“There are too many complications…”
The thought of Gregg came without warning, and her words drifted off.
Apparently sensing the change in her mood, Bobby reached across the table and took her hand in his. “Let’s not talk about this now. For tonight, let’s forget about the problems and complications, just enjoy each other’s company, and be as we once were. You remember what that was like, don’t you, babe? We had something really special, didn’t we?”
She nodded and gave a weak smile. “Yes, we had something very special.” Without the slightest bit of resistance, she allowed herself to be taken along as Bobby began to talk about the old days, dredging up stories of the nights they’d made love under the bleachers or behind the thick stand of pines in the park and in the back seat of his daddy’s car.
As they ate dinner and drank she listened to him, and when the hour grew late she began to believe the spark of passion was indeed still there. For eight years it had been squelched by the anguish of separation, but it was still there and she could again feel it. When he reached beneath the table and ran his hand along the inside of her thigh, she gave a shiver of delight.
A short while later, when he suggested they go upstairs where they’d have more privacy, she agreed.
“Let me visit the powder room first.”
Thinking she’d freshen her lipstick and dab a bit of powder on her nose, Suzanna hurried off to the ladies’ room. On the way back, she passed a telephone booth and stopped to call home and check on Annie.
The telephone rang fifteen times before somebody finally picked up the receiver. It was Annie who answered.
“What are you doing up this late? Where’s Grandma?” Suzanna asked.
“Grandma got sick and throwed up. She’s on the sofa.”
“Is she awake?”
“Un-uh, her eyes are asleep.”
Suzanna imagined Ida unconscious and without anyone to care for her, and a sickening fear swelled in her chest.
“I’m coming home right now” she said. “Until I get there, go into the living room and stay with Grandma. If she gets sick again, go next door and ask Mrs. Murphy to come over and check on her.”
Suzanna returned to the table, her face pale and her voice edgy. “I’ve got to leave. I’m worried that something may have happened to Ida.”
As she quickly told of her conversation with Annie, a look of disappointment settled on Bobby’s face.
“She’s probably just sleeping,” he suggested. “Can’t you stay for another hour or so?”
“No, I’ve got to get going now.” She turned to go, and he followed her out. As they crossed the lobby she suggested, “If nothing is wrong, I can meet you here Saturday night and plan to stay over.”
He hesitated a moment then shook his head. “Saturday’s no good. Let’s just make it the same time next Tuesday.”
With worry about Ida foremost in her thoughts, Suzanna quickly agreed.
When they got to her car, she turned to give him a goodnight kiss and he pulled her to him, his hands grasping her buttocks, his tongue pushing its way into her mouth. She wriggled free of him, snapped, “Not now, Bobby!” then climbed into the car and was off.
Suzanna
An Eye-Opening Revelation
AS SUZANNA SAILED THROUGH A string of yellow stop lights, she could feel her heart racing. Ida was not the type to nap and let Annie roam through the house unsupervised. Something was wrong. Drastically wrong. Luckily the rain had stopped, and the drive home took half the time it had taken to get to the Ellington. She pulled in, left the car in the driveway, and came running through the front door.
Ida was stretched out on the sofa, Annie sitting on the floor in front of the television.
Suzanna hurried over, put her hand to Ida’s forehead, then turned to Annie and asked, “Has Grandma thrown up again?”
“Un-uh, she stayed sleeping.”
Ida’s face was hot to the touch, but it was impossible to tell whether she was unconscious or simply in a deep sleep. Suzanna tried shaking her gently, but there was no response. She felt for a heartbeat then glanced over at Annie and said, “Quick, run upstairs and get me the thermometer.”
When she finally caught the thump of Ida’s heart, it seemed slow; definitely slower than her own. She lifted Ida’s hand into hers and called her name, but there was no response. Nor was there any when she slid the thermometer into Ida’s mouth then removed it.
The thermometer stalled halfway between 102 and 103. Wasn’t that the danger zone for an older adult?
Suzanna thumbed through the telephone directory then dialed the number for Dr. Bergmann. His wife, Miriam, answered.
“This is Darla Jean; Grandma Ida’s sick, and I need Dr. Bergmann to come over right away.”
“It’s after eleven! Albert’s already in his pajamas!”
“I don’t care if he comes in his underwear, just get him over here. Grandma’s got a temperature of 103, and she’s unresponsive.”
“I’ll tell him, but he’s not going to like it.”
“He doesn’t have to like it, he just has to get over here. Remember when your daughter needed that dress for her party, I worked two days straight to get it done. I wasn’t crazy about working late, but I did it!” The crackle and snap of Suzanna’s words left no doubt as to her expectations.
When she hung up the phone, Suzanna sat beside Ida and waited. The thought of losing Ida flashed through her head, and tears welled in her eyes. The truth was she loved Ida as much as she’d loved her own mama. She could never leave her. Not for Bobby. Not for anyone.
It seemed like hours passed before Dr. Bergmann rapped on the door. He was wearing trousers and what appeared to be a pajama top. Before he was fully inside, Suzanna rattled off a brief explanation of
