“I’ll talk to Vivian.”
Before she could respond, he was heading off to grab his daughter. She only hoped he took what she said to heart. Anything he needed; she was there. She wasn’t exaggerating, she was being honest. Their short time apart taught her that she would indeed do anything for him. And if she hadn’t been certain before, the coatroom proved it.
CHRISTIAN
“Still like it here, Mom?” Chris asked.
He had stopped by to check on her every day before and after work, but it was only his second time bringing Lily with him. The staff seemed friendly, and the place was clean. If she liked it, he loved it. But he was still anxious for her to go home.
“I do like it. Everyone is nice and they tell me I’ve been doing great since I’ve been here.”
Lily sat in the chair at the far side of the room and played on her phone, completely uninterested in what was going on. She greeted her abuela with a hug and a kiss, asked her how she wasfeeling, then parked herself in a chair before mentally checking out. Chris couldn’t blame her. He wouldn’t have been interested when he was her age either.
“Any idea when you can go home?”
“I’m not sure I want to go home,” his mom said after a moment. “I heard they might have a spot available in the assisted living building. It doesn’t sound bad having people check on you and a full-time staff so if something happens, they can help me.”
“I can help you,” Chris interjected, offended by the implication that he wasn’t there for his mother. He had always been there as much as he could. If she ever needed anything, he was there without question.
“I know you can, honey. But I would rather not bother you if I don’t have to. Plus, I have friends here. Take my house. No need to live in that small apartment. And if for some reason I decide I want to come back, then I know I have a place to go back to,” Mrs. Ramirez reasoned with him.
“Mom, it’s your house. I don’t need all that space. My apartment is fine.”
“Not for you and Lily,” she pointed out.
“We’re fine for the amount of time she gets to stay with me. And once you’re home then she’ll go back to spending a lot of her time there.”
His mom sat forward in her chair and covered his hand with hers. “I’m not coming home, Christian. And Lily wants to stay with you, so this could be the perfect opportunity.”
Her warm hand soothed him, but the words she uttered came as a surprise. He didn’t expect his mom to bring up Lily staying since he had purposely avoided the topic whenever he came to visit. He knew how she was; she wouldn’t rest until Lily was permanently living with him and he wasn’t sure that was possible.
“Mom, I’m not going to –”
“Don’t argue with me, please,” she interrupted. “They have an apartment for me in the assisted living, and I’m going to move into it as soon as I’m ready. I’m also telling you that child needs to be with you. Don’t ask me why I’m so sure if it, just know that I am.”
It wasn’t often his mother took that tone of voice with him, but when she did, he knew not to argue with her. The thought of her not returning home made his body feel cold from the inside out. He grew up in the modest home, but he wouldn’t feel right living in it without her being there. There had to be another solution.
“Christian, I can hear you thinking way over here. What is it?”
“It’s just—” He paused to clear his throat when his voice unexpectedly cracked. “If you don’t come home, nothing will be the same.”
“Things can’t stay the same forever. I’m old. I never would have admitted it then, but it was hard for me on my own. Even before the fall. It’s time.”
He blinked back tears and chanced a glance at his daughter. She was no longer in her own little world ignoring the rest of them. Now sitting up straight in her chair, she watched the interaction with wide eyes.
“Abuela? You really aren’t coming back home?” she choked out.
His mother’s eyes softened as she looked at Lily. “My apartment will be my home. I’m not staying in this nursing home, but I need something smaller where people will always be around if I need them. Your dad has a life to live. It isn’t fair for him to have to be ready to drop everything in case I need something.”
“I know it’s not my job, but I want to be there for you. Me. Not some strangers,” he interrupted.
“I know. I know you want to. And you can. But now you don’t have to worry about something happening while you’re at work. If you want to go away for a weekend, you’ll know I’m okay. Trust me. This will be good for everyone.”
Chris tried to slow his racing thoughts. Even if she was right, he didn’t want strangers taking care of her. Assisted livings were for old people who didn’t have families, or whose family didn’t want anything to do with them. His mom had a family.
“Abuela?” Lily began. “How did you know I don’t want to go back to Florida?”
“Abuela knows these things, sweetheart,” was her answer.
