The Dream - Whitney Dineen Page 0,27
was at work after school, bagging groceries at the market, when Jessica Holt came through my line. Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the camel, as my grandmother Shirley used to say, I cannot get away from that girl to save my life! She bought a box of tampons, a pack of gum, a diet pop, and a Vogue magazine. She told the checker to make sure I double bagged everything because the last time she came in, I didn’t. Then she said, “While I congratulate y’all on hiring the mentally challenged, I don’t think the customer should have to suffer.”
Emmie Frothingham was behind her, and even though she graduated last year and her cousin Davis is dating Jessica, she stood up for me by saying, “Jessica, honey, you’re a real bitch when you’re on the rag, aren’t cha?” It was the best part of my day.
I head straight to Mrs. Frothingham’s room after clocking in. I only have to work at the home today, and I’m looking forward to some quiet time tonight. I just want to lie on my couch and binge watch something on Netflix while eating my bodyweight in microwave popcorn and green grapes.
Emmeline Frothingham is sitting on the edge of her grandmother’s bed holding her hand when I arrive. I hear her say, “You don’t have to come back today, Gran. I just wanted to sit with you for a bit.”
She looks up as I walk in. “Hey, Ashley. I heard last night was pretty amazing.”
“It was,” I tell her. “I’m sorry you missed it.” I always enjoy talking to Emmie when she comes in to see her grandmother. She’s never acted like she remembers me from high school either, but she was a year older and way above me socially. Unlike with her cousin, Davis, we never really had any interaction back then.
“Between opening the shop, moving over to Zach’s place, and planning the wedding, I’ve been missing too many visits with Gran. It’s my own fault that I don’t see more of the real her.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. I’ve never seen your grandmother as aware as she was yesterday, and I see her almost every day of the week. It was just one of those things.”
“One of those things I might get to witness if I were around more,” she sighs.
“Life can get pretty busy, Emmie. You can only do what you can do.”
“That’s nice of you to say. The whole family is grateful to you for helping us out by bringing Gran home once a week. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I really want her at my wedding.” This is the first I’m hearing of our visits being a weekly occurrence, but I’m glad for it. I think being around her family away from the home might actually be a good thing for Mrs. Frothingham, as long as she doesn’t get too agitated.
“How are your wedding plans coming?” I ask.
“Great, actually. I’m not a super high-maintenance bride, so that probably helps some. I might have been fussier had I made it to the altar before Faye was born. Having a baby kind of changes your perspective on what’s important.”
“How old is Faye now?” I ask.
“Almost fifteen months. She’s walking around the hallways somewhere with Zach. Now that she’s mobile, there’s no stopping her.”
“It’s nice of you to bring her with you,” I say. A lot of folks we see coming into the home only visit out of obligation. You can tell the Frothinghams come because they want to.
“Sometimes Gran is more alert when the baby is around.” There’s something about the young and the old. They’re both so close to where we came from before this life and where we’re going after it, that they’re kind of psychic.
“We’re around a lot of people when they pass,” I tell her. “They often see people who’ve gone before and sometimes they know things of which they don’t have previous knowledge. It’s a miraculous thing, really.”
“You’re coming over to Aunt Lee and Uncle Jedd’s again on Sunday, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
“Do you suppose we could get together some time before that?” she asks.
“I’ve been working over at Shuckies’s a couple nights a week, but I could probably find some time. Why?”
“We wanted to get your opinion on some things we were thinking about bringing in for Gran. When she first came here, a lot of stuff from home made her anxious so we took it away. We were wondering if maybe we could