“So says an ex-wife. Who, by the way, was also a doctor. If you ask me, she was the difficult one. No one asks me, however.”
She laughed and asked him what his schedule was like and whether he had any time for hobbies or special interests. It turned out he loved sailing and fishing and biking through the countryside; that his schedule was usually packed but he made time for relaxation and exercise. He loved being outside when the weather was good. Jessie admitted she should do more of that. She’d been thinking about getting a dog. “I think maybe I’m alone too much. My favorite pastimes are reading, watching movies, going to art galleries, that sort of thing.”
He liked movies, too, and they compared a long list of favorites.
Before she knew it they had talked about so many things it was growing late in the afternoon and they’d each had a second drink plus a couple of coffees. For someone who hadn’t been hungry, she’d put a major dent in the food. “Look at the time,” she said. “I’ve taken up your whole afternoon!”
“I didn’t have any plans,” he said. “I enjoyed myself. I hope you’re feeling a little better.”
“I am. I still have some things to figure out. My father left a small legacy. Some retirement funds and a few personal items and one mystery beneficiary who is anonymous. None of us has any idea who or what it could be.” She explained the division of the will. “We’re all guessing. I think maybe a client of his, a person he was counseling who could use a break. My brother thinks a scholarship for a young athlete. My sister doesn’t care and my mother won’t discuss it, she’s so angry. But my mother swears she doesn’t have any idea. I think she has an idea and I bet she thinks it’s another woman or something and it couldn’t be—my dad would never... If you haven’t guessed, my mother and I can be like oil and water. I think the big thing we’re all struggling with is whether to pursue finding out the who and why of this anonymous beneficiary or leave it alone and regard it as our dad’s final wishes.”
“As he obviously wanted,” Patrick said.
“It’s hard, though,” she said. “No matter who or what, that means my dad had some kind of secret life, one that he wouldn’t share with his family. If it’s a needy person or charity or something like that, no one in the family would fight it. Not if that’s what he wanted.”
“I take it there’s no letter or video or explanation?” Patrick asked.
“Nothing. He didn’t even tell his lawyer. And the lawyer is an old friend, a guy Dad used to play golf with sometimes. He changed his will behind my mom’s back, secretly, and didn’t even tell Larry, who had to carry out his wishes.”
“Maybe you should have a family meeting,” Patrick suggested. “Just so you’re all on the same page.”
“I think I’ll save that as a last resort,” Jessie said. “I seldom agree with my mother, brother and sister. And they never agree with me.”
About a half hour later they were pulling into the parking lot at the hospital.
“Thank you for rescuing me and for treating me to such a nice afternoon,” Jessie said. “It was really nice of you. And I had a great time. Even though I talked your ear off about my dad and my family, it put me in such a better state of mind.”
“It was a pleasure. I’m leaving the day after tomorrow for a conference in New York. I’ll be back the end of the week.”
“Have a great time,” she said.
He went around the car and opened the door for her. He put out a hand to help her. “When I get back, if it’s all right, I’d like to call you.”
“Oh, thank you, but I’m sure I’ll be fine now...”
He smiled lazily and she realized how handsome he was. “When I call I’d like to ask you out to dinner. Something nicer than a taco stand. You have several days to think about what your answer will be.”
“A...date?”
“A date. If you’re interested. I enjoyed the day and I think an evening out would be nice.”
She was speechless. Her mouth hung open. Her eyes were probably as large as hubcaps.
“Forty-five,” he answered to her unasked question. “And no, I’m not involved with anyone. I’m going to go to my office and get my files. Think about it.”
“Yes,” she said.
“I’ll talk to you at the end of the week.”
“I mean, yes, I’d like that,” she said.
He smiled. “Good. Talk to you later, then.”
It was part of Anna’s routine to visit with Blanche every week. Sometimes twice if her workweek wasn’t jammed. Anna and her mother were very close; after all, it had been just the two of them all of Anna’s life. She talked to Blanche almost every day and made it a point to run her errands and visit her mother on the weekend.
Anna always brought a bouquet and maybe a book. On this Saturday she brought flowers and cookies even though Blanche wasn’t supposed to have cookies. She was prediabetic and watching her sugar levels. She kissed her mother’s papery cheek and hugged her close. Then she found a vase for her flowers.
It was always a relief to see Blanche. Blanche still had her nails manicured even if her fingers weren’t perfectly straight and kept her hair colored bright red. It was teased and fluffy. She had her lipstick on, though she wasn’t planning an outing. It was her habit. In fact, she was much flashier when she was younger and had toned it down quite a bit.
“Let me look at you,” Blanche said. Blanche held Anna’s upper arms and looked at her face. “I expected you to look better by now. More rested at least. How do you feel?”
“Okay,” Anna said. “Having someone die is a lot of work.”
“I’ll try to go quietly,” Blanche said.
“Try not to die, that would be better. How are you feeling?”
“Ach, just cranky. Have you talked to his family?” Blanche asked.
“I called his sister and she talked about herself for a while and how much she misses Chad, though I can’t remember the last time she actually saw him. I think they spoke on the phone maybe five times a year.”
“They put on a big show for weddings, funerals and graduations but the rest of the time were invisible.”
Anna sat on the edge of Blanche’s bed while Blanche sat in her leather chair with her feet up. Blanche reached out an old hand and touched Anna’s cheek. “Are you sleeping?”
“I’m sleeping okay but all day long I’m distracted and it’s hard to concentrate on work. I’m checking on the kids frequently, though I think they’re getting comfort from their friends. They check on me a lot. I have a bunch of calls every evening. More than I want or need.”
“Some people just won’t go away after they die, if you know what I mean.”
“Please, Mom. Don’t start in on Chad...”
“I was trying not to speak ill of the dead but I’m very annoyed by Chad. At the end there he wasn’t exactly good to you. He had a great life and a good wife and what did he do? He complained! The bugger.”
“But we’re not going to go there now, are we? Because he’s dead and I’ve been remembering some of the good years. And there were good years. Many. And he was good to you.”
“When it suited him,” Blanche said. “He was uppity.”
“He wasn’t uppity. He was very accomplished, had a thriving practice, was active in the city and community, helped a lot of people... Tell me how your visit with the doctor was? Is your blood pressure okay?”
The look on Blanche’s face was one of shocked surprise, which she immediately shook off, probably embarrassed by not remembering that she saw the doctor just a couple of days ago. Her doctor visited her at the home; he saw a lot of his patients at the assisted living center.
“Everything is fine,” Blanche said.
Anna would make a point of asking the supervisor before leaving.
Ten years ago, when Blanche lived in her own little house and managed her own life, Anna would have told her about the will, about the pregnant woman she still suspected had some connection to Chad. They had been able to talk about anything. But in the last few years Blanche proved unable to keep a confidence and sometimes she’d mix up the order of events.
“I talked to Jessie just the other day,” Blanche said. “She was going on about something at work, something about being at her office for twelve hours straight or something. And tell Mike to come by sometime, will you? I haven’t seen that boy in months.”
It hadn’t been months. They were all together the day of the celebration of life for Chad, and Mike had driven Blanche home to her little efficiency apartment before all the guests arrived because large crowds tended to bring out the worst in her. But rather than remind her, Anna just said, “I’ll tell him. Have you heard from Bess?”
“I think she called last week. She still hasn’t heard about law school, has she?”
She’d been in law school for a year, but Blanche clearly didn’t remember that.