Chapter 5
Elise asked to meet Mom and me the next day.
We met at Patricia’s office because Mom wanted someone to record exactly what was said. Elise arrived alone and looked ashamed as she sat across from us.
“At dinner, Vanessa told you the dishes were hers to wash,” Elise said to Mom. “I heard her.”
Mom folded her hands.
“She said she’d do them after her guests left.”
Elise shook her head.
“Before Isaiah came home, I went to the kitchen for water. Vanessa was standing beside you. You asked to stop and eat. She said if you wanted help with your porch, you needed to show you could cooperate.”
I felt my jaw tighten.
Mom stared at the table.
“I remember. I thought she meant I should finish what I’d started.”
“She said you could eat when the kitchen was clean,” Elise told her.
I looked at Elise. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“I should have. I walked back into the living room and sat down. When you came in, I knew exactly why you were angry.”
Elise’s voice shook. She gave Patricia a message Vanessa had sent the morning of the party. Vanessa had asked her to come early because she needed “witnesses” when she presented Mom with the forms.
“What did she mean by witnesses?” Patricia asked.
“I thought Ruth wanted us there when she signed. Vanessa said her family questioned every decision she made and she wanted people to see Ruth agree.”
Mom lifted her head.
“I didn’t know anyone came for that reason.”
“I know,” Elise said. “I’m sorry.”
Patricia asked whether Elise was willing to give her account to the investigator. Elise said yes.
After she left, Mom and I sat in the parking lot without starting the car.
“She planned an audience,” Mom said.
“She wanted people to say you understood the papers.”
“And then she kept me in the kitchen.”
Mom turned toward the window. I gave her time.
My phone buzzed with a message from Vanessa. She wanted to pick Naomi up after school. We had not agreed to a change in plans. I called her.
“Naomi comes home with me today,” I said. “If you want time with her, we’ll arrange it clearly.”
“You’ve kept her from me for a week.”
“You spoke with her last night. I’m working with Patricia on a plan for visits.”
“Your lawyer, you mean.”
“Yes.”
Vanessa gave a bitter laugh.
“Tell Naomi I’m waiting for her when she’s ready to know the truth.”
I ended the call. Mom looked at me.
“Don’t let her make Naomi responsible for fixing this.”
“I won’t.”
At school pickup, Naomi got into my car carrying a folded sheet of paper. She waited until we had driven away before handing it to me.
It was an essay for class called “A Place I Feel Safe.” She had written about Mom’s kitchen: the peppermint bowl, the peach tree outside, and the little table where Mom helped her with math.
“I wrote it before dinner,” Naomi said.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Is Grandma going to be okay there by herself?”
“She’s deciding what help she wants. We can visit as often as she likes.”
Naomi nodded. “Can I show her the essay?”
“She would love that.”
Mom read it twice that evening. She asked Naomi if she could keep a copy. Naomi said she could have the original.
The next morning, Mom and I went to the bank to finish replacing her card and reviewing the blocked account request. The banker explained that the request had come from a phone number registered to Vanessa. Mom asked for the record in writing.
“Do you want someone else authorized on your accounts?” the banker asked.
Mom looked at me, then back at her.
“Not today. If I ever need that, I’ll choose who and what they can do.”
I felt proud of her. I also felt ashamed that she needed to say it so firmly after the way Vanessa had treated her.
Patricia helped Mom make a detailed report. An investigator asked for the documents and bank record. He said the agency and the bank had stopped the steps Vanessa had tried to take, but he wanted to review the full sequence.
That evening, I found Mom on our porch looking at the sky.
“I don’t want you to think I’ll stay here forever because I’m afraid,” she said.
“I don’t.”
“I’m staying until I know what’s happened with the keys to my house. Then I’m going home.”
“We can change your locks and fix the porch.”
“I’ve already called one of the builders,” she said.
I laughed, surprised.
“Of course you have.”
She smiled. Then her expression softened.
“I want Naomi to know she can come to my house without worrying that someone will take it away.”
“She will.”
Inside, Naomi was setting the table for dinner. She placed three plates down, then looked toward the hall.
“Is Mom coming?” she asked.
“Not tonight,” I said.
She nodded and added a fourth plate anyway.
May you like
“For when Grandma invites Daniel over,” she said quickly.
I helped her finish setting the table. I knew she was still hoping Vanessa would walk through the door. I couldn’t promise when that might happen.
