Things Remembered (22 page)

“If you called to check on her once in a while you'd know the answer.” Karla found it harder and harder to make excuses for Grace.

“What's that all about? I just get here and you're already on my case? You could at least give me time to get unpacked.”

Just like that, Karla was ready to apologize. “All I'm saying is that you owe her a phone call once in a while. And not just when you need money.”

The confident smile left Grace's face. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“You're forgetting why I came here. I've spent the past five weeks going over Grandma's finances.”

“She told you I asked her for money? What else did she say?”

“She didn't say anything. You know her better than that.” But then maybe Grace didn't. Karla couldn't remember one time during her and Jim's breakup and divorce that Grace had called to ask how she was doing or offered a shoulder to lean on. At the time Karla had put it off to Grace's age and the eight years between them. Now she couldn't remember why she'd thought that it should make a difference.

If it would change anything she would tell Grace about the checks she'd found, but the confrontation wasn't worth the fight that was sure to follow. Anna had never asked for much from them, not even a peaceful Thanksgiving. But Karla would see that she had one if she had to choke on words left unspoken.

“I'm starved,” Grace announced, her smile returning now that the threat of discovery had apparently disappeared. “What's there to eat?” She started for the kitchen. “I was going to call Grandma and put in my requests—especially for that fresh cranberry stuff she always makes—but I was afraid I'd trip myself up and say something about coming early.”

“You're surprised Grandma can take a shower by herself and yet you expected her to make your favorite foods?” Karla took out the soup left over from her and Anna's dinner from the refrigerator and handed it to Grace.

“Jesus, there's no pleasing you. First you make this big deal about me being here for Thanksgiving, then I bust my butt getting here and now you're acting like you wish I'd stayed home.”

“Which reminds me, why did you drive when I sent you a plane ticket? The
real
reason.”

“First criticism and now inquisition?” Grace ladled the soup into a bowl and put it in the microwave.

“Answer me before Grandma gets in here.”

“I told you, I wanted to surprise you. Of course, that was when I thought you'd be happy to see me.” She punched in two minutes and waited.

“What did you do with the ticket?”

“I canceled it.”

“I want it back,” Karla said. “Or I want the money.”

Grace braced her hands behind her and hopped up to sit on the counter. “All right, it's obvious there's something going on here, and that you're not going to stop harassing me until you get it out. But before you say anything, I want you to remember that you screwed up my plans for Thanksgiving by insisting I come up here for this big family get-together. I missed an audition, a really important one, so I could get here early, thinking it would please you. The least you could do is show a little appreciation that I not only did what you asked, I went out of my way to try to make you happy.”

Karla didn't know whether to laugh or cry. How many times in the past had she actually fallen for one of Grace's impassioned speeches? She was a master at turning a weak defense into a powerful offense. Had Karla been gullible up to now, or had she heard what she wanted to hear because it was so much easier to travel the road that held no curves or bumps?

“The ticket or the money, Grace,” Karla said evenly. “I want it waiting for me when I get home.”

“When are you going home?”

“Sunday.”

“How am I supposed to get something to you by then?”

“All right, Monday then.”

“You're being unreasonable, Karla. I'm leaving for Phoenix as soon as I get back on Saturday.”

Anna came to the door wrapped in an oversize terry cloth robe, her face an uncustomary pink from the heat of the shower. “I thought I heard voices out here.”

Grace let out a squeal. “Grandma.” She jumped from the counter and went to Anna, her arms outstretched. Wrapping her in a long, rocking hug, she said, “There aren't enough words in that big, fat dictionary you gave me for Christmas to tell you how much I've missed you.”

Anna took Grace's face between her hands. “You just keep getting more and more beautiful.”

“You say that because you love me.”

“Yes, I do. But I also say it because it's true.” The microwave made a beeping sound. “What's that?”

“Your leftover soup. I didn't want to chance stopping anywhere for something to eat for fear you'd already be in bed and I wouldn't get to see you until morning.”

Karla almost gagged.

“There has to be more here than soup for you to eat. Let me see what I can find.”

“I can't tell you how hungry I am,” Grace told her.

“And I can't tell you how tired Grandma is after the day she just put in,” Karla said pleasantly. “But then I'm sure you remember where everything is, so if soup isn't enough, we'll just sit here and keep you company while you find something else to eat.”

Grace looked at Anna as if expecting her to contradict Karla. “Do you want me to fix you something, too?” she asked.

“I'll make tea,” Karla said to Anna. They'd missed their tea on the porch that night, caught up in looking at a photo album Karla had found on a back shelf when she was looking for the silver. “Chamomile okay?”

“It is for me. What about you, Grace?”

“I'd rather have coffee—as long as it's not decaf. I can't stand the taste of that stuff.”

Karla handed Grace the special decaf blend she'd had Jim make for her and Anna. “How was the trip? Run into any fog?”

“No fog, but the trip itself was pure hell. I made the mistake of bringing someone with me for company. She did nothing but complain from the minute she got in the car.”

“Wouldn't have been about your driving, would it?” Karla asked innocently.

“That's mean, Karla. You know I'm a good driver.”

“No you're not, you're a lucky driver. There's a big difference.” Karla reached for the cookies she'd made that afternoon and froze at the soft sounds of Anna trying to catch her breath. “Are you all right?”

She tried to smile a reassurance. “Just . . . give . . . me . . . a minute.”

“Did you take your pill?”

Anna shook her head.

“What's happening?” Grace demanded.

Karla turned to Grace, keeping her back to Anna, and mouthed, “Shut up.”

Grace ignored her. “Are you okay, Grandma? Should we call an ambulance?”

This time Anna shook her head more forcefully.

“Really . . . I'm fine.” She reached for the pill case in her pocket. “I just need a minute.”

Karla crouched down in front of Anna, gently took the case from her trembling hand, and gave her one of the nitroglycerin tablets. She'd watched Anna go through this a half dozen times and it still left her shaken. The rest of what she'd seen since she'd been there—the slow movements, the easy fatigue, the long naps—she could pass off as reasonable for an eighty-five-year-old woman. This, however, was an in-your-face reminder of the disease that was slowly, relentlessly destroying Anna's fragile heart.

The microwave beeped, again announcing the soup was finished. Grace tested it and added another thirty seconds. She looked at Karla nervously. “Shouldn't we be doing something?”

Karla matched her breathing to Anna's, the one sure way she'd come up with to tell whether or not the pill was working. “Like?”

“Call the doctor, take her to a hospital . . . I don't know. There has to be something we can do besides just stand around waiting for her to stop breathing.”

“I may not . . . be able to breathe . . . as well as I'd like, but there's nothing wrong with my hearing,” Anna told her.

Grace teared at Anna's gentle chiding. “I'm sorry, Grandma, but you scared me. You know I'm not very good with things like this.” She stopped to take a deep breath and then another. “I fall apart when people are sick, especially when they're people I love.”

Karla frowned, confused. Was Grace making a plea for understanding, or did she expect Anna to feel sorry for her? Either way, she'd skillfully managed to shift the focus from Anna to herself. Satisfied the pill was working, Karla got up to finish the tea. “I think you should go to bed when you finish this, don't you?” she said to Anna. “We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”

“What time are Heather and Bill getting here?”

“She said if they didn't get caught in traffic in San Jose, they should be here around noon.”

“They'll be hungry when they get here, too,” she said and smiled at Grace. “We should think of something to feed them for lunch.”

Grace broke off a corner of one of the piecrust cookies and popped it into her mouth. “I'd almost forgotten about these, Grandma. But I should have known you wouldn't.”

“Karla made them.”

Grace laughed. “Don't tell me you're turning domestic on us.” She took another bite. “Oh, my God, you've got a man in your life again. Who is he? Come on now, don't make me drag it out of you.”

“There is no man,” Karla said. “Grandma thought it was time I learned to make pies, so she had me in the kitchen all afternoon trying to teach me.”

“How disappointing.” She made a pouting face and then laughed out loud again. “I see now why she's so tired. Teaching you to make pies must be like teaching a man how to ask for directions.”

Anna looked from one to the other granddaughter. “It's so good to have you home again. I can hardly wait for Heather to get here tomorrow.”

True to her word, Heather arrived at a few minutes past noon the next day. The boys beat her to the house, calling for Anna as Karla opened the front door for them. “Grandma Anna—we're here.”

“So you are,” she said from her chair in the living room. “I've been sitting right here by the window so I could see your car as soon as it pulled into the driveway.”

They tumbled into her lap, each fighting to be the first to get their arms around her.

“Boys—take it easy,” Heather said, following them in. She stopped to give Karla a quick hug.

“Where's Bill?” Karla asked looking past her to the car.

“Getting the food. I made a casserole for tonight.”

“No wonder Grandma loves you the best.” Karla had meant it as a joke but could see that Heather took her seriously.

“That's not true. She loves you—” Realizing she'd been had, she lightly punched Karla's arm. “I'm so damned easy. It's like I've got a sign taped to my back saying ‘You Can Tell This One Anything.' ”

Karla took Heather's sweater and hung it in the closet. “How was the drive?”

“Fine. More important, how's Grandma?”

“Why don't you come in here and see for yourself,” Anna said.

“I guess that tells me all I need to know.”

Anna met Heather at the doorway. Karla felt like an outsider as she watched them embrace and fall into easy, familiar conversation. The love and caring was unmistakable; Karla had expected as much. What surprised her was the instant connection. Over a half century separated them and yet they had formed a bond of friendship as well as family.

Karla and Anna had shared some special moments the past five weeks, especially when they'd found common ground talking about Marie, but there had been nothing like this. Anna had not smiled the way she did when she looked at Heather, nor had her eyes lit up with happiness the way they did when Heather told her she'd baked her an applesauce cake.

A cake? Was that what it took to make Anna happy? Had she known, she could have signed her up for the dessert-of-the-month club.

The thought brought Karla up short and left her confused. She sounded jealous, but that was crazy. There was no way she could be jealous of Anna and Heather's relationship. They had nothing she wanted or needed.

“What time does Grace's plane get in?” Heather asked.

“She got here last night.” Karla worked to keep her voice neutral.

“Well, where is she? Don't tell me she's still asleep.”

“She's visiting a friend,” Anna said. “But she'll be back soon, I'm sure.”

Heather gave Karla a questioning look. Karla shrugged. “I don't know where she is. I was in the shower when she left.”

“Where do you want me to put this?” Bill asked. He leaned over to kiss Anna's cheek. “Hi, good-looking. You still playing the field and breaking hearts?”

The pocket of love that surrounded Heather and her boys and Anna had grown to include Bill, nudging Karla even farther to the outside. “I'll take that,” she said to Bill. “Sit down and visit for a while and I'll fix lunch.”

“I'll help,” Heather said.

“No, that's okay. You haven't seen Anna in a couple of months. I'm sure you have things you want to talk about.”

“We talk to each other all the time.” Heather put her arm around Karla's waist. “It's you I hardly ever get to see.”

Heather had given her a sense of belonging, of being wanted, and Karla reacted with a spontaneous hug. “I've missed you, too.”

“How is Grandma really?” Heather asked when they were alone in the kitchen. “And have you talked to her again about coming to live with me?”

“She's better than I expected in some ways and worse in others. And I did tell her that I thought she should give more thought to moving in with you, but I don't think it did any good. I don't think you're going to win this one, Heather.”