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Memories were strange things. Sometimes they were murky, like a hazy day. Other times they felt like the event only happened a few days ago. Right now, Sam could remember details of that moment when Susan ran her fingers over his jaw. The way her eyes had crinkled at the corners. How she wore a smirk he was so familiar with. The strawberry scent of her shampoo as she leaned close. The sensation of a girl—a pretty girl who was his best friend—touching him. How she’d drawn back and laughed, then said coyly, “My friend is turning into a man.”
Was that when Sam had fallen in love with her? Or was it much sooner? Maybe that was when he finally had hope that she’d view him as someone other than her lanky best friend. He’d been all elbows and knees for years, until the summer between their sophomore and junior years. His family had gone on a road trip vacation for eight days, and when they returned, it was to a much more mature-looking Susan. And he supposed he’d changed, too, in that short time. Or maybe it had seemed that way since they’d never been apart for long. Until she’d moved for good.
“Mr. Davis? Need help with anything?” Ginny’s voice tugged him out of his revelry.
“No, I’m coming right out.” He rinsed out the sink, dried his hands, then opened the door.
By the time he was in the dining room and seated next to a few other residents for breakfast, he was back to reality. Back to the routine. Back to scrambled eggs and a piece of toast with grape jelly. He didn’t pay much attention to the announcement about the activities going on that day. He might or might not join in. His gaze cut to the large bank of windows that framed the makings of a mild, sunny day. A break in the clouds was always welcome. Beyond the windows grew a walled-in garden that contained a circular walking path and a few benches nestled among the flower beds. A nice change in atmosphere.
He took a final sip of his orange juice, then excused himself from the buzzing conversation at his table that he hadn’t been paying attention to anyway. Using his walker so he didn’t potentially get stuck somewhere if he got a hitch in his knee or hip, he headed toward the walled garden.
“Mr. Davis, where are you going?” He looked over to see Ginny walking toward him.
“I’m going to walk the garden path for a while,” he said. “No need to follow.”
Ginny paused in her step and smiled. “All right, sir. Let me know if you change your mind. I’ll be close by.”
She would indeed, but Sam didn’t need the extra assistance today. His legs felt steady, and it might have something to do with wanting to have a good day so by the time Wyatt came, he’d be ready to walk down memory lane. Entering the garden, he turned right on the path. The scents of roses and other flowering plants immediately surrounded him.
“There he is,” a woman’s voice said, “the lone bachelor.”
Sam could guess the voice belonged to Kathy or Debbie—two women who were always up to something. They lived across the hall from each other in the women’s section. When he’d first come to the center, he’d been seated at their table, so he’d gotten an earful of their lives at each meal. They weren’t related, but somehow they looked like sisters. Both with silver-gray hair cut short, dark arched eyebrows, and a habit of wearing ruby-red lipstick. He only knew the exact color because they had told him, then proceeded to put it on right after their meals were eaten.
“I think he’s ignoring us,” the other woman’s voice said.
A couple of steps later, and they came into view. Today they were wearing matching cardigans and sitting on a bench. One of them—Kathy—held a book, and Debbie held a small bag of potato chips. How she managed to end up with extra snacks was a mystery to him.
“I’m not ignoring anyone,” Sam said. “I’m simply taking a walk.”
Both women smiled innocently at him as if they hadn’t just been giving him guff.
“That’s wonderful, Sam,” Kathy gushed.
“You’re looking healthy today,” Debbie added.
It was assisted living lingo, he guessed, to “look healthy” even though they were all here in this place together as their final destination in life.
“Do you want to sit with us?” Kathy asked, her lipsticked smile bright. “We’re having a book club meeting.”
Sam slowed in his step and came to a stop. “Book club with two people?”
Debbie lifted her chin. “You can have a book club with only one person, you know. And if you join us, we’ll have three.”
Sam had to chuckle even if he wasn’t sure if Debbie was trying to be funny. “I haven’t read the book.”
This prompted Kathy to hold up hers. “No need to read in advance. We won’t give away the ending.”
“We never give away the ending,” Debbie said. “Besides, we usually can’t remember it. Does that happen to you? We know you’re a big reader.”
“It depends on how long ago I read the book.” He pushed the walker forward again to continue his walk. “Enjoy your book club.”
“We will,” Kathy said. “And if you want to join us next week, we’re reading Little Women.”
“And...” Debbie rattled her chip bag. “There will be snacks.”
Sam chuckled and continued walking. He was past them now, but that didn’t stop Kathy from calling out, “We always have snacks, you can be assured of that.”
Sharing a small bag of chips wasn’t all that tempting to him. Besides, he didn’t have a copy of Little Women, although he knew he’d read it at some point. One of his years in high school? About the only thing he remembered was that one of the characters was a writer and her sister died. Sad stuff. Maybe if he could drum up a copy, he’d read it since he didn’t have much else on his agenda for the week.
