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~ Montreal, Canada ~

Saturday, 10:02 AM

Steve parked the car in the driveway of a single-story house before helping Bridgette out.

The two of them came to visit Sylvie. They plan to spend few hours here (at most), then have lunch in a restaurant downtown Montreal, before heading to Ottawa to visit Damien and his family. They plan to spend the rest of the weekend with Damien and head back to Los Angeles on Sunday evening.

Bridgette thought of inviting Damien, Smita and their boys to Los Angeles to announce her engagement and Sophia's pregnancy, but because Sophia said that she would like to wait until the possibility of a miscarriage drops, Bridgette decided to go to Canada and share her part of the news: she is engaged!

On the way there, Bridgette told Steve more than once that if he is uncomfortable in any way, just to let her know and they are out of there.

"We are coming here out of courtesy and because I want to see my mom. I don't need more than five seconds to see her, and if she is not polite to us, there is no need to be polite either. OK?"

Steve smiled. "Yes. No need to remind me."

"But there IS a need!", Bridgette persisted. "You don't understand… I am used to my mom's crazy behavior, but for you it might be too much."

"How crazy are we talking about?", Steve asked reluctantly. He sees that Bridgette is talking smack about her mother, but that is her mother and he should be careful not to offend that woman no matter what Bridgette says.

Bridgette shrugged. "It really depends on a day. Sometimes my mom is a pleasant and smiling woman, and sometimes you feel like going to China and it will not be far enough. But most of the time is anywhere in-between."

Steve was not sure how to respond to this. He heard stories about Sylvie, and he had a chance to see the woman at Felix's and Sophia's wedding but he told himself to keep an open mind. Steve can see that Bridgette is trying to make it work so he will do his best not to be an additional problem in this situation.

Bridgette is always trying to make everyone get along, even if she is the one suffering in the process. He remembers how she went out of her way to reconnect with her father, and to bring him in touch with Felix… and that worked out great. But sometimes, the other side is not willing to play nice.

Steve likes this quality of hers: she is selfless and wishes for a world where people get along well.

Steve reminded himself that he will not allow anyone to bully Bridgette, his fiancée. Even if that other person is her mother.

Back to present…

Bridgette stepped out of the car while holding in her hand a large sparkly red gift bag which has presents they prepared for Sylvie.

She smiled as sun caressed her cheeks and took in a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air in the suburbs. It's a wonderful sunny day.

Bridgette frowned at the sight of a small front yard which is overgrown in grass, chickweed and dandelions. The weeds are in the flower beds as well. Bridgette knows that Sylvie always took pride of her yard and she spent hours every week taking care of those flower beds which brimmed with colorful blooms and this... is an outcome after months of neglect.

Bridgette rang the doorbell and a woman in her mid-fifties opened.

"You must be Bridgette.", the woman greeted.

"And you must be Camille…", Bridgette responded. She knows that her mother has a caretaker who is with her since she got out of the hospital (due to the mysterious injuries to her muscles).

"This is Steve, my fiancé.", Bridgette introduced Steve with a big grin.

The woman smiled in greeting and gestured inside: "Please, come in. Madam Sylvie will join us in a minute."

As soon as she stepped inside, Bridgette scrunched her nose at the stale air in the house. She could not hold back the question: "Why don't you open a window for some fresh air?"

"Madam does not approve. She says that the dust will get in."

Bridgette glanced around and she saw that the house is not messy, everything is in its place, which is a stark contrast from the unkempt front yard. Bridgette didn't recognize the furniture or the rest of the décor. She was not here for about a year, but a complete remodel surprised her. How much she remembers, the things that were in this space previously were in a good condition.

"Did you buy new furniture?", Bridgette asked.

Camille's eyes shifted. "Madam likes to redecorate occasionally. It is therapeutic."

Bridgette nodded in understanding. She likes to go shopping and it makes her feel good also. But no matter how clean and neat the room is, Bridgette found the stale air unbearable.

She wanted to open a window or two (probably all of them), but she held back. After all, this is her mother's house and she came for a visit. If her mother is fine with this, she should not meddle.

Bridgette reminded herself that if she meddles, she is no different than her overcontrolling mother. However, they can't stay here either. The smell was so bad that she was ashamed to meet Steve's eyes.

"Can we go on the back porch?", Bridgette asked Camille.

"Sure."

The back porch has a furniture set made out of metal which shows signs that it was not used in a long time.

Camille walked out of the house with a large cloth in her hand and wiped off the dust and dirt from the chairs before moving to clean up the table.

After she finished cleanup, Camille went back inside. "I will start the tea. Or would you rather have coffee?"

"Tea is fine.", Bridgette responded for both Steve and her.

Bridgette observed that the expansive backyard looks similar to the front yard: overgrown in weeds. There should be a wooden dock between willow trees at the back, but it's hidden by the tall grass, and the lake is only barely visible behind the weeds.

Bridgette sighed. She was here more than once, when Felix bought this house for Sylvie, and Bridgette remembers that this is a great place to sit and enjoy the view. It's a pity that her mother neglected it.

Bridgette was not prepared for the sight of her mother walking out with shaky steps while supporting herself with a cane. Last time she saw Sylvie she was lying in the hospital bed, and before that, the woman was always standing proudly and moving with sharp (and almost intimidating) movements. Who is this weak, shriveled woman? Is it possible that she aged more than ten years? Bridgette reminded herself that she saw her mother less than a year ago.

The only thing that resembled that old Sylvie from Bridgette's memories is the impeccable outfit, which looks expensive even though it hangs on her because she lost weight.

Felix and Bridgette are not visiting Sylvie and Felix is not speaking to her, but they are sending her money regularly.

Thinking about all the money they are sending, Bridgette wondered, why is her mother not hiring someone to take care of all this weed which is surrounding the house?

Felix is the one who insisted on a caretaker for Sylvie, and he is the one who pays Camille for her services. Felix said that he can't forgive Sylvie's behavior, but he will sleep better knowing that his mother is not alone. Camille is providing them with regular updates on how Sylvie is doing, so other than knowing that Sylvie is not alone, it is a way of keeping tabs on her and monitoring her movements (just in case she gets some crazy ideas).

Back to present…

Bridgette is observing her mother and noticed that Sylvie has some makeup on, but it is much less than what Sylvie used to apply. And Sylvie used to dye her hair in caramel-golden hues, but now grays invaded her, and it's silvery-white.

Bridgette inhaled a choppy breath. She was visibly shaken by the sight of her mother and she did her best not to show it.

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