12,700 ~ 14,900

Sam pulled into the Day Crest assisted living facility. From the outside it looked pretty nice. Big trees provided shade and the building looked like it had been recently painted. Sam trusted her cousins. She knew they wouldn’t put their mother in a substandard facility.

It had been a difficult decision for her cousins. Chris had moved into Aunt Jane’s house to be sure she was cared for at night and his sister, Laura, had spent the days with her while her kids were in school. The hours between 3:00pm when Laura had to leave to pick up the kids and 5:30pm when Chris got home from work were always worrisome. Then one day when Chris returned home, Aunt Jane wasn’t there. The stove was on and a pot of water had boiled over, but his mother was nowhere to be found. Chris frantically searched the neighborhood, but no one had seen her. He didn’t think she could have walked far. After several moments of panic, Chris called his sister for help. Had he checked the cemetery? It was within walking distance of the house and it was where their father was buried. Laura said that they had spent a lot of time that day reminiscing about the ‘old days’ when their father was still alive. Aunt Jane usually spoke of him in the present tense, but that day had been different. Laura remembered her mother saying something about wishing she could see him. Maybe she had found her way to the cemetery. It was worth a try. Sure enough, as Chris pulled in he could see a shadowy figure sitting on a bench in the growing darkness near his father’s grave. When he got to her, Aunt Jane was crying and disoriented. She didn’t know where she was or how to get home.

The next day Chris and Laura visited Day Crest. A week later, they moved Aunt Jane in. At first, she hated it. She missed her house and her usual routine, but after a few weeks she made friends and seemed to be doing well. Everyone seemed happier. Chris was able to resume his life with his long-time boyfriend, Scott, and Laura was able to get a part time job to supplement the family income.

Sam approached the front desk and signed in. Sam didn’t have to worry about missing visiting hours because Day Crest encouraged friends and family to visit anytime between 8:00am and 9:00pm.

“Samantha Stephens?”, the receptionist asked. “Why is that name so familiar?”

Sam usually enjoyed it when people recognized her or her name, but this was not one of those times. She wanted to get in and out as quick as possible.

“You ever watch ‘Bewitched’ as a kid?”

“Of course!”

“Samantha Stephens…”

“Oh my! Yes! Elizabeth Montgomery’s character! Cool!”

“Yeah, it’s awesome. Where can I find my aunt?”. Sam played it off as she often did when she wasn’t interested in being bothered. In truth, she was seldom recognized, but more and more her name garnered a certain amount of attention.

Sam followed the receptionist’s directions toward Room 121. As she gently pushed the door open, she could see Aunt Jane sitting in a recliner watching TV. Ellen was interviewing Jodie Foster. Sam stifled a giggle. Her homophobic aunt watching two of the world’s most famous lesbians. It was almost poetic.

“Aunt Jane…?” Sam said quietly as she entered the room. Her aunt’s face lit up.

“Jean! Jean! What are you doing in town?”

Oh Lord, thought Sam, she thinks I’m my mom. Immediately, Sam decided to play along. It would take far less time and be far less frustrating than explaining who she really was.

“Hi, Janie. I just thought I’d come for a visit. I’ve missed you!” It was a big fat lie for Sam, but probably no worse than a half truth for her mother.

“How are the girls? They must be in high school by now.” Aunt Jane’s grasp on reality was a little off.

“They’re doing very well. Crazy with them being in high school. It seems like just yesterday we were in high school.” Sam saw the perfect opportunity for a segue. She continued, “I can’t imagine moving them now. We moved when you were in high school, didn’t we?”

“Oh yes and it was awful. I had barely started when Daddy announced we were moving to Muskegon. I had friends and I was on the Pep Squad.”

“What was the name of that high school?”

“Muskegon Heights, silly. You went there, too.”

“No, Janie. What high school did you go to in Ohio?”

“Hmm… Well, I don’t reckon I remember. Hamilton South? Maybe. If you run down to the basement, my yearbooks are all on a shelf. I leave them out because the kids like to look at them.”

Dammit. “Ok, I’ll do that.” She hoped that Chris hadn’t thrown anything away when he moved in and Aunt Jane moved out.

One last line of questioning and Sam was out of there. “Jane, do you remember a friend of mine named Ruthie Goldman?”

“That little Jewish girl you always played with?”

“Yes, that’s her,” Sam said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

“I have to tell you Jean, you were much better off after we moved. Mom and Daddy even thought so too. They didn’t like you being so friendly with that girl. She was bad news. Bad, Jean. That’s why Mom never mailed your letters and hid her letters before you could see them. Eventually, she took the hint and stopped writing.”

Sam sat in stunned silence. Her mother told her that she and Ruthie had been pen-pals for awhile, but after a couple months the letter just stopped coming. It was something Jean could never explain. They hadn’t had a fight or disagreed about anything. It was as if Ruthie had disappeared.

About then there was a knock on the door and an orderly entered with Aunt Jane’s dinner tray. Sam used the distraction as an exit strategy.

“Janie, I’ll let you eat. I have to get home to the girls and David.” It was a strange statement because Sam’s family had never lived in Muskegon. Regardless, Aunt Jane bought it.

“It was so good to see you, Jean! I hope you’ll be able to come by again soon. Maybe you can bring the girls next time!”

“I’ll try, Janie. Take care of yourself.”

Sam walked back past the front desk and out into a cool spring evening. She was instantly thankful that she had her fleece jacket on. Kate was waiting for her expectantly in the driver’s seat.

“Fuck. Kate, you’re never going to believe this. Ruthie didn’t really stop writing to Grandma. Grandma’s folks stopped it. Jesus,” Sam mused out loud to the dog who appeared to listen intently.

“I need to call Malin.”

Kate cocked her head and looked at Sam.

“Ok, so ‘need’ is a strong word. Want. Is that better? I want to call Malin. This whole thing just got way more confusing. I need to bounce this off someone.”

Right about then, Sam’s phone rang. The called ID said it was her cousin, Chris.

“Hey, you make it into town?” Sam had called him from the middle of Wisconsin earlier that day and explained her mission.

“Yep, left your mom a few minutes ago. She thought I was my mom. I went with it.”

“Yeah, that’s what I do when she think I’m my dad. It’s always so much easier to play along.”

“So, when you and Scott officially moved in, did y’all throw any of your mom’s old things away?”

“Oh hell no. The moment I did that the ol’e lady would have gotten all of her faculties back and kicked my butt. Maybe when she passes away, I’ll feel save. It’s all still in the basement. Nicely organized, I might add. Why?”

“I’m looking for one of your mom’s old yearbooks from before she moved to Muskegon. It would be from a high school outside Cincinnati.”

“Well, come on over. I’m home and Scott should be off work shortly. I’ll have him pick up some Chinese on his way. Still your favorite?”

“Yes, but… I hate to ask. Would it be possible for him to get Flamingo instead? I love that place.”

Chris laughed and replied, “Of course! Whatever you want. But don’t you want to go there so you can see the tacky pink flamingos hanging over the bar?”

“Great. Two chicken soft tacos…”

“And an order of Spanish rice. I know. Remember I’ve been down this road with you before a time or two.”

“Thanks, Chris. Appreciate it. I’ll see you in a few.” Sam hung up and steered the Xterra down Seaway Drive toward the Airport Road exit. She’d let Chris, Scott, and the task at hand keep her mind off Malin for a few hours.

 

~

 

Sam pulled up in the familiar driveway. She’d been coming to this house since she was very young. It had never changed much. It was the first address besides her own that she ever memorized. Summers growing up it had been her home away from home. Sadly, after moving here she hadn’t visited very much, especially not after Aunt Jane’s homophobia became all too apparent. As Sam knocked lightly on the screen door, she peered into the living room. It wasn’t the living room she remembered. The pink wingback chairs and the wallpaper was gone. Chris and Scott had apparently done a little updating.

She heard a voice call out from within, “Come on in!”

Sam pulled open the screen door and immediately Chris pulled her into a massive hug. He was easily six foot three and looked younger than Sam even though he was ten years her senior. The sleeves on his pink Oxford shirt were rolled up and his jeans were faded and full of holes. Flip flops and a backward Detroit Tigers cap completed his outfit.

“Christopher Harrison, this is NOT my Aunt Jane’s house!”, Sam exclaimed when he finally let her go.

“I know, right! When Scott moved in, we decided to do the kitchen then it just snowballed from there. Then it was the dining room, the living room, and finally the bedrooms, and bathrooms. We finished literally last weekend. We’re toying around with re-doing the basement next, but all of Mom’s things are down there.”

“It’s amazing really. Shit. Is it ok if Kate’s in here?” Sam said with real concern. Kate wasn’t one to make a mess, but people could be funny about their houses, especially when they looked as nice as this one did.

“Aw, heck. No worries about her.” He continued, “Yeah, we love it. We thought about moving into our own place but we’ve made this ours. I don’t think we’ll be going anywhere. The kitchen prices us off the market anyway,” he laughed. Scott loved to cook so it wasn’t outrageous to expect that they would have splurged on all the bells and whistles.

“Hey, before Scott gets home, can we check for that yearbook in the basement?”

Chris flipped on the light and they walked down the stairs.

“Everything is pretty well organized down here. Scott is a neat-freak and super organized so he went to town making sure we could find things. There should be a list somewhere that tells what boxes are where.”

“Seriously? Shit, maybe I need a boyfriend.”

“Oh, don’t go that far. You know I kissed a lot of frogs before I found Scott.”

Sam knew this was true. She was the only member of the family that had known about Chris’s sexuality. When she lived in Muskegon she had often seen him at R’s, the one and only gay bar in town. The first time they saw each other there, they blurted out simultaneously “Don’t tell Mom!”. In that moment, they found themselves strangely bonded. Chris had always been her favorite cousin, but that night strengthened their connection. He was the only family member Sam remained close to in the years since she moved to Texas.

“Speaking of frogs, you ever hear from Shay?” Chris knew how hard the break up had been on Sam and he loved that she was now strong enough to laugh about it.

“Every now and again when she’s fighting with her husband and drunk. Or when Michigan is playing Michigan State.” Sam grew up a fan of Michigan; Shay had gone to MSU.

Chris was looking at a spreadsheet.

“Here we go. Family photos. Yearbooks. That’s Box 31 and it should be over here,” Chris said pointing to a far corner of the basement.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. You have spreadsheet and a diagram?”

“Scott. All Scott.”

“He freakin' rocks. I thought we’d be digging through dusty boxes of Aunt Jane’s memorabilia half the night.”

“Nope. Here you go. Box 31,” Chris said as he set the box the old kitchen table. He dug in his pocket a moment and pulled out his pocket knife to cut the tape.