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I stare up at the building, worried about what I will find inside. There are so many thoughts crashing into my brain right now, it’s overwhelming. That’s a weakness I can’t afford to show to anyone, especially my club or my president.
“Mr. Paulson.” Someone calls my name as soon as I enter. “We were not expecting you. Does Ruby know you’re visiting tonight?”
My eyebrows go up in surprise. Do I have to run by Ruby a visit to my mother?
“I don’t believe she knows, Mrs. Clarence.”
She smiles at me expectantly. I’m not sure what else I can say.
“I’d like to sign in so I can visit my mother.”
She jumps to walk around the counter and turn the computer on. The receptionist is not in this late at night. After typing on the keyboard, she gives me the paper log and a pen so I can write my name in. Once that’s done, she nods in approval.
“Mr. Paulson…” She hesitates for a second. “I just want to tell you what a godsend Ruby has been for your mother…”
I stare at her, not giving her any reaction.
“It’s been hard to comprehend, even for those of us who have been around patients as your mother for a few years now.”
She smiles at me again, but it’s a little sad, which only manages to further confuse me.
“Expand on that for me, Mrs. Clarence,” I request.
She sighs and presses her hands to her lips.
“I can’t really explain it. You’ll have to see it.”
She turns on her low-heeled ugly shoes and starts walking toward the hallway that leads to the suites. One of them is my mother’s. When she stops in front of the door, she takes a deep breath in, like she’s trying to brace herself for it. It only serves to get on my nerves. I hate it when people don’t use their words to tell me what the problem is.
The door doesn’t make a sound when Mrs. Clarence opens it. The room is shrouded in soft light that seems to come from a lamp that’s sitting on a table by the couch.
For a second, I panic when I don’t hear any sounds coming from inside the room. I take a step in and look around. The place is very spacious. It also has its own bedroom which is not being used since it was decided early on that my mother should be out here.
My eyes fall on the bed set in the middle of the room. At first, I notice my mother lying in it. Her eyes are open, and she looks alert enough. Her hand moves up and down, and it takes me a minute to realize that she is petting Ruby’s dark hair.
The breath hitches in my chest at the sight. Ruby is curled onto her side, with her head resting on my mother’s stomach. She seems to be fast asleep.
“What’s going on?” I ask Mrs. Clarence. My voice comes out a bit too loud, making me smile when I see Ruby’s body jumping in her sleep at hearing it.
“They’ve been doing this for the last five days or so,” Mrs. Clarence responds. “It starts with Ruby laying down next to her. She talks to her, tells her all sorts of things…”
That grabs my attention. “Like what?”
Mrs. Clarence shrugs self-consciously. “Just… personal things.”
“What does my mother do when that happens?” Because I can’t imagine her having an actual conversation.
“Mary didn’t like it much at first,” Mrs. Clarence comments. “But Ruby wore her down.”
I chuckle at that. Ruby can be persuasive at times, I suppose. I realize that I don’t know her well enough to know for sure, and it makes me sad.
“So Ruby staying here with her has helped?”
Mrs. Clarence smiles fondly as she stares at the picture my mother and Ruby make.
“She has been better than any medicine we could’ve given Mary.”
A knot forms in the back of my throat. I fucked up so badly with this girl. Now that she is turning out to be a blessing to my mother’s existence, how am I supposed to get rid of her? I’m fairly certain that’s what Prez will ask me to do next time I see him.
