Game Over: Life's Over

We're Glad You're Here

Throughout the rest of the week, we met with several other couples. There was a woman who seemed like a good fit until she said she was very religious and would love to get me into the youth group at her church. We met with a man and woman who seemed promising until I found out they lived an hour and a half in the other direction from the doctor's office. The distance was too much for me. I wasn't sure I could stand being that far away from Mom.

In the end, I knew I was running short on time. I wanted to find the right person but I knew there was a chance I wouldn't get to pick the caregiver. I couldn't risk not getting any say at all.

I knew Mom wouldn't have picked anyone awful or terrible to be my caregiver. She understood my concerns with the single women so I knew she wouldn't have picked her. But who was to say she wouldn't pick the couple that lived too far away and make things more difficult on me than was necessary?

I decided to go with Eric and Theo. They seemed the most relaxed and normal of all the candidates. Plus, I liked the thought of being around men. I never met my Dad and Mom never dated anyone so I didn't have the chance to form any bonds with any males. I liked knowing that Eric and Theo could potentially fill that void.

So we called Dr. Simmons and told her we wanted to give them another chance and meet with them at their home. She seemed glad that we had picked someone and worked quickly to set things up for us. Maybe she knew I was running low on time and wanted things to get set up before anyone got into trouble. I didn't want that for Mom when I was the one digging my feet.

They didn't live too far from the doctor's office. They were in a suburban area just outside of the city that seemed welcoming to people of all backgrounds. There was a park down the street from where they lived that had a swing set, a jungle gym, monkey bars, and a teeter-totter along with a ball field. It looked well taken care of so I made a mental note to check it out when I would be able to.

Their house sat further back from the street than the other houses on the block. They had a fence around the front yard and a sidewalk that led from the driveway on the right side of the house to the front door where a porch hugged the front of the building.

The house was white with black trim around the windows and doors. They had two black chairs with cream-colored cushions on the front porch and hanging baskets on either side of the door that mirrored another with their pink flowers draping over the side. It was a very picturesque house and I wondered how often they kept up with yard work and things on the outside of the house.

I could only imagine what the inside of the house looked like.

I stuffed my phone and earphones into my sweatshirt pocket as we pulled into the driveway.

Mom gave me a reassuring smile before she got out of the car. Eric and Theo were standing in the doorway at that point and Mom waved at them.

I took a deep breath before I got out of the car and walked around to where Mom stood.

"Go ahead, sweetie. I'm right behind you." Mom put a hand on my back and I tried to let it calm me down. It didn't work as well as I'd hoped.

I had to get it over with sooner or later.

"It's good to see you again, Jacob. We're glad you're here."

I tried my best not to look intimidated or nervous. I didn't want to be miserable going into the visit even with how I was feeling about the entire situation in general. I wanted to give them a chance.

"You have a lovely home." Mom came up behind me and smiled at them. She was good under pressure. Me? Not so much.

Theo smiled at her. "Thank you, Lydia. And thank you for making the drive here. I hope it wasn't too long."