Page 188 of Seasons of Love
“Hi…Milo. This is Gloria. I’m calling to apologize for missing my visit with Sara. I hope she likes the things I bought for her.”
Her voice has an edge to it that I can’t read. All I want to say is that Sara will be ten months in a few days. She doesn’t know or care about gifts, but I bite my tongue.
“Thank you for your generosity, Gloria. I hope you’re able to return to visit Sara soon.” I don’t mean the words. At least, I don’t think I do. I want Sara to have a grandmother. I’m just too afraid of her right now.
“I’m sure I will. I’ve been thinking a lot about Sara and her future. You’ve been doing a great job raising her so far, but I can imagine it’s not easy for a young man your age to raise a child on his own.”
“Sara is my daughter. My age is irrelevant. I love her and will always put her first.” Now I’m the one on edge. What is she getting at?
“I know, Milo. I’m not disputing that, and I could see how much you care for her. I just want to tell you I’m looking into some options.”
My knees give way, but Ellis is there to catch me.
“Options?” I ask. My voice is as shaky as my hands holding the phone.
“Nothing for you to worry about. I just want to know my rights as Sara’s grandmother. You must understand this all came as a surprise and a blessing to me too.”
“I…understand.”
“Splendid. I’ll be in touch soon. I’m looking forward to seeing you and Sara again.”
I’m left holding my phone and staring at it as though it could self-destruct any moment now. Or maybe that’s just my life crumbling right beneath my fingers.
Today I can’t bear looking at the sky because for the first time since my mom died, I feel hopeless, numb, and alone.
33
ELLIS
The playground is a hub of activity. I’ve never seen so many people in or around it at the same time.
Tyler set up a pop-up shelter that works as the coordination center, which Florrie is managing. Who knew she’d thrive so much on bossing people around?
“Once a teacher, always a teacher,” she says, justifying her whip-cracking.
I approach her to check in on things. “Ellis, dear, can you see that we have enough bags for the landscaping waste? Dave is almost finished pulling the weeds.”
“Of course.”
I check Tyler’s van and find some extra compost bags, so I take those to where several residents are helping out by collecting the waste.
Fletcher and Arlo are working together using chemicals to remove the old paint from the swings. There’s a cordoned-off area around them to ensure no one gets hurt.
For the first day of the playground cleanup, it seems we’re on target.
“Hey, Ty, have you seen Milo?”
He points to the hall, so I run over there.
I find him in the kitchen making sandwiches and muttering to himself. There’s a small radio playing music in the background.
He smiles when he sees me even though the smile doesn’t reach his eyes. “Hey, has Alice called? Is Sara okay?”
“Alice hasn’t called, and I’m sure Sara is okay. I just came to check on you.”
“Why? I’m okay. The sandwiches will be ready by lunchtime, and Julius called just a minute ago to say he’s closed Bittersweet, and he’ll be getting here within the hour to serve coffee and cold drinks.”
I lean against the counter and cross my arms. “Yes, that’s good, but I’m still checking on you.”
