Chapter 18

Even in the offseason, I stuck to my Tuesday schedule for visiting Marlene. The Sunday staff at Broadhollow Manor had never seen me before. I signed in and introduced myself.

“We spoke on the phone a few times this week. I’m Karen. I do weeknights and Sundays. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Easton.”

“Brody, please.”

She nodded. “Brody.”

“How is she today?”

“Still the same. Whatever it was that made her so upset last week seems to have been forgotten. She’s more like her normal self again.”

“You mean like telling a nurse she should wear less lipstick so people concentrate on her figure more and on her face less?”

Karen covered her smiling mouth. “I heard about that one. She’s a hoot.”

“Says the lady who can pull off bright red, shiny lips.”

The nurse blushed.

“Is she in her room?”

“I think she’s still in the activity room. One of our staff was playing checkers with her when I passed by before.”

I was not expecting that staff member to be Grouper. He wasn’t dressed in his usual uniform either. He had on a long-sleeve checkered shirt with a sweater vest over it.

“Well, if it ain’t Mr. Rogers. What are you doing here?” I walked to Marlene and kissed her cheek. “You’re not trying to hit on my woman, are you?”

Grouper waved me off and grumbled something.

“It’s Sunday,” Marlene said. “We play checkers and watch TV. But there’s no football on today.”

“I was in the neighborhood, so thought I’d stop in and check on things.” Grouper tried to play off his visit as casual.

“He turns on my television every week before we play. I don’t really like football, but we play checkers, too, so I don’t say anything.”

“Is that so? The old bastard even comes in on his day off, huh?”

“That’s not nice. He’s not a bastard. He’s just old and moves sort of slow. And a little hard of hearing, too.”

I grinned at Grouper. The only thing I was looking forward to in aging was being able to say whatever the hell was on my mind and getting away with it.

Grouper gave me the evil eye. “It’s quiet in here this Sunday without any games to watch.”

I should have known I was going to hear shit from him about getting suspended. “I’m not happy there’s no game today either.”

“You should be unhappy. Waste of perfectly good talent to not be playing a game today.”

An hour later, I was sitting across from Marlene, and Grouper was looking on as the two of us played checkers. Five minutes into the game, half of her black pieces were kings, and she’d stolen half my reds. She pulled a double jump I didn’t see coming. “What the hell? You’re a checkers shark?”

Grouper chuckled. “You were sitting there thinking I was letting her win, weren’t you?”

“Actually, I was thinking you weren’t capable of beating her. That’s why I joined in. Give Marlene a little challenge.” I actually had thought Grouper was letting her win.

“Only one who ever gave me a run for my money was my Willow.” Marlene slid her piece into my home base. “King me.” Grouper and I looked at each other. Both of us were silently waiting to see what would come next. The last time she’d thought about Willow hadn’t gone well.

“Go easy on me, lady. Or see what happens the next time you want a pastrami on rye from Heidelman’s.”

She waved off my comment. “Tell Willow to bring the wooden checkers set from the bottom cabinet of the china closet in the dining room.” It blew my mind how she could remember where she kept a game board, but couldn’t recall her only granddaughter hadn’t been here to see her in three years.”

“You got it.”

“She said she’s been busy but is coming to see me on my birthday.”

“Oh yeah.”

“And tell her to stop by Zen Garden. They have the best wonton soup.”

Grouper piped in, “The salt in that stuff isn’t good for you.”

Yeah. No worries there. I was pretty sure Willow wasn’t coming.