at her grandmother with her eyes full of tears, but not for the reasons Susan thought. “I will try, Gran,” she said. “But it still hurts.”
“Hurts only hurt as long as you let them,” replied Susan. “Now I will do a bit of clean up here in this kitchen, not that there’s much. Take a shower and get to bed.”
Jo was grateful for the reprieve. She stripped down and stepped into the hot shower and let the water run over her, mixing with her tears. It was all too much to take in at once. It shamed her to admit that she had let the wound of her mother’s comments fester over the years, and that maybe it was time to let it go and try to let it heal. She stayed in the shower for as long as she felt she reasonably could without wasting too much water and causing any suspicion with Gran. Then she headed for bed.
She started to think about herself, SeaAnna, Dare, Susan, and of course, Chris. But she didn’t get anything settled because within a few minutes she was sound asleep.
When the light started to come into her window at dawn the next morning, Jo felt anything but refreshed. She had had too many strange dreams with her mother, grandmother, possible grandfather, and Dare all jumbled together. She couldn’t remember details, just that the dreams were unsettling.
But she remembered the promise she made to herself at Marcie’s the night before, before Chris had entered the picture, and so she reached for her phone and texted Dare.
U up? Need to talk. And apologize. Sorry. Can we walk and talk?
She had to wait less than a minute before Dare responded.
That was rough. But OK. Accepted. I need to talk to you too. Meet at motel at 7?
Kshe typed.
She looked at the clock. 6:30. Just enough time. She threw on some shorts and a T-shirt and scribbled a note for Susan. She grabbed a yogurt from the fridge. Just as she was about to leave, her grandmother called out to her, “Jo, is that you leaving already? Everything OK?”
“Yes, Gran,” she said. “Just meeting Dare for an early morning walk. I’ll be back before I head to the office. Sleep in, OK?”
