September 2, 2023 - Taya Boyles’s “Eye of the Storm”

Grace's mother sauntered in two hours late to the engagement party, flaunting a swayback that most guests tried hard to emulate. Her heels clicked loudly as she approached, slurring Tom's name in with her ex-husband's.

She draped her arms around her daughter's hips, almost knocking them both over as they struggled to hold her weight. "Get me a whiskey neat," she demanded weakly. "Make sure it's half-full. I'll know if it's not." 

Her speech was a jumble of "thank you's" without the 'h' and "riddance" without the necessary 'n's.

Everyone knew about the rain. Whether one liked it or not, it poured down before and it would fall from those same clouds again and again. If you live in a storm zone and don't check the forecast or buy a raincoat, whose fault is that? Maybe having a wedding on Valentine's brought bad luck. Maybe it was given. Being Ma's daughter meant crumbling any foundation her lead feet settled on. That made more sense, and she always went with what was tried and true.

When Tom returned with a glass of water, she knew that this ring was the closest she'd get to the eye of the storm.