Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
In her absence, I took over what she’d been doing, cutting out the dumplings, since I’d finished preparing the chicken on my side. But I was probably messing everything up, as I couldn’t really pay attention since she’d taken that phone call. My imagination ran wild as I mindlessly went through the motions.
When Nicole returned, she stormed over to me. “What are you doing? That’s my job.”
“Well, if you’d been paying attention instead of talking to your boyfriend, I wouldn’t have had to step in,” I said bitterly.
“You don’t know who I was talking to,” she murmured. She washed her hands before shoving herself in front of me to take over on the task.
I hadn’t thought it possible for the mood in this kitchen to get more tense than before, but it had.
When we’d finished preparations and had the meal cooking in the pot, I went to check on Mimi. She was sleeping, so I opted to take an early-evening walk for some much-needed fresh air to clear my head. It had been damn hot in that kitchen.
As I reached the sidewalk, the sun was setting on what had felt like a really long day. It seemed like just yesterday that I’d roamed the streets of this town, filled with so much hope for the future. I’d achieved all the professional success in the world, but I now knew that meant shit if your personal life was in shambles. No amount of public success can ever make you happy.
After returning from my walk, I peeked into Mimi’s room and found her awake. Dinner had to be ready by now, too.
I greeted Mimi and went into the kitchen to find Nicole, who was standing by the stove.
“I’m gonna lift her out of bed and bring her to the kitchen for dinner,” I said.
She shook her head. “You can’t do that.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I told you she was bedbound, I meant it. Mimi says it hurts to even sit up in a chair.”
My eyes narrowed. “She doesn’t get out of bed at all?”
“The physical therapist has tried, but Mimi can’t do it.”
That made me sad. There was a lot I didn’t understand about this situation. “Well, then we’ll bring dinner to her.”
I wracked my brain for a way to make this a nice dinner in Mimi’s bedroom. I eventually found a couple of TV trays in the corner of the living room and set them up next to her bed. Nicole brought in the pot, plates, and utensils, putting everything on trivets on top of the bureau.
“Tell me when it feels comfortable,” I told her as I moved her adjustable bed to an upright position.
“That’s fine,” she finally answered. “You have to feed me like a baby because it hurts to lean forward.” Mimi snorted. “Isn’t that nice? Funny how we end life the same way we started. Completely helpless.”
“It’s all good, Mimi.” I placed a small towel over her lap. “I’ve got you.”
Nicole prepared a plate and handed it to me. Steam from the hot chicken and sauce rose from the dish. I blew on the food for a while before slowly moving the fork toward Mimi’s mouth. “I hope this is edible.”
Mimi leaned in as best she could and took a bite. As she chewed, it felt like the longest minute of my life. I really hoped we hadn’t fucked this up.
“How is it?” Nicole asked.
Mimi spoke with her mouth full. “You didn’t happen to forget salt, did you?”
Nicole and I looked at each other.
I shut my eyes. “Shit!”
“Language, Atticus,” Mimi scolded.
I’d been in charge of the spices in the sauce, but I hadn’t been able to think straight after Nicole took that phone call. “Sorry, Mimi. I did forget the freaking salt.”
She licked the corner of her mouth. “It’s delicious, otherwise,” she said, chewing very slowly.
I wiped sweat from my forehead. “Well, I’m glad you think so.”
Nicole went to get a salt shaker, adding some salt to her grandmother’s dish.
Mimi managed to finish the entire plate, which brought me great satisfaction.
“On a scale of one to ten, how did we do?” I asked her.
She hesitated. “Seven, not using the salt against you. Take that as a compliment.”
I had no idea if she was telling the truth. “Next time I’ll strive for ten.”
We served ourselves afterward and ate our dinner at Mimi’s bedside while she ate a pre-packaged ice cream cone for dessert.
After we’d finished, Nicole and I went to the kitchen and cleaned up in silence.
“Nice going on the salt,” she teased. It was the first thing she’d said to me in a while.
“I didn’t forget. I just figured you were salty enough for both of us today.” I flashed her a wicked grin.
Rather than replying, she smiled. And it physically hurt to be on the receiving end of that. I would’ve preferred that she snap back with an insult. There was nothing more painful than her smile directed at me. And the harsh truth was, for every smile she might give me, I knew she’d shed far more tears as a result of my decisions.