“But Dad, you haven’t even gotten a chance to eat,” said Stephen.
“I’ll have something when we get back,” he said. “We’ve got to go. Your mom is probably wondering where we are.”
Stephen trudged into the hall and knocked on Shannon’s door. She answered the summons reluctantly and didn’t say a word while they drove to the hospital. Lisa sat in the back seat beside Josh, trying to ignore Shannon’s hostility. She finally understood how it felt to be on the receiving end of such spite, and by the time they arrived at the hospital, an aura of misery had settled over her.
They went up to the unit where Josh’s mother was staying. The room was at the end of the hall. Josh’s father paused outside the sliding door, which was made of glass. The privacy curtains were closed, preventing anyone from seeing inside.
“I don’t want to overwhelm your mom with too many visitors,” said Josh’s father. “Let me go in first and see how she’s doing.”
He went in with Yvonne and left the others standing in the hall.
“Great,” said Shannon. “Who are we kidding? She doesn’t want to see us. We’re only here because Dad’s tired of us pestering him about her. I wish I’d stayed at the apartment. This is stupid.”
Lisa expected Josh to contradict Shannon, but he didn’t. She wondered if he felt the same way about his mother. They waited for ten minutes in anxious anticipation, and then Josh’s father invited Shannon and Stephen to join him. They went inside, leaving a gap in the curtains.
Lisa saw Josh’s mother sitting in a chair near the window. The red light of the setting sun illuminated her face, and Lisa was surprised by how vigorous she looked, despite her extreme emaciation. She resisted the impulse to stare and turned her attention to Josh. The bleak terror in his eyes shocked her.
“Josh, what’s wrong?” she said.
“Nothing,” he said. “It just hit me all of a sudden: now that your dad isn’t killing my mom with that drug anymore, I might have enough time to make things right with her—to finally be close with her. It’s what I’ve always wanted, but she’s never allowed it to happen.”
“I don’t understand why she would do that,” said Lisa.
“Neither do I,” said Josh. “I just want her to be proud of me, you know—not because I’ve followed her rules, but because I’m her son. Sometimes I feel like she won’t see me the same way if I make a mistake, and I don’t want to disappoint her.”
“I can’t imagine you disappointing anyone,” said Lisa. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Josh’s mother leaning forward in her chair with her eyes riveted on Shannon and Stephen. They were standing rigidly in front of her as if they were being reprimanded for something. She looked away, not wanting to intrude on their privacy, but she was still marveling at the strangeness of the situation when the door finally opened, and Shannon and Stephen appeared, followed by Josh’s father with Yvonne.
“You can go in,” he said to Lisa and Josh. “She specifically said she wanted to talk to the two of you alone, so the rest of us will be downstairs in the cafeteria. Please take your time. There’s no hurry.”
“But we were only in there for a few minutes,” said Stephen.
“Stephen, there will be other chances,” he said.
“When she found out Lisa was here, she couldn’t have cared less about us,” said Shannon under her breath.
Lisa ignored her. Josh opened the door, and they went into the room. When they got close enough, Josh’s mother grabbed them each by the hand, dragging them forward with a surprising amount of strength. Lisa shivered in her bony grasp.
“Oh, Josh,” said his mother. “Let me take a good look at you. I can hardly believe it. I remember when you were a tiny baby with the tendency to fuss when you didn’t get what you wanted, but here you are—all grown up with a gorgeous girlfriend and a bright future. I’m so glad you listened to me.”
“It wasn’t exactly like that,” said Josh.
She didn’t seem to have heard him.
“You’ve brought so much joy into my life,” she said in a faint voice. “Even when you were a little boy, I knew you were special. You’ve always exceeded my expectations, Josh. Whenever I think about you, my heart overflows with gratitude. I couldn’t be more pleased with you.”
“Really?” said Josh.
“Of course,” she said. “You’re my flesh and blood.”
She stood up with some difficulty and sat down on the edge of the bed, gesturing for Lisa to take the chair she had recently vacated. Lisa didn’t dare to refuse. She remembered the dreadful hypnotic manner in which Josh’s mother had manipulated her father, and now the same thing was happening to Josh—unless his mother was actually being sincere, which was even more disturbing.
“Make yourself comfortable, Lisa,” she said. “Don’t be shy. You’re part of the family now. Josh, there’s another chair over there in the corner. Why don’t you bring it here while I get better acquainted with Lisa? We have so much to talk about.”
After he stepped away, she gazed into Lisa’s face with adoring eyes.
“I can’t tell you how delighted I am,” she said. “You’re going to make Josh so happy. It’s not only because you’re such a beautiful girl. There’s an elegance about you that’s very charming. Your parents did an excellent job with you—and of course, you grew up in the lap of luxury. We can’t discount the effects of that! Don’t worry, darling, it’s a good thing. You’re obviously the product of your environment.”
“Thank you,” said Lisa, who was too bewildered to be offended.
Josh returned with the chair and sat down. He made a face at Lisa when his mother wasn’t looking, and she realized he had heard every word of their conversation. She smiled at him to reassure him, but he didn’t look convinced.
“Now Josh, I want you
