Sydney stared hard at the wall. It was white, concrete and cold to her forehead.
"We should be together...we're a team." Sydney mumbled under her breath.
"Quit speaking nonsense. Laura, lie her down."
Quietly, two cold, sweaty, meaty hands took hold of both Sydney's arms and lied her down on her nephew's mattress.
"You're too old..."
Sydney shot a look in the direction of whoever said that. She didn't know what she expected. She only saw her family -- her brother's son and son's wife, her son and his wife. She wondered if it was her fat, evil daughter-in-law that was doing the talking.
"She'll need you to take care of her everything -- bathing, bathroom -- all of it."
Sydney thought about peeing on the mattress, the same way she would in the good old days at her parent's pecan farm by the riverbend in middle Georgia. Would they do it? Would they clean up....everything? Sydney closed her eyes and imagined her dead husband, Charles, the boy on her pecan farm.
"I'm leaving with Charley. Steve, Jill, she's going to need a lot of caretaking and a room to herself. Use this time to work...on your marriage. You need it."
Sydney recognizes Jill's sweet voice, high-pitched and scratchy, "Steve...(cough)...let's sleep together tonight. You can come back to my room for today."
Steve looks at the small woman on the floor of his room.
"Aunt Syd...thanks for going to the Tree, but now it's our turn. We'll figure it out."
Sydney opens her eyes and sits back up. She notices her son and his wretch had left. She softly looks over at Jill and Steve.
"We're a team...we have to stay together..." Sydney says.
"Laura."
Two cold hands grab hold of Sydney and lay her back down again.
"We're a team." Sydney mumbles.
"Husband, Steve, that's all...(cough)...she ever says anymore..."
"Long live the Tree." Steve said.
"You'll die." Sydney responded.
Steve flinched in horror.
"Laura!"
Laura shut her up.
-jnb
 BeatsyaBass · Thu Oct 20, 2016 @ 05:20am · 0 Comments |
