Cassie moved the table over the bed and handed Mother the spoon. She took it and just stared at the oatmeal.
“C’mon, Arianna,” Daddy urged, moving to the bed. “Eat something.”
She looked at him, took a deep breath, and started to eat. Daddy smiled at Cassie. She flashed me a look of satisfaction and pride.
“Why don’t you go change and relax for a little while before dinner, Daddy?” she told him. “I’ll stay with Mother. I made one of your favorite meals tonight. It’s a surprise.”
Daddy shook his head. “You’re a wonder, Cassie.” He watched Mother eat for a few more moments and then nodded. “I’ll step back in before going down to dinner.”
When he turned to leave, he seemed to just then realize I was there, too.
“Hey, Semantha, how was your day?”
“Very good, Daddy. Everything’s fine.”
“Great. Uncle Perry will visit this weekend. I told him it would be all right. Might do her some good, too. She’s very fond of Perry,” he said, and left.
I looked at Cassie. She wasn’t smiling anymore.
She pushed the toast on the tray to remind Mother it was there. Mother ate but didn’t look at us or say anything. Suddenly, she stopped. Her face looked as if it was shattering.
“Look at me,” she said. “Look what’s happened to me.”
“Oh Mother, you’ll get better,” I said quickly. “You’ll get stronger and better very soon.”
“Of course, she will,” Cassie said, looking at her. “She wouldn’t want to live if she would be like this forever.”
Mother looked up at her and nodded.
I knew Cassie was saying that to make Mother eat and try, but the way she said it made me shudder inside. It was as if the two of them had made some hellish bargain, some pact. Cassie smiled at me and winked.
Later, after Mother had eaten and I was carrying the tray out, Cassie walked beside me.
“That’s tough love,” she said. “See? She ate it all. You just don’t stand moaning and crying and making a pool of pity around her bed. You let her know that she can’t wallow in this ‘Oh, woe is me’ attitude too long. Understand?”
“Yes,” I said. I really didn’t, but I knew she wanted to hear that.
“Good. At dinner, we’ll ask Daddy about your Friday night date. I wouldn’t want you to get too serious with that boy, but you need to get out of here for a while and have some normal fun with people your age. It will help you deal with all of this more easily, and that will help me.”
I nodded, happy about that but also feeling as if I, too, had made some sort of hellish bargain.
The Accident
MOTHER MADE ONLY small improvements by Friday. She was up and about but apparently, from what Cassie told us, got tired quickly. Her disposition didn’t seem to improve much, either. It wasn’t that she was wallowing in self-pity so much as she looked lost, confused. Even when she looked at me, I had the creepy feeling she didn’t know who I was. I wanted to say something to Daddy. Perhaps her medicine was too strong. When I suggested that to Cassie, she got very angry.
“That’s all you have to do now is worry him. Did you see him yesterday? He wasn’t even able to eat dinner with all that’s happening. People are calling him constantly. We’re three days away from the gala opening. Besides, she’s only taking what the doctor prescribed.”
&n
bsp; “I’m worried, that’s all,” I said.
“And what am I, some moron?”
“No, but …”
“Go get ready for your hot movie date, Semantha.”
“You really think I should go?”