49. Callie
Chapter 49
Callie
November 2023
I felt silly running around my house hiding the different clues for Mason's treasure hunt. I wanted to do something fun to ask him instead of just coming out with it and being like "hey you wanna move in?" Not that the how matters as much as the what .
I started our treasure hunt in the kitchen where I placed a basket of his favorite snacks with a small envelope inside. “Open the envelope and it’ll tell you where to find the next clue,” I say, smiling but also nervous as hell inside. I’m trying not to show my nerves, though. I don’t want Mason to feed off my nerves, so I’ll follow him around with a big smile on my face.
“I hope you enjoy your snacks. The next place you’ll find a clue is where you wash your back.” Mason reads slowly. He looks over at me and shrugs before walking up the hallway towards the bathroom. He opens the shower curtain and reaches in to grab the next clue.
“Good job! My rhymes may be weak but you’ll find your next clue where you sleep. Hmm, the bedroom!” We make the few steps from the bathroom to my bedroom and laying on the bed is his next clue.
“You’re doing great! It smells like lavender in here. You’ll find your next clue where you’d find your favorite beer.” A small smile forms on his face as he closes the envelope and sticks it in his back pocket with the first one. I follow him back up the hallway and into the kitchen.
“Ah. That was refreshing. You’ll find the next clue in the room where you say the blessing.” I can’t help but let out a small laugh. “Did you find these riddles online or did you come up with them yourself?”
“I’m very proud of my riddles, Mase. It took me three days to come up with all of them because I was stressing over making it perfect.”
“They’re good! I guess we’re headed to the dining room.”
Mason leads the way over to the table and sees the envelope lying on the placemat. He picks it up, looking over at me before opening it. “Tonight’s dessert will be apple pie. You’ll find the next clue where clothes go to dry.”
Okay, now my nerves are reaching new heights. He’s on the last clue now as we walk back up the hallways towards the washer and dryer. I’m standing behind him, hand fisted tightly around the key to my house. I take a deep breath as he opens the dryer and pulls out the blue envelope.
“I’d love nothing more than for you to… turn around.” He turns slowly and when he registers what’s in my hand his face goes still, mouth agape.
I take a deep breath before saying, “I wasn’t sure how I wanted to tell you and I’m not even sure if this treasure hunt through my house was the right way to go but I thought it would be fun. I’ve been thinking and going back and forth with myself for a while now. Part of me thinks this is crazy but the other part of me, the part I’m more inclined to listen to, is telling me that I need to trust my heart and go after what I want. Mason, I’d love to have you move in, if you will, and begin the next chapter of this together.”
This is when the doom and overwhelm I’ve been feeling over the last few weeks hits hard. He’s standing there. Saying nothing. It’s too soon, I was right.
After what feels like a lifetime he finally speaks and I’m able to finally breathe again.
“I’m not going anywhere, Cal. I promise.”
Once I got the hard part of all this out of the way the week progressed nicely. Mason’s almost fully moved into his new building downtown and I’ve been helping after work as much as I can. I can’t help tonight though because I’m heading to a printing store in Savannah where I’ll be picking up a picture of us I had made into a canvas for his office. I wanted to get him something that would commemorate not only him buying this office space but also us moving in together.
I’m sitting in my car in the parking lot of Willow Harbor, an assisted living facility where I’m visiting Mr. Matthews. He’s in the memory care unit and is such a sweetheart. He’s always happy to have visitors and will proudly tell anyone about his time in the military. His wife, Janet, is meeting me here to go over some of the new changes to his health and demeanor. He just moved into Willow Harbor a few months ago when it became too much for Janet to take care of him at home. She hates having him in a facility but knows that it’s the best-case scenario with what they’ve got going on.
“Gets angry quicker, short-term memory declined, drinking has declined but eating has not changed,” I mumble to myself as I read over the nurse’s notes from yesterday.
I see movement out of the corner of my eye and when I look up I see Janet walking towards the front door to the facility. I’ll let her get checked in and have a few minutes with her husband before I head in. I’m still ten minutes early, so waiting a few is okay.
When I walk through the front door I’m hit with the scent of some kind of soup. That must be what they are having for dinner tonight. It smells amazing and my stomach seems to agree as it growls loudly.
“Hey Callie. You headed to see Mr. Matthews?” the receptionist, Sarah, asks. She’s usually the one I see when I come in and she’s the sweetest. Her light auburn hair sits right at her shoulders and has the best beachy waves I’ve ever seen. She’s got light brown eyes but told me once that she hates her eyes so she wears colored contacts so that she can have blue eyes. And while I’ve never seen her natural eyes, the blue fits her skin tone well.
“Yes, I am. Anything I should know before heading back there? I saw Janet walk in a few minutes ago. She arranged this meeting to discuss some changes he’s had recently.” I reply, writing my name and company name on the sign-in sheet.
“He’s been doing okay the last couple of days. We’ve noticed some changes in his behavior, and he hasn’t been wanting to eat in the dining hall with the other residents. Other than that, I think he’s about the same.”
“His nurse mentioned the behavior changes and also mentioned he’s not drinking as much as he was and that his short-term memory was declining some.”
“Oh yeah. On Tuesday he barely drank anything with any of his meals, but he did end up finishing two cups of water throughout the day. I was off last week so I’m not sure about the short-term memory thing. I haven’t been back to see him yet this week. I've just heard from others about his drinking and attitude.”
“Ah. Thank you. I’ll go check in and see if I can figure out what’s going on. Thanks for filling me in on what you know.”
“Absolutely. Have a great day.”
“You too,” I say before turning to walk through the lobby toward the memory care unit entry doors. I hit the call button and waited for it to beep.
“Hey, It’s Callie with Magnolia Falls Hospice Care. I’m here to see Mr. Matthews.”
“Go ahead and push the door open.” The lady says as I hear the click of the lock.
“Thank you,” I call back, not even sure if they can hear me.
I make my way down the main hallway and at the end turn left. Each of the patient’s rooms is set up like a hotel room. They’ve got beds, a small TV, a small kitchenette, and a couch or recliner. For the most part, the patient’s doors stay closed but, on a case-by-case basis, some are allowed to have them open during the day.
Mr. Matthews’ door is the third down on the left. I knock lightly. I can hear footsteps approaching the door. The door opens and Janet smiles before saying “Callie, it’s so nice to see you. Come on in.”
“It’s great to see the two of you as well. How are y’all today?”
“I’m doing well. He, on the other hand, is in a mood today. He’s already fought about drinking some of his tea. It’s his favorite and he always begs me to bring it from home.” I can see the sadness in her eyes. I think she’s aware of what these changes could mean.
“I was reading over the nurse’s notes before I came in here. She mentioned his intake of fluids had decreased but that he was still eating the same. Is that still the case?” I say, walking over to where he’s sitting in the recliner watching TV.
Janet follows me and sits down on the couch to my left. “Yes, his eating is about the same as it has been. He’s been eating most of his meals here. He doesn’t want to leave the room. I try to get here for as many meals as I can so that he’s not eating alone.”
Janet and I talk for almost an hour. We discuss some of his changes and what possible changes are coming soon. She doesn’t like where it’s going but has been understanding and cooperative the entire time Mr. Matthews has been in our care. She wants to bring him back home because she feels that his changes are because he’s living in the facility and not home with her. Their youngest daughter has agreed to move back home to help Janet care for him, so it’s an option.
Before I left, I made plans with her to meet next week and discuss some things further with his nurse to see what the best plan of action is. His changes could be from frustration of not being at home or it could be a part of his dementia.
It’s been one hell of a month. Moving Mason into his new office space; moving Mason into my, no, our house; work; life; family stuff; and now Thanksgiving. I have been in such a go, go, go mode that I completely forgot to shop for my Thanksgiving dinner items so here I am the day before Thanksgiving walking through the grocery store hoping they’ll have everything I need.
Mason and I are bringing green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. We’re doing a combined family dinner at Mason’s parent’s house. My parents will be there but unfortunately, Emily and her boyfriend won’t be able to make it. We figured since there were so many people that each family or couple bringing a few dishes each would make it simpler for everyone.
I’m walking through the grocery store throwing the items I’ll need in my cart. So far, the only thing I haven’t been able to find is the sour cream. I sent a text to my mom asking if she had any we could use and hopefully, she will. As I put the last item in my cart, I turn in the aisle to make my way up to the registers to check out. My phone dings in my bag, pulling it out I notice it’s my mom texting me back.
Mom : Yes, I’ve got a whole thing of it. You’re more than welcome to it. Are you just now out getting the ingredients?!
Me : Don’t judge me, Mom. It’s been a tough month and it snuck up on me too fast. I can stop by and grab the sour cream tonight. If that's ok?
Mom : What are you using it for? Would it be easier for y’all to head our way a little earlier than you planned, and you can make it quickly before heading to Eleanor and John’s?
Me : It’s for mashed potatoes. Yeah, we could do that. Thank you.
Mom : You’re welcome. Y’all can come down here whenever tomorrow. We’ll be here all day until we leave to head to Eleanor and Johns.
I’m next in line so I grab the divider and start placing my things on the belt. Once the cashier has finished with the person ahead of me, I make small talk while she rings me up. I prefer doing self-check-out lines, but this grocery store doesn’t have them yet. I always feel awkward when I’m being rung up because like, what do you talk about? You can’t just stand there silently, right? Both situations make me anxious. That’s why I always opt for self-check-out if I have the option.
I walk around the cart and start placing my bags back in my cart before I pay and walk out to my car. Unlocking my car and popping my trunk I set the bags inside and walk the cart back to the cart corral.
It’s going to be a long night and a long morning tomorrow, making all this food. But it will pay off once I’ve got my plate in front of me.
The long night of cooking and prepping is more than worth it as I look at the people gathered around the large table in front of me. Every one of them plays an important role in my well-being, even if they’re not aware.
My parents have always been my biggest fans, with Emily right behind them. She’s always stuck by my side and encouraged me to push through life to succeed at my goals. I hate that she’s not here, but I know it was important to her to spend time with Jason and his family today.
Then there’s Mason’s parents Eleanor and John. From the first time I met them, they treated me like I was a part of their family. Never once did I feel left out with them. The few times I ran into them when Mason and I weren’t together they were nice as could be.
Josh, Elizabeth, and their three kids—Phoenix, Madison, and Noah are such a sweet family. Josh likes to pick on me like I’m his little sister. I see Elizabeth as an extra sister. They’ve both been very supportive of Mason and me getting back together. Their kids, though, are the ones that make me giggle with pride and fantasize about a time in the future when I can hopefully watch my kids running around with them.
“Thank you all for being here today. Natalie and Henry, we appreciate you coming over to our place for Thanksgiving dinner. It means a lot to John and me that we’re able to cohabitate and come together as one large family.” Eleanor says, raising her glass.
“We cannot express how thankful we are that your family has been so welcoming to us. Thank you so much for inviting us to be a part of your Thanksgiving celebration. Mason has been a pleasant addition to our family, both times.” We all chuckle at this before Ma adds “And we couldn’t have asked for a better family to become a part of.”
Everyone nods and raises their glass in a mock toast. I love that our two families feel comfortable around each other and can spend meaningful holidays as a big group.
Food is being passed counterclockwise as we all load our plates. I can feel tears gathering at my waterline as I take in just how thankful I am to be here today.