Page 22 of Close to Heaven

Eight

Avery pulled off the two-lane highway and drove up the steep driveway to her dad’s house. She worried about him traversing the driveway in the winter months and made a mental note to remind him to hire a snow-removal service.

Carl’s doctor had assured her that he was still capable of doing everyday things such as cooking and driving, but she wondered how long it would be until those simple tasks would become difficult for him.

She hated to think about her dad’s failing health and that someday he might not remember who she was. The doctor had explained that he was in the early stages of the disease and there was no way to predict the trajectory since it was different for every patient. As of now, Carl’s primary symptom was forgetfulness, which had alerted her to the problem in the first place.

She parked her Jeep next to his old Ford truck, grabbed the pizza off the passenger’s seat, and headed up to the house. She knocked on the door to alert him that she was there, and then she turned the knob and let herself in. Carl never bothered to lock the front door, insisting that thieves would find a way in no matter what. His theory hadn’t bothered her before, but now it gave her one more cause for concern.

“Dad?” she called out as she moved through the empty living room.

“Back here,” he replied.

She found him sitting at the dining room table, his head bent over a jigsaw puzzle and his brow furrowed in concentration.

“There you are.” She set down the pizza and went over to him.

“Where’d you think I’d be?” he said without looking up.

“Watching TV.”

“Nope. Doc says I should do puzzles to keep my mind sharp.”

Carl wasn’t one for showing affection, but she leaned in and gave him a squeeze. “Are you enjoying it?”

“I was, but now I can’t figure out where this damn piece goes.”

She laughed. “How about if I help you after dinner?”

Carl set down the puzzle piece and looked up at her. “What are we having?”

“I brought pizza,” she said, pointing to the box.

“Meat lovers?”

“You know it.” She smiled, but inside she winced. Earlier she’d called to say she was coming over and bringing a pizza. Now he acted like they’d never discussed it. She shook it off and went into the kitchen to get out some plates. Since the dining room table was covered with puzzle pieces, she set them up at the kitchen counter.

“What do you want to drink?” she asked as she opened the refrigerator.

“I’ll have a soda,” he said distractedly.

She moved some things around in the fridge but didn’t see any soda. “How about some lemonade instead?”

“Lemonade doesn’t go with pizza,” he grumbled. “I just bought soda the other day.”

The fridge was half-empty, and she could see there wasn’t any soda inside, but she pretended to look for it some more. “There isn’t any in here, Dad,” she finally said.

“Hmm. I guess I forgot to buy it.” He rose from the table and came over to join her at the counter.

Avery knew that even healthy people were forgetful sometimes, but this was different. Carl’s memory was failing him, and it was heartbreaking to see.

“I’ll just pour us some water.” She quickly turned away so he wouldn’t see the tears in her eyes.

The moment passed, and soon they were eating pizza and drinking water like nothing was wrong.

“How’s the new job going?” Carl asked.

“Good. Mary’s last day is Friday, and Jax asked me to help plan a going-away party for her.”