(as told by Roger Davis)
23 December
"Oh, hey, you're here...Noah's just sleeping in the back room. Come on in."
Cade ushers me into her apartment.
Over the last month, Cade has been slowly intiated into the group, due in part to her connection with Benny, her seemingly never ceasing supply of Cap'n Crunch, and Noah successfullness in insulting Maureen by prefering to be watched by Cade instead of the child care center (after that, there's no arguing he takes after his dad, made me proud.).
What was it that Collins said about her?
Oh, that's right, she seems to be a mesh of all of us, that it was our duty to take her under our wing, her being so "young". Naw, he just finally found some one he could have intellectual fights with constanly without actually being pissed. Go figure.
"Thanks for watching him."
"I should be thanking you for saving me from one of Maureen's protest...I thoguht Benny said she had stopped when the twins were born."
"She did...but, she said you were inspiration." I told her as I sat on the "couch" (which is actually two wooden crates pushed against a wall and a bed pillow stapled on top and covered with a blanket) after trying to not step on the picture albums on the floor. I saw the silver Menorah that Maureen must have seen. Her protest tonight involved something about the injustice of work and school holidays that focus on Christian holidays.
"You Jewish?" I asked, God, that sounded rude.
"Oh, the Menorah? Um...no, I'm, um, Catholic...my grandfather gave that to me as an 'apartment warming' gift. He gives me all sorts of odd things. Every birtday he gives me some version of recording device or song books for those guitars...mostly classic stuff."
She's interuppted by the phone. She lets it ring.
"This is Cade's Place, Blab on..."
Beep.
"Hannah, princess, I know you're there sitting on that death trap you call a couch. Honey, I just wanted to let you know, that as much I hate to do it, but I don't think there's going to be much of a Christmas tomorrow. You can come if you want, but it's all I can do to keep Corrine away from the bar and wine cellar. I would love to see you, just come see us when you can. If not I'll have to come up.."
Her eyes widened and she jumped up to pick up the phone.
"Gramps? Hi. Yes, Yes I know you were right. Yes, I heard every single word. No I probably won't come tomorrow. No, no"
She began to sound concerned. "Definetley before the baby comes. You promise to call as soon as her water breaks...yes I realize that you as a seventy year old man can't be expected to help a 24 year old pregnat women that much in the delivery room. Yes, I know. I'll see. Maybe. No promises. If not Max can drive him...yes, that is what you pay him for...that and to purposely lose at chess... Yes,you are that bad...no, don't do that"
Her face suddenly darkened.
"No I'm not looking. DON'T DO THAT...we are not having this talk again. I'm ready...I don't want to. Fine! You go ahead.. just don't tell me. It is fair. Bye. Gramps love you"
She turned to me, "Sorry."
"Don't be...Hannah."
"You call me that one more time and you'll have no choice but to leave Noah with Maureen."
I mocked fear while she plopped on the floor trying to organize the pictures.
"What are these?"
"Just pictures of a past life." she laughed.
She held one up, "This was my brother's wedding last year...Connor and Corrine could only get the church they wanted in early November,it was some small church in Kansas near where they met over a collge basketball game and Corrine had already picked out summer dresses for the bridesmaids...it was snowing."
"Aren't you the black sheep." Her parents and brother were rather short with red hair, she was at least half a head taller than her brother.
"Side effect of being adopted. My grandfather said it was like a mystery game. He said with my brother they at least knew he wasn't going to be great looking...unless Connor took after him, but with me they had no clue."
I had no clue, Cade only talked about her family when asked, but we tended to leave it alone. I know it hurt to talk about stuff like that.
"Have you ever looked for..."
"Why? It was probably the best thing that could've happened...best thing they could have done. Why bring it all back...all the pain...deciding? Sure, a little bit of me is curious, but mostly no."
I could tell she wanted to drop it, it was obvioulsy a sore topic.
"Who's that?"
In the picture she was standing in the embrace of some guy.
"Micah. He was Connor's best friend's little brother, we all hung out together...well, more like Micah and I would be stuck be watched by the other two. He's three years older than me."
She looked like she had traveled to a "happy place."
"He needed a break after Connor died." She shrugged "Aww...anyhow he went to college and I didn't want school any more and the whole long distance thing just got to me. I spent three years with nightmare of him and college chicks...and probably wasn't worth it."
"Ad", Noah came slowly out of the room sleep overpowering him.
"Hey, little man, did you behave?"
He nodded quickly.
"Let's get you upstairs so you can get back to sleep." I turned to Cade,
"We'll see you tomorrow, right?"
She shrugged, "We'll see."
(narration interupted by Mark Cohen...again chritmas eve, night)
"Well, I don't want Mark and Cade to feel left out."
"Maureen! How many times to do I have to tell you...I'm not Jewish...I'm Catholic, Christmas is my thing!"
"Sure, dear, whatever you say."
Cade sighed, came and plopped next to me, "Mark, Mark, Mark,"
"Cade, Cade, Cade" I mocked, "Maybe if you tell her you are Jewish, she'll believe you're Catholic."
She laughed. "We'll see. So what are you doing hold up in the corner...too Christmasy?"
I shook my head, "Naw, the kids were playing, I figured I'd get out of their way. There's too many people in here any way."
"You do realize their not going to hurt you, there not much they really could do, you've got four feet on them. If you would just get over your fear, you'd probably make a great dad."
My turn to laugh, "Roger and Collins are both here now, you should go give it to them..."
She smiled and ran off to the door where Roger and Collins had just brought in the take out we all chipped in to get. She led them out of the room.
(narration taken over by Collins)
Cade led Roger and I into the back room of her place. She pulled out two Cap'n Crunch boxes, one with each of our names on it.
"Here, um, I should explain, Mark showed me the movie he made, and I, well made these for you...kind of a thank you."
I opened my box as Roger opened his. They were carved candles. Each with amazing detail and the respective names of Angel and Mimi running down one side.
I felt like I had been punched in the gut. It meant a lot, and I knew that it was Angel pulling the strings.
Cade knew loss, but Roger and I knew ours was coming inevitably and she had no warning...but she still knew...and she cared with just the help of Mark's video.
...today for you...if you're cold and you're lonely...I'll Cover you
Okay, so there's that chapter, what'd you think...I'm not too happy with the ending, not exactly how I wanted it to go but...oh, I don't know, it just came out that way...so let me know what you think
Thanks to:
carsonheir: Noah is based of my off of my cousinany antics of Noah have probably actually happened...was this long enough or do you want longer...last chapter was really much more... it seemed to me less would be more for that.
Renthead: Thank you for reading and in an odd way I think Roger just kind of works as a dad, in really warped way...trust me fun to write.
Kelby: Yes, I think you do, but I can't read your mind. But if we're on the same page you do know.
BwayDiva: It just seemed what Mark would do...give him the credit. And I did go back and fixed the all the mistakes, I swear, but none of them seemed to take hold, the dash kept disappearing and the space didn't always work...I'm trying to figure it out.
Okay so theres three and to make sure we are all playing the same bagpipes...any description I give is based of the OBC...because, well, umm...because I said so. As I see it after Jonathan Larson these characters are theirs too...they were the one made them really come alive.