No response.
Ivy swallowed hard and dug her phone from her purse. Better call Cheryl and let her know she wasn’t going to make it in time for car duty.
Ivy stared at the phone screen. No service? She took a shaky breath. Seth wouldn’t disconnect her phone. She paid for her half of the bill, not him.
She jogged back inside and dialed Cheryl on her landline.
“Hey, girl.”
“Cheryl?” She swallowed. “I’m having car trouble this morning. Stupid me, I think I left a light on or something and killed the battery. I’m going to be late.”
“I’ll give you a ride. I’m just down the street from you. I’ll be outside in two minutes.”
When she arrived, Ivy plopped down in her car. “You’re a lifesaver.”
But Cheryl didn’t respond. Or put the car in drive.
Ivy looked at her friend.
“What happened to you?”
Ivy’s hand went to her cheek. “N-nothing. I fell.”
Cheryl glanced from Ivy’s cheek to her bare left hand and back. “Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not lying. I fell. Promise. Let’s go before I make us late.”
Once they parked at the school, Cheryl held out her hand. “Andrew isn’t working at the shop today. I told him about your car trouble on my way to pick you up. He offered to stop by your place and check the battery. He just needs to be able to get into it.”
Ivy handed Cheryl her keys. “What did you bribe your husband with to get him to spend his day off working on another car?”
She shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. He’s happy to help.”
“Thanks. Seriously. I owe you both big-time.”
Cheryl winked. “I think our long overdue girls’ night might make up for it.”
Throughout the day, Ivy did everything in her power to give her kids the attention they deserved. But thoughts and fears intruded without permission, stealing her breath and quickening her pulse.
He’d disabled her phone. What was next? Would all her possessions be on the curb when she returned home at the end of the day? Seth had paid the rent. Not her.
Ivy spent her lunch break staring at files on her desk. Reading and rereading without comprehending a word.
Cheryl slipped into Ivy’s office. She closed the door behind her and then glanced out the glass frame. “I tried to text you.”
Heat crept up Ivy’s neck and flooded her face. “My phone isn’t working.”
Cheryl flattened her lips in a line and then spoke in a hissed whisper. “Andrew looked at your car. The battery wasn’t dead. Somebody pulled the fuse to your starter.”
Ivy wrapped her arms around her tightening stomach. Air squeezed in and out of her lungs. “I . . . I’ll talk to security. See if they can go back on the cameras and find out who did this.”
Cheryl crossed the room and sank to her knees next to Ivy’s chair. “You and I both know who tampered with your car.” She brushed a strand of hair off Ivy’s bruised cheek. “The same person who did this.”
Ivy shook her head, choking on her own breath. “He didn’t hit me. I fell.”
Cheryl placed her hand on Ivy’s knee. “Fine. But let me ask you this, did this happen in his presence?”
Ivy looked away but nodded.
“At any time did he use his size and strength to his advantage against you? Did he stop you from leaving? Did he touch you without your consent?”
Ivy stared at her lap.
“That’s all I needed to know. Andrew and I will go over and pack up as many of your things as we can before the end of the school day. You can stay with us until this gets sorted out. Please.”
“Thanks again for opening your home to me.”
Cheryl passed Ivy a cup of coffee over the kitchen island with a smile. “You know you don’t have to say that every morning, right?”
Maybe not, but after two weeks of living with them, it was all she had to offer beyond carefully cleaning up behind herself and making sure all her belongings remained tucked away in their guest room. Ensuring her presence didn’t spill over into their lives any more than necessary.
“I’ve been looking at apartments. There’s a vacancy at my old place. I liked it there. I never should’ve let Seth talk me into moving.”
“Are you going to take it?”
“Maybe.” She’d spent most of her savings on a replacement car. The dinged beige sedan wasn’t much to look at, but it was reliable. And it was hers.
The next logical step was a new place to live.
“Take your time. It’s nice having someone to carpool with. Otherwise I resort to talking to myself.” Cheryl glanced at her watch and sighed. “We better get a move on. Last day of classes. Those kids will be off the rails.”
Ivy shouldered her bag. “I’m ready if you are.” How would she survive the next few months not doing the one thing that made her feel useful?
“Oh!” Cheryl turned and grabbed a stack of envelopes from the bill sorter on her wall. “Andrew picked up your mail on his way home from work last night. You were so quiet in your room, he was afraid you were asleep.”
On the way to the car, Ivy flipped through the assortment of junk mail and bills. The next to last item was a lavender envelope with no return address. Ivy ran her finger beneath its seal and pulled out the single sheet of notebook paper.
She blinked. Grandma’s script filled the page—the swooping, slanting letters only the older generations seemed to possess.
“Whatcha got there?”
Ivy swallowed. “I don’t understand. It’s from my grandmother.”
“Oh. Wow.”
Ivy’s chin trembled and the words on the page blurred, regret gutting her all over again. If only there was a way to trade this piece of paper for the comfort of Grandma’s arms.
Dear Ivy,
My sweet girl, first and foremost, I hope you know how dearly loved you are. I had hoped to speak to you before I went home to be with Jesus. Many months ago, I decided to write this letter in case we never had the chance to have this chat.
There are things I never told you. Sometimes I kept silent because I lacked wisdom to know how to speak difficult truths. I always questioned if it was my place, or if it was the wrong timing. As much as I wrestled with myself on this, I knew I couldn’t leave this world without giving you answers to the questions that have plagued your mind since you were a little girl.
These secrets I’ve kept for many years. It’s your choice whether you open this door to where you came from, as it should have been all along. In my home, I’ve left something for you that explains everything.
If you do choose to go back to explore your past, I ask you to be the one to go through my possessions and ensure my estate is handled with care. I think you’ll find the process to be rather enlightening. Don’t worry, you won’t face this task alone. I’ve arranged for ample assistance.
No matter what you decide, always know that you were fearfully and wonderfully made. And God does not make junk.
Always,
Grandma
Ivy sat in her office, toying with the edge of Grandma’s letter, trying to make sense of her words.
A soft knock sounded. Principal Watkins stood in her doorway. He offered her a tight smile. “Ivy, may I have a word?”