Chapter 18- Trouble
Brewing
Ok. In
order to get finished with this story sooner, I have to accelerate time a
little bit. Things will start off where
we left off at St. Mary's Hospital. Then we will accelerate time a little bit. When I am talking about Toby and band names, these are all names
that my friends and I thought up during lunch hour. Fuzzy Fingers, and Cannibal Lettuce are owned by Lacy. I take credit for Flaming Underpants
(there's actually a story behind this name :-) and Flaming Bullshit. Andy, however, may take Flaming Bullshit, as
he loves that name, and wishes to use it for his future band. (Although the name Flaming Bullshit was
originally used for the World Tour for Flaming Underpants, Fuzzy Fingers and
Cannibal Lettuce…)
Also,
My condolences on the anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Fed
building… This is a pet peeve of mine, here: I'd just like to say something on today's anniversary. William McVeigh, Timothy's dad, is a good
man. I have never met him, but he does
live in Pendleton, in the town nearby me. Bill is a good man, and didn't screw up. It isn't Bill's fault; it was Tim's choice to screw up. Tim's; Not Bill's. Don't Condemn Bill, until you actually get to know the guy. Thank You.
Tomorrow is
National Stoner's Day. Happy Highs to
all those readers who smoke the dope. (Not that I do it myself…) Also
tomorrow is the anniversary of Columbine. I'll keep this short, since it has been in the media for far too
long… Condolences to all those who died
that day, and to the few that committed suicide later because of the pain that
they were caused. God be with You.
Dom
took a deep breath and walked into Christine's room. Her mother and grandmother were both in there and Dom smiled at
the grandmother. "Hey, Chrissie. I, um, I'm sorry, for not being here
earlier, and there are three reasons why. One, Dave was in the sword-fighting contest at the mall. Two, I got a drink at the Scumm Bar with
him, and I have a third reason right here." Dom got on his knees and pulled the velvet box out of his leather jacket. "Chris, I love you, and I will understand if
you don't forgive me for not visiting sooner. Now, I know that I am not the richest, or the handsomest, or even the
coolest, but I do love you, and nothing can or will ever change that. I want to spend the rest of my life with
you, and I am willing to quit the band, cut the hair, and wear a three piece
suit every day to support you if I have to." Dom paused, looking into her green eyes. "Will you marry me?" He
asked, eyes full of passion for her. Chrissie smiled, Melanie smiled, but Anna frowned in slight
disgust. She wasn't going to stop her
granddaughter, as she was a grown woman now, and could make her own choices in
her life. Dom looked at her, hoping for
a good response. "Of course I will. Just, please-" She paused. "Please what?" Dom asked her. "Don't cut
your beautiful hair, quit your awesome band, or even try a three-piece business
suit on unless it is absolutely necessary, ok?" She asked. He nodded. "Deal." He said, moving forward to hug her.
That
was the greatest Day of Dominic Malucci's life; except for the day that
Christine was strong enough to walk down the aisle to wed him. Giuseppe had given him a talk before the
wedding just as he had done for Dave. Dom hugged his father tightly and sneezed when his dad's beard tickled
his nose. "You used to do that when you
sat on my lap as a kid!" Seppe told
him. "Yeah. And then mom would blame the pipe, but we knew it was your Jerry
Garcia beard." Dom said. "Good luck, Dommy." Seppe told his son. "Now, go get married." Dom was shoved out of the tent and onto the
shores of the Pacific Ocean by his father. Christine and Dominic had decided on getting married on the California
coast, in the town where Chrissie grew up. Dom had gotten his band to come along with their instruments, so they
could entertain the guests.
Dom
and Christine, right from the day they started to plan the wedding, had agreed
that they didn't want a 'typical' wedding at all. Chrissie didn't want to wear a white wedding gown, instead
choosing to wear a pair of blue flared jeans, and a Rolling Stones baby-doll
shirt. Dom wore his favorite leather
jacket, over a Led Zeppelin T-shirt, with a pair of jeans with holes in the
knees. Anna didn't like the idea at
all, but at least she didn't have to get all gussied up either. Dave was Dom's best man, and since
Chrissie's father had passed away many years prior, Giuseppe gladly strolled
with his soon-to-be daughter in law down the aisle. Dom smiled and turned forward and they joined hands. "Dearly Beloved…" The pastor began…
Years
Pass. Yeah, you read right…
Years
Tobias
and Jada are now almost 16 years old. The two of them had changed a lot, but they were still close to their
family. Toby now was past 6 feet in
height, and Jada had leveled off at 5 and a half. Jada's hair now went past her shoulders, and the boys constantly
sought her after. She was short, sweet,
polite, and a goddess in teen males eyes. She had taken an interest to art, and had gotten quite good in drawing,
and was quite vocal in her school choir. Tobias on the other hand, was totally the opposite. He had bleached his golden-red hair, and
then dyed it green, and styled it in very weird ways. He also dressed in the weirdest clothing when he could. He usually wore black pants, and some heavy
metal shirt to match. He could not
draw, or sing, but he loved to play his bass. He liked guitar, but he preferred the feeling of his calloused fingers
hitting the thick strings, producing the low rumble of the piece he was playing. He had started his own band, having several
different names, including Flaming Bullshit, later changed to Flaming
Underpants because of problems with gigs, and then going to Helpful Corn, but
changing that due to the band KoRn, and to their current name, Cannibal
Lettuce. He had a close relationship
with Dave, and was not the snot-nosed, pain-in-the-ass punk he was when he was
in his band. He was actually a loving
son that genuinely cared about everyone. He and Jada had their share of arguments, but they also remained
close. Toby, although a skinny giant,
was very muscular, and warded off any boys that harassed Jade too much. The twins also had a good relationship with
their mother. Toby had taken a liking
to Kerry's work, and decided he wanted to be a doctor just like Kerry,
especially if the Rock Star thing didn't work out. Jada didn't want to be a doctor, as she couldn't stand the sight
of blood at all. She preferred to sing,
and wanted to sing professionally someday.
Dave
was sitting on the couch and reading his newspaper, when Toby came in and
jumped over the back of the couch and landed in it on his ass. Dave was a stunned, but pulled out of it
when Toby started to talk. "Hey
Dad! Will you take me out to drive
today?" He asked. "Toby! There are lots of El trains, cabs, and busses. Why can't you just use those?" Dave whined. "I want to drive,
Dad!" Toby whined back. Dave frowned. Toby had acquired his whine over the years. "You're too young." Dave said. "Oh don't be ridiculous! I've
been taking the car since I was twelve!" Toby said. Dave looked at his
son. Well, I can't put it past
him. And I can't punish him either,
because I did the same exact things when I was a kid. He thought, looking at his son. "Okay Fine." Dave said, tossing Toby his keys. "Road Test." Dave said,
running out to the car. He took the
passenger side and Toby took the driver's side. They were in a residential neighborhood, and they drove around in
silence, Toby getting everything right. "Parallel Park this sucker." Dave said. Toby did so and gave
a shit-eating grin to Dave. Dave
grumbled. Kid knows more than I
do! Dave grouched. They got out and Toby skipped into the
house. Kerry was pulling into the
driveway with Jade then. "Do you realize
that Toby has been taking the car since he was twelve years old!" Dave asked Kerry. "Yes, I know. I did the
same thing when I was little." Kerry
said. Dave was speechless. How come I'm the last to know everything? Jada walked up to him. "Hi Daddy!" She said, hugging him. "Hi
pumpkin." Dave said. Jada ran inside and got on the phone,
leaving Kerry and Dave in the driveway. "Honey?" Dave asked. "Yes, Dear?" Kerry asked, flipping her hair out of her eyes. "I'm feeling really bad." He told her. "Dave, Everyone has bad days." Kerry said. "Not that kind of
bad. I feel physically sick." Dave said. "Oh. What does it feel
like?" Kerry asked. "Like someone's jabbing a stick in my
chest." Dave said. "Oh God. Dave, lay in the backseat!" Kerry told him. "TOBIAS! JADE!" She shouted. The two ran out as
fast as they could. "Jade, Lock the
front Door, and Toby, we need you to drive us to County!" Kerry said, checking Dave's pulse. "It'll be okay, Davey. I promise." She whispered, holding his hand, kissing it slightly. Toby was racing down the road in the SUV
they owned, and did a 180 into the Ambulance area of the ER. Jada got out and ran inside. "HELP!" She yelled, running into Luka. "What is it, Jade?" Luka
asked. "It's Daddy! Something's Wrong!" She said, beginning to cry. "Mark! Abby! It's Dave. We need to help him!" Luka said, preparing to carry Dave into the
ER. They got him on a gurney and
wheeled him into a room and checked him out thoroughly. After a few hours, Luka came back in. "What's wrong?" Dave asked, worried. The
family grouped around Dave, Toby stroking his arm, Jada holding his hand, Kerry
holding his other hand. "The cancer is
back."