Heart to Heart

by Layce Gardner

  “I promise,” Amy said, and meant it. She knew she had to start letting people in if she were going to make it through all this. She picked up the album and both she and Millie shuffled off to their bedrooms.

  Amy snuggled under the comforter. She vowed to be kinder to her mother. And she’d have to make plans for staying in Fenton. At least for a little while. Tomorrow, she’d call her friend Elsie in New York and get her to sublet her apartment. She couldn’t leave her mother at her most vulnerable.

  Amy vowed that she would make up for her family’s despair by finding happiness in her own life. It was a tall order, but she’d do her best. It was time she grew up and looked life straight in the face. The despair would end with her. She would make the kind of life her father had envisioned for her. He’d wanted her to be happy. To honor his memory, she’d try to do just that.

  Chapter Nine

  “Amy!” her mother said as she walked into the room at Brookside. Susan was sitting in a chair next to her mother’s bed.

  Amy was astounded. Her mother knew who she was. How had this happened so soon after her mother had gone into the hospital? Amy had thought it would take weeks and a lot of hard work to get her mother to recognize her again.

  Susan smiled reassuringly at Amy. “It’s a good day.”

  “I’ll say,” Amy replied.

  “Amy, have you heard? My house burned down.”

  “Yes, Mom, I know. I’m taking care of it.”

  “Are all my things gone?” She pulled her face into a childish pout.

  Amy didn’t know what to say. Should she tell her mother that her stuff was gone? Would that set her off?

  Susan saved her. “Now, Mary, we can talk about all that later. You need to get some rest.”

  “I have been resting. This is a very nice hotel, but I want to go home when my house is fixed. Are you doing that? Are you fixing things?”

  “Yes, Mom, I am,” Amy said. Her mother clutched her hand so hard it hurt. When her mother had recognized her, Amy had a moment of denial. Maybe she didn’t really have Alzheimer’s. Maybe her mother had been confused and forgetful, but didn’t that happen to old people? What did they call it? Brain fog. Menopausal women had it sometimes.

  “I’m so glad you’re here, honey,” Mary said. “Did Jean call and tell you about it?”

  Amy’s false hope was dashed when she she realized her mother was still unaware of her sister’s death. Amy didn’t know what to say. Should she try to explain that Jean was gone?

  “It’s all good. I’m here and you’re safe. I’m glad you like this place,” Amy said. She waited for her mother to press her about Jean but she didn’t, thank god.

  Mary let go of Amy’s hand. “That nice bell boy brought my bag to the room.” She pointed at the duffle bag sitting on top of the dresser. Apparently, in her mother’s mind, Amy was both her daughter and a bell boy.

  Amy had gone through her mother’s closet and found nightgowns, several pantsuits, blouses, and shoes. It had been an overwhelming task.

  Millie had come to her rescue. “She wears these things mostly. She could use some new under things. I’ll go shopping and get the appropriate kind. You can take them over later.”

  “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “You’d manage, honey. You’re stronger than you think,” Millie had said.

  Amy needed to make that her mantra. Maybe if she said it enough times, she would come to believe it.

  The nurse came in with her mother’s medication. Susan had already given Amy a list of medications her mother was taking. “It’s important to keep you in the loop,” she had said.

  “Here, you go Mrs. Warner,” the nurse said pleasantly. She was a light-skinned black woman with straightened hair. Her name tag read Jackie.

  “Oh goody, my vitamins. I’ve been taking them regularly. Haven’t I, Jackie?”

  “You sure have,” Jackie said, handing her a glass of water from the nightstand. “I’ll be bringing you your lunch in a little while.”

  “You can’t beat this room service,” Mary said. “I think I’m going to have a little nap now. Why don’t you do some sightseeing, Amy? We can talk more later.”

  “Sure, that’s a wonderful idea,” Amy said.

  Her mother closed her eyes. Amy, Jackie, and Susan quietly exited the room. Once in the hallway, Susan introduced Jackie. “She’s on your mother’s rotation. Mary will get used to Jackie and Sam, who will be her evening attendant. We like to have as much routine as possible. It keeps the patient more relaxed.”

  “Can I ask, what happens when they’re not relaxed?” Amy asked.

  Jackie explained, “They get frustrated and angry. Sometimes even violent.”

  “Oh,” Amy replied, “another reason why she can’t be at home.”

  Susan nodded. “At some point in every Alzheimer’s person’s journey, they need to have twenty-four-hour care with a professional staff.”

  “Don’t feel guilty about her being here. You’ve done the best, most loving thing for her. She’ll get used to being here. This will become her world and she’ll feel safe,” Jackie said.

  “She knew me today,” Amy said, feeling hopeful.

  Susan smiled sadly and said, “But she won’t every day. Today, she’s at a fancy hotel and you’re her daughter. Tomorrow, she could be lost in a memory in which you don’t exist yet.”

  “Will I ever get used to this?” Amy asked more to herself than to them.

  “No,” Jackie said bluntly. “But you will learn how to deal with it.” She lightly touched Amy’s arm. “It was nice to meet you, Amy. If you ever need anything, always feel free to ask me.”

  “Thank you.”

  Jackie walked away, wheeling her medicine cart.

  “Jackie is blunt. You’ll get used to that. She’ll be one of your constants too,” Susan said.

  “Thanks again for all your help, Dr. Everett.”

  “You better start calling me Susan. Since we’re having dinner together tonight.”

  Amy looked stunned. “We are?”

  Susan laughed. “Steph is having a dinner party. She does that a lot on her last night before she goes back into firefighter twenty-four-hour shifts.”

  “Who’s us?” Amy asked.

  “Parker, Tess, you, and me. Steph and Rosa, of course.”

  “I don’t know Tess.”

  “She’s one of Parker’s friends, I believe,” Susan said.

  Amy’s heart sank. Was Tess Parker’s girlfriend? She should’ve known it was too good to be true.

  Another med cart went by with a man at the helm. “Hey, Doc,” he said with a nod.

  “Hi John.” Susan looked back at Amy. “I best get on with my rounds. I’ll see you tonight.”

  “What time?” Amy asked.

  “I probably already said more than I should. Parker was supposed to call you.” She winked at Amy and walked off down the hall.

  What did that mean? Parker was supposed to call? And why the wink? And, most importantly, who the hell was Tess?

  ***

  When Amy drove the Judge up in Millie’s driveway, she saw Parker bent over her mother’s Volkswagen Rabbit in the driveway next door. She couldn’t believe that car was still around. It must be twenty-five years old if it were a day.

  Millie appeared from behind the hood of the old car and waved for Amy to join them. “I found the car keys,” she said. “We don’t know if it works yet.”

  Amy joined Parker in looking under the hood. She had no idea what she was hoping to find. She didn’t know squat about cars. “What’s your prognosis?”

  “Not bad,” Parker said. “She’ll need an oil change and a new battery. I’ll go get the stuff now and see what I can do. Then we’ll know if you need a mechanic or not.” Parker was dressed in cargo pants and an olive drab tank top. Her triceps flexed while she undid the bolts holding the battery in.

  “You don’t have to do all this,” Amy said.

  “Do you have
Triple A?” Parker asked.

  “No. I don’t even own a car.”

  “Then let me do what I can. It’ll save you money.”

  “Listen to Parker,” Millie said, wagging her finger. “She’s a can-do-anything kind of gal.”

  “All right.”

  “Let’s get on with those boxes. I had a bad dream last night that box people were chasing me,” Millie said.

  “Really?”

  Parker laughed. Amy couldn’t tell if she was laughing at Millie or at her naivety. “I’ll be back in a bit,” she said, jogging toward her van.

  Amy couldn’t take her eyes off Parker. It didn’t matter whether Parker was coming or going, Amy loved to watch her do it.

  Millie stuck her head out of one of the house’s windows and said, “You just going to stand there all day or are you coming in?”

  Amy nodded. She’d been caught red-handed gawping at Parker. She hoped Millie didn’t see her blush.

  At least walking into the house wasn’t quite as overwhelming since they’d emptied the living room of the newspapers and boxes of junk. The beige carpet was disgusting, stained, and with indentations from where boxes and newspapers had sat for years. There was no saving it, they’d have to rip it up and throw it away. They’d also have to throw away the couch and her father’s recliner. The mice had chewed holes in it and made a nest. It was so far gone, Amy would be spared any guilt at chucking it.

  Millie met Amy in the living room. “Today we’ll do that back bedroom.”

  “The room with the vacuum cleaners?”

  “The very one.”

  Amy gestured at the almost empty living room. “It looks better in here.”

  “Anything would look better than that mess.”

  Amy rubbed her forehead. She felt her willpower crumbling. “Millie, I have so much to do here. There’s no way I’ll ever have it ready to sell.”

  “You’ll be amazed at what new carpet and paint can do. This house has good bones.”

  Amy sighed deeply. “I suppose you’re right.”

  “It’ll be a good house for someone when we’re done,” Millie said. She shot Amy a loaded look, saying, “And that someone could be you.”

  “What?”

  “Oh, never mind me. I was just thinking out loud.” Millie turned and walked back down the hallway, saying, “Vacuum cleaners, here we come!”

  ***

  “What was my mother thinking?” Amy pulled on the vacuum cleaner nearest the door. The handle came off in her hand.

  “I honestly don’t know. Maybe she was going to make a time machine like in that movie, Back to the Future, using only vacuum cleaner parts.”

  Amy laughed. She imagined her mother traveling back in time to a happier place, astride a souped-up vacuum cleaner. “That’s a possibility. You just never know.”

  “Ain’t that the truth,” Millie said. She picked up an empty box and began collecting miscellaneous parts from the floor.

  “I’ll get the ones that are still in one piece,” Amy said. She rolled the nearest vacuum cleaner out the door. This was going to be a big day. Her arms still ached from the work yesterday. If she kept this up, she’d be as buff as Parker. She pitched the first vacuum cleaner in the Dumpster. “Forty-six more to go,” she said.

  By the time Amy had gotten most of the vacuum cleaners into the Dumpster, Parker pulled up in her van. She hauled out a new battery, five quarts of oil, an oil filter, and an air filter.

  “How’s it going?” Parker asked, pulling a red bandana out of her back pocket and wiping her face.

  “I never want to see another vacuum cleaner for the rest of my life,” Amy said.

  “Then I suggest you put in wood flooring.”

  Was Parker joking or not? Amy couldn’t tell. “Actually, that’s a good idea,” Amy said. “Do you do floors too?”

  Parker smiled. “I do it all.”

  “Consider yourself hired,” she said. It looked like they’d be spending more time together. She liked that more than she probably should.

  “I’ll put it on my calendar.” Parker picked up the battery and slipped it into its holder next to the engine. She reattached the cables.

  Amy watched closely. If she were going to be a car owner, she should learn about them. At least that was her excuse for watching Parker’s muscles flex.

  “Um, you know, if you don’t have any plans tonight, there’s this dinner party thing at Steph and Rosa’s. I could take you. I’d completely understand if you can’t make it.”

  Parker seemed awkward. Amy found it sweet and endearing. “I’ll have to check my calendar because you know I have a lot of social engagements being as popular around town as I am.”

  For a moment, it looked like Parker believed her. So, Amy thought, Parker was confident in everything but the ladies.

  Amy smiled to let Parker know she was only joking.

  “So, check your schedule,” Parker said, catching on, “and let me know.”

  “Okay… I’m free.”

  Parker grinned. “Good. I’ll pick you up at seven?”

  “I can pick you up if my mother’s car is working by then,” Amy said. Parker had the prettiest eyes. Such a deep, deep blue. Looking into them was like falling down a deep well.

  “Yeah, but I know where we’re going.”

  “Okay then, you can pick me up,” Amy said. And never put me down, she added in her head.

  Before Amy could say anything embarrassing out loud, Millie stuck her head back out the bedroom window and said, “Good grief! Am I the only one around here working?”

  “I’m coming, I’m coming,” Amy replied. When she looked back at Parker she had disappeared under the car with only her feet sticking out.

  Amy went back to the vacuum cleaners. She helped Millie gather up all the loose parts scattered around the room. What had her mother been thinking? She wished she knew.

  “I didn’t realize there were so many parts to a vacuum cleaner,” Millie said, picking up a strange looking piece that involved both metal and plastic.

  “I think that might be part of an electric can opener,” Amy said, looking closely at the object.

  “What was she thinking of doing with that, I wonder?”

  “Making a multipurpose tool?” Amy asked.

  “Or a time machine that can open soup cans.”

  They heard a car engine whine, then kick into a loud growl. After a moment, the engine evened out to a purr.

  “She did it!” Amy said. They went outside, each of them carrying a box of junk. Amy didn’t waste trips to the Dumpster. Her sore muscles had taught her economy of movement the hard way.

  Parker slammed the hood down on the Rabbit and beamed. “She runs great. Did you know she only has 40,378 miles? She’s pristine inside too. She doesn’t have any…” she stopped then continued, “unnecessary things stored in her.”

  “You mean it’s not piled high in useless junk like everything else,” Amy said. She appreciated that Parker tried to be polite in the face of all this hoarding. “I’m almost disappointed.”

  “I could get you a plastic Jesus or a hula girl for the dashboard if it’ll make you feel better,” Parker said.

  “That’s very kind, but please don’t.”

  Parker smiled. “This baby will last you a long time unless you go driving cross country.”

  “Which I don’t plan on doing anytime soon,” Amy said.

  “Good,” Parker said. She abruptly turned and walked toward her van. Amy watched as she got her tool belt out, strapped it on, and walked back across the yard, finally disappearing into the kitchen.

  “I think she likes you,” Millie whispered.

  Amy didn’t say anything.

  “And I think you like her,” Millie added. She walked back into the house, humming a tune that sounded suspiciously like Love Is in the Air.

  Chapter Ten

  That evening Parker drove her convertible bathtub Porsche to Millie’s house and parked it in the drive.
She nervously knocked on the front. She was so nervous she could hardly stand still, shuffling from foot to foot. She was about to knock a second time when Amy opened the door.

  Amy was a vision of loveliness. She took Parker’s breath away.

  Parker wasn’t the only one with a bad case of nerves. Amy had been pacing around Millie’s living room for the past half hour.

  When Amy answered the door, she saw Parker’s face light up. That made Amy feel good. She couldn’t remember the last time she had made somebody’s face light up like that. Now she was glad that she had gone shopping that afternoon. She had found the perfect slinky, emerald green, sleeveless blouse at Bette’s Boutique.

  Amy could’ve worn one of her old blouses, but when Millie had taken a look at them she’d nixed her selection. “Honey, I hate to say this, but you’ve got a boring wardrobe. We’ll head over to Bette’s and find something nice. And by something nice, I mean something not black or gray.” Between Bette, a silver-haired, high cheek-boned woman with an amazing flare for fashion on a dime, and Millie, Amy looked good. She looked good and she felt good.

  And right now, the way Parker was looking at her made her feel even better.

  “Wow,” Parker said, opening the car door for her, “Just wow.”

  Amy felt her cheeks grow warm under Parker’s intense gaze. “You’re not so bad yourself,” Amy said.

  The truth was that Amy thought Parker looked fabulously handsome in slate grey trousers and a royal blue dress shirt. She opened the passenger door for Amy. It squeaked in protest. “It’s kinda hard to open,” Parker explained.

  “Oh, I thought you were just being gentlemanly,” Amy said in mock disappointment as she slid into the small car’s passenger seat.

  “Well, that too,” Parker said. She shut the door behind Amy.

  “Have a good time, you two!” Millie called out.

  Parker turned and waved at the front door where Millie stood, holding her hand over her heart like she was watching them go to the prom.

  “It’s just dinner, Millie. We’re not getting married,” Parker called out.

  “Yet,” Millie replied with a hearty laugh. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”