Fourth Down Read Online Free PDF Page B

replacement before Poppy’s
next shift.
    “So, what kind of experience do you
have?” I asked, interrupting their conversation. Both my mom and
Poppy turned to look at me. Poppy’s eyes still had a trace of the
nervousness I had seen earlier, and my mom looked annoyed at my
rudeness.
    My mom opened her mouth, probably to
scold me, but Poppy replied first. While the slight tremor in her
voice gave her away, I begrudgingly respected that she was trying
to hold her own against me. She lifted her chin slightly and
launched into a recitation of her resume.
    “I’m a junior in college, majoring in
biology. I plan on going to medical school to become an oncologist.
This is my fifth aide assignment in the two years I have been
working for the agency. I also teach yoga classes at the community
center.”
    Okay, I’ll admit all that is
impressive. I’ll admit it to myself, but I wasn’t ready to let her
off the hook quite yet.
    “Why have you gone through so many
aide assignments?”
    Poppy glanced at my mom before
answering my question. “The agency assigns me exclusively to cancer
patients because of my career interest…specifically terminal cancer
patients.”
    She may have been qualified after all,
but her implication that my mom was the next on her list of soon to
be dead patients didn’t sit well with me. Not after the meeting I
had already endured earlier with Dr. Greeme.
    “So, what? Are you like the Angel of
Death?” I sneered.
    I got the reaction I was looking for
when Poppy flinched at my accusation. My mom glared at
me.
    “Ford! That’s enough.”
    Poppy ignored my mom and responded in
a snotty tone of voice. “The agency assigns me to these patients,
because there aren’t many people who can handle it. The patients
are usually very accepting of their situation and grateful for my
help. It’s the family members who are the most difficult to deal
with.”
    I leaned forward in my seat, prepared
to tell her just what she could do with this difficult family
member when my mom cut me off.
    “Ford, you need to leave.
Now!”
    With one last glare at Poppy, I pushed
out of my chair and stalked out of the house. How dare she talk so
casually about my mom dying. This was just a job for her, a
stepping stone in her well planned out career path. But this was my
fucking life. My reality.
     

Chapter Three
     
    Poppy
     
    It had been two weeks since my first
day as Maggie’s home health aide. The other aide on her service,
Jane, and I split the week with me working Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday. My shifts went from 2:00 pm to midnight. I knew that Ford
worked from 3:00 pm to 11:00 pm on those days, but he always left
right when I got there and didn’t get home until exactly
midnight.
    He was definitely avoiding me, and I
tried not to take it personally. I was used to hostility from
family members who hadn’t yet accepted that their loved one was
dying. But with Ford, I couldn’t help but feel like our run-in on
Halloween was still clouding his opinion of me.
    On my first day I got the distinct
impression that I would be told not to come back, but I think
Maggie liked me too much. Ford was mean and unforgiving, but it was
clear that he loved his mom. If she wanted me to stay, I doubt he
would have gone against her wishes.
    Maggie had accepted her diagnosis
well, and she wasn’t yet in bad physical shape. Although she knew
the time was coming where she wouldn’t be able to do much other
than rest. In the meantime she was trying to get her affairs in
order, and she had asked for my help. During my shifts last week I
had driven her to the funeral home to pre-arrange her funeral, to
her lawyer’s office to finalize her will, and to the realtor’s
office to discuss putting her house up for sale.
    This week her goal was to start
packing up the house. Since I had only seen Ford in passing, I had
no idea if he knew what she was doing. I doubted it though. Given
his hostility before, I thought he was having a hard