Someone To Watch Over You

Chapter 34

A quick glance over my shoulder and I noticed Tina is indeed following me. In her bare feet she moved silently across the tiled floor. A blanket and pillow are lying on the sofa in the living room and again I'm forced to wonder what the hell is going on. Tina sits down and I take position on the chair across from her. She's looking around for something. 

"Where the heck did I...?"

In an instant I figured out her dilemna and picked her glasses up from the coffee table, handing them to her.

"Thank you!" Tina breathed a sigh of relief. "Can't see a damn thing without these things." She put them on an pushed them up the bridge of her nose.

The large frames obscured her features. I wondered if she ever considered contacts. She looked quite pretty without them. Not that she wasn't pretty already. Why was I even trying to assess Tina's level of attactiveness? I shook my head to clear my thoughts.   

"Tina, I really appreciate you letting me in and all but what are you doing here? In your nightgown no less?" 

At the mention at her state of dress Tina pulled the robe closed and tightened up the belt. Clearly, I've embarrassed her.

"You didn't come home last night." Her words sounded accusatory.

"I told you I might not." I defended.

"Yes, but I didn't actually take you seriously. I mean ... your mom just lost her husband. I figured you wouldn't want to leave her alone all night."

This is just what I needed right now a guilt trip on top of what? An oncoming lecture? "My mother is used to spending most nights alone," I informed her. "My father was seldom if ever home."

Tina huffed and frowned at me irratated. "Your father came home to your mother every night, Alex. It may not have been until late but he was here. And since her condition has gotten worse he's left the office at normal hours wanting to be home with her."

One word from her reprimand stuck out in my mind. "Condition? What condition?" Panic slowly rose and I tried to stomp it down. "Tina, what don't I know?"

Tina's eyes went wide and then she pinched the bridge of her nose. "That's right. You weren't talking to them these last few years. Alex ... I... I need some coffee before I can continue with this conversation."

NOW! Flabbergasted, I watched Tina rise and pad her way over to the kitchen leaving me no choice but to follow.

"Do you want some?" Tina asked pulling out two mugs from the cabinet before I even gave her an answer.

"Yeah, sure," I replied, trying my best to be patient but my patience was wearing thin. I watched her move about the kitchen and it struck me the familiarity she had with my house. Tina knew where to retrieve every item she needed, when it took me looking through three different cabinets just to find tea bags the other day.

Tina gets the coffee brewing and finally turned to face me. Leaning against the kitchen counter, she folded her arms under her chest, drawing my attention to the fact that she's not wearing a bra. Embarrassed that I'd be caught looking I kept my eyes locked on hers.

"I didn't think I'd be the one telling you this. However now why you didn't come back last night makes perfect sense."

I needed to know. "What's going on with my mom?"

Tina's eyes filled with a deep sorrow. "Alex, your mom has Alzheimer."

"What?!" I couldn't be more stunned if Tina had told me my mom started dating someone. My brain refused to acknowledge this new information.