My mom and dad – what a pair. Both very well mannered and educated physicians who cared deeply for their professions, their many charities, and the social circles that seemed to accompany them. They gave their lives to their work, and their free time to everyone but me – their only child.
“Damn it,” muttered Mimi. “I’m sorry, sweetie. It’s their loss for not being around you and Dax more.”
I’d spent most of my life in boarding schools learning to be a well-bred lady of the South. What I’d ultimately learned was that I didn’t want to be anything like my parents.
Mimi was the one who always reminded me what mattered most. She’d held my hand when I sat at the funeral home making arrangements for Daniel – my loving husband. My one and only. She was the one who told me that all Dax needed was one person in his life who truly loved and believed in him, and it was okay to be a single parent.
Mimi leaned in and took my hand, “My sweet Sam.”
I could easily forget how fragile she was because of her attitude, but her frail hand and paper-like skin reminded me that she was ninety-eight.
“You are such a beautiful girl. Gorgeous, long brown hair. Perfect figure.” She lingered. I knew what was coming next.
“You look a lot like me when I was your age.”
“I know, Mimi. I love the old photos of you and Gran.”
“I had plenty of suitors in my day, but your Gran was the light of my life for sure.”
“I know, I loved him too,” I paused. “It sucks when the love of your life is gone.”
“Baby girl, it
is
possible to love more than one man in your life.”
“I’m sure it is, but you know what it’s like. Daniel was my true love, just like Gran was for you. He was my one and only.”
“We’ll talk one day, honey,” she said, patting my hand. “Not today, but one day. My life is coming to a close, but yours…” She squeezed my hand forcing me to look at her. “…yours is just beginning. I promise, you will love again.”
I gave her hand a quick kiss and lied, “I’m not interested in that kind of love anymore. Dax is all I need.”
“You look very pretty today, sweetie,” sang Mimi, quickly changing the subject. “You’re perfection in that blue dress. It matches your eyes.”
“Thank you.”
“And your pearls. I’m so glad you are wearing them.”
I touched them lovingly with my open hand. “Of course.”
Mimi had given me a single choker strand of large pearls for my sixteenth birthday. Growing up Southern teaches you plenty, least of all that you never go anywhere without your lipstick or pearls.
“Now,” Mimi coaxed, breaking my train of thought. “What time is your interview in the business office?”
“Eleven, but I don’t know how I feel about working in an office. It might be a challenge for me,” I hesitated. “You know, four walls…re-circulated air…fluorescent lighting.”
I hadn’t worked since Dax was born three years ago, but with Daniel gone I needed to get out of the house and somehow try to find a new life for myself. My old career as an executive headhunter had always been lucrative. I found it easy to place intelligent folks with companies who were searching for just the right addition to their team. It was kind of like matchmaking–without the sex. I was known as a lioness, always victorious in the hunt, and usually leaving the males behind. But it kept me on the road, and when Dax was born I resigned.
“God knows this place needs help,” Mimi chided, dismissing my objections and leaning in closer. “You’re smarter than ninety-nine percent of the people working here. I have my suspicions that most of the staff at Autumn Valley are up to no good.”
“Now Mimi, don’t get all riled up before your afternoon bridge game.”
“I know for a fact they killed Ruby Hancock in 3B, and Richard my bingo partner had his teeth stolen just two days ago.”
“Well, if I get the job, Mimi, I’ll look into it,” I leaned in and kissed her on the head. “Try to enjoy this beautiful morning, okay?”
Mimi smirked but then blew me a kiss. I headed into the plantation-like building for my interview, shaking my head at her actions but still admiring her spirit.
I was always amazed when I walked through the doors of Autumn Valley. It wasn’t the typical nursing home environment. My heels clacked on the shiny marble floors. The cleaning staff was hard at work in the front entrance polishing the dark and ornate wood that filled the building. A small Hispanic man who seemed to be in charge smiled and nodded to me, acknowledging my presence. “Hola, Señorita,” he smiled.
The building had an old world appeal, but retained its charm with the warmth of the staff and the impeccable service to its residents.
Autumn Valley had a long history of catering to wealthy geriatrics who were too old to live by themselves and too ornery to live with their family. I passed the vestibule sign that read
Autumn Valley, Senior Living in Luxury.
These people had it made: elegant dining rooms, groomed golf courses, pre-dinner cocktails on the veranda, day spas and stretch limousines for trips to the grocery store. We should all have it so easy.
I headed for the door marked
Administration Office
and was stopped in my tracks by the overwhelming smell of fresh flowers. Since Daniel’s funeral, that smell triggered memories I’d just as soon forget. The one exception – lilac. It was my favorite flower, and my signature scent.
I shook my head and put it out of my mind. I needed this job and I wanted this job – for my own sanity, and to be close to Mimi. I opened the door and was greeted immediately.
The office lobby was large and contained several leather chairs and couches, but the overwhelmingly large reception desk was the centerpiece of the area.
“Good morning, Miss Peterson. I’m Stacy Little.” Her voice was small, and her head was even smaller. She could barely see over the tall and intricately carved desk.
“I’m Mr. Miller’s administrative assistant – but he calls me his secretary, but I prefer administrative assistant, but in the end it probably really doesn’t even matter but that’s who I am.” Stacy gave her entire introduction without taking a breath or leaving her perch. I was dumbstruck by her high-pitched voice and overly excitable nature. To her left a hefty security guard flanked her work area, seemingly all business, but more than likely just hanging out.
“I’m Chuck. Security,” he barked. “And I’m leaving.”
He sniffed and wiped his nose with a swipe of his hand as he moved toward me.
“Hi, I’m Sam,” I explained, deliberately waving and hoping he wasn’t coming in for a handshake. “But I guess you already knew that.”
“Afternoon, ladies,” he mumbled, giving me the once-over before leaving.
Stacy giggled at Chuck’s goodbye, and stood to walk around the tall desk. Surprisingly, Stacy wasn’t
little
at all. She was as wide as she was tall and her stockings rubbed together where her thighs met, making a whish, whish, whish sound when she walked.
“Bye-bye now, Chuck,” she giggled again. “Welcome, Sam.” She focused her attention on me. “Mr. Miller is expecting you.”
“I’m here,” I laughed nervously.
“That’s just dandy,” sang James Miller as he stepped out of his office.
James Miller was short, portly, and reminded me of a turtle with his slight hunchback and nonexistent neck. Despite the reality of his thick glasses and sixty-year-old man comb-over, he clearly thought of himself as a handsome devil. Worst of all, he was drenched in cheap aftershave.
“Nice to meet you,” I said, extending my hand and giving a firm handshake only to discover he was a man plagued with sweaty palms.
“The pleasure is all mine,” Miller chimed, each word dripping with greasy charm. “Won’t you join me in my office, Miss Peterson?”
“Of course,” I agreed, discreetly wiping the wetness from my hand on the side of my dress.
“Stacy darlin’, hold all my calls,” Miller oozed, pointing with both hands as if to shoot her. “I’m in a very important meeting with Miss Peterson.”
“And Miss Peterson,” he drawled, turning his guns on me. “It’s the third door on the left.”
I walked to his office, hearing the conversation behind me, acutely aware of Miller’s eyes on my backside.
“What are you interviewing for again?” Stacy asked.
“New PDC employee.”
“You know how I feel about that,” Stacy whispered. “You should ask me before you change the way things work around here.”
Stacy obviously wore the pantyhose around the office. Miller kowtowed to her, and quickly joined me in his office. “Have a seat, young lady,” he gushed as he shut the door and sat behind his enormous desk. “I must tell you…you smell lovely.”
The words dripped from his mouth through a thick Southern accent.
“Well, thank you, Mr. Miller.”
“Oh please, call me James,” he bellowed confidently with a smarmy smile. “Let me be the first to welcome you to Autumn Valley.”
I listened to him pitch the virtues of the facility, posturing himself as a strong leader. It was easy to let my mind meander since he hadn’t paused to take a breath or to ask me a question. He was a small man who had an office filled with very large things. I could only surmise he was overcompensating for something else that was small. I wondered if he had a sports car parked in the doctors’ lot.
“I’m very impressed with your resume, Miss Peterson.”
He jabbered on, astonished by my work as an executive recruiter. I waited in vain for a question to come and allowed my mind to wander around his office.
There were three dead animal heads, two conference tables, a signed Bear Bryant football, and too many awards and certificates on the walls to count. This was a man who was really into himself. I bet he had a penis the size of a boiled Georgia peanut.
“So that is the position, Miss Peterson,” continued Miller. “Do you think it might be something you would find interesting?” He finally asked a question.
Miller moved from behind his big desk to the credenza where he unsuccessfully half-sat on the top as he waited for my answer.
I knew I would probably regret what I was about to say. “Yes. I would love to work here.”
“Well, that’s… just… super,” he gushed. “Miss Little out front will get you started on your human resource paperwork. I’d really like to see your bright and shining face around here as soon as possible.”
I smiled and stood to shake his sweaty hand again. “Yes, of course. I can start tomorrow if that’s okay.”
“Yes!” Miller bellowed as he stared at my breasts. “That suits me just dandy.”
I silently questioned him with my eyes over the attention he was paying to my décolletage. “Beautiful pearls, Miss Peterson,” he fawned, knowing he’d been caught. “I quite admire a woman in pearls.”
“Yes, well, thank you, and I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said turning to leave.
Miss Little stopped me on my way out. “You’ll need to fill out this packet and bring it back to human resources as soon as possible.” She handed me a folder marked
Welcome to the Autumn Valley Family
and walked away without saying another word.
“Thank you,” I replied to her back. “I will.”
I wanted to drop by and tell Mimi the good news. She would be excited that I could see her every day, and I was excited knowing I now had somewhere to be every day.
I quickly walked down the corridor to the B wing with new-found enthusiasm. In the distance I heard a scream. I picked up my pace thinking of Mimi.
“What’s happening?” I asked the nurse frantically power-walking down the hall. She ignored me. As I got closer, the screaming and shouting grew louder.
“Don’t fight me!” Chuck the security guard was trying unsuccessfully to tackle a man I couldn’t see to the ground. My first thought, how dare this cad…these are elderly defenseless people.
The power struggle continued, mounting tensions in the hallway. When they turned to face the growing crowd, I caught a glimpse of the culprit and lost the ability to think rationally. Goodness gracious Lord a’mighty. He was beautiful. He looked too good to be bad.
“Code yellow!” Chuck shouted as he tried to bring the man to the floor. “Code yellow for God’s sake!” he gasped for breath.
Everyone in the hallway had stopped in their tracks to watch the altercation. Frozen in shock at what was unfolding, the crowd continued to grow.
“You’re making a big mistake!” shouted the man. “This is all a misunderstanding! If you’ll let go, I’ll explain myself.”
“I’m not letting go of anything until I get you under control!” shouted Chuck in his face. “Don’t make me tase you! Where’s my backup?” Chuck shouted down the hall. “For Christ’s sake, this is a code yellow!”
One little distraction – it was all the magnificent man needed. He grabbed Chuck by the arm and in one fell swoop laid him out onto the beautiful parquet floor that graced the halls of the B Wing. “Calm down. I’m not going to hurt you,” he insisted, coolly placing a knee in Chuck’s back. The authority in his voice was incredibly sexy, making me think he’d be hard to disobey.
“I’m sorry I had to do this, but I couldn’t let you tase me. My name is Mac Callahan. My mother is a resident at Autumn Valley and I’m lost,” he admitted, looking around the hall at the gawking bystanders. “I’m…”
He stopped mid-sentence, catching my gaze. All I could think was a man shouldn’t be this beautiful. He stared me down, and I could feel all the blood in my body going two places: my face and my goodie basket. And there hadn’t been goodies in my basket in a
very
long time.
“I need you to calm down,” he continued, focusing again on Chuck.
“Fine! Please get off me,” Chuck begged.
He helped Chuck to his feet at the precise moment two security guards came to his aid.
“I didn’t mean to scare the nice lady in B-22,” he explained. “I thought it was my mother’s room, Nancy Callahan.” I watched intently as he caught his breath and brushed off Chuck’s shoulder.
“No, sir,” interjected the nurse next to me in the crowd. “Mrs. Callahan is in the D wing. D-22 in fact.”
I had to wonder if he would be visiting often. As I told myself he was probably married, he looked my way again and smiled.