Twenty-four

Kendall

Kendall slept for most of two days. If it were possible, she’d sleep right up through Christmas. Maybe even through New Year’s. Her plan was to keep a low profile around the house for a while. Hiding out in her room, she imagined herself to be a bear—a wounded bear who had crawled off into her den to hibernate. It might be a good way to lose weight too.

By Tuesday afternoon she was ravenous. So she sneaked out to forage in the kitchen. So what if she hadn’t bought any of the food in there, but this was her house, wasn’t it? These girls were getting off pretty cheap on their rent. Certainly, she should be entitled to some privileges.

But as soon as she heard a key in the front door, she scurried up to her room again. The last thing she wanted right now was to be caught pillaging someone’s leftovers, not to mention that she hadn’t bathed or shampooed her hair in days, plus she had a huge zit on her chin. Besides that, she still felt embarrassed for confessing the whole humiliating mess to Lelani on the way home from the airport Sunday night. She cried and blubbered and had been absolutely pathetic. Honestly, Kendall felt like she didn’t have a single shred of dignity left.

By Thursday, Kendall had a serious case of cabin fever. And she was seriously hungry. But it seemed that her housemates had discovered her foraging ways, and now there wasn’t much to pick from. Or else it was bagged up and marked with their names and warnings like “Do not touch this!” or “Hands off, Kendall!” Like she couldn’t take a hint. She’d go out and get her own groceries if she weren’t broke. She still had one credit card with a few hundred dollars. But she thought she better hang onto that for emergencies. The way she saw it, this wasn’t exactly an emergency. At least not yet.

Someone like Megan or her sister Kate would tell her to get off her hind end and go find a job. But who gets a job just a week before Christmas? And even if she did manage to get hired, she wouldn’t get paid for—what—a couple more weeks? Really, it hardly seemed worthwhile. January would be here before long, and her housemates would have to pay their rent. And this time she’d be more careful with her money.

Still, she was hungry. And that meant she’d have to go out and get some food. And that meant she’d have to clean herself up. And for some reason that seemed as daunting as climbing a mountain.

Somehow, perhaps it was the hunger, she managed to put one foot in front of the next, and at a little past noon she was ready to face the world. Or at least Nana and her nursing-home friends. She couldn’t remember when lunch was served, but as she sped across town, she hoped that she’d get there in time.

“Kendall,” said one of the old guys that she’d met last fall. He paused to catch his breath from pushing his walker down the hallway. “It’s good to see you again.” He grinned, then winked. “I’ve been missing your pretty face.”

She gave him a quick smile. “Is it lunchtime?”

“Lunch is over and done with,” he told her. “They start serving at eleven and if you’re not finished by twelve thirty, you can forget about it.” He chuckled. “Sometimes that’s the best thing to do. Like today. I don’t know what they called it, but I’ve had C rations with more flavor.”

Kendall frowned.

“Are you looking for your grandmother?”

Now Kendall brightened. Sometimes Nana kept food in the tiny kitchenette of her room. Nothing too substantial, just crackers or cookies or snacks. But at the moment, that sounded lots better than nothing. “Yeah,” said Kendall. “Have you seen her?”

“Not since lunch, but I suspect she’s in her room. Everyone seems to take naps after lunch.” He shook his head in a gloomy way. “It’s sure not easy being stuck here with a bunch of worn-out old people.” He smiled. “But now you’re here. Want to play a little rummy?”

“Not unless you have a little rum to go with it,” she teased.

He shook his head. “We’re not allowed to imbibe here. Darn shame too. I think some of these folks might brighten up with a nip of something good in their Ovaltine.”

“You’re probably right.” She patted him on the shoulder. “Catch you later.”

“You won’t have to run too fast to catch me,” he called as she took off toward Nana’s room.

When she arrived, she knocked eagerly on the door.

“Why, Kendall,” said Nana as she opened it. “What are you doing here? I hope you’re not going to beg for money, because Kate told me to tell you no.”

“I just came to say hello,” said Kendall. She flopped down on her grandmother’s love seat and smiled.

Nana eased herself into her recliner and narrowed her eyes, studying Kendall carefully. “Something’s wrong, isn’t it?” she finally said.

Kendall shook her head. “No. Nothing’s wrong. But I had hoped to make it here in time for lunch. I’m starving.”

“I’ve got some graham crackers in the cupboard,” said Nana. “And a few other things. Help yourself, although it’s not much. I haven’t been to the store in a while.”

Kendall found what was left of the graham crackers and took a bite. “Oh, Nana,” she said in disgust. “These are stale.” Then she got an idea. “Why don’t I take you to get some groceries?”

Nana looked surprised. “Right now?”

“If you want. I could pick up some things too.”

“Well, I usually take my nap, but I wouldn’t mind getting out.” Nana pushed herself up out of her chair. “What are we waiting for?”

Before long they were cruising the aisles of a nearby Safeway. With Christmas music playing in the background, Kendall happily filled the cart with all kinds of things that Nana seemed to want. Of course, Kendall knew these wouldn’t fit into Nana’s cupboards, but Kendall could relieve her of the surplus.

“Goodness,” said Nana as they waited in the checkout line. “How did we manage to gather up all that?”

“I guess we just like to shop.” Kendall laughed. “Or maybe you’re planning to entertain over the holidays.”

“Your sister Kate invited me to her house for Christmas.” Nana made a face. “But I don’t know that I’ll go.”

“You could come to my house,” offered Kendall. Although she felt fairly sure that Nana would decline this invitation too. “We’re having a Christmas Eve party.”

Nana seemed to consider this. “A Christmas Eve party? At my old house?”

Kendall nodded.

“I’d love to come.”

“Well, okay then.”

“I’ll have to remember to sign up for shuttle service,” said Nana as the clerk began to ring up their purchases. “Unless you want to come get me.”

“Oh, shuttle service would be nice,” said Kendall. “I mean since I’m helping with that party. I should probably stick around, you know?”

Nana smiled. “A Christmas party at my old house. I think I’ll enjoy that.”

“With real eggnog,” said Kendall.

“I hope I can find something festive to wear,” said Nana. Then, without even looking at the total, Nana handed the cashier her debit card. Kendall was actually surprised to see that groceries cost so much. But then she didn’t usually shop for them herself.

She felt slightly guilty as she loaded the bags into the car. But then she rationalized that she’d done Nana a favor by bringing her to the store. Surely that was worth something in return.

“Oh, look at the cute doggies in the window,” said Nana as they were about to get into the car. She pointed to the pet shop next to the grocery store. “I just love little dogs, don’t you?”

Kendall looked over to see a brown Chihuahua along with another small dog—a white fluffy one that looked kind of like Kendall’s bedroom slippers, but not pink. She paused with her hand on the car door, staring at the dog and trying to figure out why it seemed familiar. Then she remembered Heidi Hardwick’s little white dog, the one with the blue rhinestone collar. “Want to go look at the dogs?” she asked Nana.

“Oh, could we?” Nana sounded like a little girl now. But then Kendall knew that Nana had always loved dogs and cats. One of the hardest parts of moving to the nursing home was leaving her pets behind. Kendall didn’t like to think about that. Part of the deal for taking on her grandmother’s house had been to look after the last of Nana’s pets, an old cat named Clara Belle. But Clara Belle had a serious incontinence problem and, after numerous accidents, Kendall took her to the vet and was informed that Clara Belle had some kind of kidney disease. The kindest thing, it seemed for both Kendall and the cat, was to put her down. Naturally, Kendall didn’t tell Nana about this until months later. She reasoned that it would only make Nana’s transition to the nursing home more difficult. When she finally told her about Clara Belle, she said the cat had died in her sleep. And wasn’t that true?

“Oh, you little darlings,” gushed Nana when the pet shop girl put the two little dogs down in a contained play area where they could look at them. “Oh, I’d take both of you home with me if I could get you past the security guard.”

“She lives in a nursing home,” explained Kendall. Then she reached down and picked up the white fluffy dog. She was surprised at how soft the dog’s coat felt. Sure, the dog smelled kind of funny, but it probably hadn’t been bathed recently. “What kind of dog is this?” she asked the girl.

“Maltese.”

“Maltese?” Kendall considered this. Was that anything like the Maltese Falcon? She had really liked that movie but couldn’t quite make a connection between the dog and it. “Boy or girl?” she asked now.

“Female. She’s about six months old, and she’s already had her shots and been spayed.”

“Spayed?” Kendall frowned.

“That means she can’t have puppies,” said Nana as if Kendall should know this.

“Yes. The breeders have a policy. They will only sell us dogs that can’t reproduce,” explained the girl. “To keep the competition down.”

“Oh.” Kendall nodded like she understood. But the truth was she’d never owned a dog or a cat besides Clara Belle.

“I know, I know,” said Nana. “I will get the dog for you for Christmas.”

“Really?” Kendall considered this. She imagined herself walking this dog down the street with a rhinestone collar. Not blue, of course, but pink. And, okay, if she couldn’t be Matthew Harmon’s wife, she could at least have a dog like Heidi’s.

“And you can bring it to the nursing home to visit me,” continued Nana. “And I can come visit her.” She rubbed the dog’s head. “Wouldn’t you like that, little puppy-wuppy? Wouldn’t you like to go home with Kendall for Christmas?”

And so, just like that, Nana bought Kendall the little white dog.

“Thanks,” said Kendall.

“I’m tired,” said Nana. “I need to sit down and rest.”

“Do you need anything for the dog?” asked the girl. “Do you have dishes or toys or a bed?”

Kendall considered this. “Well, yeah, I guess I do need those. And a collar, too. Do you have anything in pink rhinestones?”

“You go ahead and get what you need,” said Nana in a weary voice. “I’m going to wait in the car. My feet are killing me.”

So Kendall unlocked the car for Nana, then returned to the pet shop to pick out all sorts of cute things, including a pink rhinestone collar and matching leash, as well as a little pink raincoat and several other doggy outfits. By the time the girl rang up the purchases the total came to a little more than $250. Kendall handed her the only credit card that wasn’t maxed out and prayed that it wouldn’t go over. Fortunately it didn’t. Then she loaded all these things, including her dog and the adorable pink carrying case, into the backseat of her car.

“What are you going to name her?” asked Nana as Kendall drove back to the nursing home.

“I’m not sure yet,” said Kendall. “Do you have any suggestions?”

“I always liked Clara Belle,” said Nana wistfully.

“But that was your cat.”

“Yes, but it was a very nice name.”

“Uh-huh.” Kendall had an unpleasant flashback to cleaning up the carpeting and not being able to get the smell to go away.

“You could just call her Belle. That’s a pretty name.”

“I could.” Still, Kendall wasn’t convinced.

“Suzie Belle? Cora Belle?”

“How about Tinkerbell?” said Kendall.

“Tinkerbell!” exclaimed Nana. “From Peter Pan.” She clapped her hands. “Yes, that is perfect. Little white Tinkerbell.”

So it was settled. Kendall wondered what her housemates would think of this new addition to the family. If nothing else, it seemed that Tinkerbell might be a good distraction for them. Instead of focusing on Kendall’s messed-up life, they would have a little dog to talk about. Yes, Tinkerbell would make a perfect smokescreen.