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47
The Visit
Faith
My life was falling into place too well, so I should have sensed something horrible was heading in my direction.
A shiver crossed over my shoulders when the elevator bell dinged in the distance.
Like a scary movie coming to life, the light in the hallway seemed to dim a little as the overhead light flickered. The sun that had just been on my back through the window moved behind a big cloud, and the snuggly warm room dropped a dozen degrees in an instant to warn of her approaching.
On the next waft of air from the overhead vent, a blast of wind stinking of funeral flowers came through my office door.
Some things are not so easy to forget, and I’d recognize the scent of her overpowering old lady perfume anywhere. “Shit.”
The dark presence dangling a tiny gold and diamond cross from her neck, if I recall correctly, stole all the joy from the air as she came closer — warning me to gather my strength for the battle ahead.
I’d prepared for this day’s arrival since the second Dom and I saw each other in the hallway, and I wasn’t bothered a bit about it, honestly.
With a sigh, I finished the last of my documentation as she knocked on the door. “Just a second.”
The moment my fingertips left the keyboard, I smiled as I peeked up from my desk. “Can I help you, ma’am?”
I wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction of knowing I spent at least ten minutes a day obsessing over our last encounter for over half my life. So when she scoffed as her face retreated a bit that I might have forgotten about her, a tiny part of me lit up with joy.
I squinted as I turned my chin aside and wrinkled my nose at the monstrosity her face became. “Missus Vasser? Is that you?”
Looking like she spent about a kabillion dollars on cosmetic surgery, the skin on her face was pulled so tight her eyebrow barely shifted when she cocked it at me. “Hello, Faith.” Giving my entire office her stink-face as her eyes rolled over it, she tossed one of those arrogant smiles at me. “What is it you do here? I know you can’t be a doctor?”
I motioned to my degrees and credentials on the wall beside the window. “I’m a Master’s Degree prepared Speech Pathologist, board certified in fluency and swallowing disorders. Are you in need of a specialist?”
She shifted her bag from her shoulder to her wrist while waiting for me to invite her in. “Hardly. I would like to have a word with you if you have a moment, though.”
I was quite sure if I didn’t agree to speak with her, she’d only make up some lies to the administration about how rude I was to her to get me fired. Hell, it wouldn’t surprise me if she already did that on her way to my office. So, I waved my pen at the chair across from me. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
A plastic baggy with two pill bottles came from her purse, and she dropped it on my desk as she sat down. “Just thought I’d bring over Dom’s meds to you since you won’t allow him to speak to me anymore.”
My pen bounced back at her. “Not at all accurate. Whatever you’re experiencing right now with your son is of your own making. I cleaned my soul of wanting revenge on you many years ago.”
She readjusted her bag on her lap as she smiled that superior little turn of her lips I hated so much. “I take it you were aware, then, that he’s supposed to be on medication for his severe psychiatric problems?”
I shrugged back at her and pulled the bag toward me. “Dom’s business is his own, and I’m certain he would not want me discussing it with you.” I picked up my purse from the floor and unzipped it, dropping them inside before setting it down again. “But I’ll make sure he gets them.”
Whatever reaction she was looking for, she didn’t receive, and her top lip puffed out as she sized me up for another attack. “So, you’re just going to allow him to go untreated?”
I put up my hand to stop her. “Dom is a brilliant and accomplished grown man and physician who has his own ideas and does what he wants. And yes, I support him one hundred percent in whatever that might be. Always.”
She shook her head, that judgmental eyebrow arching at me. “And when he spirals out of control? Because he will, I assure you.”
My mouth twisted back at her as I flipped my fingers off the desktop. “We’ll cross that bridge together if and when we come to it, I guess.” After spending the morning researching his disorder in the hospital’s database, of course I worried about that being a possibility. I would never, ever show this woman an ounce of fear again about my future with her son, though. “But for now, I trust him to make the best decisions for himself and us.”
That she used his disability as a weapon against him made me sick, and I leaned back in my seat, not even wanting to hurt her anymore. She was doing a good enough job of that on herself without me lifting a finger. “So, unless there’s something else I can do for you,” — I motioned back outside with a jerk of my head — “I guess I’ll see you around town sometime.”
Completely flustered that her little visit hadn’t gone as planned, she fought with her purse as she stood, shaking her head at me. “I always knew you would ruin his life. You’ve barely been back a week, and look what you’re doing to him.”
Groaning as I shook my head back at her, I tossed up both my hands. “Missus Vasser, Dom is almost forty years old and is just moving out of his mommy’s house.” Her nostrils flared as she turned it up at me and spun away from me on her toe as I pointed at myself. “I haven’t even been around for twenty years. So, if you’re looking for somebody to blame for ruining his life, look in a mirror.”
Her heels clicked against the floor as she rushed around the corner, and I leaned over my desk to get in the last word. “Have a fantastic day! It was great seeing you again!”
