|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 3:12 pm
Jerry was whistling as he pushed the gate open, fumbling for his keys before the front door was opened for him. "Ah, th-thanks, Theresa, um! Everything alright today?"
"No incidents," The nurse smiled weakly, holding it open for the young man as he hefted his book bag onto the dining room table.
"That's good! You can head out now, I've got it from here," he beamed.
The older woman frowned at the bright eyed, bespectacled boy with a look of concern, "Have you thought of a home? She's... only going to get-"
He wove her silent, "It's fine. She's happier at home, I'm sure."
"You're going to school eventually, Jerry. You can't keep this up."
"We'll be fine, Theresa. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"
"She's not well-"
But Jerry wasn't listening, already unpacking his homework to line it up. They said their goodbyes and he closed the door behind her.
He paused against the door, breathing out slowly.
Same old, same old. Three O'clock, time to go out. He made his way to the stairs and could already hear the TV from the bedroom blasting. Her hearing wasn't what it used to be.
He knocked on principal.
"I'm home, Gram!" He shouted, reaching for the remote to turn the volume down.
Glassy, cataract-glazed eyes turned to him from the bed, "Oscar, is that you?"
"It's just me, Gram," He moved to check the machines carefully. Everything was in order, the nurse had made sure things were clean and empties and changed.
"Oh," she replied, smiling faintly as he unplugged what could be, and began picking out clothes from the dresser.
"Would you like to go get some air? It's a lovely day, Gram."
"That would be nice."
Carefully, she was hoisted from the bed, groomed, dressed, and carefully half carried to the stairs where Jerry directed her into the motorized lift. He followed one step at a time. The wheelchair waited at the bottom, and she was carefully moved. Alright, hard part done.
"Don't forget a jacket, Oscar," She warned him as he wheeled her to the door and out onto the porch, checking that her oxygen tubes were all in order. "Of course, Gran, wait here, okay?" He checked the brakes religiously before running back inside. When he returned, there was a bag on his back and a coat over his arm, "You look lovely, Gran! You ready?" He lay a blanket over her legs and then tucked his jacket in the back of the chair to ease her down the ramp.
The Park wasn't far, just off the river and there were trees and paths and pigeons and ducks. She used to take him here all the time when he was little. These days, he took her. He parked the chair so she would have a good view before sitting beside her on the grass to fumble with his bag. Out came his ukulele, hardly needing tuning. Sometimes he brought his guitar, but it was too cumbersome with the chair. As he tuned, the old lady's face lit up for a moment before hardening with a moment of recollection.
"Did you practice your piano?"
"Not yet, Gran. I will when we get home, okay?"
"Good boy," She nodded, happy to continue watching the rowers in their long boats.
After a bit of silence, he started strumming. His grandmother relaxed in her chair with a sigh and a soft smile.
"Somewhere, over the rainbow..." Jerry sang, and she began to hum along.
She remembered seeing that movie in the theater with Oscar years ago. They had been dating, and it wasn't long before he had asked her to marry him.
Quietly, in a weak vice, she sang along.
Jerry beamed, the two pushing forth together to the sound of the little instrument until the last note wavered to a pretty stop.
"Jeremy?"
Jerry's heart clenched as he sat p straight. She hadn't used his name in weeks, "Y-yes, Gran?"
"You sing like your mother."
Jerry's breath caught in his throat. He wasn't sure if this was a compliment or a slight against his mother. But his chest swelled all the same. He scooted closer to the chair before standing, leaning in to kiss her temple before sitting again in better view of her, "D-did... she sing a lot, Gram?"
"Who, dear?"
Jerry swallowed, his smile wavering, "Mom, Gran... Cynthia?" He added hopefully.
"Not quite as much as you," She laughed weakly, which ended in a wheeze.
He blushed, laughing as well before standing again with concern, Time for dinner, he supposed. Carefully, he packed up and they made their slow and gentle way home.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 3:19 pm
Five o'clock, dinner consisted of potatoes, chicken, mild panic over a small grease fire, and a lot of one-way conversation. He was okay with this, just happy to share his day and see her face as they ate and occasionally she would ask a non sequitur but he went with the flow.
Dishes were tended to, and it was back up the stair-lift, back to the bedroom.. She was changed, cleaned up, groomed and carefully wheeled back to bed. Same old, same old, comfortable familiarity. Jerry liked the rhythm, the structured schedule. Seven o'clock, he sat with her while she absently stared at the television while he did his homework. Eight o'clock, he practiced piano while she slept. Take a break to check on her, then a half hour of guitar practice. He tended to the book keeping last, since he found it the most tedious. Bills, ads for health care services and life insurance, he organized them in neat piles of to-be-tended-to and to-be-dealt-with-later and to-be-thrown-out. And then there was a letter addressed to him.
An acceptance letter.
Jerry stared at the envelope, then read and re-read the letter itself several times.
He had gotten in. They wanted him. Finances weren't an issue, both grandparents had set up the trust fund for it ages ago, but...
His grandmother needed him. She needed him t remember. To stay herself. He couldn't just... she had raised him, she had always been there for him, what sort of person would he be to just... dump her in a home somewhere? Let strangers invade her privacy, demean her- sure their private nurse watched her a few hours a day while he was in school but that was different. She raised him to be better than that.
If he commuted, maybe.... maybe it could work.
She had been getting worse lately, though... she'd need more attention.
He set the letter aside, closing up the office. Eleven o'clock, time for bed.
Glancing in her bedroom one last time, his grandmother still slept soundly. He kissed her hair, removed her glasses, and he left the light on as he retreated to his own bedroom.
His room was neat and organized, a hodgepodge of posters and musical instruments he either played or just wished he could play. Both grandparents had been supportive of his passions. Quietly, he changed into his pajamas, hesitating only once when he noted the light was out in the bathroom. For a moment, he thought he saw movement in the shadows.
Deep breaths. Close your eyes, turn on light, brush teeth.
He left the lights on in his room as he settled in. Just in case, he assured himself, there could be an emergency and I can't be scrambling for switches.
He woke up before the sun with a start and a scream. Five A.M, time for night terrors. Trembling, he glanced around the room after scrambling for his glasses, relieved to find everything as he had left it.
She used to be the one to come to his room when he woke up screaming. 'He's a very excitable boy', she used to say in his defense.
Trembling, he pulled on his socks and shuffled down the hall quietly. Maybe she was awake, watching TV? No, it was still off, and she lay quietly at the mercy of her night time medications and machines.
He sighed, letting her sleep, instead deciding he'd figure out how to make waffles from scratch. Theresa wasn't due in for another few hours. Plenty of time for a good breakfast.
Six A.M. After a lot of fumbling and experimentation, a half hearted attempt at clean up, the young man made his way back up the stairs bearing a tray and a proud smile, "Morning Gran!" He set the tray down next to her on the bed, opening the curtains and turning off his night lights, "I made smoothies and waffles!" He dragged the chair closer and set up the TV Tray so she'd have a few minutes to get coherent.
Food distributed, he reached for the bed remote, to try to help robotically sit her up. His grandmother was still as death.
It was as though a cloud had passed over the sun outside. No sooner did he have the device in his hand, the shadows from the morning sun were suddenly in sharp contrast, bleeding outward, growing to fill the room.
"N-n-n-n-" His breath caught in his throat, his hand reaching back for the bedside lamp, switching it on in the process before planting himself between the black shape inking its way towards them and the bed, as though it was a beacon of light to burn the shadows away.
Unfortunately, he was greeted by an oily sheen that resonated and reflected as though much deeper than even a puddle aught to be.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 3:20 pm
There was a long period of fuzziness in Jerry's memory after that. He remembered waiting in the hospital, starring at linoleum while a nurse spoke with Theresa.
"-the room torn apart, I thought there had been a burglary- "
"I found him curled up beside her, hasn't said a word I think it's hit him pretty hard- "
"Seventeen, but he turns eighteen in two months,"
"I just don't think he should be alone right now, are there any other relatives?"
"-Never knew his father's side. He has an uncle, but-"
"Let me introduce you to our councilor-"
He remembered time passing, and he was in a black suit and it was outside the temple and they were laying her beside his grandfather.
He remembered realizing he didn't know where his parents were buried.
They wanted him to read a prayer.
He couldn't find his voice.
There was a man there he had never met. He was watching him.
--
Theresa approached him at the reception, a forced smile planted on her pink lips, "Hey, uh, Jerry... I'd like you to meet your uncle, Daniel. He's come all the way from New York to see you're alright!"
It took him several moments to look up at the hand offered to him, and the accompanying face and wide- supposedly comforting smile.
"Dan is fine," His handshake was stiff and firm, his smile unwavering.
"Didn't know I had an uncle," Jerry found himself murmuring.
"Yeah, I... haven't seen your grandma in some time," He laughed weakly, "We did meet once, when you were a baby. Grown like a beanstalk since then!" There was a firm, illustrative pat to his back.
'At your parent's funeral', hung in the air unsaid.
"He's um, going to be staying with you for a while. While you finish school." Theresa put in.
Jerry said nothing.
"Jerry is very interested in music! He's very talented!" She spoke up in a mad attempt to launch conversation in a 'getting-to-now-you' direction.
Jerry said nothing, pretending to be interested in the buffet.
She bit her lip, voice soft as she whispered to Dan as though the boy couldn't hear her, "He's been... kind of out of sorts. Since it happened. Hasn't said much and um. Sort of in his own um... since it happened."
"Hmm," Said Dan, watching him carefully as he drifted to pick up and pretend to be interested in a tea sandwich.
"He could really use the support," She smiled gently in his direction, "He's a good kid. I worked for them when his... When your... when Oscar got sick. He had her but he was a little of at... then too. I think it's just a matter of... getting used to it."
"He'll be fine. He's my nephew, he'll bounce back."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
