Victoria is dressed in a billowy flower-printed dress that I found in her closet. Something tight is out of the question because of her feeding tube and it would not have been flattering with the way she often slumps in the chair. I have a feeling the dress used to be more snug on her, but now it hangs loose on her bony frame.
I also spent some time on her hair. I combed it out and put in the oil treatment again, and it looks lush and shiny. I thought about trying to tie it back, but I think it’s most flattering when it’s loose.
Now I’m working on her makeup. I put a layer of pink lipstick on her crooked lips, and now I’m doing my best to cover the scar on her left cheek. I don’t think there’s anything I could do to conceal it entirely, but it looks a lot better than when I started.
Victoria is allowing me to put on the makeup, but she looks utterly unenthusiastic. I can’t entirely blame her. As much as I chatter about how much fun this will be, I’m not looking forward to it either.
Part of me wants to duck out and leave Victoria and Adam to have Thanksgiving alone as a married couple. But the more I read of her diary, I feel like that is not what Victoria wants. She doesn’t want to be alone with him. And I don’t want her to be alone with him either.
“There.” I dab on the last of the concealer—I’ve used half the container and the scar is still very visible. “All done.”
Victoria just stares at me.
“You look beautiful.” I grab the mirror I found in the bathroom and hold it up to her face. “Take a look.”
Victoria glances briefly at the mirror, then turns away. She never seems very happy when I show her a mirror. She either looks away or frowns at herself. Sometimes she touches the scar. I wish Adam had shelled out for her to get plastic surgery. I know he thinks she doesn’t notice, but he’s wrong.
“I just…” I chew on my lip. “I want you to know that I’m not going to… I mean, Adam is your husband, not mine. I’m going to tell him tonight that I’m not going to…”
For the first time since I came in here, Victoria’s eyes show a spark of interest.
“It’s not right,” I say. “It was a mistake and I’m sorry. I’ll tell him tonight.”
“Be…” She’s focusing so hard on what she wants to say that some drool comes out of the right side of her mouth, smearing her lipstick. “Be… care…”
For once, I know exactly what she’s trying to say. Be careful.
I leave Victoria to find some nail polish in the bathroom. That’s the last thing I need to complete her look for the evening. I want Victoria to look really beautiful tonight. Like her old self, as much as possible. It’s important to me.
Maggie must have moved the nail polish when she was cleaning. I look in the usual place in the closet within the bathroom, but it’s not there anymore. I search through the other shelves, trying to find the bag of multicolor nail polish tubes. I find more makeup, but not polish. But one thing I do find surprises me.
It’s a black bag of medications.
I never was sure where Adam kept Victoria’s medications. He always just seems to have them ready to administer. I pick up a bottle from the black plastic bag and see the date of the most recent refill. It was less than a month ago. These aren’t old medications. These are the ones he’s giving her right now.
I read the name of the medication off the bottle: Quetiapine.
Adam said that Victoria was only on medications to keep her from having seizures. On a whim, I take out my phone from my jeans pocket and type the name of the medication into the search box. The Wikipedia page for “quetiapine” pops up and I click on it.
Quetiapine is not a medication to prevent seizures. According to the Wikipedia page, it’s an antipsychotic used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It’s also used for sleep due to its highly sedating effect.
Well, that explains why Victoria is so tired after she gets her medications.
There are more bottles inside. I recognize the name of the medication on the next bottle. Valium. It’s what my mother used to sometimes take
when she was feeling anxious. After she took it, she would often be very groggy and go straight to bed.
Why is Adam giving Victoria a bunch of medications that knock her
out?
I hear footsteps outside and quickly shove the black bag back into the
bathroom closet. A second after I get them in there, Adam appears at the bathroom door. He’s wearing a green button-down shirt that brings out the color of his eyes and makes him look achingly handsome. “Is Victoria almost ready? The turkey is just about to come out of the oven.”
I straighten up and nod. “I was going to paint her nails, but maybe I’ll hold off. I don’t want her fingers to smell like nail polish during the meal.”
“That’s fine.” He adjusts his shirt collar. “But don’t forget to clip her nails. I don’t want to get scratched when I’m doing her medications.”
I pick up the nail clipper from the shelf near the sink and hold it up. “Yep. No problem.”
“Amazing. You’re the best, Sylvia.”
As soon as he leaves the room, I slide the nail clipper back onto the shelf.
