No Place Like Home Ch 14

The next morning Rose was going through her cupboards.  It was time to go grocery shopping and she wanted to get some cleaning out of the way before returning to work.  Tying  her hair back with a bandanna Rose began scrubbing the floors, vacuuming and even dusting off the window sills.  She scoured her antique kitchen sink and even climbed on a stool to reach the top of  her twelve foot high cabinets.1

By the late afternoon, she felt tired and laid to rest on the couch. Snuggled up in an afghan with her head on a pillow and Sturgis asleep on her feet, Rose was drifting off herself when the doorbell rang.  She looked through the peephole in her front door, but did not recognize the person standing on her porch.  She figured it was either someone wanting to convert her or sell her something so she ignored the doorbell until it stopped ringing.  2

Minutes later, Rose got a call from Cassie.  She sounded excited and frustrated at the same time.  3

“Did you hear that Shandrea has pleaded not guilty and the case is going to trial?  I attended her bail hearing.” Cassie said.  “Of  course bail was denied and I got served my papers today.  I can’t wait to testify in court and put that evil woman behind bars.  I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep until she’s locked up for good.”4

“Do you really feel like she is a threat, or do you think that with the proper help she could be a functioning member of society?”5

“Don’t give me all that psychobabble Rose I don’t need it.  This town is crawling with crazies, you know that and still you want to add one more to the mix?  If Shandrea gets put into a mental health facility, she’ll be out before the end of the year.  What she did was a crime and she shouldn’t just get a slap on the wrist!”6

Rose could tell that her friend was getting upset, and she knew she had a right to be, but she couldn’t shake that hopeful nagging in her heart that told her Shandrea was a victim too, and probably not even aware that what she had done was wrong. She tried to calm Cassie down, by assuring her that whatever happened, Shandrea was more of a danger to herself.  She’d seen some very sad stories working for the State of Kansas, and she thought that Shandrea was one of the more hopeful cases.  Rose had never really met with her professionally, but from what she could tell, Shandrea was schizophrenic, and that was not a crime.  She had spent  her life working as an advocate for those who suffered from mental illness.  While her friendship with Cassie was important, so was her career, it was what she believed in and had worked hard for.  Trying her best to carefully calm Cassie down, Rose asked her friend if she wanted to do lunch and they made a plan to get together on Friday.  It was getting late and since she didn’t have any groceries Rose decided to run across the street to her Mom’s house for dinner.  7

When she got there her father answered the door and greeted her with a hug.  She could smell roast beef and carrots and nearly tripped over Gilbert’s tennis shoes laying in front of the door.8

“Hi, Honey!” her mother said as she set the table.  “You should have called first.  I hope I made enough for everybody.”9

Her mother had never in her life told her to call before coming over and she felt another pang of jealousy as Gilbert took her seat at the table.  Rose grabbed the empty chair and sat down.  She couldn’t figure out exactly what was different about him, but he didn’t look the same. 10

“How are you?” she said to Gilbert.11

“Fine!” Gilbert said, leaning over the table to give her a hug.”12

Halfway through dinner she figured it out.13

“Gilbert!” she said, sounding surprised…You have teeth!”14

“Teeth!” Gilbert said, flashing a shiny and very white grin. “Eat…Food!” he said before shoveling what was left on his plate into his mouth. 15

“I wanted to get Gilbert some false teeth and your father agreed so we took him to our orthodontist.”16

“Wasn’t that expensive?” Rose asked, again having to fight off feelings of envy.17

“Well, insurance didn’t cover it, but the look on his face was worth every penny.” her father said, a look of satisfaction on his face.  She could tell that her father was also getting quite attached to Gilbert.  Rose wasn’t sure, but she thought she was developing her first feelings of sibling rivalry.  Something she had never experienced being an only child.  Gilbert was kicking the table leg and Rose felt herself getting annoyed. 18

“Stop it, Gilbert!” she said, surprised at the shortness in her voice.19

Gilbert immediately stopped and leaned over the table again to give her a hug, this time knocking over her water glass in the process. Everybody laughed but Rose.  She was feeling frustrated, neglected, and left in the dark.  Her limelight had obviously shifted and even with all of her psychological background Rose knew this was going to take some getting used to.20

“Are you going to need a ride back to the shelter, tonight?” Rose asked, more for her own selfish reasons, then out of a desire to help.21

“Gilbert lives here, now.” Kate said, with a smile.  “I’ve cleaned out my sewing room and your father refinished the old dresser that’s been sitting in the garage.  It looks nice, you ought to come take a look.  We even got the old twin bed out of the attic.”22

“Is he living here, now?” Rose asked.23

“Well, sort of.“ her father replied, sensing Rose’s discomfort. “Gilbert still goes and  does as he pleases, but we are honored to have him as a guest in our home.”24

“Guest?… Please you’re acting like you just brought him home from the hospital.” Rose whined, Excusing herself from the table before stomping off to the bathroom.25

She sat on the stool with her head in her hands and fought off tears.  She had wanted nothing more than for Gilbert to find a home with people who would love him, but why did he have to steal her parents.  Rose knew she was acting immature for a grown woman, but the feelings were real.  After she regained her composure she left the bathroom and returned to dining room.  Gilbert could tell he’d offended Rose, but he didn’t know what to say so he avoided eye contact and hung his head.  That only made Rose feel worse, so she thanked her mother for dinner and returned to the quiet refuge of her brick colonial.26

I really was nice having her own place, and once she got home she no longer felt jealous of Gilbert.  Disgusted with herself, she sat down with Sturgis to watch Law and Order and binge on a quart of Dove ice cream.  27

Once again the doorbell rang.  It was the same person who had rang earlier.  This time she reached up and took the batteries out of her automatic doorbell and sat back down on the couch, pulled the afghan up over her shoulders and let Sturgis keep her feet warm.  Right back where she had  started from Rose vowed to relax and enjoy the rest of her evening.28