Two or Three Things I Forgot to Tell You Read Online Free PDF

becoming infected—this was scary.
    All kinds of crazy thoughts flew through her mind, and there came Tink to tease her— What did you expect, Perfect One? Your birthday is soooo important to Daddy?
    Tink was just jealous, Merissa thought. Tink hadn’t any actual father anyone had ever seen, and Tink’s mother, Big Moms, would have “sacrificed” any kid of hers to her “third-rate career”—as Tink had liked to say.
    Sometimes, in front of her mother, Tink would make this wisecrack. And Veronica Traumer would say, hurt, “Trina, that is so unfair . It is so untrue . I want you to apologize immediately!”
    â€œYou mean, your career isn’t third-rate? That’s what I got wrong?”
    Insulted, Veronica might stalk out of the room. The air would quaver in her wake and smell of a strong perfume. You would get the impression that Tink and her bosomy, brassy-haired mother were flinging TV dialogue at each other, not spontaneous and sincere words, and so it was okay to laugh.
    In fact, you couldn’t not laugh at most of what Tink said.
    But Merissa didn’t want to think about Tink right now. She was worried that her mother might do something ridiculous—like conspire to give a surprise birthday party for Merissa a day late and call Merissa’s friends behind her back after all.
    It was a crazy worry, but at two a.m. Merissa couldn’t sleep, switched on a light beside her bed, and texted Hannah.
    LET ME KNOW IF MY MOM CALLS YOU ABOUT A SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY. I WILL KILL MYSELF IF THERE IS ANY SURPRISE PARTY FOR ME.
    Of course, Hannah didn’t text back until morning—after Merissa spent a miserable night.
    HI MERS—WHAT SURPRISE PARTY? WHOSE?
    Merissa was stunned; she’d been such an idiot. Texting such a message to Hannah! Revealing too much of her private life and actually saying I will kill myself , which was a really stupid and gauche thing to say, after Tink.
    She’d have to tell Hannah that of course she was only kidding. Wasn’t serious.
    At Quaker Heights there was a kind of red alert: If anyone you know speaks of suicide, please do not keep this information to yourself but tell a parent, a teacher, or your guidance counselor.
    How embarrassed and ashamed Merissa would be, if her careless words got her into trouble!
    If her father found out. Oh God.
    Of course, Merissa’s father had promised he’d make up for missing her birthday—he’d bought her a silver bracelet with MERISSA engraved on it.
    (Merissa suspected that her mother had bought the bracelet, right here in Quaker Heights. Though the box was a fancy Tiffany box.)
    Tonight she’d caught a glimpse of herself downstairs in the kitchen in the shiny copper bottoms of frying pans hanging from hooks in the kitchen.
    Ugly! A twisted-looking face with bug eyes, little slit for a mouth.
    One little turn of the dial, a beautiful face can turn ugly.
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    At last, the Unspoken was Spoken.
    For it happened that Morgan Carmichael was “moving out”—“temporarily”—from the house on West Brook Way.
    Moving out? Daddy, but why?
    He tried to explain to Merissa—his decision had certainly had nothing to do with her .
    He tried to explain to Merissa—this was a “joint decision” of his and her mother’s.
    (But where was Mom? Why wasn’t Mom here, to make this easier?)
    â€œSometimes it’s a good, healthy thing to put a little distance between ourselves. To get a new perspective. To see where improvements can be made in a relationship.”
    Merissa listened, stunned.
    She could not bring herself to ask, Is there another woman, Daddy? Is that what you are trying to tell me but don’t have the nerve?
    â€œ. . . terrific new condominium village by the river. As soon as I get settled, you’ll come to visit, okay?”
    Merissa’s mouth was numb. Her tongue felt as if it had been shot with