Honeymoon

Chapter 28

“HELLO, MOTHER. It’s me.”

Nora walked across the small room and took her mother’s hand. She gave it a squeeze but got nothing in return. Not that she expected to. Nora was used to feeling nothing on these visits.

Olivia Sinclair was lying in bed on top of the covers. She was propped up by two thin pillows. A withering frame and glassy stare. The woman was fifty-seven, but she looked eighty.

“Have you been feeling all right?” Nora watched as her mother slowly turned to her. “It’s me, Nora.”

“You’re very pretty.”

“Thank you. I had my hair done. For a funeral, of all things.”

“I like to read, you know,” said Olivia.

“Yes, I know.” Nora reached into the bag and pulled out the latest John Grisham novel. “See, I brought you a book.”

She held it out to her mother, but Olivia didn’t take it. Nora placed it on the bedside table and sat down in a nearby chair.

“Are you eating enough?”

“Yes.”

“What did you have for breakfast?”

“Eggs and toast.”

Nora forced a smile. These were the moments that hurt the most, when it seemed that she was having an actual conversation with her mother. She knew better, though. Inevitably, almost self-destructively, she tested her mother to make sure.

“Do you know who the president is?”

“Yes, of course I do. Jimmy Carter.”

There was never any point in correcting her, Nora knew. Instead, she told her mother about her work and some of the houses she’d decorated. There were updates on her girlfriends in Manhattan. Elaine was working too hard at her law firm. Allison was still a fashion barometer at W.

“They really care about me, Mother.”

“Knock, knock,” came a voice.

The door opened and Emily appeared with a tray. “It’s time for your medication, Olivia.” The nurse moved with a crisp, almost robotic rhythm. She poured water into a glass from a pitcher on the bedside table.

“Here you go, Olivia.”

Nora’s mother took the pill and washed it down without a fuss.

“Oh, is that his latest?” asked Emily, eyeing the novel on the table.

“It just came out,” said Nora.

Her mother smiled. “I like to read, you know.”

“Of course you do,” said Emily.

Nora’s mother picked up the novel. She opened to a page and began reading. Upside down.

As she was about to leave, Emily turned to Nora, who always seemed so brave, so beautiful.

“Oh, by the way,” said Emily, “the singing group from the local high school is performing in the cafeteria. We’re taking everyone on the wing down. You’re welcome to come along, Nora.”

“No, that’s okay. I was about to head out. It’s a busy time for me.”

Emily left the room and Nora stood. She walked over to her mother and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. “I love you,” she whispered. “I wish you knew that.”

Olivia Sinclair didn’t say anything. She just watched as her daughter walked out the door.

Moments later, when no one was there, Olivia removed the jacket from her new novel and flipped it around. With the pages right side up and the jacket upside down, she began to read.