Loretta’s eyes filled.
“I kept choosing Anthony.”
Ruth said nothing.
“He was always in trouble.”
“You thought saving him was urgent.”
“And Amber was steady.”
Ruth nodded.
“So you spent the steady child.”
Loretta flinched.
Ruth regretted the phrasing.
But Loretta nodded.
“Yes.”
She wiped one eye.
“That’s exactly what I did.”
Ruth looked away.
Outside the windows, rain had begun tapping the sidewalk.
Loretta whispered, “I thought she’d be okay.”
“That is how reliable people get punished.”
Loretta gave a sad laugh.
“You always did know how to make something hurt.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No. Keep it.”
They sat until the coffee went cold.
Before leaving, Loretta looked toward the kitchen.
“Can I see it?”
“The kitchen?”
“Yes.”
Ruth stood.
They walked through the swinging doors.
Carmen was prepping vegetables.
Two line cooks were setting up for dinner.
The dish station hissed.
Loretta stopped.
For a moment, she was thirty-seven again in Ruth’s mind.
Hair tied back.
Shoes wet.
Talking too loudly over the dishwasher.
“This sink still leaks?”
“No.”
“Finally.”
