arm, and Emma ran with her up the porch steps, past Cory’s mother, Alison, who held the screen door open for them.
“Sorry about that,” Alison said to Laura with a smile. Her own short red hair framed her face, and freckles dotted her nose. “Now you’ll have to get Emma Paleontologist Barbie or something so she can keep up with the neighbors.”
Laura laughed. She stood in the yard, shading her eyes against the rays of sun shooting through the trees. “Thanks for watching her,” she said. “I should be back by four.”
“Take your time.” Alison folded her arms across her chest.“If I can tear them away from the dolls, I’ll take them to the playground for a while.”
Laura walked back to her own house, feeling fortunate that the Beckers were at the lake again this summer. Cory amazed her. She’d accepted Laura’s explanation that Emma wasn’t talking this summer with a simple “oh,” and she did Emma’s talking for her when they played. Cory’s father worked in D.C. and came to the lake only on the weekends, so Laura and Alison had found a resource for child care in each other.
The drive to Meadow Wood Village took her a little over thirty minutes. Thirty anxious minutes, as Laura tried unsuccessfully to forget the toll her last visit to Sarah Tolley had taken on Ray, and on Emma.
Once in the retirement home, she found Sarah’s apartment by hunting for the door bearing the silhouette of the projector. Sarah answered the door and smiled at Laura. “Yes?” she asked. She was dressed in a pale blue plaid cotton jumper over a white blouse. Her silver hair looked newly styled.
“Hello, Mrs. Tolley.” She could see the lack of recognition in the older woman’s face. “I’m Laura Brandon. I came to visit you here last January.”
Although her smile remained, Sarah looked puzzled as she let Laura into the living room.
“My father had asked me to see you,” Laura said. “Do you remember?”
“Your father? He was deceased, is that right?”
“Yes!” Laura was excited that Sarah remembered that much. “And you couldn’t recall who he was. But I brought a picture with me today to help you remember. And I was also wondering if you might like to go for a walk.”
“A walk? Outside?” Sarah looked as though she didn’t quite trust the invitation.
“Yes.”
“Oh, I’d certainly love that.” Sarah clapped her hands together in a small show of joy. “They don’t let me outside anymore. Keep me locked up in jail here.” She chuckled.
“It’s quite warm out today,” Laura said. “Will that be okay for you?”
“Warm, cold or in between, just get me outside.” Sarah was already walking toward the door.
“Do you have some shoes that would be better for walking?” Laura asked.
Sarah looked down at her beige pumps. “Good idea,” she said. “Don’t go away.”
She disappeared into the bedroom. Laura’s eyes fell on the picture of Sarah’s husband. Joe. Was that his name? A nice-looking young man. She pulled the picture of her father from her purse.
After a few minutes, Sarah reappeared in sturdy-looking walking shoes, and Laura wondered if her father might have been responsible for Sarah’s wardrobe.
“You have such nice clothes,” she said. “How do you get out to buy them? Does someone take you shopping for them?”
“I love nice clothes,” Sarah said as she headed for the door again.
“And how do you go shopping for them?” Laura asked.
Sarah stopped walking, apparently confused, but only for a moment. “Oh, they take us,” she said. “Once a month, we can go on the bus to…the place with all the stores.”
“The mall.”
“Right.”
“Here’s a picture of my father.” Laura handed the photograph to Sarah before she could start for the door again. “Do you remember him?”
Sarah carried the picture over to the end table lamp and studied it carefully.
“His name was Carl Brandon,” Laura said.
“I don’t think I know him,” Sarah said
“Sorry about that,” Alison said to Laura with a smile. Her own short red hair framed her face, and freckles dotted her nose. “Now you’ll have to get Emma Paleontologist Barbie or something so she can keep up with the neighbors.”
Laura laughed. She stood in the yard, shading her eyes against the rays of sun shooting through the trees. “Thanks for watching her,” she said. “I should be back by four.”
“Take your time.” Alison folded her arms across her chest.“If I can tear them away from the dolls, I’ll take them to the playground for a while.”
Laura walked back to her own house, feeling fortunate that the Beckers were at the lake again this summer. Cory amazed her. She’d accepted Laura’s explanation that Emma wasn’t talking this summer with a simple “oh,” and she did Emma’s talking for her when they played. Cory’s father worked in D.C. and came to the lake only on the weekends, so Laura and Alison had found a resource for child care in each other.
The drive to Meadow Wood Village took her a little over thirty minutes. Thirty anxious minutes, as Laura tried unsuccessfully to forget the toll her last visit to Sarah Tolley had taken on Ray, and on Emma.
Once in the retirement home, she found Sarah’s apartment by hunting for the door bearing the silhouette of the projector. Sarah answered the door and smiled at Laura. “Yes?” she asked. She was dressed in a pale blue plaid cotton jumper over a white blouse. Her silver hair looked newly styled.
“Hello, Mrs. Tolley.” She could see the lack of recognition in the older woman’s face. “I’m Laura Brandon. I came to visit you here last January.”
Although her smile remained, Sarah looked puzzled as she let Laura into the living room.
“My father had asked me to see you,” Laura said. “Do you remember?”
“Your father? He was deceased, is that right?”
“Yes!” Laura was excited that Sarah remembered that much. “And you couldn’t recall who he was. But I brought a picture with me today to help you remember. And I was also wondering if you might like to go for a walk.”
“A walk? Outside?” Sarah looked as though she didn’t quite trust the invitation.
“Yes.”
“Oh, I’d certainly love that.” Sarah clapped her hands together in a small show of joy. “They don’t let me outside anymore. Keep me locked up in jail here.” She chuckled.
“It’s quite warm out today,” Laura said. “Will that be okay for you?”
“Warm, cold or in between, just get me outside.” Sarah was already walking toward the door.
“Do you have some shoes that would be better for walking?” Laura asked.
Sarah looked down at her beige pumps. “Good idea,” she said. “Don’t go away.”
She disappeared into the bedroom. Laura’s eyes fell on the picture of Sarah’s husband. Joe. Was that his name? A nice-looking young man. She pulled the picture of her father from her purse.
After a few minutes, Sarah reappeared in sturdy-looking walking shoes, and Laura wondered if her father might have been responsible for Sarah’s wardrobe.
“You have such nice clothes,” she said. “How do you get out to buy them? Does someone take you shopping for them?”
“I love nice clothes,” Sarah said as she headed for the door again.
“And how do you go shopping for them?” Laura asked.
Sarah stopped walking, apparently confused, but only for a moment. “Oh, they take us,” she said. “Once a month, we can go on the bus to…the place with all the stores.”
“The mall.”
“Right.”
“Here’s a picture of my father.” Laura handed the photograph to Sarah before she could start for the door again. “Do you remember him?”
Sarah carried the picture over to the end table lamp and studied it carefully.
“His name was Carl Brandon,” Laura said.
“I don’t think I know him,” Sarah said
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