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“Cancer is a bitch!” She spits out. There’s something about her cursing that’s so inherently funny that I have to hold back a giggle.
Mrs. Ritz continues, “Andrea didn’t deserve such a fate. She was so beautiful, and then got so thin…”
She shakes her head, muttering under her breath, “The little girl was just two. What a shame.”
Jane now turns solemn, and she adds in a kind voice, “Joyce’s mom has cancer. She knows the struggle.”
Mrs. Ritz scoots even closer to me, her eyes wide with sympathy, “And how is she doing?”
“Making peace with life,” I shrug and smile. “The doctors are keeping her comfortable.”
“Oh, dear,” she gently pats my arm, and I feel her genuine concern. “I lost my Raymond to lung cancer; he justhadto smoke like a chimney!”
I laugh, unable to resist her charm.
“Oh, I like you, Joyce. You don’t let the bad tides rule your life!” Mrs. Ritz goes on, smiling. “Will you young ladies join us for the ball tonight?”
“What ball?” I raise an eyebrow.
“The Villas’ HOA throws one every year,” Jane says, “It’s a charity to revitalize low-wage neighborhoods around the city. Logan’s firm is always a big donor.”
“And is he going?” Mrs. Ritz asks.
“I have no idea,” Jane shrugs.
“It’s always a struggle to get him out of the house these days, isn’t it?” Mrs. Ritz say. “It would be good for him to go to the ball!”
“I want to go to the ball too!” Anna says, running towards us, the bag of oats empty. “Hi, Mrs. Ritz!”
“Hello, sweetie!” the woman says in a soft voice, cupping the little girl’s face to kiss it. “Then you invite your daddy to go to the ball! How about you, Jane? Are you going?”
“Huh,” Jane is caught by surprise. “I was not invited…”
“ButI’minviting you!” Mrs. Ritz has a huge smile on her face. “I’m a big-time donor too. I get to invite whoever I want. And how about you, dear?”
Now I’m the one caught by surprise. “What?” I ask, bewildered.
“The ball! Are you coming?” she asks.
“Well, Mrs. Ritz,” I can tell my face is red. “I’m just the nanny here!”
The older woman looks at me with a daring stance, and then shakes her head firmly.
“What if you go as my guest?” she says. I raise an eyebrow. “Your boss won’t mind if I borrow you for the evening, will he?”
I look at her, still perplexed. She must take my silence as acceptance because then she says, “It’s a plan! Now you two come by my house later; you’re both short and skinny like me. My old dresses should fit you.”
She stands, her poor balance making her sway over the pavement, “See you later!”
“What a character!” I confide to Jane in a loud whisper.
“You can speak at a normal volume now. She can’t hear you,” Jane says, amused. “And yes, I love her. Just be careful what you say around her. She’s a huge gossiper.”
“I noticed,” I laugh. “How long have you’ve known her?”
“Since I was born! She really is like a grandmother to me. She came over quite a lot after the accident,” Jane says.
“Joyce?” Anna calls, adorably interrupting our conversation.
