Page 37 of Too Old for This
My surgeon took care of that fear by explaining that he wouldn’t usegeneralanesthesia. He uses spinal anesthesia to block the pain.
That made me inch a little closer to getting the surgery done. But then one of our First Covenant parishioners, Valerie, had her hip replaced. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the surgery goes well. But someone has to be the 1 percent.
First, it was the infection. The new hip had to be removed until the infection was gone, and then they tried the replacement again almost a year later. Now one of her nerves is pinched, and she’s in more pain than she was before they hacked off the old joint and put in a new one.
An extreme case,the surgeon said.
Highly unusual. The odds of it happening to you are infinitesimal,Dr.Maraj said.
The odds of Archie’s father hitting his head against the faucet handle in exactly the right way to kill him were probably infinitesimal, too. But it happened.
CHAPTER 20
“Thank you for calling InterDial. How may I be of assistance?” The woman’s voice is nasally, her greeting a bit rushed.
“Hello. I am trying to find a specific person. His name is Jaxon, and he was calling on behalf of Fairhaven Bank. I believe you are the company handling that account?”
“If you want to complain, you can call our customer service number.”
“I’m not complaining. Jaxon was so helpful, and I’d really like to speak to him again. Is there any way I can do that?”
Long pause. The receptionist at InterDial was clearly expecting a complaint. Not a surprise, given how Jax treated me, and I bet he isn’t the only one who is unhappy in that job. For God’s sake, the company headquarters is in a strip mall somewhere near Reno.
“I’m not sure I can help you,” she says.
“That’s disappointing. I thought for sure you would be able to look up who called my number.”
“I can put you on with someone who can explain—”
“No, thank you. Jaxon understood what I needed, and he’s the one I’d like to speak to.”
End call.
Yes, I’m still trying to track down a telemarketer, but I can’t sit around thinking about Kelsie all day. It’s so bad for my blood pressure. And everybody needs a distraction.
Unfortunately, Friday afternoon is not the best time to try and get hold of people. They are too busy trying to wrap up and get out for the weekend. At the bank, I was the same. Always anxious to be somewhere else.
Late in the afternoon, I get dressed and leave the house. Another night of watching Kelsie. My first stop is the police station, where I catch her driving away.
Oh, look, she’s going to yoga on a Friday evening. How surprising.
I go to the coffee shop across the street. Otherwise, I might fall asleep while on stalker duty. Plus, it’s painful to sit in the car for long periods of time, not to mention boring. Although thinking about what would happen if Kelsie revealed who I was keeps me awake.
The shock would come first, and then, one by one, people would turn against me. Even my friends. Maybe Pastor Doug, too. It wouldn’t surprise me if Glenda would convince him to turn me away at the door.
Not that I would go back to First Covenant. I’ve already been down the pariah road. Just say no to that.
After yoga, Kelsie goes straight home, and I park down the street. There’s always a chance she might surprise me, but I doubt it. After fifteen minutes, I lose hope that she’s going anywhere. But I stick around, keeping my fingers crossed. You never know. People can surprise you. God knows, I’ve been surprised a few times in my life.
But not tonight. Forty-five minutes later, she is still in her house.
I remove the wig, wipe off the mauve lipstick, and drivearound the block. I park across the street. Not one more day. I cannot deal with one more day of this nonsense.
Her porch has a small swing on one side, surrounded by plants, and no cameras anywhere. Not even on the doorbell.
I knock.
The door has a peephole, just like mine. Kelsie opens the door and looks confused. She has swapped her workout clothes for a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, and her feet are bare. Her toenails are painted blue.
