“Liora stayed. She deserves something for that.”
Arvett nodded.
“No further questions.”
Captain Vale rose.
He carried no documents this time.
He approached my mother slowly.
“Mrs. Voss, I’m sorry for the loss of your husband.”
She looked away.
“Are you?”
“Yes.”
His answer was simple.
He waited until she looked at him.
“Caring for a sick spouse is difficult.”
Her expression softened slightly.
“Yes.”
“And having a daughter living nearby can be helpful.”
“Yes.”
“Your older daughter couldn’t always be physically present because she was performing military duties.”
My mother stiffened.
“She says she was.”
Captain Vale picked up the admitted certification.
“The Department of Defense confirms that she was.”
Silence.
He continued.
“Did Evelyn ever contact you while your husband was ill?”
“Sometimes.”
“Did she visit?”
“A few times.”
“How many?”
“I don’t remember.”
“More than once?”
“Yes.”
“Did she come home during approved leave?”
“I suppose.”
“Did she speak with her father by telephone?”
“I wasn’t listening to every conversation.”
“Did you know she had remained in contact with him?”
My mother stared at him.
“Yes.”
“Then when you told this jury that she abandoned him completely, that wasn’t an accurate description, was it?”
My mother’s eyes flashed.
“She wasn’t here when we needed her.”
“That is a different statement, Mrs. Voss.”
He let the words settle.
“You believe she should have been here more often.”
“Yes.”
“You resent her for being away.”
“Yes!”
The answer burst out of her.
Her voice echoed against the wooden walls.
“Yes, I resent her! I needed help! Everett needed help! And every time I asked her to come home, there was another excuse!”
I closed my eyes.
There it was.
The truth beneath the lie.
She was angry that I had not come home and stayed.
She was angry that I had not abandoned my career to become the daughter she needed.
