Better Late Than Never

by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  Charlotte sighed but didn’t say anything.

  “What’s wrong?” Noreen asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “I’m your mom, remember? So what is it?”

  “I’m good. We should just be focusing on Daddy.”

  “Your daddy is going to be fine. But you, on the other hand, seem upset about something.”

  Charlotte looked toward the entrance, where Curtis was standing and still talking on the phone. “She calls all the time, Mom.”

  “Who, Trina?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you have a problem with that? Why?”

  “I know it sounds bad, but she calls him multiple times a day, and especially since Thursday. It’s almost as if she doesn’t understand that he still has a family here in Mitchell and a church to run.”

  “But you said yourself that she’s terminal, right?”

  “Yeah, but it’s not like Curtis can drive over to Chicago every single day.”

  “Even if he did, I could understand why. They hadn’t talked in years, and now he doesn’t know how much more time he’ll have with her.”

  “And I get all that. And I like Trina. But just a few hours ago, I heard Curtis telling her that Daddy had had a heart attack, so you would think she wouldn’t call back so soon. That she would let him focus on me and you instead.”

  “I’m sure she’s just concerned. She knows what it’s like to be ill and probably wants to see how things are going.”

  “Maybe.”

  Charlotte looked over at Curtis again, and finally he walked back toward them and sat down.

  “Trina sends her love, and says she’s still praying for your dad.”

  “Oh, okay,” Charlotte said. “Please thank her when you speak to her again.”

  “I will. I told her it was very nice of her to call.”

  Charlotte didn’t say anything else, because maybe her mom was right. Maybe Trina meant well, and Charlotte was reading too much into all the phone calls Trina was making. Or maybe Charlotte was just stressed about her dad and was overthinking everything.

  A nurse they hadn’t seen before walked over to them. “Mrs. Michaels?”

  “Yes,” Noreen answered.

  “They’re taking your husband up to his room now, so if the three of you will follow me, I’ll show you to the elevators. He’ll be on the seventh floor.”

  Noreen grabbed the blazer to her skirt suit, and Charlotte grabbed her own. They both wanted so badly to take off the heels they were wearing, but they also hadn’t wanted to leave the hospital until they had a chance to see Joe.

  As they followed the nurse down the first corridor and then around the corner and through another, they strode along in silence.

  “Here you are,” the nurse told them. “When you get off the elevator, just stop at the nurses’ station, and they’ll direct you to your husband’s room.”

  Noreen smiled and touched the woman’s shoulder. “Thank you for all your help.”

  “You’re quite welcome.”

  “Yes, thank you,” Charlotte said.

  When they arrived on the seventh floor, they stopped at the desk and then walked down the hallway. Joe’s door was half-closed, so Noreen knocked once and opened it.

  A middle-aged male nurse smiled. “Are you Mrs. Michaels?”

  “Yes. And this is our daughter and son-in-law.”

  “Nice to meet all of you. I’ve just finished getting your husband situated, and I’ll be right outside. He was already asking for you, so you came at the perfect time.”

  Noreen moved closer to the bed. “Thank you so much.”

  Charlotte and Curtis went around to the other side of it.

  Noreen held Joe’s hand. “It’s so good to see you awake, but you know you gave us quite a scare, though, right?”

  “I’m sure I did, and I’m sorry,” he said, speaking in a quiet tone.

  “We were worried to death, Daddy,” Charlotte said, rubbing his arm. “We were so afraid.”

  “I’m really sorry about that, but the doctor says I’m going to be fine.”

  “Yeah,” Noreen said, “but you’re going to have to make a lot of changes. Big changes.”

  “Oh, there you go,” he said, “being the food police. But I love you anyway.”

  Charlotte was thrilled to see her dad being so humorous. It set her mind just a little more at ease. “She means it, Daddy, and so do I. You’re going to have to change all your bad eating habits.”

  Joe turned his head completely toward his daughter. “Not you, too.”

  “Yes, me too.”

  “And me three,” Curtis chimed in. “Normally I stay out of things like this, but unfortunately, Joe, I’m going to have to agree with them this time. You have to take better care of yourself.”

  “So they’ve conned you over to the other side, too, I see.”

  “No, we just want you to be okay. You’re the closest thing to a real father that I’ve ever had, and I need you to be here.”

  Joe stared at Curtis, and Charlotte saw tears welling up in Curtis’s eyes. She’d heard him say similar words to her father before, but today, they’d made him more emotional than usual. Probably because of all the time he’d been spending with his sister and talking about their childhood.

  “I really appreciate hearing that, and you’re the closest thing I’ve had as far as a son. Even though I’m way too young to have a son your age.”

  They all laughed, including Joe, but then Joe coughed a few times.

  “I think we need to let you rest,” Noreen said. “But I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be staying the night right in this room with you, if they say it’s okay.”

  “I’m staying, too, Daddy. Even if I have to spend the night in the waiting room.”

  “Both of you go home and get some sleep. I’ll be fine, and you can come back tomorrow.”

  Noreen shook her head. “It’s not happening. I’m staying, and that’s that.”

  “Whatever you say, woman.”

  “Exactly,” she said. “Now you try to get some sleep.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Joe, okay?” Curtis told him.

  “See you then.”

  The three of them walked out of the room, and Noreen said to Charlotte, “Are you going home to change?”

  “Yes, but I’ll be right back. Do you want me to bring you a sweat suit or something?”

  “Please.”

  “What about shoes? Because you know my feet are a little bigger than yours. And the mall has already closed.”

  “Just stop by Walmart or Target and get me a pair of gym shoes there.”

  “I will.”

  “Well, you hang in there, and try to get some rest yourself,” Curtis said, hugging his mother-in-law.

  “I will, and thank you for being here.”

  “I wouldn’t have been anywhere else.”

  Charlotte hugged her mother. “I’ll be back soon, Mom, and call me if you need anything before then. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, honey.”

  Charlotte and Curtis headed toward the elevator, and Charlotte thanked God for saving her father’s life. But for some reason, she felt like having a drink. She’d been fine most of the day, even while her dad’s procedure had been in progress, but now she needed something to calm her nerves. Something to relieve all the tension she’d been feeling. And she would find that something before she returned back to the hospital.

  Chapter 17

  Charlotte, Curtis, and Curtina walked inside the house, and oddly enough, Curtina sat down at the island. Normally she went straight upstairs, not wanting to be bothered with them, but not tonight. As a matter of fact, right after they’d picked her up from Alicia and Levi’s, she hadn’t ignored them, and she’d even asked how her grandfather was doing.

  Curtis pulled off his suit jacket and laid it across one of the chairs, gazing at Curtina. “What’s wrong?”

  Curtina hunched her shoulders. “Nothing, I guess.”r />
  “Are you sure?” Charlotte asked.

  “Is Grandpa really going to be okay? Because he didn’t seem okay at the church.”

  “Yes, the doctor says he’s going to be fine,” Charlotte assured her again, because she’d already told Curtina in the car that all was well.

  Curtis sat across from his daughter. “Why? You don’t believe us?”

  Curtina hunched her shoulders again.

  “Well, it’s true.”

  Charlotte pulled off her four-inch pumps. “Your grandfather will need to change some of his eating habits and take medication, but he can still live a great life.”

  Curtina just stared at her mother.

  “Maybe you’ll feel better about it once you see him,” Charlotte said. “And actually, I’m a little surprised you didn’t go in to see him before they did his procedure.”

  “I was afraid, because he looked like he was dying.”

  Charlotte walked over to her and placed her arm around Curtina’s shoulders. “That’s understandable. We were all a little worried and afraid.”

  Curtina leaned her head toward Charlotte’s side, and at that very moment, Curtina seemed like her old self. Charlotte knew it might be wishful thinking, but had her father’s heart attack opened Curtina’s eyes? Had it made her realize how precious life was and how nothing was more important than family?

  “I’m glad he’s not going to die,” Curtina said.

  Charlotte looked at Curtis, but then agreed with their daughter. “We all are.”

  “I’m really tired, so I’m going to bed,” Curtina said.

  Charlotte released Curtina. “I need to head upstairs, too, so I can change and pack a bag for Mom.”

  Curtina removed her cross-body bag and stood up. “Good night, Mom and Dad.”

  “Good night, sweetheart,” Curtis said.

  “Good night, honey,” Charlotte added.

  Curtina still hadn’t hugged them the way she’d done every single night for as long as they could remember—that is, until the last few months—but just the idea of her talking to them cordially and saying good night was a total turnabout.

  “Wow,” Charlotte said when Curtina was gone. “That was different.”

  “Very.”

  “Maybe tomorrow we can take her to see Daddy. But only if she wants to go.”

  “That’s a good idea,” he said.

  “So what time are you coming back to the hospital in the morning?”

  Curtis got to his feet, stretching. “Pretty early. That way I can be on my way to Chicago to see Trina before noon.”

  “What?”

  Curtis looked at her strangely. “You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”

  “Well, in case you’ve somehow forgotten, Daddy just had a heart attack. He also just had a stent inserted.”

  “Yeah, and that’s why I’m going to stop and see him on my way out.”

  “Really? And you don’t think you need to be there most of the day. For him, of course, but also for me and Mom?”

  “I do want to be there, but baby, I also haven’t seen my sister in four days.”

  “I understand that, but can’t you at least wait until Daddy is released? Until we know for sure how well he’s doing?”

  Curtis sighed. “I’ll be back in plenty of time to see him again tomorrow afternoon.”

  “How, Curtis? Because each time you’ve gone to see Trina on a weekday, you haven’t gotten home before six or seven o’clock. And what about the day her caregiver’s daughter was ill? You didn’t get here until sometime after eight.”

  “I know, but that was a special situation. Tomorrow will be different.”

  “I don’t believe this,” Charlotte said. “But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Just forget it,” she said, turning to walk away.

  Curtis grabbed her hand and pulled her back. “Baby, what are you talking about? And why are you so upset about me going to see my sister? You know how ill she is.”

  “Yeah, but you need to get your priorities in order. I have no problem with you spending as much time as you want with Trina, but right now, I need you here.”

  “But what’s so wrong with me doing both? Going to see Trina and being here for your dad?”

  Charlotte pulled away from him. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. You do what you want.”

  “Baby, please try to understand what I’m saying. The doctor believes your dad is going to be fine, but my sister is terminally ill. Yes, I will say a thousand times that I know God can heal her, but I also want to visit with her as many times as I can, just in case.”

  “Like I said, you do what you want. I’m going upstairs to change.”

  Charlotte left the kitchen and never looked back at him. She was hurt and livid all at the same time, and she couldn’t believe how disloyal Curtis was being. He was choosing his sister over her and her dad, and she would never do something like that to him. To her, and also usually to Curtis, it was the two of them against the world. They were ride-or-die, for better or worse and till death do us part—always. So she wasn’t sure why things were suddenly changing. But then, she knew how to ease her pain. How to fix everything. And she would, just as soon as she left here.

  An hour ago, Charlotte had driven into the parking lot of a small-town liquor store located about thirty minutes away from Mitchell. She certainly hadn’t expected to see anyone there that she knew, but to be safe, she’d made sure to remove all her makeup, and she’d also put on a baseball cap. Then, when she’d stopped by one of the superstores to get her mom a pair of athletic shoes, she’d bought a pair of clear black-framed glasses. Her vision was totally fine, and although she didn’t need them for seeing purposes, she did need these so-called fashion eyeglasses for her disguise. They were perfect, and unless someone stared at her and knew her personally, she was totally unrecognizable. Which was what she’d needed to be so that she could freely purchase a small cooler, a bag of ice, plastic cups…and of course, a bottle of red wine.

  Now she sat in the dark parking lot of the hospital, as far away from the building as possible, enjoying some of it. This particular wine tasted wonderful, and she was already starting to feel at ease. She wasn’t sure why, but there was just this certain sense of peace that wine and other alcoholic beverages tended to give her, something she so desperately needed after what had happened with her father—and with Curtis making very clear who was more important to him. Charlotte certainly understood his desire to see his sister, and she even applauded it, but not when it made him forget about his own wife, father-in-law, and mother-in-law.

  Charlotte poured herself another half cup of wine, leaned back in her seat, and closed her eyes, savoring the moment. Then, when she’d drunk the rest of it, she debated pouring another half cup but decided that this might not be such a good idea. So instead, she placed the bottle back in the cooler, hid it in the trunk of her car, grabbed the bag of clothing and shoes she’d brought for her mom, and went into the hospital. But not before she ate the cheeseburger with extra onion she’d picked up from a fast-food restaurant. She’d read online that onions and garlic did wonders when it came to eliminating the smell of alcohol on a person’s breath, and she hoped this was true because the last thing she wanted was for her mom to suspect that she was drinking. It was the reason she would also be popping a couple of peppermint Altoids on the way inside and then chewing two or three pieces of gum behind it. She hated all the sneaking around, but it was just best to keep all of this to herself. It was better not to worry her mom or send Curtis into a complete frenzy.

  Chapter 18

  Curtis walked toward his father-in-law’s room the following morning, and Charlotte just happened to be returning from the restroom. At first she considered ignoring him, pretending she didn’t see him, but she knew that would be childish and uncalled for.

  “You’re still not speaking to me?” he said, stopping i
n front of her.

  “Should I be?”

  “Baby, let’s not do this.”

  “Fine. How was Curtina this morning? Was she still in the same great mood she was in last night?”

  “Yeah, but that only lasted for a few minutes.”

  “Why?”

  “Right after we finished breakfast, she asked me for her phone again, and when I told her no, she got upset.”

  Charlotte frowned. “That’s really sad, and something needs to be done.”

  “I agree, but what? Counseling, maybe?”

  “I don’t know, because the only way that will help is if she’s honest about what’s bothering her. Versus only saying what she thinks a therapist will want to hear.”

  “Very true,” Curtis said. “Maybe we can let her have her phone back, but only with some very strict conditions. There are a lot of control features that the cell phone companies offer now, so we would definitely be able to limit some of the things she does. If nothing else, we’ll be able to read her text messages and see what web sites she’s browsing.”

  “Maybe, but I still think we should keep it from her for the rest of this week. At least.”

  “That’s fine with me,” he said as they walked into Joe’s hospital room.

  “Hey, how are you this morning?” Curtis asked him.

  “I’m hanging in there. No pain, and they’ve even had me walking through the hallway. Actually, they started that late last night, after you left.”

  “Good. And did you rest well?”

  “I did. Well, as much as I could, given how many times my nurse kept coming in to check on me. She was only doing her job, though.”

  “That she was, and I so appreciate that,” Noreen said. “She was very kind and hands-on.”