{"id":11338,"date":"2026-11-12T22:58:33","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T22:58:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=11338"},"modified":"2026-11-12T22:58:33","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T22:58:33","slug":"part-2-289","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=11338","title":{"rendered":"Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

PART 2: THE CHAIR AT THE TABLE<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Greg fell silent. I heard him leave the others, their voices fading before a car door shut.<\/p>\n

\u201cMom, can we talk about this later? Everybody\u2019s upset.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. We need to talk now.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sighed. \u201cI told Megan her family could come back this summer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cApril.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you ask me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. I figured you\u2019d be happy to have everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

I pressed my fingers against the armrest.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd when I told you I was having surgery?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you\u2019d be better by now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou brought me home from the hospital eleven days ago, Greg. You carried the instructions upstairs yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat else did you promise?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing important.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGreg.\u201d<\/p>\n

His voice became extremely quiet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told them you\u2019d cook like you always do. I told Sharon you\u2019d make her sweet potato casserole, and I said the kids could go to the Children\u2019s Museum with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

I closed my eyes. He\u2019d promised away my kitchen, my time, and my strength without ever considering whether I had any left.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou told them I wanted this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t think to ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMom, please. I know I messed up.\u201d<\/p>\n

I heard the desperation in his voice. For a moment, I wished to tell him where Nancy kept the spare key, drive over, and smooth everything out. It was the same feeling that had kept me standing at my kitchen counter for three summers.<\/p>\n

But this time, my body couldn\u2019t afford the consequences.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told you Tuesday that I couldn\u2019t do it. You had five days to make other arrangements.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you\u2019ll have to make them now.\u201d<\/p>\n

A moment later, Megan took the phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cJudith, do you have any idea how humiliating this is? My family drove four hours because they thought they were welcome!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI told you they couldn\u2019t stay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t just change your mind at the last minute!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t change my mind, Megan. I said no when you told me about the visit.\u201d<\/p>\n

She started to argue, yet I interrupted.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes your mother know I had spinal surgery eleven days ago?\u201d<\/p>\n

The line went quiet. Then I heard an older woman\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cMegan, what surgery?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was Sharon, Megan\u2019s mother. There was a rustling sound before she came onto the phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cJudith? Honey, it\u2019s Sharon. Are you all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

I explained about the spinal fusion, the walker, and the recovery instructions.<\/p>\n

Sharon listened.<\/p>\n

\u201cMegan told us you invited everybody,\u201d she said slowly. \u201cShe said you were lonely and wanted the house full again.\u201d<\/p>\n

I turned toward Nancy, who had stopped cooking.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Sharon. I didn\u2019t invite anyone this year. I told Megan I couldn\u2019t host because of the surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sharon was quiet.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you invite us the other summers?\u201d<\/p>\n

I hesitated. For three years, I had protected Megan from awkward conversations by pretending everything was my idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cMegan asked the first year. After that, she sent me the dates, and I agreed. I should\u2019ve spoken up sooner, but this year I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sharon drew a shaky breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Judith. I had no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then her voice changed. She wasn\u2019t speaking to me anymore.<\/p>\n

\u201cMegan, you told me this woman was begging us to visit. Are you telling me she\u2019s been recovering from surgery while we expected her to cook for ten people?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMom, it\u2019s not like that. Greg said she\u2019d be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care what Greg said. Did you know she\u2019d had surgery?\u201d<\/p>\n

Megan didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnswer me, Megan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but I thought\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you and Greg ought to be ashamed of yourselves. She\u2019s your family, not your housekeeper.\u201d<\/p>\n

I heard Megan protesting, her voice rising as she tried to explain that the arrangements had been made months earlier. Sharon cut her off.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could\u2019ve called us. We would\u2019ve understood. Instead, you let us drive all this way thinking Judith wanted us here.\u201d<\/p>\n

For once, Megan had nothing to say.<\/p>\n

Sharon turned toward her husband.<\/p>\n

\u201cDennis, put those suitcases back in the car. We\u2019re getting hotel rooms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Someone protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care,\u201d Sharon answered. \u201cJudith just had surgery. We are not putting her through this.\u201d<\/p>\n

She returned to the phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoney, is there anything we can bring you? Groceries? Medicine? Anything at all?\u201d<\/p>\n

I could not answer at once. In three summers, nobody from that family had asked me what I needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNancy\u2019s taking good care of me,\u201d I at last said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad. And when you\u2019re feeling better, I\u2019d like to take you to lunch. Just us two.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like that, Sharon.\u201d<\/p>\n

After we hung up, I sat quietly while Nancy brought me breakfast.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou all right?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

I gave a nod, although my eyes were wet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI keep thinking about how easily that could\u2019ve been avoided.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nancy set my plate on the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt could have. But you aren\u2019t the one who made it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

That night, Greg called again. The family had found rooms at a hotel in Indianapolis, splitting the expense among the adults.<\/p>\n

He sounded exhausted.<\/p>\n

\u201cMom, can I come see you tomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n

I wished to say yes at once, yet I forced myself ask the question I had avoided for years.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you coming to see how I\u2019m doing, or to ask me to fix this?\u201d<\/p>\n

He was quiet.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo see how you\u2019re doing,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd to apologize.\u201d<\/p>\n

He arrived Monday after work.<\/p>\n

Nancy admitted him. He paused at the living-room entrance, seeing my brace over my nightgown, walker beside the recliner, and prescriptions on the side table.<\/p>\n

Greg looked at them, then at me. His expression changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cMom, I didn\u2019t know you were still in this much pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI told you.\u201d<\/p>\n

He lowered his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sat across from me and rubbed his hands together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess I thought you\u2019d be back to normal when you got home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why the hospital gave me recovery instructions.\u201d<\/p>\n

He glanced at the plastic folder beside my chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never read them,\u201d he admitted.<\/p>\n

For a while, neither of us spoke. Then Greg asked something that hurt more than I expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me how bad the summers were?\u201d<\/p>\n

I glanced at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did, honey.\u201d<\/p>\n

He frowned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLast summer, after the first week, I asked whether Megan\u2019s family could stay at a hotel for the rest of their visit. You told me I loved having people and not to make things awkward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg stared at the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t remember saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n

I told him about the grocery shopping, the laundry, and the evenings when I could barely stand long enough to finish cooking.<\/p>\n

Then I told him about the chili.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were twelve chairs at the table. You pulled up a stool for yourself, and I ate standing in the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cMom, why didn\u2019t you say something?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I thought you\u2019d notice.\u201d<\/p>\n

My voice broke, and I paused before continuing.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou came into the kitchen and asked me where the ketchup was. I was standing right there, leaning against the counter because my leg had gone numb. You walked past me and never looked up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg covered his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t remember that either.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what hurts, sweetheart. I remember every minute of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He started crying. I hadn\u2019t seen him cry like that since Thomas\u2019s funeral.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Mom. I was so used to you taking care of everybody that I never stopped to think who was taking care of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

I reached for his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour father used to notice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg looked up.<\/p>\n

\u201cDad would\u2019ve made you sit down.\u201d<\/p>\n

I smiled through my tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery Thanksgiving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thomas owned a cartoon-turkey apron. After meals, he wore it and sent everyone out of the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cJudy cooked. Judy sits,\u201d he\u2019d announce.<\/p>\n

He washed dishes while singing Neil Diamond songs badly; I drank coffee at the table as he grumbled about the stubborn gravy pan.<\/p>\n

Greg remembered it too. He glanced toward Thomas\u2019s reading glasses on the side table, then wiped his face with his sleeve.<\/p>\n

\u201cDad spent his whole life making sure you had a place at the table,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cAnd I spent three summers forgetting to save you one.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was speechless. Greg leaned forward and took both my hands, careful not to pull me toward him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how I let that happen, Mom. I really don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got used to me saying yes,\u201d I whispered. \u201cAnd I got used to thinking that saying no would make me a bad mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were never a bad mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen don\u2019t make me prove I\u2019m a good one by wearing myself out.\u201d<\/p>\n

He gave a nod, crying harder.<\/p>\n

I let him sit with those words. I loved my son, yet I needed him to understand that an apology wouldn\u2019t erase the years when I was treated like someone whose needs could always wait.<\/p>\n

After a while, I brought out the green folder.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something else I need to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

I explained about Maple Ridge, the deposit, and my conversation with the realtor.<\/p>\n

Greg stared at the floor plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re selling the house?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the plan, once I\u2019ve recovered enough to move.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Mom, that\u2019s our home. It\u2019s where Dad lived.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know exactly what it is, Greg. I spent thirty years loving that house.\u201d<\/p>\n

He appeared frightened.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs this because of Megan?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. I\u2019ve been considering it since last spring. I can\u2019t keep climbing stairs and maintaining four bedrooms. I need a home that fits the life I have now.\u201d<\/p>\n

He studied the photograph of Unit 14.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s only one guest room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWill I still be welcome?\u201d<\/p>\n

My throat tightened. He resembled the boy who once stood in the hall after nightmares, afraid to ask to sleep beside us.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you will, honey.\u201d<\/p>\n

I squeezed his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you\u2019ll have to call first.\u201d<\/p>\n

He gave a small laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you\u2019ll have to ask, not assume.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can do that too.\u201d<\/p>\n

For once since the surgery, I believed he understood. Understanding wasn\u2019t enough by itself, naturally. I needed to see what he did next.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday evening, Greg arrived carrying a Panera bag.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d called first.<\/p>\n

Inside were chicken noodle soup, a bread bowl, and a chocolate chip cookie.<\/p>\n

He placed everything on the table beside my chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cI should\u2019ve brought this last week,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

I glanced at the soup.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, you should have.\u201d<\/p>\n

He gave a nod.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then he went into Nancy\u2019s kitchen and began washing the dishes.<\/p>\n

He returned repeatedly that week, bringing dinner or accompanying my walker practice. He collected mail, watered my home\u2019s tomato plants, and asked before moving things.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t fix three years of neglect in a week. But he stopped expecting me to make things easy for him.<\/p>\n

Megan came the following Sunday.<\/p>\n

She called ahead, and when Nancy opened the door, she stood there holding a casserole dish wrapped in a kitchen towel. Her eyes were red.<\/p>\n

\u201cI made sweet potato casserole,\u201d she said. \u201cMy mom told me you liked it.\u201d<\/p>\n

I invited her to sit. She spent several minutes looking down at her hands before speaking.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents are furious with me,\u201d she admitted. \u201cThey found out I told them you invited everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy did you tell them that?\u201d<\/p>\n

She took a shaky breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I wanted them to think I\u2019d married into this wonderful, generous family. A big house in Carmel, a mother-in-law who loved having everyone visit. I wanted them to feel welcome somewhere nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

She described an eastern Kentucky trailer, sharing a bedroom with her sister while their parents worked long hours. To her, our house had been the most beautiful she\u2019d seen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted my family to experience that,\u201d she whispered. \u201cI wanted the kids to have vacations we couldn\u2019t afford when I was little.\u201d<\/p>\n

I understood her yearning: my parents had struggled to provide shelter, and buying our first home had brought me to tears.<\/p>\n

But understanding her feelings didn\u2019t mean accepting what she\u2019d done.<\/p>\n

\u201cMegan, I understand wanting to give your family something special. But you can\u2019t give them what belongs to somebody else.\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked up, a trace of defensiveness returning to her face.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you liked having us there. You never said anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did say something, Megan. You just didn\u2019t like my answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

She opened her mouth, then closed it again.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast summer, I told Greg I couldn\u2019t keep up. This year, I told you directly that I needed to recover. You looked at my walker and told me to do as you said.\u201d<\/p>\n

Megan stared at the casserole dish.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kept thinking about how happy my family would be,\u201d she admitted. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to tell them no.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you expected me to say yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

She gave a nod.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think about what it cost you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes moved to my walker.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t really think about you at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was the first time she\u2019d admitted that without trying to make herself sound misunderstood.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Judith. For the surgery, for the way I spoke to you, and for those summers. You didn\u2019t deserve any of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

I thanked her for saying so.<\/p>\n

When she asked whether I could forgive her, I answered as gently as I could.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She gave a nod.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t become close overnight. But she stopped treating my house as an extension of her own, and Greg stopped allowing her to make promises on my behalf.<\/p>\n

Over the months afterward, I recovered slowly. Some mornings were difficult, and I still needed Nancy\u2019s help more often than I liked. But I followed my physical therapist\u2019s instructions, took short walks, and began feeling stronger.<\/p>\n

By March, I was ready to sell.<\/p>\n

Carla listed the home; a family with three children offered a price I liked. They cherished the backyard and spare rooms for visiting grandparents.<\/p>\n

I could picture their children running through the hallway, just as Greg once had.<\/p>\n

Greg helped me pack. He took time off work, carried the heavy boxes, and asked before deciding what should be donated.<\/p>\n

On our final afternoon, we stood together in the empty living room.<\/p>\n

The pencil marks Thomas had made on the kitchen doorframe were still there, showing Greg\u2019s height at four, seven, twelve, and sixteen.<\/p>\n

Greg photographed every mark.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to miss this place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe too.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked around.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish Dad could\u2019ve seen how it turned out.\u201d<\/p>\n

I took his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour father wanted this house to be full of love, Greg. I think he\u2019d be happy another family gets to enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg helped me into the car.<\/p>\n

Before we drove away, I looked back at the front door one last time. I wasn\u2019t leaving Thomas behind. His reading glasses were safely packed beside me.<\/p>\n

In April, I moved into Unit 14 at Maple Ridge.<\/p>\n

I put my mother\u2019s blue quilt on the guest-room bed, Thomas\u2019s brass dish on my dresser, and his reading glasses on the kitchen windowsill.<\/p>\n

Nancy lived three blocks away. We began walking around the pond in the mornings, and I joined a book club at the community clubhouse. My back improved enough that I could make soup, tend a few tomato plants, and enjoy a quiet afternoon without worrying about the upstairs bathrooms.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Greg visited every Sunday. He called first, brought lunch, and washed the dishes afterward.<\/p>\n

Megan sometimes joined us with Sharon\u2019s casserole recipes. Gradually, our conversations moved beyond the old home.<\/p>\n

That summer, Megan\u2019s family rented a large cabin at Lake Cumberland in Kentucky. Everybody contributed to the cost, and Megan organized a cooking schedule.<\/p>\n

She called to invite me.<\/p>\n

\u201cJudith, we\u2019d love to have you for a few days. There\u2019s a bedroom on the first floor, and you wouldn\u2019t have to cook or clean. You\u2019d just be our guest.\u201d<\/p>\n

I considered it.<\/p>\n

Then I said yes.<\/p>\n

For four days, I read by the lake, watched swimming children, and enjoyed an afternoon chatting with Sharon. Nobody assigned groceries or laundry.<\/p>\n

On my last evening, Greg made chili.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d asked me for my recipe a week earlier.<\/p>\n

There were sixteen people at the cabin and only fourteen chairs around the long picnic table on the deck.<\/p>\n

I sat nearby, enjoying the sunset, when Greg came over.<\/p>\n

\u201cMom, dinner\u2019s ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be there in a minute, honey.\u201d<\/p>\n

He held out his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on. I\u2019ve got your place ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

He walked me to the head of the table.<\/p>\n

There was a padded chair with a pillow for my back. Beside my plate was a small handwritten card.<\/p>\n

Mom.<\/p>\n

I glanced at the chair, then at my son.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreg, there aren\u2019t enough seats for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s enough for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

I sat down.<\/p>\n

Greg and Megan served the chili, then took their bowls into the kitchen, where they ate standing at the counter.<\/p>\n

Halfway through dinner, Greg came back onto the deck. He stopped beside my chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cMom, do you need anything?\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked up at him, remembering another summer, another bowl of chili, and a son who\u2019d walked past me without noticing I stood.<\/p>\n

This time, he waited for my answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, sweetheart,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019ve got everything I need.\u201d<\/p>\n

He kissed the top of my head and went back inside.<\/p>\n

Past the table, the lake glowed gold. Children laughed, dishes clattered, and Megan asked Greg about more cornbread.<\/p>\n

I thought of Thomas standing at our kitchen sink in his ridiculous turkey apron, singing a Neil Diamond song.<\/p>\n

Judy cooked. Judy sits.<\/p>\n

I rested my hands on the table and looked at the little card beside my plate.<\/p>\n

For once in years, there was a chair waiting for me.<\/p>\n

And I hadn\u2019t needed to ask for it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PART 2: THE CHAIR AT THE TABLE Greg fell silent. I heard him leave the others, their voices fading before a car door shut. \u201cMom, can we talk about this later? Everybody\u2019s upset.\u201d \u201cNo....<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nPart 2 - Welcome<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=11338\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Part 2 - Welcome\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"PART 2: THE CHAIR AT THE TABLE Greg fell silent. I heard him leave the others, their voices fading before a car door shut. \u201cMom, can we talk about this later? Everybody\u2019s upset.\u201d \u201cNo....\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=11338\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Welcome\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-11-12T22:58:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?p=11338#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?p=11338\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cdbab16ac691b2d41fc3a1b62b58b015\"},\"headline\":\"Part 2\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-12T22:58:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?p=11338\"},\"wordCount\":3087,\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?p=11338\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?p=11338\",\"name\":\"Part 2 - Welcome\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-12T22:58:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cdbab16ac691b2d41fc3a1b62b58b015\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?p=11338#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?p=11338\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?p=11338#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Part 2\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/\",\"name\":\"Welcome\",\"description\":\"Breaking News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cdbab16ac691b2d41fc3a1b62b58b015\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/awestories24.press\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Part 2 - Welcome","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=11338","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Part 2 - Welcome","og_description":"PART 2: THE CHAIR AT THE TABLE Greg fell silent. I heard him leave the others, their voices fading before a car door shut. \u201cMom, can we talk about this later? Everybody\u2019s upset.\u201d \u201cNo....","og_url":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=11338","og_site_name":"Welcome","article_published_time":"2026-11-12T22:58:33+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"14 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=11338#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=11338"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/#\/schema\/person\/cdbab16ac691b2d41fc3a1b62b58b015"},"headline":"Part 2","datePublished":"2026-11-12T22:58:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=11338"},"wordCount":3087,"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=11338","url":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=11338","name":"Part 2 - Welcome","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-11-12T22:58:33+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/#\/schema\/person\/cdbab16ac691b2d41fc3a1b62b58b015"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=11338#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=11338"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=11338#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Part 2"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/#website","url":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/","name":"Welcome","description":"Breaking News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/#\/schema\/person\/cdbab16ac691b2d41fc3a1b62b58b015","name":"admin","sameAs":["https:\/\/awestories24.press"],"url":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11338"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11338\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11339,"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11338\/revisions\/11339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}