Life Sentences Read Online Free PDF Page A

cut and dyed its former blond, and her fingers were swollen with
arthritis. In her early sixties, she took insulin for her diabetes,
and Daisy was constantly worried about her. Lily worked as an accountant,
certifying company books, and loved numbers more than people because,
she said, numbers were less confusing. They either added up or they
didn't.
    Three enormous blue jays sprang
from the bird feeder as they approached the house. The two-story Queen
Anne with its original windows and wraparound porch sat in majestic
isolation on the western slope of a hillside overlooking the valley.
From this vantage point, they could see down into the bare winter woods.
The clapboard house was white with a green-shingled roof, and in the
springtime, the red window boxes were filled with geraniums. In the
front yard of this once-cheap-but-now-prime real estate, the elegant hickory
trees clung to a few withered leaves.
    "I really think we should file
a missing-persons report," Lily said. "Five weeks is an awfully
long time to be out of touch, even for Anna."
    Daisy sighed. "What happened?"
    "She sounded really happy
last time we spoke. She was seeing Dr. Averill and taking her meds. Then
about five weeks ago she stopped returning my phone calls."
    "She's done that before,
Mom. Cut us off without warning."
    "I know, but it's never a good
sign."
    Daisy refused to worry prematurely.
Her younger sister was always disappearing on them, always creating
scenes. Diagnosed as bipolar or schizophrenic, depending on which
doctor you talked to, Anna had been living with their mother for years
now, but every once in a while, she would venture out into the real
world and try to make it on her own. Sadly, these gambits never worked
out, and before too long, twenty-eight-year-old Anna Hubbard would come
running home with her tail tucked between her legs and swear she'd never
leave Edgewater again. Then she'd call Daisy in the middle of the night
to complain, "Guess what the Monaster did
today?"
     
    This time Anna had stayed away
from home for ten whole months, almost twice as long as her longest prior
adventure.
    "Oh, look, you've got burs on
the back of your coat," Lily said, whacking at Daisy's shoulders
with her hand. "Where'd you get these?"
    "No idea, Ma." Daisy took
off her coat and scarf and went rummaging around in the pantry for the coffee]
mugs while her mother stepped out of her wet boots and into a pair of house
slippers. Daisy had a sinking feeling that things might be different this
time as she poured them coffee from the pot on the stove. She'd lost touch!
with Anna months ago and was feeling a little guilty] about it. Now she
fished around in the refrigerator for the nonfat milk, added a splash
and sat down at the kitchen] table with her mother. Lily's place mat held
the remain! of that morning's breakfast-pulpy orange juice, a half-eaten
pancake in a puddle of maple syrup.
    "How are you doing?" Daisy
asked her. "Are you eating okay?"
    Lily seemed more distracted
than usual. " Hm ? Oh yes, fine."
    "Are you following your diet,
Ma?"
    "Oh, honey, I'm sure even Mother
Teresa cheated once in a while." Lily eyed her plate. "Would
you like something to eat? There's plenty of pancake batter left. Or I
could scramble you some eggs."
    "No thanks."
    "You look tired."
    "I'm not tired."
    "Your eyes are bloodshot."
     
    "Yeah, Ma. I've been hanging
out on street corners snorting Dristan."
    Lily frowned. "Don't make fun
of me."
    "I can't help it. You always
dance around what's on the tip of your tongue."
    "Well, anyway. Thanks for coming."
    "Of course I came. Why wouldn't
I? I'm the dutiful one, remember?" She couldn't help sounding bitter.
It was just that Anna was forever getting into trouble, and Daisy was
always cleaning up after her.
    The morning sunlight gave the kitchen
a vintage glow. Lily took off her oversize, amber-tinted glasses, the
skin around her eyes creasing like crepe paper. She paused for a moment
to cough. She had a big cough for