I nod. “I would too. Now tell me, have you made any friends?”
Mom shares excitedly about a new woman who moved in. They visit a few times a day and enjoy playing cards together. I learn things I wish I hadn’t about some of the other residents, and Mom clucks her tongue when I shudder. Toward the end of our visit, I notice she’s tiring, and her disease begins to take over. I kiss her temple and promise to visit again.
“Don’t forget to bring me Ava, dear,” she demands in a moment of clarity, and my heart clenches.
“Yes, ma’am.” I kiss her cheek. The door closes, and I run my hands over my face, emotions draining me.
“She’s doing well. I know it’s hard to see, but she’s adjusting,” a woman in scrubs I didn’t notice tells me before heading down the hall.
Once I get into my car, my head falls back against the headrest and my lids shut. The visits with mom will only worsen as the disease drives out the woman who raised me. I know I need to appreciate how lucid she is most of the time, but what’s to come looms over me like an angry black cloud.
When she was first diagnosed, I begged her to move in with me. She refused, and her doctor had also been opposed—stability and familiarity being two powerful motivators. I study the place ahead of me. We lucked out that this is close to her home. I asked around, and the glowing recommendations made moving her in all the easier.
My phone vibrates against my butt. I lean to the side to remove it and smile at the text preview.Ava…
Ava: How’s your day going? Did you visit your mom?
Always thoughtful. Her kindness doesn’t seem to know any bounds. Looking at the time, I realize I have just enough time to hit the store.
Jason: Mom is doing well… as expected. My day just got better hearing from you.
Tossing the phone in the cupholder, I let the feelings Ava brings out smooth over the helplessness I was drowning in only moments ago.
The town we live in is mostly self-sufficient but borders a larger city. It’s not as big as where I was living before either. In fifteen minutes, I’m searching for parking, hoping I can snag one near the road to save time. Luckily people are beginning their commute home, and I find one a block down.
Hurrying down the sidewalk, I scan the shop names until I find the one I want. When I pass the window display I’m looking for, I note the mugs are still there.
“Welcome! How may I help you today?” a woman my age asks before checking me out.
“The mugs in the window?” I ask, and she murmurs her understanding. “I’d like to purchase them.”
She moves around until she can reach into the display. “Will this be all?”
I look around. “Do you have anything else from that series?”
She nods. “Yes, right this way.” She places the mugs on the counter and continues toward the back. “That is fromHarry Potter,” she says, pointing at our right. “I also have a few jewelry items in a case.”
Grabbing a pillow that will look great in Ava’s shop, I encourage the woman to show me the jewelry. My brows furrow at the items. I know nothing about this series and am relying on this woman’s knowledge.
“What is this?” I ask, lifting a timepiece charm of sorts.
“Hermione’s Time-Turner… I’m assuming you’ve never read or seen the series?”
I nod.
“It’s used to turn back time. Hermione uses it to be in multiple places at once. She’s the brain child of the group.”
“I’ll take it!”
The woman wraps my items and puts them in nice bags with tissue paper when I tell her they’re a gift. After thanking her, I step out and she sets out her closed sign. Moving my bags, I free up a hand to check my phone.
Ava: Aren’t you sweet. What do you have planned for the evening?
“I’m coming to surprise you,” I mutter with a grin.
A few minutes later, the bell on the door announces my arrival, and a man smiles from behind the counter. I scan the shop but don’t see Ava. Sifting through our previous conversations, I wonder if she mentioned not working tonight.
A group of students loiter at a few tables they pulled together. Otherwise, the shop is quiet now that the workday has ended.
