Love, Aubrey

Aubrey rises early the next day so she can leave with Jilly’s letter before Gram sees her. She runs to “Bridget’s scar tree,” places the letter between her teeth, and begins to climb. When she reaches a spot high up that feels right, she places the letter on the branch. Then, she returns to Gram’s.

That day, it’s hot enough that Gram says Aubrey can take a break from her chores and relax outside. Aubrey closes her eyes for a bit, and when she opens them, Bridget is there. She offers to split up Aubrey’s chores for her so they don’t take as long. She’s used to feeding Martha since she took care of her when Gram was away for a month last April. Aubrey is shocked to hear this: Gram came to stay with them after the funeral, but Aubrey could swear it had only been a few days. After feeding the cat, Bridget wanders off without a word—and then suddenly Aubrey is hit with freezing-cold water. She turns and sees Bridget, holding a hose. The girls run around the yard, spraying each other with the hose until Gram yells at them to stop.

Aubrey and Bridget go to Bridget’s lawn to dry off. Mabel asks them to play house and hands them each a doll. Aubrey’s thoughts drift to a memory of playing a similar game with Savannah. In the present, she suddenly tells Bridget she needs to leave. Bridget is visibly confused, but she doesn’t demand an explanation, and Aubrey retreats to Gram’s.

Aubrey heads to the living room, which she’s mostly avoided since it’s where she and Savannah would sleep when they’d visit Gram. Now, she turns on a dull TV show and closes her eyes. Aubrey’s thoughts suddenly shift to a memory of playfully fighting with Savannah during one of their trips to Gram’s. In the present, Aubrey breaks out in a sweat and begins to mumble. Gram suddenly appears before her and asks if something is upsetting her. Aubrey is evasive.

Aubrey is playing with Bridget sometime later when Bridget’s mom calls them in for lunch. Aubrey is hesitant at first, but she follows Bridget inside. She sees baby Danny and Mabel seated at the table. Bridget’s mom looks like “a nice mom in soft clothes and soft hair who looked just like a mom should. The way [Aubrey’s] mom used to.” When Bridget introduces her mom to Aubrey, the woman does something odd: she gets down so she can speak to Aubrey at eye-level. She tells Aubrey that Gram told her about Aubrey’s arrival. “I’m very glad you are here,” she says. Aubrey feels awkward, but when she looks at Bridget, she knows that Bridget has known all about Aubrey’s situation too. Aubrey relaxes.

After lunch, Bridget shows Aubrey her and Mabel’s room. Aubrey lets Bridget paint her toes. She doesn’t tell Bridget it makes her think of Savannah. Later, Aubrey writes a letter to Jilly. In it, she compares how Bridget and her family have dealt with Aubrey’s past compared to how the kids at school did. Those kids acted like Aubrey “had some kind of disease,” and they avoided her. But Bridget and her family treat her just as they would anyone else.