Quick Peek at Chapter 54

Passage from Chapter 54 "A Lost Mother"

. . . She had a home in the mountains of North Carolina and it was not unusual for her to get up any given morning, pack a small bag, and take off just to "check on things up there." . . .

One evening I received a frantic phone call from one her cousins. "I cannot get in touch with your mother. Do you know where she is?"
    I thought for a moment. "No, I don't. She may be in the mountains. I haven't spoken with her in a day or two."
    She quickly responded, "So you don't know where she is?"
    "Not exactly”, I said, as the thought of my mother laying in her home by herself calling “Help, I've fallen and I can't get up”, and there I was, the irresponsible daughter, totally unaware there was a problem.
    "Well, I can't find her," she said in exasperation.
    "I didn't know she was lost," I replied.
     This conversation continued for another minute or so until she realized that I was not going to be of any help. Before I went back to bed, I checked my answering machine - no message. Then I called Mama's house and sure enough I also got her answering machine. When I hung up the telephone, my husband asked,      “Who was that?"
     "Mama's cousin - seems she cannot find Mama."
     "I didn't know she was lost."
     "Neither did I."
      I must confess I did not sleep much that night. I was overcome with guilt. For years, I had assumed my mother did not want a "hovering" daughter. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was being inattentive. If something happened, and Mama's cousin was right, I would have to live with it for the rest of my life. First thing the next morning, I drove over to Mama's house full well expecting to find her body lain out on the floor, most likely trying to reach the phone attempting to call her negligent daughter.

(And, the story continues . . .)