by Hattie Lou
He nods. “I do.”
I look down at the address that Ben gave me “Peter’s Cemetery.” I know the cemetery well. Dad’s buried there. Ben said it’s a place where she goes to especially when she is upset.
I step out of the vehicle and walk around the place until I find his grave. Her eyes are closed as she has her head resting against his tombstone. I take a step forward as my boot steps on a twig causing her eyes to pop open.
I kneel down next to her. “I’m sorry, Olivia. I really am.”
She looks up at me with stained mascara on her cheeks. “If you want me to quit then I will. I will pack my things and take my daughter with me. You will never see or hear from us again. You win.” She says sounding defeated.
I got what I wanted, but now I don’t want her to quit. She knows my mom better than I do. I need her to stay for Mom’s sake. “I don’t want you to quit. She needs you more than she needs me. I didn’t understand the situation and I got jealous that she seems to like you better. She doesn’t even remember me.”
She wipes her cheek with the back of her sleeve. “Luke, your mom is sick. She’s not going to get any better. Enjoy these days that you have with her now because it could be just a memory tomorrow. There aren’t any guarantees in life.” She says talking from experience as she stares at his tombstone.
She’s right. I need to be there for Mom regardless if she is really there or not. If she doesn’t remember who I am, then I will talk to her as a stranger. At least I will have her talking to me and not turning away from me to talk to Olivia anymore.
Chapter Seven
Olivia
I can’t believe Luke went into my room without my permission and looked through my stuff. He was holding my wedding picture and it brought back the pain. I know that I shouldn’t have, but I put our memories in the back of the closet so I can’t look at them. I used to spend hours staring at the photos and letters he wrote to me. Every time I saw them, I ended up crying myself to sleep. I had to take my wedding ring off because it was too painful to wear it. He placed the ring on my finger and made me promise to love him forever. Our life together was cut short and now I just have memories of him.
I wake up to a post-it on my bedroom door. It’s from Luke.
“I’m sorry about yesterday. I was out of line. Let me make it up to you by taking you out to dinner tonight.”
Luke
I text Ben asking him what I should do. I’m not one hundred percent buying this. Luke could still be trying to find a way to make me quit. There is no trusting him yet. He almost broke me yesterday by bringing up my dead husband. I don’t like to talk about Ethan. Katherine and Ben are the only two people I ever told what happened to him. I know Savannah has questions about why she doesn’t have a father, but she hasn’t asked them yet.
Luke has been crossing a lot of lines since he arrived here and now he wants to take me to dinner? That doesn’t make any sense.
My phone rings as Katherine is in the next room taking her daily nap.
“Dinner? So, he’s paying?” Ben asks, sounding a little too happy.
“I don’t know. We didn’t get that far.” I know Luke said something about having a phone conference he needed to take care of this afternoon at a coffee shop. He said he wanted to go somewhere private. I haven’t seen him since last night.
“You should order all the expensive food on the menu just to get even. Payback is a bitch!” He says with an evil laugh.
I roll my eyes back even though he can’t see me through the phone. Why did I text him? He is useless at a time like this when I need advice about whether I should go or not. Maybe I should tell Luke I will be there, but never show up. No. that would just be weird since we are living in the same house.
He clears his throat as he tries to be serious. “It’s just dinner, Ol. He is going to keep asking you until you agree. It’s best to go and get this out of the way now since you are both in the same house. It will get awkward if you don’t go. I think it’s time for the two of you to sit down and talk.”
“What if he thinks this is a date?” I ask. I haven’t been out on a date since Ethan in high school. I don’t want to go out on a date with anyone.
“Honey, I don’t think he wants to go out on a date with you…not tonight anyway. I think he knows he fucked up yesterday by going through your personal stuff. He needs to make it up to you. I say let him.”
Ben is right. If he is going to be here for a while, then it’s best we work things out and maybe get on the same level when it comes to Katherine. The last thing I want is for Katherine to notice how hostel we have been towards one another. She’s good at picking up on certain things.
Luke
It’s already a quarter after seven and she still hasn’t shown up to the restaurant. I wouldn’t blame her if she did it on purpose to get back at me. She has every right to hate me. I was a jerk. I have been one since I arrived in town. Mom is sick and Olivia has been taking care of her while I have been living it up in LA. It’s time to let go of this anger I have. It’s not Olivia’s fault that Mom got sick. I just wish someone would have called me to inform me of the situation. I should have been there for Mom.
“Are you ready to order?” A waitress comes over to my table and asks me for the second time in the last hour.
I’m about to tell her that I’m going to leave, but then the door opens and I see Olivia walk in. She isn’t dressed all fancy. She’s wearing a long skirt that almost goes down to her ankles and a t-shirt. The host starts to talk to her and he points her into my direction. The waitress tells me she will be back in a few minutes to take our order as Olivia approaches the table.
I get up and pull her chair out. I can be a gentleman when I want to. “I was worried you weren’t going to show up,” I tell her, honestly. I also worried that I made a mistake by leaving the post-it note on her bedroom door this morning. No matter how many times I went through with asking her out to dinner in my head, I just couldn’t build the courage to knock on her door and ask her face to face. The fear that she might punch me, scared me.
She waits until I take my seat across from her to speak. “I wasn’t sure if I could make it. Ben was running late tonight. It was kind of a last minute thing. I mean, you asked me only this morning. Ben is the only other person who can handle Katherine.” She says, seeming nervous.
“Yeah, about that. Last night I couldn’t sleep knowing what I did to you. I needed to make it up to you.”
She reaches for the glass of water and takes a sip. “So, you think by inviting me to a fancy restaurant like the one you picked will make me forgive you for being an ass for mentioning my late husband? The father that Savannah never got the chance to meet. You didn’t even care that she was in the next room for God’s sake! I know you don’t like me but you don’t have to hurt my daughter to hurt me!” She say with fire blazing in her eyes.
Well, when she puts it like that I guess not, but I have to start somewhere, right?
“Of course not,” I say, resting my elbows onto the table as I look at her. “We got off on the wrong foot here. I’m a nice guy when you get to know me.”
She raises her brow up. “Nice guy that doesn’t call his mom to check in on her to make sure that she is okay?”
Why is she making this so difficult for me? I’m trying to be civil here. I’m staying here for a few weeks. There is no reason for us to keep fighting while I’m here. It might upset my mom if she overhears one of our fights.
“I plan on making it up to my mom.”
She tilts her head sideways at me. “And how do you expect to do that when she doesn’t remember who you are?”
To be honest, I haven’t put too much thought into it.
“Maybe I can take her out to dinner sometime.”
Olivia looks at me like I’m crazy. “She doesn’t like to do that. Being in quiet places tends to make her feel uneasy.”
What? Mom used to love going out to restaurants like this all the time.
Growing up we didn’t have homemade meals. We went out to eat.
“What do you mean? How can you tell that she doesn’t like them?” I ask.
“I took her to Sevillian’s Inn last year. It’s a busy restaurant. I booked us weeks in advance thinking how much she would like to go there. She kept getting antsy like she didn’t want to be there. I asked if she wanted to go. She said no. An hour later, she was beyond frustrated because the waitress walked by with trays in her hands. She thought they were being too loud. She took a wine glass and threw it across the room causing a big scene in front of everyone. We got kicked out, but I explained to the owners about her health condition. They understood but asked me not to bring her back.”
It’s hard to picture Mom like that. She was the calmest person that I have ever known. Nothing made her upset. She didn’t have a temper, unlike me.
“Are you ready to order?” The waitress asks once again.
“Yes.” Olivia answers without taking a look at the menu. “I’ll take the steak and for dessert, I’ll take the cheesecake.”
“And you?”
I look down at the menu. “I’ll have the spaghetti and cheesecake.”
We sit in silence while waiting for our food to arrive. I’m not sure what to say to her. She doesn’t seem like she cares to talk as she looks around the place sipping on her water.
“Do you want champagne? I can order some.” I ask.
She shakes her head. “No, thanks. I don’t drink.”
I raise my brow at her. “You don’t drink at all?”
“I’m a mother and a full-time caretaker. I take both of them seriously. I haven’t had alcohol in years. Besides, your mom has a problem sleeping at night.”
“What do you mean?”
“About a month ago, I woke from my sleep when I heard noises coming from the kitchen. She was in there rearranging the drawers. When she has a hard time falling asleep, her mind wanders to weird places and she thinks of something to do like cleaning at night.”
Mom sounds like a handful to take care of. It’s hard to believe that Olivia is doing this all on her own without any help. On top of taking care of Mom, she has a daughter. I can’t imagine what it’s like to raise a child as a single parent.
“How old is Savannah?” I ask. I haven’t asked her anything about her or her daughter.
“She’s five, almost six.” She says with a smile.
“She looks like you.”
“Katherine has pointed that out several times over the years. Other than the same hair color, I don’t see it. I see Ethan in her more than I see myself.” She says.
The food arrives at our table. The second the waitress is out of sight, Olivia starts taking bites of her expensive steak. I watch from the corner of my eye thinking how different she is compared to Erika. Olivia doesn’t care how many calories she’s consuming right now. Erika likes to keep track of her calories on her phone so she knows when she is over the limit. She hates when she gains a pound. She gets angry and spends hours at the gym until she feels like she burned the pound off. Olivia isn’t superficial like Erika. She didn’t come here tonight all dressed up like she wanted my attention. She came as herself, not caring to impress me or anyone. All the women that I have been with over the years are all the same. They care to impress me for the sake that I’m rich. They see me as a money bag and not a person. Olivia doesn’t strike me as a person who cares for money.
She gets a little bit of gravy on the corner of her mouth. She doesn’t reach for a napkin but uses her thumb to wipe it away. All I could do is watch as her thumb touches her bottom lip. Her eyes look up at me, catching me. “What? Is something wrong?” She asks.
Yeah, like why do I find myself drawn to you all of a sudden? Here I was just a few days ago filled with rage as I plotted to get rid of her and now I’m not able to take my eyes off of her during dinner.
“Luke?” She says, bringing my mind back to dinner.
“Yeah, no. Nothing is wrong.” I say, reaching for my glass and gulping the water down. “I was thinking of some movie that I’m supposed to start filming soon.” I lie.
“How long are you staying?”
“I got some stuff I’m getting done at my house right now. Once everything is done, I will go back.”
She stabs her steak and looks up at me. “Let me get this straight, you are only here because you are getting repairs done at your house and not here to actually see your mom?”
It sounds like I’m a bad person when she says it like that.
“I have been wanting to come out to visit her for a while but couldn’t find the time.”
“But now you found time because you are getting some repairs done.” She says, giving me a long hard cold stare.
“Also, I just finished wrapping up a movie. I have the next two months off.”
“Is this the first time you had a few months off after completing a movie in years?” She asks, being a smartass.
“Look, I’m sorry that I have been a bad son who never called to check in on her. I don’t know what you want from me.” I say, trying to keep my voice low. The last thing I need is attention in this town. There is never anything going on around here. They would love to find that there is a big celebrity in town.
“Apologize to your mom, not me. When we first met, she would bring your name up in almost every conversation. She missed you. She never understood why you wouldn’t visit her. It pained her.”
“You are right. I will try to make things better between us. Give me some time.”
“I can’t recall being so full after eating dinner,” Olivia says as we are walking around town. “I don’t think I will be able to eat another steak dinner as long as I live.”
I laugh. “I’m surprised you were able to eat the whole thing by yourself. You are pretty small.”
She stares down at the ground as we continue to walk. “To be honest, I normally don’t eat like that. I only did it because Ben said something earlier...” She says but stops before she finishes the rest of her sentence.
“What did Ben say?” I ask, curious.
She looks around like she doesn’t want to tell me. “He said that I should get even with you and order the most expensive thing on the menu. Everyone knows steak isn’t cheap.” She chuckles.
“Wow,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. She’s played me without even me knowing.
“Now I feel kind of bad for spending your money.”
“Don’t be. Think of it as a thank you for taking care of my mom.”
She looks up and holds my gaze as she smiles. “You’re welcome.” She says holding out her hand for me to shake.
“To our new start,” I tell her, shaking her hand.
Chapter Eight
Luke
Olivia walks into the room. She took my mom to the nursing home to visit a couple of her friends. According to Olivia, she likes to spend her time there where they knit and catch up on life. I didn’t know my mom had a lot of friends. “I was going to make dinner for us. Do you have any special request for dinner?” She asks, walking over to the refrigerator to see what’s inside.
“No. I want to have some alone time with Mom this evening. Just the two of us.”
She slowly closes the door and looks at me. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“Well, I wasn’t exactly asking you what you thought. She’s my mom and I want to be able to spend time with her, alone.”
“I understand, Luke. She’s your mom, but at the same time she isn’t the person you remember growing up with. She has dementia and you don’t know the things that set her off. When something bothers her, it’s not a pretty picture. She gets…”
I walk over to her. “I can handle my mom,” I assure her.
“This is a mistake.” She whispers to herself.
“No, it isn’t. You go out and spend some time with your daughter. Take her to the park or something. Mom and I will have some private time.”
“How
about I stay in my room while you guys stay here in the kitchen?”
“Then you will still be babysitting. I want you out of the house at least for two hours.” I say, giving her an order.
She stares at me with defeat. “Okay, but I will write down my phone number in case you need me. Don’t hesitate to call.”
I laugh. “Trust me, we aren’t going to need you.”
“I wouldn’t say that just yet.”
Olivia
“Tell me that I’m not crazy for worrying,” I say to Ben as I prop down next to him on the couch. Savannah is too busy playing on her tablet to even acknowledge we are in the room with her.
Without having to watch Katherine tonight, I don’t have anything else to do. My life has revolved all around her. I like my life. I’m not the normal twenty three year old that likes to go out and party with friends all night during the weekend. Hell! The only friend I have is Ben. We are close because we understand what it's like to take care of someone who is suffering from dementia. Unlike Katherine, Harry doesn’t have it as bad as she does. He still remembers his life and who he is most of the time.
“If you aren’t a bit scared of someone with her then I would be concerned,” Ben says, taking a sip of his soda. “I can’t imagine how hard this is for you right now. You’re used to being the only person that is there for her, but maybe it’s a good thing that Luke is here. Now you can take a step back and relax. It’s not often that you get time off. Enjoy it.” He nudges my shoulder.
I look down at my phone making sure I didn’t miss a phone call from Luke.
The door opens and Steve appears. “Hey, Ol. I didn’t know you were coming over.”