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Chapter 13
Humble Beginnings
Hector was surprised at how much we got done online without having to go to any stores. But I still promised to help him on Saturday morning, after the deliveries all came in, to arrange everything and stage any finishing touches. He didn’t have to pick his mom up until six in the evening, so I showed up at ten in the morning to get started.
He was right: he had no idea what to do with any of it. He had given the delivery men completely wrong instructions, making me question if he had been sleepy or drunk while everything was set up.
“Have you no concept offeng shui?” I asked him.
“That’s the manual on how to arrange furniture, right?”
My nose crinkled at his definition. “Sort of.”
“Well, what’s wrong?”
“Her bed is facing the door. We can’t have that. We need the headboard side of the bed up against the wall with windows, so the feet point toward the solid wall.”
Hector burst out laughing.
“Are you making fun of me, Dr. Medina?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand why it matters, but sure. Let’s move the bed. And please, outside of work, let’s use our given names.”
I nodded. “You didn’t wash the new sheets?”
“I was supposed to?”
“Oh. My. God,” I said, taking the sheets and asking for his washer and dryer, which, thankfully, he did possess.
Everything was nearly ready by two in the afternoon. We were both a mess, sweaty, disheveled, and out of breath from moving all the furniture.
“You owe me big time,” I said.
“I definitely do.”
Hector grabbed us two glasses of water, and we sat in the living room around the coffee table. I took the room in, pleased with what I had accomplished.
The results were cozy and understated but with a modern edge. The mahogany console now displaying art and fresh flowers was to die for. The coffee table was dressed with a candle, a tray with a stack of art books, and a sculptural design I thought Hector would like. Knowing little of his tastes, I’d done my best.
“So, what do you think?” I asked.
Hector shrugged. “Doyoulike it?”
“Not this again. It doesn’t matter if I like it. I want to know if you do.” I almost rolled my eyes at him.
He nodded. “If you like it, then I like it.”
Stubborn man.
“By the way,” Hector said, changing the subject. “I never got the chance to tell you—I thought what you did for your patient was really nice.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I think you called it the Mary?”
I almost spat out the water from my mouth. This entire time, I thought he hadn’t seen it. “You saw?”
Hector nodded. “Why do you call it that?”
