Bracing himself, Ryan moved all the bags he held to one hand and reached out to ring the doorbell. He didn’t manage to give it more than a brief push before the door opened and Sia stepped out.
Startled, he took in the fact that she was dressed and on her way out. In a floral sundress with sunglasses perched on her head, hair loose and her face free of makeup, she’d gone from the sexy siren of the previous night to the girl next door. Ignoring the tug of attraction he always felt when he looked at her, he took in the shadows under her eyes and the drooping shoulders that spoke volumes about her sleepless night.
‘Oh! You’re still here.’ She said, unenthusiastically.
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Well, the last time I kissed you, you moved to a different state. And that barely rated. This time, I figured you’d be halfway to Brazil.’
Barely rated? One of his most cherished memories barely rated? Wincing, he held up the bag in his hand. ‘I brought breakfast and coffee.’
‘No, thank you. I have an appointment to get to.’ Locking the door with a firm click, she brushed past him leaving a lingering trail of the citrus fragrance she was wearing in her wake.
‘On a Sunday?’ Keeping pace with her easily, he moved to block her path, forcing her to stop and look at him.
‘Yes. On a Sunday.’
‘Where are you going?’
‘That’s none of your business.’ When he only raised an eyebrow and waited, she sighed. ‘Why do you care?’
‘I don’t want the food to go to waste.’ Knowing her weakness for filter coffee, he waved one of the cups in her face letting the aroma reach her. He’d picked it up from her favourite joint.
‘Fine.’ With one irritable swipe, she grabbed both the cup and one of the sealed packets in his hand. ‘I’ll eat what you bought me while I’m driving. Now go away.’
Unlocking her car, she got in and shoved the key into the ignition only to have him slide into the passenger side.
Wearily, she let her head drop against the steering wheel and prayed for patience.
‘Want me to drive? You seem tired.’ Nonchalantly, tearing open the packet still in his hand, he took a big bite of his sandwich.
Giving up, she put the car in gear and exited her lane with an angry squeal of her tires, barely missing an oncoming truck.
Swallowing both his gulp of fear and his mouthful of sandwich quickly, Ryan asked. ‘So where are we going?’
Silence.
Glancing down at his frayed jeans and green round necked t-shirt, he said ‘I’m just wondering if I’m dressed for it.’
More silence.
‘Want me to open your sandwich packet for you?’
Okay, silence and a glare. That was an improvement.
‘I got your favourite from the Hot Spot. Can you believe the lady who runs the shop still remembers me? She was wondering why you hadn’t visited the store in so long.’
Too many memories, you fool! Save me from the idiocy of men, Sia thought as she turned into the parking lot and parked. Luckily, they hadn’t had far to go. Turning in her seat, she reached behind her for the purse on the backseat.
‘Too many memories?’ Startled by Ryan’s quiet echo of her thoughts, she stopped midway and looked at him. Suddenly aware of the proximity her position generated, she froze. A fraction of an inch closer and she could fit her lips perfectly to his. Resisting the urge to repeat the previous night’s mistake, she listened to his quiet breathing and fought for control.
‘Sia.’ The quietly amused murmur of her name jerked her out of her trance. Closing her hand on her bag, she turned with a swift jerk and got out of the car.
‘Sia.’ His voice stopped her headlong dash. ‘Hold on.’
Throwing her hands up in frustration, Sia spun around. ‘What? What in the name of God could you possibly want now?’ Her raised voice had a few people in the parking lot glancing over.
‘Your keys.’
When she only gaped uncomprehendingly at him, he gestured towards the car. ‘You parked with one of your tires on the pavement.’
Ryan ducked just in time to avoid the keys aimed at his head. Still chuckling, he bent to pick them up, watching her storm into the building. Noting the nameplate with ‘Home for the Aged’ lettered on it, he watched her till she was out of sight before getting into the car to park properly.
* * *
Catching up with Sia as she finished filling out a register at the reception and closed it, Ryan looked around. The place was spotlessly clean with large, open areas filled with greenery. Impressed, he kept pace with her as she strode briskly down a corridor.
‘I am here to spend time with Mrs Srinivasan. I have no idea what you are doing here.’
‘I’m here to spend time with you.’ Grinning at the frustrated glare she levelled at him, he followed her into a room at the end of the corridor.
‘Good morning.’ Smiling at the old, frail lady tucked into the bed, Sia went to lower the bed rail. ‘How are you feeling today? Recovered from the flu?’
‘I’m much better, dear. Thank you for the soup. Who’s the young man?’
‘Nobody important. Ignore him.’ Levering her up from the bed, Sia helped her over to a chair and settled her in. ‘What shall we do today? I brought cards and Scrabble®. I’ve also got a book in here if you want me to read to you?’ Rummaging in her purse, Sia brought out a dog eared copy of Paulo Coelho’s ‘Alchemist.’
‘What have you done to be ignored?’ Bright, alert eyes twinkled up at him.
‘I’m in disgrace.’ Ryan informed her solemnly.
Charmed, she leaned forward in her to chair to ask. ‘For what?’
‘Well, to begin with I was born. Things got sort of out of hand after that.’
Chuckling, she beckoned him closer. ‘I’m Mrs Saraswati Srinivasan. And you are?’
‘What I am is very pleased to meet you.’ Reaching out to cradle the hand she held out to him with both of his, Ryan lowered to his haunches in front of her. ‘Ryan. That’s my name.’
‘No last name?’
‘No, none that matters.’ Smiling to take the sting out his words, he asked. ‘How about Scrabble®? I play a killer game.’
‘He cheats.’ Watching them interact had Sia’s heart and resolve melting.
‘She’s just a sore loser. Trust me.’
Mrs Srinivasan couldn’t resist reaching out and tousling his hair like she always had her son’s. He had such sad eyes. She’d always been a sucker for sad eyes and a rakish smile. There wasn’t a woman alive who could resist that combination. Patting him on the cheek, Mrs Srinivasan smiled ‘Scrabble® it is then.’
‘Awesome.’ Jumping to his feet, he pulled up another chair and rubbed his hands together in glee. ‘I am going to destroy you. Not you, Aunty Saraswati, just her. I am the king of this game. The Scrabble® lion, so to speak.’
Rolling her eyes at his theatrics, Sia set the Scrabble® board up and handed the bag out for everyone to pick their tiles.
‘Oh.’
Looking up at the sad sound, Sia took in Ryan’s crestfallen expression as he surveyed his tiles.
‘Problem?’ She asked, amused.
‘Most of them are vowels.’ Sadly, he poked and prodded at them as if that would help.
Lips twitching, she ventured ‘So more like the Scrabble® mouse then?’
‘A mouse? You can’t downgrade me to a mouse just on the basis of the tiles I have. I haven’t played a turn yet. An open and creative mind has plenty to work with here.’ He said, sanctimoniously.
‘Okay. You play first.’ Cupping her chin with her palm, Sia beamed at him.
A little blinded by that smile, Ryan tried to refocus on his tiles. Other than the vowels, he had one ‘h.’
Accepting unavoidable humiliation, he put his tiles down on the board and waited.
‘Ooh? You made ooh?’ Looking like all her birthdays had arrived together, Sia collapsed in her chair with laughter.
‘Maybe a Scrabble® puppy.’ Patting him kindly on his hand, Mrs Srinivasan reached for her tiles over Sia’s loud, never ending laughter.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun. Cups of tea, lazy conversation, Scrabble® followed by cards and laughter that made his sides hurt turned into a golden memory he tucked away to savour later.
Smiling now, he watched as Sia coaxed Mrs Srinivasan into finishing her lunch. Dabbing her mouth with a napkin, Sia helped her back into bed.
Ryan leaned in to kiss her goodbye and said in a loud whisper. ‘I’ll be back beautiful. I had a great time on our first date.’
‘Even if it was a threesome?’ She whispered back, just as loudly.
Laughing delightedly at the shock and amusement mingling on his face, she patted his cheek. ‘I’m old, darling, not dead.’
Shaking her head in mock reproof, Sia leaned in and hugged her too. Promising to come back next week, they left to meet with the nurse at the reception.
He waited till Sia was done filling out the register again and they were in the car heading home before asking ‘She has no family?’
‘Son, daughter in law and grandchildren in London. I think they last came to visit about a year ago.’
‘Why doesn’t she live with them?’
Sia manoeuvred carefully around a slowly moving cyclist before answering. ‘I don’t know too many details. She doesn’t talk too much about it but the best I can infer is that they didn’t want her cramping their lifestyle. It’s becoming more common nowadays to leave elders in homes, even expensive ones like that. It’s common for people to throw money at their problems now.’
He was certainly throwing fifty lakhs at his, Ryan reflected. He’d always had expensive problems. ‘I don’t get it. I would have loved to have someone like her as my mother. How long have you been coming to see her?’
‘I started volunteering almost four years ago but I only met Mrs Srinivasan two years back.’
‘What made you start?’
After a beat of silence, she answered ‘I was married at the time. During the week, I could hide out in the office but over the weekends I needed somewhere to go.’ Staring straight ahead, she said, ‘So I didn’t start coming here out of any noble reasons. It was survival, pure and simple.’
‘Sia.’ Lifting a hand to touch her cheek, Ryan stopped when she held a palm out stopping him.
‘Don’t Ryan. There is nothing you can say that will change anything or make any of it better. It’s the past. It’s over and so are we.’
Parking in front of the house, she got out and waited till he emerged from the car before locking it. They walked to her porch in silence but she stopped before opening the door.
When she didn’t speak immediately, he said ‘Whatever the reasons you started volunteering for, I think what you’re doing is amazing.’
Looking anywhere but at him, she said ‘I think you should leave now.’
Taking in the remote expression on her face, he accepted defeat for the moment and stepped off the porch.
He waited till she had the door open and had taken a step inside to say ‘I’m going to beat you at Scrabble® next time. Watch the lion roar.’
‘Ooh, I’m so scared.’
Slapping a hand against his heart, he gave her a wounded look. ‘Don’t you think it’s time the ‘ooh’ jokes stopped?’
‘Not a chance,’ she said with a small smile before shutting the door in his face.