Stella.

Stella let out a sigh of relief as she watched the lights from Jebs Chevy pull in behind her. That
makes twice this week. Monday, the tensioner in her ten year old Ford breaks in the middle of an
intersection. Today she gets a flat driving down Mann road. She watched as Jeb walked towards her car in
the rearview. She flung open the rusted champagne colored door.
Fancy seeing you here, she said.
Pop your trunk, he said.
Jeb pulled out the spare, along with the tools he needed to change the flat tire. He handed Stella
the lug wrench. He walked to the driver side and pulled up the emergency brake.
What am I supposed to do with this? she asked.
You need to know how to do this, he said. Im not Roadside Assistance, Stell.
He took the wrench from her and began loosening the lug nuts.
You loosen these first. Then jack the car up, he said.
He slid the jack under the hood and pumped the metal handle as it lifted the car. Stella crossed her
arms and shuddered in the November air. She inhaled a sweet smoky scent and felt her stomach growl in
response. Luckily she had made it to the Gilleys parking lot. She watched the workers inside the glass
windows putting chairs on top of the tables. Stella felt Jebs eyes on her. She looked at him and he jerked
his head. She walked over and took his place. She put the spare in place of the flat and looked at Jeb. He
nodded in approval.
Hows Frank? she asked.
Make sure those are tight. Dont need them coming undone, he said.
Cars squealed past them. Mann Road was busy this time of night. People going back to their
homes from dinner or bowling. Stella couldnt remember how that felt. She had been sleeping on couches
for the past two years.
He keeps busy he said. You should go see him sometime.
She focused on the lug wrench as she jerked it to the right. She felt it tighten. She tugged it again
for good measure.
Did he teach you how to do this? she asked.
Mom did, Jeb said. He wiped his face with the maroon-colored rag he was holding. You even
know how to let down a jack? he asked.
Do you remember the summer after we turned eighteen? We were driving down Hwy 98 and it
ran into the Tyndal base. The MP stopped us for speeding in an unauthorized area. Youd been drinking.
They called Frank. When he got there he blamed me for not taking your keys, she said.
Hes grieving, Stella, he said.
I lost her too, she said. So did you.
More reason to quit this blame game and move on, as a family, he said. Its been over a year.
Do you ever wonder where wed be if they hadnt met that day at the Sugar Shack? she asked.
Jeb kicked his boot into the ground and sighed.
Youd still have your mom, she said.
Cant you just cut him some slack? he said.
He blames me, she said.

It was an accident, he said.

Jeb released the handle and the car glided to the gravel. A Dodge station wagon with wood panels
slowed down, halting the four vehicles following behind. An older, dark-headed man in the drivers side
cracked the window. The woman sitting beside him smiled.
Need some help? he asked.
Were fine, Jeb said. The guy in the red Camaro behind them punched his horn. Jeb waved his
hand as he put the jack and tire back in Stellas trunk.
Do you blame me? she asked
You and Frank are the only family I got left, he said.
Its late, she said. You should get home.
Jeb sighed and walked over to her. He pulled her to his chest, but her arms hung by her side. She
watched him walk back to his truck.
Think you can remember how to put on a spare? he yelled.
It was good to see you, she said.
He cranked the engine and drove towards State Street. Stella plopped into the drivers seat and
thought through friends she hadnt asked yet for a place to crash.

Stella found herself driving into Taylors Gin two hours later, her car running on fumes. All the
neighborhood kids she grew up, The Tyler twins & Jake Lauderdale, had gotten jobs and moved away
from Cecil. It was the one promise she made to herself on her eighteenth birthday. Shed move away to
the city and enjoy the hustle of a busy life. She loved thinking about the possibilities the city could hold
for a girl of eighteen, what it would be like to find excitement in a city full of strangers. No
preconceptions. No ties to Cecil. Seven years later and she still hadnt been farther than the surrounding
three counties. Four of the houses on the street had For Sale signs stuck in dead grass. Every house on the
street was dark, except for the one at the end of the cul-de-sac; a little tan house with navy shutters. She
remembered the way Frank and Janet argued over the color. In the end, Janet won. She always won. Stella
parked in front of the mailbox. She must have parked there a thousand times before but this time it felt
foreign. She saw the reflection of the television through the open blinds. She saw Frank sitting in his
recliner. She felt her heart quicken its pace. She walked up the walkway. An orange tabby meowed at her.
She smiled and picked him up.
I miss you too, she said.
She held the cat as she walked up the stairs. He purred against her hand as she scratched his chin.
She sat him on the railing and turned to go inside. She halted when she saw Frank looking at her through
the window. He looked older somehow from this side of the glass. His fern colored eyes seemed a shade
darker. Stella noticed bags under his eyes that had never been there before. He moved from the window
over to the coffee table and grabbed the remote. He cut the television off and walked into the kitchen.
Stella grabbed the spare key from under the rock on the porch. She took a deep breath as she unlocked the
front door. She shivered inside the house. She heard running water. She walked to the kitchen and leaned
on the doorway.
You could have called, Frank said.
Nice to see you too, Stella said. She tapped her fingers on the white wood of the doorway.
Frank stood in front of the sink washing dishes, his back to Stella.
I stacked some boxes in your room, he said. I boxed some of Janets stuff up.
I was just getting my mail, Stella said.
She watched as Frank scrubbed the plate he was washing. She could see it was clean, but he kept

scrubbing it anyway. Her eyes landed on the stainless steel refrigerator. She saw a grocery list of Janets
still pinned under a magnet. The kitchen needed sweeping, but mostly Frank seemed to be doing just fine.
Jeb called. You got a flat on Mann? he asked.
He shouldnt have called you, she said.
You should have, he said.
Frank stopped washing dishes and dried his hands on a faded yellow dish towel.
Youre barely talking to me now, she said, Why would I call?
Frank threw the dish towel in the sink and whirled around toward Stella. They stood face to face
for the first time in three months. The last time she saw him was at Jebs house for Janies third birthday.
They didnt have much to say to each other, at least not in front of family.
Frank inhaled loudly and huffed.
Theres a spare in the basement that will fit your car. Take it, he said.
I dont need it, she said.
He slammed his fist on the granite counter top.
Why do you have to be so bull headed? he said.
Stella felt her body tighten.
Why are you boxing up Janets things? she asked.
Some of the church people are coming by to get them, he said. They have that Charity
Christmas Drive next month.
The doorbell rang. Frank walked to the door. Stella couldnt imagine who would come by Franks
so late at night. He opened the door and she saw a petite woman with shoulder length red hair. She was
holding a casserole dish. Stella couldnt place the woman. She had never seen her in Cecil before. The
way the woman looked at Frank made Stella start towards the basement. As she put her hand on the
doorknob, she heard Frank call her name.
This is Dorothy, he said. She moved in next door a few weeks ago.
You can call me Dottie, she said.
The woman was all too eager in her exchange. Stella smiled at Dottie. She couldnt imagine why
anyone would move to Cecil. The only people she ever met that were new in town had secrets.
I made an extra casserole, Dottie said. I thought you might be hungry.
She looked at Frank, but Frank stood there like a statue.
Ive interrupted, Dottie said.
Ill take that for you, Stella said. Im Stella, Franks daughter.
Stella looked at Frank, who still stood frozen in front of the door. Dottie handed Stella the
casserole. Stella stole a glance at her left hand but didnt see a ring. Dottie extended her hand, but Stella
held up the casserole dish. Dotties eyes darted towards the ground and back to Stella. She smiled.
Stella is a lovely name, she said.
Thanks for the casserole, Stella said.
Stella felt Franks eyes on her as she walked it to the kitchen to give them some space. A spicy
smell seeped through the sides of the tin foil. Stella realized she hadnt eaten all day. She was running late
to her interview this morning and didnt have time to grab food. Then she got a flat and had to wait all
day for Jeb. She didnt have enough change in her car to eat at Gilleys. She peeked around the corner and
saw Frank smile at Dottie. She couldnt remember the last time Frank had smiled. Probably not since
Janet, she thought. She couldnt tell if his smile was sincere or mechanical. She could see him moving his
weight from one foot to the other. Shed seen him do it many times when she and Jeb would be fibbing to
get out of trouble. Frank always knew they were lying. Hed let them finish, no matter how elaborate the
stories were. Then hed send them to bed and dole out their punishment the next day. It was punishment
in itself having to go to bed thinking of all the possibilities the morning would bring. Sometimes she
despised having a retired marine for a father. She was his daughter, not one of his Corporals. She didnt
have enough fingers or toes to count how many times he had forgotten that over the years. She watched as
Frank held the door open for Dottie and told her goodnight. Stella sat the dish on the countertop. Frank
walked into the kitchen and opened a cabinet.

Shes sweet on you, Stella said.

Frank grabbed two plates. He handed one to Stella.
Im not staying, she said.
Frank sat the plate on the counter and grabbed two forks out of the drawer.
Stay for dinner, he said. Tomorrow well pick back up with this static between us. Tonight,
lets let it rest.
Stella considered his offer. She didnt have anywhere to go, but she didnt want to be here. She
saw the deck of cards sitting on the table. One night wouldnt change anything.
One game of Rummy, she said. Thats the best I can do.
Deal it out, he said.