Holly put her hand on mine and smiled.
"I'll just wait for you out on the porch," she said with a wink. I knew she would enjoy speaking with the two elderly gentlemen. She took the paperweight from my hands and turned to Mrs. Greene. "Perhaps I can make this a present to you," she said. "One of the qualities of lepidolite is that it enhances one's expression of inner light and joy."
"Ridiculous," Mrs. Greene said and pivoted. -"Gerson, show Miss Logan to Miss Gordon's room. "She's in her room?" I asked. It was such a
beautiful day, and most of the residents had been
brought to the lobby for their entertainment. Why was
Grandma Belinda shut up in her room?
"Yes," she said, lifting the corner of her mouth
until it cut into her cheek. "She's not feeling well
today. That's why I want to limit your visit. Your
cooperation will be appreciated," she added and
returned to the people with whom she had been
talking when we arrived.
"This way," the attendant said. He wore a sharp,
sarcastic smile on his lips. Holly pressed my hand and
nodded.
"Go on. I'll be fine," she said.
I followed the attendant through the lobby and down the corridor toward the residents' rooms, my heart thumping with every furious thought that
bounced from one side of my brain to the other. I was even angrier when I saw Grandma
Belinda. Her door was shut and she was sitting in her
rocking chair near the window, gazing out like a child
who had been punished and sentenced to stand in a
corner. The lights were off, so the room was full of
shadows. She was wrapped in a shawl and appeared
smaller than I remembered her. Her eyes were red, her
face pale, and it looked as if she had been crying. I
waited for a moment, but she didn't even notice I had
entered her room.
"You got a half hour," the attendant reminded
me firmly and stepped out, closing the door behind
me. I went to Grandma Belinda and touched her hand.