Twenty-two
Monday morning, Kendall woke to the sound of her phone ringing. Naturally, it was her mother. “Hi, Mom,” she said groggily.
“Sorry to wake you,” her mom said cheerfully. “But they’re having a big sale at Macy’s and I thought you and I could—”
“Sorry, but I already have plans.”
“You’re babysitting Emma again?”
“No, not today.”
“What then?”
“I have a date with Nana.”
“Oh, well, that can wait.”
“No, it can’t, Mom.” Kendall stood up and began pacing in her room. “I called her yesterday and promised that I was coming.”
“But, Kendall, it’s less than two weeks until—”
“Trust me, Mom, I know exactly how many days, hours, and minutes there are until the wedding. I also know that you and Kate deliberately didn’t invite Nana to my shower last weekend.”
“Who told you that?”
“Kristen. She said you were worried that Nana would make some kind of an embarrassing scene. Well, you know what, Mom? I would’ve liked it if Nana had made a scene. It would’ve been fun.”
“Oh, Kendall!”
“I’m sorry I can’t go shopping—” Kendall suddenly remembered something. “Hey, I’m not supposed to go shopping anyway!”
“Fine, fine. Do as you like.”
“Thank you.” Kendall said good-bye, hung up, and then got dressed. When she got downstairs, all three of her housemates were in the kitchen, and Megan was telling Anna about the visit from Ben.
“I want to hear the details too,” Kendall said eagerly.
Lelani quietly sipped her coffee as Megan recapped how Ben had come and proclaimed his love for Lelani, and how Lelani had turned him down flat.
“You guys would’ve been proud of her,” Megan said as she filled her to-go coffee cup. She nudged Lelani. “I mean, Ben is one smooth dude, and he was trying to say all the right stuff, and he actually kind of looks like Orlando Bloom—”
“Seriously?” Kendall was intrigued. “Orlando Bloom?”
Lelani just shrugged. “He’s good-looking.”
“So is Gil,” Anna said.
Lelani laughed. “Yes! Absolutely! Gil is way better looking than Ben. And Gil’s beauty is more than skin deep.”
“Have you told Gil all about this yet?” Anna asked Lelani.
“Of course. I filled him in on every single detail.” Lelani poured some cream in her coffee.
“Do you wish he’d been here last night?” Kendall asked curiously.
Lelani frowned. “I sort of did, but I think maybe it was better he wasn’t.” She grinned at Megan now. “And you should’ve heard Megan raking him over the coals.”
“Good for you!” Anna patted Megan on the back.
“If I don’t hurry, I’ll miss the bus,” Megan said as she grabbed up her bag.
“And I think I hear Emma now,” Lelani said. “She slept in this morning, and Abuela will be here to pick her up soon.”
“And I need to get ready for work,” Anna added.
Then Kendall was alone in the kitchen. As usual, she took her prenatal vitamins, poured a glass of orange juice, popped some toast in the toaster, and opened up a container of yogurt. Before her pregnancy, she’d never been much for breakfast. But her OB doctor made it clear that babies get hungry before noon. As Kendall sat in the kitchen, she wondered what it would be like eating breakfast with Killiki in Maui. She’d only been to his house once, and while it was a bit on the small side and definitely in need of a woman’s touch, the location was superb, and a spacious lanai looked out over the beach. Perfect for breakfast … or lunch … or a dinner at sunset. In just two weeks, she would be there with him.
As Kendall buttered her toast, she tried to wrap her head around how Lelani must’ve felt to suddenly have her baby’s father standing in front of her and saying he loved her, and yet she had stood up to him and turned him away. Kendall wasn’t sure if she could be that strong. That worried her.
“Here comes little Miss Sunshine,” Lelani said as she lifted Emma into her high chair and buckled her in. “She woke up singing away.”
“I hope my baby is as happy and good as Emma.”
“Just think, Kendall,” Lelani opened the fridge and took out the milk. “Your baby will be born in Maui. That alone should make her or him happy.”
Kendall nodded eagerly. “I was just thinking about that. I mean, about living in Maui with Killiki. In two weeks we’ll be there. Can you believe it?”
“Lucky girl.” Lelani grinned as she filled Emma’s pink sippy cup with milk, then placed it on her high-chair tray.
“So, you really told Ben off last night? And you aren’t having any second thoughts?”
Lelani was opening a jar of applesauce, but her back was to Kendall.
“I’m not trying to be nosy,” Kendall said. “But I am curious. I mean I was just imagining that it was me, and that Matthew suddenly showed up and said those things.”
Lelani turned and stared at Kendall with wide eyes. “Would you leave Killiki for Matthew?”
“No, of course not. I love Killiki and he loves me. And we are a match made in heaven.” Kendall sighed happily. “I just know that.”
“And yet …?”
“I guess it’s a little scary to think about. I mean, there was a time not that long ago when I thought I’d do anything to get Matthew Harmon.”
“But you’ve changed.”
“Yes. But still, wasn’t it hard for you last night? I mean, seeing Ben face-to-face and hearing him say those things?” She studied Lelani’s expression as she sat down in the chair next to Emma.
“It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure.” Lelani spooned a bite into Emma’s wide-open mouth. “But in a way, it felt like … closure.”
“Like the end of a chapter.”
“More like the end of a book. A very unhappy book.”
“So you’re sure that it’s completely over between you and Ben?”
“Absolutely.” Lelani nodded firmly.
“But what about Emma?” Kendall rubbed her own belly now. “Did Ben want to be a part of her life?”
Lelani kind of laughed. But it sounded sad. “No, I don’t think so.”
“So, he’s really out of the picture?”
“He is for me. I guess I can’t predict whether he’ll ever want to be involved with Emma’s life, or if she might someday want to know him, or how I would handle that if she did.”
“Killiki says—actually I think it’s in the Bible—that each day has enough problems for itself and we shouldn’t go looking for more from the next day. Or something like that.”
“Yes. I agree. No one can predict the future. For me and for Emma, the best thing I can imagine is being with Gil. Even though the wedding is in less than two weeks, it feels like a long ways away.”
“I agree.” Kendall stood. “Today I am having a Nana Day.”
“Tell her hello for me.”
“I’ll do that. I think we’ll go to Maui today.” Kendall chuckled. She’d already told them about their France day.
“Then let me send a lei for her. It’s not made of real flowers, of course, but it might be fun.”
And so when Kendall went into Nana’s room, she tried to ignore the smell and the general feeling of bleakness as she said, “Aloha!” Then she placed the purple lei around her grandmother’s neck and kissed her on both cheeks.
“What is this?” Nana asked in a slightly cranky voice.
“It’s a lei.”
Nana’s old fingers felt of it. “Not real flowers, are they?”
“No. But maybe we can find some today.”
Nana peered up at Kendall. “Who are you anyway?”
Kendall just smiled. “I’m your granddaughter Kendall. And today we’re going to Maui.”
“Maui?” Nana’s brow creased. “What’s that?”
“An island in Hawaii.” Kendall frowned down at Nana’s pajamas. “But you’re not dressed yet.”
Nana just scowled and shook her frazzled looking head.
Kendall wasn’t sure what to do now. Should she help Nana get dressed or call someone to help? She noticed a tube coming out from Nana’s pajamas. She followed it to see that it was attached to bag half full of yellow liquid, but it took her a moment to realize it was a catheter. “Are you sick, Nana?” she asked.
“Sick and tired of this place,” Nana grumped. “Can’t you bust me out of here?”
“Well, I came to take you for an outing.” Kendall frowned down at the bag.
“Good morning, Mrs. Weis,” said a nurse’s aid, who had just let herself into the room. “How are we feeling this morning?”
“We are feeling terrible.”
“Alex said you need some help and I—”
“All I need is to get away from you people,” snapped Nana. “My granddaughter is going to bust me out of here. Aren’t you … uh? What’s your name again?”
Kendall sighed. “Kendall.”
“And my name is Glenda,” the nurse’s aid said.
Nana snickered. “Glenda the Good Witch.”
“If you can excuse us for a few minutes, I’ll help your grandmother to get cleaned up and ready for the day.”
“I … uh … I’ll wait outside.” So Kendall went out into the hall and waited. After a few minutes, she wandered down to the main desk and asked the receptionist about Nana. “It looks like she’s got a catheter, and I had hoped to take her out for—”
“Oh, Mrs. Weis is restricted to the facility,” the woman told her as she pointed to something in a notebook. “Looks like she’s got a UTI.”
“UTI?”
“Urinary tract infection. She’s on antibiotics and isn’t well enough to go out.”
“Oh.” Suddenly Kendall wanted to leave. She wanted out of this horrid place with its horrid smells. But she felt sorry for Nana. Kendall understood why her grandmother wanted out too.
“You can visit with her here,” the woman said cheerfully. “I’m sure she would enjoy that just as much.”
Kendall wasn’t so sure, but she figured it was worth a try. When she went back to the room, Nana was wearing clothes. Her hair was combed (badly), and the bag was emptied. Glenda (the Good Witch) was over by the sink, apparently washing her hands or something.
“They told me that you can’t go out today,” Kendall told Nana as she sat down on the loveseat adjacent to Nana’s recliner.
“What do you mean I can’t go out?”
“That’s right,” Glenda told her. “You need to stay in residence until you’re better, Mrs. Weis.”
“I am better,” Nana declared. “I’m clean and dressed and I’m ready to go.” She pushed herself up from her chair, and Kendall didn’t know whether to help or not. But as hard as Nana tried, she could not manage to stand. She was too weak.
“So, I’ll just stay here with you,” Kendall said pleasantly. “We can visit.”
“I don’t want to visit,” Nana proclaimed. “I want out of this place. Now!”
“But they said—”
“I don’t give a—”
“Now, now, Mrs. Weis,” Glenda said as she brought over a plastic cup of water and another small paper cup with some pills in it. “No need to get upset.”
“I’ll get upset if I want to.”
Glenda glanced at Kendall. “She had a rough day yesterday.” She held out the cup with the pills to Nana. “Just take these, and you’ll be getting better in no time.”
“In time to go to … to some island?” Nana’s brow wrinkled with confusion. “You said an island, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” Kendall assured her. “Maui.”
“That sounds like fun,” Glenda said cheerfully. “Now just take these pills so you can feel good enough to go to Maui with your granddaughter.” She chuckled. “I wish I could go too.”
“You can’t go. You have to stay here and take care of old people.” Nana’s hand trembled slightly as she tipped the cup of pills into her mouth, then reached for the water and gulped it down.
“Good for you, Mrs. Weis.” Glenda took the cups and returned to the sink.
“Now I can go to … where was it?”
“Maui?”
“Yes.” Nana nodded. “Now I can go to Maui.”
“Not just yet,” Glenda said as she gathered her things.
“When?” demanded Nana.
“When you’re better.” Glenda had her hand on the door, but she was looking at Kendall like she wanted to say something. Kendall got up and stood between Glenda and Nana.
“She’ll be sleepy soon,” Glenda said quietly.
“Why?”
“Because the doctor is keeping her sedated.”
“Why?”
“Because of the UTI.”
“But that shouldn’t—”
“She gets agitated and tries to remove the catheter. Besides being messy, it’s very painful and—”
“Okay,” Kendall said. “I get it.”
“Good-bye, Mrs. Weis.”
Kendall closed the door behind Glenda, then turned to see that Nana still had an expectant look in her eyes. “Perfect!” Nana clapped her hands. “You got rid of Glenda the Good Witch and now you can break me out of here.”
“But Nana—”
“Get my purse. And my sweater.” Nana tried to push herself up again but couldn’t.
Kendall didn’t know what to do. So she got Nana’s purse, which she set in her lap, and Nana’s sweater, which she draped over her shoulders.
“I need a suitcase,” Nana said.
Kendall made a pretense of looking around the room, taking her time and wondering how to deal with this. Mostly she didn’t want to hurt Nana’s feelings. “There doesn’t seem to be a suitcase,” she said finally.
Nana just nodded and sighed. Maybe the meds were working.
Kendall sat down on the loveseat again. “You’ll get better, Nana. And then we’ll go to Maui.” Kendall started chatting at her, explaining that she was getting married and that they still needed to find Nana a dress for the wedding and that Kendall and Killiki would live in Maui and maybe Nana could come visit them in Maui for real.
Nana seemed to be relaxing.
“Do you want to lean back and put your feet up?” Kendall asked.
Nana just nodded, and Kendall helped her to adjust the recliner.
“I can’t wait for you to meet Killiki,” Kendall continued to ramble. “He’s the one who helped me to realize how much I needed God in my life. Actually, we all need God. But Killiki made it seem so simple. You just tell God you’re sorry for making a mess of things, and then you ask for Jesus to come into your heart, and you get a whole new fresh start.”
“A fresh start,” Nana mumbled as she closed her eyes.
“Yeah. And, let me tell you, I sure did need one. I don’t think anyone is as good at making messes as I am. But Killiki loves me anyway. And he said that’s how God feels too. You can be a complete mess and he still loves you.”
Nana was starting to snore, and Kendall figured the sedatives had kicked in. She was disappointed that she couldn’t take Nana out for their Maui trip but thought maybe it was for the best. Nana could rest up and get better, and perhaps by the end of the week, they could go shop for a dress.
But as Kendall drove home, she felt sorry for Nana and the way she seemed trapped in that nursing home. She remembered the desperate look in Nana’s eyes as she begged Kendall to “bust” her out of there.
Kendall had an idea. Why couldn’t they move Nana out of the nursing home and back to her own house? In two weeks, both Lelani and Kendall would be gone, and then Anna and Megan had until the end of the month to find another place. But what if Anna and Megan were willing to remain in the house? And what if their rent money could be used to hire some assistance to care for Nana?
She was so excited about her idea that she decided to call and leave messages for both Anna and Megan, saying that this could be a way for both of them to remain in the house. Megan could move her room upstairs, and the caregiver and Nana could occupy the bedrooms on the first floor. Really, wouldn’t that make everyone happy?