Chapter 3
The next day after work, I stop by my favorite, tiny specialty beer store and buy a few bottles of craft beer before going to check on my mom. Her best friend Georgina is there visiting—the house echoes with giggles and mad cackles—so after I’ve made sure they’re all right, I leave them alone, grab the tote bag with the beer, and step outside.
Before I walk over to the house next door, I stop a moment and take in Mom’s garden. I’ve always loved fall, when the air clears up and the leaves change into warm, vibrant colors, like they’re a warning system for colder times to come. I especially like the Virginia creeper climbing the front of Mom’s house; in just a few weeks’ time it’ll be intensely red. It’s like a flare of fire and lasts only for a short time before it loses all its
