Chapter 14

Ammendium to the Special Delivery

Monday—After Campland on the Bay

Afternoon

Torey sat at her desk looking at a catalog of enjoyable noisy objects while her hair

dried. She inevitably jumped when the doorbell rang. Habits that you had all your life

couldn't change overnight, but she wish that impending fear feeling would go away. She

knew it wasn't Drake because he was going to pick her up from work. Torey was angry

that her mother was making her go to work after her long weekend. Granted her mother

didn't know the details of Campland on the Bay, but after a short holiday trip you think

her mother would have said take the day off, but Torey was more concerned on why she

didn't just rebel and call the store to say she wasn't coming in today.

She was wrapped her emerald green below the knee robe. She did put on her ballet

styled slip on bedroom slippers though. Torey peeked through the sheer white curtain of

the thin side windows by the front door to see the Che Bella truck parked across the

street.

"Are you Torey Becker?" asked the man with a green button down smock on with a

nametag with 'Marty' embossed on it pinned to chest.

"Yes."

"Please sign here." He handed her a thin pointed dark blue Sharpie with his clipboard.

"Okay."

He handed her a long gold box with a red bow on it.

"This is for you."

She smiled as her eyes filled with water. "Wait here and I'll get you---"

"The tip has been taken care of. Have a nice day."

Drake, you didn't.

Torey put the box on the coffee table and almost didn't want to open it.

In front of her were the most perfect red roses she had ever seen in her life mixed with

the babies breath nestled in purple tissue paper. She picked one of the roses out and

caressed her face with it. They were so beautiful. Torey took the card off the one piece

of tissue paper that was placed on top.

Dear Torey,

You are worth it.

Love,

Drake

Taped to the top of the box was a small padded envelope.

In it was a small note written on Che Bella stationery in Drake's handwriting and an

unmarked cassette tape.

Dear Torey,

This is for you. Naturally, I might be a terrorist so they had to inspect what I was

sending and I had to reopen the envelope. But no one but us will ever know what's on

the tape. I hope that you like the flowers. I'll see you at 10:00pm tonight.

Love, Drake

She was going to be late but didn't care. Drake did offer to take her to work, but she

declined because he went through a lot during that weekend too. She went to the

kitchen to get her favorite Belleek vase. She used her Avon and babysitting money to

pay for it by herself. There were never flowers to put it in it until today.

Torey went upstairs to put the vase on her desk by her lamp. Now she just had to

remember where her cassette player/radio was? Yes, her mom borrowed it and never

returned it back to her room. She was almost nervous to press play once she put the

cassette in.

"This one's for you, Torey. Lots of love, Drake."

I Cannot Erase

By Drake Parker

You spoke softly and revealed your truth

and it was then that I realized your abandoned youth.

No one heard your cries then

If only I knew you back then.

A little girl deserves more than a discarded bin toy

And to feel safe with someone who was supposed to fill your heart with joy.

I cannot erase your past

Because of you my heart is vast.

How could someone you were supposed to trust

make you swear not to tell with a must?

Don't you worry about us

I would never be so callous as to make a fuss.

You mean the world to me

filling my heart with glee.

I cannot erase your past

Because of you my heart is vast.

How could someone you were supposed to trust

make you swear not to tell with a must?

I wasn't there then like I wish to tread

That it happened to me instead.

I cannot erase your past

Because of you my heart is vast.

How could someone you were supposed to trust

make you swear not to tell with a must?

The song ended with the softest most beautiful guitar playing she had ever heard in her

seventeen years on Earth. Torey wiped her eyes with the sides of her hands.

Even Drake's voice cracked a few times when he tried stopping his own tears and she

could tell where he stopped the tape to resume his singing.

She was amazed at how fast he put this all together. It was a testament to his talent and

his love for her. Torey picked up her phone that was on her end table and dialed

Drake's cell phone.

"This is Drake. Blah."

She loved for someone who was a prolific songwriter who could not be bothered to

make a proper outgoing voice mail message.

Beep.

"Thank you," She sniffed, "Everything was so beautiful. The flowers. The song. You

validate my very existence Drake. For that and a million other reasons—I love you so

much. I'll see you after work."

When Drake was done trusting his life to the folks at the Che Bella florist shop he came

back home to put a cassette of his own on.

It'd be a slap in the face of his girlfriend who went through something terrible with her

biological father if he couldn't play a joyous tape made by his.

1991

"This is Audrey Parker and today is our son Drake's fifth birthday today."

"Hello. My name is Peter Parker and I'm documenting via tape recorder because the

greedy doctor Jeff from across the street lost my camcorder on his trip to Mexico.

It is my son Drake's fifth birthday today. Let's go see what he's up to. I better press stop

to conserve the tape."

"Audrey! No little boy wants to wear a tie on his birthday. Here hold this. How old are

you Drake?"

"I'm FIVE today!"

"So the people who listen to this tape know I'm taking a picture. Smile."

"Peter, I think he looks adorable with the tie."

"I know, Mommy. I'm gorgeous. Grandma told me."

"We'll let Drake decide. Son, do you want to wear a tie?"

"No! Will Katie, Mary, and Susie be coming to my party?"

"What about the boys? I'm combing my son's hair. You'd see this people had Jeff not

lost my video camera."

"I don't like boys. I like girls."

"You're going to be a heartbreaker son."

"What does that mean, Daddy?"

"It means you are going to have so many girlfriend's but you can only have one real

one. That the rest will have their hearts broken."

"Peter! He's five don't be filling his head with ideas."

"Why can't I have them all?"

"I'll explain that to you when you're older."

"Yes, much older. What games do you want to play at your party today, Drake?

Grandma got you pin the tail on the donkey." Audrey asked

"I don't want to play that game."

"What game do you want to play?" Peter knew what he was going to say.

"The game where you spin the bottle and have to kiss a girl."

"That's MY son!" Peter scooped him up and hugged him.

"Peter, don't encourage him."

"If I don't. Who will? Mommy doesn't understand." Peter whispered in Drake's ear.

Peter stopped the tape.

"My son is so cute."

"Our son."

"Sorry dear. It's a figure of speech. Our son is so cute. Stopping the tape once more to

unveil the birthday cake."

"This is Peter Parker again. Because no one is going to be able to see the cake, I'll

tell you it's a space shuttle with Drake's name and with the USA and American flag

logos on it. I'm amazed that my son was able to have an all girl party. One boy showed

up but saw all the icky girls and ran home. To which my son replied…"

"Peter, I wish you wouldn't save these stories."

"Audrey, you need to stop worrying. Drake replied 'more girls for him'. You act like he's

going to take his milk money and run to Vegas for a quickie wedding."

"He might! Peter hit the lights."

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Drake…Happy

Birthday to you!"

"Can I blow out my candles now?"

"Of course." Audrey said

"What did you wish for?" Peter asked

"More girls."

"Ha ha! That's my—OUR son, Audrey." He kissed him on the cheek.

Audrey gave him a hug and a kiss on the other cheek.

The tape automatically turned around to the other side.

"Eight o'clock and my son is sleeping on the sofa. He's too cute to wake up. I just love

him so much. He really is a chip off the old block. Audrey worries too much. He'll grow

up fine. He didn't play with any of his presents much except the tambourine he got

from Katie. Drake, I want you to know that you had a good time today. You liked

playing hide and go seek with the girls. You were running your poor mother ragged

today, but in a good way. She's worried that you are going to grow up to be a cad. I

won't let that happen. That's what Mom's do they worry. At least the good ones do.

Stopping the tape to carry my precious Drake upstairs."

"This is still Peter Parker."

"Daddy—"

"Did I wake you son?"

"Kinda. Will you sing me a song, Daddy?"

"Of course. Did you enjoy your birthday party today?"

"Yeah!"

"Peter—"

"Hi, Mommy. Daddy is going to sing me a song."

"He'll never wake up tomorrow morning."

"Your mother worries too much son."

"I love you, Drake. Sweet dreams."

"Night, Mommy."

"Do you want all those blankets on you?"

"Just one."

"Stopping the tape again to undo some Mother blankets."

"I'm back and now I will sing my son a special birthday night song and afterwards

Mommy and me will tell you about a special delivery coming in nine months."

The tape stopped and started to rewind itself.

"Damn." Drake pushed the stop button.

Just damn.

At the same time he was grateful to have a father who touched him with kindness.

He still would have traded pleasure with pain in a split second to save Torey's

tormented soul.

Drake was tired and since he wasn't going to work today, what could he say other than

he was just a little too lazy regarding scheduled sanctioned learning and day-to-day

clock punching jobs? He figured he could sleep for a bit until dinner. No one else was

home when he got there and that was even counting Josh. Drake hoped that Walter and

Audrey were on the right track. He was certain that Torey was loving her flowers and the

song. It surprised him how fast those lyrics came to him. Most of them played in his

mind on their way home from Campland on the Bay when he noticed how sweet that

Torey looked while she was sleeping. It might have been an easy song to write but they

were the most difficult lyrics to sing. If one smile came onto her face today and if she just

felt better for a little while, then it was all worth it.

He was uncertain on his Christmas present to her though. It's not because he didn't

want to. Drake did want to. Which was odd considering his young age and the fact that

it never entered his mind regarding any other girl before. He just wanted her to know that

everything was for her and her alone and not out of a well-guided but still sympathetic

emotion. Their feelings were real. He hoped that, that would be enough.

Please,

Drake thought as he drifted off to sleep,

Have Torey say 'yes' to my question and that our love is enough to see us through.

Notes: Josh's storyline will be in Chapter 15.

Drake Parker's birthdate not revealed on purpose.