But then her eyes flutter closed. And just like that, she’s asleep.
My hands are still shaking as I leave the room. I wanted to include my mother in my show, but I can see now her dementia is too advanced. I can’t attempt it again.
Dr. Williams sees how upset I am. He’s perceptive about things like that. He puts a hand on my shoulder again. “You can’t let it get to you, April. You’re doing the right thing.”
I nod, not trusting myself to speak. Peggy is watching us and it makes me uncomfortable.
“It sounds like her paranoia is getting worse. I’m going to increase her scheduled antipsychotics.” He takes a set of notes out of the pocket of his white coat and scribbles something down. “Hopefully she’ll do better with that.”
“Dr. Williams,” I say, “isn’t there anything we can do for her memory? Aren’t there any treatments? A clinical trial she can be enrolled in? Anything?”
He shakes his head. “I’m afraid the treatments for dementia right now aren’t great. We’ve already got her on Aricept and Namenda, and I haven’t noticed any improvement. I think right now the best thing we can do for her is to manage her agitation. Before she hurts somebody… or herself.”
“Okay… if you say so…”
He squeezes my shoulder. “Hang in there, April. I promise you this is the best thing for her. Don’t beat yourself up.”
I look in the room again, and my mother is now sound asleep. She looks peaceful. Dr. Williams is right. This is the best thing.
_____
Before I leave Shady Oaks, I say goodbye to all the nurses and make sure they all try some of my cheesecake bites, and I let them know that the remainder of the no-bake cheesecake is in the fridge. The nurses at Shady Oaks are absolutely wonderful, and they take amazing care of my mother. I try to let them know how appreciated they are.
Elliot sometimes tells me I go overboard bringing treats for everyone, but I love doing it, and honestly, who doesn’t like treats? Everyone appreciates it. And it’s what I do.
When I get to the reception area, Delilah gives me a big smile. “So how did the filming go?”
“It got a little dicey,” I admit. “My mom just wasn’t… She was having a bad day.” I swallow a lump in my throat. “Maybe she’s getting too sick to do the shows.”
“Oh, April…” Delilah reaches out to pat my hand. “You know how it is. There are good days and bad days. Dr. Williams will take care of her.”
“I know. You’re right.”
Bobby is sitting quietly next to Delilah, drawing something that looks like a dinosaur fighting a ninja turtle. His tongue is sticking out of his mouth as he concentrates. He looks a lot like Elliot at this moment. Which makes me miss my husband. I feel like I’ve been seeing him even less than usual lately.
And then an idea occurs to me. Something that will cheer me up after this disastrous afternoon.
“Hey, Bobby,” I say. “Do you want to go stop by Dad’s work? It’s on the way home. And you haven’t seen his office in years.”
Bobby’s eyes light up. “Yeah!”
I’m relieved. It was equally likely that he would think my idea was boring and lame.
It’s a great plan. Brianna has been a total bitch to me, but she’ll be nice to Bobby. She won’t keep Bobby from seeing his father.
We hop back in the car and make the ten-minute drive to Elliot’s office. I arrive at the parking lot of the building that houses Elliot’s office just after four o’clock. It’s good timing—he should be done with all his meetings for the day.
Just as I’m parking in the lot, I see a couple standing right outside the building. It takes me a second to recognize my husband and his beautiful blond secretary. I kill the engine and watch them for a moment through my windshield.
He’s standing incredibly close to her. They’re talking softly, and at one point, she reaches out and straightens his tie. It’s such an intimate gesture.
Then Elliot makes a beeline for his car, gets inside, and drives off.
“Mom, aren’t we getting out of the car?”
Bobby has gotten out of his booster seat and he’s fumbling with the door lock. “Don’t open the door!” I snap at him.
His eyes grow wide. “Why can’t I open the door?”
Brianna is standing outside the building, just watching Elliot’s car drive off. There’s a distinctly proprietary expression on her pretty features.
“Why aren’t we getting out of the car?” Bobby demands to know.
“I…” I swallow a lump in my throat. “It turns out Dad isn’t here. We’re going home.”
Bobby cries in protest, but I don’t care. I start up my engine and get the hell out of there.
Chapter 21
Dear residents of Pine Street,
Just a reminder for those of you with pets or who are considering purchasing pets:
There are no loud noises such as barking permitted on the block after 10 PM.
Please don’t leave fecal matter from your dog on the street for the rest of us to clean up.
Pets should never be outside of the house without a leash. If they are in your backyard, I would expect them to be tied to a tree by their leash.
There is a limit to one dog per household.
Prior to purchasing a pet, you must submit a written application to the block captain （Julie Bressler）。 Your application must include the breed, weight, and size of the animal.
Sincerely,
Julie Bressler, Block Captain
This afternoon, Sean took the boys to the park to practice soccer.
I felt a bit uneasy about the whole thing, because Maria and Sean have been treating me somewhat coldly lately. I don’t know why, because I’m perfectly nice to them both. It seems like Maria goes out of her way to avoid me lately.
Anyway, Maria is at work this afternoon, so it was just Sean and the boys. And Bobby was so excited about it, there was no way I could say no.
Also, the fall carnival is next weekend, and between helping organize that and squeezing in an extra episode of Sweet Secrets to make up for the one I didn’t get to do at the nursing home, I’ve been overwhelmed. Two of our volunteers just backed out this week, so right now, I’m going to be selling tickets and also running the bake sale. And of course, I’ve got the silent auction to worry about. Helping with this carnival is a job in itself.
On the plus side, I haven’t gotten any more mysterious text messages. Maybe whoever was harassing me decided I’ve had enough.
After spending the whole afternoon making calls to some of our sponsors and confirming the inflatable company got their payment, I decide to relax a bit with some baking. I pull out my recipe for a pineapple upside-down cake, which I haven’t made in ages. I absolutely love pineapple upside-down cake. The buttery, brown sugary pineapple juice that seeps down into the cake from the slices on top make the cakes so moist, soft, and buttery. I did a show on pineapple upside-down cake last year. My secret is using tons of butter, and also substituting pineapple juice in the recipe for water.
And as luck would have it, it’s cooling off just as it’s time to pick up Bobby from the Cooper house.
I put the upside-down cake onto a plate and carry it over to the Cooper house. I remember how excited Sean was over my apple turnovers, so I figure he’ll really enjoy this. Nothing makes me happier than somebody who loves my cooking.