Left Neglected

Sarah enters the house, reminded of how she felt when she returned home after Charlie was born. The house feels different, though she is the one who is different.

There are changes: Orange tape covers the left side of surfaces, and there’s now a handrail. The rugs are gone, so she will not trip. Sarah is surprised by how tidy the house is, without kid stuff strewn everywhere. Bob says Helen keeps the place neat.

Bob lowers Sarah to the couch and she notices the giant Christmas tree, disturbed that she did not see it when she entered the living room. She sees that the doors to the sunroom remain closed, and thinks about how she always dreamed about having spare time to relax leisurely there. She realizes that now she will have time.

Lucy runs down the stairs calling “Mommy!” and Helen follows holding Linus. Lucy joyfully leaps into Sarah’s lap.

Bob asks how Sarah likes the Christmas tree. She says she loves it, commenting that she expected them to put a tree in the sunroom to protect it from Linus. Sarah learns that there is no room, because Helen is sleeping in the sunroom. Sarah feels outraged that her mother has stolen her retreat.

Sarah cuddles Linus and calms herself. Looking around the house and at her children, she feels joyful to be home.

Bob tells Sarah that Charlie has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Sarah cries, but Bob says that since Charlie started taking Concerta, Ms. Gavin has noticed an improvement in his school behavior.

The family adjusts Charlie’s diet and posts Charlie’s Rules for behavior at home. If he follows the rules without infraction, Charlie earns television time.

Sarah works on her therapy “homework” along with Charlie and his homework, to encourage his participation. He thinks her homework is easy compared to his, but Sarah’s struggles help him understand that, to her, the exercises are difficult despite her perseverance. 

Sarah used to come into Charlie’s homework time after he had already been at it for hours and was exhausted. Now she sees how much he fidgets as he works, so she suggests that he stand while working. This helps, and Charlie rushes through his assignment, eager to play video games. Sarah realizes that he cannot concentrate on each question, so she has him cut the page to separate the questions. Charlie succeeds in answering them in record time. Sarah feels like a Super Mom.

Bob and Sarah go out for their anniversary. Sarah is thrilled to be going to their favorite restaurant for a grown-up dinner. They must park four blocks away and Sarah feels embarrassed to walk so slowly, with Bob’s help and her cane.

Bob gives Sarah an anniversary present of a charm bracelet, which he puts on her left wrist. He says that the jingling charms will help her find her left hand.

Bob gets an urgent work text and must reply. Sarah sees how weary he looks. Sarah thinks of how, previously, she’d be acting like Bob, but now she feels lonely and isolated.

The waiter takes their order and Bob gets off his phone. He tells Sarah that a new round of layoffs is coming. Sarah thinks it would not be bad for Bob to get severance and a new job, but he is determined to hang on with his company.

Sarah’s meal arrives and she realizes that she cannot cut her own meat. Bob cuts it for her. Sarah regrets having had a glass of wine, because she needs to use the restroom. Bob helps her to the ladies’ room door and Sarah works her way into a stall. She ends up stuck on the toilet and yells for Bob, who must come in to help her up. A woman hurries out as Sarah stands with her underwear around her ankles. Bob and Sarah laugh uproariously.

The family is in Cortland, Vermont. Bob tries to convince Sarah to try skiing, but she is not ready. She is afraid of injuring herself. Helen concurs. Bob gives up and takes Lucy and Charlie out to ski.

Sarah asks Helen to go to the village and get her coffee. Sarah enjoys the quiet and reads her newspaper, the same Sunday paper she has been reading for five days. She can now read every word on the page, using bookmarks to keep from getting lost.

Sarah goes to the refrigerator and realizes how hard it is for her to try and pull the handle open without anything else to hold onto. She sees a bag of coffee beans inside that Bob thought they had forgotten. Using her head to knock all other objects out of the way, Sarah grabs the bag with her teeth. Trying to back out of the refrigerator, she falls backwards and spills the beans.

Sarah cries, frustrated that she cannot do a simple thing like getting something out of the refrigerator. Linus wakes up and begins crying also. Sarah cries harder because she cannot rise and pick up her baby.

Helen returns and helps Sarah up. The coffee shop in the village closed, so Helen had to get coffee from the gas station. Sarah takes a terrible sip and whimpers that she wants to be able to get her own coffee, that she does not want to be helpless. Helen replies that she is not helpless but just needs help.

Sarah asks her mother why she wants to help her now. Helen says that she wants to be in Sarah’s life again, that she is sorry she was not a mother to her before. She asks for forgiveness. Sarah’s subconscious rejects this, but she tells it to hush.