Chapter 3
Wayne and Jocelyn turned to Alyssa in unison and called out, "Mom."
Their voices were loud, clear, and without hesitation.
Alyssa's tears finally fell, and she reached out to take their hands. "You're such good kids. I don't deserve this."
Wayne's voice was thick with emotion. "You do deserve it. You're the only one who deserves to be our mom."
Jocelyn threw her arms around Alyssa. "We already see you as our mom."
I floated above, watching this heartwarming moment between them
Tears streamed down my face.
Alyssa took their hands and let out a sigh.
"I wasn't going to bring this up. But since we're family now, I'll say it as it is," she said.
Jocelyn chimed in, "We're all ears, Mom."
Alyssa walked around, carefully looking over the house.
She said, "The layout here is really nice, but Elodie left so much stuff everywhere. It's kind of overwhelming."
She paused, her eyes drifting toward my bedroom. "If Shane can't let go, we can keep some of it for old times' sake. But I worry it might make him sad whenever he sees it."
"Just toss it!" Wayne suddenly shot to his feet, his voice cutting through the room.
He added, "What's there to be sentimental about? After what happened to my mom, why keep all this crap?"
Wayne spun around and started grabbing anything of mine from the living room, chucking it onto the floor.
He said, "These useless old things should've been trashed ages ago."
Wayne grabbed the half-knitted scarf I was making for Shane.
Jocelyn jumped in too.
Photos got tossed out, scattering all over the floor.
"Let's clear these out too. It's just too sad to see them lying around," Jocelyn said.
I floated behind them, watching as all those precious memories were trampled beneath their feet.
There was a photo of me holding baby Jocelyn, just a month old, with Shane standing beside us, grinning ear to ear.
Another was from Wayne's elementary school graduation. I was wearing the plastic corsage he gave me, and he said, "Mom, you look so pretty."
There was one from our twentieth wedding anniversary. Shane had saved up three months' salary to buy me that dress, and I was spinning around, the skirt swirling around me.
Now, they were being stomped on, shoe prints smudging all our smiles.
"Wait," Shane suddenly called out.
He crouched down and picked up a small wooden box from the pile of stuff.
He opened it, hesitating for a moment.
Inside, a bracelet rested quietly.
It was the bracelet Shane's grandma had given me when we got married.
Shane's grandma took my hand and said, "Elodie, this bracelet has been with me for fifty years. Now it's yours. Promise me you'll take good care of Shane and keep this family together."
I kept that promise.
I kept it for forty-two years.
The day I was diagnosed with dementia, the first thing I did was take off the bracelet and carefully put it back in the box.
I was scared I'd break it if my mind slipped again.
Shane held the bracelet, his gaze unfocused, lost in memories.
I remembered the night he put it on me, the candles flickering across his young face as he said, "Elodie, I swear I'll never let you down in this life."
Suddenly, Wayne reached out and grabbed the bracelet right out of Shane's hand.
"Alyssa, why don't you try it on?" he said.
He took Alyssa's hand and, without giving her a chance to refuse, slipped the bracelet onto her wrist.
"This isn't right; it's Elodie's—" Alyssa said.
Wayne jumped in, cutting her off. "Come on, what do you mean, it's hers? From now on, everything in this house belongs to you.
"Mom, all the best stuff here is yours now. As long as you can keep Dad happy, whatever you want, just ask, and we'll make it happen."
That "Mom" slipped out so naturally, like he had been saying it for a long time.
Shane parted his lips, as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out.
He looked at the bracelet, his gaze hollow and distant.
Alyssa didn't care and just kept going. "By the way, Shane, all those years paying for Elodie's treatments must've drained your savings, right?
"I heard her meds are ridiculously expensive. They're imported stuff, thousands every month. She has to take them for the rest of her life. How long is this going to drag on?
"If you ask me, you should just stop giving her the meds."
The atmosphere froze.
I hovered above, wondering if I had really heard that.
Alyssa said, "She's going to a nursing home anyway. Whether she lives a long time or ever gets her mind back, that's not your problem anymore.
"Why not save that money for our wedding? Wouldn't that be way better?"
As she said this, she gave Shane a little push. "Right?"
Shane stood there, unmoving.
He stared at the floor and let out a deep sigh.
Wayne chimed in, "Dad, Alyssa's right. Those meds cost a fortune. It's a waste to spend that much on my mom's meds."
Jocelyn rolled her eyes. "Seriously, with her condition, even the best medicine won't do any good. We might as well save the money and get Alyssa something nice.
"Mom was never meant for that kind of luck."
I was never meant for that kind of luck.