“Good for you,” I say, although I have no idea how a degree in psychology is going to get him out from behind the wheel of his car. But it’s good to dream. I don’t ask more because I want him to focus on the road. Car crashes are the number one cause of accidental death, just ask my mom. Well, you can’t, she’s dead, but if you could she would tell you to check your brakes when the light comes on. I can’t imagine the fear she must have felt as she kept stomping on the brakes but the car kept picking up speed. Terrifying.

Sam is doing well, hands on three o’clock and nine o’clock.

I lean back against the seat, close my eyes.

I’ll make everyone see the truth I want them to see, soon.

“Did you say something, Mrs. H.?”

I hope not. “Nothing, Sam. Nothing.”

Outside, it’s another beautiful day in May. And I am on a mission. I look out the window as we drive past the store where I used to buy Cash’s dog food, his treats, his bed. I still think about him, even though he turned into a very bad dog. The vet said he was having a nervous breakdown because he’d seen Mary fall. We put him on antidepressants, but he wouldn’t come out of his bed. He wouldn’t eat.

He wouldn’t let me near him.

Perhaps we both were just too sad. And then, one morning, he just didn’t wake up. Poor dog, his time was up. Betsy found his cold and lifeless body. Another tragedy for her, and all of us. I didn’t even realize how attached David had been to the dog, until he was gone.

I had Cash cremated. David and Betsy weren’t happy about it, but I told them the kind vet handled everything and insisted it was for the best. We still had the sympathy of the entire town back then, even from a small-town veterinarian who flirted with me over my dead dog’s body. True story.

Betsy and David sprinkled his ashes in the ocean. They returned with tear-soaked faces, another deep sadness swept over our little family.

I couldn’t bear to go to the ocean with them, of course, so I stayed home.

I had my own private goodbye with Cash.

13

4:00 p.m.

I’m home and on my phone using my spying app.

It’s just the perfect tool for helicopter moms and wives like me. It’s for my peace of mind. I know you use one, too. It’s important for moms to be vigilant. I mean, that’s why my other favorite app, Find My Friends, comes already loaded on your phone, for heaven’s sake.