This time, instead of the study, Athea was pacing up and down in the downstairs living room. She repeatedly checked her bag to see if she had gotten everything (including the extra pack of cards), all the while throwing glances out the window that faced the front lawn.
"Pacing around won't make time go by faster, y'know?" Patrick teased her from the kitchen. Athea stopped and turned suddenly, stomping her foot slightly with a pout.
"Shouldn't you be at work or something?" She decided to tease him too. He gulped dryly.
"I-I'm on my way! I'm just grabbing some dinner." Her dad flustered through his words.
"Staying the night this time again?" She asked, a bit concerned about her father's hours recently.
"Hopefully not the whole night through. But I'm bringing food just in case." He shrugged disheartened, also a bit bothered by how little time they were spending together.
"The next time you spend the night at home again, let's cook dinner together. Like old times." She intertwined her hands in front of her body with an exciting smile, remembering the nights as a kid where the family gathered to cook dinner together, chaos and happiness mixing themselves in the process.
"Pesto?" He smiled back at her, wrapping up the containers in a table cloth.
"You know it." She winked at him. Their moment was abruptly interrupted by her cellphone ringing. She let out a tiny "eep!" and started running around trying to find the device. She picked it up with anxious hands and the name "Jason" shone on her screen.
"Yes?" She managed to keep her voice straight. Patrick laughed with himself.
"Hey, I'm out front." Jason also somehow managed.
"Coming!" Athea tried to keep her answer simple and hung up. She glanced at her dad nervously and he shrugged back in response. "Hm..." She fidgeted with her keys between her fingers. "I'll call you if anything happens."
"Stay safe, kiddo." He smiled encouragingly.
"Bye, now!" She said finally, walking out the door. Patrick shouted a "Take care!" back at her but he wasn't too sure she heard him.
Athea's blue Chuck Taylors banged down on the front porch steps as she rushed to Jason's car. From inside, the boy couldn't help but watch the sight of the excited girl, in her light short sundress, cardigan and All-Stars, her denim bag hanging from one of her shoulders and caramel locks loose in the wind. As she got closer to the vehicle, reality seemed to strike him and he deviated his gaze, trying to look unbothered.
"Hi!" She said, getting in and sitting next to him. His attempt at a cold and distant barrier didn't last a second under her light and warmth. He smiled back.
"Hey." He started the car back again. "Ready to go?"
"Hit the gas!" She said excitedly, pointing at the road ahead of them. He chuckled ("Sure thing").
Since the elderly home was downtown, this time their ride was longer than their usual one from school to Athea's house. Even though the girl didn't mind the quiet and was peacefully enjoying the sights of town, Jason gulped dryly in the awkward silence.
"Oh, by the way, if you want to plug in something, feel free to do so." He quickly nodded to the car radio, which had a cellphone extension cord connected to it.
"Are you sure? I don't know what you usually listen to..." She said, picking up her phone. Jason shook his head.
"I vibe to everything, don't worry." He glanced at her with playful eyes. Athea held back a giggle and plugged in her phone. She decided to put something she liked listening to on happy days, and soon enough Run the World!!! was blasting through the car's speakers.
Jason tapped his hand on the steering wheel to the rhythm of the beat as Athea quietly sang along next to him. He listened to her tiny hushed voice following the lyrics with a smile on his lips. As the Dayglow playlist followed, this time she was the one to start conversation.
"So, are you excited?" She tapped her hands on her bag as the song played.
"You mean to visit?" He glanced back and forth from the road to the girl, who nodded. "Yeah, I mean..." They stopped at a red light. He looked at her. "Normally, it's a bit disheartening 'cause more often than not he doesn't recognize me." He shrugged. "But you'll be there this time, so I'm sure everything will be different. In a good way." He smiled, picking the car back up as the light turned green.
"I think it'll be fun either way." She said determinedly. "Even if he sometimes doesn't recognize you as his grandson, he still knows you as the boy that visits every week and surely that makes you special in his heart as well." She nudged his arm with her elbow. Jason almost choked up again, smiling sheepishly in return.
"You sure know your way around words, huh." He glanced at her, a cheeky smile on his lips.
"What do you mean?" She looked back at him, intrigued.
"Last time as well, you said such beautiful words about my grandpa... in a way no one had ever put them to me before." He faked looking around and being worried with traffic to distract himself and the girl from his vulnerability.
"I guess I'm familiar with such complicated feelings." She looked down at her bag. Before Jason even had time to notice or ask about it, she added, laughing: "Also, I read a lot so maybe there's that." Jason chuckled back.
"Dang, I gotta start picking up some books, then." They laughed and soon arrived at the home.
Jason parked the car in the small parking lot next to the church, which was connected at the back to the home. Athea followed the boy along, since he knew his way around the place already. They crossed a beautiful front yard, which was adorned with seats, flowers and a small bird fountain. Some residents were seated or walking around and Athea nodded and wished them all good afternoon, receiving smiles and sometimes grunts in return. Walking through the double doors, they were greeted by the front desk nurses, who called Jason by his name, a testimony to his frequency at the place.
"Good afternoon, Jason!" One of the older nurses got up from her seat at the counter to welcome them. "And this is?" She looked through his shoulder at Athea, who was trailing behind, looking around.
"Oh, this is Athea, a friend." He stepped aside to make way to the girl, who smiled back at the nurse.
"Nice to meet you, dear. I'm Nurse Claire, the head nurse here." Athea nodded back in response. She looked down at her desk, fidgeting through some papers. "Old J.J. is probably still in the bath, we just finished our hydrotherapy class." She said, glancing through what looked like a schedule.
"It's okay, we'll wait." He said politely. "I'll show you around in the meantime." And directed himself to the girl, who smiled excitedly.
Jason walked her through the home, sometimes stopping to greet familiar faces who called out to him. Athea too had a blast meeting the residents and sitting down to talk with the kind older ladies who stopped them to compliment her and ask about her dress. Jason would just stand back watching as the girl happily bantered with the seniors about any and all topics, be it explaining things about her dress, telling stories or just listening to the elders – which, most times, was all they wanted. Her charm and grace was so that she managed to get through even the bitter ones, who were a bit gruffer and rougher around the edges, but quickly melted their tough exterior one minute into a conversation with the girl.
As they were returning from the pool area at the back, one of the nurses called them over to tell that Jason's granddad had finished his bath and was waiting in his room. The boy excitedly guided Athea through the corridors, the path to his grandpa's room long memorized. They knocked on the door before coming in and a senior man with striking blue eyes like his grandson's was adjusting his shirt in the mirror, showing poise and vanity even at an advanced age. Even if he was a bit hunched over from the years on his back, he looked like he had been a tall man in his youth, the now frail arms combing back an impressive amount of hair, white as pearls, in a neatly manner. He noticed the youngsters through the mirror reflection and turned on his feet to greet them.
"Good afternoon." He said with eyes still a bit glazed, as if trying to recognize a familiar face.
"Hey, pops! It's Jason! How have you been?" Jason still greeted him warmly and approached him for a hug. The old man hugged him back still a bit confused. When they parted, he held Jason by the arms, looking at his face, a frown forming in his brows. He then smiled again.
"Hey-ya, kid!" He tapped his arms, and even Athea could not differentiate if he actually recognized Jason at all or if he was just being polite and pretending. "I'm well, I'm well! Holding up!" He laughed heartily. "And who did you bring with you?" He pointed at Athea with a trembling finger.
"Ah, this time I brought you a cards partner! This is my friend from school, Athea." It was the second time now Jason had introduced her as his friend, and each time her heart skipped a little beat. She stepped up closer to his grandpa and extended her hand.
"Nice to meet you!" He took her hand and shook it firmly; Athea didn't flinch. He laughed again.
"This one's got a strong grip! I like her." He nudged at Jason, who smiled gratefully to Athea. "So, ya like cards, huh?" He pulled her closer with an eyebrow raised. Athea pulled out her deck of cards and his eyes glistened.
"I love them." She joked with him. He laughed again, clapping his hands.
"Now that's more like it! I got a feeling you'll be a better partner than this chump." He pointed at Jason over his shoulder, teasing him. "He always loses me my games."
"Hey, I'm still standing right here!" The boy protested jokingly.
"Don't worry, we'll wipe this place clean." Athea winked at him. The old man smiled widely.
"Well, let's get to it, then!"