“What?” I ask no idea why he’d ask a question like that right now. His eyes zero in on me and my mindset shifts instantly. This is no longer Jake in front of me. This is my Daddy talking. “Yes. Customers have to ask to borrow them.”
“And no one’s in there right now?”
“No,” I reply, looking down to double check.
Jake slides my mom along the tiles toward the bathroom with as much civility and respect as he can, even though my mom’s trying to drop to the ground, drag her feet, or do anything she can think of to stop him from taking her anywhere. Once he reaches the small bathroom, he removes the mirror and toilet paper and quickly shuts the door.
Immediately she’s pounding on the back, but she’s not going anywhere. More importantly, I’m impressed and thankful he’s removed any objects she might think to use to harm herself or cause a big mess.
“You’re holding me hostage. I’ll have you thrown in jail.”
“Everybody out!” Jake orders, pointing to the door. “Drinks are on the house and if you already paid come back tomorrow for a free one, anything you want in whatever size you want.” Nobody is foolish enough to question his authority and everyone scurries to the door. “Including you, Ella,” he adds, to my always annoying co-worker who’s peeking out from the stock room.
“I work here. You can’t order me—“
“Out!” he demands, and wisely she chooses not to push the envelope any further.
Pulling out a chair for me at the table closest to the counter he orders me to, “Sit,” before moving to the window and shutting the curtains as if we’re closing for the night.
“I’ll give the manager any lost revenue and pay for those free drinks myself.”
“It’s not about that, it’s just…what are you doing?”
When he reaches the table he pulls out a seat of his own, quickly engulfing my hands with his, leaning in and looking me right in the eye.
“I knew we’d need to have this conversation. I just didn’t know we’d need to have it this soon.”
I exhale hard, knowing he’s right. Now’s not the most opportune time, but if I’m going to have an opportunity to have the life I want in the future I need to address my past. The question is, just how much does he know about my past?
“I tried to get her help before, but she won’t go to rehab. Multiple interventions have failed because she doesn’t have enough real friends to stand by my side and make her go. Not only that her only ‘friends’ are people she knows through her addiction.”
“I should tell you something,” he breathes out hard. “I know a thing or two about addiction.”
“You were…?” I can’t believe it, and he rebukes my knee-jerk thoughts.
“Never…but my mother was pretty much a carbon copy. Luckily that gene never transferred to me, in terms of substance addiction at least, but I have to be honest with you. I realize now I do have that gene, after thinking my whole life it must have skipped a generation, or disappeared from our bloodline forever.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m addicted to you, and that is all encompassing so I’ll do whatever I need to do, which is exactly whatever you want to do in this situation. If your mother is beyond help, then although that’s a tough decision I understand. If you think there’s something inside her that can be redeemed and not just the drug stuff which we can work to clean up but also those nasty thoughts I heard her spouting, then you know I’ve got your back.”
God, how I love this man. My head tips forward and I breathe out hard again. To be honest I feel like I’ve exhausted every opportunity, that she’s just beyond help as much as it pains me to say it. Then I think back to what Jake and I have together. Although this is my decision part of being with my man, an older experienced man who’s just confided that he’s been in a similar situation in his life, I remind myself that maybe he knows better than I do. He’s here to guide me right? Well, the smartest thing I can do right now is take a bit of wisdom before I make a decision. “What do you think?”
“I think you never give up on family, plain and simple.”
And just like that, the decision becomes crystal clear. “You’re right, but I’m not sure where to start.”
“I am. I know some places that can help her with the first step. They’re out in Arizona, real secluded and she won’t be able to get a hold of anything or be around the negative people that are keeping her down.”
“I’m afraid maybe she’s the most negative of the negative.”
“They’ll dry her out. It might take a month or it might take a year, but they’ll get it done.”
“Jake, we don’t have that kind of money. That must cost a small fortune. I’m barely scraping by with my studio apartment.”
“Yes, we do, remember? You’re my family and that means your mom is my mom now, or at least for all intents and purposes. And like I did with my mom, I won’t give up.”
“Your mom made it through?” I pull my lips back immediately wishing I hadn’t asked that. If he wanted me to know he would have already volunteered that info.