Losing Mrs. Zabini
Ron heard the news before anyone else did. He was at the house when it happened, when Mrs. Zabini dropped dead in the kitchen. She had had a heart attack and Ron tried to save her life with CPR but he finally called 911. He called all the Zabini sisters to tell them but when it came time to dial Blaise, his hand faltered over the last number.
He sighed and dialed the last number before pressing the phone to his ear. The phone rang and rang and rang. And so he decided to call Blaise's law office, which his mom had written down on a piece of paper on the fridge labeled 'big shot lawyer' with a smiley face next to it. She'd been so proud of Blaise to be a lawyer. He dialed the number and sat back down on the chair, sitting there in pain.
"Hello, this is Blaise Zabini's office, Carol speaking." This made Ron sigh.
"Hi I'm looking to speak to Blaise. I'm a family friend. I have to talk to him."
"Okay let me connect you." She was gone and after a few minutes, Blaise's voice came through.
"Hello?"
"Blaise..." Ron teared up again, realizing he'd have to tell Blaise his mother, the only parent he ever had, was gone. "Blaise its me."
"Hello Ronald how can I help you?"
"Blaise its your mom...." He burst into tears. "She's gone Blaise. This morning I was helping her make breakfast and she just...dropped."
"Stop messing around, what's actually going on?"
"You don't get it I mean it, she's dead. Call your sisters if you don't believe me. I just wanted to tell you." He sighed. "They're all coming home so please come home too."
"Ron this isn't funny. I have a meeting in five minutes I will call you back later so we can talk." Blaise's words hurt.
"Fine. Goodbye." He hung up and went to the kitchen where he found the still unfinished breakfast from an hour and a half ago. He decided to start cleaning up and when he was done with the cleaning up, the first Zabini sister burst in. Briana was crying and looked at Ron, who she ran to hug. After Briana pulled away, she introduced Ron to her husband and their two year old son.
"This is David and our son Reese." She feigned a smile. "How did she...how?"
"Heart attack I think. She just stopped and hit the ground and I tried to revive her I promise I think I broke one of her ribs trying to do it. I'm so sorry."
"No no if you weren't here and hadn't stayed, she wouldn't have been found. We weren't supposed to come visit till next weekend." She smiled softly. "Did you call the others?"
"Brynn will be here tomorrow, Brittany has to work the next two days but she's coming, Brielle is on a plane right now, she was coming to surprise her. She couldn't answer the phone so she has no clue. And Blaise...he didn't think I was telling the truth."
She hugged him again and smiled softly. "I'll call him and tell him. Will you show David my childhood bedroom I need a minute." Ron nodded and took David up to Briana's bedroom. "here you go." David thanked him and Ron went downstairs. He found Briana outside on the phone.
"Yes Blaise it's fucking true you dumbass!" She screamed into the phone. "Mom is fucking dead and you can't even care enough to talk to Ron for five fucking minutes!"
Ron went to the front door and opened it up to let the air in. He headed to the room that he'd made his and sat down on the bed. He stared at his shaking hands. He'd been having anxiety about this day and it was here.
"Are you sure I can move in, Mrs. Zabini? I don't wanna put you out." Ron spoke as he put one more box on the bed.
"Ron, you have been in my life since before you were born. And I think it would be nice to have you here with me. You loved helping me as a kid so you can help me now. As long as you help me around the farm and the house, you can live here. Who knows, I might give it to you in my will." She rubbed Ron's cheek and smiled at him. "Supper is at 6 every night and there will be no parties, no drinking, no drugs, and no foolishness. Got it?" Ron nodded.
"Thank you ma'am." He started to unpack his things. He was gonna live here for a while and he would be happy.
It'd been six months since he started living here and he'd written Blaise every two weeks but got no response back. Here he was in the Zabini backyard tending to the vegetables in the garden when he heard the phone ring. He headed inside and picked up the phone. Mrs. Zabini was in the kitchen making dinner so she didn't think she could answer the phone.
He picked it up. "hello?" He spoke softly.
"Hi Ron." The voice made Ron's heart jump.
"Blaise. Hi. Your mom is making dinner, are you getting my letters?"
"I am, I just don't have to write anymore. I wanted to call to talk to you and my mom for a little bit is that okay?" Blaise sounded like a northerner.
"Okay. How's school?"
"It's good. I'm a serious scholar now I have three ties and a new accent. And I got an apprenticeship at a law firm. I'm very excited. How are you?"
"I'm good. Living here now um...you know your mom was sick a while ago. I tried to call and I wrote."
"I was so busy I had finals and I was working so hard. I'm about to start a new semester. I don't think I can come home for break. I'm so sorry."
"Okay. Let me talk to your mom and see if she wants to talk to you right now." He put a hand over the phone. "Mrs. Z, do you wanna talk to Blaise?"
"My baby!" You could hear the commotion in the kitchen and she came rushing out drying off her hands. "Gimme the phone." She took the phone from him and sat down in the chair before answering. "Blaise?" Ron stepped back outside to give her privacy.
Mrs. Zabini was so sick for some reason, fever and a cold. Ron was taking care of her for the past few days. "Mrs. Z, you need to eat."
"If I eat I will throw up. We already know this. We tried yesterday."
"It's chicken soup. Your recipe. I made it. Please try it?"
She sighed and moved to sit up. "Did you go into town today?"
"The roads are icy right now, we should be good to go into town in a couple days if the ice melts as it should. Now please eat." He lifted the spoon to her mouth.
"I'm not decrepit I can feed myself. I fed and raised 6 children, you being one of them cause your mama was downright evil woman and dumped you here because she didn't love you. You remember it." Ron nodded at the depressing memory.
"Yes ma'am. Enjoy your soup. I am gonna head to the kitchen and do the dishes. You need me, you ring your bell."
"Yes yes ring the bell like an animal." She joked, smiling at Ron before he went to the kitchen.
Ron sat on the couch and looked at the driveway, waiting in silence as the others started to show up. Briana walked in from the phone call and shook her head. "He's not coming till Friday. He's 'busy'. Fucking asshole." She grabbed onto a chair, stumbling a bit. Ron got up but she held out a hand to tell him she was fine.
"Well he's prioritizing his money." Ron shrugged. "He was focused on that the whole time he was here. Getting money to afford school."
After almost 6 hours, Ron still hadn't moved. He didn't want to leave the chair in case someone else came home. He was hungry but he didn't eat the dinner that Briana made because they ate at the dinner table and Ron was staying in his chair. His chair, the chair he and Mrs. Zabini took turns sitting in on good days.
He looked at the empty chair next to his. Mrs. Zabini said that was her husband's chair. She rarely talked about him but when she did, it was good.
"He loved that chair, always sitting in it to read his Bible after church."
"You know he always checked the mail first to see if any letters from his family came in."
"Leofranc, that was his name. He had the heart of a good man and the kindness of a sweet stranger."
"I used to complain about how hard it could be to stand for a long time in the kitchen. It's why I have that stool. He made it." She would gesture to a slightly lopsided stool painted a very pretty lilac.
Ron's gaze went to that stool that now sat in the dining room. She'd never sit on that stool again, never sit in this chair again, never call for Ron from the garden. Ever. Again.
He teared up and felt so sad by the loss of the only mother he'd ever known.