Chapter 3: Family
Melodie and I rarely saw each other for weeks. With both our busy schedules, it seemed we always tried to avoid the other. She found a job two days after arriving here. She was a waitress for eight hours at a café seven miles into town.
She came home usually a little tired, then she was off to wash clothes and dishes, helped Trevor dust and mop, cooked dinner and had Trevor deliver it up to my study, where I most often was. She grew to be a better cook after a few weeks. She didn't plead anymore for me to love her. For that had clearly been a lie, a lie that I had cleverly saw through.
I was in my study one night when my phone rang. Thinking it was someone who needed to do business with me, I answered it as if it were a business client.
"Hello, Mr. Bart Foxworth speaking...what can I do for you?"
"Oh god you're still a business man," Jory retorted from the other end.
"Jory?" I asked with surprise.
"Jory...how great to hear from you," I said. I could feel Jory smiling through the other end of the line.
"Great to hear your voice too. I was just seeing how you were doing..."
"Oh. I'm fine," I said.
"Oh. Well that's great. But I worry about you. You're all alone up there," he said.
"I'm not alone. There's Trevor-"
"You know what I mean, Bart," he said. For a moment I was quiet.
"Melodie's here too," I softly said.
"Is she?" Jory answered stiffly.
"Yes. I let her stay here, but she's helping out around the house to make up for her share. There's nothing going on between us. Like there ever was," I added sarcastically.
"Good," he said, which surprised me. Was he jealous? Did he still love her?
"I wouldn't want her to screw your life up to. Toni is so different from her, that sometimes I wonder what I saw in Melodie in the first place. But I wouldn't give up the twins for anything," he said. I smiled.
"That's great," I said.
"Hey Bart the reason I called...I was wondering if maybe we could go out and have lunch some time? If you don't mind being embarrassed by me using crutches."
"Oh, no of course not!" I said with enthusiasm.
"I won't mind I promise!" I cried, wanting desperately for Jory to like me as much as I admired and liked him. It was what I'd wanted since I was a kid. Jory's admiration for even now he was a wonderful man and I was still envious! Sure, I was filthy rich and good at business but even though he was crippled, he had people to love and understand him. He was more luckier than he thought he was.
"Okay, it's a date. When is a good day for you?" he asked. I shrugged, forgetting he was on the phone and couldn't see me shrug.
"Any day. I can take off any day. I got enough money to take plenty of days off," I said.
"How about next Tuesday? At well...you pick the place. I'll have Toni drive me up there...and you can drive me back." I nodded.
"Okay, that sounds great. Noon good for you?" I asked.
"Sounds great," he said. I smiled.
"Okay."
"Well I have to get off now. Christopher's making a fuss," Jory said, and I nodded with a slight laugh. Their Christopher was certainly something! It was too bad Mother wasn't around to see him. She would have loved him.
"Okay," I said.
"See you Tuesday."
"You too."
"Bye," he called.
"Bye." I hung up the phone, and my eyes settled on Melodie, who was lingering against the doorway, tears streaking down her cheeks, her hands nervously floating to each other like frantic birds.
"Was that Jory?" she asked. I glared at her.
"I...I just happened to pick up the phone downstairs..." I stood up and flew over to her. My hands dug painfully into her shoulders and she cried out, wincing.
"Don't you ever listen in to my phone calls again!" I growled, glaring at her.
"My personal life is none of your damn business! You are not my mother, not my wife, not my lover, not my sister, so therefore mind your own business," I spat before I let her go.
She glared at me and left. I smiled, happy that Jory and I were going to actually have a brotherly talk for once! I felt so great. Maybe I could somehow make peace with him, even though we never fought anymore. I was sure there were still old wounds that needed healing though.
I slept well that night, almost laughing. A year or two ago I would have laughed if Jory had invited me to lunch...now all of that had changed. I was desperate to somehow redeem myself and get out of this cold, indifferent person that sometimes even scared me. If anyone could help me get over my bad habits, it was my brother Jory.