A white SUV sat beside a red pickup truck.
There were expensive patio chairs on the porch.
A riding mower was parked beside a landscaped flowerbed.
For several seconds, I just stared.
Then I smiled.
Maybe the money had been put to good use after all.
Maybe Mom had supervised renovations.
Maybe Naomi had finally gotten the kitchen she always wanted.
I grabbed my duffel bag and flowers.
The front door was unlocked.
Music drifted from inside.
I heard my sister laughing.
Instead of announcing myself, I decided to walk around the house and come through the kitchen.
That decision changed my life.
Behind the new garage was a narrow gravel path leading toward an old wooden utility shed.
Someone had hung wet sheets on a clothesline beside it.
That was when I saw a woman carrying a plastic bucket.
At first, I didn’t recognize her.
She was painfully thin.
