Page 1 of Sugar Walls (Sweet Treats 5)

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Natalie

“Sugar!” my dad calls. “I’m home!”

I come out of my room, pushing my hair out of my face.

“Hey Daddy,” I say. “You’re back early.”

Jack merely grins and shrugs while stowing his bag in the closet. It’s a tight fit because we live in a trailer on the edge of the city, but it’s fine. It’s sized just right for the two of us, and I don’t mind at all.

After all, when my mom passed, Jack was devastated. He and Violet had a real love story that would make you swoon. They met when they were fifteen and fell madly in love. They married right after high school and had me. Dad worked long days as a long-haul trucker, and my mom stayed home to take care of me. It was an idyllic life, and we continued happily together for many years.

But then Mom got sick. It was really sudden. One moment she was alive and well, busy with her Bridge Club and the Gardening Society. The next moment, she was in the hospital and the doctors were telling us she had only months to live. My dad and I were so shocked that we hardly knew what to do. Jack immediately stopped going out on the road, and I wanted to drop out of school to take care of my mom, but they weren’t having that. Instead, Violet assured me that she’d be happiest if I stayed in high school and graduated.

But Mom didn’t get a chance to see me graduate because the virus worked so fast. Within weeks, she’d passed away, and Jack and I were devastated. First, it was just shock. We were numb as we made funeral arrangements and laid Violet into the ground. But eventually, reality settled in and my father was lost in grief. After he’d get back from work, he’d shut himself in his room. Sometimes I’d hear sobs, but I wasn’t sure.

Also, for some reason, after a few weeks, Jack decided that he could no longer live in the home he’d bought with Violet. It’s strange, but he pitched a tent in our backyard and started sleeping out there during the nights. I begged him to move back in multiple times, but he just shook his head and looked at the ground. He said that he couldn’t stay in a house where his true love had passed away, and I understood. I continued to sleep in my room, but my heart broke whenever I looked out the window and saw the small tent lit from within with a kerosene lamp.

After a while, I didn’t really want to continue living in our house either. Why would I? There were traces of Violet all over the place, from the couches that she’d carefully picked out, to the closets still full of her clothes. Even my mom’s scent lingered in the rooms, although by the end she no longer wore perfume. Violet’s demise was sudden and swift, and towards the end, the air seemed to always smell of medicine. Merely seeing her things could bring me to tears, and more than once, I broke down and sobbed.

Jack realized this, and we decided to sell the house after a few months. A nice family bought it, and I’m glad that their young children will be able to grow up in our old home. I hope they’ll enjoy the small but cozy rooms and the apple tree my dad and I planted when I was five.

But for us, it’s been a relief. Jack and I are happy to leave the past behind, even if we still treasure the memory of Violet. He bought a trailer in the Sunset Park Residences, and we’ve been cozily ensconced in our double-wide ever since. There are still photos of Violet in our small living area, but it doesn’t feel as horrible anymore. My mom isn’t looking over my shoulder; she’s more of a treasured memory now.

Plus, my dad seems to have gotten a lot better since we moved. He started going out on the road again, and keeping busy helped him. My dad is a long-haul trucker, so he can be gone for weeks at a time. He hauls all sorts of things, from umbrellas to medication. It’s a difficult life because driving for sixteen hours a day puts a lot of stress on a man’s body, but it’s all my dad’s ever known. Plus, I’m proud of Jack because he makes good money, and provides for both of us.

Also, my dad finally got a girlfriend. It’s a bit of a shocking story because he actually shares his girlfriend with my uncle, Jock. Sienna is a young woman in our community with curly brown hair and a big smile. She’s nice, and has always been friendly with me, even before she started dating my uncle and my dad. Her dad, Tyler, is a long-haul trucker too, so we all know one another. But it was a stunner when Jock and Jack announced they were dating Sienna because not only is it a two-on-one, but Sienna’s also half their age. I was surprised, that’s for sure.

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