25
EVELYN – MARCH 1945
Evelyn was simmering a pot of chicken and dumplings on the stove when Russell came in from work. Something about his heavy tread on the linoleum made her turn to look at him. He wasn't smiling. Not even the forced smile he sometimes wore when things were particularly bad between them and he tried to act like everything was okay. The Woman's Handbook said that a wife should always greet her husband cheerfully, but this didn't seem to be the time for cheer. Had something terrible happened at work? "What's wrong?" she asked.
He leaned against the doorway to the kitchen and looked at her for the longest moment before answering. "I’m tired.”
“Then sit down. Supper is almost ready.” She turned back to the stove.
“I don’t want to sit. And I don’t want to eat.”
His ton
