Page 13 of An Introvert's Guide to Life and Love
It takes a lot of googling but I find one: Shauna Mellors. Her office is in St. Pete, not too far from where Gramps lives. I email Trish, asking for Gramps’s insurance information so I can schedule him an appointment. Trish calls me instead. I’m in a meeting whereI’m mostly just there to take notes, so I turn off my camera and make sure I’m muted before answering.
“Hi, Trish,” I say.
“Why are you trying to make him a therapy appointment, anyway?” Trish cuts straight to the point. She crunches on something, and I guess that it’s her lunch break.
“He sounded so sad in his email. I mean, he signed off saying he’s in God’s waiting room. Like he’s waiting to die.”
Trish lets out a sharp laugh. “That’s what they call Florida! God’s waiting room.”
“Oh. I didn’t know that.” I chew on my cuticle, my resolve flagging for a moment. But then it strengthens again. I am supposed to look after Gramps, and he’s clearly grieving. Therapy is the right move. “Still, he should talk to someone to process his feelings about losing Lottie.”
“Spoken like a true millennial,” Trish snorts. “You’re not wrong, Mal, but I don’t see him agreeing to this.”
“So can you help me? Can you ask him if he’ll try it?”
Trish pauses and I hear the rustle of paper and the slurp of a drink. “Yeah, sure, I can mention it when I drop off his groceries tomorrow.”
“Thank you! That’ll be a huge help.”
Trish’s agreement helps me feel like I’m doing the right thing. I call Shauna Mellors and explain the situation and get Gramps scheduled for his first appointment this Thursday.
The next day, my boss sends me a message.
Kat White:Hey, Mallory, how are things going with you?
This is so vague and out of the blue, I stare at the message for a full minute. Why is she asking? We don’t make small talk like this.
Mallory Rosen:Things are good, thanks. Not too busy yet this week, but that’ll change in a few days with the V2 console beta launch.
Kat White:Great. You seemed a little distracted this morning at the EngPlat meeting, so I wanted to check in. Is there anything you want to talk about?
My armpits start to sweat. Maybe I should just tell her. Tell her what’s going on with the house and my family obligations. But it feels wrong on so many levels: Kat is not my friend. She’s my boss. And on top of that, I don’t want to tell her anything that might make her doubt my capability at work.
Mallory Rosen:No, everything’s fine. I probably just need another cup of coffee. Just one of those days! I’ll make sure to caffeinate better tomorrow!
She types, then stops, then types again.
Kat White:Sounds good and no worries.
I exhale hard. I’m going to have to put in some extra work this week to prove to Kat that I’m just as competent as ever.
Before I can forget, I send a quick email to Gramps telling him about the appointment I scheduled for him. After the confessional emails we’d exchanged, I feel a twinge of awkwardness now, sending him this brief, business-like message. But two people have pinged me in the sixty seconds it took to write the email; I really need to refocus on work. I brush away the awkward feelings and tell myself I’m doing the right thing.Taking care of Gramps: check.
It’s only at the end of the day when I come up for air that I realize Gramps never responded.
I also got a call from the property manager, Daniel McKinnon, who left a voicemail. I listen to his message. He says that his inspection person found a few problems that need to be addressed—some plumbing issues and a minor structural problem. As I listen to this, I feel my blood pressure rise, especially when Daniel utters the words “maybe up to ten grand.” I’m going to need a second opinion. I start typing a text to Trish to ask if she knows of anyone else who cantake a look at the house, but before I finish the message, she sends one to me.
Listen, Dad didn’t seem crazy about the therapy idea. Maybe you should cancel it and try again some other time.
Great. On top of everything else, Gramps will probably be mad at me now. I should have just talked to him about it directly. What was I thinking?
My heart pounds and I realize that I’m gnashing my back teeth together. I try to relax my jaw and take a deep breath.Compartmentalize, Mal.I’ll think about the house and Gramps later. Right now, I need to meet Carmen at Green Lake. I suggested it in place of our usual happy hour, because I’m hoping a long walk will clear my head.
Carmen gives me a tight hug, her floral-scented hair pressing into my face. We’re both wearing black leggings and Patagonia fleece jackets. It had been a sunny day and there’s still a thread of spring warmth in the air.
“Everything with Edgar exploded in my face.” We’re walking at a quick pace. Ducks splash in the shallows of the lake, the surface of which is dotted with a few kayaks and one lone paddleboard.
“Oh no, what happened?”
