Free Of Love & Regret by S. H. Kolee Page B

meatloaf.”
    Cassie’s mother
beamed at my response and excused herself to the kitchen. Logan turned to me
the minute she disappeared.
    “This isn’t
right,” he said, looking grim. “We’re not helping Cassie’s mother; we’re just
making her sicker. Going along with her delusions is only making things worse.”
    “You’re probably
right, but it’s not up to us,” I said in a hushed tone, afraid that Mrs. Brooks
would overhear us. “Forcing her to face reality, especially today of all days,
is just going to make her hysterical. She’s Mr. Brooks’ responsibility, not
ours, and we can’t dictate how he handles her.”
    “Has he even
tried?” he asked skeptically. “Or has he always gone along with this act?”
    “Of course he’s
tried!” I snapped, my anger welling up quickly. Today was a difficult day, and
I had brought Logan along for support, not to make things harder. “We’ve all
tried! Do you think we want to
pretend that Cassie is going to walk through the front door at any minute? Can you
understand how painful it is knowing that it’s never going to happen? I may not
agree with Mr. Brooks’ methods, but my God, he’s the one who has to live with
her day in and day out. We have no right to come in here and upset the balance
and then leave Mr. Brooks to pick up the pieces! Out of all of us, he has it
the worst! He not only lost his daughter — his
only child — but in a sense, he’s
lost his wife, too.”
    My voice started
to break, and I pressed my lips together, willing myself to get my emotions
under control. Logan took my hand and squeezed it.
    “I didn’t mean to
make you upset. I know how hard this is for everyone. I just…” Logan sighed and
ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “I just feel so powerless. I hate
feeling like I’m making things worse instead of better.”
    “Just play along,”
I pleaded. I didn’t know why he was pressing the issue so much today. He had
gone along with Mrs. Brooks’ delusions last year without complaint, although I
knew it had made him uncomfortable. “Next year, we can try to do this
differently. Let’s just leave things as they are for today.”
    I was relieved
when Logan nodded reluctantly. I quickly pulled my hand from his when Mrs.
Brooks came back into the room with a huge platter of meatloaf. Mr. Brooks was
behind her, carrying bowls steaming with macaroni and cheese and mashed
potatoes.
    Cassie’s parents
sat at opposite ends of the table, and I took the seat closest to the window. I
surreptitiously shook my head when Logan moved to sit next to me. He frowned,
but obliged by sitting across from me. Five place settings had been laid out,
and the seat next to his was conspicuously empty, and would remain so for the
rest of the meal.
    “Did you reach
Cassie, dear?” Mrs. Brooks asked her husband.
    “Yes, she said to
go ahead without her. She hit some pretty bad traffic so she won’t be here for
a while.”
    “Such a shame,”
Mrs. Brooks said, shaking her head as she started passing around the food. “Her
best friend and boyfriend are here to celebrate her birthday, and she has to
get stuck in traffic.”
    I swallowed audibly,
but didn’t comment as I numbly placed a slice of meatloaf on my plate. The room
was silent as we all concentrated on the food.
    “Are you dating
anyone, Madison?” Mrs. Brooks asked, breaking the silence. I forced myself to
keep my face expressionless although my insides were twisting.
    “Yes, his name is
Adam.” I had told her last year, and the year before that, about Adam but I
didn’t expect her to retain that information. It was as if she pressed restart
every time I saw her to a period of time that made sense to her.
    “I’m so happy to
hear that!” she exclaimed. I busied myself scooping helpings of macaroni and
cheese and mashed potatoes on my plate so I wouldn’t have to make eye contact
with her. Unfortunately, she persisted with her questions.
    “Does he go to