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I burst out laughing.
How could I not?
It was even funnier coming from Mackie’s mouth than it had been coming from Dad’s explanation
earlier.
“I love it,” I said.
There was a long silence and then Mackie hesitantly said, “Frankie?”
I sobered instantly.
“Yeah, baby?” I whispered, knowing where this was going.
“Are you happy today?” she asked.
Mackie, God bless her little sweet soul, didn’t like when I was sad. And I also didn’t like lying to her. She didn’t want me to lie, either.
So, I told her truth, no matter what, because Mackie was one of my closest confidants.
“I’m… okay,” I admitted.
Okay was exactly how I was.
I wasn’t happy.
I wasn’t anything.
I was numb.
“Is that better than sad?” she whispered.
I didn’t know.
Probably not.
At least if I was sad, I’d be feeling some emotion.
But I wasn’t sad anymore.
At least, I didn’t allow myself to feel that unless I was at home, and wasn’t leaving the house for three days.
Because if I allowed those emotions to surface, then I would start crying.
And I wouldn’t stop.
“Time to go, Mackie,” Cora said, breaking into our conversation. “We need to be at gymnastics.
Give the phone to Daddy.”
Only, before I could talk to my father, or Mackie could pass the phone over, Tornado Jackie woke
up.
“Sorry, Frankie,” Cora apologized. “I’ll get him to call you back, okay?”
With a promise of answering the call, I hung up, then got ready for work.
