BooksBarbecue
Back Ladies of the House Save as PDF
Chapters (59)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Praise
  4. Dedication
  5. Epigraph
  6. January
  7. One
  8. Two
  9. Three
  10. Four
  11. Five
  12. February
  13. Six
  14. Seven
  15. Eight
  16. Nine
  17. Ten
  18. Eleven
  19. Twelve
  20. March
  21. Thirteen
  22. Fourteen
  23. Fifteen
  24. Sixteen
  25. April
  26. Seventeen
  27. Eighteen
  28. Nineteen
  29. Twenty
  30. Twenty-One
  31. Twenty-Two
  32. Twenty-Three
  33. Twenty-Four
  34. Twenty-Five
  35. May
  36. Twenty-Six
  37. Twenty-Seven
  38. Twenty-Eight
  39. Twenty-Nine
  40. Thirty
  41. Thirty-One
  42. June
  43. Thirty-Two
  44. Thirty-Three
  45. Thirty-Four
  46. Thirty-Five
  47. Thirty-Six
  48. Thirty-Seven
  49. Thirty-Eight
  50. Thirty-Nine
  51. Forty
  52. July
  53. Forty-One
  54. Epilogue
  55. Acknowledgments
  56. Author’s Note
  57. Ladies of the House - Reader’s Guide
  58. Questions For Discussion
  59. Excerpt

“I just don’t feel—” She cut herself off and began to fidget with her delicate silver necklace. “Ugh, sorry.” She smiled bracingly, stuck out her tongue. “I’m all out of sorts. I’m going to get it together. But full truth, I’m kind of floundering.” We continued down the hall toward Cricket’s, but our pace was slow, our strides tiny, both of us stalling to make sure what needed to be said was said. “I didn’t used to care so much about what people thought of me. But now I do, and, wow, it’s not a great time to have changed. People online are debating whether I’m worthy of contempt or sympathy.” She pressed her hand to her heart. “I just feel very different in some ways. It’s sort of a delayed reaction to everything, I guess. The more time passes, the more I feel like I should be cautious. Especially in relationships, and even at work. But in other ways I feel absolutely the same. I still want to fall in love and agitate for causes I believe in and not care if people call me all the names.”

“And why shouldn’t you do all those things?” I asked as we arrived at Cricket’s door. I thought of the segment I’d taped that afternoon, and the conversation I’d had with Monica. We’d talked about this exact feeling my sister was describing. How unfair it was that women have to make the choice to be nice or to be powerful. “Don’t let what other people say, good or bad, pressure you into feeling small. The world does that enough to women. I won’t let it happen to my own sister.” I hugged Wallis, who hugged back. “We’re going to live the way we want, and try to do some good in the process. And that will be too much for some people and too little for others. But, you know, this is our story and if they don’t like it, they can go read another one.”

Wallis grinned. “That’s good, Daisy. I’m going to borrow that one.”

I remembered those moments many months ago, when we’d held each other in the pew at our father’s memorial, thinking the hardest parts were behind us, thinking the goodbye to Gregory was the end. And it had been terrifying, in the aftermath, when I couldn’t control the story, or the past, or anyone else around me, for that matter. I couldn’t even control my own feelings. I should’ve just opened my eyes and looked at Wallis; she would’ve told me, if I’d only asked, that it was all right to be scared.