Free Last Light by Terri Blackstock Page B

children.”
    Deni just looked at her.
    “My husband left me two weeks ago.”
    Deni’s heart sank. “Oh, Amber. I’m so sorry.”
    “And now I’m stuck here in the dark with three babies and I feel totally, absolutely helpless.”
    “He left you with three children under three?”
    “Oh yeah.” Her lips quivered as she tried to hold back her tears. “Said it was too stressful at home, that he needed a breather. Like I’m not under stress! They’re his kids, too, and you don’t just run off—”
    “What a jerk. No wonder you’re losing it.”
    Amber nodded, as if she appreciated the affirmation. “And when this outage happened yesterday, I was completely unprepared. I planned to go to the grocery store last night. I had a baby-sitter coming so I could do my shopping, but she never showed.” She stopped and covered her face, then slid her fingers down. “I need baby food, and I have to wash bottles and dishes . . . I don’t even have a flashlight or candles. I had to put the kids to bed in the dark. I had so much to do after they went to bed, but I couldn’t see to do it. I’ve never been so glad for morning in my life . . . but I still feel helpless.”
    Deni felt pretty helpless, too. “Well, I’m sure we can help. I’ll go get you some water, and we’ll find diapers, and we have extra candles. That’s a start.”
    The baby started crying, and Amber put the two-year-old down and went to pick up the other one. She turned back to Deni and took a deep breath, pulling herself together. “You’re a godsend,” she said. “I’m sorry you caught me on a crying jag. But if you could do those things for me, I would be so grateful.”
    “Consider them done. Come on, Beth.”
    Amber walked them to the door, and thanked them again on their way out.
    When the door closed behind them, Beth looked back. “That’s so sad. I want to cry, myself.”
    “Yeah, it is. But who knows? Maybe she brought it on herself. She’s the one who married a loser.”
    “He doesn’t look like a loser. He looks nice. Kind of like Craig.”
    “Trust me. He’s nothing like Craig.”
    “Well, I’m glad you offered to help her.”
    Deni winced. “Yeah, I guess we’re committed. We might as well get it over with.”

 
     
    twelve
     
    There was no relief from the May sun. It beat down on them from above, and heat radiated up from the sidewalk as Deni followed Beth to her teacher’s house. Deni had taken Amber one of the buckets of water from home, then offered to go with Beth to find diapers. At least that would keep her from being available for any more manual labor her mother might have for her. Sure, they needed to make more trips to the lake, but her brothers could do it.
    Beth chattered as they walked. “They seemed like such a cute couple. Amber’s husband was really good-looking. And it seemed like he was a good dad. Why would he do a thing like that?”
    “Don’t tell anybody,” Deni said. “Amber didn’t tell us so we could blab it all over the neighborhood. We just caught her at a weak time.”
    “That could be you, you know,” Beth said. “You could be just like her in three years, with a bunch of babies and a jerk of a husband who left you for his secretary.”
    “I told you, Craig isn’t like that.”
    “How do you know?”
    Deni grunted. “Because he’s better than that, okay? I wouldn’t marry some crud who treated me like that.”
    “Miss Amber probably didn’t, either. Or she didn’t know she did. So what do you think he’s doing now?”
    Deni raked her sweat-dampened hair back behind her ears. “What do I think who’s doing?”
    “Craig, your fiancé! Hello! Aren’t you listening to me?”
    Deni rolled her eyes. “Oh, Craig. I don’t know, Beth. What do you think he’s doing?”
    “Depends on whether his power is out or not. Do you think it is?”
    “I don’t know. If it isn’t, he’s probably on his way here to get me right now.” She sighed at the thought. What a