coming undone

Josie couldn't keep warm these days.

Of course, the guestroom was cleared of Sky's things, and there was only Carrie to worry about.

There was talk of sending her to a potty training classes if they couldn't get her potty trained, but no one had wanted to actually see about the classes. She knew her mother didn't like to talk of Carrie having Down Syndrome, but Josie was pretty sure busy people took their children to potty training classes. In fact, she'd overheard a conversation on the subject while she was working at the Campus Coffee Shop.

At the moment, Carrie was in a new pamper, new pajamas with feet, and she was taking off as if she needed a race around the coffee table.

Josie yearned for that kind of energy. When the doorbell rang, she could barely get herself off the couch while Carrie headed for the kitchen to see their mother.

It was Henry with homemade cookies.

"You, really shouldn't have." She told him Duncan would wolf these down before anyone else could find them. "What are you doing here?" He hadn't called.  Usually, they talked on the phone or text. Usually random text about how his day was going.

"I was bored so I made cookies. Then I had to get rid of the cookies." He said Vada was swearing off sweets. "Its not still Lent is it?"

"I dunno." Josie winced. "Why would Vada be on Lent?"

They went to the couch and she turned on some lame show that Henry always talked about on Netflix.

"I dunno. Suppose Alo?" Henry shrugged.

"You know, it was Vada who told me, that Dean was coming home." Josie forgot about that. They'd been at school in the hallway. It was really strange, how Vada was so vague about Dean. Josie bit her bottom lip as she thought about it now. "She ever say anything about Dean?"

"No." But he said it so quiet, like he might be thinking of something. He crossed his arms and put his feet on the coffee table. He did always make himself at home. And for a moment, Josie dozed off on his shoulder. She didn't enjoy BLACK MIRROR at all.

Dean and Vada. It finally came to her as a hidden truth. Perhaps she'd ignored it all this time.

She shook the sleep.

"What do you know about Dean and Vada?"

"What about them?" He muted the show.

"I dunno why she hates me so much...but..but I think it has something to do with Dean." She squinted. "I mean, it wasn't always that way. Not when we first met. I thought she liked me then..and..and I dunno..before he left to go in the Army..it was like everything changed. I kind of thought we..were friends."

"Well..she had a lot on her mind. You know, running away."

"But why did she runaway?"

"She..she wanted to be with Joel." He reminded her as he hugged himself.

"But she came home with another guy." Josie just realized. "Whatever happened to Joel?"

"I guess, he's still in Paris." Henry barely said.

"You, know something." Even his breathing changed.

She thought she might have to sit on him to get the information out of him.

"What?" He laughed when she jabbed him in the ribs.

"Tell me." Her big eyes were so serious.

"It does you, NO good to even care. All right." His eyes lit, as if he needed to withhold this information from her.

She shook her head as if he was the most useless friend. He grabbed her hands.

"Come on. Its over..with you and Dean. Why do you even ..."

She rolled her eyes. He didn't even have to tell her.

"Oh God, Dean and Vada!" She scowled at the revelation. She gritted hard and turned from him. Thinking how cold Dean was to her.

"You're not mad at me, are you?" He asked as she turned away in a fret.

She said nothing.

He put his arms around her.

"I promise..I will never ever keep anything from you, again." He whispered.

She turned to his shoulder until she realized the wet spot she'd left on the neck of his tee-shirt.