Ruby
I slurped the last of my strawberry milkshake through my straw. Mom dragged a french fry through a puddle of ketchup then crammed it into her mouth. Then her phone began to ring, and she sifted through her purse to find it.
“Oh, it’s your dad,” she said, swiping the screen to answer the call. “Hey, honey. Is everything alright? We’ve just finished dinner. Do you want us to bring you anything?”
Mom’s eyes flared with shock, and I could hear the husky rumble of dad’s voice as he bore some kind of bad news.
“We’re on our way home,” Mom told him; her hands were shaking as she ended the call and put her phone away.
“Mom … what’s wrong?” I asked, wondering about what it could be.
I saw the sadness in her eyes as she looked at me, but she couldn’t find the words to say.
“Dad needs us
