"Okay." She snuggled up to me just like she always had. She laid her head on my arm and gripped it below her head. "I'm happy you're home. I missed my Marty."
If I could have wiped the images from last night and this morning from my mind, all would have seemed right with the world. Instead, I felt like I was standing at the bottom of the globe about to fall off. We watched the movie to the end and then she left me to go make more cookies. I watched another Christmas movie and then went back to my room.
As expected, my clothes were clean and folded for me on my bed. I went down to face Mom. I walked into the kitchen just in time to see Mom squeeze Brittney's bottom. It wasn't a motherly squeeze.
"Hi, Mom." She didn't jump or react other than to turn and smile at me.
"Marty, you must hav
