Katy runs the tips of her fingers over the elbows of Von’s suit, an eBay purchase that cost more for the shipping than the item itself. Every dollar she made was earmarked for some expense or another. It was his first day as an appliance salesman, helping his mom with expenses.
He sees the tears in her eyes and knows she is thinking of his dad. A drunk driver crossed the center line in a Ford 250 Pickup truck, pulverizing his Prius five years before. Hers was always the same sad body, slumping, sobbing, happy for Von, but with an inward look of a mind restructuring the past.
He holds her hand in both of his. He doesn’t know why at first, and then recognizes reassurance, his empathy reaching towards her. She is a ghost of the happy person she once was. Some days, he is mad at her for making him sad. He looks at the suit. Another of her sacrifices for him. She reaches and hugs him. And in that hug, she gives more than he will ever earn.