Darlene’s eyes were red as she nodded pitifully. “I only wanted my mom to leave this world feeling at peace. I remember listing my home address on it, but somehow the photos ended up being delivered here, to Mr. Haynes’s house instead. Please don’t be angry. It wasn’t his fault…”
Her voice trembled, weak and tearful, dripping with grievance. Standing across from her, I looked like the unreasonable one, like I was just picking a fight.
I snapped. “You graduated from a top university, and you can’t even write down your own address correctly? What’s in your head, nothing but water? Fine. If neither of you can bear to deal with this, I will.”
I spun around, grabbed a pair of scissors, and slashed through the wedding posters and albums. One by one, I smashed the framed photos and displays against the floor, cutting the images to shreds.
“No! Avery, please! I can take these with me!”
Barehanded, Darlene tried to shield the photos, but my scissors caught her hand, leaving a long cut across her palm.
Her sharp cry sliced through the air, snapping Stanley out of his drunken haze.