Page 83 of Leave It to Us
“She hated that last rehab facility,” Yvonne said. “I’ll have to look for another one that’ll accept her insurance.”
“We shouldn’t dismiss those programs that he mentioned either,” Tami said. “Mama has worked since she was sixteen years old, paid her taxes and all that. So she’s earned every service the state can offer her.”
“I agree,” Lana added. “She has earned it. Probably paid more than her share.”
Yvonne wholeheartedly agreed with her sisters. But she also knew their mother. “Which one of us is gonna tell her that she’s accepting all the assistance that she can get?” she asked.
Moments later, after the three sisters had silently stared at each other, Tami was the first to speak. “Well, I guess that’d be me, since she always expects me to say something she doesn’t like, anyway.”
For a millisecond, Yvonne considered telling Tami she’d do it so that Tami wouldn’t have to endure what would undoubtedly become an argument between her and Freda. But then she paused and recalled what Lana had said back on the island. Had she really never given her sisters a chance to step up and deal with Freda in the way they needed to? What would happen if she didn’t intervene this time? If she let Tami say her piece and then let Freda either decline or accept the help?
Before she could come up with an answer, Tami broke the line they’d been standing in and walked toward the double doors. Apparently, Tami was through waiting for the nurse to come and get them.
“She’s got a point,” Lana said with a grin and then followed Tami.
Yvonne shrugged and followed her sisters.
It was probably divine intervention that had kept them from getting booted out of the hospital when Tami walked right past the nurses’ station to the recovery-room door. But then, as they stood there, Lana reached out, grabbing Tami and Yvonne by the hand to stop them from going in.
“I want to say something before we go in there,” Lana said.
“Make it quick ’cause I have to pee, but I want to see Mama first,” Tami said.
“Yes, ma’am,” Lana replied, and then rolled her eyes. “You never could hold your bladder when you were anxious about something.”
Tami’s reply was to shrug, but Lana rubbed her thumb over both their hands.
“Listen, Yvonne, Tami and I talked after you left, and we realize we haven’t been doing our part. Regardless of what feelings we each have about our upbringing, we’re not going to turn our back on Mama or you.” She paused and looked over at Tami before returning her gaze to Yvonne.
“It was never our intention to turn our backs on either of you, but it was our way of coping with all the feelings we’d let bottle up over the years,” Lana continued.
“She’s right,” Tami added. “Sallie said something very interesting last night, and I kept going back to it as I read Grandma’s letters. Remember, she said that if they’d just had a conversation instead of writing letters back then, maybe that situation could’ve turned out differently? Well, maybe if we would’ve just sat down and had an honest conversation about everything we were feeling with Mama, our relationships could’ve been different.”
Yvonne wasn’t certain about that—not back then. Throughout the night, she’d been thinking so much about their time on the island these past weeks and how healing and fortifying it now seemed with them back in the city. She truly felt that timing had been everything for them in this scenario.
Another thing she could admit was that Freda was obstinate and didn’t always accept her responsibility in a situation. Yvonne knew, because she’d tried on multiple occasions when they were growing up, but Freda had insisted that one, both, or all of her daughters were at fault instead. Or, as her favorite response to Yvonne whenever she’d questioned something about her mother’s parenting was, “So I guess you think I’m a bad mother.” A statement to which no fifteen-year-old—at least not Yvonne at fifteen—was going to answer yes.
“Look, I know I was probably just as unbearable as Mama was at times,” she admitted with a heavy sigh. “And for that, I apologize. I felt like I never had a choice in how I acted or what I did, just like the two of you. The difference was, both of you found your own way and moved in that direction regardless of what Mama said. Me, on the other hand ...” She shrugged. “But I’m not gonna stand here and blame Mama for every one of my decisions. They were mine, and that’s that. I can choose to make better decisions now, ones that reflect howIfeel and whatIwant.” She’d thought about that throughout the night as well.
“You’re right about having the ability to make your own decisions,” Lana said. “But you know what else was right? ‘Mothers love their daughters, even if they show it poorly.’ Remember that from that old movie you used to watch all the time?”
Yvonne smiled. “I do. It’s fromHope Floats.”
Tami scrunched her face and tilted her head. “I think I’ve seen that. But it’s not a favorite.”
“Yeah, I know, you’re more a fan of musicals. You don’t have to remind us,” Yvonne said, and grinned.
Lana chuckled too, and then continued. “What we’re trying to say, Yvonne, is that we’re here. We’re always going to be here.”
Tami nodded. “Right. Because we’re sisters. I know sometimes people say that blood isn’t the only family, and they’re correct. But in this instance, we are blood—so to me, that only strengthens our bond. We’re devoted to each other, forever.”
Now Yvonne’s eyes were welling with tears. When she glanced at Lana, she saw the same. Tami, however, had her confident grin lighting her pretty brown eyes.
“I didn’t know how this summer was going to turn out,” Yvonne said to them. “I figured we’d probably do our best not to kill each other on that island. And I know we still haven’t finished the house or figured out what we’re going to do with it, but I can say this: I’m glad we went. Glad we had that time in the house together to get back to what we were before: sisters who can argue over any damn thing.”
They all broke out into laughter.
“But who come through in a clutch,” Lana added.
