Chapter 20 The Apartment
We hail a taxi back to Vee’s, four overstuffed suitcases in tow.
Once inside Vee’s, I hang back to watch where Jake puts his belongings.
A surge of happiness fills my chest when he walks straight to my light blue room and not Vee’s.
I grab a suitcase and follow him, almost at a run.
“There is plenty of room in the closet and the bureau. Let me just move a few of my things. I don’t have much. ”
Jake tosses his bags onto my bed. “I promised Vee I would leave her bedroom, so it is ready any time Vee can come back. I think it’s important for her mental health to know she is coming back sooner rather than later, right?”
Nodding, I can’t keep the smile from my face. Vee’s presence is powerful as I snap open the suitcase.
Jake says quietly without looking at me, “Oh, there will be fireworks. They are just tamping the powder down, so it will be a really big show.”
When it’s my turn to talk to her, I ask, “So, how are you doing? Everyone at yoga misses you terribly, especially Jasmine. Are you doing your sun salutations down there?”
Vee laughs and I hear a little hollowness in the sound, “Slow down, too many questions. I’m going to ask you one, and all you have to say is yes or no, okay?”
“Sure,” I say.
“Are you guys sleeping together? Say yes, please, please, please.”
Mortified and keeping my eyes averted from Jake, I breathe out and whisper, “Yes, oh yes.”
Vee squeals. “Oh, I knew if I didn’t let Jake sleep in my room, that would force things.
I don’t mean force. Eh, not force, but expedite.
You made my day. My week. Clearly not much of that stuff is happening down here.
Although Kim and Stan, who are in my same therapy group, may be sneaking around. ”
I giggle, forgetting my embarrassment. I’m glad I made Vee happy even if just for this moment. When I hand the phone back to Jake, I’m still smiling.
On Sunday, Jake is pouring over papers that are spread over the table.
I take a quick peek and silently try to sound out the words on the top of the worksheet; campephilus principalis.
My Lord, it must be Latin or something. I can’t imagine what a premed biology class would involve.
I barely passed my high school biology test about the circulatory system, and that was just a small part of what doctors need to know.
Turning toward the door, I quickly state, “Hey, I’m going to church with my parents.” I’ve been going every Sunday as they requested.
He looks up and contemplates me for a minute, taking in my black pants and bulky cream sweater. Then he chuckles. “Enjoy. Say a prayer for me too, will you?”
I hesitate, wondering if he has caught me reciting my Hail Marys or other prayers of forgiveness. I thought I was being careful, but maybe I’ve been doing them without even being aware. Ducking my head sheepishly, I can’t come up with any response, so instead head out into the brisk but sunny day.
I spot my parents in their normal pew, and they don’t look up when I slide in next to them.
Only when I reach out and give my mother’s hand a squeeze does she look at me, smiling tiredly.
I give my father a quick glance and I can’t tell if he is sitting more stonily than normal as church is serious business for him.
I’m sure he has been told the news, and I wish I could decipher his mood.
During the sermon, I wonder what Jake is doing back in the apartment, then think about what to cook for dinner. Suddenly, the service is over, and I help my mother get positioned in front of her walker. My father, with a grunt, heads out to hail the taxi they now take back and forth to church.
As we make our way up the aisle, she says quietly, “He is still in shock, give him time. He’s worried about you.”
I shrug and spot my father up ahead in the taxi, sitting ramrod straight as if he is still on the hard, unforgiving pew. I sigh as we approach him. My mother grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze, and I smile at her. She murmurs, “We want you to be happy. That is all Emma.”
I look down at her hand clasped in mine and I feel an unexpected warmth swell in my chest. Could that be true? Leaning into the taxi I say, “Bye Mama. Bye Papa.”
Turning, I rush back to Vee’s as the day has gotten colder in the last couple of hours. I rub my hands together after shutting the door behind me; the warmth of the apartment eases my muscles that are shivering with the cold and the bleakness of November. I am happy. At least right at this moment.
Jake is still working, but he stretches his arms over his head and twists back and forth. I hear the bones in his back crack as he does.
“I’m thinking of making some beef stew,” I say. “It will warm us up. Do you like beef stew?”
“Gosh, sounds perfect.” He flashes me a wide smile. “How long will it take? I’m starving.”
“I’ll get cracking, so maybe forty-five minutes.”
“Perfect. That will force me to correct a few more papers before I call it quits. How was church? Are we both going to Hell?” He grins.
Frowning, I pull the vegetables out of the refrigerator.
“Aww sorry. I shouldn’t joke. As Vee says, you’re an angel. So, you don’t need saving, it’s just me and I’m a lost cause.”
Smiling, I hum a tuneless tune as I chop the carrots. Normally, all this talk about saving would riddle me with guilt and remorse, but I can’t seem to muster up either of those typical feelings. Instead, I’m filled with a lightness and ease that has me flying through the meal prep.