The Journey Home by Michael Baron

there.”
    â€œSorry to let you down.”
    The waiter came with their plates. Joseph’s meal was fragrant with smoke and sage. He could smell the care that went into this dish and he wanted to enjoy it. He wondered if he could muster enthusiasm for it, though.
    The retreat of his wife’s touch had blunted his appetite for anything else.

EIGHT
    Aromatics
    Still feeling doubtful about the entire thing, Antoinette opened the closet door and put on the winter coat she saw there. Warren had said that all the things in this closet were hers, so she picked out the one that looked nicest.
    â€œMom, it’s seventy degrees out,” Warren said, walking up to her and helping her to remove the coat. “I just thought you might want a sweater or something.” He hung the coat in the closet and pulled out a thin jacket. “This’ll be good,” he said, as he held it up for her to put on.
    He was insisting on taking her out, saying it would be good for her, even though she protested strongly that she didn’t want to go. Antoinette doubted it would be good for her – there was only one good place for her now – but she agreed to do so because she was sure Warren would just keep nagging her until she did. It was good for him , maybe. He was probably just bored of being with her and wanted to get out, and he figured he had to lug her around if he were going to do so. He could have just gone to lunch by himself if he was so antsy. She
didn’t need him to be here if he didn’t want to be here.
    When they left the apartment, they passed several people in the hallway, some of whom said hello to her. Antoinette didn’t recognize any of them, but she smiled and nodded. The nurse that was usually nice to her came up to them and said something about Antoinette’s going on an “excursion.” Then she said something to Warren that Antoinette couldn’t hear. The nurse seemed a little too familiar in her attitude toward Warren. Antoinette would have to remind her that her son was married. She never appreciated a woman who tried to put herself between a man and his wife.
    Antoinette felt the breeze the second they walked out the door. Warren had an arm looped around one of hers, but she used her free hand to cinch the jacket around her neck. The heavier coat would have been better. She should have just trusted her own mind.
    â€œThe car’s right over here,” Warren said, moving her toward the back end of the parking lot. If he knew he was going to drag her out of her apartment today, he should have parked closer. This was just another indication that he was doing this for himself and not for her.
    They drove down a street lined with trees that had white blossoms on them, and then turned onto a busy road. The cars drove very fast around here, not like where she and Don lived. And so many stores. Who bought all those things?
    â€œAre you hungry, Mom?” Warren said as he
tried to keep up with the other cars. “I thought we could go to that diner you always liked.”
    â€œThat would be fine.” Antoinette wasn’t very hungry and she had no idea which diner her son was talking about, but she didn’t want to get into a conversation with him right now. He needed to concentrate on the road. Two hands on the steering wheel would be nice, also.
    â€œDo you need anything while we’re out?”
    â€œNo, I don’t think so.”
    â€œAre you sure? We can go to the mall after we eat, if you’d like.”
    â€œThat’s okay. They give me everything I need, really.”
    Warren stopped at a traffic light and gestured around them. “They’re doing a ton of building all over here. They’re putting in a huge new Target down the block. You’ll have a field day in there when it’s open. Can you believe how much this area is changing?”
    Warren seemed excited about all the new stuff. Antoinette would have to take his