Just In Time

by Joan Lindstedt Jackson

  Sylvia and Adam returned from their reunion about midnight. When they entered the family room, Nancy and Martin were waiting for them arm in arm. Beaming, Nancy announced they were engaged.

  Adam looked nonplussed (rare for him) but managed to offer effusive congratulations.

  Sylvia smiled tightly while offering hers.

  “So, when’s the big day?” Adam asked.

  “We’re planning a September wedding,” Nancy said.

  Martin just stood there, his face flushed, like he didn’t know what hit him. “At our age, you can’t wait too long. You never know how long you’ve got!” He sounded a bit too enthusiastic, like he was trying to convince himself.

  “Well, you sure haven’t waited,” Adam laughed.

  Steve joined them. “What’s going on?”

  When they told him, he acted cordial, extending his hand with congratulations. “So what happens now?” When no one answered, he retreated to the garage for a smoke, or three.

  Sylvia wondered the same thing. Yes, now what?

  Adam suggested a drink in celebration. “Too bad we don’t have champagne!”

  “No problem for me,” Martin said. “I don’t drink alcohol.”

  “And I’d rather have my vodka on the rocks!” Nancy took orders and headed to the kitchen. Martin, a glass of apple cranberry juice. Sylvia, a chardonnay. Adam, a glass of red.

  With raised glass, Adam made a toast—his standard—to the happy couple. “May the best days of your past, be the worst days of your future.”

  Nancy hugged Adam. “What a terrific brother I have.”

  “Now that’s a toast. Have to remember that,” Martin nodded to Adam. “I thank you, kind sir.”

  “So, have you made any plans?” Adam asked.

  “I’m moving to England!” Nancy said. “Hopefully in September, but there’s a lot to figure out.”

  “Like what?” Adam asked.

  “I have to get a visa, which might take at least two months. We have the summer to figure it all out,” Nancy said.

  “In case you haven’t noticed, there’s not much left of the summer,” Adam said.

  Nancy pretended to give him a kick in the shins. “Okay, about two months.”

  “And if it doesn’t come in time? What then?”

  “I put a rush on it,” Nancy said. “It has to. “

  “So should I start looking for someone to live with Steve?” Sylvia asked.

  “Probably a good idea,” Nancy said.

  “Nothing like the last minute, Nance,” Adam said.

  “I know how unexpected this is, but I just found out myself!”

  Martin looked down at his shuffling feet.

  The next day, when Sylvia and Adam had time alone with Steve, she explained that Nancy would be leaving to move to England once she and Martin were married.

  “She must be out of her mind. She ought to have her head examined!” Steve said.

  “There’s wisdom in that,” Adam said.

  Steve and Adam weren’t the only ones who thought Nancy was rushing things.

  Nancy’s daughter addressed her concerns with Adam when he spoke to her on the phone. “This is what Mom does. Doesn’t think before she acts. Doesn’t know Martin at all. Move to England?”

  Adam didn’t disagree. He said he’d like to find out more about him. “Especially his financial circumstances.”

  But Sylvia had bigger concerns. How to find someone not only trustworthy and compassionate, but also competent and even-tempered enough to live with Steve. The wife of the director at the library where Steve volunteered ran a local caregiver agency that placed home helpers. Sylvia contacted her, and they arranged to have lunch. After Sylvia explained the situation to her, she told Sylvia she thought she could find many people who would love the situation with Steve. Sylvia couldn’t believe her luck.

  And then it all changed.

  20

  MID-AUGUST 2002

  Nancy sounded despondent and disoriented when she told Sylvia about the change of plans. She said everything was falling apart. Her visa would take longer than two months. Martin had to return to England by the end of September, before his visa was up. Nancy didn’t know what to do about her job. And the final blow, Martin suggested they wait until December to marry. She asked Sylvia to call off the search for someone to take her place, so Sylvia did. But Nancy’s biggest worry: What if he left her behind and changed his mind?

  Sylvia told Steve that Nancy might not be leaving after all. At least, not right away.

  “What? Why can’t she make up her mind?” He sounded exasperated. The uncertainty of Nancy’s situation, the on-again, off-again of her plans seemed to be taking a toll on Steve.

  And then it changed again.

  Nancy told Sylvia that they would get married September 12th. She could stay in England for four months after they were married, but would have to return after that until her visa came through. So the search for a caregiver could resume. She asked if she should tell Steve, or did Sylvia want to?

  Now the changes were taking a toll on Sylvia. “I need to think about that.” Should Steve know now? Or should she wait until after her trip to Canada with Adam at the end of August? Sylvia polled everyone: Adam said he should know now; Scott said he should know now; and Steve’s case manager agreed. Dr. Nora said Steve needed to know, but she’d tell him when he had an appointment with her the weekend of Sylvia and Adam’s return from their trip.

  21

  LATE AUGUST 2002

  More than ever, Sylvia needed to get away, to have a break after being yanked in so many directions for so long. She’d been juggling the bills for their entire marriage—child support, private schools for his kids, and attorneys from his ex-wife’s constant demands for more. Then there was her son’s drug addiction, which had drained her close to a breaking point. And now Nancy’s yo-yoing.

  To celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary, Adam had arranged a five-day getaway to Jubilee Island on the French River in Canada. His family used to own the island, and he’d spent every summer there as a child. After twenty-some years, he wanted to see it again. A family friend now owned the island, since Adam and his sisters either couldn’t afford to keep it or didn’t find it feasible to travel there. Sylvia had been asking Adam to travel somewhere that didn’t require dressing up or make-up, where they didn’t have to make plans, where they could pass five leisurely days swimming, boating, and fishing. Jubilee Island seemed perfect. And it was free.

  The isolated island was all Sylvia hoped it would be. The pristine, crystal clear French River flowed around the island. Clusters of pine trees sat between large boulders that dropped into the river, and an expansive porch surrounded the three-bedroom cabin. There was even a flagpole with the Canadian and American flags furling in the breeze. Sylvia and Adam fished and fried their catch. They swam naked. They made love. And on the third day, Steve called.

  “I didn’t want to bother you, but I couldn’t reach Dr. Nora or my case manager.” He rattled on without a breath. “I found a letter Nancy wrote to her work. It was just sitting on the desk in the family room, so I read it. She was asking for a leave of absence. In September! I don’t know what’s going on!”

  Sylvia was furious. How could Nancy be so careless? She explained to him that Nancy was getting married after all, in September. Nancy had asked Sylvia if she should tell him or did Sylvia want to, and finally Dr. Nora had said she’d tell Steve when she saw him this weekend.

  A moment passed. Steve sighed, “Nancy does care about me. She asked you what to do.” He sounded relieved.

  Sylvia choked up. “Yes, Steve, she does care.”

  “Should I spill the beans and tell Nancy I read the letter?” he asked. “Maybe I’ll ask Dr. Nora.”

  “That’s probably a good idea.”

  “Did you find somebody to live with me? I want it to be a woman. Maybe a Playboy Bunny!” he laughed, then he took it back. It seemed he was already moving on.

&
nbsp; Sylvia laughed, too. “Not yet, but I’ll work on it when I get back.”

  “Do I have to go to the wedding?” Steve asked. “I don’t want to.”

  “Neither do I,” Sylvia said.

  Sylvia told Steve he didn’t have to go to the wedding, and before she hung up, she reminded him that she’d be back in two days. Then she stood by the phone, thinking Steve was accepting it better than she was. But he wasn’t in charge. She had to be.

  Adam came into the living room. “Everything okay?”

  “No. Your sister! I’m tired of picking up the pieces. So done with her messes.” She told him about the letter and Steve’s frustration. “How can she be so thoughtless?” Sylvia asked, pacing back and forth across the room. “She doesn’t care about anyone but herself! Running off to England with a man she hardly knows? And jerking us around through it all!”

  “I know it’s been a rough few months for you,” Adam empathized. “I’m as skeptical as you are about what Nancy’s doing. For your own sanity, try to focus on how much she helped out by living with Steve when you needed someone right away. How she jumped in and made the best of a trying situation. You know Steve’s not easy to live with. You and Scott would’ve been stuck without her.”

  “You mean I would’ve been stuck,” Sylvia spat, turning to look at her husband. “Don’t forget she needed a place to live! And she hasn’t had to spend a dime. She’s been living there for free for three and a half years. She couldn’t have asked for a better deal!”

  “Fine! You’re right. So you both got what you needed. Sounds like it’s run its course, but it was good while it lasted.”

  “I don’t know if I’d say ‘good,’ more like trying . . . “

  “Good enough!” Now Adam was angry. “Now it’s changing, and you’re all moving on. Nancy won’t be there much longer, so don’t add more drama to these final days.” Softening, he took Sylvia’s hands and looked into her eyes. “There’s nothing more to say about this. It is what it is. Let’s try to enjoy our last two days together here. We need it, and you most of all.”

  Sylvia wrapped her arms around him. “Okay,” she agreed. “I will. I guess I needed to get it all out.”

  “That’s what I’m here for,” Adam said. He took her hand and led her outside where they sat on a boulder overlooking the pristine, flowing river.

  22

  After Sylvia and Adam returned from their trip, he had to go back to Los Angeles for work. He said he’d return for the wedding, of course. Sylvia had to change her flight plans as well. She’d need more time to start searching for a new caregiver, to train that person, and to attend the wedding. And then she was faced with a new twist.

  Nancy asked if she and Martin could live with Steve after they were married. “It would only be for two weeks and then we’d leave for England.”

  Sylvia thought it was a gutsy, inconsiderate request. Uncomfortable with the idea after so many changes to their plans, she didn’t trust that it would be only two weeks, which was still too long for Steve. She figured the adjustment simply would be too much for him, and he’d worry again that they might stay for good. “I would like to accommodate you,” Sylvia said, “but I think I should consult with Dr. Nora on that.”

  Sylvia met with Dr. Nora the next day.

  “Steve’s welfare is your first priority,” she told Sylvia. “The constant changes in Nancy’s plans have caused him more anxiety than he should have to handle. And you, I might add. Steve’s never invited them both into his home. Martin just showed up,” Dr. Nora said.

  Sylvia never thought of it that way—that it was a matter of common courtesy for Nancy to ask Steve if Martin could hang around like he had been. “I guess after living with Steve for three and a half years, I’ve felt it was Nancy’s home, too,” Sylvia said.

  “It’s a sticky situation for sure,” Dr. Nora affirmed, “but it is Steve’s home. He has to be assured that it will stay that way and he will not feel like an intruder.”

  “Before I arrived, Steve did mention that he was worried Martin might want to live there,” Sylvia recalled. “And I don’t trust that it would be for two weeks.”

  “You can’t. As his advocate, you must act in his best interest. That’s your role. Nancy needs to move out as soon as possible,” Dr. Nora advised.

  Even though Sylvia knew Dr. Nora was right and understood what she had to do, she was squirming inside. She looked down and absent-mindedly started biting a nail. “So I need to tell Nancy right away.”

  “Yes,” Dr. Nora confirmed.

  Sylvia didn’t expect that she’d have to face both Nancy and Martin. They had returned from dinner at Martin’s son’s home, beaming, and seemed to glide into the family room. After some idle chitchat, Sylvia hesitatingly broached the subject. She tried to act assured and confident, but it didn’t feel convincing, because she wasn’t convinced—she was evicting a reliable, supportive tenant and caregiver, and a sister-in-law for god’s sake. Somehow it didn’t feel right, but she had to press on.

  “Nancy, you know I was going to meet with Dr. Nora to discuss your request for both of you to live with Steve for a while after your marriage,” Sylvia began. “Well, she strongly opposed the idea. She said the adjustment would be too anxiety-ridden for him.”

  Martin reared up like an angry dog. “What? How would she know what’s best for Steve? Nancy’s the one who lives with him every day!”

  Sylvia’s insides crashed, but her hackles reared. This outburst from Martin took her by such surprise she almost shut down. But she didn’t. “I don’t think Steve’s welfare has anything to do with you, Martin.”

  “I know how these people are!” Martin retorted. “I deal with them every day, shuttling them around. Steve could never live by himself, you know. And you wouldn’t know better than Nancy what’s best for Steve, since you’re hardly ever here!”

  Sylvia lashed out. “What are you implying? I wasn’t planning on Steve living alone! I’m closer to Steve and know him better than anyone. I’m his only advocate! You have no right . . . “

  Nancy sat on the couch twisting her hands. “Please, let’s not argue. What do you want me to do?”

  Sylvia turned to Nancy. “This is difficult for me, and I’m sorry to tell you, but it appears that the best thing for Steve is that you move out as soon as possible. The adjustment would be too difficult for Steve to have you both living here. It would be better for him if you took care of this now.” Trying to catch her breath, Sylvia left the room, thankful that Steve was still at Pizza Hut.

  Sylvia ran upstairs, grabbed her cell phone, and called her husband. Shaky and weepy, she spilled the whole story. She didn’t expect Adam to be sympathetic with the unexpected news. He hadn’t understood why Danny living there was a problem.

  “It must’ve come as a shock,” Adam said. “But Martin was out of line. He had no business interfering and yelling at you.”

  “I’m still rattled. My stomach’s in knots,” Sylvia said.

  “I can imagine.” Adam was silent a moment. “Would them living there after the wedding really be such a problem?”

  “Yes! You know two weeks could end up being two months! Or longer! The uncertainty is terrible for Steve. Not to mention Martin hanging around all the time.”

  Adam backed off. “You’d know better than I would. If it’s for the best, then you did the right thing.”

  “And I sure don’t look forward to seeing her tomorrow. I feel like I’ve betrayed her. Or that she’ll think that.”

  “Nancy won’t want to make things worse,” Adam said. “I can promise you that. She’s been through a lot, and she’ll handle this setback. It’s not the worst she’s been through.”

  Sylvia knew more about Nancy’s upheavals than Adam did, because Nancy had told her—as in homeless, living in a car with her four kids, because her alcoholic husband couldn’t provide. She’d lost everything and had climbed back. Without knowing this, Adam was still right. “Still,” Sylvia said, “I dre
ad having to see her.”

  “But how was Nancy?” Adam asked.

  “She seemed upset, but mostly about Martin’s reaction. She simply asked what she needed to do, and then I told her.”

  “See? Nancy will adjust. It makes me wonder why it mattered so much to Martin. A hidden motive? Like he’d hoped to live there? I still don’t know what his financial situation is . . . “

  Adam’s comments reminded her of an inkling she’d had earlier. “Come to think of it, the two of them love the area, even looked at houses on the market here, but Nancy told me they could never afford it. Maybe Martin figured they could live here. And Steve was often worried about that.”

  “There you go,” Adam said. “I only hope she’s not leaping again.”

  “It does seem a leap,” Sylvia concurred, “but what can you do? She’s going to make this work come hell or high water.”

  “I know,” Adam sighed.

  “I still don’t look forward to seeing her,” Sylvia said.

  “Don’t worry. She probably won’t even want to talk about it. And I’d suggest you do the same.”

  “So I avoid the elephant in the room again?” she asked.

  Adam chuckled. “Exactly. Now get a good night’s sleep. You’ll feel calmer in the morning.”

  “My knots are gone already,” Sylvia said. “Glad you were home to talk to me.”

  “I’m glad, too. And I’ll be there before you know it.” Adam would be back for the wedding. “I miss you, honey.”

  Sylvia climbed into bed, relaxing in Adam’s assurance about his sister. Maybe her moving out would prove to be a good thing for all of them. And Sylvia could put her focus where it mattered—finding someone to live with Steve. She didn’t look forward to the interviewing process, yet she found some relief in handling what was required, without all the unnecessary drama, with no one else in the house but the two of them, just Sylvia and her brother.

  23

  Nancy was stunned by the news that she’d have to move out right away. It never occurred to her as a possibility. But Martin’s outburst with Sylvia really shook her up. She’d never seen him react like that to anyone. After Sylvia left the room, Martin paced back and forth, rambling on about how selfish Sylvia was, how ungrateful, how cheeky, how unreasonable. Nancy urged him to sit down beside her, worried that Sylvia would hear him.