He tilted his head, considering me quietly. "I can do that," he said, nodding slowly. "Be there by 9am."
I sighed, but agreed to the time. I waved him back to the car and hurried to the front of my building. He frowned, but reopened the driver's side door, watching me over the top. The lights illuminated the outside of my duplex and front hall until I closed the front door behind me and locked it. I peered from behind the curtains of the window next to the door as Marv put the BMW in reverse and backedout.
"Harlow?" My mom's croaking voice reached me and I turned, padding across the floor as a soft meow echoed behind me, followed by a light scratching of the wooden surface. Cleo came around the corner of the hallway, meowing once again and I realized she must need to go to the bathroom and was likely hungryagain.
"Hey, sweet girl." I bent down and scratched behind one ear while she meowed again. "Give me a minute and I'll take care of you, okay?" I released her and moved to the open doorway of my mom'sbedroom.
She laid like an exhausted queen among her pillows. The room was still relatively clean after I had cleaned up from the mess before, meaning that today had been a good day and she hadn't suffered any episodes while I had been gone. Her eyes met mine when I entered and she smiled sweetly, so different from the woman I often came home to; the one who was angry at the world, paranoid, and in pain. This woman was my realmom.
"Hey, Mom, sorry I was out so late." I sat on the edge of her bed. She lifted a frail hand towards me and I grabbed it, kissing her knuckles. "Are you hungry? Have you eaten? I can make yousomething?"
She shook her head. "I had some of the soup you left me in the fridge. I'm sorry about the other day." She frowned, her eyes glistening. "These episodes are getting so bad, I can't control them. Maybe something else iswrong."
"It's okay, I understand. It wasn't really you." I pressed my lips to the skin of her knuckles. Even wrinkled and spotted, I cared for them because they were the hands that had fed me as a child, tucked me in, and cared forme.
"I love you, Babygirl."
"I love you, too, Mom." I sighed and let her hand fall back to the duvet. "You have a doctor's appointment coming up. I'll be babysitting for Mrs. Grace again and she's taking you to the appointment. Have you been taking yourmedication?"
"I don't know, Baby. Sometimes, I do. Sometimes, I think I already have and I'm scared of taking too much on accident. It's likely what's causing these episodes. I'll talk to the doctor aboutit."
"Okay." I rubbed the back of neck with my hand and stood up. "I'm gonna go and clean up a bit beforebed."
"Who were you withtonight?"
"Just a friend." I leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Get some rest. I love you,Mom."
"Night, Baby," she said as I reached thedoorway.
"Night,Mom."
I gently eased the door closed behind me before moving down the hall to let Cleo out for some bathroom time. I didn't have the money to get her a proper litter box, so it was unsurprising that I found a few wet spots throughout the kitchen and hallway. I cleaned up as best I could and then laid out some old papers throughout the kitchen, hoping that if she had to go again in the middle of the night or tomorrow when I was gone, she'd do it there. By the time my head hit my pillow, I was more than ready to sink intooblivion.