Waiting

“I turn back to the stove and slowly stir the thickening syrup.  I put down the spoon. The filthy steam drips from the ceiling on to my hair, my arms, my belly, the floor.  My fingertips hold the edge of the stove lightly.  The crying comes, silent, the kettle shushing on the stove” (31).
Meredith is breaking down as she is alone without her father or Catherine at their house. She has tried to contact her mother, but every time she tried to reach out it seemed as though she didn't want to talk. Her mother doesn't appear to understand how difficult it is to deal with the emotions that accompany a pregnancy, let alone a pregnancy at sistema years old; obviously she has gone through more than one pregnancy but doesn't want to open up to her daughter nor allow her daughter to open up to her. Meredith is doing something, anything to stay productive but it's not enough to make maple syrup. She's still constantly thinking about her child, what her life will be like from that point on and the mistake she made trusting Anthony.