Chapter 48
Saturday morning arrived with a fury. Madeline stood in the foyer, numb to her surroundings. Minutes were like hours. Andre descended the stairs with his duffel bag and backpack.
“Where’s your trunk?” Madeline asked intent on not shedding tears.
“It’s outside. I brought the trunk down early this morning, before anyone else got up.”
“I guess you’re eager to get going.”
“I guess so,” he murmured.
“You know it’s not too late for me to throw on some clothes and fly out to Colorado with you.”
“I don’t want you to come.”
He didn’t want Dave to go, either, but his father had insisted. Against every motherly urge in her body, she’d agreed. It wasn’t easy letting him go without being by his side when he walked into his new world, but Madeline didn’t want to upset him further by tagging along. She was dying inside but didn’t let her sorrow show. Madeline had to display strength in front of the children. They couldn’t know about the crippling pain in her soul as her son prepared to walk out. Don came down the stairs, then Tamara.
“Did you come to see your brother off?” Madeline asked.
“Uh-huh,” Don responded.
Tamara didn’t give an answer, although she appeared to be upset. Madeline aimed to keep the farewell as lively as possible to avoid slipping into a total meltdown.
“Where’s Sam?” she asked Don.
“Right here,” her son said, coming from the family room.
“I didn’t realize you were in there,” she said, beckoning for him to come on in. “Anyway, your dad and the car service will be here any minute. This is your chance to say bye before Andre goes to school.”
“Bye,” Sam said, tucking his hands in his pockets and turning to leave.
“Stop right there!” Madeline shouted. “You can do better than that.”
“What else do you want me to do?” Sam asked, as if he was irritated at the request.
Madeline was fully aware that the two oldest Mitchell boys didn’t get along very well, but she was confident that maturity would erase their dislike. “I want you to wait in here with the rest of us, like a family should.”
“What for?” Sam said snidely.
“Who cares if he doesn’t want to say bye?” Andre said, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and grabbing the duffel bag by the handle. He dragged the bag past the family to the front door. “I’d rather wait outside by myself.”
“Andre, come on. Sam didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Did you?” Madeline asked, staring at Sam.
Andre shrugged. “That’s okay. I don’t care. I just want to get out of here. Good riddance.”
Don ran to Andre and gave him a hug. “Bye, Andre. I’m going to miss you.”
Andre peered down at Don, who was almost a foot shorter. “See you later, squirt,” Andre said in a kind voice, one that he hadn’t used often in their house.
Tamara went to him, but Andre bolted out the door, closing it behind him. Sam left the room. Don was the only one who had had a successful good-bye. The rest of the family didn’t seem to exist for Andre.
Shaving her flesh with a knife couldn’t hurt any worse than the pain Madeline was wrestling with at this moment. She leaned against the door, the object separating a mother from her wounded son. They were close in proximity but miles apart in spirit. Don leaned against her, Tamara too, as defeat swooped in and claimed Madeline’s waning motherly strength.