Alyssa removed the bandage on her arm and said, “Looks like you’re healing really well there, buddy.”
Rayna, who had been standing just outside the bathroom watching, said, “Isn’t it wonderful living with a doctor?”
“Yeah, it definitely helps ease my anxiety a bit,” said Alicia with a small laugh.
“Ah,” said the good doctor with a smile, “but you’re still going to do what… if you feel yourself getting anxious?”
“Take a chill pill,” Alicia said in a tone of voice that said, yeah, yeah, I know what to do.
“Right. Good. Very good,” Alyssa said as if she were a child who’d finally learned to count to ten.
Alicia was both appreciative and annoyed by Alyssa’s dominant ways. She was the definite boss of the two, no matter how long they were together and no matter what kind of relationship they did or didn’t have. She liked being taken care of—needed to be taken care of—but she wasn’t exactly as incapable as Alyssa may think she was, either. Yes, Alicia needed a bit of a helping hand in life, more so than most, but she wasn’t entirely helpless.
After a new round of ointment was applied to her arm, the sexy doctor taped a fresh patch of gauze over the wound. Alyssa’s touch and closeness caused a highly pleasant tingling, which Alicia hadn’t felt in a long time.
Alicia learned a little more about the family’s routine over the delicious breakfast they shared that Sunday morning.
“Help yourself to some yummy bacon and eggs,” Rayna told her.
“Uh-uh,” Alyssa said as she plucked a piece of toast from a plate. “It’s either oatmeal, cereal, or toast for you.” Then she looked at her mother. “Cholesterol’s a bit high.”
Rayna laughed and said, “Doctor’s orders, huh?”
“I picked out a variety of other things you might like that you can choose from,” said Alyssa.
Alicia was flattered that Alyssa cared enough to think of her where her health was concerned, but annoyed that she’d decided for her what she could eat for breakfast.
“Got a family medical history of high cholesterol?” asked Dan.
“That and other things. You could say I was born into the wrong family.”
Nobody said anything to that, and Alicia realized how strange and harsh it might sound to those who came from good, loving families and had never known anything else. For her, however, her uncle and a couple of distant cousins had been the only decent family members she’d ever known.
Wanting to get the attention off herself for a while, she said, “Mind if I ask what you do with your time now that you’re retired?”
“Oh, no, not at all,” said Rayna. “We do a variety of things.”
“I drive her crazy in the morning, then I treat her to lunch, I drive her crazy again after that, and then she rewards me for my efforts with a wonderful dinner,” said Dan.
Alicia laughed harder than she had in a long time. The others laughed at his silliness as well and seemed pleased by the positive effect it had on Alicia.
“Seriously,” said Rayna when the laughter died down, “we don’t have any set time for doing things. Dad has his golfing buddies some of the time, and I have some ladies I do things with. Right now, I’m currently helping a friend organize an event at her clothing store.”
“Sounds interesting,” said Alicia.
“We’re home a lot, too.”
“Unless you have someone else to do it for you or you really love to do it yourself, I’d like to offer my house-cleaning services once my arm is better as a way of saying thanks for helping me out.”
“Oh, isn’t that nice of you,” said Rayna.
“Hey, that’s an idea,” said Alyssa. “Can you cook?”
The others laughed, and Alicia said, “I’m an excellent housekeeper, but I’m a lousy cook, to be perfectly honest with you folks.”
“That’s ok,” Rayna said, patting her hand. “I love to cook but hate to clean. If you’d like to clean when you’re able to, you may do so, and thank you very much. We’ll all appreciate it.”
Dressed in a pair of jeans and a tee that she’d picked up for Alicia before she was discharged from the hospital, Alyssa brushed out Alicia’s hair, and then they took off to retrieve her things from Nakia’s place.
It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon for mid-November as they coasted along the freeway. Alyssa glanced over at Alicia, who was leaning toward the open window and enjoying the breeze as the wind whipped through her hair. It was kind of cute, but Alyssa was more annoyed by all the wind whipping her own hair around her face.
“Hey, hun, mind if we shut the windows now? I know you appreciate all that fresh air after being stuck in a smelly hospital, but I’d prefer calmer winds inside the car.”
“Sure.” Alicia was about to find the switch to roll the window up, but Alyssa closed it from her side before she could identify the proper switch. Obviously, the lady wasn’t used to riding in nicer—or at least newer—cars.
She kicked the fans up high and aimed them at Alicia. “There. Plenty of nice, fresh air.”
Alicia looked at her and smiled. “You look nice today. But then again, you always do.”
“Thanks, sweetie, though I don’t know how being dressed so casually—especially in these ratty jeans—can make me look so nice.”
“You could look nice in anything.”
“Well, thanks for the vote of confidence,” said Alyssa as they entered Nakia’s street.
“It’s that house right there,” Alicia said with almost as much excitement as one would use if they were visiting a friend they hadn’t seen in a long time.
Alyssa grinned as she parked the car.
A large border collie on a long chain near the house barked at them as they stepped out.
“He’s harmless,” said Alicia. “Besides, he can’t reach us anyway.”
“Oh, ok,” Alyssa said as she eyed their surroundings. The shabby house really spoiled what was otherwise a beautiful view of nature. Trees of Heaven, California oaks, and a few scattered pine trees littered the hilly terrain at random. It was a peaceful scene until her eyes came to rest on the small house standing in disrepair amid a clearing. It badly needed a fresh coat of paint and new shutters as well.
The ratty old door pushed open, and a heavyset woman of around seventy stepped onto the stoop. She wore an old, tattered housecoat so faded that its color could only be described as barely pink.
“Alicia!” the woman exclaimed in the same excited tone she’d used on the phone.
“Hey there!” Alicia said.
“So glad you made it! I was really worried for you.”
“So was I. Nakia, this is Alyssa. Alyssa, Nakia.”
“Hello,” Alyssa said with a smile. “Nice to meet you.”
“My pleasure. She’s as lovely as you described a while back in your blog.”
Alyssa noticed Alicia blush but pretended not to notice. She’d spent a lot of time reading her blog, and while she appreciated Alicia’s compliments on her appearance and kindness, she’d also been amazed by the blog as a whole. It was very well written and very much from the heart.
“Come on inside, guys,” Nakia said.
Alyssa and Alicia followed the woman as she slowly waddled up the steps.
“Your son been out to see you lately?” Alicia asked.
“Oh yeah,” said Nakia. “He was out yesterday, as a matter of fact. Brought his boy with him, and wow—it’s hard to believe my oldest grandbaby is about to turn twenty-eight.”
Alyssa smiled politely. The inside of the house was almost as bad as the outside. A tabby cat inspected the trio from the top of the refrigerator. Alyssa wondered how it had managed to jump onto the counter and then up to the refrigerator with all the clutter on the countertops. The place stunk, and the furniture looked fifty years old. The thought of sitting in one of the kitchen chairs made her nervous. She didn’t trust that it would hold her.
Alyssa followed Alicia and Nakia to the back of the small, square house. She’d come to feel rather protective of Alicia lately and was glad Alicia wouldn’t be staying with the woman after all. Nakia might mean well, but Alyssa didn’t believe she had the funds, intelligence, or even the mentality to truly care for her.
“All your stuff’s in here,” said Nakia.
They squeezed into a small bedroom, and Nakia stepped to the side of the bed and pointed to the corner near the foot of it. Neatly stacked were about a dozen boxes, a large suitcase, and a couple of duffel bags.
“Oh, wow,” said Alyssa. “You have more than I realized.”
“Yeah, kind of,” said Alicia. “If it’s too much, we can—”
“Oh, no, no,” Alyssa assured her. “We’ll find room for it. If we have to, we can store things in the garage or the shed out back.”
“You have a shed? I haven’t seen the outside of the house yet, except for the front. It’s big?”
Alyssa nodded. “Yup. Pretty good size, so no worries.”
Nakia cleared her throat. “No worries if you do run out of room, either. Whatever can’t fit can stay here. It’s not in the way, and no one uses this bedroom.”
“Well, thank you, Nakia,” said Alyssa. “That’s nice to know.”
“You’re so tall,” Nakia suddenly said.
“Yeah, I am,” Alyssa replied.
Alicia stepped closer until she was just inches away. Alyssa found this curiously amusing as Alicia appeared to be measuring her against herself.
“Five ten,” Alicia said a moment later.
“Yup. Exactly.” Alyssa was impressed.
Nakia laughed. “Expect the unexpected with this one.”
Alyssa laughed too, and then Nakia asked if she was going to put Alicia on any medication to help her nerves or anything else.
“I’m not officially her doctor anymore, but—”
“She doesn’t have any say in whether or not I take psych pills,” said Alicia.
“Yes, I do,” Alyssa said with a grin, quickly kissing Alicia on the top of the head before finishing her sentence. “But it’s not like your buddy here has no say or control over things either.”
“Oh, good,” said Nakia.
Then she and Alicia erupted into laughter as if it were one of the funniest things they’d ever heard.
“Ok, guys,” Alyssa said, clapping her hands in an attempt to refocus them. It may’ve been pretty damn funny, but she didn’t want to remain in Nakia’s smelly house all day.
ns216.73.216.37da2
and then Add to home screen.