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Irene’s phone rang. She glanced down at it, grabbing her glasses from the chain around her neck with a trembling, bony hand and perching them on her face before squinting at the little screen. The name read Genie, so she pressed the green button and held it up to her ear. “Before you ask—”
“Mama, is Dad with you?”
“—No, he isn’t,” Irene finished with a smile. She readjusted the soft blanket over her lap. “I think he’s stepped out.”
Her daughter sighed heavily in her ear. “Mama. You’re in an assisted independent living facility, he can’t just step out. There are channels for these things.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound very independent then, does it?”
“God, you’re just as bad as he is now.”
“I always was, Genie, dear.” Irene cast a fond glance at the ring on her left hand. The wedding ring was relatively new, a rose gold with a trailing vine etched into the surface, a gift from Gen for their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Her engagement ring was currently missing, which gave her a good idea of where her husband had gone. “Anyway, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. He’ll come back when he’s hungry.”
“No, he won’t. He’ll steal someone’s cash and buy himself greasy fast food.”
“Oh, I could go for a fish sandwich and house fries. Did he take his phone with him, I should text—”
“Mama, no,” Eugenia snapped, exasperated.
Irene frowned. “Eugenia.”
“…Sorry, Mama,” she said, contrite and respectful again. “He left his phone, anyway.”
Her own phone buzzed suddenly, startling her. Irene pulled it away from her ear and slowly hit the home button the way Leo had taught her. A new text message, from an unknown number, just a floating image of a tiny crown. She typed back fish sam and hit send, and was treated with a thumbs up and a heart a moment later.
Genie’s voice still ranted, not understandable as far away as she was holding the phone, so she lifted it back to her ear. “Mama? Mama, are you still there?”
“Yes, dear, sorry. I had to send a message.”
“…it was to Dad, wasn’t it?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t know, would I? You said he left his phone here.”
“I regret letting your grandchildren teach either of you how to use smart phones. Obviously it was a huge mistake.”
“Well, what was the alternative? Stuck us with those prepaid clunkers they make the old folks use?”
“Mama, you are eighty-nine.”
“And I’ve got another fifteen years left in me, you’ll see. I’ll call you again when your father comes home. Tell those busybodies at the reception desk to mind their business.”
“It’s their job to make sure they know where everyone is.”
“Well, they can’t be very good at it. Nobody’s noticed I’m on the roof yet.”
“ What the fuck, Ma— ”
She blew a quick kiss to the receiver and hung up quickly, tucking the phone into the folds of her blanket. She ignored the way it buzzed furiously as Genie called her back at once and went back to watching the birds fly over the city.
An hour later, the smell of hot oil drifted up from behind her. She didn’t bother turning her head. Gen hobbled over to her wheelchair with a folding chair under his right arm and a paper bag clutched in his one hand. He set the greasy bag in her lap to unfold the chair. “Afternoon, Renie, my love,” he said, leaning down to press his dry lips to her papery cheek before sitting.
“Evening,” she scolded, but opened the bag and reached in for a fresh French fry. “These from Perkins’ Diner?”
“Of course. I thought we’d split the sandwich, but I ordered two fries.”
“Extra salt?” Her hand found a glass bottle instead of a potato.
Gen grinned a little. “May have gotten us a beer, too.”
“My hero. Where’s my ring?”
He reached into his pocket and fished out a little black velvet box. They did a shaky-handed little swap, Gen taking the food while Irene took the ring box and opened it. Inside was an engagement ring, though not one she recognized. This wasn’t terribly alarming, considering how many engagement rings she’d had over the course of her life. This one had a silver-metal band, two very sparkly white stones at the center, and a cluster of tiny green and pink stones beside it in the shape of a tiny flower and leaf. “That’s the diamond from the fifth engagement ring, and the white sapphire from the second,” Gen said as she slipped it on her finger beside her wedding ring. “The emerald chips are from your mother’s earrings. The pink diamonds, I just thought they’d look nice.”
“You’re right. It’s beautiful.” She reached out a hand and squeezed his wrist before taking the food back to portion it for them. “Your children are angry at you again.”
“Fucking faculty sent out another silver alert. I told them it was date night.”
Irene clicked her tongue scoldingly. “No one respects date night anymore. Is that a screw top beer?”
“Unfortunately,” Gen said, sticking the bottle under his right armpit so he could open the bottle with his left hand. He set it into the cupholder between them on the folding chair before taking his portion of fries and half sandwich. The faster he ate, the sooner they could hold hands as they watched the sun set.