Chapter 5
We all had a wonderful dinner despite the absence of Anthony. Erin was very quiet throughout the whole first course of lasagna and Caesar salad. I tried to involve her in the conversation but she just didn't want to talk.
Hope and Greg had a great time together. They wanted to leave the table after only eating a few bites of the salad and lasagna was Hope's favourite! I let them leave the table after they ate the rest of their salad. They ran straight for the playroom.
Tyler stood up while Rachel was serving desert.
"Don't you want any cheesecake?" Derek asked him.
"No, I'm going to go call Keely," he said. He glanced at me before leaving the room.
We were eating the delicious cherry cheesecake when the phone rang. Erin's face lit up with hope. I could tell she hoped it was Anthony saying he was on his way for desert. I knew it wouldn't be him. Rachel answered the phone in the kitchen. She poked her head out the door. She had a weird look on her face, as if she knew exactly how I would react to this call and it wasn't going to be good.
"Skye, you better come in here," she said.
I stood up quickly. What could be wrong now? I wondered.
"It's Maxine Jamieson," she whispered, her hand covering the mouthpiece on the phone. I gasped in surprise. I hadn't spoken with my grandmother in almost ten year. Why would she be calling me now?
"Thank you Rachel," I took the phone from her.
"Hello?" I said.
"Skye, there you are," Maxine's voice said back to me, "I've been looking all over for you,"
"You have?" I asked surprised.
"Yes, yes, you just left the night Trevor died, I was left all alone here, all alone," she babbled. She didn't sound well. She sounded like she was confused and disoriented.
"Are you ok Maxine?" I asked a little worried. She was my paternal Grandmother after all.
"No, I want you to come here," she said.
"What?" I whispered, "I don't think that's a good-"
"Oh never mind, you are coming here to visit me, I'm not going to last much longer you know, it could be any day now, I could croak any day," she said.
I just stood in my kitchen in silence. I had no desire to visit Maxine. I didn't want to go back to Toronto. I didn't know if I could handle seeing my old room. The room where Trevor and I first made love. I had loved Trevor and I didn't want to bring painful memories back up.
Suddenly another voice was on the phone, "Mrs. Jamieson is too tired to talk," she said. She had a low voice that I didn't recognize. At first I thought it might be Dena, the maid, but her voice wasn't so low.
"Who are you?" I blurted out rudely.
"I'm Ms. Jenkins, Mrs. Jamieson's nurse," she answered.
"Nurse?" I asked. Maxine had always been healthy as a horse, she never even got so much as a cough in the four year I had lived with her. She had always been so strong, she wouldn't let something as pathetic as a cold get her down.
"Yes, she wants me to tell you to come and visit her, she isn't well and she doesn't have much time left here, she needs to talk to you, you are her last family member left that she cares to see," Ms Jenkins recited. It sounded like she was reading it from a script that Maxine had written for her. I wouldn't have been surprised if that were true.
"I have to talk to my husband, can I get back to you?" I asked. I was feeling a little overwhelmed. It never crossed my mind that Maxine might try to contact me, I had always pushed that possibility far, far away.
"Call tomorrow or I will call you," she said and hung up. I stared at the receiver in shock.
Rachel came into the kitchen and saw the look on my face. She was carrying the desert dishes, which she quickly dumped in the sink and came over to me.
"What happened?" she asked, concerned.
"Maxine wants me to come visit," I told her what the maid said to me, "I don't know if I can go back there Rachel,"
"How strange that she would call you now after all these years," she said. Rachel knew everything that had happened before I came to live in Duncan when I was eighteen. She had been my best friend when I arrived in a new town knowing no one.
I nodded, "I have to speak with Derek," I said. I hurried out to the dining room where Erin and Derek were chatting.
"Derek I have to talk to you," I said.
He looked at me with a concerned look on his face .I never barged in on people or interrupted conversations. He knew that the person on the phone had upset me.
"I'll get Greg, we came show ourselves out, thank you for dinner," Erin said standing up.
I nodded at her. Rachel went to watch Hope while I spoke with my husband. We went into the den and sat down.
"What is it Skye?" he asked.
"Maxine wants us to come visit," I said quietly. I told him everything she and the nurse had said to me.
He sat in silence for a minute. He was just as surprised as I was that she had found me up here. She had never made any effort before to find me as far as I knew.
"Well I guess we will go next week," he said simply.
"What?" I cried in surprise. I thought he would refuse to go back there.
"She needs you, she doesn't want to die alone, that's all," Derek explained. He squeezed my hand.
"I.I guess you're right," I relented. Derek was so much more considerate than I was. I hadn't even thought about the possibility that she didn't want to be alone anymore. How could I have been so selfish?
"We'll take Hope and Tyler with us, Hope should meet her great Grandmother," Derek said.
I nodded uncertainly. I didn't want Hope in that house. So many bad things had happened there. I didn't want anything bad to happen to my daughter.
"It'll be fine," Derek told me.
We sat on the couch together for a long while. I was very nervous about going back to La Vie. I didn't want to remember what had gone on there before. It was all too painful. I could hardly remember one good thing that had happened there. Anthony had made a shrine dedicated to me and gone crazy. Gregory had jumped off the balcony and killed himself.
Hope came into the room after awhile. She was in her little pink Barbie pajamas. Her dark hair had been brushed out neatly. She ran into Derek's arms and giggled when he threw her into the air.
We carried her up to bed together and tucked her into her huge bed with Barbie covers. She hugged her white teddy bear close to her and stared up at us innocently.
"We are going to visit your great Grandmother next week," I told her.
"I have a Grandma?" she asked, her eyes widening.
"She's my Grandmother, your Great Grandmother," I told her smiling. She didn't know any relatives other that Greg, Erin, Derek and I. She called Rachel and Wesley her aunt and uncle.
Maybe it would be good for her to see her relative.
I could only hope I was doing the right thing by taking her to La Vie.
We all had a wonderful dinner despite the absence of Anthony. Erin was very quiet throughout the whole first course of lasagna and Caesar salad. I tried to involve her in the conversation but she just didn't want to talk.
Hope and Greg had a great time together. They wanted to leave the table after only eating a few bites of the salad and lasagna was Hope's favourite! I let them leave the table after they ate the rest of their salad. They ran straight for the playroom.
Tyler stood up while Rachel was serving desert.
"Don't you want any cheesecake?" Derek asked him.
"No, I'm going to go call Keely," he said. He glanced at me before leaving the room.
We were eating the delicious cherry cheesecake when the phone rang. Erin's face lit up with hope. I could tell she hoped it was Anthony saying he was on his way for desert. I knew it wouldn't be him. Rachel answered the phone in the kitchen. She poked her head out the door. She had a weird look on her face, as if she knew exactly how I would react to this call and it wasn't going to be good.
"Skye, you better come in here," she said.
I stood up quickly. What could be wrong now? I wondered.
"It's Maxine Jamieson," she whispered, her hand covering the mouthpiece on the phone. I gasped in surprise. I hadn't spoken with my grandmother in almost ten year. Why would she be calling me now?
"Thank you Rachel," I took the phone from her.
"Hello?" I said.
"Skye, there you are," Maxine's voice said back to me, "I've been looking all over for you,"
"You have?" I asked surprised.
"Yes, yes, you just left the night Trevor died, I was left all alone here, all alone," she babbled. She didn't sound well. She sounded like she was confused and disoriented.
"Are you ok Maxine?" I asked a little worried. She was my paternal Grandmother after all.
"No, I want you to come here," she said.
"What?" I whispered, "I don't think that's a good-"
"Oh never mind, you are coming here to visit me, I'm not going to last much longer you know, it could be any day now, I could croak any day," she said.
I just stood in my kitchen in silence. I had no desire to visit Maxine. I didn't want to go back to Toronto. I didn't know if I could handle seeing my old room. The room where Trevor and I first made love. I had loved Trevor and I didn't want to bring painful memories back up.
Suddenly another voice was on the phone, "Mrs. Jamieson is too tired to talk," she said. She had a low voice that I didn't recognize. At first I thought it might be Dena, the maid, but her voice wasn't so low.
"Who are you?" I blurted out rudely.
"I'm Ms. Jenkins, Mrs. Jamieson's nurse," she answered.
"Nurse?" I asked. Maxine had always been healthy as a horse, she never even got so much as a cough in the four year I had lived with her. She had always been so strong, she wouldn't let something as pathetic as a cold get her down.
"Yes, she wants me to tell you to come and visit her, she isn't well and she doesn't have much time left here, she needs to talk to you, you are her last family member left that she cares to see," Ms Jenkins recited. It sounded like she was reading it from a script that Maxine had written for her. I wouldn't have been surprised if that were true.
"I have to talk to my husband, can I get back to you?" I asked. I was feeling a little overwhelmed. It never crossed my mind that Maxine might try to contact me, I had always pushed that possibility far, far away.
"Call tomorrow or I will call you," she said and hung up. I stared at the receiver in shock.
Rachel came into the kitchen and saw the look on my face. She was carrying the desert dishes, which she quickly dumped in the sink and came over to me.
"What happened?" she asked, concerned.
"Maxine wants me to come visit," I told her what the maid said to me, "I don't know if I can go back there Rachel,"
"How strange that she would call you now after all these years," she said. Rachel knew everything that had happened before I came to live in Duncan when I was eighteen. She had been my best friend when I arrived in a new town knowing no one.
I nodded, "I have to speak with Derek," I said. I hurried out to the dining room where Erin and Derek were chatting.
"Derek I have to talk to you," I said.
He looked at me with a concerned look on his face .I never barged in on people or interrupted conversations. He knew that the person on the phone had upset me.
"I'll get Greg, we came show ourselves out, thank you for dinner," Erin said standing up.
I nodded at her. Rachel went to watch Hope while I spoke with my husband. We went into the den and sat down.
"What is it Skye?" he asked.
"Maxine wants us to come visit," I said quietly. I told him everything she and the nurse had said to me.
He sat in silence for a minute. He was just as surprised as I was that she had found me up here. She had never made any effort before to find me as far as I knew.
"Well I guess we will go next week," he said simply.
"What?" I cried in surprise. I thought he would refuse to go back there.
"She needs you, she doesn't want to die alone, that's all," Derek explained. He squeezed my hand.
"I.I guess you're right," I relented. Derek was so much more considerate than I was. I hadn't even thought about the possibility that she didn't want to be alone anymore. How could I have been so selfish?
"We'll take Hope and Tyler with us, Hope should meet her great Grandmother," Derek said.
I nodded uncertainly. I didn't want Hope in that house. So many bad things had happened there. I didn't want anything bad to happen to my daughter.
"It'll be fine," Derek told me.
We sat on the couch together for a long while. I was very nervous about going back to La Vie. I didn't want to remember what had gone on there before. It was all too painful. I could hardly remember one good thing that had happened there. Anthony had made a shrine dedicated to me and gone crazy. Gregory had jumped off the balcony and killed himself.
Hope came into the room after awhile. She was in her little pink Barbie pajamas. Her dark hair had been brushed out neatly. She ran into Derek's arms and giggled when he threw her into the air.
We carried her up to bed together and tucked her into her huge bed with Barbie covers. She hugged her white teddy bear close to her and stared up at us innocently.
"We are going to visit your great Grandmother next week," I told her.
"I have a Grandma?" she asked, her eyes widening.
"She's my Grandmother, your Great Grandmother," I told her smiling. She didn't know any relatives other that Greg, Erin, Derek and I. She called Rachel and Wesley her aunt and uncle.
Maybe it would be good for her to see her relative.
I could only hope I was doing the right thing by taking her to La Vie.