Page 7 of Trouble

“Sorry, I’ll wait in the living room for you,” Hollywood called out as he turned and walked away.

“How could..” My mom sucked back oxygen and then tried to again. “You forgot…” Once more, she had to take a few breaths behind her mask before she continued. It pained me to see what she had to go through just to get a simple sentence out after one of her attacks. “Lock door…” The redness that creeped into her cheeks was only one small sign of how embarrassed she was.

“Sorry, mom. I didn’t think anyone would just come waltzing in. I’ll have a talk with Carson about that.”

“Bishop should have married me after your father left,” she managed to get out with some effort.

“Well, Bishop has a thing with Carson’s mom, and there’s the problem that you’re technically still married to his brother too.” I rolled my eyes, since she couldn’t see them as I leaned down and continued to clean her up. “I’m going to have to wash the top sheet and blanket for you.”

Momma gave me a look that said she blamed me for that entirely. “I’ll get you mine to use, so you won’t be cold.” She gave the slightest hint of a nod and then turned as best she could, to her side to face the wall away from the door. I wrapped up all the soiled items in a bundle and carried them from her roomto the utility room. They would have to wait a moment, because Momma’s skin was so thin, she caught a chill quickly.

“I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you tell me it was this bad?” Hollywood asked.

“I need to get Momma another blanket before she gets too cold. We’ll talk when I’m done.” I left the soiled laundry, and Hollywood, behind as I went to my room to get the blanket from my bed. There used to be more in the house, but who knows what my mother had done with everything in my absence. Once I got her tucked in snugly, I glanced over to see that it was thirty minutes past the time she was supposed to take her pain medication. I blew out a frustrated breath, got up and went to the bathroom where I had a locked box installed for her medications, and grabbed what was needed. Momma couldn’t be trusted to administer her own because she could never remember which ones she had taken and which she hadn’t. I brought it back to her and she groaned audibly.

“Don’t want no more pills.”

“Momma, if you don’t take these now, the pain will be unbearable later. You’re already late getting them.”

“And whose fault is that?” She snapped at me. I wished I could say she looked chagrined over the fact, but my mother felt entitled to her anger. As far as she was concerned, I should drop her in a home - that neither of us could afford - or be there for her 24-7, which was something I couldn’t afford. Unless Momma had somehow come into a bunch of money I knew nothing about, I still had to work while I cared for her. Obviously, Sheila couldn’t be counted on to help any longer, so that left me with yet another problem.

I moved closer and tried to give Momma her pill. “NO!” She shouted at me.

“Momma, you have to!” I demanded.

“No! No! No!” It felt like dealing with a toddler in the midst of a tantrum instead of trying to give my 52-year-old mother her pain medication. “No! Stop trying to kill me!” She shouted again. I noticed, from the corner of my eye, that Hollywood was back.

“Hey there, Evelyn. You giving your daughter a hard time?” He called out to her. That stopped her from using up all her energy to avoid me. “Why don’t you take your meds like a good girl, and maybe I’ll tell you all about how my last date went.”

“Is it a dirty story?” My mother asked him.

He chuckled and shook his head. “Nah. This one is funny though.”

“Don’t wanna laugh. I like the dirty ones better.”

I widened my eyes at Hollywood and wondered when he had ever been by to tell my mother dirty stories about his dates.

He laughed again. “Fine, then I’ll tell you a filthy tale about the last one I went out with. It involves me getting tied up for a change.” He winked at my mother and she blushed but opened her mouth for me to place the pill on her tongue. She took a sip of the water from the glass I held up for her and made a horrible face as she swallowed everything down.

“Tastes bad.”

“Yeah, Momma, those pills are often bitter.”

“Tastes like I’m dying,” she added.

I tried my best to keep the tears at bay, but that was a lost cause when Hollywood came over and put a hand down on my shoulder and gave a squeeze.

“No story,” My mom managed to get out as she tucked in further to her pillow and closed her eyes.

I patted her hand and then got up and walked back into the living room with Hollywood hot on my heels. The sound of the washing machine filling caught my attention and my watery gaze moved back to Hollywood. “You put everything in the wash?”

“Figured it was the least I could do, since the blanket being dirty was my fault.”

“Thank you,” I whispered as he pulled me into his arms.

“Tell me everything, and no sugar coating things now.”

“I think it’s you who should tell me about the dirty stories you’ve been telling my mom.” He laughed and planted a kiss on the top of my head.

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