I called Michael first. He’s the oldest. It seemed right.
He picked up on the fourth ring. I could hear keyboards clicking in the background. Somebody laughing in a hallway.
“Mom. Hey. Everything okay?”
“No, honey,” I said. “Not really.”
I told him the story I’d practiced. The medical bills from Dad’s illness. How the insurance didn’t cover the experimental treatment. How the bank was taking the house. How I had maybe two weeks before I had to be out.
“I don’t have anywhere to go, Michael.”
He was quiet a long time. So long I thought the call had dropped.
“Mom,” he said finally. “That’s awful. That’s really, really awful.”
“I know.”
“But it’s just, it’s really not a good time right now.”
I didn’t say anything.
“Jenna’s mother is coming to visit in the spring,” he went on. “For a month. And the guest room is basically Jenna’s office now, she’s got her whole setup in there. And I’m traveling constantly with this trial…”
Michael has five bedrooms.
I’ve been to that house twice. I know.
“I understand,” I said.
“Let me look into some options for you, okay? I’ll send you some stuff.”
“Okay, honey.”
“Love you, Mom. Hang in there.”
An hour later, an email showed up on my computer.
Three links to senior apartment complexes in Lima. One of them was the place on Shawnee Road where my friend Bev’s husband had died of a bedsore.
There was no note. Not even “Thinking of you.” Just three blue links.
I sat and looked at that email for a long time.
Then I called Stephanie.
Lila Hart is a dedicated Digital Archivist and Research Specialist with a keen eye for preserving and curating meaningful content. At TheArchivists, she specializes in organizing and managing digital archives, ensuring that valuable stories and historical moments are accessible for generations to come.
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