Five minutes after walking into Riley’s home, I close the laundry door and walk out again minus a cat and a pig. I slide into the car and head back in the direction I just came; Lakeview. I’m going to meet the woman Riley speaks so highly of, the momma in the momma’s boy relationship, the matriarch who – according to sources – hasn’t been to visit him in the hospital, nor could she give enough of a shit to visit his house and care for his cat.
So I’m going to meet the woman Riley swears undying love for, to give her a piece of my mind and a little friendly advice about being a better human being.
It takes only minutes to cross this tiny town – something I can’t seem to get used to no matter how many times I make the trip – and pull into the Lakeview Retirement Village parking lot. Stepping out of the car and glancing around, I take in the brick exterior and white columns holding the triple-story roof up. I note the rose garden lining the main driveway, and the little water fountain over by a street-library setup. Park benches are scattered on the lush green lawn, most of which are facing the lake. Gleaming picture windows sparkle in the daylight and reflect off the very lake Riley and I played in not so long ago.
I taunted him, forced his hand, seduced him in the cold – basically right outside his mother’s door.
Oops.
I feel naked without my pig satchel, but putting on my brave face and squaring my shoulders, I slam the car door and head toward the front entrance.
I’ve spent a little time in homes like this for my clients over the years, so I know what the staff can and cannot allow. A random woman off the street visiting another random woman; probably won’t get past reception.
But, “Hello.” I stop at the front desk and play up my most charming smile. “My name’s Andi Conner. I’m here to see Mrs. Cruz.”
“Of course.” The receptionist looks down at her computer and taps away at the keys. After a moment, her smile dims. “I’m sorry, Miss Conner. You’re not listed as an approved visitor.”
“Oh, I know. I’m Riley’s fiancé, but he’s not feeling so well right now, so I’ve come to give her an update on his wellbeing.”
“You’re Officer Cruz’s fiancé?” Standing, she leans over her desk and casts a suspicious eye over my hands. Lucky for me, I was having a bubble bath last week with the soap bombs that come with a fake ring inside. Ten dollar fake diamond, slid onto my left hand while driving over here; voila, fake fiancé. “I didn’t know he was seeing anyone.”
I lift a brow and grin. Little Miss Fifty-and-Married is feeling somewhat possessive of our baby-faced cop. “Yes, ma’am. We’ve been together for almost a whole year now, but I live in the city for work.” I’ll let her assume I mean the city an hour away, and not another city a couple day’s drive from here. “What with his rotating shift schedule at the station, and my living away, all the time we do get to spend together, well…” I allow a false blush to cover my cheeks. “We prefer to spend that time at home to catch up. Alone. In private.”
I’ve made her uncomfortable – and if I’m not mistaken, a little jealous – but I still end up gaining entrance and a set of handwritten directions that lead me to where I’ve got to go. I walk away from the front desk with a flip of my hair and a smile as I rotate the ring on my left hand, but my confidence wavers as I pass through hall after hall, then door after door. The further I move away from the front desk, the quieter the world becomes. I stop at a set of heavy electric doors and frown. Looking to my left, I find a green button with a handwritten ‘press here for admittance’, so I press my thumb down and step back when the automatic doors unlock and open inwards.
“Hi, Miss Conner.” An older man with a kind smile and white uniform steps to the door and gestures me through. “Delores called from the front, so I was expecting you.” I follow him, but watch over my shoulder when the doors close at our back. “Raya will be so pleased you’re visiting today. She’s been lonely the past couple weeks.”
“Yeah, umm, Riley’s been unwell.” I study the walls as we move along the hall. “Sorry I didn’t get up here sooner. Ah… why are there electric doors here when they’re not like that back there?” I gesture over my shoulder, but he understands ‘back there’ actually means near the front of the complex.
Stopping at a tall desk, he picks up a clipboard and writes a couple notes, then passes it to me, along with a pen. “Visitors check in, please.” When I sign it and pass it back, he grins and gestures me forward. “The residents in East Wing need a little more security, for their own safety. Their condition makes them more susceptible to wander, and we have a lake right outside. It’s just a safety thing.”
“Condition?”
“Mrs. Cruz’s dementia is deteriorating, so it’s for her own safety.” He stops at a door and grins. “Today hasn’t been great, but I think it’s because she’s missing her boy, so a visit from you is the next best thing. Enjoy your visit, Miss Conner, and if you’re still here in half an hour or so, I’ll bring tea and a snack.”
Dementia.
He opens the door and practically shoves me through, so my eyes stop on a woman lying in a large bed with a frilly-necked nightie and floral print blankets pulled right up to her chin.Dementia. She has dementia!I take a step closer and reconsider my life choices. I shouldn’t be here. This was a shitty gung-ho decision that I didn’t think through, because I’d come to tell a sprightly woman off for being a dick and not visiting her son and his cat, but instead, this woman turns away from her TV, meets my eyes, and slays me.
Riley’s eyes.
Riley’s nose.
Riley’s jaw.
She even has the baby-faced thing going for her, but emotion clogs in my throat when I realize it’s not because of her youth, but the way she watches me the way a child might watch. She has no fucking clue who I am – obviously – and she’s not at all alarmed at the stranger in her room.
“Umm, hello.” I trip over nothing and stumble my way toward the wing-backed chair by the TV. I don’t sit yet, instead, I spin the fake ring around my finger and swallow when her curious eyes stray down to my hand. “Ah, Mrs. Cruz. Hello, my name is Andi.” I clear my throat. “Andrea Conner. It’s such a pleasure to meet you.”
Smiling, she sits up in bed so her back rests against the headboard and blankets come down to her hips. She clasps her hands in her lap and spins her ring the way I spin mine. “Are you here to see Riley?” She looks around the room.Searching for him?“He’s at work, I think. He should be off by six.”
She doesn’t know. She has no fucking clue.“No, ma’am. I came to say hello to you. Ah… hello.” Exhausted, I flop down into the chair, then drag it across the room when the five feet separating us feels horrible. I noisily bring the chair close enough that my knees touch the side of her bed. I was coming to tell her off about the cat, but instead, when she reaches out for my hand, I clasp hers between mine and hold my breath so I don’t cry. “How are you today?” I look toward the TV. “Anything good on?”
“I was watching those handsome doctors.” She grins – just like Riley – and pats her blanket with her spare hand. “Did you hear Riley passed the academy, Miss…” She frowns. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t get your name.”
“Andi.” It’s like trying to speak over shards of glass. “My name is Andi.”
“Andi.” She smiles and lays her head back as though to daydream. “Such a pretty name. Did you hear Riley passed the academy? He’s so smart.”