Shopping Spree

After I leave the hospital, I head directly to the nearest department store and buy several bags of clothes for David. Mostly basics, like underwear, a package of socks, and some t-shirts, but I also toss in a few pairs of jeans, a pair of khaki cargo shorts, a reversible belt, and two Nike sweatshirts.

There's no question in my mind that this is the right thing to do, but I don't want to get him upset right now, so instead of heading back to the hospital, I decide to drop the clothes off at the restaurant where Lynda works.

Carrying the bags into the lobby, I ask the hostess to page Lynda. When Lynda hears I'm waiting for her, she instructs the hostess to send me down to the basement office.

I descend the stairs and Lynda calls out, "Just follow the sound of my voice, sweetie!"

I enter the office and she is sitting behind one of the desks in the back, reviewing a long list of register tape while she pecks away at an adding machine. Her glasses are perched on the tip of her nose and she looks over the frames at me as I approach her.

"He can't go back to that house," she says quietly.

I drop the bags at her feet. "I know. He knows, too."

"What's this?" she asks, motioning to the bags.

"Well, when I saw him tonight, I asked him if there's anything irreplaceable to him at Christine's house. He told me there wasn't, other than a few bags of his clothes. So these are for him. I had to guess his sizes and his taste..it's been a long time since I've bought him clothes...but I got gift receipts for everything, and they're in there, too, if he doesn't like what I got or if something doesn't fit him. So now he doesn't have to go back to her house at all."

Lynda closes her eyes and just nods.

"You take care of yourself, okay?" I tell her. "I gotta get home."

"Thank you, sweetie," she says.