Lost in Apple Grove

By Elizabeth Rose

Apple Grove used to be a nice neighborhood that epitomized the American Dream. Now, it is home to failing businesses, crumbling sidewalks, and a low-end nursing home. In a burst of desperation, a patient suffering from Alzheimer's escapes from the nursing home, seeking her son. She is overwhelmed and confused by the world she encounters. Everything she sees and hears reminds her of an event from the past, but her tenuous grip on her present reality rapidly deteriorates. She loses track of her goal, becoming increasingly disoriented and afraid.
Meanwhile, the overworked staff of her nursing home notice her absence. They work with the limited tools at their disposal to get in touch with the family of the escaped patient. Difficult to reach and uncomfortable with each other, her family must overcome their own dysfunction before they can be of any use locating their missing matriarch. Bitterness and confusion build as night sets in. Everyone will have to work together if they intend to find the escaped patient before it's too late.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elizabeth Rose
• Release date: Sep 22, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311530073

Elizabeth Rose

Elizabeth Rose is 64 years and lives in regional Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. with her dog Pooki. I live a privileged life as I am surrounded by fresh air and endless acres of forest and mountains. these are my inspiration.

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Lost in Apple Grove

Elizabeth Rose

Published by Elizabeth Rose at Smashwords

Text Copyright 2014 Elizabeth Rose

All rights reserved

Cover art Copyright 2014 Elizabeth Rose

All rights reserved

Smashwords Edition, Licence Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction.

Any resemblance to any real person, place, or event, past, present, or future, is coincidental.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 1

The bell chimed. The clock itself was set on the mantle of a faux fireplace in a side parlor, but the chime was loud enough to carry through the entire building. Residents and caregivers alike paused to listen to it, many with their heads cocked to one side like curious birds. A few were outright startled. Some even held their breath in mounting fear of the sound. Others hummed along as if it were a favorite tune. But as soon as it was finished they all continued on their respective ways. It receded from their minds again.

Esther was in the parlor. Her ankles were crossed before her as she sat on a faded loveseat. The upholstery had been bleached by the combined onslaught of sun, wear, and time into a neutral color, with only a faint outline of the vivid floral pattern still visible.

The chime startled her. She jumped in her seat and her head swiveled around to inspect the dial. She squinted, straining to read the face. Eventually she gave up and just counted the chimes. One, two, three, four, five. It was five o’clock.

She bit her lower lip in worry. He should be home by now. She was anxious to hear about the first day at his new school. He was almost two hours late. That wasn’t like him.

Jackie was a handsome boy. He took after his father in that respect, tall and well built, with pleasant features and a friendly personality mixed with just the right dash of shyness. The girls had already started to notice him. That made Esther a little sad. She had hoped to keep him to herself for a few more years.

She had carefully ironed his shirt that morning and shined his shoes until they shone like black granite. It was important, she had told him, to make a good first impression. He would be in high school for four years. How he presented himself today could set the tone for that entire time. He had best get off on the right foot.

She rose, suddenly flooded with uncertainty. Jack? Her voice quavered, as if afraid of being answered. He had insisted a little over a year ago that she start calling him Jack and not Jackie as she had since his birth. He had argued that he was no longer a baby and had never been a girl. The transition had been awkward. She felt that she was getting the hang of it now.

Tears welled up unbidden into her eyes. Where could he be? She choked back the burning frustration in the back of her throat. There was no way he was still at school this late. Perhaps he had been hit by a car, or gone off with ne’er-do-wells. No. She shook her head, forcing such thoughts from her consciousness. Impossible. Not her sweet little Jackie. He would never make such a bad decision. Nothing terrible could have happened to him. Far more likely he was already home. Yes, that must be it. He had come home and walked right past her without even saying hello. She couldn’t help feeling a little bit hurt. She was his mother and should command more respect than that, even if he was fourteen. He should have come to see her when he’d gotten home. He should have said hello and let her know that he was back home and that everything was all right. He should have told her about how his day had gone.

She walked unsteadily to the door and peered out into the half-lit hall. There were a few other people in the hallway. Some were wandering about while others sat on chairs or stood still. Esther frowned. She didn’t recognize any of them. After a moment’s deliberation, she proceeded out the door. Jack liked it down in the basement. It was cool and smelled of clean laundry. She often found him down there with his brother or his friends. Yes, that made sense. He was probably in the basement. Perhaps he had made some new friends today. She hoped they were good boys. She would have to check.

Esther continued down the hall. Now that her concern was allayed, something akin to anger was budding inside her. There was no excuse for this rudeness. He knew not to make her worry. She had raised him to have better manners than that. She abruptly turned a corner, reaching out for the basement door. All of the anger and worry drained from her when there was nothing there. There was no glossy whitewashed door or plain concrete steps. She was staring down another stretch of long empty hallway. Her outstretched hand grasped air instead of a doorknob.

Esther gathered her head into her hands and tried with all her might to concentrate. The basement steps were not there. Neither was the door. Perhaps the basement wasn’t there either. So where was Jack? Surely not in the vanished basement. She tried to remember the other places he liked to go, but the thoughts slipped through her fingers like wriggling minnows. She knew the ideas were there, but they were gone before she could fully grasp them.

She took a deep breath, willing herself to calmness. She would have to go and look for him. That was all. She would find him, she would bring him home, and then everything would be fine. Esther set her frustration and her confusion aside for the present. It would all work out in the end. She just had to keep her wits about her. Esther began to look for a way out.

*

The bell was annoying. Its false cheerfulness grated on her every nerve. And it went on for far too long. And it was loud. Unreasonably loud. Michelle sighed. She twirled her pencil and glanced up at the clock. The second hand clunked forward lethargically. She took a deep breath and attempted an internal pep talk.

Okay. Only two more hours, and you can go home. You can do two more hours. That’s nothing. You’ve already been here for four. It’ll be fine. It’s nothing. You don’t even have to do anything. Just get through it.

She exhaled forcefully. It hadn’t worked. Her eyes swept through the reception area with miserable disdain. She hated this place. She hated the cheesy prints hanging on the wall. She hated the worn out carpet and walls so coated with decades of grime that you couldn’t really be sure what color the paint was supposed to be. She hated the tediousness of the hours she had to spend chained to this ugly Formica desk, in an uncomfortable plastic chair, by herself, just on the off-chance that someone might come in or call.

But mostly Michelle hated herself for allowing this to happen. She had accepted this job in a moment of desperation. Now she was trapped here. She should have been more careful. She should have gotten that double major, rallied for a better internship, been more focused, or tried anything, anything at all to make herself more marketable. She should have planned better and worked harder. She should have seen it coming. Maybe then she wouldn’t have been roped into this. But she had. And now, here she was, desk-warming in the vacant reception area of a nursing home that was ill maintained and seldom visited. It wasn’t hard work; it was meaningless. Michelle had horribly underestimated how much being paid to do nothing could suck. She should have given some thought to that.

She looked desperately up at the clock again. It now read 5:02. Great. She could leave in an hour and fifty-eight minutes. At least it was progress.

Chapter 2

It was much brighter outside than she had anticipated. Esther blinked in the startling light. She hovered at the door briefly, swaying with indecision. Then she pulled it shut behind her. It wouldn’t stay closed at first, but the latch caught on her third attempt. She took a deep breath and began shuffling down the street without much consideration for where she was going. She couldn’t stay here, and it was better to go the wrong way than do nothing at all. She might meet someone who could help her. Then she would find Jack. The soles of her shoes scraped against the sidewalk with every step, leaving plumes of dust and white noise billowing in her wake. She paid them little mind. They weren’t important.

Esther frowned in disappointment. Her car was not where she had left it. Had Jackie taken it without asking? Had Dave? Rage bubbled up inside her then quickly fizzled down. No. Neither of them would do that to her. Dave had his own car, and she was Jackie’s mother. Whatever Jackie’s faults were, an overblown sense of entitlement wasn’t among them. Satisfied with her son’s absolute blamelessness, Esther turned her attention back to locating her car. It couldn’t be too far away.

Dave had bought the Corvair for her use when Jimmy had started high school. It was her responsibility, he had told her, to teach the boy to drive when the time came. He was too busy. He also told her that she was welcome to use the car herself as she saw fit in the meantime. She had been surprised how nice having her own car was. She had the freedom to go wherever she wanted whenever she wanted. It was like something out of a dream.

The dream didn’t last long. Teaching Jimmy to drive had been harder than she had anticipated. The boy had been all piss and vinegar. He was sure that he didn’t need his mother’s help. The first time she had taken him out, he had slammed on the accelerator, whipping the steering wheel back and forth like a stock car driver as soon as he pulled out of the driveway.

Stop! she screamed at him.

But it was too late. He’d already lost control of the vehicle. Fortunately, the transmission choked and died before they crashed. The car ended up stalled, sideways blocking the entire street. They sat in tense silence, catching their breath, hearts racing. When Esther finally spoke, she did it through clenched teeth.

That happened because you didn’t listen to me. You need to be patient.

He didn’t care. I want to try again.

She slapped him as hard as she could.

Dave thought it was funny when she told him what had happened. His humor did not help Esther’s mood. She was furious with her son for his disrespect and carelessness. He could have wrecked the car. They both could have been killed. She was also furious with her husband for not taking charge of this himself.