Nothing like him

Part 30

    The second we got to the hotel room, we crashed on the bed and fell right asleep. Apparently the nursing home Lola was in was just down the street. Boston was busy but amazing. It was different from New York, which was fun, considering the fact that New York was all I knew. It was late when we got to the hotel so we decided we would go see Lola the next day around 2:00. That would leave us some time to look around some shops, get lunch and then head over to the nursing home. 
               We woke up to our noisy neighbours at the hotel slamming their doors. I rubbed my eyes tiredly and Dean buried his head in my chest, morning cuddles were his favourite.
                "Today's the day" he mumbles from my chest. "You ready?"
                 "Yup. I'm excited. Kind of nervous. Is it weird to be nervous to reunite with your childhood guardian?"
                 "You haven't seen her in like 7 years. It makes sense" he giggled.
                 "8 actually, my parents fired her when I was 15" I sighed. "She is already in a nursing home. How crazy"
                "Wasn't she like old old when she was taking care of you?" Dean got up and started to get ready.
                "Yup. People would think she is my grandma when we would go for walks and stuff." I laughed. Dean laughed from the washroom. I stayed in bed for a bit longer before getting up. Thinking of what she might say, how she'll react and if she'll recognize me. You can't stop an overthinker from drowning in their thoughts.
***
                 Walking up towards the doors that read ROSE GARDEN NURSING HOME, it all started to feel real. I was going to see Lola again. What would she be doing? How would she be dressed? Thoughts ran through my head before Dean's fingers interlaced with mine.
                It was nice of Dean to be here. He doesn't like old people and he was coming with me to a home for old people just so I can see Lola again. I love, love. We walked in and the instant smell of breath mints, flowers and cookies met my nose. Dean walked me up to the front desk.
              "Hi there, how can I help you today?" The lady at the front desk started. She looked in her late 40s- early 50s. She smiled and sounded excited to see us which made me feel excited to be here.
               "Hi, we are here to see Lola Davis. Is she available?" I asked.
                "Are you family?" She asked.
                "Yeah-well...no, she raised me though." I said. I didn't think this through.
                "I'm sorry, I can only let family in" she was still smiling, which made it harder for me to want to punch her.
                "They are basically family. Lola raised her since she was born. I'm sure you can understand that." Dean budded in. His voice was his passive voice. He did this voice before he was about to yell. I grabbed his hand to try to keep him calm.
               "Yes, I do understand sir. But you need to be family in order to see her. I'm sorry" she went back to her computer.
              "Listen lady" Dean's voice was sharp. I looked at him in a flash. "My girlfriend here traveled 4 hours here to see her caretaker who has impacted her life deeply. Can't you have a heart to let Mariana see Lola before, god forbid, something happens to her?" Dean looked deeply into her eyes.
              She typed on the computer. "Let me just check her schedule....." she said while stretching the word out a bit. I fought hard to keep my smile hidden. "Oh yes. She is in the art gallery. That lady loves to paint" she giggled. "I'll take you to her" she got up and led us the way to the art room.
             On the walk there I noticed that every hallway and every wall in this nursing home had a painting or drawing. It was always scenic pictures but they were amazing. Walking into the art room I noticed a painting on the wall of a girl. I walked to it to look closer.
            The painting was of a little girl. She wore a pink dress with a big bow at the back. She has white sandals and anklets on her left leg. She had lots of bracelets on her wrists and some matched ones on her ankle. She had long light brown hair that blew in the wind and a bow that matched the one on her dress. She was in a field, running in the wind joyfully. Something about it seemed familiar. The field. The sky. The dress. The girl. It rang so many bells that I should have known what this was. But I didn't.
             "That is you Mariana" a soft delicate but shaky old voice said. I turned around to see Lola. So thin. And her hair. Aher dark brown colour and was now all grey, she still styled it with braids. Her face was more wrinkly and her hands looked brittle. She was beautiful. I smiled.
            "Lola," I said as I walked up to her. She took my hands in hers and moved my hair out of my face.
            "You look like her" she smiles a bit. "You mother was a beautiful woman just like you are now" she pulled me in for a hug. I think I was still in shock.
            "How are you doing? It's been so long. You are still painting. And drawing. And...wait, that's me?" I said looking back at the painting. She turned my head back to her.
           "One thing at a time Mina" she smiled. She walked to a couch to sit down. "I'm doing great. I love it here. I am still painting. Almost every Piece of artwork in this building is mine. And that painting.." she pointed. "..is most definitely you" she giggled.
           "I thought it was familiar. That was that field behind my house right? We used to go there all the time" I smiled. She nodded with a smile on her face.
          "Sure is. So tell me about that hottie over there" she said referring to Dean. He was walking around the room looking at all the art pieces.
           I smiled while looking at him. "That's my boyfriend Dean. He is actually the reason why I am here with you today" I laughed a bit. "He's great, I love him" I finished.
          "Is he good to you?" She looked concerned. As if she was scared I had found someone like my father.
          "He protects me from anything scary. Even if it's something I have to know or face" I smiled a bit. I thought about how he was protecting me and himself from his cancer even though it's something we both have to face. Lola smiles at this information, like it was reassurance for her.
         "I heard about your parents. I'm so sorry Mina. I wish I could have been there for you. You know I would have taken you in with me, adopted you and made sure you were safe. And I tried, I really did. But when I tried to get you they declined and turned me away. They never even gave me a chance to speak with you. I'm sorry you were alone all this time" I could tell she was getting emotional.
          "Lola. I'm okay. I'm here with you now though aren't I? And it's not your fault, don't blame yourself for that." I placed my hand on hers. "I'm okay I promise" I smiled. She smiled and squeezed my hand.
    "Mariana. You don't understand how much I've missed you" she giggled. We caught up a bit before Dean came to sit with us. We laughed and talked and she explained how after my parents fired her she started selling her paintings and made a living off of them. She sold some paintings all around New York before moving to Boston to sell more here. She told me about how she traveled a lot before settling here in massachusetts. I told her about my story, my job at the bookshop and filled her in on my life.
"Wow, you are off to a great start. I knew you'd become a writer" she giggled.
"Me too" Dean joined in.
"I still can't believe this is Dean jackson" she poked his bicep to make sure he was real. "I haven't seen you since you were like 5 and only asked me for candy" she said. We all laughed. "So you guys really drove all the way here just to see me?"
"Well Mariana had some questions" Dean put me on the spot. Lola looked at me as if to ask What questions? But she didn't speak. I cleared my throat before looking at Dean who also looked as if he wanted to know the questions.
"Lola" I started. I fiddled with my rings. "I uh- Lately I have been reading some diaries from when I was a kid and it reminded me of my childhood. And I realized that there was lots of talk about my brother." the second the word came out of my mouth her jaw dropped a bit. Dean looked confused, I hadn't told him anything about this. He doesn't know about what I read in the diaries, the flashbacks and the memories. "Do you know anything about that?" I finished.
"Mina. I'm shocked you still remember that. A very good memory you have" she said. She gulped before looking back at me. "You're mom used to talk about him a lot. She loved him and wished he was still around to protect her from your father." she said like she was just now remembering. Like it was all starting to come back. So I did have a brother. Something happened, and that's why I never knew him. Did he die? And if so, how did he die? Was I a rainbow baby?
"You have an older brother. He was very smart and charming. He tried to defend your mother at a very young age. That's why your mother loved him so much, he was protective by the time he was 2" she laughed a bit at the thought of him. "His name is Zayn" her smile faded. Her eyes met mine once again. "He was kidnapped when he was 5 because your father couldn't make it to pick him up from school on time. Zayn must have thought that your parents started fighting again and forgot about him so he decided to walk home that day. He never came home. We all spent years trying to find him but it was no use. 2 years after he disappeared you were born. And your parents became amazing parents. I remember when they gave you all their attention. You were so happy. When you were around 7 is when they started being bad again" she said. I didn;t realize my jaw was dropped until my mouth started to feel like someone stuffed napkins in it.
"I have a brother named Zayn who got kidnapped when he was 5 and that's why I have never met him?" I said to make sure I was getting everything right. Lola nodded, confirming it.
Holy shit.