This story is true mostly. The names have been changed, of course, and the narrative has been condensed for dramatic purposes. Thanks, Peter.
************************* *************************
I'm a drifter.
That doesn't mean I roam from town to town like that guy in the old song by Dion. It means, I guess, I'm a free spirit.
I 've had some college. Dropped out.
Worked for a while at a good job editing books in the city. Quit.
Had a really wonderful car. It was sunshine yellow. Made a real statement. Sold it.
And women, sure. I've had them too with about the same history of longevity.
I'm not a bad person, although I've done a few things I'm not proud of. Who hasn't? I'm more like the guy that your mom (if you're a woman) told you to stay away from. She'd be right. There's nothing about me worth investing in, and that's a fact.
These days I'm renting an upstairs room in a nice house in an "Ozzie and Harriet" kind of neighborhood that is so completely NOT me. But I like it. The people downstairs moved out a few months back so I really have the whole house to myself. A gardener mows the lawn and picks up the leaves. If something breaks, I have a number to call and they come out to fix it. I pretty much keep to myself while working -- for the time being -- at a junior college library in the reference section.
Which is why I was surprised when my next door neighbor, Scarlett, knocked on my door one afternoon after I got home. I had just popped a brew, put on some sandals and sat down to watch a rerun of NCIS on the downstairs television (It's a widescreen; I've just got a small portable in my little upstairs room).
I never had much to say to Scarlett except to wave. She must be in her mid-50s and I helped her pick up some tree debris after a nasty blow we had earlier this year.
Scarlett is pleasant enough. She's kind of heavy and not very attractive but smart. I thought she was flirting with me once or twice but was never really sure. I usually like to flirt but I didn't want to encourage her.
Anyway, here she was, not looking flirty at all. She actually looked a little harried and worried.
"Peter," she said, "I need a favor."
We drifter types don't like those words. We're not much into favors, being self-centered and all. I was leery, but forced myself to croak "I'll try."
"It's my mom," Scarlett said. "I have to leave town soon, today as a matter of fact. A dear friend is sick and she has absolutely no one to help her ." She paused.
"Okay..." I offered. "Your mom?"
"I guess you haven't lived here long enough but I live with my mom. She does pretty well for herself but I worry about her when I'm gone. She's got plenty of food but I want to make sure there's someone I can trust who can . . . help her if she falls or something."
If I was the best she could do, then I knew she was in trouble. Someone I can trust? I looked over my shoulder. Nope. She must be talking to me.
"Well," I stumbled. "Does she have any, you know, health issues? How old is she?"
Scarlett smiled. "No, she's healthy as a horse, although she uses a walker around the house and whenever we go out. She just celebrated her 84th birthday last month."
And I never even got an invitation, I thought. "What's her name? What does she want me to call her?"
"Just call her Helen," Scarlett said. "I set up one of those 'I've fallen and I can't get up' services' so if she has an emergency, she calls a central office. They'll call you."
"What if I'm at work?" I asked.