The New Rule: (The Casual Rule 2) (22 page)

Cam-eel.

I hope she’s sober this time… wouldn’t want her to revert back into the Star Spangled Psycho.

A huge grin spreads across her face. “Hi Ben,” she says coyly. This girl is beaming like a hooker whose client just wants to talk for the night. Has she already forgotten about the sick woman lying right next to her?

“Camille,” Ben says with a quick nod.

“Oh. Hello Julia,” she says, visibly disappointed to see me.

That makes two of us.

Does she think my first name is “Oh”? She always addresses me the same way; “Oh Hello Julia.” like I’m one of those three-name celebrities I love reading about… like Sarah Jessica Parker or Neil Patrick Harris. At least I’m in good company.

“Hello Camille,” I say coolly.

Ben walks to the side of the bed, careful not to bump into the heart rate monitor or IV attached to his grandmother and places his hand on top of hers. She opens her eyes and smiles.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” he says softly, bending down and kissing her forehead.

“I’m glad I can still be woken up,” she answers.

“Grandmother,” he warns, shaking his head disapprovingly.

“Relax, Leonard. I’m still here.”

Ugh, that name. It makes him sound like a geeky coin collector… Which I suppose, he is. I casually glance at him. Okay, Ben is restored.

“And you will be here for a very long time.” He squeezes her hand and kisses her forehead again.

She looks at me and smiles. “Julia, I’m so glad you made it.”

“It’s good to see you, Mrs. Martin,” I tell her.

Camille rolls her eyes at our exchange.
Can your hate for me be a little more apparent? This girl irks the shit out of me.

“Ben, you don’t have to stand. Squeeze in next to me.” Cam-eel shifts over in her seat. “We can share this chair.”

I peek at the empty chair in the corner of the room and then back at Cam-eel.

Can you be a little more transparent? Pathetic.

I have to hand it to her; the girl has balls. Big fat stupid balls. Next thing you know, she’s going to push this little old lady to the floor, hop on the bed, and offer herself to him.

“Thanks, I’m good,” he says politely, redirecting his attention back to his grandmother. “How’s my favorite person in the world doing today?”

“I’m fine. But I think I may have moved into the number two slot,” she answers, winking at me.

“No, Mrs. Martin. You’re definitely number one, rightfully so. I’m perfectly happy in the number two slot.” I shake my head and smile.

“Where do I fall on your list?” Cam-eel asks, wide-eyed.

Oh my God, this girl is unbelievable.

Ben frowns, ignoring her question, and redirects his attention back to his grandmother.

“Are you comfortable? Do you need more pillows? Want me to adjust the bed? What can I do for you?” he asks.

“A favor. The hospital food is terrible. Can you go to the cafeteria on the first floor and get me something edible, like a tuna sandwich?”

“Is that on the diet the doctors prescribed for you?”

“I don’t care. Listen to your grandmother and do as I say. This sandwich could be my dying wish,” she says, playfully.

“You’re not dying, Grandmother.”

“Not today,” she teases. “Someday.”

“You’re an impossible woman.” He chuckles, shaking his head.

“Go. Julia can keep me company.” She glances at me and smiles warmly.

Did she just slight Cam-eel? Maybe my hatred of her is distorting my perception, but I’m pretty sure she just threw out some giant “Time for you to leave” shade.

Cam-eel clears her throat. “I should get going.”
Okay, she’s not entirely devoid of a brain, she took the hint.
“Ben, I’ll walk out with you.” Naturally, she has an ulterior motive, to get herself a little alone time with my boyfriend.

Good luck with that, honey. He doesn’t want you.

“Okay. Do you want anything, Julia?”

The only thing I want is for Cam-eel to leave, and you’re taking care of that.

“No, I’m good,” I tell him.

“Alright. I won’t be long. Camille, are you ready?”

“I was born ready,” she murmurs seductively.

She’s coming on to him, in front of his girlfriend and sick grandmother?
This girl oozes class.

“Julia, sit over here, next to me,” Kitty tells me, her voice soft and weak.

I sit in the vacated chair as Ben and the Duchess of Delusion leave the room.

“You don’t like Camille very much, do you?” she asks.

“She’s fine,” I lie.

She smiles coyly. “No, you don’t. Between you and me, I don’t like her either. I was pretending I was asleep, hoping she’d take the hint and leave.”I tilt my head and frown. From what Ben has told me, Camille has always visited his grandmother. I thought they had a friendly relationship. She continues.

“On occasion, she’ll come around to visit me. Here, at my home, at the rehab facility when I injured my hip. But she’s doing that to stay in the good graces of my grandson. She thinks it’ll win her points.”

My eyes widen. How is it that this old woman can see things so clearly, and Ben is blind as a bat when it comes to Cam-eel?

“Desperate girl. Anyone can see he has no interest in her. She lays on the floor like a doormat for him. He needs a strong woman. But she’s my granddaughter’s best friend and her parents are close friends with my son and Beverly. There’s no getting rid of her.”

I place my hand over my mouth to hide my smile. She has never spoken so candidly to me before. She pats my other hand.

“When you’re my age, you can lose the filters. It’s one of the few perks we old people get before we go off to the great beyond.”

 “How are you feeling?” I ask.

“My mind is still sharp as a knife, but my body is tired. I’m dying.”

“No, Mrs. Martin, don’t say that.”

“It’s true. It’s alright, dear. My life was good. I lived it full and fearlessly. I don’t fear death… I never understood why people do.”

“Is there something I can do for you? Something to make you more comfortable?” I ask, leaning in toward her.

She grabs my hand and holds it.

“I’m glad you’re here. We don’t have much time to talk before Leonard returns. My grandson may act brave, but I know this is difficult for him. My son and daughter-in-law aren’t exactly the nurturing types. And I love my granddaughter to bits, but she can be a pain in the ass. Between you and me, when she was a little girl, my husband and I used to call her Elizabitch, our little prima donna. She’s probably in my apartment right now putting stickers with her name on all the crystal and china she wants to claim when I’m dead. But she has her gay husband to care for her, and he’ll deal with it.”

I gasp.
Holy shit, that’s my nickname for the Stealth bitch too.

She tilts her head back and chuckles. “Don’t misunderstand me, I adore Stuart. He’s a wonderful, kind, and patient young man. But he’s as straight as a basketball.”

I place my hand over my mouth again, stifling a chuckle.

Finally someone else sees Stuart as a GIND. I knew I didn’t imagine it. God, I adore this woman.

She continues. “You remind me of myself at your age. Vibrant and full of life. Strong. I’m glad he found you.” She pauses for a minute, looking up at the ceiling then back to me. “I have some things to tell you and a favor to ask.”

“Of course.”

“I see the way the young girls look at my grandson; it’s the same way the girls looked at my husband. I practically had to beat them away with a stick… and I would have. You look at him differently.” She smiles at me. The warmth of her smile radiates straight through me. “You love him,” she states simply.

“Yes,” I say honestly.

“I know. I see it. I saw it the first time I saw you together at Christmas,” She purses her lips. “The two of you were too stubborn and blind to see what was right in front of you. He loves you too.”

“How do you know?”

“I see it in his eyes when he looks at you. Eyes don’t lie. You’ve captured his heart.” She squeezes my hand then cocks her head, pausing for a moment as though she’s lost in a thought. Her eyes widen. “It’s you,” she says in wonder.

“Me, Mrs. Martin?”

“You’re the one. His once in a lifetime love.”

I look down at her frail hand in mine, swallowing the lump forming in my throat. She continues…

“You make him happy. Promise me you’ll take care of him when I’m gone.”

“You’re not going anywhere. Ben says you’re the strongest woman he knows.”

“I’m ready. It’s my time. There were times I wished it were possible for me to trade a few of my days on earth with my husband so we could have spent a little more time together. Even if it were only for an hour, I’d taken it. I miss him. But I suppose I had things left to do here. I have my Leonard waiting for me in heaven. When I die, I know I’ll see him again. I need to know that you’ll take care of my Leonard here on earth.”

“Mrs. Martin, you’re not going…”

She cuts me off. “He may appear fine on the outside, but he will not take my passing well. I need you to promise me you’ll take care of him.”

“Of course. I promise.”

I realize that for as much as she longs to see her great love again… she needs to get her affairs in order. Her death will happen… eventually, but as long as she still has a purpose here on earth, she’s cheating it.

“Be patient with him. Remember he loves you when things get hard. Have faith in him.”

“I will.”

“Good. Do you like tuna fish?”

“Tuna, Mrs. Martin?” I furrow my brows. How did we go from a deathbed request to tuna?

“I’m not the slightest bit hungry, and Leonard is going to come back any minute with a tuna sandwich,” she explains with an amused chuckle.

I laugh and nod my head. “Yes, I like tuna fish.”

“What are you two laughing about?” Ben asks as he walks through the door with a wrapped sandwich in hand.

“That’s our little secret,” she says, winking at me.

“Plotting against me?” he asks.

“Not just you, we’re plotting against all mankind.” I wiggle my brows and grin.

“That’s the last time I leave the two of you alone.” He stands next to my chair. “Do you want your sandwich now?”

“You know, I think this saline drip they have attached to me filled me up.” She turns her head toward me. “Julia, do you like tuna fish?”

“Why yes, I do,” I answer with a smirk.

Ben glances between the two of us skeptically. “Why do I think that was a rehearsed exchange? What have you ladies really been up to?”

“Oh Leonard, you and your imagination. You should write a book,” she says sarcastically.

He nods, smiling. “I’ll take that under advisement, Grandmother.”

After some chit-chat and filling Kitty in on all of Ben’s travels, we decide to call it a night. It’s obvious she’s tired and fading. She won’t rest as long as we’re still here.

“I’ll drop by tomorrow to see you.” Ben leans down and kisses her cheek. She grabs his hand and holds it.

“You turned out to be an exceptional young man. Make sure you take care of that lovely girl, or you’ll have me to answer to,” she tells him, eying me.

“So you both
were
plotting against me,” he jokes.

“You figured us out.” I turn to his grandmother. “I’ll see you again soon.” I lean down and kiss her cheek.

“Remember what we talked about,” she says.

I nod. “I will,” I assure her.

Ben glances between the two of us, his brow furrowed.

“Girl talk,” I explain, grabbing the tuna fish sandwich from his hand.

“Leonard, can you drop by my place and feed your grandfather?”

“Of course.”

I could have sworn the whole time I was talking to her she was lucid, but there must be more than saline dripping from that IV bag. She has to be hopped up on pain meds or sleeping pills or something. She was just talking about how her husband was waiting for her in heaven. Now he’s waiting for dinner at their place? The poor woman is hallucinating. Ben’s grandfather has been dead for years. Ben’s so sweet; he’s playing along.

We leave the hospital and Ben flags down a taxi. “Do you want to go back to your place?” I ask as we enter the cab.

“No, I have to feed my grandfather.” Okay, Ben’s lost his mind too. He smirks as he looks at me. “I haven’t lost my mind.”

How does he do that? It’s like he has a direct line to my brain.

He redirects his attention to the taxi driver and gives his grandmother’s address and we speed off.

~o0o~

There’s an uncomfortable silence as we walk into the apartment. It feels different without her here. The place is still stunning, but all the warmth is missing. Kitty Martin breathed heart into this place.

Ben walks into the kitchen and washes a glass he finds sitting in the sink. Everything he’s doing is so mechanical, like he’s trying to busy himself, maybe to escape his thoughts.

Opening a cupboard door, he removes something then closes the door. He walks over to a window, opening it. I watch curiously from the corner of the room, trying to figure out what he’s doing and wondering if I should call his shrink.

He extends his fisted hand out the window and opens it over the ledge.

I walk over to him and admire the breathtaking view of Central Park. It’s a stunning view of trees, green grass, and people. It still amazes me how a park, a vast plot of green earth can be smack dab in the middle of a city buzzing at a million miles an hour. I’ve always thought this park is magical and from this view, even more so.

I look down and see a messy pile of birdseed on the window’s ledge. I glance up at him, confused.

He grabs two chairs from the dining room and places them in front of the window. Extending his hand, he gestures for me to sit. So I do.

“She loves the park. When I was a kid, they’d take me and Elizabeth row boating on the lake there,” he says softly. “My grandfather proposed to my grandmother in a rowboat on the lake, right near Bethesda Fountain. She said it was the most romantic day of her life.” He pauses and stares outside thoughtfully. “When my grandfather was too ill to get around anymore, before he was in the nursing home, they’d sit at this window and watch the Park they loved so much from here. Families, couples young and old, teenagers… everyday they’d sit here and watch the seasons change.