A Moment Like This (6 page)

Did I make you uncomfortable? I'm like that…just saying whatever's on my mind without thinking. I'm sorry if that's what's halted your reply. After all why would a complete stranger want to know something so personal? I mean I'm not even sure it's just… I feel different with him. A good kind of different you know. If you get this message please reply. I don't want my large mouth to be a gap between us.

There passed a large amount of time before his reply came.

I'm glad you're happy, honestly. Every girl should have the right to be happy. Anyone who loves you should be happy for you too. It was just a shock to read that. Then again sometimes it's the people you know you'll never meet again that you can truly open up too huh? Sometimes friends are too close.

Feeling his pain and sensing that perhaps his closing remark was meaningful beyond its words she gave the simple and sober reply:

Yeah.

When she entered her realm of assignment the next day Promise knew her trials wouldn't be light. The moment she walked in the door of the dementia unit she was greeted with the distorted reality therein.

"My baby I need to get home. My baby!" Old Miss. Mallon's panicked, creaky voice came upon her followed closely by her body. Taking her in a comforting yet restricting hold Promise led her away from her portal of escape.

Promise tried to understand the woman's terror. When Marian Mallon was just seventeen years old she began a single parent and just a year after that she was living on her own as a single mother. Though she squeaked by in providing for her daughter her parents made sure civil services kept a close eye on the pair. When her father became unable to sneak her funds any longer her struggle became a futile floundering and her child was taken away. In her dementia the old woman relived the fear of losing her only child frequently. However with her husband there to reassure her she was normally quickly calmed a partial balance was restored to their sanctum on shaken sanity.

When Colin arrived soon after lunch Promise was preoccupied with administering medications. He hung about the desk waiting for her and observing the scatter-organization of chaos.

As Promise passed by with the he leaned on the counter between them and asked casually, "giving them their daily dose or reality?"

"Many of them get more than one," she told him handing a patient her pills. The elderly woman kept them clasp tightly in her palm and scowled up at her nurse. Promise put a hand on her hip and gave her a subtly exasperated look.

"We go through this everyday, Mrs. Helen."

"And will until you stop trying to shove those silly pills down my throat."

After several moments of staring at one another Promise reached down and began to pry the pills out of the frail hand. However, the rest of her aged body rebelled violently. Seeing promise flinch Colin stepped in.

"Let's be civil about this; there must be a solution." Mrs. Helen began to protest and Promise stepped back tentatively and observed. "Let's come to a compromise."

And what might that be young man?" she asked indignantly.

"A reward for the submissive patient. A rose for your trouble."

"I haven't received a rose since I was twenty-three!"

"Then you simply must have one again. It would be my pleasure to purchase one for you."

Looking at him she smiled and looked at Promise setting her posture to defiantly obedient. "I'll take the stupid pills…today."

As Promise gathered her things and completed her paperwork Colin wandered down to the gift shop to purchase Mrs. Helen's rose. While browsing the shop he came upon a man who was ricocheting customer to customer in a panic. Colin approached him calmly and asked him his plight.

"My wife! Have you seen my wife? She was just here a moment ago."

"She can't have gone far," Colin tried to reason then offered, "I'll help you look for her. What does she look like?"

The man described a woman that sounded a delight to behold. In his mind's eye the woman was young and beautiful much like Promise in her features; however, his belief of this woman must be flawed. The man looked well into his sixties and his envisioned ages let time enough for the time between to have a midlife crisis.

"I saw her last by the flowers. Oh where could she have gone?"

Colin wandered to the small selection of flowers, plucking a rose for Mrs. Helen and looking about for the man's spouse. After the flower was his own he spotted Promise across the store and hurried to her side.

"What took you so long?" she inquired, "Mrs. Helen thinks you've forgotten about her."

"I'll go apologize but I was helping a man find his wife. He lost her in the shop."

"In this shop?" she questioned in disbelief, "you can't lose somebody in here if you tried. Where is this man? What's his name?"

"He didn't say."

"You take that rose up to Mrs. Helen and I'll find him." However just the words escaped her lips a hand closed about her arm.

"Have you seen my wife? I'm terribly worried about her; she's lost."

"Mr. Mervin?" Promise asked with in a tone that told him the riddle was solved. The fact she knew the man's name didn't bode well for his pride remaining intact.

"Cynthia?" he hugged her to him and kissed her cheek. "I thought you were lost."

Colin fidgeted as understanding dawned. Uncomfortable in his gullibility he announced, "I'm going to take Mrs. Helen her rose. Then we can leave."

Promise brought Mr. Mervin out of the shop with her; while she convinced him to return upstairs with her Colin went on ahead. Approaching Mrs. Helen he rolled the rose between his fingers and extended it to her with a slight bow to his head.

"Your rose," he said pleasantly.

"What took you so long?" she asked taking the rose from him and fingering the delicate petals.

"I thought you forgot about me."

"I ran into Mr. Mervin in the shop," he said in excuse.

"That old coot?" she hooted gleefully, "did Miss. Promise rescue you?"

"She did."

"Miss. Promise is a good woman. She cares about us. She's not married you know."

"I know."

She studied her rose, running her fingers along the petals again. He was formulating an acceptable departure when she said to herself. "I matched all my girlfriends up back in the day. I imagine I haven't lost my touch." Looking up at Colin she extended the rose back to him. "It was very nice of you to give me this young man but I want you to take it and give it Miss. Promise."

"I'm sure she'll be very thankful to you for it."

"Oh no, no you misunderstand me. I'm giving it to you to give it to her from you."

"I can't take your rose Mrs. Helen I'll buy Promise one later."

"Before you leave," the elderly woman insisted.

"I'm all out of money right now but I'll get her one soon," he told her, "I need to go now. Promise is waiting."

"Did Mrs. Helen engage you in a deep theological discussion?" she teased at his lateness but went unheard.

As the doors to Sunray Gardens closed behind them he asked, "why is Mrs. Helen in the dementia unit?"

When Haruko contacted her next on IM-Loved his tone had changed.

When's the last chapter taking place? Do we get to do the wedding too? I want you, Selah. I want you to be my wife and I want you to want me. Do you love me, Selah? I love everything about you.

Wanting to stop this before it progressed too far she typed back:

You're moving too fast, Haruko. I only just shook your hand last week. We need to slow down. I think I'm staring to feel something for you but I want to be loved for more than my looks. I want love not lust. I'm just like any other girl: I don't want to get hurt.

His reply came back before she signed out that night.

You think I could hurt you? Surely you know I could never hurt something so beautiful. I don't want to hurt you; I want to marry you. You think I'm moving to fast but I've been patient. My last wife was mine before we passed a dating anniversary.

Last wife? Had there been one before that? Suddenly uncomfortable with this man she realized she really knew nothing about Selah typed a reply that would pave the way to a slow break off that should be painless for the both of them.

I think it's best if we don't talk for a bit. I've been meaning to spend more time with my friends. Maybe we can both think with clearer heads if we don't see or speak to each other for say a week? Just one week and then we can start up communication again with renewed minds. Perhaps then we'll bother have a better hold on reality.

The reply he sent to that was the first she received that bordered perilously close to offensive. When she tried to pull away from that he lashed out then apologized profusely. They were on rocky ground the next several emails but soon they settled back into understanding or so she thought.

"She suffers from relapses resulting from a head injury. When they come she's thrown into states on near hysteria. She forgets where she is and panics. She doesn't look like much but adrenaline pumps through that small body faster than a lead foot drops the petal in a brand new sports car."

"Very poetic."

"Very sad. Her husband refused to visit her until medications were found to restrain her outbursts. He said he couldn't bear to see her deteriorating like that. Last time he was there she scratched his face and left a scar from his cheek to his chin. The day we were going to call him we received news he had passed away in his sleep the night before. That was six months ago."

"What's Mr. Mervin's story?"

"He's the ward's escape artist extraordinaire. He can't remember his wife died three years ago. He's always sneaking down to the gift shop to get her flowers. He's harmless as Mrs. Helen says," she told him over the top of his car as he leaned forward to slip the key into the lock, "don't be embarrassed; he's a very convincing man."

"Doesn't he bother the costumers?"

"Most clerks have noticed an increase in the sale of flowers when he's there. They normally don't mind keeping an eye on him until we send someone down."

"You work in an amazing place, Prick. Far lively than mine."

"I've told you before, Colin; you're in the wrong sterile room."

"I wouldn't be able cater to their needs all day. You try to right the wrongs done to these people everyday. I find their relatives the closure and justice when they need it most."

Once they were settled into the car and moving towards their destination he became uncomfortable with the silence that had fallen. However, he decided to let her speak first. She wasn't used to working day shift and she wasn't used to working in the dementia unit. She'd only signed up for the arrangement so he could drive her to the car dealers.

Turning to look out the window she sighed and laid her head against her fingers. "Aidan invited me away for the weekend. He told me to bring some friends if it would make me more comfortable. It would."

"Are you inviting me along?"

"Under certain conditions."

"And they would be?"

"You're making Aidan paranoid. He thinks you're out to take me from him. I told him that was ridiculous but he insisted I talk to you about it. You're making me uncomfortable as well."

"I'm not making you uncomfortable. I'm just being me. You never had a problem with that before."

"I've never been serious enough about a guy before."

"You were dating Aidan back in high school," he felt inclined to point out.

"He's still the same guy and I'm still serious about him."

When they came to the light Colin turned to her with purpose, "do you love him?"

"What is this? An interrogation?"

"I'm sorry but I have to know: do you love him?"

"I'm not sure yet but I'm going to give him a second chance."

"Why would you do that when you have someone who…" he snapped his mouth shut and turned with abruptness right way in his seat; the light was green and a wonderful excuse to cease conversation. He'd better watch his temper. He said things he shouldn't when she prodded his goat.

After driving in silence for half an hour Promise questioned quietly, "you aren't jealous are you, Colin?"

"Why would I be jealous?" he demanded a sting in his heart. Why would he be jealous? Aidan had everything handed to him on a silver platter and now he had Promise. Why would he be jealous! "Of course I'm not jealous."

His conscience turned its back and fled from the green rising in his soul. If he didn't see it, he reasoned with himself, if he didn't acknowledge it then maybe it would go away. It was ridiculous to call what he felt towards Aidan jealousy even if it was true.

Aidan didn't know how easy he'd had it. His father had always given him anything he wanted in high school including a Ferrari for graduation. His father knew the principle and Promise's plight had proven daddy's boy was the most wanted man amongst the ladies. Even now his father was catering to the brat's needs.

"Can you come with me?" she asked in a calming tone.

"I don't think I should go. You want to have a good time with Aidan. I'd just get in the way."

"You wouldn't get in the way, Colin."

"But I would," he restated with a small smile, "I've tried to get along with him but you know I can't stand the guy."

"He did say he was bringing some friends. Maybe it won't be so bad."

"Just make sure there's going to be another female there."

"Why? Nothing will happen."

"Do you know how women I have down here that must have said that?"

"He's not a murder Colin," Promise said with an amused gleam in her hazel eyes, "I'm smarter than that, Colin, really."

"Just the same it's the fool and the arrogant that who never use discretion."

"I'll make sure to ask him if it will ease you mind."

"Greatly. It will ease my mind greatly." By the repetition he hoped to influence her concern. He knew what he saw every day in that morgue. Perhaps it made him cryptic but it also made him cautious. He didn't want anything to happen to Promise and his trust in Aidan was fractional. There was something about that man that still rang all the old bells.

"I almost told her today," Colin confessed to the air as he thought about his earlier conversation with Promise. In his frustration he'd nearly blurted out his feelings for her; however, angry was no way to confess anything. Groaning he yanked the seat lever and let his weight fall flat. As he stared up at his ceiling he pressed his fist to his forehead. This wouldn't do. This wouldn't do at all.

She was taken as far as claims went and it wasn't by him. But he couldn't keep this up. His secret was bubbling up inside of him and every time he opened his mouth the chance increased the ugly thing would burp out into the open. They had never kept anything from each other, not since they graduated from diapers. But for ten years now he'd kept silent about his deepest secret: he was in love with her.