What Isn’t Mine, I Don’t Want Chapter 10

What Isn’t Mine, I Don’t Want Chapter 10

But Mom and Adrian didn’t go.

They paid a steep price for the neighbor’s house and moved right in.

Every day they looked for some way to talk to me.

I looked straight through them and went on living my life.

In the daytime I’d water the garden, feed the chickens, feed the pigs.

I’d rest a bit in the afternoon, then start on dinner.

After I ate I’d take a walk around town, come back, and sleep.

Around and around.

This life was second nature to me. Even after three years away, it made no difference.

But Mom and Adrian were used to mansions and luxury cars, and dropped into the country like that, they were

bound to be miserable.

Half a month on, I was up early to feed the pigs, and my brother couldn’t stand to watch anymore and came to

help.

“Nora, a girl shouldn’t be doing this. Let me.”

He grabbed the slop bucket out of my hands, and a few steps later nearly tripped on a stone in the yard.

He lost his balance, the bucket went flying, and the whole thing was ruined.

Anger shot up in me and I shoved him off.

“Can you please stop getting in the way!”

“I was doing just fine without your help, and now I have

to start all over. Are you doing this on purpose?”

My brother stood there, mortified.

“I’m sorry, Nora. I don’t know how to do these things…’

“Go home. Please?”

Something in me gave way and I shouted, frayed.

“Even if you live out here the rest of your life, I am never going back with you.”

“Why do you have to go looking for ways to make people2

miserable? Can’t you just live your own life and leave it alone!”

The color drained from my brother’s face inch by inch, and the hand at his side curled into a fist.

He looked at me, long and deep, his eyes going red.

“Nora, are you never going to forgive me, as long as you live?”

“That’s right.”

I said it straight.

“I won’t hate you, and I don’t want to forgive you, because there’s no point.”

“Except for this bit of blood we share, I don’t want anything tying me to any of you.”

My brother went rigid all over and didn’t speak for a long time.

It wasn’t until I’d mixed up a fresh bucket of slop and pushed past him that he finally lowered his head and left the yard.

That night, Mom called to me from over the wall.

“Nora, we’re leaving.”

“Since you don’t want to see us, we’ll go home.”

“Just, before we go, could we have one meal together? I

made a pot roast.”