7. Chapter 7
Chapter 7
"B utter or cream cheese on your bagel?" Jules asked Grandma Rosa the next morning.
“Do I look like someone who’s watching their weight? I’ll take both. But it looks like you might need more than a coffee and a bagel to shake those cobwebs loose. Didn’t sleep well?”
“I have a lot on my mind."
Jules sat down, avoiding eye contact. If her grandma knew she’d kissed Miles last night, she didn’t let on. Jules was grateful. She didn’t need to think about it anymore, let alone talk about it.
During the dark depths of the night, she vowed to go against her nature and let things with Miles play out. The last time she tried to control their situation, it didn’t turn out so well. She didn’t want to make that mistake again. And if the time ever felt right, they’d talk about what really happened on prom night, but it didn’t need to be forced. They’d only kissed once since she’d been back; it didn’t mean anything.
“What are your plans for today?” asked Grandma Rosa, placing a bagel spread with a double schmear in front of her.
“Grabbing lunch with Mom. Care to join? We’re going to that Mexican place you love.”
Grandma Rosa shook her head, pursing her lips into a fine line as she refilled her coffee mug. Enough said. Jules dropped the subject.
Flipping her phone over, a text from Winnie popped up:
Heard you had a hot date at the old people’s home last night ;)
Word got around fast in Riverbend. Jules tried to suppress a bashful smile. She’d respond later. Maybe Winnie could help her sort through what happened. Talk some sense into her. But first, food and caffeine. Then shower and lunch with Barb. Jules would most definitely need a strong drink after that, and Winnie could always be counted on for a cheap therapy session over a chilled glass of white.
That afternoon, on the drive to meet her mother, Jules gave herself a needed pep talk. It was just lunch. If she kept the conversation neutral and surface-level only, they could avoid drama and keep lunch short.
Pulling up to the restaurant, Jules saw the old Honda already parked in front, which shocked her. They’d always joked that Barb would be late to her own funeral.
The dated yet colorful building had red painted arches over each window and playful colored paper lanterns hanging in the front entrance. Barb sat at a round two-top in the front just behind the hostess desk, chips and salsa already on the table.
“You made it!” she shouted, standing for a hug as Jules walked in.
“Did you think I’d stand you up?” Jules asked, noticing the uniform her mom was wearing. She couldn’t tell if they were scrubs or not. Odd.
“It might have crossed my mind. I wasn’t sure if she’d try to talk you out of it."
“Grandma didn’t mind,” Jules responded, stretching the truth. “Did you already order?
“No, no. I wanted to wait for you. Do you still like cheese enchiladas? I wasn’t sure…” Jules shook her head yes and suggested they split an order while perfunctorily looking at the menu to busy her hands.
“I’d like that,” Barb said, voice breaking.
Growing up, they’d come here for dinner sometimes and always shared a plate of cheese enchiladas, beans, and rice, which was enough for the two of them plus leftovers. Jules felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her as she took a long look around the restaurant.
“So, how’s Grandma doing? Getting around better?” Barb asked, avoiding eye contact.
“She seems alright, although defiant as ever and not listening to a word I say about staying off her hip.”
They exchanged quick updates and fell into a pleasant conversation while they waited for their food.
“Where are you living now?” Jules asked, placing her napkin in her lap. She wanted to know more about the uniform but decided to take it slow. Barb sat up a little straighter, as if she’d prepared for this question.
“In Naperville. I have a tiny one-bedroom condo in a cute complex near the ice arena, if you know where that is.”
“I think I remember it,” Jules responded as the waiter delivered their order.
“Snuggles loves it. She watches all the kiddos coming and going from the window in our living room that overlooks the parking lot.”
“Snuggles?”
“My cat,” she said, lips turning up into a genuine smile, the kind that shows all your teeth. “I got her about six months ago. The apartment felt lonely.”
Jules almost choked on her enchilada.
“You mean you live alone? No boyfriend?”
“No boyfriend. Just me and Snuggles."
This was news to Jules. All her life, her mom jumped from one relationship to the next. The only time she didn’t have a boyfriend was when she was living back home, which never lasted long.
“Wow. So, what are you doing for work, then?” Jules pointed to her uniform.
“I’m working as an assistant in an animal hospital and taking night classes to become a veterinary tech. I’m hoping they’ll hire me on full-time after I graduate. I really love it." Barb fiddled with the napkin in her lap.
“That’s great, Mom."
Now the uniform made sense, although Jules was stunned that she had stuck with a job for this long. Maybe Grandma Rosa had it wrong this time. Or it could just be another one of Barb’s phases. Either way, Jules figured that it didn’t hurt to be supportive.
“Anyway, enough about me. Tell me all about D.C. and your job,” Barb said, waving her hand in the air.
Jules gave her a quick rundown of her life, realizing there wasn’t much to share. She had a simple routine that consisted of work, the gym, and an occasional happy hour or swanky work-related dinner event. She liked the reliable consistency of it all. But from the sound of it, Barb was doing a better job at working towards her dreams and creating a life she loved than Jules.
Their lunch lasted longer than either of them expected. After filling each other in on the current state of their lives, the conversation turned towards Grandma Rosa’s fall. Jules knew the broad strokes of what happened, but Rosa refused to talk about it. Barb knew the full story. She was still on Grandma Rosa’s emergency contact list, so the hospital had called her when it happened, but Rosa had refused to talk. That’s when Val stepped in and kept Barb informed on the side.
Barb shared that Grandma Rosa had hired a landscaping service a few months back to take care of the yard. Mowing, weeding, edging, the things Grandpa Lou always did. On one of their service visits, the lawn mower ran into the wooden birdhouse Grandpa Lou had made in his wood shop years ago, breaking it into pieces.
Hearing the commotion, Grandma Rosa rushed out her front door, upset and ready to raise hell. She lost her footing and fell down the concrete steps, landing on her hip. When the ambulance arrived, her fury had turned to tears. She called Val on the ride to the hospital, sobbing into the phone about the birdhouse. For thirty years, Grandpa Lou had painted and resealed it every summer for the birds to enjoy.
The story broke Jules’ heart. She’d never seen her grandma cry. She was always the strong, stoic type. Even at the memorial service, Rosa stood at the end of the receiving line, stone-faced and unflinching the entire time. Of course, Jules knew she was hurting, but it wasn’t until now that she understood the extent of her grief. Jules wondered if she’d ever get to experience an enduring love like that.
After paying their bill, the two walked together to their cars.
“Thank you for meeting me today. I know there’s a lot left unsaid between us, but I’m hoping we can try to work through it." Barb ran her fingers through her short brown hair. “I want to be in your life, Jules.”
Fidgeting with her keys, Jules wavered. She’d heard a version of this so many times over the years, but it never stuck. Barb always went back to prioritizing her wants over everything else, including Jules.
Today, though, felt different. Barb seemed different. Ignoring her instinct, Jules enveloped her mom in a hug. A real hug this time. She wasn’t ready to forgive her, but she could start by acknowledging her efforts to be a better person. They’d see where things led.
After their goodbyes, they made tentative plans to see each other again before Jules went back to D.C. at the end of the month.
As she turned into the drive of the old red brick house, Jules’ phone rang, which it hadn’t done in days. During a normal day, she talked to Becca or the secretary multiple times on the phone if they weren’t in person together.
Picking up after two rings, she heard Winnie on the other end.
“Why is Miles texting me, asking for your number? What did I miss over the last forty-eight hours? Are you ignoring my texts?”
Jules sighed. Why did things always get so complicated when she came home? She wasn’t used to this type of first-hand interrogation of her personal life, although she could use Winnie’s advice.
“Hey there. Can I come over? I’ll bring wine.”
Being the great friend she is, Winnie agreed before remembering she should check with her partner first. Thankfully, Emily gave an enthusiastic, “Of course! We’ll make it a girls’ night,” in the background.
Jules told them she’d be over after getting her grandma settled for the evening and picking up the promised wine.
Making her way back through the house to the kitchen, she smelled food cooking and knew her grandma was already working on dinner, to Jules’ frustration.
“I know, I know, I should be resting,” she said, standing at the stove before Jules could say a word. “But my physical therapist also said that I needed to move a few hours a day, so that’s what I’m doing.”
“Ok, I’ll allow it this time. But this better not mean you’re kicking me out of the kitchen for the rest of the time I’m here,” Jules said. “We still have three weeks together. I need to stay busy!”
“I know someone who could keep you busy, if only you weren’t so stubborn,” Grandma Rosa said with a tilt of her head.
“Grandma!” Jules exclaimed in horror.
“What? I’m old, not dead. Everyone with decent eyesight can see Miles is fit. Not to mention those muscles. I imagine he would look great without a shirt.”
Jules groaned. She hated talking about anything sexual with her grandma. It just felt wrong, but Grandma Rosa didn’t seem to care. She always had a bit of a dirty mind.
“I’m going to choose to ignore you said that.”
“It’s what you’re good at.”
“Alright, well, since you just want to poke fun at me, I’m going to go to Winnie’s and drink some wine. Looks like you have dinner covered. Do you think you can manage the stairs by yourself, Miss Independent?”
Grandma Rosa turned from the pot she was stirring, giving Jules a narrowed look.
“Baby girl, I’ve been going up and down those stairs by myself since the day after I got back home. I just needed you to feel helpful.”
“Wonderful,” was all Jules said as she stood to kiss her grandma on the cheek and headed back out towards the car.
“Don’t drink and drive,” Grandma Rosa shouted after her.
***
Junk food sprawled across the living room table as Jules entered, holding two bottles of wine up like a gift at the altar. They didn’t mess around on “girls’ night.”
Glasses poured, shoes kicked off, and bags of Lays opened, they settled in for a few hours of chit chat and laughs. It felt like the old days when Winnie and Jules would have sleepovers, taking over Winnie’s basement for the night and camping out in mounds of comforters with candy and soda always on hand.
“I don’t want to be nosey, but tell us everything,” said Winnie, popping M she didn’t want to appear desperate. Plus, candied corn was gross.
The rest of the evening flew by as they ate their way through the mound of food, and Jules and Winnie drank the two bottles dry. Jules noticed Emily still had the same glass from when she first arrived.
They talked about upcoming travel plans; Winnie and Emily were taking a trip to Italy next month. Jules shared her lunch date with her mother, and they both encouraged her to give Barb some grace. Emily’s mother, who she wasn’t close with, passed away unexpectedly last year, so she knew what regret felt like since they never had a great relationship, either.
The night felt cozy and warm, like they were wrapped in a cocoon sitting in the snug living room on a worn but comfortable cornflower blue couch that matched the curtains. Jules hadn’t realized how much she’d needed time with her best friend.
Just as Jules’ got ready to pack it in for the night and call an Uber, her phone vibrated. It was a text from Miles.
I’d love to. Pick you up around six?
“Is that Miles?” Winnie chirped as she watched Jules try to suppress a grin.
“He’s in for Friday,” Jules responded, not looking up from the screen. She couldn’t trust her face not to betray her even more. Be chill , she told herself. You’re a thirty-year-old woman, for God’s sake, this isn’t high school anymore.
“Great! We can meet you both there then."
They sorted the details as Jules collected her shoes.
“I can take you home,” said Emily. “I haven’t been drinking, so no need to call an Uber.” An obvious look passed between Winnie and Emily as she said this.
“What’s going on?” Jules asked, darting her eyes between them.
“Go ahead, tell her. I know you’re dying to,” Emily told Winnie, lips pursed in a bashful smile.
Winnie seized the opportunity, blurting, “We’ve been doing IVF.”
“Wow. That’s amazing news.” Jules wrapped her arms around them for a group hug. She had known Winnie wanted to be a mother someday, and they were at the age when people started families, so she shouldn’t have been that surprised.
“But can’t you drink when you’re doing IVF?” Jules asked, a bit confused.
Pulling back from the hug, Winnie broke out in a huge smile. “We went for a blood test this morning. It was positive.”
Emily wrapped her arms around Winnie’s waist, pulling her close. They looked so happy in that moment. When they were younger, Winnie would talk about her future kids as if they were a sure thing, but now it was real.
“It’s still early, though. We haven’t told anyone yet, so please don’t share with anyone else,” Emily said to temper expectations, although Jules could tell Winnie had high hopes. No matter what happened, she knew they would be great parents and told them so.
“Now, let’s get you home before you turn into a pumpkin,” Emily joked, hyper aware of the conversation taking a turn towards the status of her uterus and private bits.
On the ride home, Jules responded to Miles with a quick, “ Sounds good. See you then ,” and told herself to relax. She had to stop thinking about him or else she’d get no sleep tonight.