“They are mine! You can’t stop me!” she screamed and clutched the box to her as if it were her most prized possession. Maybe they truly were her most prizedpossessions.
I didn’t even careanymore.
“Let her take them. They’ll just confiscate them and report it,” I said as I flopped down on the old couch. The cushions had been broken down and the springs no longer supported the flimsycushion.
“Are you fucking nuts?” Chad asked me. I had no energy left and let my head rest on the cushion of the couch. “These are one of a kind. I’m still finding stuff toupload.”
“You’re fucking sick,Chad.”
“Ry, we could make a killing on some ‘then and now’ videos. Then I wouldn’t have to beg you formoney.”
That’s twice now that he’d mentioned money. Whenever he mentioned money, I would get nervous. He’d get desperate and then I ended up with shitty emails or videos. I got up from the couch and taped up some boxes, then carried them outside. It was 5:30 before I walked down the steps of the porch with my mom beside me. We were ready to go. I was going to take her in my SUV and we’d follow Chad in his truck. In the car she was back to her happy self. I was tired and irritated from theday.
“Why are you so happy?” I finallyasked.
“I get to see my husbandtoday.”
I almost rear-ended Chad’struck.
“Oh?”
“After our son’s death, he went away. He felt guilty about not watching Ryan on the tracks. But today we’re going to be reunited and are moving into the same suite at the retirementresort.”
“Does Chad know?” I carefullyasked.
“Oh yes. He’s the one who arrangedit.”
I gripped the steering wheel as tight as I could. He got her to agree to move by telling her dad would be there too. Fuck. For the rest of our drive all I could think about was how this would go when she realized my dad wasn’tthere.
When we arrived at the assisted living home, we took a look around at what would be her new home. I felt guilty, though I didn’t know why. Chad quickly brushed by me with boxes, as if he couldn’t wait to be rid ofher.
“Chad do you know what time your father will be arriving?” she asked him as he set the last box down in her new livingroom.
“Uh, yeah.” He looked at his watch. Fucking asshole. “He said he’d be here between eight and nine tonight.” He looked at me almost as if were challenging me to say something. “I’ll be back, Mom,” Chad said and headed toward thedoor.
I had the strangest feeling that he was going to leave, so I paced near the window where I could see his truck in the parking lot. While Mom rambled on about how excited she was to see Dad, I watched Chad get into his truck, back out of the spot and drive away. Fuckingasshole.
I helped her unpack some boxes and when there was a knock on the door, she hurried towards it. Two older ladies stood on the other side and let us know that dinner was being wrapped up in the diningroom.
“Are you hungry?” I askedher.
“Yes, but I should wait for Chad and myhusband.”
“We could go eat something light and leave room for later,” Isuggested.
She agreed and made it to the dining room. There were a lot of seniors there. My mom wasn’t a senior by a long shot, but the dementia put her there. I carried her tray as she pointed to food items she wanted along with my bowl of soup to a table by the window. She nibbled and gazed outside, eager to see the man that would nevershow.
“You’re a nice young man to help me,” shesaid.
I looked up at her and fought the tears. I was a nice young man, but not herson.
“What do your parentsdo?”
She still focused on the parking lot and hadn’t looked atme.
“Um.” I set my spoon down and rubbed the back of my neck, trying to find a way to talk. “My dad is dead. My mom—” I quickly wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and took a deep breath. “My mom, she doesn’t know me. She doesn’t know I’malive.”
Her head hadn’t moved from thewindow.
