For some reason, I really enjoyed writing these two chapters. Hope you'll enjoy reading them.
Thanks again for reading and for all the great comments.
Chapter 41. SUCH A LONELY DAY AND IT'S HARD
Marty returns - 7 PM
"Where's House?" I ask as I enter Cameron's room. I expected to find the
diagnostician there. He hadn't left for two days.
"I finally convinced him to go home with Gretchen and my sister and her family,"
Cameron replies. "Were you looking for him?"
"Just needed to ask him something," I say being vague. It wasn't really something I felt comfortable asking her.
"What are you doing here so late?" she asks, realizing I'm not about to tell her more.
"I had to wait for a delivery," I explain. "So, I hear your eyes may be OK."
"News still travels fast around here." She chuckles.
"I'm glad, Cameron," I say. "Do you need anything?" I ask before leaving.
"No," she replies. "Is the baby still asleep?"
I look into the bassinet. "Like a baby," I quip. "Great looking kid."
"Thanks."
"You guys deserve a happily ever after," I tell her.
"So do you, you know," she says.
I know that now, but there've been times when I wondered whether it would ever
happen.
Nancy was still spending all her free time with Audra. I'd asked her to go to
an Orson Welles perspective with me, since they were showing one of her favorite
movies, The Third Man, but she had other 'plans'. I knew that meant she and
Audra were going out to eat or staying in at Nan's or something. I never thought
I'd be jealous of some kid, but this was really getting to me.
I drove around for a while, wallowing in self-pity I suppose, trying to think
of what to do with myself, my lonely self. I didn't want to go to see the film
alone. It just wouldn't be the same. There'd be no one to talk to about it
afterward, no one to share the experience with.
After about forty-five minutes of aimless driving, I found myself across the
street from a bar I used to frequent. Maybe a drink would help. In fact, no
maybe about it. I could taste the alcohol, feel it slide down my throat and warm
my stomach, make me forget. Just one wouldn't hurt, would it? I'd go in, sit
at the bar with the other lonely guys, and down one. Or two. Drown my sorrows.
It would be so easy, so familiar.
But I didn't budge. I'd come a long way from the days I'd spend what money I had
on booze. And I didn't want to go back. I owed it to my brother and his wife
who took a chance on me. I owned it to my nephew Tommy who looked up to me.
Mostly, I guess, I owed it to myself.
I gripped the steering wheel in both hands and pressed my forehead to it, then
took a deep breath, started the car and resolutely drove off. I knew where I
should go.
I pulled up in front of Jimmy's house, got out, and went to the front door. I
pressed the bell and my brother answered.
"Marty, what are you doing here?" he asked in surprise.
"Can't I visit my brother, my sister-in-law and my nephew?" I replied.
He held the door open so I entered. It was warm in the entryway, making me
realize just how cold it was outside. There was a smell of roast beef or maybe
pot roast. I was hungry.
"We were just about to have dinner. You can join us. There's plenty," Jimmy
offered.
"Oh. I didn't want to..." I felt embarrassed.
"Did you eat?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Lisa, set another place," he called
out. "Marty's joining us for dinner."
I guess I was, whether I wanted to or not, and suddenly I wanted to.
Chapter 42. PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER
"Where's Dr. Lloyd?" Tommy asked when I sat down at the kitchen table across
from him. All the food looked and smelled wonderful.
"She's minding Audra, I think," I replied, taking some salad and a freshly-baked
dinner roll.
"I think it's very nice of her to spend time with Audra. She's been especially
sad lately," my nephew informed me. "Ever since her grandmother went into the
hospital," he said, almost pointedly glancing at his father. But Jimmy couldn't
tell us anything about Ingrid's condition.
"Ingrid's been the only mother figure in her life for a long time," my brother said.
"She could also use a father," Lisa said, bringing over a platter of nicely
roasted red potatoes. All of us Wilson males stared at her. "Her father's not
around and I gather that her grandfather may be an authority figure but not
what a father should be."
"Uncle Marty, why can't you be a father figure for her?" Tommy asked innocently.
I narrowed my eyes at him. I always thought Gretchen House was the one who led
the Three Amigos' plots to make everyone they knew happy, but it appeared that
Tommy was no slouch.
"What could I do?" I asked, processing this new idea. I mean, I liked the girl
the couple of times I'd met her. She was quiet, obviously smart, well-behaved
but also sad a lot of the time. Still all of the kids I knew, namely Tommy,
Gretchen and Emily, they all liked Audra. That's saying a lot in my book. Sure
they tend to be friendly with everyone, but they're only friends with a select
few.
"Why don't you call Nancy and see if you can join them in whatever they're
doing?" Lisa suggested.
I'd just piled my plate with roast beef, potatoes, and the fancy green
beans Lisa liked to make. I thought a minute while I cut and ate a piece of
meat. Delicious! I swallowed before I took out my cellphone and punched the
number programmed for Nancy's cell.
"Marty?" she answered on the second ring.
"Hi. I was wondering, that is, would you mind if I joined you and Audra?" I
asked, suddenly afraid she might say 'no'.
"Oh, well we just finished eating, and we're about to head home. I...I guess
you can meet us there," she said. "In fact I think Audra and I would both like
that." Her voice sounded warmer and more inviting.
"Good! Uh, just a minute." I put the phone down and addressed my host and hostess
asking, "Do you mind if I eat and run?"
"Not at all," Lisa said. She and Jimmy were both smiling, and so was Tommy.
"Nan," I said into the phone. "I'm gonna finish my dinner and then I'll be over,
say forty-five minutes?"
"We'll see you then!" she said. Somehow my heart felt lighter than it had in
weeks.
As wonderful as my dinner was, I hardly tasted it. I gobbled down the rest of
my food, including a big piece of Jimmy's peach cobbler. I was anxious to leave,
much as I enjoyed being with my family.
Twenty-five minutes later I was on the road again. When I got to Nancy's street
there was even a spot to park not far away from her apartment building. Things
were going my way for once.
When Nancy answered the doorbell she had such a big smile on her face it made
me feel even better. Impulsively, I kissed her lightly. Her smile broadened.
"Hi, Mr. Wilson," Audra called out. She was sitting on the couch watching Ginger
bat around a tiny ball, at least that's what it looked like.
"Hi, Audra," I replied and sat down at the other end of the couch. "What's the
cat playing with?" Now that I was closer, the 'ball' looked more like it was
made of thread than of rubber.
"I made her a ball of the wool we're using for my grandmother's shawl."
"I taught her to knit," Nancy explained. "We're working together on a shawl for
Ingrid."
"Oh!" I didn't even know Nan knew how to knit. "You know, in my misspent youth
I learned to crochet and do a little knitting."
Nancy's eyes went wide.
"What? You think it's sissy for a man to crochet? You never said anything about
my brother's cooking."
"No!" she said, then grinned. "I think it's pretty neat!" Her eyes were dancing.
"I was just about to get out a jigsaw puzzle. Do you also do those?"
"Do I?" My turn to grin. "You're talking to the champion jigsaw puzzle putter-
together of the Wilson family!" I could see her mood was catching. Even Audra
was beginning to smile.
Nancy went to the hall closet and came back with three boxes. One was one of
those tessarat puzzles where all of the pieces were the same shape. Not my
favorite kind. There was also a Springbok puzzle with a picture featuring
crayons of different colors, and a Schmid picturing a half dozen cats of various
sizes and colors. "Which one?" she asked us.
"The cats," Audra and I said simultaneously, then laughed. We spent the next
couple of hours working on the puzzle, completing the edges and filling in
about a quarter of the rest. We worked well together. I don't know about Nancy
and Audra, but it was one of the best evenings I'd ever had. We seemed to fit
together, just like those puzzle pieces.
I combined several of my favorite hobbies in this last part: knitting, crocheting and doing jigsaw puzzles. In fact, I have puzzles just like the ones I described.