If These Walls Could Talk (22 page)

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Authors: Bettye Griffin

BOOK: If These Walls Could Talk
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Chapter 33
The Youngs
February 2004
“M
ilo!” Dawn said in exasperation. “What do I have to do to get you away from that slot machine, use a crowbar?”
“Not now, not while I'm winning.”
She sighed. “Honestly, Milo. We spend all this money to take a nice cruise and you want to spend the entire time in the casino.” She wondered how much money he had spent between the slots and the poker and blackjack tables, then tried to chase that thought away. She wasn't supposed to worry about those things, not during a vacation that should be strictly fun.
There'd be plenty of time for that after they returned home.
“I'll be done in fifteen minutes. I swear.”
“All right. I'm going to take my book up to the deck. Come and have a drink with me.”
“Where's Zach?”
“He's with the kids' group. The counselor keeps them pretty busy. I doubt we'll see him until dinner.”
She headed for their cabin, furnished with a double bed, a desk and straight-backed chair, plus an oversized upholstered chair that the stewards converted to a twin bed for Zach at night. She picked up her sunglasses and the paperback that the reading group planned to discuss.
Fifteen minutes later she was lounging in the sun on the ship's deck, a fresh ocean breeze cooling her shortsclad legs. A waiter brought her a Strawberry Colada, and after signing her name to the receipt she sat back and took a long sip. The alcohol surged through her body, relaxing her instantly. This, she thought, was the life. Zach occupied all day, Milo happy and smiling, and her enjoying the food that the ship's crew constantly served and the equally plentiful shopping, two of her favorite activities. Both of those pastimes helped make up for the temporary shelving of another favorite activity while she and Milo shared a cabin with their son.
She fought weight gain from the extra food and alcohol intake by joining in on the brisk walk-around-the-deck exercises in the mornings, and yesterday she and Milo played several sets of volleyball. Milo had even volunteered a couple of times to go down to the deck below and retrieve a ball that had gotten knocked out too far. Of course, Milo also did a fair amount of sitting, like he was doing right now, warming a chair in the casino for the past hour and a half.
They were now about halfway through their trip. The ship was sailing toward its final destination of Grand Cayman, where it would dock later this afternoon. Dawn had done some research on the island's shopping, and planned to treat herself to some nice jewelry and real perfume while there.
They'd gotten a good rate on this late-winter cruise through a discount-travel Web site. Still, with the purchase of three tickets it was still expensive. But Dawn and Milo had never taken a vacation without Zach. He was their only child, and it didn't seem right to them to leave him behind. If he had a sibling things would have been different, but they'd wanted only one child, feeling that more would limit their ability to provide the way they wanted to. Zach, not yet twelve, lived a life that many other children would envy. In just a few short years, when he reached college, he'd probably prefer to travel with his friends than to go anywhere with his parents, which would be tough to accept. Whenever she heard of a fortyish woman having another child ten or twelve years after their last one she nodded in understanding while others often scoffed. It was like getting a second chance at being a parent, eighteen more years of joy.
She and Milo agreed it would be best to drive down to the pier in Tampa, which, although inconvenient, saved the cost of three round-trip air fares. Two of their cruise tickets, if not the accompanying port charges, were covered by her surprise bonus check this year, a thousand dollars. Her attempts to run her department more efficiently—something she'd had to come up with so she could make her bus home every night—had been cited by management.
Milo's bonus was only five hundred dollars, but he received it every year and considered himself lucky to get it. He'd long stated that the programming industry in the U.S. was in trouble, threatened by lower-paid workers in Asia, and predicted much lower wages for those just starting out and low salary increases for established workers like him.
For their shipboard spending, Milo set up a signand-go account for them. Even Zach had the ability to pay for his Sprites by signing his name to a receipt. In addition to Dawn's daily consumption of tropical drinks, she'd made some purchases in the ship's boutiques, and she'd had a wonderful massage yesterday in the spa, cheerfully paying for it all and signing with a flourish. Already in the back of her mind she dreaded seeing the tally.
Dawn chased that thought out of her mind with a long slug of Strawberry Colada. They'd all remember this trip for a long, long time, and that's what counted.
Two days later, the three of them struggled to carry their luggage plus all the merchandise they'd bought: Perfume and jewelry were lightweight, but that onyx chess set and sculptures, Zach's colorful baseball bat from Mexico, the boxed bottles of Mexican Kahlúa and various liquors from Grand Cayman, and all the T-shirts from both destinations added both weight and bulk to their luggage.
“Good thing we didn't fly after all,” Milo remarked as he placed the chess set on top of the luggage in the Volvo's trunk. “We would have had to pay extra to check all this stuff, and they wouldn't have let us on with this.” He held up Zach's baseball bat. “It's considered a weapon, and it's too damn long to fit in any of the bags.”
“You forgot the liquor bottles, Dad,” Zach said.
“They're not going to fit in here. You'll have to share the back seat with them, buddy.”
“Oh, it was a wonderful trip,” Dawn said contentedly as she settled into the front seat. “I wish we could turn back the clock and do it all over again.”
“Now back to the frozen north,” Milo muttered.
“I can't wait to see Stormy,” Zach said.
“We'll stop at the kennel before we go home. We should get in early tomorrow. They'll still be open.” Milo started the engine. “I kind of miss the old girl myself.”
“Bye, Florida,” Zach called out.
Dawn turned her head toward him. “We'll be in Florida another couple of hours, Zach.”
“And then Georgia, and then . . .”—he stopped to think for a moment—“South Carolina, and then North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and then Pennsylvania.”
“You forgot Delaware,” she said with a smile.
“Oh, that's right.”
“That's forgivable,” Milo said, “since we're only in Delaware for maybe twenty minutes before we cross into Pennsylvania.”
“How far are we gonna go today, Dad?”
“I'd like to make North Carolina, but I don't know. We might only get as far as South Carolina this afternoon. It'll take about four hours just to get out of Florida.”
“Let's not wait too late to stop, Milo,” Dawn suggested.
“It's 9:45 now. We'll go until 6:00 and stop wherever we are at that time.”
“Uh, did you get the folio for our charges?” she asked.
“Yes. But don't ask. You don't want to know.”
She stared out the passenger window at the rapidly passing landscape, content to take his word for it.
But the time had come to start worrying.
Chapter 34
The Lees
March 2004
V
eronica rushed into the hospital where she had worked for years. She didn't have to ask for directions to the emergency room; she knew how to get there.
She burst into the double doors. Her mother sat in the waiting room, leaning forward with her eyes cast downward, Valerie on one side of her and Essence on the other.
“Aunt Veronica is here, Grandma,” Essence said.
Phyllis Mills looked up and broke into a feeble smile. “Veronica. I knew you'd come.”
Veronica bent to embrace her. “How is he?”
“We don't know yet. It's awful, this waiting.”
“Was there any warning?”
Phyllis shook her head sadly. “He just collapsed. I heard a thump and went to see what happened. There he was, lying on the kitchen floor. I called the ambulance right away.”
“Pop has never had any kind of heart trouble before,” Valerie said hopefully.
“No, but his father—your grandfather—died of a heart attack when he was seventy-three.”
Valerie's shoulders slumped in defeat. “I didn't know, Mom.”
“You'd have no way to know, dear. Franklin's parents lived down in Virginia, and you girls didn't really see them a lot. Mostly in the summer and at Christmas. You were still young when he died. You didn't really understand what death meant.”
Essence thoughtfully moved over a seat so Veronica could sit next to her mother. For about five minutes they sat silently. Then a nurse came out. “Mr. Mills is resting comfortably,” she said.
“Oh, thank God.” Phyllis dabbed at her eyes. “I've been sitting here praying.”
Glancing at the four of them, the nurse added, “Two of you at a time may visit him. We're waiting for lab results to determine what happened, but my guess is he'll be admitted.”
“You and Valerie go, Mom,” Veronica urged. “I'll wait here with Essence. “We'll take turns visiting with Pop.”
Phyllis, leaning on Valerie's arm, seemed much older than her sixty-three years this afternoon, almost feeble. Her parents had been married over forty years. No doubt the thought of losing her life's partner had terrified her. Still, she'd done well, with the presence of mind in what had to be a frightening situation to call for help instead of standing over her unconscious husband, bawling.
Veronica turned to her niece. “Have you been here long?”
“About two hours.”
“Did you have lunch?”
Essence shook her head.
“I'll bet you're hungry. Tell you what. I want to give Norman a quick call and let him know what's going on, and then you and I will go to the cafeteria and get some lunch.”
“What about Mom and Grandma?”
“Oh, I'm sure they'll figure out where we went. It'll be all right to slip away for a few minutes, now we know Grandpa's doing okay. You have to eat, Essence. Grandpa would want you to.”
In the cafeteria Essence ordered a typical teenage meal of cheeseburger, fries, and soda. Veronica settled for the hospital's chicken salad sandwich; she liked it.
“Try not to worry about Grandpa,” Veronica told her niece. “Even if he did have a heart attack, I don't think the Lord is ready for him yet.” Her attempts to cheer up her niece raised her own spirits, although uneasiness about her father's health had worked its way into her blood.
“Do you really think Grandpa is going to be all right?”
“I think it's a very good sign that he's alert. I know you've prayed for him this morning and afternoon, but be sure to say another prayer that he recovers tonight before you go to sleep.”
“Why didn't Lorinda and Simone and Uncle Norman come with you, Aunt Veronica?”
“Oh, I thought it might be best if the girls stayed in school. They can always come with Uncle Norman if—” she broke off, not wanting to say, “If there's a real emergency.” That sounded too ominous. “I called Uncle Norman right after your mom called me, and he's going to leave work early so he'll be home when they get home from school.” She smiled across the table at her niece, who at almost fourteen had become a lovely young lady, if a little on the chubby side. She had a sweet shyness about her and thus far hadn't demonstrated any of the rebellious behavior so common in teenagers, particularly those who, like Essence, had less than ideal home lives.
“So how is everything with you otherwise?” Veronica asked.
Essence looked down at her food for a few moments. “Aunt Veronica, do you think I might be able to come and stay with you and Uncle Norman for a while?”
Veronica's forehead wrinkled. “You want to stay with us? What's wrong, Essence? Aren't you happy at home?”
“It's just that sometimes I think I'm in Mom's way.”
“In her way? How?”
“Because it seems like she wants to spend all her time with her boyfriends. She doesn't spend much time with me.”
Veronica hated the forlorn look in Essence's eyes. She would like nothing better than to wring Valerie's neck for putting it there. Her sister needed to stop chasing men long enough to realize the devastating effect it had on her only child.
“Essence,” she said, “you're always welcome at my home, provided it's okay with your mother. But the way you feel is very serious, and your mother should know about it. Have you discussed it with her?”
“I did talk to her about it.”
“What did she say?”
“Oh, that I'm being silly, that nobody means more to her than me, stuff like that.”
Veronica had the sense that if Essence hadn't been so respectful of her mother she would have said something like,
All that bullshit.
“You didn't believe her?”
Essence twisted her napkin. “All I know is that I don't
feel
like the most important person in her life, no matter what she says.”
Veronica made up her mind right then and there. “If your mother says it's okay, of course you can come stay with us. But I think it might be best if you waited until summer vacation. The schools in Tobyhanna are ahead of the ones in New York. You might have trouble catching up.” Summer vacation still lay several months away. Maybe her sister would come to her senses.
But she doubted it. As soon as she had an opportunity, she would get Valerie alone for a talk.
When Veronica and Essence returned to the emergency room, they stayed with Franklin while Phyllis and Valerie went to get something to eat. Lab tests revealed that Franklin had indeed suffered what they termed a myocardial infarction, which Veronica, an RN, knew meant heart attack. The four of them continued to take turns sitting at his bedside in the ER bay until he was ready to be transferred. As the orderly wheeled Franklin's gurney toward his room, they followed behind.
Veronica walked alongside her mother, holding her hand. “He'll be all right, Mom,” she assured her. “This is one of the best hospitals in the city. And I'm not saying that just because I used to work here.”
“Veronica, it's so sweet of you to stay all day like this. But don't you have to go to work tonight?”
“I've already called in and explained that my father had a heart attack in New York and that I won't be in. They're lining up someone to cover at least part of my shift.”
Her mother looked distressed. “I hate for you to take off work.”
“Don't worry about it, Mom. I'm getting paid. That's what personal days are for. And I'll be back here on my day off.”
“I want you to get home before dark tonight. Valerie will bring me home.”
“Mom, there's nothing wrong with my night vision, but I am a little tired. I'll probably be leaving soon.”
They waited outside Franklin's room while the orderly and a nurse transferred their newest patient from the gurney to the bed.
Veronica yawned. “Excuse me.”
“You probably need to think about setting out for home,” Valerie said. “It'll take you nearly two hours to get there, won't it?”
“Give or take. I'd like to see if I can get a jump on the rush-hour traffic. Uh . . . Valerie, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure. Mom, Essence, we'll be right back.”
They walked down the hall toward the elevators, stopping when they spotted two unoccupied chairs in a corner.
“I know what you're going to say,” Valerie began. “You want me to keep a close eye on Mom. Don't worry, Veronica. I'm on it. I know you can't get here very often.”
“I'm glad to hear that, Valerie, but actually I wanted to talk to you about Essence.”
“Essence? What about her?”
“Let me say first of all that I'm not trying to get into your business. Essence volunteered some information to me.” The last thing Veronica wanted was a rehashing of the unpleasant episode in Mount Pocono when Valerie accused her of just that after she and Norman refused to allow her to sleep with Michael at their house.
Valerie's eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What'd she tell you?”
“She asked if she could move in with me. It seems she's feeling rather unloved lately because your attentions lie elsewhere.”
“Oh,
that.
It's nothing but a bid for attention. We already talked about it.”
“I'm worried about her, Valerie.”
“It's
nothing
, Veronica. Essence is trying to manipulate you into feeling sorry for her. She told me she wishes we lived in the country. It's all those teen shows she's been watching, where all the kids in the suburbs hang out at the mall and the drive-in hamburger place.”
Veronica didn't believe it. Essence was just looking for the love her own mother should supply. God only knew what path her search would lead her down. “I told her that if it was okay with you, she could come spend summer vacation with us.”
Valerie shrugged. “It's all right with me.”
Her instant approval confirmed for Veronica that her suspicions were correct.
You didn't even have to think about it, did you?
It was nearly six when Veronica returned home. An anxious-looking Norman and the girls greeted her and sat her down to a dinner of spaghetti, salad, and breadsticks they'd prepared themselves in their messy but still operational kitchen. She'd had to send the workmen home this morning when she received a frantic call from Valerie.
“How's Grandpa, Mommy?” Lorinda asked.
“He's resting comfortably. We'll see how he does the next few days.”
“Can we go see him?” Simone asked.
“I'll bring you girls into the city on Sunday, when I'm off,” Norman told them. “Of course, hopefully he will have been discharged from the hospital by then.”
“They don't need to go to a hospital, anyway,” Veronica said. “When I was your age, girls, children weren't allowed to visit patients. You had to be at least twelve, I think.”
“I'm almost twelve,” Lorinda stated proudly.
Simone made a face. “Oh, you won't be twelve til August.
My
birthday's next month.”
“Yeah, but you'll only be nine, so shut up.”
Veronica and Norman exchanged smiles. Their once-close daughters had reached a point where they had become competitive, which would probably go on through their early teenage years until they became close once more. It wouldn't be easy, but at least her daughters knew they were loved. Poor Essence felt like she'd been pushed to the background in favor of a parade of men.
Veronica had forgotten to tell Norman about that. But it wasn't a suitable discussion for the dinner table, so she'd have to talk to him about it later.

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