The Contract (The Contract 1)

“Golden Oaks.”

“Good morning,” I replied. “I want to bring my fiancée’s aunt some flowers when I visit this morning, and I want to make sure she isn’t allergic to anything. I forgot to check with Katharine before she left.”

“The resident’s name?”

“Penny Johnson.”

“I’m sorry—did you say your fiancée, Katy?”

“Yes.”

“I wasn’t aware Katy was engaged.”

I cleared my throat. “It’s a fairly recent development.”

“Well, I’ll have to congratulate her. Penny isn’t allergic to any flowers, but if you really want to get in her good graces, be sure to bring Joey a treat.”

“Joey?”

“Her parrot.”

“Oh, and what does one bring a parrot, if I may ask?”

“Joey’s favorite treat is a mango, but he loves any fresh fruit, or popcorn.”

I felt as though I was in The Twilight Zone. Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected to wake up on a Saturday morning with plans to get married to Miss Elliott, after stopping to buy fruit and popcorn for a bird who belonged to a woman I had never met.

“Mangoes and popcorn. Got it.”

“The caregivers like chocolate, Mr., ah . . . ?”

“VanRyan. Richard VanRyan. Has Katharine been in today?”

“Not yet. She’ll be along soon, I imagine.”

“Okay. Thank you, ah, Miss . . . ?”

“Tami. My name is Tami. Penny is one of my favorite residents.”

“Good to know. See you soon.”

I hung up. I had some shopping to do.

Along with lots of groveling.I stopped in the doorway of Penny Johnson’s room, taking in her appearance. She was a small woman, plump, with pure white hair and raisins set into her chubby cheeks for eyes. Those eyes lifted at my knock, regarding me with suspicion.

“Can I help you?”

I stepped in, holding out a large bouquet. “Hello, Penny. I’m Richard VanRyan, a friend of Katharine’s.”

“Are you now?” She reached for the flowers. From the corner, a colorful parrot flapped his wings, squawking loudly. “My name is Penelope. I haven’t given you permission to use Penny yet.”

“My apologies, Penelope.”

I winced a little at the noise from the bird, and held out my other purchase. “I brought Joey a treat.”

“What did you bring?”

I dug into the shopping bag. “I brought him a mango. Should I put it in his cage?”

She pursed her lips, looking up at me. “Not the brightest button in the box, are you?”

“Pardon?”

“He can’t eat a whole mango, young man. It needs to be cut.”

I looked at the mango, then at the bird. “Oh.” From the bag, I lifted out a package of microwave popcorn I had grabbed from the cupboard. Katharine ate a lot of popcorn. “I suppose I should have cooked this, too.”

She began to laugh. Loud peals of amusement echoed off the walls. “Katy must like you for your looks because it can’t be for your brains.”

I couldn’t help but grin at her sharp tongue. She reminded me of someone—the woman I once called Nana. In the brief time I had known Nana, she was the one person who cared about me. She was blunt, direct, and had no problem expressing her opinion.

Reaching to her left, she pressed a button on the wall to bring a caregiver to her room. “Tami will put these in water, and cut the mango for poor Joey. If I ask her nicely, she’ll bring us some coffee.”

I fumbled in the bag, and held out some chocolates. At least I got that part right. “Maybe these would help.”

She arched an eyebrow at me. “There may be hope for you yet. Now, sit down, and tell me how you know my Katy—and why you call her Katharine.” She smiled when I produced a second box of chocolates. “If those are for me, then you have my permission to call me Penny.”Penny Johnson was bright, smart, and as I learned, filled with stories of Katharine as a teenager. However, I discovered, her short-term memories were shaky at best.

More than once, I saw a veil come over her eyes, and she would stumble over her words if I asked something about the present. I would steer her back to a more cohesive time by questioning her about meeting Katharine. She beamed and gave me a longer version of the story than I had heard last night. She described the thin, scared girl she had found rooting in a dumpster for food. She talked about the pain and need she saw in Katharine’s blue eyes, and how she knew she was meant to find her that fateful day. I could feel the love she had for the younger Katharine, and I found I liked hearing about her life.

Penny wavered in her thoughts after that, asking for something to drink. By the time I found Tami, she showed me the kitchen area, and I went back to the room, Penny was dozing in her chair. Her bird was still in the corner, flapping around, and the music she had playing when I arrived was a gentle noise in the room.