Alex was doing his best not to show how disappointed he was that Jack was having to leave him to go home to the States. He knew she was worried about her mother, and he didn’t want to make her feel bad for going.
Her mother was going to make a full recovery – the problem had been some type of intestinal blockage - but was going to need someone to take care of her for the next several weeks. Jack’s father had said that he could handle it, but Jack told Alex she didn’t think he could do it alone.
Alex had insisted that she go. If she didn’t, she’d feel guilty if her father ended up in the hospital too. Because Jack was an only child, there was nobody else who could help them out.
“I guess it’s my turn to take care of my mother,” she told him as she made them sandwiches for lunch. It was early Saturday afternoon, and she’d just returned from the store with enough groceries to last a month. Apparently she didn’t think he knew how to find the store on his own and might starve to death if she didn’t stock up before she left.
He could tell she was still upset about going, because when she was upset, she had a tendency to ramble on while she worked.
“One year,” she continued, “when I was in high school, I remember being fascinated by the ice skating events during the Olympics. I especially liked the women’s figure skating. I thought that they looked so graceful in their beautiful costumes. And they made it look easy.
“Well let me tell you, it’s not. I talked my boyfriend into letting me borrow his sister’s skates, and we went down to the river, which freezes solid every year. He knew how to skate, but it was my first time. I did okay for a while, but then I hit a part in the ice that had frozen over a branch. I hadn’t seen it there, and I fell – hard – and twisted my ankle. I ended up breaking it! How stupid could I be?”
She handed Alex his plate and a glass of milk, then continued. “They put a cast on it, and it was difficult for me to get around the house, because we had a two-story house and my bedroom was upstairs. My mom made me my very own little sleeping area near the fireplace downstairs, and she waited on me hand and foot. She even read to me, like somehow my broken ankle had affected my eyesight! I think she really just enjoyed having me all to herself one last time before I grew too old to take care of, you know?”
Alex had stopped eating to watch her as she spoke. “I know she’s going to be okay this time, but it just made me realize how short life really is. One day, my dad will call, and it won’t be to tell me she’s in the hospital.”
She turned to Alex then, worry creasing the edges of her eyes. “Please take care of yourself while I’m gone, Alex. If that Alan Blunt sends a car for you, you just tell him you’re not going to work for them anymore. I couldn’t stand to have something happen to you while I’m away. Promise me, okay?”
Alex just looked at her. What could he say? “Sure, Jack. I promise. I won’t go if they come to get me.”
But they both knew it was a lie. He’d go, because like all the other times they came for him, he’d have no choice.