Tarnished Armor
Part 139

Belinda’s hospital room.

Aunt Grace goes over to the bed and stands by Belinda.

Aunt Grace: Hey there. You giving the doctors a hard time?

Belinda: Yes.

Aunt Grace: Good. Where’s that man of yours?

Belinda: He’ll be back. Where’s Liza?

Aunt Grace: She’s right outside.

Belinda: Could you go get her? I need to talk to both of you.

Aunt Grace: I thought we would spend a little time alone.

Belinda: We will. I need... I need to talk to both of you first.

Aunt Grace: Willful child.

Belinda: I know.

Aunt Grace goes to the door and opens it.

Aunt Grace: Liza? Belinda wants to speak with both of us.

Liza enters the room. She hovers by the door. Aunt Grace goes back to Belinda’s bedside.

Belinda: Liza? What are you doing?

Liza: What do you mean?

Belinda: Could you be any closer to that door without walking out with half-ownership of its knob?

Aunt Grace: Lindy!

Belinda: Sorry, Aunt Grace. It’s Liza’s fault.

Aunt Grace: The girl is standing there doing nothing. Don’t you go blaming her.

Belinda: Liza, come here.

Liza edges closer to the bed. Belinda peers into Liza’s face.

Belinda: What’s wrong?

Liza doesn’t answer.

Belinda: Is it Colby?

Liza: No.

Belinda: Is it... is it me?

Liza doesn’t answer.

Belinda: Dammit, Liza. Who told you?

Aunt Grace: Told her what?

Belinda: Who was it?

Liza: Adam.

Belinda: Of all the selfish, pigheaded, inconsiderate --

Belinda begins to cough.

Liza: I asked him.

Belinda: Great. The man becomes George Washington when it’s my secret, huh?

Liza: Oh, Belinda.

Belinda: I swear, I hate that man. Just when I think that his arrogance has finally reached its limit --

Liza: Is this that best friend/boyfriend thing?

Aunt Grace: Would someone tell me what’s going on?

Belinda: Sorry.

The room is quiet for a moment. Belinda struggles to take a few strong breaths.

Belinda: Why don’t you both sit down?

Liza goes and sits in a chair next to Belinda’s bed.

Belinda: Is this what I have to look forward to? You doing everything I say?

Liza doesn’t answer.

Belinda: Aunt Grace, please sit down.

Aunt Grace goes and sits in the chair next to Liza.

Belinda: Okay. This is very difficult for me. And I’m getting tired. So please just listen to me. I’ve been sick for a while. I just didn’t want to admit it, even to myself. In the past twenty-four hours, I’ve seen a hundred doctors.

Aunt Grace: A hundred?

Belinda: Well, it feels like it.

Belinda holds out her hand to Aunt Grace. Aunt Grace takes her hand.

Belinda: Aunt Grace, I’m sick. And the doctors have looked into it and they say that I don’t have much longer.

Aunt Grace: Longer for what?

Liza’s eyes begin to fill with tears.

Belinda: Aunt Grace, I’m going to die.

Aunt Grace: We’re all going to die someday.

Belinda: My day is coming a little sooner.

Aunt Grace: No.

Belinda: It’s true. Now they think it will only be a day or two more. If I’m lucky.

Belinda looks away.

Belinda: Lucky.

Liza begins to cry.

Liza: They can ... they can find something. You’ll get better.

Belinda: I’m sorry, Liza. It’s too late.

Liza: Don’t say that.

Belinda: I don’t want to say it. There were so many... so many things I planned to do. I thought we’d get adjoining strollers and wheel our kids through the park together, you know. And I think I deserved that.

Aunt Grace: Lindy, don’t you give up. We’ll find help.

Belinda reaches over with her free hand and pats Aunt Grace’s hand.

Belinda: I’m so sor... sorry. I know that I’m just about the only ... the only family you have left. And I don’t want to leave you.

Aunt Grace begins to cry.

Aunt Grace: What kind of world is this?

Belinda begins to cry.

Belinda: I don’t know. I can’t find any good reasons for anything any more.

Belinda wipes her tears away with her hand.

Belinda: Now, I want you to do something for me. I want you to keep this to yourselves. I don’t want anyone to know. Do you understand? I don’t think I could take a parade of visitors right now. So it’s just us. The three of us and Adrian. And that no-good husband of Liza’s.

Belinda begins to cough again.

Aunt Grace gets up.

Aunt Grace: I’m going to find those doctors.

Belinda: Aunt Grace...

Aunt Grace goes to the door.

Aunt Grace: Who’s your doctor? Where is he now?

Belinda: I don’t know.

Liza: Dr. McCarthy. She’s in Joe Martin’s office.

Aunt Grace: Thank you.

Aunt Grace leaves.

Belinda turns to Liza.

Belinda: I’m sorry I wasn’t the one to tell you. I was working up to it, and then... Did Aunt Grace .. did she see my mother?

Liza: No. They just missed each other.

Belinda: It’s probably for the best.

Liza begins to cry again.

Liza: Belinda, please don’t leave me.

Belinda: Oh, Liza.

Liza: Just fight it. You can fight it.

Belinda begins to cry and her breathing becomes more labored.

Belinda: I can’t. I wish I could.

Liza: We can fly you to New York. They have a lot more doctors there.

Belinda continues to cry and then she looks at Liza.

Belinda: It’s too late.

Liza: No.

Belinda: Liza, you can’t boss this out of me.

Liza: I’m sorry.

Belinda: You didn’t keep me from the doctor. It was me. It’s my fault.

Liza: No. You were just ...

Belinda: Stubborn? Well, look at that. I think we just found common ground.

Liza: Tell me what to do. I’ll do anything you want me to.

Belinda: Ah. Well, then. Could you open the top drawer of that table?

Belinda gestures to the table sitting by her bed. Liza opens the drawer.

Belinda: My purse should be in there.

Liza takes out Belinda’s purse.

Belinda: Okay. In my wallet, you’ll find two things.

Liza takes out the wallet.

Belinda: First, my dollar bill. It’s tucked behind my credit cards.

Liza: But...

Belinda: Go ahead.

Liza takes out the dollar and looks at it. She looks puzzled. She reads something scrawled across the dollar bill.

Liza: “I owe Liza one Colby Martin”?

Belinda: Yes. You keep that with you tomorrow. I think it’s a lucky dollar.

Liza: It was a very lucky dollar for me.

Belinda: Okay. Now go to the pictures. Behind the one of Noah and Julia. You see it?

Liza shows her a photo.

Liza: This one?

Belinda: Yes. That’s me. Second grade. Don’t I look hideous? Bad hair cut, and very overweight. Keeps me humble.

Liza: I think I need one of these.

Belinda: You have one now. That’s for you. And when Colby gets to the age where she’s losing her front teeth and the boys are teasing her terribly, you take that photo out, and you say, “Colby, that’s Aunty Belinda. And look at what happened to her in the second grade. And she turned out spectacularly. So will you.”

Liza: I want... I want you to tell her.

Belinda’s eyes fill with tears.

Belinda: So do I.

Aunt Grace enters the room.

Belinda looks up at Aunt Grace.

Belinda: How’d it go?

Aunt Grace: They’re wrong.

Belinda turns to Liza.

Belinda: Liza, I need to speak with my aunt.

Liza: Of course.

Belinda: Now put that stuff in your wallet, and use it. Good God, I sound like Planned Parenthood, don’t I?

Aunt Grace: I cannot believe what I’m hearing come out of your mouth, Lindy Keefer.

Liza puts the photo and the dollar in her pocket and puts Belinda’s wallet back in her purse. She puts the purse back in the drawer and shuts the drawer.

Belinda: Liza? Would you...? Would you come back here tomorrow and let me know what happened in court?

Liza is silent.

Belinda: Please.

Liza: Yes.

Belinda: Thank you. I’ll see you then.

Liza gets up and goes to the door.

Belinda: Good night, Liza.

Liza: Night. I...

Belinda: Me too.

Liza leaves.


******


Tad and Dixie’s house. Tad and Dixie’s bedroom.

Tad and Dixie are lying in bed.

Dixie: What’s that supposed to mean?

Tad: I don’t know. I think it means that he’ll keep quiet about it. But he’s really upset, Dixie. I don’t know if he’ll ever trust Junior with Colby again, and I don’t know if he’ll trust you not to keep a secret from him.

Dixie: What does that mean for Colby?

Tad: What do you mean?

Dixie: You know what I mean. A ten year-old is a lot easier to reason with than a three year-old. What does Colby have to look forward to?

Tad: That’s not fair. Jake is doing everything he can to be a great father. And I think he’s doing well, under the circumstances.

Dixie rolls over and turns away from Tad.

Tad: What?

Dixie: Never mind.

Tad: No. I want to know.

Dixie turns back around to face him.

Dixie: It just seems to me that the only advice that Jake takes these days is advice that he thinks will keep Adam away from Colby.

Tad: Which is not a bad thing.

Dixie: It is if it’s all he’s thinking of.

Tad: He wants to keep his daughter safe.

Dixie: He should want to keep her happy, too.

Tad: He does.

Dixie is silent.

Tad: You know he does.

Dixie doesn’t answer.

Tarnished Armor Index
Part One Hundred and Thirty Eight
Part One Hundred and Forty