Thoughts After Ten
Chapter 9
I woke up to a quiet house feeling disoriented. Wasn't often I was up this early. Of course, I was probably asleep before Mary Lou's kids last night. At least I'd be able to get to the bathroom before the rush. Showered, shaved, and dressed, I was ready to face the day. I didn't bother with makeup. The swelling had come down a lot, but now my face was a yellow green color. Nope, makeup wasn't going to hide that. No matter, I had packing to do.
Grandma was at the kitchen table when I went downstairs. I hadn't even heard her get up.
She waved a hand toward the coffeepot and I smiled. There are a few advantages to moving back home, especially if you don't plan to stay long. Having hot coffee waiting for you is definitely near the top of my list. I joined Grandma at the table, sipping my coffee.
"Okay Steph, now that your mom isn't around, you can give me all the details of what happened with the Slayers. The girls at the beauty parlor will want the straight scoop."
I gave her a highly edited account, stuff that was going to get out anyway. She knew I was holding out on her, but didn't push.
Mom came downstairs shortly after I'd finished, and reminded Grandma she had an appointment. Grandma checked the time, declined breakfast, and hurried up the stairs.
I stared at my mom in awe. "How did you do that?"
She shook her head a little, and sighed. "Your grandma heard about a free 'making the most of your money' type class at the local senior center, and decided that she could shop for a hottie with money there. She's convinced most of the other single or widowed ladies to go with her." She shook her head again. "I don't know what I'm going to do with the two of you."
"Mom, be happy she's got an active social life. She's not ill, or sitting around some nursing home waiting to die."
Mom grinned at me before answering, "It's not her active social life that worries me, it's her active imagination!" We both laughed as the slamming of the front door announced Grandma's departure on her 'hottie hunt'.
I could almost feel a lecture coming on, and I tried to figure out a way to avoid it and still get some breakfast. Mom must have noticed how uncomfortable I was getting.
"Oh relax, Stephanie. I'm not going to nag you about changing jobs today."
"Why not? I wouldn't think you'd want to pass up a perfect opportunity." I winced realizing how that sounded. "Sorry Mom, I didn't mean that the way it came out."
"Yes you did, and that's okay. I have gotten a little out of control on the new job thing. I just don't know what else to do. When you started bounty hunting, it was out of desperation. I hoped that by giving you other choices, you'd give up such a dangerous job. I didn't expect you would like it. I'd forgotten just how like your father you are."
I just looked at her. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Honey, your dad doesn't open up to many people. Two of the people he confides in are sitting in this room. I've known your dad a lot of years. You and your dad have a special bond, and I'm grateful for it. I'm just not included in it. You both dance to music I can't hear. I've tried, but I can't do it. Now your sister, she's like me. I know how to mother her. We bond over recipes and child rearing. She appreciates my advice because I've lived her life. But you? What do I know about your life, your choices? What kind of advice can I possibly give you? It's just that I often feel...inadequate for the task. What kind of mother does that make me? All I ever wanted was for you to be happy. If that means you are a bounty hunter, so be it. If it means you never marry again, or never have children of your own, well, I'll deal with that too. I just don't know how to be a mother to a woman who doesn't need one."
I had tears in my eyes. "Mom, I'll always need you. I don't necessarily need advice, but I'll always need your support."
Mom smiled at me. "Stephanie, I promised myself I'd try and stop nagging you to live a life you don't want. You may have to be patient with me; I'm trying to break a life-long habit. So, I'm going to give you a secret weapon. When I start nagging, three little words are almost guaranteed to stop me."
I raised my eyebrows "And those words would be?"
She leaned forward smiling. "Mom, I'm happy."
We laughed together a long time. Wow, this is the closest I've felt to my mother since, well, ever. Our laughter was just dying down when Dad came in. He took one look at the two of us and grinned.
"You girls work everything out? Good." He squeezed a hand on my shoulder on his way to kiss Mom good morning. "Where's Edna?" he asked.
Mom's eyes were sparkling as he pulled away from her. I'd never really thought of my parents as a couple, I mean, they're my parents, after all. But I was watching them now and realized that if I looked closely, I could see the love and trust between them. Dad was right. I wanted that for myself, and I wouldn't settle for less.
Mom got Dad a cup of coffee as she answered him. "She's taking a class at the senior center today."
Dad's smile got a little bigger. "Good for her. Even better for me."
I grinned at him. "You're in a good mood this morning."
"Sure, and why not? My two best girls made up, and I get to have breakfast with both of them, and without your grandma."
My mom shook her head at him, saying, "Frank, you're incorrigible!"
He laughed out loud then said, "Because that's the way you like me!"
Mom blushed, and all of us laughed. Finally Mom waved us both out of the kitchen, telling Dad to go get me a suitcase, and me to pack while she got breakfast.
I didn't have much, seeing as everything I owned was spread over four households: Mom and Dad's, Ranger's, Joe's, and Val's. Boy, was that depressing. I shook it off and just threw everything I had with me into the suitcase. I wasn't going that far, so if I discovered I'd forgotten something I couldn't live without, I'd just come back for it.
I had just finished, and was carrying my suitcase down the stairs when Val burst in the front door. "Steph! You gotta come see this!"
I shrugged and followed her out the front door. She indicated the car in front of the house and squealed, "Don't you just love it? This is the loaner from Ranger!"
I walked around it, picking my jaw up as I went. This car was the shit! It was a silver Lexus RX330, and it was gorgeous! Val was grinning, "C'mon, let's take a ride." I grinned back at her, saying, "Let me just tell Mom where we're going."
I ran back in the house, gave Mom a quick explanation, and grabbed my gunbelt. I had promised Ranger. I was back out front and into the passenger seat in about a minute. Val took off laughing. We had fun, just cruising around the Burg, playing around with all the bells and whistles. Finally, we went to my/her apartment, so I could dig through the closet and see if there was anything I needed. Good thing, or I would have forgotten my swimsuit. Val took me back to Mom and Dad's, she needed to get back to the apartment before Albert got too overwhelmed by caring for all three girls alone. I was actually surprised, he'd only called once while we were out.
I got back to the house just as my parents were leaving for church. They invited me to join them, but I used the excuse that I had too much to do for my trip. I didn't have much left to do except pack the stuff I'd gotten from Val's, but I was starving, so breakfast was the first order of business.
Fed and packed, I prowled around the empty house, bored. My phone rang, and I jumped to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Yo. Finished up earlier than I planned. Thought you'd want to leave a bit early, if you can get ready in time." Carlos' voice was low, but held the promise of a smile.
"Actually, I'm ready now."
"We'll be there in ten." He hung up, and I thought, we really have to talk about phone manners. Wait a minute, did he say we? Who's we?
Eight minutes later a truck and an SUV pulled up in front of the house. I recognized the truck as Ranger's, but it was Hector who got out of the driver's seat. Huh? Ranger got out of the SUV, smiling. He took my suitcase from me as I locked up. We got a few steps from the SUV before he asked, "Do you like it?"
Did I like it?! If the car he loaned Val was the shit, this was King Shit. It was another Lexus, a GX470. It was dark blue, with a dark grey interior. "What's not to like?"
He put my suitcase in the back, and tossed me the keys. "You drive."
I grinned at him, and got into the driver's seat. "No black?"
He smiled at me from the passenger seat. "This is dark enough that you could use it for surveillance, but I thought the blue suited you better."
I sighed. It was an awesome ride, but I hated knowing I was probably going to destroy another of his vehicles. "You know I have a bad track record with your cars. Aren't you worried I'll destroy this one?"
He shook his head, saying "This isn't mine, it's yours. I have high hopes for this one. Bulletproof glass, reinforced metal all around, motion detectors on the undercarriage, state of the art alarm." He pulled a remote out of the glove compartment and handed it to me. "Put this on your key ring."
"Am I going to need another remote lesson?" He nodded and began the lesson: how to set the alarm, how to tell if the alarm or motion detectors had been tripped. Turns out the Lexus had a GPS similar to the one in Ranger's truck, but with an added feature. "A panic button?"
"Most of the Rangeman vehicles have one Babe. If you hit this button, your position will be sent back to the Rangeman control room, as well as any vehicles with the GPS on. Let me show you."
He called the control room first, explaining that he was about to test the 'Oh shit' button times two, in front of the Plum house. He then called Hector, who was still idling in Ranger's truck behind us. He must have told him to hit the button. As soon as he did, a red dot began flashing on the screen of the GPS.
"That flashing red dot tells everyone to drop what they're doing and come running." He spoke briefly to Hector again, and the flashing light stopped. "We need to test yours. Hit the button."
I hit the button, and instead of a flashing red dot, there were about four back dots on the screen.
His ESP kicked in, and he explained. "Those black dots are any Rangeman vehicles in about a ten mile radius from where we are. They'll give you an idea of how soon to expect help." He showed me how to cancel the alarm. "If you ever hit the button by mistake, cancel it immediately, then call the control room. Whoever is on duty will let everyone else know that it was a false alarm."
"Any other upgrades I need to know about?"
He shrugged a little. "Al has tweaked the engine, exhaust, and suspension, but you shouldn't notice it. I had a bar installed on the floorboard in the back for shackles. That's about it."
"I don't even own any shackles."
"Not exactly true, Babe. I forgot to mention the gear bag in the back. Hop out and I'll show you."
Sure enough, there was a fairly large black bag in the back. In the bag were several sets of handcuffs, a flashlight, ankle shackles, a Kevlar vest, ammunition, a stun gun, and pepper spray. Also an extensive first aid kit. I just looked at him. He looked steadily back at me, saying "Never know what you might need."
I just shook my head as we got back in. "That's everything now, right?"
"One last thing." He opened up the center console and showed me a false bottom. In the hidden compartment was a gun, exactly like the one on my hip, with enough extra ammunition to take on half a dozen gangs.
I was a little overwhelmed by all this, and didn't know how to respond. So I just turned the key and headed out, Hector right behind us. Neither of us said anything for several minutes. Surprisingly, it was Ranger who broke the silence. "Not like you to be this quiet. Something on your mind?"
I glanced at him before answering, "This must have cost you a fortune."
He ran the back of his hand down my cheek. "I told you once, there's no price on what we give each other."
"Maybe, but I can't help but feel like you're doing all the giving, and all I do is take."
"No Babe, you're wrong. You have no idea how much you give me, every day."
His ESP must have rubbed off on me a little, because suddenly I knew exactly what he was going to say next. "Conversation for another day?"
"A day real soon, I promise."
