Suzie's House 72: If the Shoe Fits

In the episode from last week, Ben tried to come home, but Suzie couldn’t let him stay.

Suzie might not have caught Miranda red handed if she hadn’t felt so bad about the way Ben stormed off. She felt like crying, and didn’t want to do it in front of anyone, so headed for her room. At the top of the stairs, she saw Miranda sneaking into Ben’s room.

“Miranda, what are you doing?” Suzie reached her son’s room just as Miranda came out.

“Nothing,” Miranda said too quickly. She stepped in the way when Suzie tried to go around her to see what might have been disturbed. “Nothing! Nothing. Just a pair of boots.”

“Boots?” Suzie backed off, not wanting to stoop to a shoving match. Besides, she always lost to Miranda.

“I ran out of room in my closet and Vin won’t let me near his, so I thought….”

“You’re using my son’s room for storage?!” Once she got over the idea, Suzie swiped her hand over her face and groaned. She shouldn’t have been surprised. It was exactly the sort of thing she could expect from Miranda.

“It’s just a pair of boots! What harm will it do?”

What harm? It broke Suzie’s heart. If she let Miranda keep a pair of boots in his room it was as good as admitting she’d lost him. On the heels of his rejection, Suzie couldn’t take it. She shoved past Miranda with enough force to knock over a football player.

It wasn’t just a pair of boots. It was several dozen shoes, boots, sandals, and purses. Chiffon scarves draped over Ben’s lamp. Belts hung from his bookcase, which still held his rock collection, toys, and autographed baseball. A pile of skirts draped over his desk. Miranda had turned Ben’s room into a walk-in closet.

Suzie was so angry, she started to shake. She didn’t trust her voice to say anything. Didn’t Miranda care at all about Ben?

“It’s not like he needs it right now,” Miranda sputtered. “If you saw how much of my stuff is still in boxes. I had to let the old apartment go, and had nowhere to put everything. Do you realize my room is the smallest room in the house?!” Her face grew red as she stumbled from one excuse to another.

“No.” Suzie swallowed hard, getting her anger under control. “You will not do this to Ben or to me.”

“But what am I supposed to do?”

“You can put it all in the Attic. I don’t have much up there. We can share.”

“The attic?” Miranda huffed in exasperation. “But my cashmere…”

“You will put it all in the attic and you will do it today. If I find any of your things anywhere except in your room, or the attic, so help me, Miranda, I’ll throw you out!”

The room rang with the weight of her pronouncement as if the very walls were stunned.

“You wouldn’t,” Miranda shook her head, her eyes wide. “Not now when, you know, we’re being stalked.”

Suzie hesitated. She would love to stand by those words. She really would. She’d wanted to kick Miranda out even before she moved in. But it wouldn’t be safe for Miranda to live alone now, with Sean and Joseph threatening them. They had to stick together.

“No, I won’t,” she said reluctantly. “I won’t throw anyone out. But I’ll feed you corned beef and cabbage for a month. See if I don’t.”

Miranda went pale. “You would, wouldn’t you.”

“You bet your sweet patootie I would. Get it all out by sun down.”

“Today? Why?”

“Just in case Ben comes back tonight.” Suzie said wistfully.