The House on Old Magnolia

“I’ll never be able to repay you for the memories you left me with…”

The air smelled like a mixture of musty clothes and fermented piss.

“Did you know I have thirty-seven cats?” Mrs. Helen asked, walking me through the remnants of what was once an immaculate home.

“I knew you had a few,” I hesitantly replied, trying to hold my breath just long enough to make it to the back porch.

“Yep! Thirty-seven cats, seventeen chickens, two roosters, five ducks, and a baby pig. Oh! And Coco! That’s my dog. Do you remember Coco?”

“How could I forget Mrs. Helen? He’s only bitten me a half dozen times already.”

“Oh, hush! Really? I don’t think Coco’s ever bitten anyone before. At least, not that I know of.”

“He bit me the first day I brought him up to the house.”

“You didn’t bring him to me,” she quickly corrected. “Jared did. He found him hiding under the tractor out in the old barn when he was just a puppy.”

“You sure about that?” I asked, ushering her out the back door.

“Of course, I’m sure! I was there, you bozo!”

Snickering to myself, I held her hand as she hobbled down the porch steps and over to the rickety, wicker chair she liked to sit in. For a split second, I could remember when she was the one who used to hold my hand going down those steps; telling me to stay inside the backyard and to watch out for snakes around the old well house. Now here I was trying to make sure she didn’t fall off the porch and break her hip again.

Taking a seat beside her, I let out a haggard breath as a horde of half-feral cats darted between my legs.

“Did you know I have thirty-seven cats now?” she asked again, scanning the backyard like she was looking at it for the first time.

“I remember you telling me that, yes.”

“That one right there is named Mittsey. He’s almost fifteen years old. That’s pretty old for a cat.”

“I remember Mittsey. He used to come paw at my door every morning trying to get inside my room.”

“Aww! Did he now? I didn’t know he ever did that.”

“Yep. Every morning. Him and Oscar both.”

“Oscar? Who’s Oscar?”

“The old, fat tabby cat you used to have. The one I used to feed honey buns too.”

“You mean Ralph! Ralph was the one you always fed honey buns to. Not Oscar. I don’t think I’ve ever had a cat named Oscar. Actually, I know I haven’t.”

“Ahh. Maybe you’re right,” I shrugged.

“Well, I know I’m right, you knucklehead! A lady’s always right. Haven’t I taught you anything?”

Smiling, I just shook my head.

“You taught me enough,” I said with a sigh. “You taught me enough…”

Reaching down, she picked up some random kitten playing near her feet before cocking her head to the side and shooting me a concerned glare.

“Now, do you have to go back overseas again?”

“I shouldn’t have to. Why?”

“Well, I heard they’re still looking for that Osama guy. Said he was hiding out in a cave somewhere with a bunch of missiles, and guns, and rockets and stuff. I didn’t know if you had to go back out there again or not.”

“I’m pretty sure they found him a while back, Mrs. Helen. They caught him hiding in a house and killed him.”

“Did they?! Well, I didn’t know about that. I thought they were still looking for him. Least, that’s what Jared told me when he was here the other day. I’ll have to ask him next time he comes over.”

“Alright, Mrs. Helen. But yeah, I shouldn’t have to deploy again any time soon.”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she just stared out into the backyard like she was looking at it for the first time in her life.

“You know, Tonya and Lainey should be stopping by here any minute,” I said, trying to break the silence. “I know you haven’t seen her in a while. I thought it would be nice for them to swing by and say hello.”

“Lainey? Who’s Lainey?”

“Lainey’s my daughter, Mrs. Helen. She was born about a year ago. Do you remember?”

“Well, no! I had no idea you and Tonya had another kid! When were you planning on telling me about it?!”

Trying to keep my composure, I bit my tongue and nodded along.

“I thought you already knew, Mrs. Helen. I’m sorry.”

“Nope! I didn’t know anything about it. I knew you had your son, but I didn’t know you had a daughter. What’s her name again?”

“Lainey, Mrs. Helen… Her name is Lainey. The same as your sister.”

“Well, I’ll be. That’s a pretty name. How old is she?”

“She just turned a year old.”

“Lord have mercy! Isn’t that something. You know, Jared and his wife just had a baby not too long ago. Not sure what he ended up naming her, but I know he had a little girl. Looks just like him!”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “You’ve told me before.” About that time, I heard a car pull into the driveway. “I think that’s her. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay, take your time. I’ll be here.”

“Well, I’d hope so,” I joked, unsure if I actually believed her or not.

Walking over to the door, I took a deep breath before opening it up and making my way back through the maze of cat infested hallways. Reaching the front patio, I managed to catch Tonya right before she had a chance to step inside.

“Hey, you probably want to walk around back instead of coming through here.”

“Is it that bad?” she asked, scooping Lainey up into her arms.

“Yeah… It’s pretty bad.”

Huffing, she just shook her head.

“I’m sorry, love.”

“It’s fine. At this point, it just is what it is.”

“I know. I just feel bad for you. Does she still think your name is Jared?”

“No, but she does think Jared’s some guy who comes over to visit her every now and then.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I guess she thinks me and him grew up together or something. I’m not too sure. Either way, I know you can’t stay long, dear. I just thought it would be nice for her to see Lainey before you headed back to the house.”

“Well of course, love. I know how much it means to you. I even left the car running so the groceries don’t get too hot.”

“Thanks, dear.”

“Anytime,” she said, kissing me on the cheek. Gently pinching the little fat rolls of Lainey’s arm, she whispered playfully into her ear. “Now, let’s go say hi to your great grandma!”

Walking around the house, we cut a wide path around the back corner, avoiding the massive piles of kitty litter Mrs. Helen just dumped outside the windows. Reaching the back porch, I was more than a little relieved when we found her still sitting in her chair, staring aimlessly out into the backyard.

“Well, I’ll be!” she said with a smile. “I had no idea you were coming over today, Tonya!”

“Hey there,” Tonya waved back. “Alex told me he was stopping by after work, and we thought you might want to see Lainey for a little bit.”

“Well, of course I want to see her! Bring her over here.” Shooing some of the cats away, she cleared off another seat so Tonya could sit down. “Now dear, you look like you’ve lost some weight. Have you been eating good?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Tonya snickered. “I started a new diet about two months ago. I’ve lost almost fifteen pounds.”

“Really now? Well, I’m sure running around after little ma’am right here has probably helped out a lot too! How old is she again?”

“She’s one, Mrs. Helen. She just had her first birthday last week.”

“Oh! That’s such a good age. I remember when Jared was that young. He used to chase the cats around the house in his diaper, dragging that old sippy cup behind him.”

“Really now?” Tonya replied, shooting me a soft smile. “How’s he been?”

“Oh, he’s been good, I guess. He’s supposed to be coming out here sometime soon to help me tear down that old barn.”

“I thought Alex was going to do that for you? Remember, he came over and took a look at it about a month ago.”

Mrs. Helen didn’t answer. Instead, she just stared down at my daughter like she was looking at her for the first time in her entire life.

For the next ten or fifteen minutes, we didn’t really talk about much else, and what we did say was about as surface level as a conversation could get. How Helen was getting along living by herself. How the gutters needed cleaning again. How she had thirty-seven cats, seventeen chickens, two roosters, five ducks, a baby pig, and a dog that I pulled out of the barn about ten years ago – the usual.

“Well, Mrs. Helen,” Tonya said, picking Lainey up out of her lap. “I hate to run, but I really need to get these groceries home before anything spoils.”

“Oh, it’s fine dear! I understand. I’m just glad you decided to come by.”

“Alright. Well, we’ll try to see you again here in about a week or so.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Helen said with a smile. “And you take care of that baby, you hear?”

“Oh, I will!” Holding Lainey by the hand, Tonya waved it for her like she was waving bye. “Say, ‘bye-bye, Mrs. Helen!’”

“Bye-bye, Jared!” she waved back.

And just like that, we were alone again.

For the better part of a minute or two, I didn’t say anything. Instead, I just stared out into the backyard like I was looking at it for the first time in my whole life. That place, that old porch, that shithole of a house I used to call my home – it was all slowly falling apart; morphing into something that not even I could recognize anymore. A memory that, for some reason or another, I was struggling to keep alive. And just as I was beginning to think that maybe I should finally let it all go, Mrs. Helen reached over and took me by the hand.

“Alex,” she said with the surest of smiles, “You did a pretty good job, son.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. I’ve been around for a long time. Lived longer than most people ever dream of. Took care of myself for almost thirty years. Raised you since you were just a baby. And I know as time goes on, things might get a little fuzzy for me sometimes. But I want you to know something, Alex. No matter what happens to me, you will always be mine, and I will always be proud of you.”

Speechless, I stared into her eyes like I was looking into them for the first time in ages. Like they were windows into heaven itself, and this woman, this beautiful, crazy, old woman, was its holy gatekeeper.

For a split second, I saw my grandmother again.

And for a split second, I felt like she saw me too.

Turning back to the yard, she leaned back in her seat and hummed.

“You know, Jared, I’ve got thirty-seven cats now. Can you believe that?”

Wiping the tears from my eyes, I nodded my head.

“Yeah… Yeah, I think you told me that once.”