THE CAMELLIA TAVERN

CHAPTER 25: DONUTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Monday, June 29

    "I come bearing donuts!" I say after I knock on Gramps' front door.

    "I can only let you in if there is a strawberry filled one in there," I hear him tease from the other side of the door.  He opens it wearing a grand smile.

    "Of course, there is a strawberry filled one in here," I say coming through the doorway and giving him a kiss on the cheek.  "Like I'd forget."

    Most days we have a big breakfast together but I know Gramps loves Dixie's Donuts, so I figured we could take it easy today instead of him cooking.  I know his arthritis has been slowing him down a bit recently, so I wanted him to take a load off.

    I can hear the television in the living room playing reruns of The Andy Griffith Show, which Gramps loves almost as much as The Carol Burnett Show.  I go into the living room, grab the remote and turn the volume down a few notches so we can actually hear one another.  His hearing seems to be getting progressively worse from what I can tell. 

    "Uh, Milly Sue, I need to tell you something," Gramps says as I come back into the kitchen.  My body runs cold at the sound of his words.  Instantly, I start trying to remember if he's been to the doctor lately.

    "Is something wrong?" I say, sounding desperate. "Are you ok?"

    "Yes, Milly Sue.  I'm fine.  Healthy as a horse, really.  Just the usual achin' joints and bones of an old man."

    My whole body relaxes and I put my hand over my heart.  "You really scared me there for a second."

    He gives me a small smile. "I didn't mean to make you nervous.  I just wanted to let you know that your mother is coming into town."

    Well, that certainly puts me at unease in a completely different way.

It's July.  In the years that Corrine actually does pay us a visit, she usually does it over Thanksgiving or Christmas. In fact, I can't remember any visits that took place in the middle of summer.

    "When?" is all I can manage to get out.

    "This weekend.  Now, I don't want you to rearrange your plans and I know you work on the weekend, but I thought maybe we could have lunch together here one afternoon."

    Rearrange plans?  I definitely would not rearrange plans for my mother's somewhat impromptu visit.  She's never rearranged anything for my benefit.

    "Sure, Gramps," I agree, hiding my resentment with a smile.  I know it means a lot to him to have us all three in the same place at some point, but it's just flat-out awkward for me to have to share a meal with a woman who barely acts like I'm alive.  I sometimes wonder how she can even sit across the table from us knowing that she abandoned me and him, for that matter.

    "Thank you, Milly Sue," he says. "I know it's asking a lot."

    He's right.  It is asking a lot, but I'd do just about anything in the world to make Gramps happy even if that means pretending things are perfectly normal with my mother for a few hours.

    We eat our donuts together although, as is the case a lot of times when my mother is involved, I've lost a bit of my appetite.  We work in the garden for just over an hour before we say our goodbyes.

     That night, I head over to Warrick's.  He says we're going to order Chinese food and watch some movie that he swears I simply must not go one more day on Earth without seeing.  I think it's called "Rear Window". 

    After the news this morning with Gramps, I feel out of sorts and nervous about my mother coming to Sturvis this weekend, but I'm really excited to spend the night with Warrick.