#AtoZchallenge: Reata or Rope

Reata [Spanish] or Rope [English]

[source]

"Hurry up or we'll never get done," Emily shouted at her younger sister, Felice.

"My hands are too cold," the little one whined, twisting her hands together in a feeble attempt to warm them.

Emily plucked the frozen shirt off the clothesline, dropped it in the laundry basket, knelt and cupped her hands around Felice's, blowing warm breath into her fist.

A tiny droplet threatened to freeze on Felice's face as she sucked on her lower lip and fought her tears.

"Why can't Mommy do this?" she asked.

"You know why, because she's sick so we have to help with the housework."

Now it was her turn to fight back the tears, tears for past days when her mother wasn't sick, wasn't languishing in the bedroom too tired to get up.

Emily stood, "I can do the rest, keep your hands in your pockets until I need you to open the door, okay?"

With a snuffle Felice nodded and waited, keeping her back to the icy wind that chilled her body.

Inside the house their mother peered out the window, took another swig of bourbon, then collapsed on the bed, once again choosing oblivion over reality

My theme is 10x10.
A maximum of ten sentences, a minimum of 100 words.

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