Minerva Day
Page 28
Minerva's eyebrows raised and her eyes widened. Her heartbeat quickened. She thought she had thrown this away a few years ago.
But here it was, warming in her hand, a familiar, comforting thing.
She sucked in her breath, dropped the vial in her lap, and looked around the living room. She was glad to be alone, where no one else could see her. She stared at the tube on her lap.
No, Henry never really took up for her after the twins were born. She had always resented him for it, for his passive and weak stance on things. The way he would look at her accusingly when she told him of their daughter's antics. Why couldn't he ever be on her side, even just once? Wasn't that a man's job?
Minerva thought of the deformed puppies, the ones she flushed after they were pulled from their mother. Those puppies would not have survived. They were misshapen and small. They were freaks of nature, a mistake of life, those strange little dogs with their disgusting limbs and heads. No one else but Minerva saw them for what they were; saw that they needed help.
Those newborn puppies were weak and passive...and sick. She had to help them die; help them leave this earth. She did what any smart and caring owner would do.
She took care of them on her own, with help from no one.
Minerva rose and tossed the vial and several old icing tubes in the wastebasket and covered them with dirty paper towels. She tied the bag and put it back in the closet.
She bent and raised Lew to her face and kissed the dog on her nose. She then sat the dog on the table by the decorative cake boxes. She patted Lew's head and imagined the little thing smiling at her, and she smiled back. She could always count on Lew to show her love. She reached for one of the unfolded boxes, positioning the perforated line between her fingers. She had decided not to use icing on the cakes. Plain fudge would be good. When she finished folding all three boxes, she lowered a cake into each one, and then closed the tops.
THE END
About the Author
Christie Keele has received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in education, and is a high school English teacher. She has taught Debate, was a Cub Scout den leader, and is a CASA volunteer. She is also learning how to play the piano. She lives in Southeastern New Mexico. This is her first novel.
Table of Contents
PART ONE
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
PART TWO
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
About the Author