Chapter 30
Lucy
THE FIRST MONTH
“Absolutely not,” I laugh as Aria holds up a mustard yellow skein of yarn.
Mama Betty has been home for a week and this is the first time we’ve been able to go out since then.
Aria insisted on picking up some yarn for her to knit with, which is how we ended up here standing in the aisle of a craft store going through their yarn selection.
“Okay, okay,” she grumbles, turning back to the shelves and searching for a few more minutes before gasping, pulling out another skein, and turning back to me, holding the yarn behind her back.
“This is the one,” she says, narrowing her eyes at me, “I am one hundred percent sure. No talking me out of it.” I sigh internally, but nod. Then, she pulls out the prettiest sage green bamboo yarn and my eyes light up.
“Perfect, Cherry,” I breathe, stroking the soft fibers. I look up to see my girl blushing at the praise and my smile sharpens into something more predatory.
I stalk towards her and I can see her melt before I even reach her.
I press up onto my tiptoes and place my hand on the shelf behind her.
Our lips are mere millimeters apart, exchanging our breaths.
Hers quicken and catch with excitement and I let my lips ghost along hers, pulling back to remain just out of reach
Just as I feel her lean forward to bridge the gap, I pull back bringing a warm brown yarn forward to place in her other hand.
“These look cozy together, don’t you think?” I say, a faux casual tone to my voice as I watch her blush deepen as she tries—and fails—to compose herself.
“I—you—ugh,” she tosses four skeins of each yarn into the basket and turns away from me, back stiff as she walks down the aisle and out of my sight.
My laughter follows her around the corner as I hurry to catch up.
***
“What do you think, Aria?” I hear Mama Betty ask, presumably holding up the first few rows of the green and brown checkered blanket she is knitting as I walk into her apartment after work to find my two favorite people spending time together.
Aria is absolutely invaluable to me. She comes over to Mama Betty’s apartment every single day to spend time with her while I run Karma. I know Mama Betty loves the company and Aria feels needed. And me? I feel loved.
“Oh, that is gorgeous,” Aria answers in a hushed, awestruck tone. “I feel like I will never get the rows that straight and even.”
Mama Betty has been teaching her to knit for the last couple of weeks, since she came home, but it has been slow going. Aria gets frustrated easily, but keeps picking it back up again and again. Her perseverance make me fall even further in love.
“Hey, I’m back!” I call, fully entering the living room and greeting Mama Betty with a hug and a peck to her cheek before joining Aria on the couch and snuggling into her side. “How are my favorite humans today?”
“We are just fine, mija,” Mama Betty says soothingly, an IV stand next to her chair, ensuring she gets enough fluids. Her face is paler than it used to be and she has an air of frailty I’m not used to associating with her. Her spirit, though, remains as bright and vibrant as ever.
“What are we working on tonight, mama?” I ask.
While she is teaching Aria to knit, she is passing along her family recipes to me.
I still feel the ache in my chest when I think about the fact that she only has a short time left here with us.
At least I know she will always haunt my kitchen, especially my spice cabinet which she referred to as “woefully underutilized.”
“Empanadas,” she answers, a smile gracing her lips. “It was my Tia Rosa’s recipe. Your ceresita helped me use that app to have the ingredients delivered.” Aria blushes at being referred to as my ‘little cherry’ and I press a kiss to her cheek as she refocuses on the needles in her lap.
Mama Betty and I chat for a while before the hospice nurse arrives to switch out for the evening shift. While they get Mama Betty set up for her night shift, Aria sets down her needles and turns to press a kiss to my lips.
“Hi,” she says, leaning against me fully, head dropping to my shoulder.
“Hey, pretty girl,” I reply, brushing a kiss to the top of her head.
This has become our routine. Aria spends the mornings in our apartment, tidying up and applying to jobs while I get Mama Betty settled in with the day shift nurse.
Then I head downstairs to work and Aria comes over here around lunchtime to keep Mama Betty company and continue her knitting lessons.
Once I get back, Aria heads back to our place for a bit to give us some time alone to continue our cooking lessons before joining us for dinner.
After dinner, we spend the evenings together, carving out time for just us.
“I have something I want to ask you about, ah, after dinner,” Aria says, squirming a bit. I look down to see her red face and I smile.
“Sure, Cherry,” I answer, my hand stroking her hair before stroking down her face to lift from under her chin, tilting her face towards me. “You know you can talk to me about anything.”
I watch her gray eyes soften and fill with adoration as her body relaxes completely.
The peace between us soothes the last of my frustrations from the workday as we find our harmony.
She is my anchor and I am her sails; she keeps me steady and grounded, and I keep us moving forward.
I can’t imagine what it would have been like to do this without her.
At that moment, Mama Betty is wheeled back into the living room and our eyes meet, her smile sparkling with understanding and happiness as she takes in mine and Aria’s position.
Aria doesn’t sit up immediately, which makes my heart skip a beat as it means maybe, finally, she is getting comfortable enough around Mama Betty to be her softest self. I nuzzle against her hair, a smile on my face as she sits up and gently sets her knitting basket to the side.
“Well, thankfully I am improving, but I think you need to show me how to ease up on my tension tomorrow,” Aria directs to Mama Betty as she stands and smooths her shirt.
“Yes, you stitch too tight. It will make your project curl onto itself. I will show you how to loosen it tomorrow,” she answers warmly.
Aria nods and goes over to give her a hug and I feel unexpected tears of happiness prick at the corners of my eyes. I see Mama Betty whisper something in her ear and she nods before turning back to me.
She strides over, no hesitation as she places a gentle kiss on my cheek. Her security in our relationship has grown leaps and bounds and I am so relieved every time she lets herself love me out loud.
“I will be back for dinner, princessa,” she says, sliding her hands around my waist and tugging me in for a hug.
“Princessa?” I ask, fond amusement in my tone.
“Just trying things out,” she says, mischief in her tone as she squeezes me once more and heads out the door.
I follow Mama Betty to the kitchen and focus on soaking in every last bit of the knowledge she imparts while I still can.
***
After Aria and I say goodbye to Mama Betty for the evening, we make our way back home.
I can feel her slowly starting to tense up beside me, so I walk ahead and start flipping on the lights, heading straight to the living room.
I light up the lavender and vanilla candle I keep on the entertainment stand.
Hopefully that helps her relax just a little.
“Cherry, can you start the electric kettle?” I call out to her, knowing from the past few weeks that she feels better when she can focus on a task. She calls out an affirmative and I look through my tea collection before I decide on a lavender and chamomile blend.
By the time I head to the living room with the prepared mug, Aria is sitting in the corner of the couch chewing on her fingernails. I set the mug down next to her and she gives me a rueful smile.
“Thank you, Princess,” she murmurs, taking a sip of the tea and letting her shoulders relax just a little bit. She looks up at me and gives me a self-deprecating smile this time. “I am being absolutely ridiculous.”
“No, you’re not, Cherry,” I soothe, curiosity nearly overwhelming me, but I am trying my best to give her the space she needs to bring up whatever it is that’s weighing on her.
“Okay.” She takes a deep breath and settles into business mode, which makes the corners of my mouth lift in fondness. “So, I have four things I want to talk to you about. Two of them are about me, and two of them are things for us to discuss together.”
“Well, Ms. Cunningham, I think I missed the email containing the agenda for this meeting,” I interrupt, unable to hold myself back from teasing her. She rolls her eyes, but I watch her slump back a little more into the couch, so I count it as a win.
“So, easiest first, I am writing a book.” She sucks her bottom lip into her mouth and, despite what she says, she is nervous about my reaction to the news.
“Are you serious? That is amazing!” I sit forward setting my mug down. “Tell me all about it. What is it about? What genre? When did you start writing it?”
For a moment, she only looks at me with a bewildered look on her face. Then, slowly, her face fills with pure unadulterated joy as she lets out a delighted laugh. Seeing her happiness fills the dark, empty spaces of my grief and makes me feel so much lighter than I ever expected to again.
“I will tell you all about it tomorrow,” she promises, cheeks flushed and smile wide.
“But, for now, I still have other things to talk to you about, and I could probably talk about my book for hours at this point.” Her blush deepens, but she straightens up again.
“The second thing I wanted to tell you is…” Her brave facade falters for a moment, but she pushes through it.
“I am a lesbian. And I blame you for this realization.” Her amused grin tells me that she’s not upset, but still.