More Than You Know Read Online Free PDF Page B

parking, hurried into the terminal, and scanned the arrival /departure screen. Immediately, her heart sank—Rumer’s flight was delayed by three hours! She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and realized she’d missed two calls and one text. She read the text and realized that her sister had written to tell her she was going to be late. That’s what I get for not checking this stupid phone, she chided herself.
    She sat down in a chair and listened to her first message. It was from Isak: “Hi, Ber. I’m catching an earlier flight tomorrow, but don’t worry—you don’t have to pick me up. As much as I’d love to ride up to New Hampshire in that cool Mini, I’m just gonna rent. Love ya!” Beryl smiled, picturing her oldest sister—tall, feisty, and redheaded. Of course she was going to rent; she had points, money, miles—she traveled all the time—Beryl was sure the Hertz guy would be waiting for her, holding her keys when she got off the plane. That’s how life was for Isak—if she told the earth to stop, it would come to a shuddering halt, its axis swaying with the unexpected pressure.
    Rumer, on the other hand, was not as worldly as Isak, but she’d definitely seen more of it than Beryl. Like Beryl, she didn’t have points, money, or miles, but she had spent a semester of her junior year traveling abroad, and she’d finally broken the bonds of home and moved to Montana. But Rumer never cared about having a car when she was home. She was a free spirit and went wherever the road took her or, in this case, wherever her little sister drove her—and she loved being met at the gate by someone more dear to her than the Hertz guy.
    Beryl sighed and pushed the button to hear the second message. “Hi, Beryl, it’s Micah—Micah Coleman. I know—I probably don’t need to clarify that—how many Micahs could you possibly know? Anyway, I’m sure you’re wondering how I got this number. Well, I tried to call the shop, but there was no answer and my mom saw this number on an old Tranquility business card. She told me about your mom and I’m . . . I’m so sorry. Your mom was a wonderful lady. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you . . . and find out if there are any plans for her service. Listen, I’m home, and by home, I mean New Hampshire. You have my cell number now so—if there’s anything you need—anything at all—call me. All right—talk to you soon.”
    Beryl pushed replay to listen to Micah’s message again and smiled at his question about how many Micahs she could possibly know—it was true, she only knew one. She hesitated, her finger hovering over the button with the green phone icon—it was serendipitous that he should call when she’d just been thinking of him. She hadn’t seen him since that fateful day three years ago and, ever since, she hadn’t had time to think of anyone but her mom. She’d been overwhelmed with—well, life! She stood and slipped the phone into her pocket. She’d call him when the arrangements were set. Her stomach growled and she realized she hadn’t eaten lunch or dinner. She wandered through the terminal, looking for someplace to grab a bite, and wondered what she was going to do for the next three hours. She could almost go home, feed the cat, and come back before Rumer arrived. She saw a Dunkin’ Donuts and bought a small black coffee and an egg-white veggie wrap, found a seat near the window, and stared out into the darkness.
     
    The last several months of Mia’s life had been a blur of despair and uncertainty. “I just don’t know if she’s going to pull through,” Beryl had told her sisters on the phone. They’d been through it all before: Mia had had an undiagnosed urinary tract infection in October, and she’d been so sick and unresponsive that the aides had started giving Beryl consolatory hugs. Beryl, in turn, had tearfully reported to her sisters that it didn’t look good and they’d flown home immediately. But by the time they’d