Chapter 6
Breakdowns, Banishments, and Beginnings
(same weekend as chapter 5)
Eric was worried as he watched Donna sleep on Friday morning at eight o'clock, he already took a shower and got dressed, trying to block what Donna told him out of his mind. There was a lump on her breast? Was it normal for women to have lumps that were not cancerous? He couldn't concentrate on the free newspaper and the coffee was too strong. There was only one thing he wanted to do, take off his shoes, and slide back in the bed next to his Wife. It occurred to him that no one in the group had died, yet. Well, he did come close to putting Hyde in a coffin, but he never wanted to think about those events ever again. Donna just had to be okay.
"E-eric," Donna mumbled, when she felt his arms go around her, "What time is it?" she asked with her eyes closed.
"Eight fifteen," he stroked her hair, "You can still sleep if you're tired."
Donna opened up her eyes, "I knew you would act like this. Relax, Eric, I'm not an invalid," she kissed him, because she realized that he meant well, but he already had her bedridden! "I'm getting dressed now."
She got out of bed in a swirl and quickly grabbed her clothes out of the dresser and couldn't wait to get into the bathroom for some privacy. Eric put his head back on the pillows, why did it always go this way with Donna? He only said she could sleep if she was tired. He did not mean to imply that she was an invalid. Why did she always take things the wrong way from how he originally meant for them to be? You'd think he'd have known that by now.
'Damn'.
He knew NOT to not even attempt at knocking on the door to make sure that she was okay. He just had to believe that she was.
"Eric," Donna called from the closed door, "Get me a cup of tea."
"Okay," he replied back, maybe he could go to the market on the corner and pick up some pastries. "I'll be back in a few minutes." Eric put on his shoes, put his wallet in his back pocket, and remembered the room card key before leaving the room.
Donna had to for lack of a better phrase, 'get rid' of Eric. She didn't know why she felt a moment of weakness in the wee hours of morning and told him about a lump on her breast that probably was NOT cancerous. She would see the doctor when they returned back to Point Place and everything would be okay. She thought she looked pretty good for a middle aged woman, women have aged better since her grandmother's time when a woman of fifty would look eighty, now you could how you felt and you didn't need to buy any of Jackie's overpriced salon products to look great. She still used Ivory Soap and Oil of Olay mixed with Jackie's various samples. She didn't color her hair like her Husband. It was only since the past few years that she even started to go gray at the top. She zipped her trousers and buckled her belt. She would sit with Eric at the small table and drink her tea, and knowing him, he probably was going to stop at that little market on the corner for some pastries, and read the newspaper determined to enjoy this day.
The Morning After
Megan for reasons she didn't understand had locked the bathroom door even though Hunter was still asleep. That did NOT feel like sex or what she thought intimate relations were supposed to feel like. She was glad that Hyde was gone out ALL NIGHT long and she liked having Hunter next to her. Something was NOT right. She buttoned up her shirt, he did kiss her tender breasts and she thought she felt SOMETHING. She was just glad she didn't urinate (or worse) over him nothing would scream 'you're having sex with a cripple' more than that. She opened her bathroom door after she brushed her hair and sprayed on her perfume. She wanted to wheel herself up the ramp and not have to face her fiancée for a few hours at least.
"Megan, are you trying to run away from me?"
"Hunter! I thought you were still sleeping?" she didn't want to look him in the eyes.
"I heard you in the bathroom---"
'Damn squeaky wheel'
"Before you ask, I'm fine."
"No, you're not, " he got out of their special floor bed in his t-shirt and shorts, "Come on, Megan, talk to me."
He followed his instincts and sat on her lap.
"Hunter," Megan put her hands through his dark wavy hair, "I don't think we did it RIGHT—did you feel the Earth move?"
"I don't think the Earth is supposed to move on the first time." he whispered
"I wasn't very good,"
"Megan, It was me—maybe, we should have read some of 'Enabling Romance' before we—"
"No, no, no. I wanted us to find a natural rhythm not to consult a book every time we want to f***."
Hunter kissed Megan on the cheek as he gently lifted her chin with his hand so that he could place a soft kiss on her lips.
"I love you, we'll get better in time."
She smiled, "I love you, too, Hunter. I'll make us breakfast."
"Toast-but not that organic whole wheat cr** your Mom buys!"
He got up from her lap.
Megan let out a small laugh, "No, Eric's Wonderbread." She watched him put on yesterday's jeans.
"Did you enjoy looking at my ass?" he asked when he caught her
"Yeah! Do you realize that you didn't need your cane this morning?"
"Not until you just mentioned it," Hunter didn't feel like putting a shirt on yet as he grabbed the handles on Megan's wheelchair, "I wonder if Dad's back?"
"I guess we'll see when we get upstairs."
Donna NEVER would have let Megan and Hunter spend the night in her bedroom. Well to be diplomatic, she didn't think Eric would, either. Jackie probably wouldn't, but Hyde just left them in the evening because he owed a rock band a favor. Hyde was cool like that in the way he trusted them.
"Dad's not here—unless he's upstairs sleeping." Hunter saw the money that Hyde had left them on the kitchen table.
"Here's your Wonderbread," Megan threw the loaf of bread across the room for him to catch, "You're closer to the toaster."
There was no real butter left, but there was the 100% sugar free natural Strawberry spread.
"Hey!"
"What?" She took out the Strawberry spread it was either going to be that or plain toast.
"You're cute," he put the toaster on as he went next to her to 'steal' a kiss.
And that's when Hyde stumbled into the kitchen.
Donna read a boring article in the lifestyle section of the Chicago Sun newspaper about how high school romances are nothing but a sham and it's best to end those relationships the minute you walk down the aisle to Pomp and Circumstance and throw your graduation cap in the air. She looked over at Eric, keeping mindlessly occupied by balancing his checkbook and picking at his blueberry pastry. She knew he wasn't talking because of her and how she might react if he 'dare' open up his mouth.
"Eric, you're certainly very quiet." She had to break the ice.
"I'm trying to balance my checkbook without a calculator. When did we buy Megan new shoes?"
"Last month, and that was on my credit card," She hated boring 'adult talk', "After you finish that, let's go for a walk. I'd like to go to my old office to see if anybody from the 'old days' are still there."
People always say they'll keep in touch, but they never do.
'I told you our first marriage was a sham and to go ahead with the divorce and I threw up in the bathroom. Yeah, I really want to go back THERE.'
"Sure, Donna."
She got up and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you, Eric." She didn't know why she had to say it at exactly that time, but she felt that she had to.
"I love you, too. Do you think Megan is up yet?" he looked at his watch
"She should be in school right now, but I bet she gave herself the day off. You call her; she won't want to hear from me.
"Donna—" Eric trailed his voice
"You know it's true, I'll wait for you in the lobby."
Donna and Megan were more strained than Kitty and Laurie ever were.
"Hey, Hyde. You what? Where were you? Well, I think it's best that we don't tell Donna that. OK. Put Megan on."
"Hi, Dad. How's your trip?"
"OK," He didn't want to lie to her, "I was just calling to see how you were doing and to ask you how come you didn't go to school today?"
"I'm fine. Because Hunter's here. We are going to see a movie later."
'Say my 'baby' didn't have sex!'
"We'll talk about your self appointed day off later. Sounds like you'll have a nice time at the movies, Megan. Well, I'll phone in tomorrow—you do have the number of the hotel? OK. Love you. Bye."
Eric sighed as he realized she did not ask once about how her mother was doing.
Later that evening
Megan loved not going to school and getting to spend the afternoon with Hunter at the movies making out. Hell, if she got grounded (provided that Donna wouldn't go all postal and ground her for half a year) for taking the day off from school, it would be worth it. Besides, after she got off the phone with her Dad, Hyde called her school and said she didn't feel well so that her absence would be officially recorded. They were eating pizza in the living room and Megan couldn't believe that Hyde was going to be gone again! She didn't know who this band was but they were great for wanting Hyde's services (due to his drunk promise many years prior) for the second night in a row.
"Well, I'm stuffed." Megan said throwing her crust back on the paper plate.
"Me too, whatever do we do now, Megan?" Hunter asked, finishing his soda
"Practice."
"You don't waste time, do you?"
"Nope. Carpe diem, Hunter. Give me a couple minutes to get ready."
He got up from the sofa and grabbed the two paper plates and soda cans.
"Megan?"
"Yeah, Hunter?" she smiled
"Maybe we could re-read that book again before we—you know."
"If it'll make you feel more at ease, okay. I'll see you in my room in a few minutes."
"No kiss?" he pretended to whine
"No kiss. Think of how much you'll want it more, when you come downstairs."
He watched her go down the ramp before going into the kitchen throwing the paper plates in the garbage, the cans in the recycle bin, and he put the pizza box on the kitchen table. Then Hunter headed up to his guest room to brush his teeth and change shirts hoping that HE would be better tonight.
The restaurants near the Shubert were too crowded before the play so Eric and Donna had to have a later supper after the show. Eric thought his Wife was going to freak out over having to wait a half hour for the table, but she remained composed, still it looked like she was going to burst over something. And for once it wasn't going to be his fault.
"I thought the play was going to be better than it actually was—" Donna swirled the wine around in her glass.
"I prefer movies myself." Eric replied as he cut the expensive steak that he wasn't hungry for.
"Eric, do you mind if after dinner we check out of the hotel tonight and head home?"
"No, I was hoping you'd want to go home early. But we can still make use of the hotel bed first?"
Donna briefly smiled, "You never give up, do you?"
"Nope."
"Well," Donna didn't know what the future was going to hold, and it's not like she didn't want to make love with her Husband, "Okay."
"Should we call Megan to let her know we're coming home early?" Eric hated the undercooked green beans. He hasn't had a great meal since Kitty passed away.
"No, she's probably out with Hunter. But I'm going to have a nice little talk with her about thinking it was perfectly okay to take the day off from school today."
"Promise me, no fights."
"Who's going to fight, Eric?" Donna asked as she finished her wine and Eric felt his stomach twist in knots despite the fact that Donna actually wanted to have sex with him tonight.
And so it goes.
Turning Tides
Donna loved Eric's idea for their little weekend getaway and it had nothing to do with the lump on her breast as to why she wanted to come home early. It just didn't feel right to be away from her home for some reason. After their posh dinner, they did make love, but that wasn't great, either. It wasn't him. It wasn't her. It just wasn't passion filled and seemed like they both ached to be elsewhere. Not with other partners, just elsewhere. Maybe, it was the fact that they weren't young people anymore and how your life changes when you are expected to be a responsible adult. There were no old friends to greet her when she visited her old offices, not one familiar person was there. The music magazine she used to be Editor for wasn't even in publication anymore. She didn't know if she should feel guilty over that or not. Donna didn't get the same rush out of writing anymore. She pretended to be asleep when they got their car at O'Hare airport and was happy that Eric didn't put the radio on, even on low volume. Eric tried calling the house earlier to let Megan know that they were coming home early, but no one answered and the answering machine did not pick up. She didn't want to think about her daughter and her not getting along with each other but she gave herself the day off of school as if to think it was an acceptable thing to do, when she knew Megan was just doing so to push her buttons. She couldn't be the smiling, laughing mother who bakes cookies everyday for an army of neighbor kids. That was Kitty. It wasn't her. Megan was always closer to Eric, a real Daddy's girl, but there was a time when she enjoyed spending time with her mother and it was mutual.
"Donna, are you okay?" Eric asked as the 'Welcome to Wisconsin' sign loomed in the distance.
"Yes, I'm just trying to get some sleep." She replied with closed eyes.
"We're almost home."
"Okay, wake me up when we get there."
But not only did it not feel right to not be home, it almost felt like she should be elsewhere. Perhaps, it was only her soul turning over. And what if she had breast cancer, what then?
Steven Hyde was awesome Megan thought as she cuddled into her fiancée's arms. Imagine a parent who would let you go unsupervised like this. Granted, he would phone, they also had the number of where he was so they could reach him, and he left them money. But Megan didn't even think Eric would let her 'get away' with this. And Sgt. Donna? As they say in the New York mafia, forgetaboutit. She was starting to feel some pleasure so she figured they had to be doing it correctly. Hunter had made a happy moaning sound when he climaxed, so Megan believed he had to have felt pleasure also. She liked her candlelit bedroom as they lie in her bed; it was better than the floor idea. The sex in her wheelchair that they tried earlier was okay, but it seemed rather clumsy and awkward for the both of them.
"Hunter," Megan whispered, "Are you awake?" She put her glasses back on, but she had kept her hearing aid in like she always did when she was in bed with Hunter.
"Yeah." he quietly replied
She kissed his neck, "I'm not tired, are you?"
"No, Megan, I can't say that I am." He put his arms around her shoulders, as she directed him as to how she wanted to position her body.
"I love you, Hunter," she said after he had kissed her full on the mouth
"I love you, too, Megan."
They had only got as far as putting their underwear back on, so they didn't have to worry about tearing off each other's clothes.
But for two young kids in love, despite them being Soul mates their one world was about to be shattered.
Home Is Where The Heart Is
Eric parked the car in the front of the house as he had to take in their luggage and he didn't feel like having to traipse through the kitchen with it just to get upstairs.
"Where is Hyde?" Donna asked, the spark of anger starting to ignite when she noticed the lights were not on throughout the whole house.
"Maybe, he took the kids out tonight?" Eric replied as he turned on the lights in the living room.
"Well, Megan better enjoy it, because it is definitely not an option for her to be skipping school, I don't care if the President of the United States was staying over. I'm going to make some tea, do you want anything?" Donna asked her Husband as she felt her blood pressure rise.
"No, I'm good."
"Can you go back outside, Eric, and check the mailbox? I noticed some mail still in there. Ask Hyde to do one little favor—" She trailed her words off and headed to the kitchen.
"Sure." He put the luggage by the laundry room.
Eric wasn't anticipating anything momental to happen when he went out to the mailbox. There was a collision, a conflict of interests, not knowing which way to turn, all the way from inside he heard the screams of his Wife and daughter and there standing on the sidewalk --just like that-- was his son.
"Is t-this a good time? Maybe, I should go?" Mark asked, as he too heard the mother-daughter fight in progress
"No," Eric put the mail back in the box and closed the front door; he would have to deal with Donna and Megan later, "It's a good time, Mark. Are you hungry?" Eric asked, they could grab something at the 24-hour diner.
"Not really, Eric."
"I know where we could go. You don't mind walking do you?"
"No," he gave an uncomfortable smile, "Four years at the Fort Sill Army base."
"Your grandfather would have loved that."
Mark did not know how to reply to that and he didn't mean to let it hang in the air like that. Eric took him to the water tower, it wasn't far from the house and it was out of the way and private enough where no one could bother them.
"Donna and I ended our weekend getaway early otherwise we would have missed each other. I'm glad you're here." Eric sat on the cold ground.
"I wasn't sure if I should. Do you mind if I smoke?"
Eric smiled nervously, "No, go ahead. Is there anything that you want to ask me?"
"Not right now."
"I know this is going to sound terrible, but I don't remember your mother—"
"How could you when you were stoned out of your mind?"
Eric put his head down, "Mark, maybe we shouldn't talk about our personal histories. Maybe, it'd be easier to talk about other things?"
Mark seemed to agree, "Okay. WHY so many posts on the Star Wars forum? You're a geek, Eric!"
He tried to get into the mindset that Eric was his friend and NOT his father and to just treat him as an ordinary chap.
"I know," he let out a small laugh, "Are you sure you're not hungry?"
"I suppose I could eat something," Mark put out his cigarette, "Only if we pay for our own?"
"Sure, if that's what you want." Eric stood up, trying to make sure his knees did not crack when he got up.
"Do you want to check on your Wife and daughter?" Mark asked
"No, they're always fighting. We'll have to go back for the car though."
Mark nodded determined to make it work with his father.
"I HATE YOU, MOM! I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU, ANYMORE! I WISH YOU WERE DEAD!" Megan screamed at her mother through her jagged tears as poor Hunter tried to sink even deeper in the covers as he held Megan's hand.
('and they all lived happily ever after.' good night, megan. give your mommy a kiss.)
(i love you, mommy. please read me another story.)