“For as long as I can remember.” I glance up into the mirror. “Sorry,” I say, and Fabian continues to tell me how to keep my hair from looking like I stuck my finger in a light socket. By the time the three of us head home, my hair looks fabulous. Lindsey’s hair is short and sassy, and she can’t quit touching it or looking at herself in the rearview mirror. Even Mom got into the act and let Fabian trim several inches from her hair.
We’re exhausted, especially Mom, and I don’t think she snores all night. If she does, it doesn’t matter, because I don’t crack my eyes open until ten the next morning.
I can’t believe I slept so late and jump into the pink tub for a quick bath. The water remains hot and rust-free, and it cost me only eleven grand. I was told I’m lucky because it could have been a lot worse. If the pipes throughout the house had needed to be replaced, I would’ve had to add an extra zero to the final invoice. Which reminds me, the electrician’s bill came yesterday, but I’m afraid to open it.
From
the top of the steps, I can hear Simon’s deep voice and deeper laughter. The last time I saw him, he told me to learn to zigzag and that instant grits aren’t grits. Which I still think is ridiculous, but my Alzheimer’s mom can tell the difference. It must be a Southern thing.
There’s a different energy with Simon here, and I can feel it as I walk downstairs. It’s more than just his being a man. I had electricians and plumbers all over the house for several weeks, but it never felt like we were being exposed to alarming levels of testosterone.
“How were your grits?” he asks Mom as I enter the room.
“Horrible. They were instant.” She pretends to spit before she adds, “I about choked to death on those lumps.”
“Simon’s come to take his bird back home,” Lindsey tells me.
“I never said that. I’m just…” Simon glances my way and stops in mid-sentence. Raphael is perched on his finger and the two stare at me without blinking.
They stand in front of the fireplace, Simon in a tight black T-shirt like he’s got something to prove, and the bird in a bright pink sweater like he got dressed in the dark. Raphael is the first to react and he bobs his head as if he approves of my hair and dark-red lips.
I walk across the room and take a closer look at the trendy bird. “Is Lindsey right? Are you here to take your bird home with you?”
“Mais no, tee Lou.” Simon’s gaze slides across my hair, stopping here and moving there. “I’m just here to give an estimate on the rail and bring Ray-feel his plucking vest.”
“You work on Sundays?”
“Don’t tell anyone.” The marbled stone behind him accentuates the variant depths in his green eyes. “I like your hair.”
I resist the urge to fluff my curls and feel sorry for the women who aren’t immune to good looks and smooth drawls. “Thank you.” I glance at Raphael and see that it’s not a sweater but a fleece and it’s Velcroed across his back. “That vest is pink.”
“Magenta,” Simon corrects me. “It takes a confident man to wear magenta.”
“Can he fly in that thing?”
“Absolutely.”
“Dang. He’s been getting out of his cage.”
“Tell me, are you being a handful?” Simon turns the bird to face him as if he expects a reply.
“That’s a nice way to put it.” Lindsey scoots back further into the sofa and turns an evil eye on her nemesis. “He screams and chases people.”
“That’s true. He likes to antagonize Lindsey.”
“He whistles at me,” Mom says from across the room.
I lower my voice and say, “He doesn’t whistle.”
“No?” He touches his finger to Raphael’s beak to get his attention and whistles as if a hot girl just walked into the room. After two more tries, the bird mimics the catcall. I look from Raphael to Mom in disbelief. She’d been right all along.
“But he doesn’t talk,” Mom adds.
Simon scratches the top of Raphael’s head. “Bonjour, bon ami.” Raphael closes his eyes, but Simon persists until the bird repeats the greeting, sounding very French, like he could be wearing a magenta beret to match his vest.
Mom claps her hands. “What else does he say?”
“Bonjour, mon vieux,” rolls off Simon’s tongue and the dang bird replicates it perfectly.