CLAIRE FISHER'S APARTMENT
Paula
brings her hand back up to
the door and raps three more times. She waits, listening for some type
of response, but hears nothing. After several seconds of consideration,
she knocks again.
Relief sweeps over her when she hears
footsteps coming towards the door. She waits, anxiety lingering inside
of her, as she listens to the door being unlocked. And the sight of
Claire,
once the door is open, relieves her even more -- even though the first
thing she really notices is how ragged Claire looks.
"Sorry," Claire says, closing her
eyes briefly. "I was just taking a nap."
"Oh." Paula hesitates a moment and
then says, "I see. I'm sorry I woke you up ... but I've really wanted to
talk to you."
Claire seems to consider turning
her away, but instead sighs. "Come on in."
Paula enters the apartment. Like
every other time she's been here since
Tim's death, the experience feels
almost surreal -- as if it's simply not possible that she can be in this
apartment that she helped her son move into, where she watched him build
a family ...
She feels herself being swept up
all over again and she shakes her head, as if to shake off the sensation.
She focuses on Claire, trying to figure out exactly what it is that's making
the younger woman appear so worn-down lately.
"Claire," she says softly, "I'm concerned
about you."
Claire raises a palm. "Don't be."
"Why not? Because you want to pretend
that you can do this all by yourself? This isn't healthy, Claire. You've
been through -- goodness, you've been through a horribly traumatic experience."
"Yes, I have. And I'm trying to move
past that."
"You're not ready to move past it!"
Paula says, raising her voice slightly but doing everything she can not
to seem as though she's attacking Claire. "You lost your husband. I can
see that you're still trying to figure out how to live your life without
him. You're lost -- I can see it in your eyes."
"I am lost," Claire replies. "But
we all are, right? You and
Bill lost a son.
Molly,
Sarah, and
Jason lost
a brother. Travis
and Samantha lost their father.
Everything's up in the
air for all of us. And it'll take time before we figure out how to get
past our grief."
"Of course. You're right. But you've
been so distant lately. You don't come over to visit anymore. We haven't
had a real conversation in weeks, maybe even months. It's as though you're
not even a part of this family anymore."
"I'm not! I was your daughter-in-law.
Now that Tim's gone--"
"You are still a part of our
family," Paula says, placing a hand on Claire's shoulder. "You're the mother
of our grandchild. And we love you. Family isn't about a certificate."
She sees Claire soften before her
eyes, but there is some kind of internal struggle going on inside of her.
And before either side can win out, there comes another set of knocks on
the door.
"Hold that thought," Claire says,
moving to the door. She pulls it open quickly -- and gasps.
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