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An hour before closing Dominic returned. He looked tired and troubled, but he said that Donna was resting comfortably, and the meds had diminished her pain. The surgeon had explained that there were additional risk factors for anyone Donna’s age, but her vitals were stable and they expected that she would come through the surgery fine and make a recovery with the aid of physical therapy.
He pulled me aside in the office and broke the news that he wasn’t coming over tonight. Between the weariness of the day and the fact that he had a very early meeting, he figured we’d both be better off if he slept in his own neglected bed. Dominic watched me carefully when he said all this, maybe expecting that I would be angry or hurt. I wasn’t. Even though I’d gotten used to falling asleep beside him, I could certainly manage on my own for a night. I kissed him quickly on the lips, told him to get some rest, and to let me know if I could do anything to help the family.
When I got home, Luke and Lando were overjoyed. Well, as overjoyed as cats can be. They competed for space in my lap, rubbed their faces against my Esposito’s T-shirt, and sniffed at the leftover pizza I devoured right there on the couch with no cares about crumbs or sauce stains.
“This is how I roll,” I told the cats as I switched on the television with the intention of indulging in a Gilmore Girls marathon. The next thing I knew, it was dawn, Luke was sitting on my neck, and Lando was licking marinara sauce from one of the nearby throw pillows.
I groaned, pushed the cat off my body, and sat up. “Must have been a wild night,” I said as I tried to smooth down the rowdy nest that my hair had become. It was a futile effort, so I gave up and headed for the shower.
After I was dressed, I realized I didn’t have to be at work for a few hours. I stared at my wide-eyed reflection in the bathroom vanity mirror for a moment and then made an impulsive decision. I kissed Luke and Lando on their napping orange heads and went out to buy some flowers. Only something happy and colorful would do, so I settled on a yellow daisy arrangement and drove straight to the hospital. I wasn’t sure I’d get to see Donna since she might be in the process of getting prepped for surgery, but she was still in her room. I felt timid walking in, wondering if she’d even remember who I was since we’d only met once. But Dominic’s grandmother beamed joyfully when I peeked through the open door of her hospital room.
“It’s you,” she said.
“Hi, Donna.” I crept in and set the flowers on a little table beside her bed. “I wasn’t sure you’d remember me.”
She held a hand out, and I took her fingers gently. “Of course. You’re my grandson Dominic’s girl,” she said warmly.
I felt myself blushing like a shy schoolgirl, but I was pleased. I liked the sound of that, of being “Dominic’s girl.” I wasn’t there more than fifteen minutes before a pair of nurses came in to announce that Donna needed to be moved to the surgical wing. Tara and Gio arrived just as her bed was being wheeled down the corridor. They seemed surprised to see me. Dominic should have been finished with his meeting, and I wanted to wait around for him, but today was going to be busy. I told Gio I’d bounce between Espo 1 and Espo 2 to make sure everything was running smoothly. Gio tried to talk me out of it, arguing that I was already putting in way more time at work than I was expected to, but I wouldn’t change my mind. Dom and Gio needed to be here, at least until Donna was out of surgery and settled. I didn’t want them to worry about anything else.
“Thanks, Melanie,” Gio said, and Tara hugged me.
I stopped by the old restaurant first. It had just opened for the day, and Aimee, who’d been serving at Espo 1 since the place opened, seemed to have it all under control. I told her to call if she needed anything and drove straight to downtown Phoenix, thinking about the Esposito family all the while.
Once I was at work, I shook off my feelings of melancholy. It wasn’t possible to keep a depressed mood going when there was pizza everywhere. Tim asked if I wanted some lunch; I happily accepted and carried an entire pie back to my office. As I ate, I wondered how much longer I’d be able to fit into a pair of jeans if all my meals were made of bread and cheese.
The call came at exactly noon. I remembered because I had just turned on my desk clock radio and heard the daily noontime national anthem. My favorite radio station played a different local high school’s recording every day.
“Melanie,” Dominic said, and I knew his tone well enough by now to tell when something was very wrong.
“What happened?” I asked, although somehow I already knew the answer.
His voice cracked as he told me. And my heart cracked a little, too, at the sound of his pain.
Donna Esposito, cherished family matriarch, had gone into sudden cardiac arrest five minutes after the general anesthesia took effect. Frantic attempts to revive her did not succeed. She’d had a long, rewarding life. In her eighty-two years she’d fashioned a legacy of love and good food and devoted family.
But even long lives somehow never seem long enough.
