Kiss Me, Lynn (2 page)

“Thanks, Malena.”
Now, back to his current group of
turistas
. Not one of them had tried
ceviche
since they’d arrived in Cusco. Maybe he could coax them to try it at lunch. It had been weeks since anyone had truly loved this Peruvian dish as much as he loved it, and much longer since he’d shared it with someone he loved.

His job as a tour guide meant being away from his home in Cusco too much to spend quality time with a
novia
. But he loved sharing his knowledge of Peru too much to have a job that would allow him to be home at the same time every night, like someone who worked in an office. How could he cut back on his commitment to the
turistas
who helped his country’s economy so much?

Sometimes, he felt he was cursed when it came to love.
Twice, he’d been close to marriage, but both times the relationship had ended, simply because of the time he spent traveling with tour groups. He’d remained good friends with both women and helped both of them find the men they were destined to spend their lives with. He still had hope that someday the true love of his life would appear and love him for who he was and what he loved to do. A woman who would love Peru as much as he loved it. He only hoped, when she appeared, he’d recognize her!

Chapter 2

Lynn purposely waited until a few days before they were going to leave to call her mother.
She didn’t want to make a trip to Santa Fe before going to Peru, and waiting was the best way to make sure that wouldn’t work. Her mother answered on the fourth ring.

“Mom?
I was about to give up. I thought you weren’t home.” She kicked off her shoes and stretched to loosen tight muscles in her legs.

“I’m home.
I just wasn’t close to the phone. How are you?”

“Good.
Actually, excited about a trip I’m going to take with Sharon in a few days. To Peru.”

“Peru!”

“I’ll be part of a tour group. Two people canceled so Sharon and I took their places.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“Sixteen days. We’ll fly into Lima for two days of touring, then fly to Cusco for several more days. Then, we’ll tour the Sacred Valley before riding a train to Machu Picchu. I’ve always wanted to go there.”

“You started talking about it when you were
about eight. That’s wonderful.”

Her mother’s words were enthusiastic, but the tone in her voice was completely different.

“Are you okay, Mom? You sound tired. A summer cold, maybe?”

“No, dear
, I’m not sick. But I am a little tired. I’m sorry if I don’t sound happy for you. I am! Truly! You’ll have to take lots of photos and show them to me when you get back.”

Show them to me.
Not show them to us.

“Is Dad around?
He’s the one who got me interested in ancient civilizations. I’d like to hear his reaction.”

A pause.
“No, he isn’t here. He’s . . . well, there’s no easy way to say this. He left me.”

Lynn felt a jolt of fear.
“You can’t be serious!”

“
I’m afraid I am. I got up this morning and he was gone.”

Alarm bells
went off in Lynn’s brain. Her father would never simply leave.

“Did he explain?”

“No. Just left. But that’s all right. He never loved me.”

Now Lynn knew something wasn’t right.
“Dad has always loved you.”

“I thought so, too, but he was very good at hiding his real feelings.
I’m not sorry he’s gone.”

“Mom! How can you say that? You’ve been married to Dad for forty years!”

“It would’ve been forty
next March. It’s difficult to explain. We’ve grown apart over the years. Now that I think about it, I knew he was going to leave. In fact, I asked him to leave. Yesterday. Yes, that’s what happened.”

Lynn
was stunned into silence. After high school, she’d applied only to colleges that were far enough from California that she wouldn’t be getting surprise visits every weekend from her mother, and so she wouldn’t be tempted to run home whenever things weren’t going right. All those years growing up under her mother’s thumb had convinced her that separation was the only way she’d ever become her own person. And she had! Now, though, instead of flying to Peru, she needed to be with her mother, to help get this confusing nightmare straightened out.

“Mom—“

“You’re going to Peru. When you get home, you can come for a visit, bring all the photos, and see that I’m okay. Really. If you don’t believe me, call your father. I think his cell number is the same. He still hasn’t gotten his things out of the house. I’m going to go through the house today, shelf by shelf and closet by closet, deciding what will stay and what he’ll take to his new home. I’m not about to let him take anything that has meaning to me. I’m okay. Truly.”

“You’re anything but okay.
I’ll tell Sharon I can’t go. Surely, there’s someone else—“

“No!
You need to go. Don’t worry about me! I’m a grown woman and perfectly capable of taking care of myself, no matter what your father says! Classes will begin in a few weeks for the fall semester. They’ve given me the class I’ve always wanted to teach—Pre-Columbian Civilizations. What you see and learn on your trip will be helpful, so take plenty of detailed notes about everything you see and do. I’ll share your photos with my classes.”

Her talking about teaching again made no sense.
Lynn knew, though, that there was no use bringing it up.

Lynn’s mother had
taught history for the small college where they’d lived in northern California for more than twenty years. She and her father had been Lynn’s inspiration to become a teacher of World History. But she’d retired from teaching three years ago, right before they’d moved to Santa Fe.

“All right.
I’ll go. Then, I’m flying to Santa Fe for at least a week!”

“Perfect.
I’ve heard it’s nice there. Then you can come to see us in California. You remember where we live, don’t you? By then, I’ll have the house back in order, and myself back in order, too. You’ll see that this is for the best. Give Sharon a big hug for me. Bring her with you when you come. This is a big house. Plenty of room for guests. I converted your room into an office, but we have two sofas in the den. Or the living room. I forget.”

References to their California house made no sense, either. She had to call Dad.

“Mom, I love you. Dad, too.”

“No reason for that to change
just because he means nothing to me. Send me your itinerary so I’ll know where you are every day and what you’re seeing. I’ll call you every day to make sure you’re all right.”

“
My cell phone probably won’t work in Peru. But you can e-mail me.”

“Fine.
If you don’t want to talk to me, then I don’t want to talk to you either.” She hung up.

Stunned, Lynn
sat for a moment, trying to sort out what she’d just heard. How could she enjoy a vacation knowing that her parents were living in separate homes? Her mother sounded like a different person—cold and unemotional. She dialed her father’s cell phone but got only voice mail. “Dad, call me as soon as possible. I just talked to Mom. She told me you’ve left her—or that she asked you to leave. She wasn’t clear on that point. Then she hung up on me. Please call.”

Next, Lynn called
Sharon, who couldn’t believe it either. She promised to make the trip to Santa Fe with Lynn after they got home from Peru. Now if Dad would just call and tell her what was going on!

<><><><>

That evening her phone rang. “Dad! Thank goodness! Where are you?”

“I’m at home.
Everything’s okay. Well, not everything. Your mother got confused this morning when she woke up late and I’d already gone to work. I guess she dreamed that she’d asked me to leave.”

“
Thank goodness! She scared me to death! So she’s okay again?”

He didn’t answer for what felt like a long time.

“I haven’t told you because I honestly hoped it was something simple, like an allergy. About three months ago, your mother had some difficulty remembering simple things, like how to make cornbread. She searched every book on the shelves—even the history books—looking for the recipe.”

“But she’s never had the recipe written down.
It came from Grandma.”

“I know.
When I got home from work that day, every book from every shelf was on the floor, thrown into piles, and your mother was sitting at the kitchen table, staring into space. When she finally told me what was wrong, I knew she needed to see the doctor. He did a dozen tests before deciding…”

“Alzheimer’s
?”

“
Possibly. Of course, it wasn’t a definitive diagnosis, but everything points to it. He’ll be doing more tests on cognitive abilities, looking for more specific markers that will tell us if that’s it, or if it’s something else.

Lynn covered her eyes with one hand and
took several deep breaths. It all made sense now.

“So when she said you’d left
her—”

“She dreamed it,
then thought it was true, or somehow her sense of reality was altered. If it’s a type of Dementia, then she’s beginning to lose parts of her memory. Sam’s mother had Dementia. He said it was like her memory was combed every day, removing little bits here and there while leaving other bits intact. The times when your mother’s been confused have been spaced pretty far apart. Most of the time she seems completely normal. But bits of her memory are definitely gone.”

“I’m so sorry, Dad.
If I were closer—”

“You have your own life!
If it’s Dementia, it’s going to go on a long time. You’ll have plenty of time to visit. I’ve been thinking about retiring soon. I’ll just retire a little sooner.”

“Did Mom tell you I’m going to Peru?”

“Yes! What an incredible time you’ll have! Hang on a minute. Your mother wants to talk to you.”

Lynn took a deep breath, not knowing what to expect.

“Lynn! Take lots of photos! We’ll want to see every last one when you get back!”

“I will, Mom.
How’s the weather in Santa Fe?”

“Hot as usual.
We need rain. What? Dad says we need to go. I have an appointment with our doctor in an hour. What? I had the appointment this afternoon? Lynn, I had the appointment this afternoon. Don’t worry! I’m sure it’s nothing. What? Oh. It was just confusion after a vivid dream. Love you!”

“I love you, too.”

Lynn felt like she’d been punched in the gut. How long would it be before her mother could no longer stay home alone? Thank goodness Dad was there to handle everything.

<><><><>

The next two days went by in a blur. The itinerary—which she scanned and e-mailed to her parents—included lists of the clothes to take and essentials such as sunscreen and insect repellant, comfortable shoes and socks for extensive walking. The more detail her mother had, the more likely she was to remember that Lynn was in Peru. She hoped. She also bought a blank book so she could record everything they saw and her feelings about being there.

She and Sharon had
decided to pack together so they wouldn’t duplicate items and so they’d both have room in their suitcases to bring back whatever they bought. Lynn had no idea what Sharon intended to buy, but knowing her, they’d be fun and would trigger memories of the trip for the rest of their lives.

Lynn talked to her mother
once more and heard nothing unusual. She wished she could accept her mom’s situation as well as her dad seemed to be doing.

Finally, the day before they were to leave arrived.
They’d packed and repacked a dozen times until Sharon declared everything “perfect.”

Lynn got an e-mail that evening from Bill.
From Bill! After two years of silence! She couldn’t believe what she read. She closed her laptop without answering. What nerve!

<><><><>

Cusco

Alex
, exhausted after the last three tours, had three days off so he’d be rested for the group from Virginia. Malena hadn’t been kidding when she said the itinerary was an easy one. He usually rushed the
turistas
from place to place, trying to cram in as much as possible in the days allotted for their tour. But this group wanted a fairly easy pace, and that suited him perfectly. Also, it was a small group, which made it easier for him to keep up with everyone. Large groups usually wandered off by themselves and were late getting back on the bus, which put them late almost everywhere they went. The Virginia group, he had a feeling, would enjoy the places they visited, more than if they saw twice as many.

The night before flying to Lima, Alex met several of his friends at
one of their favorite pubs. Tonight, there wouldn’t be live music, so he took his guitar.

“Alex!
Amigo
! Play for us!” they shouted when he came in carrying his guitar case.

“In a minute!
First, I want a Pisco Sour!” He pulled a chair up to the table and signaled the waitress. She hugged him briefly. He and Marta had been friends since grade school. She was married to one of Alex’s friends, Herman, and they had two
niños
, José and Paloma, who called him Tío Alex. Sometimes, Alex stayed with them while their parents had an evening out together. Those times were a sharp reminder that he didn’t have children of his own, and maybe never would. At least he could be Tio Alex to Herman and Marta’s children.

About half an hour later, he
pulled out his guitar, strummed to check the tuning, then asked for requests. Playing always brought back sweet memories—and bitter ones, too. His
novias
had loved hearing him play. And the songs his friends and the others in the pub requested were also favorites from the past. Whenever the memories began to overwhelm him, he smiled wider and sang louder. Someday, he hoped to play for a new
novia
. But with each year that passed, his hopes faded a little more.

Virginia

Getting on the plane in Charlottesville
elicited excitement Lynn didn’t expect to feel. The terminal buzzed with hundreds of voices, announcements of flights, and warnings not to leave baggage unattended. Sharon chattered over the chaos, then pointed toward a McDonald’s. “Drinks! We need cold carbonation.”