until things sort themselves out before she can dig her meat hooks in again. And as for me, a man’s gotta do his own thing every once in a while. Ain’t that right, young man?” he said, prodding Marcus with that one-for-all-and-all-for-one attitude that had kept men sticking together for millennium against whatever woman stood against them.
I was neither with him nor against him in this case. I just didn’t want to be the next “to do” on my mother’s checklist.
“Come on, Grandpa. Back to the salt mines. I promise, I’ll try to keep you away from Mom’s whip cracking as much as possible.”
Grandpa G waved sadly to the young women, who had been watching our exchange with amusement, as I kept my hand on his thin shoulder to prevent another quick getaway. “See ya later, chickies. Don’t be strangers, now. Any time you need a few pointers on gardening, you come see me. I’ll set you straight.”
“Gardening, huh?” I asked with a snort as I waited for him to pull around once the student nurses had headed for the elevators. “They’re a little young for you, Gramps, don’t you think?”
“No one’s too young for a little gardening,” he insisted, trying to pull off the innocent look... but I knew better.
“Uh-huh.”
Grandpa G leaned back to gaze up at Marcus, who had been standing by the whole time, trying not to grin. “She talk to you this way?”
Marcus held up his hands and laughed. “I’m not getting into the middle of things, sir.”
Grandpa G’s mouth pursed sourly. “Coward. That means she’s got you on a string.” He sighed. “They all do that.”
My cell phone buzzed—I had set it to vibrate, just in case my mom decided to harangue and harass. I was actually surprised she’d lasted this long.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Did you find him?”
“Yes, he’s right here. We found him at the cafeteria. He had a case of the munchies,” I fibbed. No sense in getting Grandpa G in more trouble than he already was.
“Hm. So he didn’t notice the vending machines right here in the waiting room, is that what you’re telling me?”
Oops. “I think he wanted something hot.” Well, that much was the truth. So to speak.
“Oh. Well, tell him he can have soup, but only if it’s low sodium.”
Had my “something hot” actually worked? Wow, normally she was much faster on the draw. I must have underestimated her worry for Mel. I almost felt guilty for that—maybe I should be worried more, too. “Gotcha. Listen, Mom, don’t worry,” I told her. “Grandpa’s okay, and Mel’s going to be fine. Any more news?”
“No, nothing yet.” If I didn’t know her as well as I did, I would have heard only the calm in her voice. But my mother was rarely this drama free. To me that meant her worry had graduated into real fear. When it came to my mother, quieter was not necessarily better.
“Well, don’t worry. Mel’s good—I know it.” And I did. Somehow I knew, deep inside me, that all was going to be fine. More than fine. But I also knew Mom wouldn’t listen to me, no matter what I said. “Have you and Dad eaten anything?”
“Hm? Oh. Well, no, I guess we didn’t. We came straight here when Mel and Greg called to let us know they were on the way in and to come as soon as we could.”
I glanced over to where the cafeteria workers were wiping down the area and clearing equipment. “Let me see if I can get you something from down here. They’re cleaning up, but maybe they can scrounge something together.”
Hanging up with Mom, I turned to Marcus and Grandpa. “Why don’t the two of you head on up? I have to get Grandpa his soup, and Mom and Dad could use a little something, too.”
“I’m not hungry,” Grandpa G told me, a petulant scowl pinching his grizzled brow and mouth.
“Well, you’re getting soup and you’re going to like it, too,” I told him right back, “since I had to cover for you with Mom.”
“I’ve covered for you many a time, girly, and don’t
I was neither with him nor against him in this case. I just didn’t want to be the next “to do” on my mother’s checklist.
“Come on, Grandpa. Back to the salt mines. I promise, I’ll try to keep you away from Mom’s whip cracking as much as possible.”
Grandpa G waved sadly to the young women, who had been watching our exchange with amusement, as I kept my hand on his thin shoulder to prevent another quick getaway. “See ya later, chickies. Don’t be strangers, now. Any time you need a few pointers on gardening, you come see me. I’ll set you straight.”
“Gardening, huh?” I asked with a snort as I waited for him to pull around once the student nurses had headed for the elevators. “They’re a little young for you, Gramps, don’t you think?”
“No one’s too young for a little gardening,” he insisted, trying to pull off the innocent look... but I knew better.
“Uh-huh.”
Grandpa G leaned back to gaze up at Marcus, who had been standing by the whole time, trying not to grin. “She talk to you this way?”
Marcus held up his hands and laughed. “I’m not getting into the middle of things, sir.”
Grandpa G’s mouth pursed sourly. “Coward. That means she’s got you on a string.” He sighed. “They all do that.”
My cell phone buzzed—I had set it to vibrate, just in case my mom decided to harangue and harass. I was actually surprised she’d lasted this long.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Did you find him?”
“Yes, he’s right here. We found him at the cafeteria. He had a case of the munchies,” I fibbed. No sense in getting Grandpa G in more trouble than he already was.
“Hm. So he didn’t notice the vending machines right here in the waiting room, is that what you’re telling me?”
Oops. “I think he wanted something hot.” Well, that much was the truth. So to speak.
“Oh. Well, tell him he can have soup, but only if it’s low sodium.”
Had my “something hot” actually worked? Wow, normally she was much faster on the draw. I must have underestimated her worry for Mel. I almost felt guilty for that—maybe I should be worried more, too. “Gotcha. Listen, Mom, don’t worry,” I told her. “Grandpa’s okay, and Mel’s going to be fine. Any more news?”
“No, nothing yet.” If I didn’t know her as well as I did, I would have heard only the calm in her voice. But my mother was rarely this drama free. To me that meant her worry had graduated into real fear. When it came to my mother, quieter was not necessarily better.
“Well, don’t worry. Mel’s good—I know it.” And I did. Somehow I knew, deep inside me, that all was going to be fine. More than fine. But I also knew Mom wouldn’t listen to me, no matter what I said. “Have you and Dad eaten anything?”
“Hm? Oh. Well, no, I guess we didn’t. We came straight here when Mel and Greg called to let us know they were on the way in and to come as soon as we could.”
I glanced over to where the cafeteria workers were wiping down the area and clearing equipment. “Let me see if I can get you something from down here. They’re cleaning up, but maybe they can scrounge something together.”
Hanging up with Mom, I turned to Marcus and Grandpa. “Why don’t the two of you head on up? I have to get Grandpa his soup, and Mom and Dad could use a little something, too.”
“I’m not hungry,” Grandpa G told me, a petulant scowl pinching his grizzled brow and mouth.
“Well, you’re getting soup and you’re going to like it, too,” I told him right back, “since I had to cover for you with Mom.”
“I’ve covered for you many a time, girly, and don’t
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