by Tina Martin
“It’s okay, Kalina. It’s perfectly fine to cry. You need to get it all out.” He strummed his hands up and down her back. “Come on…let’s sit down.”
She followed his lead, taking slow steps towards the couch then sat down. He sat down next to her, taking her into his arms again, listening to her cry. It bothered him. He never could stand to see a woman in tears, especially one he cared about. Her whimpers crept into his heart, but he knew she needed this release, so he let her do it. He let her cry.
Minutes later, when she’d stopped crying, he said, “Kalina?”
“Yeah?” she said faintly.
“You alright?”
Instead of answering him with a direct answer, she said, “When I was thirteen, my mom gave me a small, porcelain jewelry box. It was white and decorated with pretty pink flowers and long, green stems. It was trimmed in some sort of metal, bronze maybe…and, when you opened it, it played a song she used to sing to me whenever she would put me to bed…You Are My Sunshine…do you know that song?”
“I do. My father used to sing it to my sister when she was a baby.”
“Well, my mom kept that jewelry box on her vanity, and before she gave it to me, I used to go into her room to play with it. I can’t tell you how shocked I was that she gave it to me. I was beyond excited, so much so that I took it to school one day to show my friends and it slipped out of my hands and fell to the sidewalk, shattering to pieces. I was heartbroken. I couldn’t believe I did that. It was the one thing my mother gave me that had actually meant something to her, and I broke it. And to make matters worse, that was the same year she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and then I understood why she’d given me the jewelry box…she wanted me to have memories of her…good memories. Happy times. But I broke it. She gave it to me and I broke it.” Kalina cried again, her tears wetting his T-shirt. “I broke it,” she cried.
Bryson tried to console her the best way he could. He cradled her neck with one hand and rubbed her back with the other. He began rocking her gently and telling her over and over again that things would be okay. No matter how bleak a situation appeared to be, there was always a way out.
Soon, her body-quaking wails became less intense until she wasn’t moving at all. Her sniffles dried up. Her breathing evened out. Her body lay heavy against his. That’s when he knew she had fallen asleep.
With little effort, he lifted her from the couch and carried her down the hallway in search of her bedroom. The first bedroom he came to was neat – looked to be a guest bedroom. Further down the hallway, he passed a bathroom on the right, then a little further, he came to another bedroom. There. This was more like it. This had to be her room. There was an unmade, queen-size bed centered in the room. Clothes were scattered about on the floor. Empty water bottles littered the nightstand next to the bed, which gave him a clue on which side she preferred to sleep. Her opened laptop was on the other side of the bed.
Bryson lowered her to the bed then pulled the covers up over her. “Get some rest,” he said softly, even though she was completely out.
Afterwards, he gave her disorganized room one last look before leaving here there to rest. He walked back to the living room, sat on the couch and rubbed his eyes, feeling a bit overwhelmed. He hoped he was doing enough to help her. Then he thought of his own personal crisis involving his divorce from Felicia. For a few weeks he had known she was having an affair. He watched the changes in her, saw her having dinner with the man – the man who was their accountant. He even had to listen to her deny the affair when he already knew otherwise. Once she couldn’t lie about it any longer, she had apologized and told him she wanted their marriage to work. She said she was willing to go to counseling and start over. She begged him for another chance, citing how everyone makes mistakes and how this had been a mistake she’d made – one she wouldn’t make again. A few days later, she was with the accountant again.
It was a difficult time in his life. Divorcing the woman he thought he would spend the rest of his life with had proven to be the hardest thing he had ever done, especially when the family loved her so much. And since he offered no explanation why he had divorced her, he left everyone to their own assumptions.
He glanced at his watch. It was close to ten. He had to open his office in the morning before 8:00 a.m. He preferred getting there around 7:30 a.m. so he could get organized before his men came to clock-in. Tonight, he knew Kalina needed him more.
He stood up and walked to the kitchen. It was more of a mess than her bedroom. Dishes were piled up in the sink and the island was covered with things that should’ve been put away – coffee, sugar, bread, cereal boxes, oatmeal and potato chips. When would she have time to clean? All her time was tied up in her company – making sure she kept the blog up and running and that her business was a success. From their conversation over dinner, he got the impression that her drive behind it wasn’t because she wanted to become rich and famous. Her motivation for working was so she had the funds to take care of her mother’s medical bills.
Rolling up his sleeves, Bryson began rinsing dishes before loading them all in the dishwasher. He cleared the countertops and the island. Afterwards, he wiped them down with some antibacterial surface cleaner he’d found in the cabinet underneath the sink. Afterward, he swept and mopped the floor, restoring her kitchen to a condition in which Kalina probably hadn’t seen it in quite some time.
He took a bottle of water from the refrigerator and walked to her room with it, leaving it on the nightstand. He watched her for a moment as she slept. She was quiet, sleeping as soundly as a newborn.
Deciding to tidy up her room a bit, he picked up all the clothes on the floor and threw them in a hamper he found in her walk-in closet. He picked up her shoes and placed them with the rest of the organized shoes in her closet. Scooping up all the empty water bottles from her nightstand, he took them to the kitchen, dropping them in the recycle bin he found there.
Finally, he took her laptop from the bed and after turning off the lights, he closed the door. He sat on the couch with her computer comfortably on his lap and, on discovering her laptop wasn’t password protected, he opened her inbox and decided to answer as many emails as he could. Her inbox contained a little over four-hundred unread emails. What a daunting task for a young woman with her issues.
At any rate, he got to work, answering and replying to emails, one after the other. He knew she preferred to check over his email responses, but lately, she hadn’t been checking them. She was comfortable with his responses so he was certain she would be okay with his replies.
Bryson rubbed his eyes and looked at his watch – 1:37 a.m. He’d gotten her inbox down to three-hundred emails and now, he couldn’t keep his eyes open. He placed her laptop on the coffee table before reclining on the sofa. He’d much rather have his bed, but he wouldn’t leave Kalina alone. He would stay the night, just in case she woke up and needed to talk.
CHAPTER 25
The knocks at the door took Bryson out of his sleep. He opened his eyes, took in his surroundings, remembering where he was – at Kalina’s house. He glanced at his watch. It was a few minutes after eight. So he knew it must’ve been Lizette at the door.
Bryson opened the door and watched a frown form in the woman’s forehead. No doubt she was confused to see him answering Kalina’s door.
“Um, who are you?” Lizette asked.
“I’m Bryson.”
“Oh…you’re Bryson, the coffee shop guy,” she said, looking him up and down.
Bryson grinned. “Yes, that would be me. And you work with Kalina, correct?”
“Yes. I’m Lizette.”
“Nice to meet you, Lizette.”
“Hey, speaking of Kalina, where is she exactly?”
“She’s still sleeping. Why don’t you come in and set up wherever you guys work. I’m sure she’ll be up in a lil’ while.”
“Alrighty,” Lizette said, walking in with her bag. She headed up the stairs to the loft.
&nbs
p; Bryson walked to the kitchen, took a canister of Folgers from the pantry and brewed a fresh pot of coffee. Deciding to cook breakfast for Kalina, he fried some eggs and bacon, gathered it into a plate and left it in the microwave. He walked to her bedroom, tapped on the door and when he didn’t get an answer, he turned the knob, pushed it open and saw her lying there, in a different position from when he’d last checked on her. This time, she was facing the nightstand. He also noticed she’d drank some of the water he left for her.
Stepping further into the room, he said, “Kalina.”
“Huh?” she said, with her eyes still closed.
“Are you okay?” he asked, deciding not to go any closer. He didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable in any way.
Kalina opened her eyes, looking up at the tall man standing in her bedroom. She remembered crying in his arms last night. Remembered him telling her everything was going to be okay. When she’d gotten up to use the bathroom last night, she noticed her room had been cleaned up. Clothes and shoes weren’t scattered about on the floor. In fact, she noticed that her shoes were placed neatly in the closet. The empty water bottles that were on her nightstand were gone and replaced by only one bottle of fresh water. She knew he’d left it there, just like she knew he’d cleaned up her room. And he stayed the night…
After her early morning bathroom trip, she walked to the living room and saw him lying there, his lengthy body stretched out on the expanse of the sofa. Her laptop was on the table.
“Kalina?”
The sound of his voice, saying her name, forced her out of a daydream. “Yes?” she said, softly.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m okay.”
“Alright. Ah…it’s almost 8:30. Lizette arrived about thirty minutes ago so she’s already upstairs. Also, I also left you some breakfast in the microwave. I’m going to get going now, but I will check in on you later, so please answer your phone for me, sweetheart.”
“Okay. I will.”
Kalina sat up in the bed, stretching. When she got up, she took a shower – a long, hot one. After getting dressed, she walked to the kitchen and for a second, she thought she was in the wrong house. It had been cleaned from top to bottom. She shook her head.
Bryson…
He’d made coffee, too and walking over to the microwave, she pressed a button to open it, revealing a plate of eggs and bacon he’d cooked for her. She smiled. She’d never had a man do anything like this for her before. She never had a man, period. So why was Bryson doing this? Was he that concerned about her? Why would he go above and beyond to help her like this? It was still a bit of a mystery to her, but she had to admit that she liked the perks of having him as a…friend.
Pushing the microwave door closed, she pressed the number one to heat up her food for a minute, then after pouring a cup of coffee, she sat at the island and ate breakfast. She figured she’d call Edith, too. She was sure Edith was still at the hospital.
“Hey, there Kalina. I hope you got some rest.”
“I did. How’s mom?”
“She still hasn’t opened her eyes. Her vitals are good, according to the nurse, but it’s a waiting game now.”
“Okay. I’ll be back up there around six.”
“Alright, honey. See you then.”
After she’d finished eating, Kalina looked around the kitchen again. She couldn’t remember the last time it had been so organized and tidy. Bryson must’ve thought she was a slob judging by the way it looked before.
She took her plate to the sink and after taking her laptop from the living room table, she headed upstairs to get to work.
“Well, well, well…don’t we looked well-rested and refreshed this morning,” Lizette said.
“I do, because I sure don’t feel refreshed. It’s been a rough weekend for me. That’s for sure.”
“Does that mean Bryson spent the weekend or what?” she asked with a smirk.
“Get your mind out of the gutter, Lizzie.”
“What am I supposed to think? You got the man answering your door and all…”
“My mother fell over the weekend and broke her hip. She’s in the hospital right now.”
“Oh my gosh, Kalina. Why are you working? Go be with your mother.”
“I will, later, but I have to get some work done right now.”
“Kalina—”
“I have to work, Lizzie, but trust me…I’m okay. Bryson stopped by to check on me last night and I…I sort of broke down and he was there for me.” A small smile touched Kalina’s lips. He was there for me.
She opened her laptop and was surprised to see the numbers of new emails in her inbox. Just last night, there were over four-hundred. Now, there were a little over three hundred. Had Bryson been answering emails on her behalf?
She clicked on the ‘sent’ folder and sure enough, she saw emails that had been answered late last night and on until early this morning – the last of which was sent at 2:38 a.m.
* * *
Bryson blinked quickly when he felt his eyes closing. Three cups of coffee later, he was still exhausted from last night, but even still, he was glad to help Kalina. He found himself thinking about her often today, envisioning her lying in bed, tears stained into her beautiful face. Everything about her was beautiful – well except for her tears. And her life. Her life as in turmoil. He couldn’t imagine what she was going through with the strong possibility of losing her mother. He had a good relationship with his parents. All the siblings did. To think about them dying was heartbreaking. He had a feeling that Kalina’s heart was already broken.
He took his cell phone from his shirt pocket and dialed Edith.
“Bryson?”
“Hi, Edith.”
“Hey, Bryson. Is everything okay with Kalina? I spoke to her this morning.”
Bryson leaned back in his chair. “Yes, Kalina’s fine. I was calling you to find out how Madeline is doing?”
“Oh,” Edith said surprised he was inquiring about her sister. “She’s okay. The nurses have been in and out all day checking on her. They said her vitals were good and—”
“Edith, give me your gut feeling. I don’t mean to come across insensitive by any means, but if it’s not looking too good for her, I need to start preparing Kalina now. So please, just tell me straight up.”
Edith swallowed hard and sighed. “It’s not looking good at all, and my gut feeling is…” she stopped talking to take breath and to dab her eyes. With a shaky voice, she continued, “My gut feeling is that she’s not going to make it out of this hospital. I think Kalina knows it, too, but she’s not ready to face that reality yet.”
Bryson leaned forward, propped his elbows on the desk and shook his head.
“Listen, Bryson...I know I told you to be an outlet for Kalina, but I think it’s time to let her be.”
Bryson frowned. “No. I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m…I’m invested now. I can’t walk away from her and pretend like I don’t care about her because I do, Edith.”
“I know you do, Bryson, but—”
“Do you know I was with her last night? Did she tell you?”
“No. She didn’t mention it.”
“I stopped by her house last night because she wasn’t answering my phone calls. And she just broke down and cried herself to sleep in my arms. She needs me and I can’t walk away now. I won’t walk away.”
Edith nodded. “Okay, Bryson.”
CHAPTER 26
“You give the best hugs,” Edith said to Kalina.
“So do you, Edith.”
Edith returned to her seat.
Kalina sat down beside her as they sat in her mother’s room. Madeline was still sleeping. Still connected to a monitor and intravenous fluid. “Have you been here all day?”
“Yes, I have.”
“Who’s running the café?”
“No one. I closed up shop for the day.”
“Well, I’m staying w
ith mom tonight and tomorrow so you can get a break and get back to the café.”
“Oh, no, honey. I’ll be fine,” Edith said. “Besides, you need to work.”
“I brought my laptop with me. I can work right here while I’m sitting with mom.”
“Well, we’ll both stay.”
They both looked shocked when they heard mumbling noises from Madeline. They rushed over to the bed and saw Madeline open her eyes.
“Mom?” Kalina said, holding her mother’s frail hand. Tears of happiness welled up in her eyes. “Mom, can you hear me?”
Madeline continued mumbling.
“I’m going to get a nurse,” Edith said, leaving the room to walk down to the nurse’s station.
Kalina kissed her mother on the cheek and stroked her hair. “Mom, it’s me. It’s Kalina.”
Madeline’s eyes closed again.
“Mom,” Kalina said, wanting desperately to see her mother’s eyes again. “Mom?”
When Edith was back in the room with the nurse, Madeline’s eyes remained closed.
“She just closed her eyes,” Kalina said. “But she was mumbling before.”
The nurse nodded. “Okay.”
“Why is she mumbling?” Kalina inquired. “She usually attempts to say clusters of words. Why isn’t she doing that? Did the fall do something to her?”
“It could have, Ms. Cooper, but your mother has late stage Alzheimer’s. Losing the ability to communicate comes with the final stage.”
The final stage…
With tears resting on her eyelids, Kalina said, “So she’s never going to talk again?”
“It’s highly unlikely at this point,” the nurse said.
Tears effortlessly rolled down Kalina’s face. She walked away from her mother’s bed and returned to the chair.
Edith remained talking to the nurse, but Kalina was too distraught to listen any longer. She knew what the nurse was saying in not so many words…her mother was dying and it would only be a matter of time now.