It was my turn to ask, “What are you doing here?”
“Sit.”
“Grandma, you’re scaring me. Is everything okay?”
She didn’t reply, so I sat.
“It’s Jack,” she said, her eyes fixed on me.
I dropped my head. I didn’t think he would have the nerve to reach out to Grandma. “What does he want now? More money, my blood, my soul?”
Grandma reached out across the table to grab my hands and shook her head. “Sweetheart, Jack died a couple of nights ago.”
I sat back, blinking. “What?”
“His mother called, said he was drunk, crossed the wrong lane in the highway.”
I recovered my hands and crossed them over my chest. “Oh, my gosh.”
“She said—” Grandma sighed, as if unsure of what to say next, “She said that before he died, Jack called her—”
“And?”
“And he told her that he was coming here, to get you back.”
I took a deep breath and leaned my head against the chair. He was coming for me. What if he had found me? “Well, I’m glad he couldn’t make it.”
“Don’t say that, sweetheart. I know he wasn’t a good husband, but he was still your husband.”
I gave her a tired look. Maybe it was time she knew, so I leaned forward. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
But before I could say anything, I found myself on the floor. The chair was moved from under me, or maybe I slipped. Either way, my butt hit the vinyl flooring and even though it didn’t hurt much, it let me speechless.
“Oh, dear.” Grandma Lita stretched her hand out, but I dismissed it, getting up.
“It’s okay. I’m fine, seriously.” Then I looked at the chair and back to Grandma Lita. “Did you see what happened?”
She shook her head. “I just saw you, falling.”
“Huh.”
“What were you saying?”
I paused, trying to remember. “I think I just wanted to tell you—”
The chair hit the back of my legs, making me tumble.
“Suzy, Mija. Are you okay?”
“Did you see that?”
“See what?”
“The chair! The chair moved, it hit me.”
Grandma Lita poked her head, looking behind me, one hand against her chest, a frown covering her forehead. “Sorry, Mija, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“The chair, Grandma Lita! It has been moving for the last two nights.”
Her black eyes opened wide. “Are you saying that the chair moved? By itself?”
“Yes...or someone moved it.”
“Are you saying Jack—?” Grandma Lita did the sign of the cross once over her head and once over her chest, repeating, “Ave María Purísima.” Then she added, “Voy a rezar un Padre Nuestro para que se vaya su espíritu.”
“His spirit is not going to leave just because you pray, Grandma Lita.” I said, truly hoping I was wrong.
We ate dinner in silence. Grandma Lita kept holding her chair, as if expecting it to pull from under her at any second. She also kept looking around, as if Jack’s ghost could manifest in front of her eyes.
