The Last Resort

Chapter 2.2: The Quandary

Ron moved in with Aunt Nancy, whose extensive care let him into a regular, balanced life. A month went by quickly. She made his favorite dishes, sang songs he used to love in childhood and kept a jovial environment around him. Though there had been promising signs of improvements in his condition lately, the absence of antipsychotics resulted in the return of Rose in his hallucinations. They became a part of his everyday life now. We had kept Ana and Shea from him to prevent the onset of any sudden impulses.

One Saturday, we were at home discussing Ron's case with Aunt Nancy when the doorbell rang. I opened the front door to see Tom standing on the doorstep with a broad grin on his face and a bag in his hand.

"Where did you come from?" I asked, pleasantly surprised to see him after four years. He had found himself a project in Atlanta, and we hadn't had a chance to meet ever since.

"Well, as it turns out, this is my new job location," said a beaming Tom.

"Get out of here; you're kidding me."

"I am here for the long haul, mate. Like it or not, you all are stuck with me now," Tom quipped back.

Ana was by the door, excited to see our surprise visitor. We hadn't seen Tom in a while, and he was like family to us. We introduced Aunt Nancy to him, bringing him up to speed on Ron's case.

"Not that hallucinating Ron," Tom blurted out before realizing his folly.

Aunt Nancy, however, didn't seem to mind as she laughed merrily with us.

Ana's eyes lit up when she said, "Why not make Mary step back into Ron's life?"

"Are you completely out of your mind? I had enough adventure with a lifeless camcorder five years back; I don't want to risk losing my wife," I protested.

Ana gave me one of her customary looks I believed had the potential to become a new Halloween concept one day.

"And did anyone think of Rose? How can we endanger our little girl? Would you then bring in Shea, too, if she resurfaces in Ron's mind?" I fought hard to keep the crazy idea away.

"What do you intend to do when Mary returns in his life for a day?" asked Tom.

Ana remained quiet, lost in thought for a few moments. She then said, "We will need to do something to cure him." Turning to Aunt Nancy, she added, "Do you remember any details of the accident?"

Aunt Nancy deliberated before answering. "I still recall how Ron used to always treat Mary as if she was still his five-year-old sister. But that night was different. After they were heading home from Thanksgiving dinner at their place, in Edison, Mary's husband, Vincent, was awfully drunk but so was Ron. That night, Mary didn't let Ron take the wheel and insisted on driving back. Ron was in the passenger seat and witnessed the accident that took away his loved ones from him. He still blames himself for not being able to drive them back home safely."

"Here, in Jersey?" asked Ana, looking surprised, to which Aunt Nancy nodded.

"But how did the accident happen?" asked Tom.

"I have no idea, but Ron was the only one who made it," she admitted.

Ana shut her eyes and seemed to be thinking intensely. After a moment's pause, she looked at us and said, "What if we take a cue from Clarissa's recovery? One night, on the way back home from Aunt Nancy's place, Dev would drive with Ron in the passenger seat. The car would break down right at the spot of the accident when Mary would reappear with Rose." She winked at us as she pointed to herself and Shea.

"What, really? You can't be serious," I said.

"So, he comes out of the car, and Mary speaks to him about how she forgives him," she continued as if she hadn't heard me.