“Not if you do your job well. That’s all she wants. And she travels a lot, so you have to be fully responsible while she’s away, and all the time.” He took her out to the kitchen then and showed her where things were. He walked her around the apartment, pointing out the piano where Salima had her lessons, indicated Blaise’s suite, and then walked down the hall to Salima’s room. Becky already seemed lost. It was all more than a little frightening to her. She was a simple girl who had grown up on a farm in New Hampshire, and got into working with blind children when her mother went blind. Most of the staff had some kind of personal tie to their work.
Salima was listening to music in her room and looked up when they walked in. She had recognized Simon’s step, and she had heard Becky’s, so she knew he wasn’t alone. Salima looked sad, and her mother’s door had been closed when they walked by it. Simon’s heart felt like a rock in his chest.
They went back to the kitchen, and he told Becky all the things Salima liked to do, and about her insulin pump, her aspirations for Juilliard, and how talented she was. He sounded proud of her when he said it. And for a minute, Becky felt like he was a member of the family, not an employee. He was fiercely protective of both Salima and Blaise and raved about them both.
Blaise asked him to come to her office at the end of the afternoon. She had been there all day, and she was tired and pale when he walked in. But he didn’t look much better. They both looked strained, and he knew leaving was going to be hard. He was trying not to think of that as he looked at Blaise, and she invited him to sit down. He did, with a sigh.
“What do you think of Becky?” she asked him directly. He had been with her all afternoon, describing the job.
“I think she’s competent and smart. I know she’s reliable from working with her before, although it’s been a while. I think she’s scared, and it’ll take her time to feel comfortable. But once she does, I think she’ll do a good job. She’s not an exciting person, or as fun as Abby, but she’s nice, she knows what she’s doing, and you can rely on her.”
“She looks terrified,” Blaise commented, looking worn out.
“You’re a pretty impressive figure,” he said gently, and Blaise smiled.
“Is that what you thought when you came here?”
“For a short time. I knew you wanted a woman in the job, but you made me feel at home very quickly. And I really wanted to make it work. Becky’s more hesitant as a person. But I think she and Salima will warm up to each other with time. And Salima doesn’t need as much help as she used to.”
“Thanks to you.” Blaise looked at him for a long time, and he nodded. And he had won them over in the beginning.
“I don’t know what to say…. You know how I feel,” he said, choking on the words, and she nodded as her eyes filled with tears.
“Yeah … me too …” she said softly. There was nothing left to say, about Megan, and all the rest.
Blaise went to ask Salima then how she felt about Becky, and Salima said she was okay. She wasn’t excited about her, and she wasn’t Abby or Simon. She shrugged. She had no specific objections to her, she just wasn’t enthused and neither was Blaise, and Becky could sense it, but she had a feeling there was something else going on, and she didn’t know what it was. Simon looked as distressed as they did, and Becky felt like she was intruding on all of them at a bad time.
Blaise ordered pizza for dinner, and Simon had a slice before he left. He couldn’t even finish it, he was too upset, and then he looked at Blaise, who sat at the table eating nothing, while Salima toyed with her salad, and Becky was embarrassed as she took a second slice. No one was eating but her, and she was starving. She hadn’t eaten all day.
“I’d better get going,” Simon said, looking at Blaise, and she nodded. He had rented a car for the return trip to Massachusetts.
He wished Becky luck and told her to call him if she had any questions, and then he hugged Salima hard. She burst into tears, and he told her to call or text him whenever she wanted. Blaise had walked into the front hall by then and was waiting for him near the door where he had left his bags. The others stayed in the kitchen, and Simon looked down at her and wanted to forget everything and stay, but he didn’t say it and knew he couldn’t.
He took Blaise in his arms, and she didn’t resist. She was soaking up the last feel of him, as she smelled the familiar aftershave on his neck and felt his powerful arms around her for the last time. “Take care of yourself, Blaise…. Call me if you need me….”
She nodded and pulled away a little to look at him with a sad smile. “Be a good boy, figure your life out … you deserve wonderful things in your life, and a great woman.” She felt as though she were giving up her child and the man she loved.
“I love you,” he said in a choked voice, with tears in his eyes.