I, Gracie - Sharon Sala Page 0,85

and climbed into the tank with Gracie in her arms.

* * *

Gracie woke, rolled over onto her back, and looked up at the canopy over her bed. This was not the stock tank, and thanks to Mama, she already knew how to swim.

"I'm sorry John didn't get to know you, Mama. He would have loved you as much as I did," Gracie said, and then got out of bed.

She didn't want to waste a minute of this day.

Joel Freemont had been home two days, and he could already see his wife was a changed woman.

The day they'd come home from the hospital, he'd had to lean on Mamie's shoulder as they'd walked into the house. Unlike Mamie, he had almost no memory of the attack. It was such a relief to be home.

The house was clean, spotless as always, because Mamie had made sure their house cleaners came the day after the attack. She already felt like she was walking in Gracie's shoes, but she hadn't wanted to come home to a stain on her floor that never went away, and so it was gone.

Mamie catered to and babied Joel to the point of distraction, and for the first time in his life, he let her. She wanted him to know that he mattered to her and hoped to God she still mattered to him.

This morning they were sitting at the breakfast table, sharing sections of the Sunday paper as they ate.

"Joel, honey, do you want another piece of toast?" Mamie asked.

"No, thank you. I'm stuffed. That was a delicious breakfast, though."

Mamie beamed, and then got up and refilled their coffee.

"Do you want to take a little walk today before it gets too hot? Just down to the end of the block and back?"

"Maybe this evening, closer to sundown," he said.

"Whatever you say. You just let me know if you feel like it later."

"I will," Joel said, but he was looking at Mamie's face now, and he knew she had something else on her mind. "Mamie?"

"Yes?"

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Mamie sighed. "Nothing is wrong. But I've been thinking we don't need to go to any more counseling sessions. I know and accept that I am at complete fault for everything that happened. I was a selfish, self-centered bitch, and I don't much like myself right now. But I'm getting past it. If you can forgive me, I swear on my life, I will never let you down again, and I will hold myself accountable for my words and actions."

Joel reached across the table.

"I'm good with that," he said.

She nodded. "Thank you. Now, you go rest...take the Sunday paper with you. I'm going to clean up the kitchen, and then I'll check on you later."

Joel got up slowly, gathered the papers, and kissed her cheek on his way out of the room.

Mamie watched him leave, then began cleaning. Some days, if she didn't focus on something else, she still saw blood on the floor. As long as she lived, she would never get over it. No wonder Gracie was mad. If she hadn't saved herself and Mama, her own siblings would have let the both of them die.

She began cleaning off the table and loading the dishwasher, and when she was through, she ran a dust mop over the floor.

Mama had always told them cleanliness was next to Godliness, and Mamie needed to be as close to God as she could get.

Daphne celebrated by having breakfast out with one of her realtor friends. Yesterday, she'd made the biggest sale of her career, and was going to net nearly fifty thousand dollars as her broker's fee.

She wanted to call Mamie, but ever since Sweetwater, Mamie had changed. She wasn't as much fun to talk to anymore, and always serious. Mamie told Daphne that what happened to Joel was karma for what she'd done to Gracie, and she had to be better and do better.

Daphne had let her talk, listening and agreeing, and then after sending Joel her love, she'd hung up.

Mama was dead. Gracie was dead to them. And Mamie had gotten religion. The world she thought she'd known had all come undone. All she could do was keep working, and making sure when she got old, she had enough money to pay someone to take care of her, because it appeared that she'd put money and career ahead of life and loving, and now she was too set in her ways to change.

James was waiting on word from the lawyer in Sweetwater