More than the Sum Read Online Free PDF Page B

was a Russian Blue. His only marking was a white diamond on his chest, and his eyes were an exquisite turquoise blue.  “I am calling you Shadow”; she said, the moment she saw him.  So, after another run through the grocery store for cat food and kitty litter, she could finally go home.
    When she drove up, Randy was on his way over with her dinner. Brittany had believed he and Craig were friends; she knew he would take it personally that Craig walked away without a backward glance, Randy was a good man. Brittany wished Craig might have confided some of his marital unrest to Randy, wondering if Craig would make any gesture toward Randy and Jeanne in the months ahead.  But in truth, she already knew the answer to her question, but she still wanted to know how someone she thought she knew so well,  could walk away and  not look back. Realistically, it was becoming apparent he had been working on his exit strategy for the better part of the year.  It was evident his life had already moved on well before Christmas.
    One of Randy Stone’s more endearing traits, one that he was mercilessly kidded about it, was how he was very in touch with the female side of his brain, and oddly, he seemed to be very comfortable with it.  He took the ribbing in stride and he had no problem admitting he enjoyed chick flicks, had felt betrayed when Oprah left ABC, and cried at most news stories that included either animals or children.  So, when she opened the back door to find him holding out the soup and scones, he did not disappoint.  He started wiping his eyes the moment he saw her.
    He declined coming in, but not before promising how he and Jeanne would be looking after her.  “We’ll be seeing a lot of each other,” Randy told her as he was leaving, calling over his shoulder, “I think I like your hair!” 
    The gesture of food, along with the remonstrance’s of help and compassion were what Brittany needed that evening, particularly since she was still stinging from the cold exchange with her mother earlier. Too late, she wished she had been less reactive, knowing there would be a price to pay.   It had been a long day.
    She no longer blamed Alma for what lacked in their relationship, although at one time she blamed her for all of it.  Over time, and with the help of some costly therapy, she accepted that her mother was who she was, just the sum of what life dealt her, and in turn, Alma chose to act out because of it.  Without her father around to act as the family ambassador in helping keep peace between them, Brittany was pretty sure there would inevitably come a time when peace might not be negotiated. 
    With Ted’s passing, Craig willingly served as a buffer between Brittany and her mother, with full knowledge that whatever he did had the potential to backfire.  Going forward, if Brittany’s fall from grace truly removed her from the picture, she was sure her brother would lose no time moving into the vacuum her absence created, and she meant that literally; there would be no one left to hold either of them accountable. 
    Oh, how she wished she knew Sarah well enough to call her to warn her about what she was getting into. But, after this morning, Sarah would very likely have been coerced into believing it was Brittany who was losing it, and she couldn’t blame her for it, given her appearance and how she reacted to her mother. Her mother’s description of her, without any added embellishment, would make her sound certifiable.
    Alma might be capable of sympathy on some level, but Brittany believed she had neither the capacity, nor resources, for empathy.  She tried, but it was a futile exercise to try to understand why her mother seemingly never bonded with her.  During her preadolescent years she almost convinced herself she could have been adopted. What spoiled that fantasy was that her adopted friends all had wonderful relationships with their parents. So, reluctantly, she carried forward the Foster