Thomas’s face got red. He picked his fork back up and stabbed a green bean.
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That was when Sarah spoke.
Sarah is Thomas’s wife. She’s a dental hygienist, soft-spoken, and she married into this family thirty-four years ago and has never once called me anything but Mom. She’s the kind of person who notices when you’ve lost weight, or when you’re limping, or when you’ve been crying.Plan Family Trips
She was looking at my stomach.
“Mom, can I ask you something?”
“Of course, sweetheart.”
She hesitated. Then she said gently, “Have you spoken to your doctor about the swelling?”
Everyone looked at me.
I laughed lightly and patted my dress. “Sarah, I’m eighty years old. My body doesn’t work quite like it used to.”
But she didn’t smile.
“Margaret,” she said. She never uses my first name. “I really think you should have it checked. Please.”
