“As if this is our last stop before death?” Dr. Landers suddenly appeared in her doorway. “Edna, I believe Aja’s idea will benefit not only us, but the kids in the detention center.”
“Sometimes, we have to stick our necks out for change,” Aja said, sounding very much like her mother. “We can make a difference. Even Mrs. Poston wants to do this.”
“Bea Poston?” Edna asked dubiously.
“Yes, even the ‘old bat’ is okay to shake this place up,” Dr. Landers said, winking at Aja.
“I will have to check with the management and the legal team,” Edna said. “I just don’t know.”
“Here,” Aja pulled some documents from a folder. “My attorney, Maggie, did some background on the legal issues, and she said there are only a few things that need to be addressed. She said she’d be happy to help out—for free.” She handed the documents to Edna. “And Mrs. Burnett from the high school said she’d be glad to help. She’d talk to some teachers and students to offer additional tutoring and counseling. And she said the school district will provide teaching tools, books and stuff.”
“Sounds like you’ve done your homework.” Edna took the file but didn’t open it. “I still think it’s asking too much of our residents. They tire so easily.”
“We’ll take our chances, Edna,” Dr. Landers said.
“Let me make some phone calls,” Edna said, reluctantly.
Their first outing was a meet-and-greet at the detention center so everyone could introduce themselves. The way the teens lined up against one wall and the older residents on the other side of the room reminded Aja of a chess match, each sizing up the opponent. No one made the first move.
Finally, Aja called a few of the girls she remembered and introduced them. The way they looked at the old people, as if they were aliens, upset Aja. “Sissy,” Aja said to the young mother. “Tish should be here soon, but for now, can you help me introduce everybody?”
One young man with pants around his buttocks sat on one of the Formica tables. “So what’re we supposed to do with a bunch of old people? Play some hoops?” He and another young man laughed and high-fived each other.
“Oh, grow up, Lamont.”
Aja was relieved to hear Tish’s voice behind her.
“Hey, bitch,” Sissy called out.
The few staff members who were there said nothing about the language. They stood off by themselves near the door. Edna stood next to them, looking like she was going to stroke out.
“Young lady,” Mrs. Poston, still wheelchair-bound, said firmly to Sissy. “We’re here to teach you youngsters some manners. Perhaps we should start with you.”
“Who are you to tell me…” Sissy started and stood up in a defensive posture.
“Sis, this is my new boss. I got to be nice or she’ll fire my ass…assistance,” Tish said.
“Good catch,” Mrs. Poston mused. She sat stoic in her wheelchair, a big picnic basket on her lap.
Aja walked in between both groups. “Everybody, these people are from Golden Leaves. They’ve offered to visit with you and help with your schoolwork.”
“Why we want to talk to them?” Lamont yelled. “That one’s older than my grandma, and she dead.” He pointed to Mrs. Poston.
Mr. Jensen had sat quiet in his wheelchair. Aja was afraid that this outing would be too much for him. But he had insisted on coming.
“Lamont?” Mr. Jensen said, his voice barely audible. “Would you please push my chair to a table so we could visit?”
Lamont laughed and shook his head. “Visit? Old man, you crazy.” But he got up and sauntered to Mr. Jensen. His pants would have fallen off had he not held them in front.
“Lamont,” Mr. Jensen said, “You might need two hands to push the chair.”
Lamont made a ‘sheese’ sound and continued to strut over. He used one hand on the chair handle and kept the other on his pants. He pushed Mr. Jensen to the group of young men sitting together. They all looked at frail Mr. Jensen as if they didn’t know what to do with him.
“So tell me,” Mr. Jensen said. “I’ve always wondered about that fashion trend of your pants hanging off like that. Isn’t it uncomfortable?”
“More comfortable than having them around your neck like yours.” Lamont gave his pants a tug.
Mr. Jensen laughed. “Do you think I could pull off that style? I have enough trouble keeping my pants up on my crooked body as it is.”
“All right, peeps,” Tish said. “We’re supposed to play bingo.” She fanned herself with a stack of playing cards.
Aja noticed Tish was uncomfortable, probably not sure which way to fall in the groups.
“Bingo? Are you on meth?” one of the young men said. “That’s for old people. We ain’t old.”
“We have prizes,” Mrs. Poston said. She opened the picnic basket and pulled out packages of baked goods. “Homemade by all the old”—she looked at Tish—“peeps.”
As soon as the game began and the delicious prizes lined up, it didn’t take long for both groups to cautiously bond. Aja was happy to see that whenever one of the residents won, they forfeited their prize to keep the game going. After two hours, Edna said it was time to go. “We need to get our friends home for dinner.” Her voice lilting on the word friends.
Lamont stood to push Mr. Jensen to the door, still one-handed. “So you tellin’ me you had a black-and-white TV with no remote? That’s crazy, man.”
“No cell phones either,” Mr. Jensen said.
Aja could tell he was tiring quickly. She’d call Janie on the way back and ask her to get a dinner plate ready for him as soon as they arrived. Aja would make sure he ate early so he could rest.
Waiting to board the van, all the residents chattered about how different this generation was.
“Can you imagine if we wore pants showing our bottoms?”
“Can you believe that seventeen-year-old is already a mother? She said she got pregnant riding bareback, but I grew up around horses and don’t know how that happened,” one of the women who often ate with Mrs. Poston said.
“Means she didn’t use no protection,” Tish told her as she helped her into the van.
“And if I said ‘ain’t,’ my mouth would have been washed clean,” Mrs. Poston said. “They don’t even see that it’s wrong. Where is this world headed?”
Aja remembered the vision of a girl getting her wrists smacked while she was in Mrs. Poston’s apartment. Maybe it had been Mrs. Poston as a young girl.
“Maybe we can help them,” Dr. Landers said. “I spoke to a young man who wanted to be a doctor before the school work got too hard and, I suspect, peer pressure. I’m not sure I can help him enough to ace the MCAT, but maybe enough to find a medical career. Most of these kids just need to be guided on how to move forward.”
“Look at Tish,” Mrs. Poston said, waiting her turn for the wheelchair ramp to lift her into the bus. “She’s trying to change. But there’s a lot to undo.”
“You gonna undo me,” Tish said.
In a few weeks, both groups fell into a routine at the visits. Not all the kids were receptive to the elders and some refused to participate. But there was a handful that, although they acted tough, seemed to enjoy the company.
Mr. Jensen became stronger and was able to walk with a cane. Something Lamont thought looked “smack.” Lamont even thought the suspenders Mr. Jensen had given him soon after the first meeting were “fly” and wore them most of the time. He said he was going to start his own fashion trend and look for a cool cane to go with his new clothes.
“When you come visit,” Mr. Jensen told him, “you can go through my cool duds and take what you like.”
“Duds?” Lamont asked.
“Clothes,” Mr. Jensen told him.
“Duds, ha, I like that.” Lamont laughed. “Makes no sense, but I still like it.”
“Yes, sort of like fly,” Mr. Jensen agreed.
Aja was happy to see that, even though a few of the teens’ detention sente
nces were finished, most continued to come when the residents were scheduled. According to them, it was for their community service time, but Aja could tell they seemed to enjoy it. It was decided that the groups needed to reciprocate, much to Edna’s dismay, and come to Golden Leaves for dinner.
“Have them come early, dressed appropriately, and we will have them set the tables. They need to learn how to properly set a dinner,” Mrs. Poston said while eating one evening. “Tish now knows the difference between a salad fork and a dinner fork. I just can’t imagine being older than five and not knowing something so basic.”
Aja poured fresh coffee for her and said, “I’m not sure how to set a table either. I saw in a movie that you’re supposed to start on the outside and work your way in with silverware when you eat.”
“Have you ever been to a nice restaurant?” Mrs. Poston asked, critically. “I mean a five-star restaurant.”
Aja thought for a minute. Considering all her money always seemed to go toward car repairs or clothes. And her mom’s career, or careers, never brought in enough for something like that. “No, I don’t think so.” She always thought it was extravagant to spend as much on one dinner as they did for a week’s worth of groceries.
“Well, then I’m taking you and Tish for a nice meal.”
“Better than Golden Leaves food?” Aja asked.
Mrs. Poston waved her off. “I haven’t been out in ages. And you and Tish must learn how to conduct yourselves in public.”
Dr. Landers, sitting at the next table, overheard the conversation. “You know, Bea, I think you might have a great idea. Why don’t we have the young people here to learn social etiquette, then we’ll take all of them out. It would be a treat.”
“And who would pay for something so extravagant? I certainly don’t have that kind of money.” Mrs. Poston huffed.
“I’ll be happy to pay,” Mr. Jensen said. He’d been dining most evenings with Dr. Landers.
“Thank you, Steve, but we could all pitch in,” Dr. Landers said, looking pointedly at Mrs. Poston. “I have to admit, since we’ve been working with these kids, it’s given us all something to look forward to. I always enjoy my afternoons with them.”
“You are all making a difference,” Aja said. “You’re showing them a side of life they didn’t know was there.” She sat next to Mr. Jensen. “What I think is the coolest is how many questions they have about what it was like before cell phones and TV. It’s giving them something to think about.”
“China girl,” Mrs. Poston said sharply. “As long as you’re wearing that apron, you should not be sitting with the guests. I’ll have more water, please.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Aja stood and smiled as Dr. Landers winked at her.
Chapter 53
The first dinner at Golden Leaves was similar to the first meeting at the detention center. The tough “criminals” looked so out of place, especially in their new ill-fitting clothes, they didn’t know what to do. The young men tugged at their ties, and some tried to pull their suit pants down low. Some of the girls had rolled their dresses up short. The few that were required to stay overnight at the detention center were flanked by the center’s two security guards.
Only seven of the thirty or so kids had been actively participating through the summer, so they were the only ones allowed to come.
All the tables had been set, but Mrs. Poston stood next to a table draped with only a tablecloth. “First, I’m going to instruct you how to set a proper table and show you what each utensil is for.”
“A fork’s to eat and a knife’s to cut,” Lamont said. “We not stupid.”
“And what if you’re invited to a dinner at the White House?” Mrs. Poston asked. “You don’t want to look stupid then.”
“Yeah, I’m ’spectin that invite in the mail.” Lamont laughed. He wore the suspenders Mr. Jensen had given him and gave them a little snap.
Aja and Janie stood ready to serve. Tish was dressed up but stood with them in case they needed help serving.
“She’s gone over and over this shit with me already,” Tish whispered to Aja and Janie. “I didn’t know demitasse from big ass, but I do now.”
“And you’re a better person for it?” Janie asked, amused.
“The only restaurants I go to have a drive-thru.”
“This is so stupid,” Sissy said. “I don’t have a dress that covers my ass.”
Mrs. Poston’s friend asked. “Maybe that’s why you’re a teen mother.”
“Lady, if you makin’ fun of me.”
“No, child. I just want you to respect yourself. Then others will, too.”
Walker came in, looking dashing in a suit and tie. Aja, who never went for the “suit” type, sucked in a breath. He went straight to Aja, in her stained apron, and offered a bouquet of flowers he’d had behind his back. “I was hoping you’d be my date this evening.”
“I’m working.” Aja blushed and glanced at her messy uniform. “This dinner is for the guests and residents.”
“You’re one of us,” Tish said. “You a juvie, too.”
“Then I’ll help you here and take you out later,” Walker said.
“That’s sweet, Walker, but I want to make sure Mr. Jensen is okay this evening. He’s been quiet lately. I think he’s been especially lonely now.”
Mrs. Poston gave the crew a basic lesson on dining etiquette and which spoon to use to either stir or sip with.
“That’s a lot of extra dishes to wash,” Tish complained.
Everyone took a seat. Tish and Sissy sat with Mrs. Poston and her friends. Lamont and two others sat with Mr. Jensen and Dr. Landers. Aja thought it was funny that, like a high school cafeteria, the boys and girls didn’t sit together. They should have made place cards to mix the groups. Walker had put the bingo vest on and was cheerfully pouring water at each table.
As Aja and Janie served, Aja was surprised to find this group had better manners than the teens at a school cafeteria. Everyone was careful to use the correct utensil, even asking if they weren’t sure, and the conversation at each table seemed like a mutual question and answer session about each generation. No one acted cooler than the other.
When dinner was finished, Aja served Mr. Jensen his dessert.
“Princess Bride, I think I’ll pass this evening. Maybe Lamont or one of his friends would like my cake.”
“Really? Sure,” Lamont said as he started to reach over Mr. Jensen. He hesitated, then sat back and let Aja serve it to him. “Thank you,” he said graciously, almost embarrassed. “Why he call you Princess Bride?”
“Because she looks just like Princess Buttercup from the movie, Princess Bride” Mr. Jensen answered. “It’s a wonderful movie if you haven’t seen it.”
“Sounds like a baby movie.”
“Maybe we could watch it on movie night,” Aja offered.
“That would be nice,” Mr. Jensen said quietly.
“Can I take you back to your room?” Aja asked. He seemed so tired.
“Yes, thank you.” He pushed away from the table and used his cane to steady himself as he stood. “You know, perhaps Lamont could escort me back this evening. Lamont, you could take a few minutes to go through my duds.”
Lamont looked shocked. “You really gonna trust me to take you alone? You not scared?”
“Of course not.” Mr. Jensen took a shaky step.
“I don’t know if the security detail’s gonna let me go.”
“Can I get you a wheelchair?” Aja asked.
“No, Buttercup, I’m fine.”
Aja was surprised to hear him call her his wife’s endearment. In fact, she’d not felt Mrs. Jensen’s presence as much around him.
Lamont went to ask if he could take Mr. Jensen to his room and was told no. They were getting ready to leave anyway.
“It’s okay. I’ll take him,” Aja said. “Let me tell Janie. I’ll be right back.”
Walker joined Aja and Mr. Jensen as they took him to his room.
“Aj
a, this has been a great program,” Walker said. “I think everybody is really enjoying each other.”
“We’re not so different,” Mr. Jensen said. “Princess Buttercup…I mean Bride.” He hesitated. “You have a heart filled with love.” As they got to his room he turned to Aja and hugged her as hard as his weak arms could. “Thank you for coming into our lives, my Buttercup and I are forever grateful.” Walker opened Mr. Jensen’s door, and Aja felt his wife’s powerful spirit inside seeming to wait for Mr. Jensen.
“I’ll get him settled and in bed, and I’ll meet you downstairs,” Walker said to Aja. “Then we can enjoy a special dinner. I think Gabe pureed some pot roast. We can enjoy it by candlelight.” He winked at Aja as he took Mr. Jensen into the apartment and closed the door.
Aja knew that the love the Jensens had for one another would live on forever. She could feel it through her soul.
Chapter 54
The next morning, Aja languished in bed thinking of last night. The dinner with the teens and the elders had been a success. They’d planned on coming back in a week to watch Princess Bride with the residents. After the dinner, Walker had surprised her by setting a formal table with candlelight, linens and beautiful china, courtesy of Mrs. Poston, on the garden patio at the resident’s center. The food was delicious, even the blended roast beef Gabe had made for them.
Aja smiled, recalling how many of the residents poked their heads around the corner to spy on them while they ate.
“Just checking to see if you need anything,” Mrs. Poston’s friend said when caught.
“Don’t break my china, China girl,” Mrs. Poston said as she scooted away on her motorized chair, Tish trailing behind, complaining about wanting to go home and get out of her uncomfortable dress.
Dr. Landers had mixed some songs and placed his speakers and iPod outside for Aja and Walker to enjoy. Mostly old love songs of the ’40s and ’50s. After they’d finished eating, Walker took Aja’s hand and asked her to dance. She felt grimy in her work clothes, but also felt like a princess when he took her in his arms and gracefully swirled her around the garden. Then he kissed her for the first time. The kiss was like fire that heated her core. She’d only dated a few guys, but never felt the intensity she experienced now, like hundreds of fireflies all lit up at once. She felt her heart soar to the sky and an anchor pull her down. This was wonderful, but did she want to be tied to someone? Aja barely had time to catch her breath when she heard a smattering of applause, and she looked to see a handful of residents, clad in their pajamas, smiling and waving at them from the lobby.
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