Page 82 of Too Old for This
Back downstairs, Morgan is off the phone and has finished her tea. I didn’t give her a choice about the type; she got herbal. No caffeine.
“The guest room is ready,” I say. “Everything all right?”
“Archie asked me to apologize for him again.”
“No worries. Just get a good night’s sleep. I can’t wait to hear more about the wedding plans tomorrow.”
She opens a side pocket of her suitcase and pulls out a small rectangular box. “One more thing. I looked into those stunguns and picked one up. You never know when they’ll come in handy, right?”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I’ll show you how it works tomorrow. It’s really easy.” She smiles and rolls her bag out. I listen as she carries it up the stairs and walks down the second-floor hall.
I return to the kitchen and sit down with her gift. There’s a little picture of the stun gun on the front of the box. It’s outlined in pink. The gun is lit up with a blue light extending across two metal points at the top.
This was very thoughtful of her. No one has ever bought me a weapon before. Not even for self-defense.
CHAPTER 45
At no time do I consider going upstairs to bed. For all I know, Morgan is an insomniac who will wander around in the middle of the night and get nosy. I can’t take the chance that I’ll sleep through the creaky hall floor. God forbid Morgan wanders into the garage. Norma may not look like a person anymore, but she’s still a dead body. Her parts are just packaged separately.
Most of my night is spent in the recliner, dozing on and off. It’s the worst kind of sleep, the kind that tricks me into thinking I’m awake when I’m not. Between Morgan upstairs and Norma in the garage, my dreams make me feel like the walls are closing in, crushing me in my own house.
Morgan gets up and uses the restroom once at midnight. She doesn’t get up again until seven thirty in the morning. I wish my bladder was still that strong.
I listen to her moving around in the guest room, then back across the hall to take a shower. She is up for good. I’m sure she takes longer than I do to get ready, which gives me plenty of time to clean up, change my clothes, and get to the kitchen before she does. By the time Morgan comes downstairs, the coffee is ready and I’m starting on breakfast.
Today, she looks even better than she did last night. Slacks, button-up blouse, and a casual blazer, all in neutral colors.
“Are you hungry? I can make you some eggs,” I say.
“Just coffee. My one cup of the day.”
“I’ll make you some toast. Now, where are you headed today?”
Morgan has tours planned at two venues and needs to decide between them. The wedding is getting close. The original plan to get married in Portland fell through, because everything was booked, and now they are scrambling to find a place. It will be held much closer to me than to the city.
I would’ve known this yesterday if Archie had called and explained why Morgan was showing up at my house. Instead, it all comes out so fast that I can’t decide if I like this change or hate it.
“I don’t suppose you want to come with me today,” she says. “It would be great to have a second opinion.”
She is really making an effort. Yet another surprise, and a welcome one. “I’d love to join you. Thank you for inviting me.”
Big smile. I see those dimples again.
“My first appointment is at eleven,” she says. “I’m going to stop by a salon and book some hair and nail appointments before that.”
“Perfect.”
She leaves after eating half a slice of toast. Better than nothing, I suppose.
Until she drives away in her rental car, I don’t realize how tense I am. Having a body in the freezer can do some funny things.
Morgan is a surprise that could’ve been avoided if Archie had remembered to call. Since he’s going to have an ex-wife with two kids and a new wife with a new baby, he needs to learn how to manage things a little better. This little incidentwith Morgan almost makes me think I should move down to California and help him out.
It also makes me not want to. The hardest part of being a mother is letting go, something I’ve been reminding myself since he left for college.
Archie has made his bed in a few places, and now has to lie in all of them. Just as I have to lie in mine.
