Saturday morning Emma slept later than she expected. She just had time to finish washing the floor when the others were up. They were walking on the floor and it wasn’t dry. The baby spilled her milk. It was dripping onto the floor. She tried to catch it but she was too late.
Emma’s mind was racing. She had to remember to take the turkey out and finish the shopping. She needed onions. She wanted to wash and set her hair. She also wanted to finish the hat for Annie.
She was only partly aware of what Tom had said. Did she hear right? Tom had been speaking to her and said something about a thousand dollars more for university next year. She could not believe he would spend so much money. It meant another year of saving and being careful. For school! For him! Emma wanted to scream.
“Some jobs are going at the plant,
” Tom
said as he filled his coffee cup. Emma was
stunned. As he turned he said, “Thank God—not
mine. School has paid off.
”
Emma believed her world was falling apart. She felt like she was choking. Her throat had dried up. Then she heard the scream from Annie. As Emma turned she saw the orange juice. The whole large carton was spilling over the table and floor. She yelled and yelled at them. She said she was running away and never coming back. She ran out the door and drove away.