"Oh, you're such a goody-goody all of a sudden," she replied, twisting her lips. You have the book for me." Her face hardened. "Trying to get on my good side? Hoping I won't throw you out? Forget it. The kid belongs in a special school or something, right. Skeeter?"
"Exactly. She'd get much better help from people who do that for a living.'
"Your mother is actually arranging for that soon and she has the information and--"
"Oh, she does? How convenient," She thought a moment. "How expensive is the school?"
"I don't know."
"Well, it doesn't matter what you know and what you don't. Soon,I'll be making all those decisions anyway. The writings on the wall, as my mother would tell you. That goes for you. too. Trevor. I don't know why you remained here since the vineyard went out. All these freeloaders," she told Skeeter, who was attacking the food as though he had been starving on an island for weeks. He nodded.
"Ain't no worse freeloader than an ungrateful, irresponsible daughter coming around for money," Trevor replied.
"I would watch my tongue if I were you, man." Skeeter said.
"Would you?" Trevor responded, his eyes fixed so hard and coldly on Skeeter. "That's good, only you ain't me, man."
"Right," Skeeter said, smiling and looking at Echo. "Add that to the thank-you's you're giving God. Echo." he told her. Of course, she didn't understand. Both he and Rhona laughed.
I could see the muscles in Trevor's neck tighten. He looked poised to leap over the table at Skeeter at any moment. It was only Echo's frightened eyes that kept him from doing anything more than just glaring back and then beginning to eat. They grew bored with us anyway and started their own conversation about some of their friends and their own plans. Rhona talked as if Mrs. Westington was already dead and buried and she had inherited everything.
"There isn't much point in keeping this property any longer. It's not being used as it should be. There's probably a winery nearby that would love it and would pay a lot for it so they could expand."
"Absolutely." Skeeter said as if he was a real estate expert.
"You'd better start thinking about a retirement home for yourself," Rhona told Trevor.
He ignored her, chewed his food, and looked ahead as though they weren't there.
"So what are you trying to do here anyway?" she asked me. "And what have you already taken from my mother? You'd better let me know or eventually I'll have you arrested for stealing."
"All I've taken from her is the love you never accepted," I said. Trevor smiled.
Her smile evaporated. "What things did she want at the hospital? I'll be bringing them to her, not you."
"She asked me to do it and I'll be doing it," I replied firmly.
Echo was signing to me, asking why her mother looked so angry.
"God, does she ever stop that?" Rhona asked, looking at her. "Looks like my mother never taught her dinner manners. All I used to hear from her was that children should be seen and not heard at the table."
"Maybe she just meant you and not all children," I suggested. Again. Trevor smiled. Even Skeeter smiled.
"Oh, you're so smart." She leaned toward me. "I don't care what my mother told you. This isn't your family and this isn't your home and the law will be on my side when it comes down to it. You'll see." She pushed her dish away and stood up. "You'll both see," she said, turning to Trevor. "C'mon, Skeeter. I want to go to the hospital and see what exactly is happening to my mother." She stressed the "my."
"What about the apple pie'? That looks good," Skeeter said, nodding at it.
"Take a piece with you, damn it," she told him.
He shrugged, cut a piece, and rose with it in his palm.
"Hey." he said to me, "if you can cook like this, you can stay," He laughed.
She glared at him and they walked out of the dining room. I saw how lost Echo was with all this. I smiled at her and told her after we cleaned up, we'd go see her grandmother.
Trevor sat back. troubled. "I told you," he said. "I knew things were not going to be good when I saw that bird fly into the building. But don't worry," he added quickly. "I'll fix it."
He was going with us to the hospital, too. We wouldn't be far behind Rhona and Skeeter. I went upstairs to change into something nicer and brush my hair. After that I went into Mrs. Westington's room to get her personal things. The moment I walked through the doorway, I stopped and gasped.
Rhona and Skeeter had practically ripped the bedroom apart in their search for money and valuables. The dresser drawers were still open, clothes sprawled. The closet was open and clothing on the floor. Every box, every cabinet had been rifled. They had even searched her bathroom and her linen closet, not bothering to put the towels and sheets back on their shelves. Echo came up behind me and pulled my arm so she could ask what had happened.
I just shook my head and started to put things away. She helped immediately and we soon had the room looking tidy again. Mrs. Westington was right on target when it came to predicting what her daughter would do. I thought. She was wise to have me hide the box of valuables and money. I gathered up her personal things that she wanted brought to the hospital and placed them all in a woolen bag that looked like something she had made for herself.
"Let's go, Echo," I told her. When we stepped out of the house. Trevor was waiting in the station wagon. As soon as I got in. I told him what I had found in Mrs. Westington's bedroom.
"They'll be all over that house while she's away. Wouldn't surprise me to see Rhona try to sell some of the furniture. I wish I could put everything under lock and key. That Rhona... some child to have raised. I don't think she gave her mother a moment of happiness. Don't worry about any other mess she makes. though. Lourdes will be here tomorrow," he reminded me.
When we arrived at the hospital, I was happy to learn that Rhona and Skeeter had not gotten in yet to see her mother. The nurse informed them she was asleep and they should not disturb her. Rhona was in a pout, threatening not to sit around waiting much longer for her mother to awaken.
"I can't even get any sensible information about her. The doctor's not available and the nurses don't know anything or won't tell anything. Resting comfortably is their stock, stupid response to eveiNthing," Rhona said.
Neither Trevor nor I said anything. We sat in the small lobby on Mrs. Westington's floor and Echo began looking at magazines. I could see Rhona didn't have the patience for this. She paced a bit. Skeeter sat with his eyes closed looking like he could fall asleep in seconds. Finally Rhona nudged him and told him she wanted them to go.
"We'll come back tomorrow. This is a waste of time. If you're still here when she wakes, tell her we stopped by." she told me.
"Okay," I said. "We'll let you know how she is."
"Oh, thank you, thank you." she said with exaggeration. "C'mon, Skeeter."
He shrugged, rose, and followed her out.
"You know what I think," Trevor said. "I think when Mrs. Westington heard it was Rhona looking to see her, she told her nurses to say she was asleep."
I laughed.
As it turned out, however, he was right. Shortly after the nurse told her we were there, we were permitted to visit.
"Are she and that clown gone?" Mrs. Westington asked.
"Yes," Trevor said. "How are you feelin'?"
"How do you think I feel being locked up in here like this?" she snapped back at him.
"You're not locked up. Mrs. Westington," I said. I gave her the bag of personal items.
She grunted and looked at Echo. They communicated with sign language and then Mrs. Westington turned to me.
"You did well with the dinner, but she says Rhona's been on a tear and wrecked my room. That so?"
I looked at Trevor.
"Don't wait for his permission to tell me the truth. I ain't incapacitated yet. What did she do?"
"She's just making all sorts of wild statements and threats."
"She and that man tried to find my money and jewels, didn't they?"
"Yes, but we got it all hidden before they came home."
She nodded, pleased with herself. "They say when you step on a pickle, you never know which way it will squirt. She's one pickle easy to predict. Always was, and you know why? Because she has only one purpose, one goal in her life: to please herself no matter what. Remember that time you found her in the garage in the back of the car with that boy, Trevor? She tried to blame Trevor afterward. No telling how low she'll get. I was a fool to think there was any change in her. You'd think a girI who had lived like she has would have learned something."
"Has the doctor been in yet?" I asked.
She smirked. "Yes, he has. He claims he needs to keep me here to try some medicines on me to see which works best and which don't."
"That's reasonable," Trevor said.
"Oh, is it? How would you like to be treated like some guinea pig?"
"Oh, that's not it." Trevor said. smiling. "No sense in him prescribing something for you that don't work."
"Ain't anyone on my side anymore?" she moaned, and signed to Echo.
Echo went to her and hugged her.
Mrs. Westington looked at me. "Better tell Tyler about this. I guess it's more important than ever she go into that school now. I kept her under my wing as long as I could, but the feathers are getting too thin."
"Now you gain' to start that gloom and doom talk again?" Trevor asked.
She narrowed her eyes when she looked at him. "Are you going to stand there and tell me you haven't seen any sins that concern you. Trevor Washington?"
He glanced at me and she caught it. She was just as keen as ever. I thought happily.
"Go on, tell me what you've been doing. Burning candles, throwing salt? What are you doing to remedy this situation?" she demanded,
"None of your business." he told her, and she laughed.
The nurse entered. "The doctor wanted us to keep her visiting hours restricted for the first few days," she said.
"Days?" Mrs. Westington cried. "I'm not here for days."
"We have to go anyway," I said. "We have lots to do."
"You don't worry none," Trevor said.
"Oh, no. I'll just lay here hunky-dory. The cook puts glue in the mash potatoes and the meat they expect you to eat must first be beaten for hours on a rock."
"I'll bring you something," I said.
"She has to watch her salt intake," the nurse said. "That's very important right now."
"Sneak it in." Mrs. Westington said loud enough for the nurse to hear. She turned to Echo and told her to be a good girl while she was away and listen to both Trevor and me. They kissed good night. I put my arm around Echo and we all left the room. Trevor's face made me nervous. He looked so worried.
"She'll be all right," I said, trying to reassure myself as much as him.
"For now." he said. "But there comes a time when time ain't on your side no more. You start to hate clocks and calendars and the only birthdays you like are the birthdays other people have. My mama used to say you can dam up water, you can shut out the wind, and you could get out of the rain, but you can't hold back that minute hand. No. sir. Don't try. Just hang on and hope for the best.
"Now you got me doin' it." he said. laughing. "You got me talkie' doom and gloom."
He joked about it. but I was beginning to believe that was all I was capable of doing.
"Let's treat Echo to an ice cream," he suggested. "Get her mind off doom and gloom."
"Okay. but I'm not having any." I said firmly.
Later. when we drove up the driveway, we were surprised to see two other cars beside the ugly van in front of the house.
"What's this now?" Trevor wondered aloud.
When we stopped and got out, we could hear loud music coming from the house.
"I don't like the sound of this," Trevor said. "I'll go in with you two."
When we entered, we realized all the noise was coming from the living room. There were five other people there, all drinking and smoking. I recognized cocaine on the coffee table. A short, dark-haired woman was just about to snort it when we appeared. Rhona was sprawled on the sofa, her head against Skeeter. who had a bottle of whiskey in his hand. There was another young woman on the other side of him, her blouse open down to her navel and her breasts quite visible. She was smoking a joint. Two men, one with hair as long as Skeeter's. were sprawled on the floor. A rather heavy balding man was in Mrs. Westington's chair, his bare feet on the side of the coffee table. There were open beer bottles, glasses, pizza boxes with pieces still in them, and a container of melting ice cream that was leaking off the table and onto the floor. No one seemed to notice or care.
"Well, look who's here, everyone, the Lonely Ranger and her trusty companion. Trevor. Trevor's been here since the first gape was discovered," Rhona said. The fat balding man laughed, but the others just held their smiles.
Skeeter kept his eyes fixed on Trevor as if he was anxious to see exactly what he would do.
"These happen to be some of my old friends,'" Rhona added. "Maybe you remember Billy Roche and Gretta Lockheart, Trevor. They were often here.'"
"I remember them." he said. nodding. "You're making some mess for Mrs. Westinton," he said.
"Oh, she won't care and besides, she's not coming home tomorrow, is she? We have extra domestic help. Everyone, that girl standing there gaping at me is my daughter. Echo. Echo is deaf, so just smile at her. please.
"Besides, Trevor," she continued. "April Fool will clean up after us, won't you. April Fool? That's how she earns her room and board, cleaning up. Oh," she said, nodding at something on the other side of the coffee table, "I'm sorry, but that cup with your face on it just fell apart. You watch out when you pick up the pieces. I don't want you to cut your fingers or anything.'"
She laughed, but everyone else just looked at us, waiting for the response. Skeeter took another swig of his whiskey.
"Mrs. Westington asked me to look after things while she's away." Trevor said slowly. He took a step forward, "She don't like there being strangers in her home while she's away and she don't want no parties and messes either. You tell these people to go and take their drugs and crap with them," he said.
Rhona started to sit up, but failed. Skeeter laughed and then pushed her.
"Don't tell me what to do in my own house,' she said.
"This ain't your house. It's Mrs. Westington's house. Now you people leave quickly or I call the police, and I got no reason not to tell them what's on that table there," he said. nodding at the cocaine.
"Shit. Rhona," Billy Roche said, sitting up quickly. "You said we'd have no trouble crashing here tonight"
"Don't listen to him." Rhona said.
"Yeah, right. I'm about to explain myself to the Highway Patrol." Roche stood up.
The woman at the table started to brush the cocaine into a sheet of paper.
"What are you doing? Don't let him frighten you!" Rhona cried.
Trevor stepped up to the heavy man in Mrs. Westington's chair and glared down at him. "'That's Mrs. Westington's chair you're in, boy, and she don't like no one else sitting in it, much less putting his dirty feet on her table.-
The heavy, balding man pulled himself up quickly. "Hey, I'm getting the hell outta here. I'm on probation." he said, quickly slipping on his shoes.
"Tommy!" Rhona shouted. "Don't let him tell you what to do. He's an employee."
"You comin'. Martha?" he asked the woman at the table instead of responding to Rhona. The woman got up quickly, carefully folding the paper with the cocaine in it and putting it into her purse.
The others moved toward the living room doorway. One man wobbled a bit, but put one leg in front of the other.
"You're all just a bunch of wimps!" Rhona shouted after them.
I stood back. holding Echo's hand. Rhona looked at Trevor and then groaned and fell back against Skeeter. He took another swig on his bottle.
We heard them all leave.
"You're going to be sor
ry you did that," Rhona threatened. "I've already met with my attorney. Things are going to change very quickly here. Start thinking about leaving."
"I better not hear you made any more trouble tonight," Trevor replied.
Skeeter looked at him, but couldn't stare him down and shifted his eves quickly.
I told Echo we should go up to bed. She nodded, looked at the mess and at her mother, and then moved quickly to the stairway. I knew she was very frightened and I decided to invite her to sleep with me.
"I hate leaving you two in here with them," Trevor said. "We'll be all right, Trevor," I told him.
"You come get me if you're not,," he said. He glared at Skeeter and Rhona and then he left the house.
"Good riddance!" Rhona yelled after him.
As we went up the stairs. I heard her mumbling and crying to Skeeter.
"Relax," he said, loud enough for me to hear. "Time's on our side."
When we got to the top of the stairway, I heard the phone ringing and hurried into Mrs. Westington's bedroom to pick up the receiver. Echo followed me. It was Tyler.
"I'm just calling to see what happened with her," he said when I said hello.
I told him about Mrs. Westington and then about Rhona and the mess they had made with the friends they had over.
"That's a bad situation there," Tyler said. "My advice to you is to get out."
"Get out? But how can I do that? I can't leave them like this. with Mrs. Westineton in the hospital. We'll talk about it tomorrow. okay?"
"I'm not coming back tomorrow or the day after or the day after that," he said. "I promised my mother. I'm finished up there. April."
"But I thought you were going to wait until we had Echo established at least. I thought--""
"Rhona stopped in our store today."
"What?"
"Rhona stopped in our store today. She told my mother what she saw you and I doing. My mother thinks that's the only reason I wanted to go there."
"Oh. my God. Rhona's such a lowlife."
"Yeah, well, she did it. She only wants to make trouble and get rid of you. My mother was very upset. so I told her it wasn't true."
"I know. Put it out of mind. Like it never happened."