Part 32 (1/2)
”Seems ta me yer the one who might give this child a relapse. Look at her. She's pale and peaked, shut up in this”--she sniffed--”sickly-sweet smellin'
tomb. This place is jist what I thought it would be.” ”I'm going to . . . to call the doctor.”
”Call him. What kinda doctor is he anyway?
Look at what this place looks like. What's he, blind or stupid or jist not as smart as these fancy doctors claim ta be? How could he leave ma niece in this place? It's a big dump. Smells damp and rotten.”
”I won't stand here and take this kind of abuse,”
Tony a.s.serted, his Tatterton pride and arrogance glowing in his face. He left the suite, but I didn't expect he would go far away.
Aunt f.a.n.n.y turned her attention back to me. ”Don'cha worry none now, Annie. Ya goin' home with us. Luke, lower them there bars so she kin get herself off the bed. I'll find a suitcase and round up her things.”
”What's mine is on the right side of that closet, Aunt f.a.n.n.y. It's not much. The suitcase is on the floor there.”
Luke squeezed my hand. ”I'm so glad to see you.” ”You can't imagine how glad I am to see you, Luke. Why didn't you come before this?”
”I tried. I called Tony Tatterton and he kept putting me off, telling me the doctor didn't want you to have visitors.”
”And Drake?”
”Drake said the same things. They wanted me to wait awhile longer.”
”Even after you received my letter?”
”Letter? I didn't receive any letter, Annie.” ”He never sent it. I should have known. All that stuff about your tests and fraternities and friends .
girlfriends.” I felt so terrible -now, so guilty for suspecting Luke of changing into someone selfish and conceited. How could I have doubted him? I should have known. I had been a prisoner here from the start, and from the start Tony had deceived me. It made me feel sick to know he had lied to me in such an ugly way. ”What girlfriends?”
”Are ya two goin' ta jist keep on jawin' or are we goin' home ta Winnerrow?”
”We're going home, Ma.”
”Then do as I say and get them bars lowered.” Luke lowered the side bars while Aunt f.a.n.n.y packed my things and put out clothes for me to wear. ”Ya go on down with this suitcase, Luke, while I get Annie dressed.”
”Please bring my wheelchair back, Luke.
There's one up here and one downstairs.”
”And don't stop fer nothin' or no one nuttier,”
f.a.n.n.y commanded.
”Right, boss,” Luke said and gave Aunt f.a.n.n.y a mock salute. It felt so good to smile and laugh again. ”Oh, go on wit' ya. Ever see such a boy , s'cuse me, young man?”
”He's a wonderful young man. Oh, Aunt f.a.n.n.y.
I'm so glad you came. I never was so happy to see you.”
”Betcha was. Don't talk about it all now. Let's git on outta here. What do I hafta do ta help?” ”Yesterday 'rit would have done it all myself, Aunt f.a.n.n.y, but Fin feeling tired and weak, so just give me a hand with my undergarments. I promise, I'm not going to be a burden to you back at Winnerrow.”
”Oh, ya poor child,” she said, her eyes softening, even glazing over with tears. I never had realized how warm and loving Aunt f.a.n.n.y could be.
”Ya think I care. Be all the burden ya hafta be and don't worry yerself about it. We're family, no matter what anyone says.”
”What do you mean, Aunt f.a.n.n.y?”
”I don't mean nothin'. Let me get yer clothes on ya.”
She helped me dress, and Luke returned with the wheelchair. He lifted me out of the bed as if I were a precious baby and slowly lowered me into the chair.
It felt good and secure being in his arms. Then he began to wheel me out of the room.
I looked back at the canopy bed, the vanity table and dressers, the bedroom that was supposed to be a warm and wonderful place for me, my mother's old room.
How sad it was that this suite had been turned into a room filled with nightmares. The bed had become my cage, the bathroom and hot tub my torture chamber. I truly felt like one escaping a prison. All the magic and wonder of Farthy was just something Luke and I had imagined, a child's dream. Reality was much harder and crueler.
I saw the same disappointment in Luke's face when I looked back at him as we moved down the corridor. He saw the cobwebs, the dead chandelier bulbs, the faded carpet, scuffed walls, and the old faded curtains over the large windows, keeping the hallways dark and dank.
I directed Luke to take me to the elevator chair.
”It will make it all easier.”
”Now Annie, ya sure ya know how ta work that d.a.m.n thing? I sure don't want any accidents occurrin'
here and give that Tony Tatterton a chance ta come after us with I told ya so's.”
”It's easy, Aunt f.a.n.n.y.”
I slid over into the seat and strapped myself in firmly. Then I pressed the down b.u.t.ton and the chair began its descent.
”Well, I'll be darned. Look it, Luke. We're goin'
ta hafta git one for Hasbrouck House right quick.” ”Company name's right on the chair,” Luke said. He took a pen out of his top pocket and jotted it down. Luke was always prepared, always the student. ”How has college been, Luke?”
”Ifs been okay, Annie,” he said, walking along with me as the chair moved down the stairway. ”But I've made a new decision.”
”Oh?”
”I'm withdrawing from summer school. I don't need to start yet, anyway.”
”Withdrawing? Why?”
”To spend the rest of the summer home with you, helping you to recuperate,” he said, smiling. ”Oh, Luke, you shouldn't.” The chair came to a halt at the bottom and I slid over into the awaiting wheelchair.
”There's no sense arguing about it, Annie. My mind's made up,” he said with a stern, determined air. I knew it was selfish of me, but I was happy, thrilled that he had made that decision.
”And what does Aunt f.a.n.n.y have to say about it?”
”She's happy I'm going to be around awhile longer. My mother's different, Annie. You'll see. The tragedy has turned her into a responsible person. I'm really proud of her.”