by Purple Les
Note: Your appreciation of this final chapter will be increased considerably if you go back and re-read a couple of the previous installments first.
*****
I’m pretty happy. Mom’s been feeling really good. Like her old self. Only a few more weeks of school left before summer break. I’ve already begun making plans for a supper sexy summer.
I plan on having a lot of time with Mary to play around with. I figure we will have her little sister Lucy with us a lot also. I want Mary to let me play online with her and Kelly and Hailey. Ronnie has already reminded me that we can fool around too. I want to see the rest of the dirty magazines Ronnie has. Best of all, my cousins Sammie and Penny will visit like always, sometime during the summer. I was wondering if there would be another sex party.
It was Thursday. I was laying in bed, thinking of ways to maybe get different girls together. I wanted Pam to meet Penny and Sammie and other stuff. For once I’d felt like I’d had enough sleep for a change on a school day. I stretched and yawned and looked at my clock.
That’s when I panicked. It was a quarter after eight already. My classes at school were already starting. I jumped out of bed so fast I was dizzy. I went downstairs to find Mom calmly drinking a cup of coffee.
“Good morning, Angel. Did you have a good sleep?”
“Mom! It’s after eight! I’m late for school!”
“Relax. I called the school to say you’d be out sick today.”
Mom always got me to school except when I was really sick for real. She may as well have said ‘Martians have just landed in our yard,’ and it would have made as much sense as this. I looked at her with my mouth hanging open.
Mom laughed and said, “I know I know. Listen. I feel really good today. The weather is perfect for a change. I want to just spend a fun day with you. Okay?”
I put my wrist on her forehead and said, “You feel normal.”
Mom laughed and said, “What would you like for breakfast? After you eat and clean up I thought we’d go hiking at the woods I like to go to. Okay?”
I stared at her for a moment. She wasn’t fooling. “Scrambled eggs and toast?” I said, still not sure this was really happening.
“Fine.” Mom said. “Go take a shower and put on your play clothes and breakfast will be all ready.”
I went potty and showered and went to my room and got dressed. When I came back to the kitchen and sat down Mom put a dish full of eggs and toast and fried potatoes in front of me with a big glass of juice.
I was hungry. After I ate and brushed my teeth we got in the car and drove off. Mom put in a CD and turned it up loud after she got on the expressway.
“Hey, Mom. You know what you are if you go to the bathroom in France?”
“What?”
“European. Get it, you’re a-peeing.” I felt good that Mom laughed at my dumb joke. It wasn’t just a polite laugh, she really laughed.
“Tell me another, Angel.”
“How do you tell a male chromosome from a female chromosome?”
“How?”
“Pull their genes down.” This time Mom groaned and didn’t ask for another joke.
Mom drove off the expressway on to a bunch of little side dirt roads till we got to a little makeshift dirt parking lot. We got out and Mom locked the car and we headed off down one of the trails.
It really was a perfect day and I was glad Mom had done this. It was warm and sunny with just enough of a cool breeze to keep the bugs off us. We hiked a long way. We got to the little swamp and took a break.
As we sat on a boulder, we saw a mommy moose and her calf. I whispered to Mom, “Remember that big bull moose we saw here last fall? Do you think this is his wife and kid?”
Mom hugged me and said, “Maybe so.” The mom moose looked at us and we walked off slowly so we wouldn’t bother them. As we were walking back Mom was in front of me on the narrow trail. I couldn’t take my eyes off her butt. She had on faded blue jeans and her ass looked so good.
She stopped in front of me like she could read my mind and said, “Hey, Katy. Wouldn’t it be fun to hike naked for awhile?”
“I guess so.” I wasn’t sure it was a good idea. But it seemed like no one would be around. As soon as Mom had said ‘naked’ I got the tingles down there. We hadn’t seen or heard anyone else since we’d been here. Mom stripped down and bundled up her clothes to carry. She left on her boots and socks.
“Come on, Angel. Don’t be shy. Want some help?” Without waiting for me to answer she started undressing me. I liked the way she looked at me as my clothes came off. As we continued walking I kept getting more horny looking at her bare ass in front of me.
“Hey, Mom.”
She stopped. She turned to face me. “What?” Mom said.
“Can we um, you know, maybe fool around, sort of? I mean, I’m horny.”
Mom sat on a fallen tree. She pulled me in front of her so I was facing the same way she was. She started kissing my ear and neck and her hand moved down my chest to my stomach to my pussy.
Mom spoke softly in my ear, “I just love your little pussy. So slick and clean. Cute little girl pussy. No hair. So soft. Does that feel good?”
Mom’s finger would make little circles around my clit, then move down my slit and dip in to my vagina, and then move slowly back up to my clit again. Back and forth her finger went on me down there while she said things like, “I just love your tight cute body. I want to taste your little hot wet pussy now.”
Mom spread some of her clothes on the ground and lay me on top of them. Then she put her mouth to my pussy till I had a come. She just lay with me afterwards and we rested.
Then I got on top of her and licked her pussy. I positioned myself so she could look at my pussy and ass while I licked her clit. Mom felt me up and then she came too. Not her big squirt come, but she had a nice come. I liked how it felt on my face and then we kissed. We lay around some more. I told her some more jokes.
We gathered up our clothes and started walking again. It was so cool walking naked together outside. As we got closer to the parking lot we put our clothes back on.
We were almost back to the car when a woman with two little girls walked by us. We all said ‘Hi’.
As we got in the car I said, “Do you think they’ll walk naked?”
Mom said, “I doubt it. But I like the thought of that.”
On the drive back toward town we talked how funny it would have been if the woman and girls had seen us naked. We made up stories about it while we rode.
We stopped at the diner on the way home for a late lunch, or early dinner. We took turns using the rest room then sat down to order our food. We both had grilled cheese sandwiches. We shared an order of french fries and onion rings. We shared a big chocolate milkshake.
Then we drove home. Mom took a shower after I’d brushed my teeth and washed up some. I was on the couch. Mom came and sat with me. She was in her pajamas and was drying her hair with a towel while we chatted.
“Golly, Mom. That was a perfect day. Thanks for doing that with me.”
Mom smiled at me and said, “You’re welcome. I ordered this day just for us. I’m so glad we did that too. I love you.”
It seemed late. I rested my head on Mom’s lap. “I think I’m a vampire, Mom.”
“Katy, of all the things you’ve thought you are, from a werewolf to an ancient Egyptian princess, that’s the most ridiculous one so far.”
“My eyes show bright red in photos, Mom. I don’t like the sun very much.” I pulled my upper lip back with my finger, “And look at my big fangs.”
Mom twirled her finger in my hair. “That’s called red eye. You’ve never liked the sun much. Those are your canine teeth and we all have them and yours are no bigger than anyone else.” I had more reasons but Mom didn’t give me a chance. She just continued on.
“Vampires are not real. But if they were there is no way you’d be one. I’m sure vampires don’t faint at the sight of blood. Vampires aren’t afraid of the dark like you are. I can’t picture a vampire hugging his mommy when the flying monkeys appear in the Wizard of Oz movie.” Mom laughed and said, “And you love garlic.”
She was going to go on but I said, “Okay okay. So I’m not.” Then I sighed while she patted my head. I fell asleep.
When I woke up it was just getting light out. I was still on the couch. My head was on a pillow instead of Mom’s lap. There was a blanket over me. I squinted at the DVD player and saw it was a quarter to six. Looked like I’d have to go to school today. No way Mom would take us on another fun day. I got up and looked out the window. Looked like it might rain.
I peed and washed up. I was still in my play clothes from yesterday. I looked in Mom’s room. She wasn’t there. I didn’t smell any coffee so I wondered if she was in the back room looking out the window. She likes to do that to see if there’s any animals out there to watch.
I went to the kitchen and turned on the light. I froze for a moment in disbelief. Mom was still in her pajamas. She was sprawled on her back on the kitchen floor.
I fell on my knees by her and shook her hard and yelled, “Mom! Mom!” She still didn’t move or anything. I put some water on my hands from the kitchen sink and sprinkled drops of water from my fingers to her face. She just lay there. Her face was pale white.
I ran to the old phone on the kitchen wall and dialed the Sheriff’s office.
“Sheriff’s office. This is Bill.”
“SheriffJohnsonMom’sonthefloorIcan’twakeherup!”
“Whoa now. I can’t understand a thing you said. Is this Katy Watson? Take a breath and slow down.”
“Mom’s on the floor!” I tried to slow down and breathe. “I can’t wake her up! Help! I don’t know what to do!”
There was a pause on the line. “Katy, just stay there with her. We’ll be right there.” There was a click and the line went dead.
I grabbed the blanket off the couch and put it around Mom. I unlocked the side door and knelt by Mom and held her hand. I couldn’t tell if she was breathing.
The police car came screeching in to the driveway and a moment later Sheriff Johnson and Officer Sandie Sanchez were in the kitchen with me.
Sandie fell to her knees next to Mom. I could hear Sheriff Johnson’s knees crack as he knelt on the other side of Mom.
Sandie had two fingers on Mom’s throat as she watched the second hand on the kitchen clock. Then she lifted one of Mom’s eyelids up for a moment.
Me and the Sheriff were both staring at Sandie. “Well?” Sheriff Johnson said.
Sandie looked at the Sheriff and said, “She’s still with us, Chief. Just. We gotta move.”
Sheriff Johnson put his hands under the blanket. He groaned and his knees cracked again as he lifted Mom up. Once he was standing up with Mom in his arms she looked like a little girl. She hung limp as Sandie opened and held doors while Sheriff Johnson carried Mom out, and as they put her in the back of the police car I grabbed Mom’s purse. She never went anywhere with out it. I looked at the clock. Closed and locked the door and got on the backseat floor of the police car and held Mom.
Sheriff Johnson put the siren on as Sandie pulled out of the driveway. I looked up at the window and saw the trees and high line power poles go by in a blur.
Sheriff Johnson said code this and number that in to the police radio with some cuss words thrown in. As we got on the expressway he said, “Damn it, Sanchez, give it some gas for Christ sake!”
I didn’t think we could go any faster but I felt myself get pressed against the seat as the car accelerated even more.
The car screeched to a halt in front of the hospital. People came right away and put Mom on a rolling bed and took her inside. I followed her in with Sheriff Johnson next to me. I looked at the clock on the wall. It was a two hour ride to the hospital from our house but we’d made it in fifty minutes.
They took Mom somewhere and made me and the Sheriff stand at a counter. Sandie joined us there. Sandie took Mom’s purse from me and answered a ton of questions from the lady on the other side of the counter.
“Yes, that’s right.” Sandie said, “Pancreatic.”
“Religion?” the woman asked. Sandie looked at me.
“Mom always says raised Catholic but not practicing.” Sheriff Johnson kept looking around and Sandie put her hand on my shoulder.
The woman said, “Have a seat and we’ll let you know.”
I sat with Sheriff Johnson while Sandie made calls on her cell phone. After awhile she sat with us.
“Are you hungry, Katy?” Sheriff Johnson asked me. I just shrugged. The Sheriff pulled some money out and said to Sandie, “Sanchez, get us some coffee and something for Katy.”
I hugged the Sheriff’s big arm and rested my head against him. Sandie came back with stuff. I ate a candy bar. We sat there forever and then a woman came over and said, “We’ve admitted her.”
I walked between Sandie and the Sheriff down a hall, up an elevator, down more halls, past a room full of nurses and then we were in Mom’s hospital room.
Even though Mom had come here in her pajamas they’d put her in a hospital gown. There was a tube in Mom’s nose. A tube in her arm that went to a bag hanging in the air. Another tube came out from under her gown to a bag hanging down from the bed.
The nurse said, “You’re the daughter?” I said, “Yes.” The nurse looked at Sandie and the Sheriff. “Only family is allowed. I’m sorry but I have to ask you to leave please.”
Sheriff Johnson simply said, “We’ll be staying till Katy’s aunt gets here.”
The nurse just said, “Yes, of course.”
A man came in after that and said he was a physician assistant. He said, “I’m Matthew Johnson.” No relation to the Sheriff. “Katy, We’ve given your mother two grains of morphine. She’s no longer in any pain. She’ll rest comfortably for now. The doctor will be in soon.”
I sat on the bed and held Mom’s hand. It felt warmer than before. Aunt Billie came in at some point. She talked in the hallway with Sandie and Sheriff Johnson for a little while.
Then they all came back in the room. Sheriff Johnson said, “We’re going to leave now, Katy. You need anything, just call me or Sandie anytime night or day.”
He looked at Mom and put the back of two of his fingers on her cheek and spoke so softly I could barely hear him. He said, “Damn, you’re a cracker jack woman, Carol. God bless you.” Sheriff Johnson bent over and kissed Mom’s forehead.
Sandie came over to Mom and said, “Thank you, Carol. Thank you for everything.”
Sandie started to cry and Sheriff Johnson put his arm over her shoulders and they walked out of the room.
Aunt Billie just walked around the room. Then she sat in a chair and stared at the floor. I just sat on the bed holding Mom’s hand still. I was looking out the window, Aunt Billie was still staring at the floor when when we heard Mom say, “Oh.”
Mom was looking around at the tube in her arm. Then she looked at her hand and saw my hand and followed it up my arm to my face. “Oh, Katy. Your hair’s such a mess. Give me a brush.”
Aunt Billie with a shocked look on her face took a hair brush from her purse and handed it to Mom. Mom held the brush to my hair for a moment then her arm dropped down.
“Billie,” Mom said, “My arm won’t work. Brush Katy’s hair and put it in braids.” Aunt Billie stood by the bed brushing my hair while Mom looked around the room.
“Fuck!” Mom said, “I hate hospitals.” Then Mom stared at me. “Hey, Angel. When your hair’s done go start the car up and we’ll leave.” Me and Aunt Billie looked at each other. Aunt Billie pressed a button that brought the nurse.
The nurse saw Mom awake and started taking her blood pressure and stuff while asking Mom at the same time how she felt. Mom asked where her clothes were.
While that was going on Aunt Billie finished my braids and Mom said, “Okay.” to the nurse. Then Mom said, “Okay, we’re off.” Mom tried to sit up to get out of bed and screamed in pain.
The nurse left and came back with two doctors who said a bunch of stuff I didn’t understand but Aunt Billie shook her head ‘yes’ a lot and said “Yes, I agree.” Then they stood in the hall talking.
I held Mom’s hand against my face and told her, “Don’t worry, Mom. You’re gonna be okay.”
Mom tried to smile at me. She said, “Don’t you worry, Angel. I promise you…in a day or so…I won’t hurt anymore.” Mom paused for a few moments and then said, “I love you, Angel. Be a good girl for me.”
Mom closed her eyes and I said, “I promise, Mom. I love you too.” I know she heard me, she squeezed my hand.
The doctors and Aunt Billie came back in the room. Aunt Billie put her hand on my shoulder. The one doctor said, “I’m sorry, there is nothing else we can do. Your mother won’t be in any pain. We’ll make her comfortable.” Then he said to the other doctor, “Two more grains of morphine.”
At some point Aunt Sue and Uncle Peter came in to the room. A nurse kept coming to take me to a room to eat and drink something. I had some cookies and juice.
We just sat around Mom’s bed. The grownups made small talk. All of a sudden Mom was moving her arm trying to write something in the air. Aunt Sue put a pen in Mom’s hand and Aunt Billie put a pad of paper on the bed.
Uncle Peter looked at the weird scrawl Mom was making. He tried to read it aloud, “H e p l s s…?” Uncle Peter looked around at us, “I don’t understand what’s she trying to say.”
“Helpless!” I said. “It’s the song she taught me to play on the guitar.” I tried to sing a little of it to her. My voice cracked after a few lines and I started to cry.
“Did you hear, Mom? I sang it for you. I…” I just sat there holding her holding her hand. I knew she wanted me to sing and I knew she’d heard me. I felt like maybe she was happy.
They let me sleep next to Mom’s bed in a recliner chair. Aunt Billie was asleep in another chair and Uncle Peter and Aunt Sue had gone to a hotel for the night.
I woke up because I couldn’t hear Mom breathing. I got the nurse. Aunt Billie woke up. The nurse took Mom’s blood pressure. She said, “That’s how we do it these days. More accurate than looking for a pulse or heartbeat.” She looked at her watch and the big clock on the wall. Then she wrote something down on a clipboard and typed something in the computer.
The nurse looked at Aunt Billie and said, “Have the arrangements been made yet?”
“Yes. My brother Peter has everything in order. I’ll call him now and he’ll give me the name of the funeral home.”
“Perfect.” the nurse said. “We’ll have the body moved downstairs.” Another nurse came and took me and Aunt Billie to the room with the food.
I thought to myself, Mom didn’t really lie to me. She didn’t hurt anymore.
*****
Everything was kind of gray. Some of the stuff I can’t remember well and some I can’t forget. I felt like someone hit me hard in the chest and when they pulled their fist out I just had a big hole there.
Mary was always with me. She made sure I ate something and washed and wore the right clothes. She held me when I cried. Which seemed to be a lot. She made sure I had my inhaler with me all the time.
Everyone was nice to me. Mary brought me one of her black dresses to wear for the service. With the dress I wore the locket Mom gave me. It seemed like the whole town showed up to say bye to Mom.
Everyone had something nice or funny or beautiful to say about her. I learned things about Mom I’d never known. Like how she’d been a nurse till she got pregnant with me. And about how many people in town she’d helped in some way.
It was a few days later. I was walking thru our empty house hugging Ingrid my sock monkey. Everything had either been sent to Aunt Billie’s house, or it had been sold, given away, or put in storage. As I walked thru the rooms I could still hear Mom’s voice in my head. I could hear her yell and talk and laugh. I thought of everything I could remember about her.
I went out the back door and sat on the old tree trunk. Even though my hand was empty my little chickadee friend came and sat on it.
“I’m sorry I won’t be here to feed you and your friends anymore.” I said to the bird. “Maybe you can fly to Aunt Billie’s house and I can feed you there.”
The bird looked at me and said, “Chickadee-dee-dee-dee.”
Then Aunt Billie called for me and the bird flew off. I went over to the driveway. Mrs Tran and Mary had come over to say goodbye. Mrs Tran hugged me and said, “Oh, Katy girl. We gonna miss you so much. But we see you and talk to you a lot okay. This not really good bye. I’ll make sure you and Mary visit each other lots okay.”
I wanted to believe her but I knew how grownups could be. Then Mrs Tran and Aunt Billie were talking to each other.
Mary came up to me and hugged me. We hugged each other hard. Mary spoke softly in my ear. “Don’t be afraid, Katy. If you ever feel lonely or sad or scared, don’t. Because I’m in your heart and mind. I may not be there but I will always be with you.”
We kept hugging each other hard as we could. “I’ll never ever stop loving you. You stupid little perv.”
“I love you, Mary.” I heard Mary give a little sob when I said that. The gray clouds that had been there all morning started to sprinkle. Seemed to me like the whole world was crying.
Aunt Billie and Mrs Tran pulled me and Mary apart. “We have to go now, Katy.” Aunt Billie said.
I knelt on the back seat of the car looking out the back window. I waved to Mary. She waved back and started to run after the car still waving. Mary’s mom grabbed Mary and held her. Mary kept waving. I did too.
As I watched them get smaller I saw Mary turn and bury her face in Mrs Trans chest. I knew Mary was crying. I sat down and put on my seat belt. We rode in silence except for the sound of the windshield wipers and the tires on the wet pavement.
Aunt Billie pulled in to a rest stop. We walked thru the drizzle to the building. On the way I heard a chickadee and was glad my bird friend was following me. Once we were inside it started to pour. We used the restroom. We went to one of the stands. Aunt Billie ordered coffee and I had popcorn.
We just sat till the rain let up and went back to the car. It was still sprinkling. I liked that it was raining. I didn’t want to see any happy people. Aunt Billie got in the back seat with me and Ingrid the sock monkey.
Aunt Billie held my hand and said, “I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“I don’t know anything about raising a child.”
“Don’t be silly, Aunt Billie. I’m not a baby. All you have to do is make sure I eat food I don’t like. Make me wash if I forget. I know you can’t cook but I’ll teach you.”
She still looked scared so I said, “I love you. It will be okay.” Then she gave me a huge hug. While we’d been sitting there in the back of the car the rain had stopped.
As Aunt Billie got out of the back seat the clouds had parted and there was the most beautiful sunset ever. We both stood outside the car looking at all the gold and orange and purple colors it had made the sky.
“Wow! That is absolutely gorgeous.” Aunt Billie said with her hand on my shoulder.
“I bet Mom ordered that sunset just for us.” My arm was around Aunt Billie’s waist.
“I bet you’re right, Katy.”
We got in the car. We buckled up. Aunt Billie drove back on the expressway and we were off.
The End