On Hummingbird Wings

by Lauraine Snelling

  “I’m leaving New York.”

  “When?”

  “Probably Thursday. I need to shut off some things and cancel others.”

  His chuckle made her heart skip a beat. Why was she feeling warmer all over? Could be that she was wearing a turtleneck sweater and jeans, warm clothes, but the day was blustery.

  “You really are coming back?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “I know, I’m reading between the lines.”

  “I haven’t made my reservations yet.”

  “Could you do the red-eye tomorrow? I’d pick you up.”

  “I’m going to need a car.”

  “Rent one out here; it’s cheaper. How long are you staying?”

  “I don’t know for sure. At least until Mother gets back on her feet.” Now why did I not tell him I have one month to get that to happen?

  “Then what will you do?”

  Should she tell him about the agreement with Scot? That was the crux of her mishmashed thinking right now. The most important thing was to return to Martinez and get her mother back in the real world. Then she would see.

  “No dreams of what you would do when you retire?”

  “I am too young to retire.”

  “Look on the bright side; you can have an entirely new career. That’s what I did.”

  Gillian shook her head. “But I loved what I was doing and my company and living here and…”

  “Did you never want a family?”

  “Nope, not really. At least not enough to give up what I had to make it happen.” She ignored an age old dream that popped up its head.

  “No man in your life?”

  “Off and on, but again, nothing that made me want to change my life.”

  “I see.”

  “My goal was to shatter that glass ceiling and be the first woman to make the top echelon of executives at Fitch, Fitch, and Folsom, and I did it.”

  “Really. How long ago?”

  “Three years and nine months.” But obviously I couldn’t hold on to it. The thought pressed her back into the recliner. She propped one elbow up on the arm of the chair and rubbed her forehead with her fingertips. What was she going to do now? “Look, I need to run. If you don’t mind, I’ll take you up on the offer of a ride. I’ll e-mail you my itinerary as soon as it’s set.”

  “Good. I’ll see you then.”

  “Thanks. Bye.” She clicked off the phone and rested her forehead against the slim metal case. All was working out well. So, why did she feel like crying? Actually more like bawling. Next step. Get something to eat. Go out or order in. She hit the button for the local deli, gave them her usual order, and hung up. One thing accomplished. Next? So many things depended upon if she was really moving away or just taking an extended leave.

  No sense trying to call her mother and perversely, she didn’t feel like calling Allie. Let her stew over Mother for a couple more days. Come on, Gillian, she’s had the responsibility for years. No, she hasn’t. Mother has been on her own and doing just fine until a short time ago. Allie hasn’t done more than take her mother to doctor appointments and lately do some shopping for her. Perhaps fixing food but I’ve not seen any indications of that. Internal arguments were impossible to win.

  The ringing of the outer door forced Gillian out of her chair to the panel by the entry hall, so she could punch the button to let the food delivery person enter the building. She stood by the open door, and when he arrived, she took the plastic bag of white boxes, paid and tipped him handsomely, and set the food on the table. This would be the last time she’d order from the Corner Deli. One more last time. The day had been full of last times. She glared at the packing boxes still sitting in her living room, blinking back the heat in her eyes and sniffing back the drainage in her nose. She rolled her eyes up to stare at the ceiling; someone had once told her that was a way to keep from crying.

  Her cell phone chimed. Checking the screen, she saw a number she didn’t recognize, but the area code matched her mother’s.

  “Good evening, my dear.” The warm rich voice answered her hello.

  “Enzio.” She pulled a tissue out of the box by her chair and dabbed at her nose. “Thank you for calling. How are things there?”

  “First of all, are you all right?”

  “Of course, why?”

  “You sound like you might be catching a cold.”

  She knew even her chuckle sounded weepy. “No, it’s called fighting off the tears.” Might as well be honest with him, he’d probably figure it out himself.

  “Ah, I was afraid of that. Crying isn’t a bad thing you know.”

  “Easy for you to say.” Now, Gillian, that wasn’t very nice. Her mother might be in bed in her room in California, but she still managed to sit on her daughter’s right shoulder and monitor her manners.

  “Hard day?”

  “Yes. But I’ve made it through and I’ve made some decisions.”

  “Good for you.” His voice alone could make one feel better. How could her mother ignore him like she did? “So, how did things go with Mother today?”

  “I don’t think she is very happy with me.”

  Gillian couldn’t stop the chuckle. “That makes two of us. What did you do?”

  “Spent most of the day with her, like I said I would. She said it is hard to sleep knowing there is someone sitting staring at her.” His chuckle brought forth one of Gillian’s.

  “Could you get her to eat and drink?”

  “Somewhat. Not a lot at a time, but three meals. Allie was not able to find someone to spend the night, so Dorothy is on her own again until morning when I will be picking her up for her doctor’s appointment. She still says she is not going. I am bringing a mutual friend of ours from the senior center to help your mother dress. I don’t think she would really want to go in her robe and slippers. Although I threatened as much.”

  “Thank you, Enzio, I don’t know how we’ll ever be able to repay you.”

  “Repay? I don’t think so. This is what friends are for.”

  Gillian set her phone to speaker and took it over to the table. All of a sudden she was ravenous so this way she could eat and talk at the same time. She retrieved a fork from the kitchen drawer and sat down. “Have you seen or heard from Allie?”

  “Not directly, but she got a call through to your mother to say there were no helpers available. Dorothy said she’d told her to not worry, she didn’t need any help.”

  “And Allie took that as a good excuse to not even come by?”

  “I guess so.”

  She could hear some doubt in his voice. What was Allie’s problem? Did she not care? No, that wasn’t it. “Guess Allie and I need to have some heart-to-heart discussions.”

  “So, when are you coming back?”

  “Tomorrow night on the red-eye if I can get a flight. Usually there’s room on those planes.”

  “Do you want me to come pick you up?”

  “You are such a sweetheart. But no thank you. I would have rented a car, but Adam offered to come get me.”

  “Oh, he did, did he?”

  She ignored the knowing quality of Enzio’s voice. “If you have e-mail, I’ll send you my itinerary as soon as I know it.”

  He gave her his e-mail address and continued. “How long are you staying?”

  “I’m not sure, but I’ll close up here and then decide what to do some other time. Getting Mother back on her feet is my first priority.”

  “Mine, too. I’ll let you get back to what you need to do. I’m glad to hear this, Gillian. I’ll see you on Thursday.”

  “Call me after you’ve been to see Dr. Isaacs, would you please?”

  “I will. Good night.”

  She snapped her cell shut and heaved a sigh, this one of relief. Mother was provided for. Gillian finished her dinner and put the leftovers in the refrigerator for lunch the next day. Amazing how things were falling into place. For a woman known as a detailed planner, she sure was making rapid
-fire decisions. Maybe this really was the way she was supposed to be going.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, we should be at the gate in twenty minutes. Thank you for choosing…”

  She removed the ear buds and shut off the player, stuffing it all back in the case she kept on her lap, dozing until she felt the familiar thump of wheels on the tarmac.

  On the ground and even on time. Adam would be waiting. It had been a long time since anyone had offered to meet her at an airport. Her back ached a bit, but then she’d flown business class since she was flying on her dime now and didn’t want to use so many miles credits for first class. Especially since she might not be traveling for business as much anymore. If at all. If she ever had a job again, or even a business of her own. That thought had entered her mind somewhere over the Midwest. What kind of business might she be interested in starting?

  The seat belt sign flashed off and the lights on. People stood immediately to retrieve luggage from the overhead. For a change she didn’t have a briefcase along, just her travel purse and an overnighter in the overhead. The two big suitcases in the luggage compartment trashed her rule about always traveling light.

  She followed the lines and signs to the baggage area and waited for the luggage to arrive.

  “May I help you, ma’am?”

  She knew the voice immediately and turned with a smile. “Adam.” What was there about even his voice that made her heart flip?

  He grinned at her. “At your service. How many bags?”

  “Two, very big ones. The cases are black and I have a bright green strap around each one.”

  “How was your trip?”

  “The entire thing or just the flight?” Gillian shook her head, not coming up with a good comment. “I’m glad it is over.” Watching the bags coming off the line, she pointed. “That one is mine.”

  Adam excused himself and wedged between two other people to lift the bag off the conveyor. He pulled out the handle and handed it to Gillian. “Your other one is coming right up.”

  Setting the second one down, he smiled. “You must be living right to get both bags near the beginning.” Taking the two handles, he nodded. “This way.”

  When they reached the SUV in the short-term parking lot, Gillian figured they’d walked a mile already. For a change, she’d packed the stilettos and worn walking shoes with her jeans and camel silk and wool–tailored jacket. As she’d expected, the air outside the terminal was chilly.

  “I saw your mother today. Enzio was just leaving. Mrs. Gonzales had been over earlier, so I’d say she was well watched over.”

  “How did she seem?”

  “I don’t know. She was sleeping. Enzio said the trip to the doctor’s really took a lot out of her.”

  “I’m not surprised when the only walking she’s done is to the bathroom and back to bed. Even with a wheelchair the trip would be wearing. What do you know about your father’s tests?”

  “Not much. Tomorrow we get the results.” He stopped at the black SUV and clicked the key. The rear door rose and he swung the three bags inside. “Are you hungry, thirsty?”

  She shook her head. “Just tired. Does Mother know I’m coming? I called and left a message for Allie.”

  He slammed the door down and led the way to the passenger seat, opening the door for her. “She really has the ringer off on the phone in her room?”

  “Yes, crazy isn’t it?” She climbed inside and turned to catch a smile. What a nice man. Nice wasn’t the best word, but right now she was too tired to come up with a better one. Dawn would already be pinking the sky in New York, but in California it was still dark.

  “One good thing about this time of the morning is the lack of traffic,” Adam said as he paid the parking fees and pulled onto the entrance ramp for 101 heading north to the Bay Bridge.

  “There’s no fog.”

  “I know, October is one of the best months in San Francisco, but then you must remember that.”

  “We didn’t go to San Francisco a lot when I lived here. When we did, it was a real treat.” She caught a yawn with her hand and stretched her shoulders and upper back. “Sorry.”

  “You’re welcome to kick that seat back and take a nap, if you want.”

  “No, thanks, then I might be wide awake when I get there.”

  “At least you won’t have to break in this time.”

  “True.” But what I have waiting for me is nothing short of daunting. The thought she’d managed to subdue in the last couple of days assaulted her again. What if she couldn’t get her mother back on her feet after all?

  Chapter Sixteen

  Even a suitcase banging against the door frame didn’t wake Dorothy.

  After checking on her mother, Gillian walked Adam back to the front door, trapping another yawn on the way. These yawns were coming so fast she could barely talk between. “Thank you. I am so glad I didn’t have to drive.” Yawn. “I probably would have been forced to go to a hotel and come out here this morning.”

  “Don’t be in a hurry to get up. You earned sleeping in.”

  “But what about you?”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be asleep before my head hits the pillow. I can get by on a couple of hours. Night.”

  “Night.” She watched him walk out to the truck; then she shut off the front light. She broke two of her life rules by not bothering to remove her makeup or brush her teeth before going to bed. It didn’t stop her from falling asleep right away.

  A ringing phone finally returned her to consciousness. Sort of. She reached for her phone on the bedside stand, realized she wasn’t in her condo, and leaped out of bed. They’d hung up by the time she reached the kitchen. Was that a click she heard on the line?

  “Who’s there?”

  Amazing, the phone had awakened her mother. “Mother, it’s me, Gillian.” She walked back to her mother’s room, only to find her sitting up, eyes staring in fright.

  “Gillian. When did you come?”

  “Sometime in the wee hours of the morning. Thought sure my banging the suitcases would wake you.” She stretched and yawned again.

  “I—I didn’t know you were coming.”

  “If you’d let the phone ring in here, you would have known. I tried calling three times. Today I am either buying an answering machine or adding it to your phone service.”

  “I don’t need those things.”

  “Maybe you don’t, but I do.”

  “How come you came back?”

  “Well, it’s a long story. How about I make us some coffee and I’ll tell you?”

  “You scared me half to death.”

  Gillian could see from the round eyes that she really had frightened her mother. “Sorry,” was cut off by another yawn. Gillian ambled into the kitchen and set the coffee to perking. Some time today she was dragging out the coffeemaker, too. If she was going to live here, she would make things work for herself. The hummingbird sat on the feeder, and right before Gillian’s eyes, a male hummer with a brilliant purple/pink bib on his throat hovered above her.

  “Ah, so there’s been something going on here, eh? He sure is handsome. Were I a hummingbird, I’d go for him.” So, are hummingbirds monogamous? Surely there is a book on Mother’s shelves that will tell me more about hummingbirds—well, birds in general. She stepped out the door to see a flock of small birds splashing in the birdbath, drinking from the edge, or sitting on the canes of the roses, preening their feathers. Bath time in the backyard. Let’s see, she’d made her mother take a shower last Saturday and this was now Thursday. Time to go through that hassle again. Was that tiny spears of green grass she saw poking through the dead cover?

  Wide awake now, Gillian felt lighter than she’d felt a week ago before they turned down her proposal at the good old Triple F’s corporation that no longer existed. At least she was doing more than just existing. She stretched her arms straight in the air and then dropped forward to wrap her hands around her ankles and stretch her hamstrings and all the muscles way up to he
r neck. The hummer feeder was still more than half full. Someone must have filled it while she was gone, or there just weren’t a lot of the little birds around. The seed feeder, however, was nearly empty.

  She drew in a deep and cleansing breath, let it out, and returned to the kitchen. Lots to do today, and the first item was to find out what had happened at the doctor’s office. Or perhaps it would be wiser to unpack first so she wouldn’t have to iron all her clothes. After brushing her teeth and slipping into a pair of light sweats, she carried two mugs of coffee into Dorothy’s bedroom.

  Low and behold, the bed was empty. Gillian quickly drew back the drapes, pulled the blinds so the slats were flat open, and raised them. No coverings over the windows. Ah, joy. The sun poured in, as much as possible with the overhang of the roof. But still light, blessed light. And the two hummingbirds had moved to this feeder.

  She heard the toilet flush and the water run, and then her mother opened the bathroom door. “Oh, close those; it is too bright in here.” Her mother shielded her eyes with her forearm. “Gillian, I can’t see.”

  “Just stand there a moment and let your eyes adjust. You’ll be fine. Has Allie been here since I left?”

  “No, but I talked to her on the phone.” She shook her head. “That Enzio, he wouldn’t go home.”

  “Oh, really. Good thing someone was here for you.”

  “Oh, I am so tired. Yesterday was just awful.” She sat back down on the side of her bed. “Just terrible.”

  “If you want to drink your coffee in the kitchen…”

  “No! I don’t want coffee. I don’t want anything. I just want to be left alone.” She swung her feet up on the bed with no difficulty as far as Gillian could see, and started to lie down.

  “No, let’s fix your pillows. We need to talk.”

  “Later.”

  “Nope, now. It’s nearly ten and I have things I have to do today.”

  “Like what? You just got here.” Dorothy muttered as Gillian fluffed the pillows and waited for her to scoot back. Gillian took her arm and helped her when she started to slump too soon.