Page 45 of Waves of Time
“She’s better than all of us,” Sam agreed. “My daughters are much better than I am, too.”
“We’re lucky to have them to show us the way forward,” Hilary said, her voice catching.
Sam furrowed her brow and leaned toward Hilary. “Is there something else wrong, Hilary? I mean, are you okay?”
Hilary pressed her lips together, unsure how to say it. But before she could come up with a strategy, or the right words to say, she burst into tears. Sam jumped up and threw her arms around her sister from the side, cradling her as she whispered, “It’s okay, honey. It’s really okay.”
As Hilary quieted, she wiped her tears away and shivered.
“What happened in San Francisco?” Sam asked, sitting next to Hilary so that she could take her hand. “Is it something to do with Marc?”
“No, no. Nothing like that. Marc has been a huge help,” Hilary admitted.
“That’s strange for him,” Sam said.
To this, Hilary laughed, throwing her head back. “Sam!” she scolded.
“What? You know that I’ll never forgive Marc for leaving. None of us will,” Sam pointed out.
Hilary nodded, grateful for her family’s loyalty. After a long, terrible pause, she finally admitted, “I just found out I have glaucoma.”
Sam’s jaw dropped. “What?”
Hilary nodded, gazing out toward the ocean's darkness just beyond her unmowed grass. It was inky and monstrous and impossible to understand. She wondered if that darkness was what she would see if she actually did go blind.
“I have surgery next week,” Hilary said. “If I don’t get it immediately, I could go blind. And if the surgery isn’t successful…” She trailed off.
Sam squeezed Hilary’s hand harder, blinking back tears. “What do you need from me? I want to help you in any way I can. Can I make your dinners? Should I move in with you to help around the house? What? Seriously. I’m here.”
Hilary was incredibly touched by Samantha’s sudden impulse to be there. She hadn’t anticipated it, especially as their relationship had been so strained over the years.
“Aria says we don’t need anyone,” Hilary said, “but I don’t believe her.”
“I’ll contact Aria after the surgery?” Sam continued, speaking very quickly. “She can be the one to tell me what she needs as you heal. I mean, you shouldn’t be worried about the logistics of anything after that.”
Hilary breathed deeply, surprised at the sense of calm that had come over her ever since Sam had taken her hand. “Thank you, Sam. Really.”
“I’m just sorry to make tonight all about me and my stupid apology,” she said. “I never should have spoken out of turn about Thaddeus.”
“You were trying to look out for Aria. And Aria’s my world. So, I have to thank you for that.”
Sam’s cheeks were blotchy. After a dramatic pause, she blurted, “Why have things been so weird between us for so long?”
Hilary’s heart lifted. “You don’t know?”
Sam shook her head. “I’ve been trying to figure it out for years.”
Hilary’s eyes filled with tears as she squeezed Sam’s hand harder. “I never thought you liked me.”
“I never thought you respected me,” Sam breathed, shaking her head. “I mean, I remember when we were younger, and you would just come into my room and move things around, as though it was up to you to make sure my life was aesthetically pleasing…” Sam flapped her fingers in quotes.
Hilary wrinkled her nose. “That must have been so annoying. I’m sorry.” She vaguely remembered thinking that that had been a kind thing to do, as she’d thought Sam’s space was ugly. “I felt like you always looked down on me for being obsessed with aesthetics. You were off to do amazing, ground-breaking work.”
“I had a chip on my shoulder,” Sam agreed. “I see that now. And, I suppose I let that chip get between me and the entire family in many ways. This summer has certainly been a learning experience.”
“For all of us,” Hilary agreed.
For a moment, the Coleman sisters eyed one another, stirring in fears and anxieties.