The Kentucky Cure

by Julieann Dove

  “A doctor? Interesting.” She put down her magazine and rubbed her lips with her stiffened fingers.

  Melanie came in with a fresh bottle of water and one more pill for her mother. She pulled the blanket back and inspected her foot. Elise peeked over Mason’s head. Her mom’s foot was completely bandaged except for the tips of her toes, which looked like the plum purple in the crayon box.

  “Mom, take these and then I’ll get you to bed. I have to go home and get to sleep. I work from seven to seven tomorrow.”

  “Good Lord, Melanie, you work too hard.” She took the pill and swallowed it down.

  Melanie helped lift her mother from the sofa and got her stable on her feet. Her sister held on to her mother’s arm and walked her slowly back to the guest bedroom. Lyla maneuvered cautiously on her crutches, her hands barely able to curve around their handles.

  Melanie didn’t take long putting her to bed. Elise had just finished cleaning up the table where she’d been coloring with the kids. She had to search for some of the tops to the markers. Thank goodness she read on the label they were washable. In the time she grew up there, she and Melanie weren’t even allowed to eat in the living room, let alone use markers in it with the names of Permanent Magenta and Van Dyke Brown. Not in Lyla Newton’s formal sitting room, you didn’t. Half the time, actually more than half, they weren’t even allowed to sit on the furniture. It was only for guests. If you wanted to sit down, you went to the kitchen table or to your bedroom.

  “Will she need help in the middle of the night, or something?” Elise asked, suddenly concerned for her mother.

  “She never gets up. And I’ll be back before work to get her situated before Aunt Hildie gets here.” She began packing up the kids, putting their books and colors in a large tote.

  “Am I staying here, then?”

  “No, I need you at my house. I’m leaving before the kids wake up. You’re going to have to drive Mom’s car to my house and I’ll leave you mine tomorrow to watch the kids.”

  The responsibility of everything Melanie had just said bombarded her like a cannonball to the chest. “So, you’re going to really leave me with your kids?”

  Melanie jerked her head back, laughing hysterically.“You’ll be fine, Elise. It’s not like they aren’t potty trained.”

  “Faith poops her pants,” Mason shouted.

  Horrified, Elise zeroed her gaze on her sister.

  “He’s lying, Elise. Faith poops in the potty. You just have to take her when she tells you...and sometimes wipe her.”

  “I thought I came to watch Mom. You know, the woman who does poop in the potty and wipe herself.” Elise took Mason’s hand and grabbed her pocketbook on the way out.

  “You’ll be fine. If it gets too bad, just call their father. He’s free this weekend.”

  “No, thank you.” Elise felt her teeth grit. “Why doesn’t he watch them in the first place?”

  “It’s not his weekend, and anyway, I think he’s got plans.”

  Elise waited for Melanie’s entourage to get in the vehicle and get seat-belted before she got into their mother’s car. She pulled out slowly and followed Melanie. The steering was tight and the faint scent of newness told her that Lyla Newton probably didn’t get out much.

  The trip wasn’t long. Melanie didn’t live far from their mother. Close enough to be there quickly if she needed anything. Elise took her phone from her pocket when she felt the vibration. It was Darren. Her heart stopped mid-beat, and her mouth became the Mojave Desert as the saliva dried up from the convulsions in her body. Her lip became stuck to her top row of teeth. On reflex, she swiped the phone left to right.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, I’ve left you a couple messages. Did you get there all right?” His voice sounded like another lifetime away.

  “I’m fine. I’m following Melanie home in Mom’s car. I have babysitting duty tomorrow.” She wiggled her lips to produce some moisture.

  “How is your mother?”

  All right, maybe she hadn’t blurted out the three-worded devil in her fit of leaving the state of California and the arms of the man she might’ve been harboring feelings for.

  “She’s fine. But it seems that I’ll be babysitting Melanie’s kids.” Emphasis on kids, not adult mother.

  He was quiet for a second. Elise checked to see if the call dropped. “Do you know how to keep babies?”

  She laughed as she swung the car into the driveway behind Melanie. A nervous laugh. The kind where you don’t admit to the cashier that the last three items didn’t ring on the register. Is this really what she wanted to be saying, right now? What about what she’d said to him? She needed to know it was buried six feet deep and not a chance anyone would ever find it again.

  “They are four and six. I think I’ll be all right. I’m just a little thrown by the new duties of my visit. I mean, I could have sent her money for daycare if that’s all she needed.”

  “You’ll be fine. You’ll find something to do with them. I miss you.” His tone was cautious. His words were cautious. Perhaps she was paranoid. Was this considered throwing dirt on the grave of her three indelicate words? Worked for her.

  “Miss you, too. I have to go, babe. I’m here and I have to carry in my suitcases. I’ll call later.” Words rushed out of her like a runaway teenager. Urgency to end this unusually meek telephone call was pounding in her ears like a fire alarm.

  “I love you.” With a thud, his words landed in the receiver of her phone. Grave-digging came to an abrupt stop.

  In the cross hairs of his well-played words, she froze momentarily. “I know you do. Sleep well.”

  Elise closed the phone and turned off the car. The center lights by the rearview mirror turned on automatically, forcing her to see her reflection.

  It wasn’t long before her sister banged on the car window and snapped her out of whatever had her trapped. “Let’s get your bags into the house. The kids are becoming whiny from the broken schedule of their day.”

  She mechanically took her cases inside and stood in the entryway, waiting for the next command. Her brain was overloaded with too much for further cognitive skills to engage.

  “Just carry your stuff to the bedroom to the left at the top of the stairs. I’m going to give them a quick bath and put them to bed.”

  Elise carried a few at a time. She felt for the light switch on the wall and turned it on. Melanie had made up the guest room for her sister’s visit. Laura Ashley wallpaper clung to the walls and matched the bedspread with precision. A cute lamp sat on the bed stand. A bedroom right out of the catalog of Pretty in Pink. She was always more domesticated than Elise. Maybe because she welcomed overnight guests and Elise never did. How could two sisters who grew up in the same house be so different?

  She unpacked a few things in the empty drawers of the dresser and laid back on the bed before closing her eyes. She drifted off a few minutes before Melanie appeared at the door.

  “Is everything okay?” She stood there with the front of her shirt half wet from her daughter’s bathtub splashing antics.

  “You have a beautiful home, Melanie. This room is so cute.”

  “Thanks. I’ve been working on it for a while. I don’t have much spare time between my schedule at the hospital and the kids’ functions. But the weekends I don’t have them, I fill the void by decorating.”

  “Didn’t you say you have a boyfriend?” Melanie plopped down next to her on the bed. The smell of soap wafted in the air. “He’s so sexy and manly. You’re going to love him. His name is Jacob.”

  Elise stopped still in her tracks. “Please, don’t tell me it’s Jacob Milford. Ben’s best friend?”

  “Elise, don’t go crazy.” She held up her hands as if someone yelled it was a stick-up. “We’ve been dating seriously for about a month, and besides that, we’ve been friends forever. I think I’m really crazy about him.” She rolled over, propping herself up on her elbow, and kicked off her shoes.

  “Seriousl
y, for a month? What, are you planning to get married if it goes to six weeks? How are the kids about it?” She kicked her shoes off and folded a pillow underneath her for support.

  “They seem fine. They know him, you know. And they know their daddy and I aren’t getting back together. It’s all good. And if it goes to six weeks I might need you back for a bachelorette shower and to hold my flowers.” She tousled Elise’s hair and laughed out loud.

  “Six weeks? Are you kidding me? I can’t even commit to moving in with a guy after nine months. But if you like him then that’s great, Mel. I hope it works out this time.” She didn’t know what happened to her first marriage and she wasn’t about to ask.

  “You never did like commitment, dear sister. I had hoped age would have taken care of that for you.” Elise said nothing. How could aging help a problem that she couldn’t even identify?

  “Well, I’m bushed. I guess I’ll go to bed. If you need anything, I’m in the last room at the end of the hall. The bathroom is two doors down on your right. There’s towels and wash clothes in the linen closet behind the door. I hope you sleep well.” Melanie stood up, stretched, and smiled before leaving the charming little room.

  Elise rose from the bed and called out to her sister, who was halfway down the hall. “What time do they wake up?” Melanie laughed. “They usually get up around six thirty.”

  “Yay, that’s three thirty, California time.” She banged her head on the door frame. She’d better get to sleep and fast. The next day waited for no one.

  Whoever said the best way to wake up was with a triple shot of espresso didn’t have a four- and six-year-old jumping on their bed, screaming at the top of their lungs. In between the squeals, Elise heard the springs of the bed and felt her stomach tossing with memories of teriyaki chicken and rice.

  “I give up,” Elise said, with a note of defeat in her tone. “I’m awake. Now be good little boys and girls and go downstairs and wait for Auntie Elise to follow.”

  After she heard their little feet scamper halfway down the hallway, Elise dove back under her blankets. “I promise I’m coming. Just go.” Her voice was muffled from the three layers on top of her.

  Eventually, she dragged her sorry, sleepy body out of bed and stomped toward the door. She could never be accused as the early bird in any situation. Was there anyone to call to take care of those kids while she slept a few more hours? Did Janine like flying, and was this covered in her secretarial duties? Knowing the answer to those questions, she went downstairs to find where Melanie stored the massive amounts of caffeine it took to get up this early with screaming hooligans.

  Mason and Faith waited at the table, banging their hands, demanding food and drink. “I’m new here, okay?” Elise opened the cabinets, yawning and looking for any clue of what to feed them. Wasn’t there an instruction sheet? Who did Melanie think she was, anyway? When they were younger, Elise learned to swim in order to lifeguard for the summer, just to get out of babysitting for extra money.

  “Mason, what do you all usually eat?” She gave up looking and went right to the source.

  He looked in the air, then grinned. “Bacon, Skittles, and lots of Dr. Pepper.”

  With one very sleepy eyebrow raised, Elise knew she would never get an honest answer out of him. She opened the pantry door and finally found the boxes of cereal. After grabbing the one she’d most likely agree to eat herself, she pulled down two bowls and poured out the marshmallow and grain mixture. After filling them with milk and tossing two spoons their way, she continued her search for coffee.

  “Does your mother drink coffee or what?” She looked at both of them, her breathing becoming rapid and her tone sounding more desperate as the seconds ticked by.

  “No coffee here,” Faith said, dripping milk on her chin.

  Elise handed her a napkin and looked around for a coffee pot. Not one in sight. How did the girl manage with these kids and no straight caffeine in sight? Like a heroin addict without a fix, she threw open the fridge and tossed the head of lettuce and bag of grapes aside. Her eyes sharpened on a Coke. She popped it open, not even waiting for the bubbles to settle before placing her lips on the edge. She squinted as it burned all the way down. After a modest belch, she wiped her mouth and looked sideways to the children who watched her like a cartoon on television.

  “So, I’m thinking we can go somewhere for lunch.” Somewhere that had Colombian beans.

  “Yay,” they both cheered with smiles bigger than their faces. Faith almost knocked over her bowl, raising her hands over her head.

  It was settled, then. Elise would watch them for a few hours with one steady eye as the other eye took a cat nap, and then they’d head out for someone else to prepare them lunch. She figured on the diner downtown, the one that made pies daily. After the coffee revived her, she could imagine what her taste buds would feel, as they sat beneath the frothy meringue and swam in the sheer goodness of coconut flavor, before it slipped down her throat.

  “Let’s not waste time on getting ready for lunch,” Elise declared, her mind caught in the gutter of sugar and caffeinated beverage.

  “But Aunt Elise, we’re eating breakfast,” Mason said with a scrunched face and a rainbow shape stuck to his top lip.

  “Fine, finish up and we’ll find something to do until then.”

  For the next few hours, the kids tore about the house, chasing and running around. Elise managed to get ready and find clothes for them to wear. She called and checked on her mom before leaving the house. Aunt Hildie was already there.

  “Do you need me to come over?” She hoped she could eat first. She couldn’t fake tuna sandwich delight. Not when her tongue and stomach had been promised pie.

  “Elise, your sister got me ready this morning. I’ve taken my pills and Hildie and I are watching the Hallmark movie channel. Just take the kids and have fun today. Call me about dinner. We’ll decide what to do, then.”

  Easy enough about her mother. Now, the small people. “Hey guys, get to the door. We’re going to eat lunch and if you’re really super good, I’ll take you to the park afterward.” Mason and Faith whooped and hollered as they fell to the ground, pushing their little feet into their tennis shoes. Elise tied Faith’s shoes and they locked up the house and headed for the car. Mason was fidgeting from the dirty socks Elise had found on the stairs and handed him to wear. She couldn’t be held up with searching for any more of their belongings or contraband. It’d already taken five minutes to find Faith’s little pony with the white spot on it. The dark brown one Elise found under the sofa was stupid and couldn’t come in place of Bonnie.

  Elise hoisted Faith into her car seat and Mason strapped himself in like a big boy. She put the oversized key in the ignition and hopes for the day dashed as it grinded and moaned. Elise turned the key again. It chugged one last time and died.

  “Kick it hard,” Mason said from the back seat. “Mommy kicks it hard. It’ll start.”

  Elise kicked at it and pushed the pedal down and gave it another turn. Slowly, the groans and chugs melded together for a slow-spirited start. Elise let out enough air to inflate a tiny pool. That wouldn’t have been good to be stuck in a house where there was no food being prepared and no beans being brewed. She’d rationed out just enough energy left that was needed to get downtown to the diner and order the feast that danced like sugar plums in her head.

  Finding her way around seemed to be second nature. With no wrong turns, they were in front of the diner. She spotted a space near the entrance and plunged nose-first for the parallel parking spot. Oh, how she missed the ease of her compact car. She turned the vehicle off, saying a small prayer it would start up again when it came time to leave. After she safely had the hands of her two children for the day, they made their way for coffee, hot food, and pie.

  Bells on the door rang out as she pushed it open. It seemed they had beat the lunch crowd and had their pick of the booths. The smell of coffee hit her nose like marijuana to a bloodhound. She found a table to
ward the back, next to the counter bar seating, and headed toward it. Somewhere not in the spotlight of voyeuristic patrons walking outside by the large window. She wanted no witnesses for the amount of pie she planned to devour when all the chicken and gravy had been successfully sopped up by the flaky biscuit. The kids jumped on the springy vinyl seats and squealed with delight. Did Melanie ever take them out?

  The waitress came right over. “My gracious! Elise Newton, is that you?”

  Amanda Dewberry hadn’t changed since high school. She still sported a short bob haircut the color of platinum blond. It didn’t match her chocolate eyes and brows then and it didn’t now.

  “Hi, Amanda. It’s good to see you.” Elise put the ketchup bottle down that Mason was beating the salt shaker with, pretending one was the villain and the other a good guy.

  “I see you’re back for a visit. My goodness, how long has it been?”

  “I’m not sure.” She took the sugar packets from Faith and stuffed them back in the container. “Can I get a large coffee? Black. And the fried chicken and gravy? I hope that still comes with a biscuit. Oh, and a slice of coconut meringue pie.” Elise folded her hands in front of her and smiled, happy with her selection.

  Amanda waited, her eyes ping ponging from the little girl to the little boy.

  “Oh, my gosh. Right. What do you all want?” She hid her embarrassment quite well at forgetting to order for the kids.

  “I want cake,” Faith declared.

  “Me, too,” said Mason. “Chocolate.”

  “Just give them an order of chicken fingers, I guess,” Elise said after scanning the laminated menu on the table.

  “And to drink?” Amanda asked, clearly amused from the show at table one.

  Elise looked at the children questionably. “Juice of whatever sort, I guess.”

  “I’m ‘lergic to apple juice,” Faith informed her.