Chapter 2
Norma pushed open her front door with the heel of her toe, cradling two massive grocery bags against her chest.
'Norman?' she yelled. 'Are you home?'
No answer.
That boy was always home, expect for when she needed him. Probably out gallivanting with that little minx - Bradley.
Norma put the groceries away, made a steaming hot cup of coffee and sat in front of the computer. She searched the online job boards for work. There were a few new jobs that looked promising, and this made her re-consider whether taking Miranda's offer was really such a good idea. The whole thing seemed a bit 'off'. She applied for the positions that she liked. Afterwards, she just sat there staring at her email waiting for a reply. She felt pathetic. With some effort, she pushed her chair back and walked away from the faceless robot. She looked up at the clock. It was almost 5pm. A bit early to start making dinner, but she needed a distraction.
Dylan had rung her earlier that week. He told her that he had something he wanted to discuss with her and was coming over tonight. She was making a ground beef casserole. Later she would bake a pecan pie. It was her mother's old recipe. Before her illness set it she used to be a very good cook. She recalled her mother humming a little tune now and again when she was baking. It was one of the only fond memories Norma had of her.
The telephone rang from the hall. Norma quickly wiped her hands on the tea towel and run to get it. It could be a job, she thought and a thrill of excitement ran through her.
'Good evening, Norma Bates speaking,' she said, trying to sound professional.
'Hello?' came a woman's voice. She couldn't hear her properly; the line was fuzzy.
'Yes, hello?' Norma walked closer to the front door, stretching the old telephone cord as far as it would go, trying to get reception. 'Sorry I can't hear you very well.'
'Hello? IT'S MARIA-LUISA. CAN YOU HEAR ME?' the woman shrilled and Norma held the phone away from her ear.
Norma felt disappointed. She wanted work. But not this work. Miranda told her that Maria-Luisa would call, but Norma didn't think that she had meant the very next day.
'Yes,' Norma replied in a flat voice. 'I can hear you now.'
'Sorry I'm calling from Columbia. Is this a good time to talk?'
Norma told her it was okay.
'Are you sure?' she affirmed.
'Yes. I can talk.'
'Miranda tells me that you are going to be taking care of Mr Romero?' She spoke in a small voice.
Norma wound the telephone cord round her index finger. 'Umm...Actually I'm not sure if I have the time Maria,' she lied.
'But I was under the impression that you were currently unemployed? Miranda told me that you were interested.'
'Yes, I'm not working at the moment, but I run a motel and I'm a full-time mom!'
'Money is no issue. I'm sure Miranda told you.'
'No! It's more than enough.'
Miranda had reassured her that she'd see about getting some sort of contract in place.
Norma hesitated, then said, 'I'd like to see something in writing.'
There was a long, awkward pause. 'We rather not Norma. It makes everything too formal. We're one big family, you see. And you would, in time, become part of our little clan.'
Part of their family? A clan? Like in vampire movies? Who were these people? Norma didn't know what to say.
'I'll need an answer by tomorrow night,' Maria-Luisa said, her tongue a little sharper.
'Yes, okay,' she said.
Just then Norma remembered something. 'Sorry - what is the matter with...Mr Romero?' Norma asked.
But her question was met with silence. Maria-Luisa had hung up.
Norma couldn't believe that she had failed to ask the one most important question - What on earth was wrong with Alex Romero?
A list of illnesses formed in her mind's eye.
· the C word. She was not equipped to deal with a cancer patient. It could be terminal. Would she need to arrange a funeral? Norma stopped dicing the tomatoes and clapped a hand over her mouth. What an awful thing to think, she thought to herself.
· Parapelgic...or a quadripelgic. That would require extensive home modifications. The spiral staircase might be a problem. One of many.
· Dementia. Stacey from the diner had told her that her grandmother suffered from that. She would forget that she had to go to the toilet halfway there. 'Wet herself the poor thing,' Stacey had whispered sadly.
· A Psychopath. In the dead of the night he would come in and...
Suddenly Norma heard footsteps. She turned around, her hand covering her racing heart.
It was her brother.
'Caleb! You scared me half to death!'
He dropped his bag on the floor. It was covered in dirt. She had just moped the floors that morning.
'You left the door open,' he said with a shrug of his shoulders. 'You should be more careful.'
Norma rolled her eyes. 'I forgot.' Did he really care? Or were they just words to him?
He looked tired. More so than usual. He had been working nights at the dock. He had started dating Kathie Lee who worked at the nail parlour. She was 40 something, but acted like she was still in her 20s, partying at all hours with some Tom, Dick or Harry. She dressed the part too. Everything a size too tight. Everything showing. But recently she had started going to church and apparently found her way to God. She visited people's homes spreading 'God's word'. She had really tidied herself up. Looked like a 1950s housewife; something out of 'Mad Men'. But her new life came with a price tag.
Norma poured herself a glass of red. Why was he here? She turned back to the kitchen bench and continued on with her cooking. He was always hanging around these days. It made her frustrated.
'Is something the matter?' he asked.
Norma put down the knife and let out a sigh. 'Nothing Caleb. Did you want something?'
'I thought I'd come a little early to help out. I know how much effort you always put in. You're just like mom.'
Those last words touched her somehow and she turned to face him.
She hated it when he made her feel. It confused her.
'Help out with what?'
He pulled out a chair and sat down. 'Dinner.'
She furrowed her brow.
It was then that he registered that she had not invited him. 'Sorry. Dylan invited me,' he explained. 'I thought you knew Norma.'
He picked up his bag off the floor and slung it across his body. 'I'll go.'
Watching from the window she saw him leave. He walked towards the bus stop. His car must have broken down. It was old. But it did the trick. An old car was defiantly better than no car in a town where buses only came 3 times a day and foot paths were literally non-existent. She checked her wrist watch. The bus wouldn't come for about another 2 hours.
Norma grabbed her long knit cardigan off the coat stand and rushed out the front door. It was freezing and she pulled the material tighter around her body as she walked to where her brother was sitting. His shoulders were hunched over and his face was buried in his hands.
'Caleb?'
He looked up. His eyes were watering. Norma didn't know if it was from the cold temperature or because he had been crying.
'What happened to your car?'
He said nothing for a while. He just stared out onto the dirt road. And when he did speak he didn't look at her. 'I've really screwed things up Norma.'
