waited just inside the complex. She was in a wheelchair under the shade of a few limp trees planted on the edge of a paved parking lot. Jenny knew it was Eva by her voice; otherwise she was unrecognizable. Her normally narrow, intelligent face had been transformed into the balloon of an idiot. Her skin was covered by a fine gray fuzz along her chin and cheeks. Her dark, large eyes had become animal slits. She was agitated, crying out in delight mixed with incomprehensible rage.
“Jenny, Jenny, I thought I’d never see you again.”
This woman Jenny didn’t recognize, except for her voice, cried like a child, grabbing at Jenny in a hungry, sloppy embrace, reaching up pitifully with wasted bare arms. How could the face be so round and the arms so thin? Jenny kissed this stranger, her eyes watering, but her tears were for the serene, composed sister she remembered, Eva of the strong slim body and the quick responsive face, who had always been fully in charge of herself and of others. Jenny had never seen Eva cry.
“Eva, for God’s sake, what are you doing out without a jacket?” Flora, in her hectoring manner. “You need to protect yourself from this hot sun.” She dismissed the attendant with a brisk “Thank you, we’ll take care of her now.”
The black man handed over a cotton jacket, a small shopping bag, and a large plastic bag of heavy stuff.
“What is all this?” Jenny said.
“She likes to take her things with her.” He spoke with a West Indian accent. “The women take much with them all the time. They like that.” He had a wonderfully large white-toothed smile. “No harm done.” He leaned over Eva affectionately. “Poor girl has had a hard day, but now she happy. Goodbye, Eva darling, have a wonderful time with your sisters. Take care now,” and sprinted out of the heat into the cool building.
“Charles is very angry with you,” Eva blubbered. “Because you were so late. I’ve been waiting for you all day. I’ve had a horrible, horrible day, Jenny, I didn’t know what happened to you after you came here this morning and said you were walking to Jenny’s, I mean Flora’s. Jenny, why did you walk to Flora’s, or Naomi’s, or wherever you went with all those thruways and traffic, you could have been killed, what’s wrong with you, and with all your luggage. You could have left your luggage with me, I never stole from you yet, I never thought you could be so foolish, I begged you to stay with me.”
Flora said, “What are you talking about, what in the world are you talking about? What is she talking about?”
Jenny was ready to say anything to calm Eva. “I’m sorry, darling, I’m sorry I upset you. I thought you knew we weren’t coming until tonight.”
“Of course she knew we weren’t coming until tonight,” Flora said. “I spoke to you myself, Eva. After supper, I told you plainly—Jenny and I are coming after supper, after we see Naomi.”
“But why did you visit me this morning, Jenny, and tell me you were going to walk to Flora’s? Or Naomi’s?” She broke into bitter weeping. “And you were so cold and mean, so unlike yourself. With all that traffic on the thruways, Jenny, I thought you’d be killed, I thought I’d never see you again.”
“What’s the matter with her?” Jenny whispered to Flora during the long tirade. “What have they put her on that she looks this way? She must have dreamt all that stuff, or she’s hallucinating. Is anybody checking her medication?”
She didn’t say, This is unbearable. I want my sister Eva back, I don’t want this mad stranger.
“Her kids aren’t paying enough attention,” Flora whispered.
“Do they know? Shouldn’t we let them know?”
“Listen, I don’t interfere. Live and let live. Their business is their business. I don’t mix into other people’s family business.”
“But she is our family. She’s our sister. And they’re wonderful kids. Maybe they don’t know, they all live so far away,
“Jenny, Jenny, I thought I’d never see you again.”
This woman Jenny didn’t recognize, except for her voice, cried like a child, grabbing at Jenny in a hungry, sloppy embrace, reaching up pitifully with wasted bare arms. How could the face be so round and the arms so thin? Jenny kissed this stranger, her eyes watering, but her tears were for the serene, composed sister she remembered, Eva of the strong slim body and the quick responsive face, who had always been fully in charge of herself and of others. Jenny had never seen Eva cry.
“Eva, for God’s sake, what are you doing out without a jacket?” Flora, in her hectoring manner. “You need to protect yourself from this hot sun.” She dismissed the attendant with a brisk “Thank you, we’ll take care of her now.”
The black man handed over a cotton jacket, a small shopping bag, and a large plastic bag of heavy stuff.
“What is all this?” Jenny said.
“She likes to take her things with her.” He spoke with a West Indian accent. “The women take much with them all the time. They like that.” He had a wonderfully large white-toothed smile. “No harm done.” He leaned over Eva affectionately. “Poor girl has had a hard day, but now she happy. Goodbye, Eva darling, have a wonderful time with your sisters. Take care now,” and sprinted out of the heat into the cool building.
“Charles is very angry with you,” Eva blubbered. “Because you were so late. I’ve been waiting for you all day. I’ve had a horrible, horrible day, Jenny, I didn’t know what happened to you after you came here this morning and said you were walking to Jenny’s, I mean Flora’s. Jenny, why did you walk to Flora’s, or Naomi’s, or wherever you went with all those thruways and traffic, you could have been killed, what’s wrong with you, and with all your luggage. You could have left your luggage with me, I never stole from you yet, I never thought you could be so foolish, I begged you to stay with me.”
Flora said, “What are you talking about, what in the world are you talking about? What is she talking about?”
Jenny was ready to say anything to calm Eva. “I’m sorry, darling, I’m sorry I upset you. I thought you knew we weren’t coming until tonight.”
“Of course she knew we weren’t coming until tonight,” Flora said. “I spoke to you myself, Eva. After supper, I told you plainly—Jenny and I are coming after supper, after we see Naomi.”
“But why did you visit me this morning, Jenny, and tell me you were going to walk to Flora’s? Or Naomi’s?” She broke into bitter weeping. “And you were so cold and mean, so unlike yourself. With all that traffic on the thruways, Jenny, I thought you’d be killed, I thought I’d never see you again.”
“What’s the matter with her?” Jenny whispered to Flora during the long tirade. “What have they put her on that she looks this way? She must have dreamt all that stuff, or she’s hallucinating. Is anybody checking her medication?”
She didn’t say, This is unbearable. I want my sister Eva back, I don’t want this mad stranger.
“Her kids aren’t paying enough attention,” Flora whispered.
“Do they know? Shouldn’t we let them know?”
“Listen, I don’t interfere. Live and let live. Their business is their business. I don’t mix into other people’s family business.”
“But she is our family. She’s our sister. And they’re wonderful kids. Maybe they don’t know, they all live so far away,
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