a labored breath, then took a last drag of his cigarette before snuffing it out. Grabbing his cell phone in his grip he went to stand in front of the large living room window.
“Hello?”
“Lauren?”
“Yes?”
“Oh, hey… It’s me. Aries. Aries Creed.”
“Well, I figured as much. You didn’t need to give me a last name. Not too many people named Aries.” The woman chuckled, making him smile. “What’s up? You found a buyer?”
“Nah… nothin’ like that. First of all, thanks again for the book. Secondly, I was wondering… if, uh, I could take you out to eat sometime soon, maybe tomorrow? I want to talk to you. Not about the building or anything like that, but about my father.”
He was met with a long silence.
“Um, well, yeah. Let’s see… Tomorrow I don’t have much going on.” He heard what sounded like pages turning. Does she have an old-school planner? “I’d say around 6:30 p.m. should be fine. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, that’s perfect. What kind of food do you like? Anything in particular suit your fancy? Maybe some seafood? Or maybe you’re a steak and potatoes kind of lady?”
“I just love food, period. You could suggest a restaurant specialized in fancy crackers and exotic cheese, and I’d be excited.”
“All right, well.” He began to pace again. “I’ll decide for us then. I’ll swing around your place and pick you up. Can you text me your home address? I have it in the files my father kept, but—”
“Yeah, no problem.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
After an awkward pause he said, “Well, I’ll let cha go. Have a good afternoon. See you tomorrow, Lauren.”
“Okay, you do the same. See you then.”
The phone call ended. He stared at his phone for a second then placed it down near the ashtray. Leaving the house in his black Ford F-150, he drove over the speed limit by fifteen miles per hour, his mind racing with thoughts of his son, Lauren, the book from his childhood, and so much more. Twenty-five minutes later, he arrived at Coral Retirement Community. He rifled through his glove compartment and fetched a small bag of hard candies and other goodies. He left the radio on while he did that, listening to Ingrid Andress’ ‘More Hearts Than Mine.’
When he had what he needed, he stepped out the truck, locked it, and made his way to the building. He waited patiently for the double glass doors to open after pushing the button, then was greeted with the sickening scent of bleach, canned vegetables, and wet gauze. A shrill scream came from the left, the blaring sounds of television from the right, and straight ahead he went. After giving a hello and howdy to several of the staff and nurses’ aides who knew him by his first name, he drew closer to his destination, his movements feeling almost robotic.
He arrived at the old oak door. On the front of it hung a bright orange papier-mâché sun and tan yarn owl with two glassy eyes – yellow beads. From the other side of that door signaled the muffled sounds of the television. He gave it a knock, then turned the knob to enter.
“Mama, it’s me, Aries…”
The room was rather dark and as he navigated past the open door of the bathroom that was off to his left. The faucet was dripping. He stepped inside and turned off the water, then stepped to her bed.
Mama lay twisted in a fetal position, eyes closed, thick black hair with concentrated silver streaks running through it like winding shimmery rivers. Sitting the bag of treats and a Women’s Day magazine down on her dresser, he went to open the emerald green curtains, allowing the setting sun to seep in and kiss her before going down. Streams of light hit her pale face, but she didn’t budge.
“Mama…” he said softly as he drew close, shaking her shoulder with a light touch. After a few mutters, her eyes fluttered open. They looked at one another and for a moment, he wasn’t certain if she knew who he was. She nodded as if wishing to reassure him, then sat up, smiling faintly. Aries pulled up a chair next to her bed and settled in it.
“Mama, I brought you those peppermints and butterscotch candies you like.” He pointed to the bag. “Couple days ago, I brought you up some new clothes. I hope you’ve had time to try them on. You’ve been losing too much weight… gotta eat.” She gave him a blank stare. “They said you’re