Page 32 of That Last Carolina Summer

“Molting is a part of life for all birds. It’s a shedding of old feathers to make room for new ones. It’s a required renewal, crucial for the bird’s survival as it gives them a chance to get rid of old or damaged feathers.

“I think that people must go through similar molting periods, although not as regularly as birds, yet still just as important for our physical and mental well-being. Fortunately, we remain mostly recognizable to our friends and families, but—if we’re lucky—we become unrecognizable to the person in the mirror. ”

Excerpt from the blog The Thing with Feathers

Phoebe

I TURNED OFF my mother’s laptop and closed the lid.

I’d just finished my spreadsheet listing all her accounts and paid all her outstanding balances.

The electric company was still offline, and I hadn’t yet reached Patricia to make amends, but for the first time since my return I felt as if I was managing to keep my head above water.

I’d done a cursory check of Mother’s inbox and had seen several emails from her book club as well as meeting times and locations for her garden club. None of these appeared to have been answered.

As I stood, I made a mental note to ask Addie if she’d spoken to any of Mother’s friends or club members to let them know what was going on.

Mother would have been mortified if she’d missed a single RSVP.

I probably knew the answer already, but in the midst of so much disappointment in my sister, I chose to be optimistic.

It was a lot easier than carrying around a sack of anger and resentment.

“What are you doing?”

My mother’s acrimonious voice deflated my contentment, replacing it with dread. I turned to see her in the doorway of her bedroom. “I needed to borrow your computer. My battery is dead.”

She stalked across the room toward me, her eyes narrowed. “You’re lying. Tell me what you’re doing in my room going through my drawers.”

I wasn’t going to take offense. I tried to think of what the booklets from Liam’s office said about deflecting accusations. “I found your rings.” I picked up the small Herend china dish from the top of the desk where her rings had been all along. “Would you like to wear them?”

She looked down at her bare fingers, looking surprised to find them empty. “Whatever were they doing there?” She narrowed her eyes at me again.

“Here. Put this one on first.” I gave her the plain gold wedding band that I had never seen anywhere except on her left hand.

She slipped it on, struggling just a little to get it over her knuckle.

“Now this one.” The second ring was a beautiful emerald-cut sapphire flanked by two smaller diamonds set in platinum.

My father had given it to her for their twentieth wedding anniversary, and back in the days when I used to care about such things and didn’t realize how morbid it was, Addie and I would argue over who would inherit it.

Mother had stopped the arguing by explaining that it would go to Addie since she was the eldest.

When she looked at me again, it was clear she no longer remembered why she’d come up to her bedroom. I gently slid her arm through mine. “Why don’t we go downstairs and fix you some lunch. Addie said you didn’t eat much at breakfast.”

She pasted her social smile on her face—something I was beginning to recognize in situations where she knew there was a memory lapse—and nodded regally. “That would be nice.”

I had just cut her peanut butter and jelly sandwich when the doorbell rang. Addie had disappeared with the car shortly after I’d returned home, and Ophelia was sitting in the shade by the dock reading, so I wiped my hands on a dish towel and prepared to answer it.

“Coming!” I called out then settled Mother at the table with a glass of her powdered lemonade. The centerpiece bowl was filled with a bunch of overripe bananas.

“I’ll be right back,” I said, quickly walking toward the door and opening it without bothering to look through the sidelights first. Liam Fitch stood on the porch holding two fishing rods, with Will behind him holding a tackle box.

“I know you were only expecting Will, but I thought it would be easier to get him and all of the fishing gear here if I drove my truck.”

He was dressed casually in a T-shirt and cargo shorts, and I mentally ran through my morning routine, trying to recall if I’d washed my face or brushed my hair at any point, grateful that I had.

But Mother would have been appalled that I hadn’t even thought to apply lipstick before opening the door.

I smiled, hoping I didn’t have peanut butter on my chin from licking the knife after making Mother’s sandwich. “Of course.” I pulled the door open as he turned to Will.

“Go ahead and take the tackle box down to the dock. I’ll put the rods on the porch for now.”

Will jumped down the steps, the box banging against his leg as he ran. I waited for Liam to head back to his truck, but instead he stood looking at me as if waiting for an invitation.

“Would you like to come in? I was just giving Mother an early lunch.”

“Thank you,” he said, following me inside and closing the door behind him.

We stood awkwardly facing each other, he no doubt recalling our conversation from the previous night. “Would you like something to drink or eat? I can make a mean peanut butter sandwich, and I’ve got warm lemonade.”

He grinned, revealing a small dimple in his left cheek I hadn’t noticed before.

“Tempting, but no thanks. I just wanted to check on you and see how you’re doing.

” He glanced down at my feet where socks covered the bandages I’d placed on the soles.

I’d had to replace both after my walk to Celeste’s and back since they were soaked with blood.

“You might need stitches if any of the cuts are deep. And you’ll want someone to have a good look to make sure you got all the glass out. ”

“I’m fine,” I said. “I’m not your patient. My mother is.”

He held up his hands. “I understand. I’ll try not to take it personally.”

The sound of the kitchen door slamming jerked my attention toward the back of the house.

“Hang on.” I started running, ignoring the pain in my foot.

I caught sight of my mother heading down to the dock toward Will and Ophelia.

She was barefoot, something I’d never seen her do before unless we were at the beach.

I quickly crossed the screened-in porch and called out the door.

“Ophelia, Mimi is coming out. Can you and Will keep an eye on her for a few minutes? I’ll come and get her shortly.”

I reentered the kitchen, keeping the door open so I could hear them if they needed me. When I turned my attention back to Liam, he was focused on the kitchen table where my mother’s plate held only crumbs, the lemonade appeared untouched, and five empty banana peels sat next to the empty bowl.

“Don’t worry, they can’t hurt her,” Liam said. “Try to get her to drink as much water as you can to keep her digestive tract moving or she could get very uncomfortable.”

I busied myself cleaning up the table, trying to avoid eye contact with him.

“You don’t need to be embarrassed, Phoebe. I deal with this every day.”

“But I don’t.” I let the lid of the garbage can slam shut.

“Is this her car key?” He lifted something from the counter.

I recognized the black Lincoln key fob. “Yes. It’s the spare key that’s supposed to be in the drawer. Addie must have taken it out because Mother kept on asking for her keys.”

“Probably not a good idea. Your mother is at the stage where she can easily get lost and confused behind the wheel and might cause an accident.”

“I know that.” I took the fob from his hand and shoved it into my pocket. “And so does Addie because I keep telling her, but she won’t listen. It’s like she’s in denial about Mother’s condition.”

“That’s not unusual.” He considered me closely. “Have you considered my grandmother’s proposal?”

“I have.”

“It doesn’t have to be her, but I seriously recommend you get someone.

Call Stephanie at my office for a list of vetted caregivers if you’re dead set against my grandmother.

Because I get the feeling that your reluctance has more to do with my family than any hesitation you might have about getting help. ”

I met his eyes but didn’t say anything. Because then I’d have to tell him that the dream I’d first had since he’d saved my life loomed more imminent whenever he was near.

He was like a lightning rod, except instead of defusing the bolt of electricity, he brought it close enough that I could feel the heat.

My eyes drifted to the shark’s tooth around his neck as I recalled what he’d told me.

I haven’t taken it off since my sister gave it to me.

After she left, I told myself that if I kept wearing it she’d come back.

I doubted my sister or I would display that kind of loyalty if either one of us disappeared, and his dogged devotion to his only sibling softened my resolve. “I’ll think about it.”

The front door opened and closed followed by footsteps and the sound of paper rustling.

Addie entered the kitchen, holding three white CVS pharmacy bags.

Looking at Liam, she said, “I was wondering whose truck was blocking my parking spot in the driveway.” She dumped the bags onto the table.

“I picked up Mother’s prescriptions,” she announced.

“They had her insurance card on file, but on a wild guess, I looked under the seat of the car and there it was, along with a bunch of change and stray bills. Remember how she used to always throw stuff there if she was in a hurry, then send one of us out to collect it and put it back in her wallet?”

“Great job.” I winced at how condescending I sounded, since I really was grateful.

“What are you doing here?” she asked Liam.

“You’re being rude, Addie. Ophelia and Will wanted to go fishing, so Liam brought over two fishing rods.”