“Oh, wow, I’m so sorry that happened to you,” Gina said.
“Me too, because she’s never let me forget it,” David said.
Mary put a hand on David’s arm and sighed. “Your dad started losing his memory a couple years after that. So, believe it or not, I watch that interview ever now and then just to remind me of the man I once knew. I don’t have anything to complain about, Junior. That interview went exactly how it should have.”
11
SHE HEARD THE WORDS Mary said out of her mouth, but Gina thought there might still be something in her heart about an incident that occurred over ten years ago. So Gina made sure that Mary was included in each and every interview David did the following day. The last stop was at the nursing home. As they walked in, Gina caught a whiff of the distinct old people’s smell. It was off-putting because she first assumed she was smelling urine, but then remembered one of her first public relations assignments was with a retirement/assisted living home. The first thing Gina advised them to do was to do something with the smell, the owner then informed her that what she was smelling was a body order that comes from older people.
“As much as you pay for your father to stay in this place, you’d think they’d do something about the smell,” Mary complained.
“There’s not much they can do,” Gina informed her.
David gave her a questioning glance.
She explained, “My first public relations assignment was to attract more people to this retirement/assisted living community. I discovered at that time that as we get older, our bodies generate this smell, that’s typically referred to as ‘old people’s smell’. But the proper term for it is Nonenal. It’s like a musty, grassy smell that attaches itself to our skin as we lose omega-7 acids from our skin.”
“I don’t have no ‘old people’s smell,” Mary declared, looking a bit indignant.
“Of course you don’t, and everybody doesn’t get the ‘old people’s smell’.” Gina agreed. “From the research I did on the subject, some people just don’t get it, and others avoid it because of their healthy lifestyle of exercise and eating right, you might not develop it. Which obviously you do. I mean, look at you. I can tell that you work out.” David’s mother wasn’t thin as a rail, but she was slim-thick like she lifted weights to keep her muscles toned.
“Gina, I know you're just flattering me because you work for my son, but I don’t care." Mary swirled around then struck a pose. “I look good for a sixty-nine-year-old woman.”
“Yes, you do,” David agreed. “And I can vouch for Gina. She doesn’t sugar coat anything for me. She doesn’t care that I’m paying her. She will call it like she sees it.”
Gina graced Davie with a smile. The man just seemed to get her. “Thank you for saying that, David. I do pride myself on honesty. And Mary, I can honestly say, I think you and I are kindred spirits. I have truly enjoyed hanging out with you this weekend.”
“Likewise, Ms. Gina. Now can you tell me how long my husband needs to participate? Some days are good for him, but most days aren’t. And I don’t want to overexcite him.”
“I get it, Mary. We only have one reporter scheduled today. But we are doing national news. So the reporter will interview one of the doctors here who has already agreed to discuss Alzheimer's and the nurse who takes care of your husband. Then we will interview the three of you. And that will be it. So, for now, you can visit with Mr. Pittman and I’ll get everything set up.”
David grabbed her hand and held on to it. “You can get things set up in a few minutes. I want you to meet my father.”
Gina allowed David to guide her down the hallway while still holding her hand. He had seemed nervous from the moment they walked into the nursing home, so she wanted to be there for him when he greeted his father. As he told her before, when his father didn’t recognize him, the rest of his week was all bad. This press event had been her bright idea, so the least she could do was hold David’s hand and try to reassure him that it was going to be alright.
Mary knocked on her husband’s door, then opened it. “Hey, old man, how you doing today?”
David Pittman Senior was seated in a chair with the remote in his hand. There were sprinkles of gray in his hair and beard, but other than that, the man whose brown eyes brightened as he turned toward them looked like an older version of David. The man was not just handsome, he was distinguished.
“Mable is that you. I haven’t seen you in a month of Sundays.”
Mary's face dropped. “His sister’s name is Mable,” she told Gina as she walked over to her husband and sat down on the sofa next to his chair.
David Sr. tugged on his jacket. “They put me in this monkey suit because Mary is coming to visit me today. I hope she hurries up so I can get back into my pajamas.”
“I’m sure she’ll be here soon, David,” Mary said as she leaned forward and put a hand over her husband’s and squeezed it.
David Jr.’s shoulders slumped as he released Gina’s hand. He walked over to his parents and sat down next to his mom. He put an arm around his mother and pulled her close to him.
“I’m okay.” Mary stiffened her lip as she raised her chin. “Just let me sit here with him. I’ll be okay.”
“I hope you’ll still be here when Mary comes home. I swear I don’t know what takes that woman so long. But she loves that mall. Always coming in with all these new outfits. Junior spoils her, but I love it. I certainly wouldn’t have been able to provide for her like that.”
“In a way, you did provide for her. Because it was you who spent all those hours working with Junior and making sure he was in the right leagues and the right schools,” Mary said, giving him the credit he deserved.
“I sure did. That son of mine was going to be something in this world. You came to his games.” David Sr. puffed out his chest. “He was special on that field.” David Sr. glanced over at his son and asked, “Now, which one of Mabel’s sons are you?”
As if they had played this game a million times with his father, David Junior quickly said, “I’m Joe, the youngest son.”
Senior snapped his finger. “That’s right. I don’t know how I could have forgotten, you look just like my boy.”
Gina walked over to David and whispered in his ear, “I need to get the crew started.”
David popped out of his seat and backed Gina away from his father. He spoke in a whisper. “I can’t have them in here confusing my father and getting him upset.”
“I’m not going to do anything to hurt him. Please trust me.”
“Who is this lovely lady you have with you, Joe?” Senior asked.
David swung back around to face his father. “Oh, hey, Da... Uncle David, this is my girl, Gina. She’s just hanging out with us today.”
“Well, you better hold onto that one tight, because if my son comes to see us today, he just might try to steal her from you. Davie loves the pretty ladies.”
Gina left the room to make sure that the doctor and nurse who were going to be interviewed knew which conference room they needed to be in, then she waited for the reporter and the camera crew. Once everyone was set, she had a thought and ran out to her rental car. She opened the trunk and pulled out one of the DVDs that she had ordered online and then went back to David Senior’s room with it.
The DVD player was already plugged up in the room. She asked David to put the DVD in and let it play.
“What’s this?” He asked.
She looked into his eyes, trying to send him a message, hoping that they were connecting. “Trust me, I have a good feeling about this.”
He nodded and did as she requested. His father complained as David’s back was to him. “Hey, I was watching that movie. You didn’t ask me if you could touch my TV. My son bought me that TV.”
“I’m sorry, but I’ve got something I was told you’d want to see.” David hit play and then sat back down next to his mother.
“I still didn’t say you could touch that TV. I don’t allow folks
to come in this house touching my stuff,” David Senior told him.
As the football game appeared on the screen, Senior stopped fussing and watched the game. After a few minutes, Senior laughed as he pointed at the screen. “I remember that game. They let me stand on the sideline.” His eyes lit up as he turned to his wife and son, “Remember that Junior? Your mother got so mad because she was still sitting in the stands while I was cheering for you on the sidelines, just like I used to do when you were in high school.”
David leaned forward in his seat. “You remember that game, D- Dad?”
Senior was grinning from ear-to-ear as he looked at his family. “You and I had some good times together, boy.” He tapped his head with his index finger. “This ol’ mind isn’t working like it used to, but somethings I’m just not gon’ never forget.”
“Yeah, Dad. We had some good times together.” David stood and walked over to the door. He wiped his face before turning back around.
“Why you so quiet, Mary? Grab one of them rocking chairs and come sit next to me, woman.”
As Mary happily complied with her husband, David walked over to Gina. Gratitude filled his eyes as he hugged. "How did you know? Girl, you got skills.”
Gina mimicked what he’d done when she gave him a compliment. She flexed biceps and triceps and strutted around him, “Well, you know, what can I say.”
“Okay, smart mouth. What do we do next?”
He was looking at her like she could do no wrong like she had finally won his trust. She didn’t want to let him down, so she silently prayed, asking God to direct her path as she lead their family through the last event before they went back to The Grind. But what was most important to Gina was that David Senior held onto his dignity during the interview. So, she was prepared to shut it down if he regressed again.
But everything went smoothly, Senior didn’t mind the reporter or the cameraman joining them. He regaled them with stories of his son’s wonder years. When the interview began, Gina made sure that Mary was seated in the middle of her son and husband. But even that didn’t seem to help, because instead of jumping in and answering questions, Mary seemed content to hang on her husband’s every word.
Gina whispered in the reporter's ear, and then he said, “So Mary, what was it like raising a future hall of famer?”
That was all it took and the flood gates were opened. Mary was only too happy to talk about her son. Gina’s job was done. With a big sigh of relief, Gina said, “And that’s a wrap.”
As the cameraman was putting his equipment up, David came back over to her, with his hand on her waist, he told her, “That was really good.”
“It was,” Gina was grinning. Her client was happy, and so was she. And truthfully, being this close to David with his hand on her was doing a lot for her mood as well. Gina glance over at David’s dad, he was tugging at his tie. “You might want to let your dad put on his pj's so he can get comfortable.”
“Come on, Dad. Let me help you get into your pajamas.” David removed his hand from her lower back and went to his father. As the two men went into the bathroom, Gina asked Mary, “Are you okay with how everything was handled today?”
“It was beautiful. I’m so glad you had that DVD with you. My husband was really with us today.” Mary’s hand went to her mouth as her voice broke. “I just don’t know how to thank you.”
Gina hugged the woman. “You don’t have to thank me at all. I was happy to do it.”
The bathroom door opened, and the men came back into the room. Mary wiped the tears from her eyes as Gina said, “It was so nice to meet you today, Mr. Pittman. I hope we didn’t tire you out too much.”
Senior lifted a hand and waved off her concerns. “It was my pleasure.” As he got in his bed, he told Gina, “You can come back anytime you get ready.”
“Thank you, sir.” It made Gina feel good that her presence didn’t bother the ailing man.
As David pulled the covers up to his father’s chest, Senior said, “I’m proud of you, Son. You finally found the gold.”
David’s eyes widened as he turned to look at Gina.
Then his father asked, “When’s the wedding?”
“Huh?” David turned back to his father, confusion etched in his face. He looked back at Gina and then told his father, “We haven’t set a date yet.”
“Don’t make me and your mama wait too long. We’d like to see some grandkids while we’re still kicking and breathing.”
12
DAVID AND GINA STOOD by the door, talking with his mom as they readied to leave. But Senior was having none of that. “You not running off again, are you, Mary?”
Turning her head in her husband’s directions, Mary said, “No, Dave, I’m not going anywhere.” She then turned back to David, “I wish I had brought my nightgown, the nursing home lets me stay whenever he remembers me because he gets so upset when I leave. Everything was so rushed this morning that I didn’t think to bring a change of clothes.”
David told her, “There’s a mall down the street. I can take you over there so you can pick out a gown and an outfit for tomorrow.”
“Thanks for offering, but I don’t want to leave your father and then get back here and he’s forgotten me all over again.”
“I can go for you,” Gina offered. “You’re what, a size seven?”
Grinning, Mary said, “I hide it well, dear, but I’m a ten. If you wouldn’t mind picking me out something, I would greatly appreciate it. I’ll even bake you a cake to take home with you. How’s that?”
"Sounds lovely,” Gina said, then she and David rushed out of the nursing home and headed down the street to the mall.
David put her hand in his as he parked the car. “I really want to thank you for today. My mom hasn’t smiled so much since this madness began. She might just bake you two cakes tomorrow morning.”
“That depends on if I get her the right gown to ensure she has a really good night.”
David put his hands over his ears. “Hey, that’s my parents you’re talking about. I don’t want to even think about that. And I definitely don’t want to see the gown you pick out. So, please don’t show it to me.”
“Stop being silly, David. They are married, of course, they have sex.”
“I’m not listening to you,” He got out of the car and put his hands back over his ears again.
Laughing, Gina followed behind him, “How do you think you got here?”
“La-la-la-la.”
“Now, you’re going to sing and act like a two-year-old.”
“Am not,” David said while sticking his fingers in his ear and sticking his tongue out.
“Yeah, real mature.” She pulled his fingers out of his ears. “You win. Your parents only shake hands and give forehead kisses.”
“Thank you.” He put an arm around her and they walked into the mall together. “The only kissing I want to talk about is the one you said happened when we were in college. Now, I know I had a drinking problem in all, but are you sure we kissed back then?”
“How did we get on this subject?”
He knew it was inappropriate. Gina was his publicist, and he signed her checks, but the woman intrigued him. She was mouthy and all about her business, but she was also a caring person and she loved her parents as much as he loved his own. She made him want to know more about her. And every time he looked at those lips of hers, he wanted to kiss her. So he said, “I just can’t believe that I could have forgotten a kiss with you.”
“Well, you did. But you were drunk and can’t be held accountable for your actions, so I forgive you.”
“Oh, you forgive me, huh.” He stopped in the middle of the mall, turned her to face him. They were almost nose to nose when he asked, “Would you have to forgive me if I kissed you right now? Or would you be okay with it?”
He could feel the heat as it built between them. She was in to him just as much as he was in to her. But he wouldn’t kiss her unless she said it was okay. Please, God, let h
er say it’s okay.
“David Pittman!”
A woman behind him shouted his name like she was trying to make a scene. He recognized the voice and groaned as he turned away from Gina to face the enemy. “What do you want, Michelle?”
“Did you get my text?”
He didn’t answer.
“You think I’m playing with you. And look at your trifflin’ behind. Got me pregnant, and now you in this mall with some other chick.” She turned her sights on Gina. “Has he hit you yet, because he will trust me, I know first hand.”
“Stop lying, Michelle. I didn’t get you pregnant and I didn’t hit you.” David felt a tension headache coming on. He should have prayed about getting involved with this woman. But he had this thing about beautiful women, and Michelle was all of that. Every time he looked at her, he thought of Kerry Washington. Oh yeah, she was all beauty on the outside, but her heart was dark and corroded.
Michelle pointed at her eye as she shouted for anyone to hear. “Look at my eye and tell me you didn’t hit me.” She turned this way and that as people began to gather around them. “You see what he did to me? Mr. Superstar David Pittman blacked my eye.”
“That looks fresh,” Gina said as she walked closer to the woman. “When did he hit you?”
“Yesterday, at my apartment,” Michelle spat the words like fire.
“You’re lying. David was with me all yesterday and today, and we have proof to back that up. Do you have any proof to back up the lies you’re telling?” Gina kept advancing on the woman.
“I don’t need proof. He did it.” She pointed to her eye again. “Look what he did to me.”
Examine her eye, Gina shook her head. “I feel sorry for you because someone has been beating on you, but it’s not David.”
“You don’t know him like I do,” Michelle told her.
Got to Be Love Page 8
