Fifteen minutes later Liv ended the call. She’d done nothing but listen, so Ben still didn’t know what was happening. When she told him, he put his head in his hands. “Jesus,” was all he said.
Every time her mom came to check on Renie, she pretended she was asleep. This time, when Liv opened the door, Renie rolled toward her.
“Did you talk to Dottie?”
“I did, honey.”
“Good. Now you know. We don’t have to talk about it.”
“We don’t? I think we should.”
Wh
en her mom sat down on the bed, Renie got up and went to the window that looked out over the ranch.
“Whatever went on between me and Billy is over now. There isn’t anything to talk about.”
“I understand that you’re upset about this, but the Pattersons are family. You and Billy will get past this.”
Renie didn’t bother to turn around to look at her mother. “Don’t bring this up to me again. If you do, I’ll leave.”
A week later, she didn’t feel any differently. All Renie wanted to do was sleep. Her mother, Ben, even his boys asked her to come upstairs and join them for meals, or to go for a walk, or ride. Her mom actually offered to let her ride Micah, the horse she never let anyone else ride.
Thinking everyone had left the house, Renie crept upstairs to get a cup of coffee and something to eat. Her mother was sitting at the table in the kitchen, waiting for her. “Renie, when do you need to get back to school?”
“I don’t.”
“You don’t? Have you been in touch with any of your professors?”
“No.”
“Renie, you are not a child. You have a responsibility to contact your professors and let them know when you’ll be back.”
Renie didn’t answer. She got up from the table, and went downstairs, before she closed the bedroom door, she heard Ben ask her mom if she wanted him to talk to her.
“You better,” she answered, “but not right now. Maybe the next time she decides to come out of hiding.”
“Renie, can I come in?” Ben knocked on the bedroom door.
“Sure.”
“I’m worried about you, kiddo,” he said, sitting in the chair next to the dresser.
“No need to worry, Ben. I’m reevaluating my life. I’m sure you’ve been where I am. There must’ve been a time in your own life that everything went to hell.”
“Yeah, there sure was, and you know it. But, Renie, I got help.”
“You’re saying I need help,” she rolled her eyes.
“If you’re dropping out of your own life, yeah, you need help. Go talk to somebody.”
“I don’t want to talk to anyone, and just because I see no need to go back to school to pursue a degree I’m no longer interested in, doesn’t mean I’m dropping out of life.”
“What about your horse?”
“My horse is boarded. I send a check for her boarding fees every month. I have not neglected my horse, Ben.” It wasn’t her fault Billy never cashed her checks. She sent them, her responsibility for Pooh ended there. If Billy decided he didn’t want to board her, she could always sell her horse.
“Got it. What about your apartment in Fort Collins, or your tuition?”