“I’ll meet you at the house,” Parker said in response.
“Pleading the fifth on that?”
“You’re going to be pleading with me in a minute if you don’t shut your trap,” Parker said. She closed her door and started the engine. She waved at Steph as she pulled away.
Steph got in her truck and followed Parker toward her house. As she drove, Steph wondered why Parker had such a hard time admitting that she was in love with Amy. Both of them were single. She had evidenced firsthand their attraction for each other. They enjoyed each other’s company, so what was the hold up?
Steph turned on the radio and Love Stinks, by the J. Geils Band played.
“Well, there is that,” she said to herself.
***
Parker backed the van up to the garage door. Steph pulled her truck next to her. She hoped the truck would hide the sheetrock as they pulled it out of Parker’s van. Steph opened the garage door. Parker stood, arms akimbo, staring at the far wall of the garage. “Wow, this is a doozy. I see the need for two sheets.”
“Yep,” Steph said, biting her lip and looking guilty.
“You must have hit it hard.” Parker said, getting closer to inspect the damage. Two panels of sheetrock were crushed in where the trailer hitch and the truck’s bumper had hit it. She examined the holes. “At least you didn’t damage the studs,” she said.
“It was what stopped me.”
“Any faster and you’d have been parked in the backyard,” Parker said.
“I know.”
“I’ll get my tools,” Parker said.
“I’ll lay down a tarp so we can keep the floor clean.”
“Sounds like you’ve done this before,” Parker observed.
Parker got her tools and they set to work pulling the damaged sheetrock off the studs. The tarp was a good idea as chalky white stuff crumbled off everywhere.
“This stuff is messy,” Steph said. “You’re going to be dirty for dinner.”
“Don’t worry. I shall remove all trace elements,” Parker said. “I’ve got a change of clothes in the van.”
“You’ve got white shit in your hair,” Steph said.
“I’ll take a shower.”
Steph relaxed. They worked quickly and quietly. She wasn’t about to grill Parker about her burgeoning relationship with Amy until the wall was repaired. There’d be time for that over dinner.
By the time Rosa got home, Steph and Parker were on the back deck sipping ice-cold Rolling Rock beers. Rosa kissed Steph on the cheek. She looked around. “What? No Amy?” she asked.
“Bingo training,” Parker said.
“I didn’t know she had an interest,” Rosa said, plopping down in a lawn chair. Steph brought her a beer. “Thanks, hon.”
“She got a job with the paper. She’s covering the Bingo-a-thon this weekend. Millie is showing her the ropes tonight,” Parker said. She sipped her beer and watched the hummingbirds flit around the feeders.
“A job. How cool is that?” Rosa said.
“I wouldn’t get too excited,” Parker said.
“Why not? It means she’s staying,” Rosa said. She slipped off her shoes and socks and wiggled her toes. She took a drink of her beer and let out a sigh.
“It means she’s staying as long as her mother needs her,” Parker said.
“Which could be a long time,” Steph said.
“Maybe,” Parker said quietly.
Steph brushed that aside. “Which means you have to time to win her over to the Fenton side.”
“It’s a little more complicated than that,” Parker said.
“How so?” Steph asked. “Let me see, you’re both single, you like each other, you’re developing the same interests, she got a job, and you’re keeping some of her stuff at your house.”
“The evidence does support her assumption,” Rosa said, rubbing her arches. Steph moved her chair closer and took Rosa’s foot in her hands. She massaged deeply. Rosa closed her eyes and groaned softly.
“I’m telling you, babe, you need inserts. Plantar fasciitis is no picnic,” Steph said.
“All right, already. I’ll make an appointment with the podiatrist. Insurance will cover the inserts that way,” Rosa said.
“Thank you, that makes me feel much better,” Steph said, still massaging.
With her eyes still closed, Rosa asked, “What did you do to the garage?”
Steph and Parker exchanged looks. Steph raised an eyebrow. Parker shrugged.
Rosa opened her eyes and said, “Silence, huh?” She looked directly at Parker. “What happened to the wall?”
“What wall?” Parker feigned. She was horrible at lying.
“You told her,” Steph said, glaring at Parker.
“When would I have done that? In the three seconds it took for you to get her a beer?”
“Aha! I knew it,” Rosa said.
“How’d you figure it out?” Steph asked.
“The light bulb was out in the garage. I was going to change it, but I couldn’t find a replacement. We always have extra bulbs. It didn’t add up. I figure you took the bulb out to make it darker so you could hide something. And you must’ve given Parker our extra bulbs so you wouldn’t have to lie about not having a replacement. I used my mag light and saw the wet spackling. There was also white dust on the shop vac.”
“You missed your calling. You should’ve been a detective,” Parker said.
“I guess I won’t need you to hold my light bulbs,” Steph said to Parker.
“Now, it’s time to confess to the crime,” Rosa said.
Steph could tell Rosa was enjoying the interrogation a little too much. “You’re like that creepy little French detective, the OCD one with the mustache,” Steph groused.
“Hercule Poirot,” Parker said.
“Whatever,” Steph said.
“So, out with it,” Rosa said. She sipped her beer and stared at Steph.
Steph sighed. “I rammed the truck into it. The hitch and the bumper popped through the drywall.”
“And why did you do that?” Rosa asked.
“It was an accident.”
“She put it in reverse instead of drive because she was distracted by the food pyramid,” Parker fessed up for her.
Steph studied her knees. She picked off an imaginary piece of lint.
“The food pyramid?” Rosa asked.
“You have to swear you won’t tell anybody. I’d never live it down at the station,” Steph said.
“And how are you planning on buying my silence?” Rosa asked. She waggled her eyebrows.
“I’m making you spare ribs,” Steph said.
“Not good enough.”
“Sexual favors whenever and wherever you want?”
“I find that acceptable,” Rosa said.
Steph looked over at Parker. “You could have this, you know.”
“I don’t think Rosa thinks of me that way,” Parker said.
“I mean with Amy, doofus,” Steph said.
“Do I have to mutilate my garage to do it?” Parker asked.
“Ha! Very funny,” Steph said. “But really, Parks, you and Amy are a good match, why not go for it?”
Parker looked away. “Because… I’m scared.”
“What? You’re never scared! Remember that one time when we were swimming in the lake and there was that water moccasin. I was paralyzed with fear. You got out of the water, found your fishing net, scooped it up, and carried it away,” Steph said.
“That was a snake. Women are scarier,” Parker said. “I need another beer, anyone else?”
“Sure,” Rosa said.
Steph rolled her eyes. “I better start the grill.”
“Good, all that drywalling made me ravenous,” Parker said, over her shoulder. She disappeared into the house.
“Why won’t she talk about it?” Steph whispered to Rosa.
“Because she’s Parker,” Rosa replied like no other explanation was necessary
Chapter
Fifteen
Amy sat in her car, staring at the front of Brookside. She had no idea what she would find inside. Would it be her mother? Or would it be the Mary Warner who sobbed about her lost baby? Or maybe it would be the cold, unloving woman that Amy had to grow up with?
This sensation of not knowing wasn’t new to Amy. She once had a girlfriend, Lily, whose moods were so mercurial that Amy never knew which manifestation of Lily would be coming through the door. Later, she found out that Lily was bipolar and her moods cycled rapidly. Amy would’ve liked that info up front, but Lily had failed to mention it then or ever.
After three months on the emotional rollercoaster, Amy told Lily that she wasn’t ready for a relationship and she needed space. Lily threw the toaster at her. Amy went out of town to a friend’s beach house in the Hamptons for three weeks until things cooled off.
She couldn’t run away to the Hamptons from her mother, though. She was going to have to face the music. Amy dutifully got out of the car and dragged her feet into Brookside.
Mrs. Branson greeted her warmly, “You’ll be pleased to know that your mother is having one of her good days. She’s in the activity room playing checkers with Mrs. Anderson.”
“Oh,” Amy said, taken aback. “That’s great…”
“The activity room is down the hall and around the corner. It’s well marked. You won’t have any difficulty finding it.”
“Okay,” Amy said. “Thank you.”
Mrs. Branson touched her arm. “You’re doing a good job of handling the situation. Lots of people, despite loving their family member, can’t get to that place of acceptance—the learning to take what each day holds.”
“I’m doing my best. I only wish I had spent more time with her before this happened,” Amy said.
“If wishes were horses…”
“Beggars would ride,” Amy finished for her. “I’ll be sure to pass that along to my friends who think they’ve got an infinite amount of time to spend with their parents.”
“We need ambassadors like you,” Mrs. Branson said. The phone rang. “Duty calls.”
Amy made her way to the activities room. She found her mother playing checkers with a woman who had brown curly hair and smudged glasses and was wearing a well-worn robe and slippers.
“Amy!” her mother said. She got up too quickly and almost knocked over the game board. She embraced Amy tightly. “I’ve missed you. When did you get into town?”
“Mom, I was…” Amy stopped mid-sentence. Obviously, her mother didn’t have any memory of her visits. It was probably better not to deny her this reality. Amy said, “I came to see you, Mom. You look good.”
“I’m so glad you’re here. This is my friend…” her mother said, looking at the other woman. She looked stumped.
“I’m Gloria, I think,” The woman pulled out a spiral notebook from her robe pocket. She opened it to the first page and read aloud, “My name is Gloria. I’m fifty-three years old and I have early-onset Alzheimer’s.” She closed the notebook, looking quite pleased with her herself.
It took Amy a moment to digest the information. The woman was fifty-three. Only fifty-three? Was no one safe from this awful disease? Amy hadn’t known there was such a thing as early-onset Alzheimer’s. She recovered as quickly as she could. “It’s nice to meet you, Gloria.”
“She’s very nice,” her mother said. “I win every game and she never gets mad.”
Amy looked down at the checker board. Checkers were all higgedly-piggedly but neither of the women seemed to care. Her mother picked up a red checker and moved it five squares.
“There, let’s see what you can do with that,” Mary said triumphantly.
Gloria flicked the checker across the room. They both laughed.
Like a couple of three-year-olds, Amy thought. But at least they’re having fun.
A young woman, who looked to be in her thirties, long dark hair, and wearing a blue-jean full skirt and a white blouse, picked up the checker and returned it to the board. “There you go, Mom,” she said, kissing the top of Gloria’s head. Gloria looked up and smiled vacantly.
“I was just talking to this nice lady,” Gloria said pointing at Amy. “Her name is…” she got stuck.
Mary helped her out, “This is my youngest daughter. Her name is…”
“Amy,” Amy interrupted. She didn’t want to correct her mother and say “I’m her only daughter.” She’d been reading online that trying to make a person with Alzheimer’s remember things correctly didn’t work, nor did using baby talk, or speaking too loudly when the patient wasn’t hard of hearing—those were all no-nos.
You were supposed to just to go with the flow and listen. The old smile and nod. Amy was good at that. She had the girlfriends to prove it. When times got difficult, instead of fighting, Amy would smile and nod. It was hard to fight with a person who wasn’t engaging. She hoped she’d find a better way with her mother—that she’d find a way to make her last days good ones.
“I’m Dena,” the woman said. She and Amy shook hands. “I haven’t seen you around here before. Is your mother new?”
“Yes, just a few weeks. I think she’s acclimating. Aren’t you, Mom?” Amy had also read that you shouldn’t talk around your impaired relative.
“It’s been a very nice vacation, but I’m leaving soon. I’m looking forward to going home,” Mary said.
“Well, that’s great,” Dena said to Mary. She looked at Amy with sympathy.
“Maybe you can visit me and we’ll play checkers again,” Gloria said.
“I’d like that,” Mary replied.
“Why don’t you finish your game and then we’ll go get a cup of tea?” Dena asked.
“All right, dear. Is Scottie coming, too?” Gloria asked.
“Not today,” Dena said. She looked at Amy. “Want to have a seat by the window with me while they finish up?”
“Sure,” Amy said. She followed Dena to a couch set against the big picture window that looked out on the garden. Pink, yellow, and orange coneflowers gently swayed in the light breeze. Amy wished she were outside playing disc golf with Parker and Tess. The roofers were coming today. Parker took the day off because she couldn’t get much done with the roofers there. Amy had gone golfing with Parker three more times after her first lesson. She wouldn’t get to see Parker today and she missed her already.
“How are you holding up?” Dena asked when they were seated.
“Okay, I guess. It’s hard not knowing what mother I’ll have or who I’ll be to her from day to day.”
“You’ll get used to it. I like to pretend I’m an improvisational actress being whoever she wants me to be that day. I’m thinking about trying out for the community theater.” Dena chuckled humorlessly. “It’s the only thing that keeps me from pulling my hair out.”
“Your mother is so young.”
“That’s the hardest part. If her health holds, she could be around for a long time. It’s hard not getting depressed thinking that she’ll spend so much of her life not knowing who she is and who her relatives are. Although, she does have good days. I live for those.”
“I’ve never heard of early-onset Alzheimer’s,” Amy said. “I always thought it happened to older people.”
“Me too, until this happened. In my mother’s case, it’s genetic. My brother and I got tested for it and we don’t have the gene, thank god. So we won’t get early onset, but who knows about later.”
“Are you scared?” Amy asked frankly.
“It makes me live to the fullest, I’ll say that. If I want to do something, I make it happen.”
“We should all be that way,” Amy said.
Gloria came over and looked down at Dena. “I’m ready for breakfast.”
Dena didn’t tell her she’d already had it. “Well, then let’s get you cookies and tea.”
“My favorite,” Gloria said gleefully, clapping her hands.
Dena stood, took her mother’s arm and looped it through her own. She smiled kin
dly at Amy, “I’ll see you around?”
Amy nodded. She watched the mother and daughter walk away. Her mother appeared at her side and said, “Such a gorgeous day. Let’s go for a walk in the garden and soak up some of that sunshine.”
“Good idea.” Amy led her mother toward the door.
“I had a garden once, didn’t I, Jeannie?”
Amy forced a smile. “Yes, you did. It was a rose garden. A very beautiful rose garden.”
***
Amy had the best of intentions. She was going to go straight to the newspaper office and do some bingo research. Instead, she drove to Griffin Park. She knew it was a long shot trying to find Parker on the immense disc golf course, but the first five holes ran alongside the south end parking lot. She drove there first. She saw Parker and Tess playing the fourth hole. Parker looked gorgeous. Her skin was already turning a golden brown from being outside as spring turned to summer. Amy watched as Parker’s lithe frame prepared for the throw. The disc glided effortlessly from her hand.
Amy parked her car. She remembered Dena’s words, “If I want to do something, I make it happen.” This was her very own “make it happen” moment. Amy got out of her car before she could talk herself out of it. She ran out onto the course.
Parker looked over and smiled as Amy approached. “Hey, I thought you’d be at work,” she said, sounding pleasantly surprised.
Without preamble, Amy took Parker in her arms and kissed her. It didn’t take Parker long to respond. Parker let out a soft moan. Amy pulled away. “There’s plenty more where that came from,” she said, adding a daring wink for emphasis. And before Parker had a chance to say anything, Amy turned on her heels and ran back to her car. Parker stood staring, obviously in shock. Tess gave Amy a big thumbs-up as she drove past.
There’s no going back now, Amy thought as she drove out of the park and toward the Fenton Sentinel. She didn’t know where the relationship between her and Parker would go from here, but she had a feeling it was somewhere good. As she drove through town everything seemed to glow. Fenton had never looked more picturesque. Amy could visualize herself staying and falling in love with the place she’d run from so many years ago.
Heart to Heart Page 15