Truly Yours Contemporary Collection December 2014

by Joyce Livingston, Gail Sattler, Joyce Livingston

  “She’s nowhere around here, I can tell you that.”

  “What about Roanoke? It’s a very large city with plenty of fine ladies. Maybe a coworker at that insurance place where you work? Or your church?”

  How could he tell his grandmother that out of all the coworkers in the place, one was already married, one was divorced with three kids, and another was old enough to be his mother? In church, the women were either fresh out of college and just beginning to taste life or already married. No one in the middle, like him. The lonely middle man.

  “The trouble with you is that you don’t go out enough. You spend too many evenings here instead of going to where the young people are. I used to love attending the opera with Joe, you know. Why don’t you do something like that?”

  Neil nearly laughed at the suggestion but kept his lips pressed tight. Still, he could envision himself decked out in a tuxedo with a lovely lady in evening apparel on his arm. Perhaps the suggestion wouldn’t be so farfetched if there were a lovely woman to escort to such a venue. He’d had a few female interests in the past, but nothing came of them. Between work and then coming here for nightly visits, as Gram said, there wasn’t much time.

  “Gram, I don’t go out because I would miss seeing you. You’re my lady friend. In fact, the nurse I helped out today thought I was going on a date.”

  Elvina straightened in her wheelchair. “You helped a nurse? When? Where?”

  “She took a fall on the ice and landed right in the road. She refused my help at first, but I talked her into letting me drive her home.”

  “Do you like her? Since you come here every day, you could see her at the same time. Something like that would work.”

  “Gram, let it go.”

  “I would, except for the fact you’re the son of my oldest boy. Not to mention that you’re thirty-five years old. That’s too old. I want you to find a wife and have children. I want another Nathaniel in the family.”

  He laughed. “I’d think having one around is enough for you.”

  “It’s never enough.” She sighed. “Oh, if only you’d known your father. You’re so much like him. He married your mother late, too. He gave me the same excuses. There was no one he liked. He was too busy to care, anyway. So I guess I should expect his son to do the same.”

  Neil said little. There wasn’t much to say. Whenever anyone talked about his father, he listened politely.

  “And the little nurse who takes care of me during the day is twenty-eight years old. Can you imagine? Twenty-eight and never been married. Tsk, tsk.”

  “People are waiting longer to get married these days, Gram. They don’t do it fresh out of high school like in the old days. They have careers, and they want to make sure that the one they’re marrying is the right one. I prefer the idea of going slow. Maybe we wouldn’t have so many divorces nowadays if people chose their mates better.”

  “If you go any slower, I won’t live to attend your wedding, let alone enjoy any great-grandchildren. I want the son of my Albert to be happy.”

  He had heard how close his father and Gram were until his father ended up in the service and then died in Vietnam. For years after, Gram had struggled with depression, only cheering up whenever his mother brought him and his siblings over for a visit. Now as an adult, Neil’s visits with his grandmother continued as they had back then. He felt a special bond with Gram because of it all. Over the years, she had shared all she could remember about his father, to the point that Neil felt he knew him, even if he’d never met him. And it probably cheered Gram to know that, though he was the product of a son who lived no more, something of his father, Albert, still lived on. It would have been great, of course, to have a dad. Someone to take him to baseball games. Someone to lean on when the going got rough. Even someone to talk to about these women issues. But he let it go as he did with most things. God had His reasons, even if Neil didn’t understand them all.

  After dinner, Neil bade Gram farewell and headed for the elevator. Passing by the nursing station, he ignored the stares from every corner and the faces peeking out from the lounge. Heat flooded his cheeks. If only he could come here for a visit without thinking he was a chunk of meat on display. As it was, he never considered himself the type with that kind of appeal. In the mirror, he saw a normal guy with brown hair and eyes to match. There were no dimples, no flashy smile, nothing that should attract this amount of attention. Maybe there were no other guys his age visiting the residents. And for certain, the ratio of single men to women in this small town left much to be desired.

  For now, he decided to dismiss the thought of women and think about Gram and what he would like to give her for Christmas. He had an idea brewing and wondered if he could make it work. What if he could arrange to have her taken out of this facility to spend Christmas with his mother and siblings? Christmas at home, surrounded by her loved ones, would be the ultimate present, in his opinion—a wish come true for Gram, and one she would treasure always. He would take her to his home if he could, but a high-rise apartment in downtown Roanoke was hardly the place for a wheelchair-bound woman. His mother had plenty of room, if he could convince her. He would make it as easy as possible. Arrange for everything and hire a nurse to help.

  He strode out into the cold night for the drive home to Roanoke. All around were the signs of the blossoming holiday season—twinkle lights glimmering from homes, shop windows bursting with unusual gift ideas, bell ringers for charity organizations stationed in front of the shopping centers, and even the faint hum of a distant carol in the air. He thought about presents and the great idea of bringing Gram home for the holidays. He could just imagine her face on the big day when he rolled her into the family home to greet her loved ones. He had to make it happen somehow.

  Suddenly the injured nurse on the road came to the forefront of his thoughts. He could chat with her about the idea and what equipment he might need. Maybe he could even hire her. She seemed to care about the residents. She had experience, working there at White Pines for eight years. Maybe she would do it if the price was right. The thought buzzed in his head as he drove along, making a mental note to arrive at the same time tomorrow in the hopes of catching the nurse on her way home.

  ❧

  Another busy workday at the White Pines facility had come and gone when Debbie emerged from the building, bleary-eyed from the lack of sleep over her bruised tailbone and worn-out from having to float to another floor because of a nursing shortage. She still shuddered over the day’s work—contending with several belligerent residents who, as they put it, “did not like her style of nursing.” She missed the peace of her own unit and the residents she had come to know and love. Now she looked forward to a relaxing bath, then curling up in front of the fireplace with a good book—if she could get a fire going in the small fireplace inside her apartment. Camping and fire building were not her forte. In Girl Scouts, she specialized in selling those great cookies. That and earning the first aid badge. She loved bandaging and caring for the sick.

  Debbie took the walk slow this time, careful to avoid the glistening ice that gave her the colorful mark decorating her backside. She was so intent on staring at the pavement she did not hear a car pull up beside her until a voice startled her.

  “Hello? Anybody home?”

  Debbie whirled around to find a shadowy face peering at her from the car window. Shuddering, she ignored the car and continued on down the sidewalk. The car followed slowly behind. She began feeling hot in her jacket. Her nerves stood on edge, thinking of muggers who sometimes stalked young nurses walking home from work. If only she had her car back. She would be safe and sound, driving away at breakneck speed. How long does it take for a garage to get the right parts anyway?

  “Is something the matter?” the voice persisted.

  A car door slammed, followed by footsteps. Debbie searched for a place to run when she f
ound herself face-to-face with a familiar figure dressed in a black overcoat.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m the guy who helped you out yesterday, remember?”

  “Oh, it’s you.” She sighed in relief. “I’m not used to having strange men following me.”

  “Is your back doing better?”

  Debbie shrugged. “I’ll survive. It was hard today, trying to work with it. I never knew a bruised tailbone could hurt so much.”

  “Maybe you should take off a day or two and let it heal up.”

  “Call in sick this time of year? You must be joking. As it is, everyone seems to be taking off early, leaving us very short-staffed. In fact, I had to work on another floor today, which was no fun. Different residents and different nursing personnel with their own philosophies and ways of doing things.” She bent her head, studying the patches of ice decorating the sidewalk. “Then I had several residents who were not very friendly. One even swung his fist at me.”

  The man’s eyes widened in alarm. He took a step closer. “Swung his fist at you? You’re kidding.”

  “Don’t worry. He missed. A good thing, too, or I’d have a bruise on my face to match the one on my tailbone.”

  “Look, it must still be hard walking, especially after a day like today. I can drive you home again. It’s no trouble.”

  “What are you, the White Pines taxicab service?”

  “When someone is injured and has had a rough day, I am. Better yet, how about we get ourselves some hot chocolate at the coffee shop in Daleville? I hear when life gives you lemons, drink chocolate.”

  She laughed. “You mean, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

  “Hot chocolate in the winter. Lemonade in the summer.”

  Debbie snuggled her hands into the pockets of her jacket, feeling the warmth radiating through her at this friendly invite. Her first gift of chocolate, be it hot chocolate, presented by a good-looking man. Now that was a treat she could hardly turn down. “Sure, why not? I guess I deserve it.”

  He smiled and led the way back to his car. “By the way, I suppose we should introduce ourselves. I’m Neil.”

  “I’m Debbie.”

  He performed a U-turn and drove off in the direction of Daleville.

  “So where do you work?” Debbie wondered. “Around here somewhere?”

  “I live and work in Roanoke. I man a desk job at an insurance firm. Definitely not the fast lane.”

  “So you pick the pockets of the injured,” she said with a laugh. “No wonder you were curious about my accident.”

  “I would be if your car was insured through my company and involved in an accident. I work in the auto division.”

  “Hey, maybe you can help me out. I’ve had my car in the garage now for five days. It seems they’ve lost the parts. Either that or they have the parts and don’t know what to do with them. They were supposed to have my car fixed in a day or two. Something about replacing a few noisy valves. Now it’s turning into a week-long ordeal.”

  “Sounds fishy to me. If you want, I can stop by the garage and check it out for you.”

  Debbie sighed. A man of chocolate and a rescuer of one in the throes of being ripped off. She was more impressed by the minute. “That would be great. Thanks. It’s Hank’s Auto Service. I wonder if Hank knows what’s going on. Anyway, I’d hate to think the garage is taking advantage of me just because I’m a woman. You never know.” She gazed at the storefronts and homes, decked out in holiday greenery and lights. “Nary a Nativity scene to be found,” she murmured.

  “What was that?”

  “Oh, I was just looking at all the worldly portrayals of the Christmas season. You know, elves, Santa, animals, stockings. But hardly any Nativity scenes and certainly none in the town squares. Too bad.” She paused then, uncertain how he would take her opinions or the fact that she was a Christian.

  “We live in strange times. No one has a need for God and especially no reminders of Him. Every major holiday is replaced by some symbol, like Easter bunnies for the Resurrection. And even the public schools call it winter break and not Christmas break so one doesn’t have to say the word Christ. It’s crazy.”

  Debbie couldn’t help but be delighted by his words, despite the seriousness of them. Neil thought the same way she did. This picture was getting rosier by the minute.

  Sitting at the coffee shop a short time later, with a mug of hot chocolate topped off by a swirl of whipped cream, Debbie thought she had died and gone to heaven. She felt more relaxed than if she had submerged herself in that bathtub full of bubbles. Neil’s dark eyes perusing her from across the table added to the pleasure. If not for the thought in the back of her mind about the date he had with a worker at White Pines yesterday, she might actually wonder if God was performing a wondrous miracle in her midst.

  They talked about their days in school, their jobs, and what was on their wish list for Christmas. Debbie talked of owning a luxury SUV and laughed.

  Neil shifted in his seat after draining his mug of chocolate and folded his hands on the table. “Debbie, there is another reason behind this little get-together.”

  Here it comes. He left the other nurse he’s seeing at White Pines and wants to go out with me. She tried to hold her eagerness at bay, along with a twinge of anxiety. What if he did ask her out on a real date? What would she do? What would she wear? First things first. “Yes?”

  “Since it’s Christmas and we’re talking about gifts, I have an extraspecial gift I’d like to give someone close to me. You see, I have a grandmother in White Pines who would love the best present of all—Christmas at home, surrounded by her family.”

  “So you visit your grandmother?”

  “I go see her most evenings. That’s where I was going when I saw you out there in the middle of the road.”

  Wow. So the date I thought he had with another woman in the facility was really a visit with his grandmother. What a guy. Kind, considerate, thoughtful of those in need. And looking pretty good right now. “That’s sweet of you to think of her. Half the residents would love to go home to be with their families, but it just doesn’t happen.”

  “I’m hoping I can make it happen for Gram. For as long as I can remember, she and I have always been close. Unusually so, I think, due to my father’s death.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Don’t be. I never knew him. My mother was carrying me at the time, so I never laid eyes on him. Anyway, I want to bring Gram home to be with the family over the holidays. I have no space for her at my old bachelor pad in a high-rise. I need to convince Mom to go along with the idea, and I think hiring a nurse to take care of her might be just the ticket. I think Mom would agree to the plan, knowing I’ve already set up round-the-clock care. I would pay you well and. . .”

  Debbie straightened in her seat, wincing at the spasm in her back. “You want to hire me? That’s nice of you, Neil, but you see. . .”

  “If money is the problem, I will definitely make it worth your while. I know you would rather be home with your family, so it’s a big sacrifice.”

  “Yes, but I. . .”

  “Believe me, Gram is the greatest person to take care of. You wouldn’t have to do much, honestly. How does five hundred a day sound? Is that too low? I don’t know how much private-duty nurses get. Maybe I need to scope it out a bit more so I’m giving fair wages, especially over the holidays. We’re talking three twenty-four-hour days most likely, depending on what Gram needs.”

  Debbie nearly choked on the amount. Fifteen hundred smackaroos. That was more pay than she earned in several weeks of work. If only. . . She sighed. “Neil, I would love to do it, but I’m already working Christmas.”

  His cheeks pinked. He stirred in his seat, clearly flustered. “What?”

  “I said, I’m working Chr
istmas. . .at White Pines. It’s my turn this year.”

  “You work Christmas?” His cheery countenance instantly changed to one of disappointment.

  “We are scheduled to work every other Christmas. I was off last year, so it’s my turn. And believe me, there’s no way I can get that time off, either. It’s a dead issue as far as work goes.”

  Neil tapped on the side of the mug. “I see.” He drained the mug, then checked his watch. “Sorry, I need to get going. I have a few things to do before I see my grandmother.”

  Debbie winced. All the joy of the meeting quickly evaporated. Now that the air had cleared, she could see at once that he wasn’t interested in her personally. He was after one thing, a nurse to take care of his grandmother. She should have known he would only take her to a coffee shop with some other motive in mind, rather than trying to get to know her. It had been this way all her life with guys, like Brad who she thought was looking her way but instead had his eye on her roommate.

  Debbie swallowed down her indignation and managed to thank him for the hot chocolate. They strode out to the car in an uncomfortable silence. When he arrived at her apartment, he asked if he could check on her car.

  “Don’t worry, I can take care of it. Thanks anyway.” Before he could respond, she gave him a brisk thank-you and darted into her apartment, shutting the door behind her. Serves me right, getting my hopes up that a man might finally be looking my way. He was looking for service, though a good kind of service, she had to admit. If only she didn’t wrestle so much with expectations that went flying out the window at the least provocation. If only she could rely more on the plan God had for her life and not some preconceived notion. Lord, please let me know what that plan is, she prayed.

  Three

  Neil strode into the White Pines facility that evening without the usual exuberance that marked his step. Gram would know something was up as soon as he gave her a welcome kiss on the cheek. Despite being blind, she could read his every mood—when he had a bad day at the office or when something else ailed him. Before heading to her room, he stopped in the hall to collect his composure. He couldn’t tell her the real reason for his disappointment this night: that he had failed in hiring the nurse he thought perfect for his plan to bring her home. Not only that, but he knew they had left the coffee shop on shaky ground; that didn’t make him feel any better. Guess he had not been a gentleman with the lady. He had managed to get her angry after a mere sixty-minute encounter.