Knotted Roots Read Free Page A

was evidently a big thing with her.  She
won’t know what hit her when she gets to see the real me.  The Roxie who was no
longer a toddler, but a 17 year old woman who was pissed off at the world.  Bring
it on Betty. You don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into.
    The
plane ride was uneventful, my mind constantly jumped from my parents, to Amber,
to Grandma.  I thought about Mom and Dad.  Were they arguing right now? Were
they sorry for sending me away?  Then Amber was there, front and center, and my
blood pressure shot through the roof.  I felt betrayed and angry, but most of
all I was hurt.  She had made her choice...and this time it wasn’t me.  As for
Grandma...well, I had no idea what to expect.  But I knew one thing: when the
plane landed, she was going to wish she had said no to this “visit.”
     
    * * * *
     
    “Roxanne!
Roxanne Lynn!” I heard the gravelly voice long before I saw the face attached
to the sound that grated on my already raw nerves.  I scanned the small
airport, searching for the owner of that distinctly Southern voice.  What I
found was a petite woman wearing a red flannel shirt and light denim jeans. 
Her arms flailed about her head as she desperately tried to grab my attention. 
Even from this distance I could tell that she was nothing like my mother.  I
couldn’t fathom how this woman gave birth to the cultured and pristine woman
that I grew up with.
    I
started to walk towards her as she made her way through the other waiting
people to get to me.  We met about halfway and she gripped me by my arms and
drew me into a fierce hug.  Wow!  I wasn’t expecting her to be that strong. 
For a woman of her age I was expecting a frail hug from a shriveled, old woman,
not a bear hug from a well-muscled and toned woman. 
    “Roxanne,
it’s so good to have you here baby!  Let me take a look at you,” she drawled as
she pulled back to scan me from head to toe.  “You sure are skinny girl!  Don’t
your parents feed you up there in New York?”
    “What?”
    “Never
mind that.  How was your flight? I’m sure you’re exhausted,” she spoke as we
walked, arm in arm, through the tiny airport.  As soon as the doors to the
outside world opened up I was stunned by the sweltering heat. Mom was right;
this was a heat like no other.  It was as if I was swimming in a sea of sweat,
not walking through open air.
    “Deep
breaths darlin’.  The air takes a little getting used to, but you’ll adjust,”
she smiled at me as we walked the short distance to where her truck sat
waiting. 
    Figures. 
Could she be any more typical?  I mean, of course the little old Southern lady
would drive a massive truck.  I was willing to bet there was a gun rack
somewhere in there as well.
    She
threw my bag in the back of the truck and walked around to the driver side of
the truck.  “Get in girl.  We’ve got a long drive to the house.”
    “Great,”
I muttered as I opened the door and climbed in.
     
    * * * *
     
    “I
sure was sorry to hear about your parents.  It was bound to happen though. 
Your mom and dad are too different,” she spoke as we made the hour long drive
to her home on the outskirts of the city.
    “Different?
No, they’re not.  They were meant for each other,” I replied with a scowl. 
“Besides, you haven’t seen my mom in, how long?  You wouldn’t even know what
she is like anymore.”
    I
could tell by the look on her face that I had struck a low blow.  I hadn’t
meant to hurt her feelings, but that was not a topic that I wanted to discuss. 
The whole reason they sent me here was to get away from all of the drama that
occurred during a divorce.  They didn’t want me caught in the middle, or at
least so they said.  Seemed to me that I was already caught in the middle.  My
life was being shredded, bit by bit, and there was nothing that I could do stop
it.
    “You’re
right.  It’s been far too long since I saw my daughter, but I know who she