Chapter 406: SoHo
Thursday, February 9th, Evening
(Song Lyrics in Italics)
In the scheme of dates, this had to be the strangest one Fallon on been on. At least in recent times. She sat in the passenger seat and looked out the window. New York City was always amazing at night; even in the winter rain that fell on the Uber, they rode in. Fallon knew they were some were in lower Manhattan, probably on their way to some out-of-the-way restaurant.
Fallon noted they passed Houston Street, heading south; that meant they were in SoHo. The Uber they rode in slowly came to a stop about midblock.
I've been loving you a long time
Down all the years, down all the days
And I've cried for all your troubles
Smiled at your funny little ways
We watched our friends grow up together
And we saw them as they fell
Some of them fell into Heaven
Some of them fell into Hell
Grant turned to look at Fallon. "We're here," he said.
"Where is here?" Fallon asked.
"SoHo," Grant said.
"Soho? Why are we in SoHo?" Fallon asked.
"We're checking in on someone," Grant said and got out of the Uber, opening an umbrella as he headed for the sidewalk.
"Okay," Fallon said as they climbed out of the Uber. Standing on the sidewalk, Fallon looked over the building. Grant settled in next to Fallon.
"Nice building," Grant said.
Fallon nodded, "Yes, it is," she said. The building was one of those old SoHo old Industrial Buildings with cast-iron façade. So, they were in an old building in a gentrification section of the city. So, whoever they were visiting had money.
I took shelter from a shower
And I stepped into your arms
On a rainy night in Soho
The wind was whistling all its charms
I sang you all my sorrows
You told me all your joys
Whatever happened to that old song?
To all those little girls and boys
"Well, let's go," Grant said.
"Where are we going?" Fallon asked.
"Inside," Grant said.
"Okay," Fallon said and followed Grant inside the building. Inside the building, Grant closed the umbrella and shook the excess water off of it. He looked at Fallon and held his arm out, gesturing to climb the stairs. Fallon was glad she wore chunky heeled boots tonight. They even gave her a few more inches in height. At least they held up to walking up the stairs.
They finally arrived at the door. Grant was looking for. Fallon caught up, and she studied Grant. He nodded and looked at the door.
"Who lives here?" Fallon asked.
"Alex Grasland," Grant said.
"Why are we here?" Fallon asked.
"Since the Waldenberg Show was canceled, she's not been doing well. Alex, well. She has been hiding away, and I wanted to check on her," Grant said, knocking on the door.
"You're a good friend," Fallon said.
"Among other things," Grant said and knocked on the door again.
After a bit of a wait, Grant finally reached into his pocket for a set of keys. Looking through the keys, Grant found one and unlocked the door.
"You have keys to Alex's apartment?" Fallon asked.
"Who do you think takes care of her…." Grant said, paused, then said, "plants."
"You take care of her plants?" Fallon asked in disbelief.
"Among other things," Grant said and pushed the door open.
The loft apartment had the lighting of a cheap horror movie. The sound of the raindrops beating against the multi-paned windows helped set that horror ambiance. There wasn't supposed to be lightning tonight, though. Fallon could see the place looked once well maintained in the low light but seemed to have recently slipped. Most fittings and furnishings seemed to be high-end, well made, and in the industrial style. One thing was true to Fallon's eyes, Alex Grasland had money; how much and by what means was still unclear. Chances are it wasn't through art alone.
Sometimes I wake up in the morning
The ginger lady by my bed
Covered in a cloak of silence
I hear you talking in my head
I'm not singing for the future
I'm not dreaming of the past
I'm not talking of the first time
I never think about the last
"Alex!" Grant yelled, which echoed against the high ceilings.
"Onkel Grant?" a voice echoed from the lofted area. Fallon and Grant turned to where the voice came from. In the dim light, a vague outline of a child could be seen.
"Ger, where's your mom?" Grant asked.
"Up here, Onkel Grant," the voice said.
"Follow me," Grant said to Fallon. Fallon nodded and followed Grant up the metal stairs to the loft. At the top of the stairs, they were greeted by a blonde-haired boy around Wyatt's age.
"Onkel Grant," Ger said and hugged Grant.
"Ger, where's your mom?" Grant asked again.
"On the couch, she's been there most days," Ger said.
"Thank you," Grant said and turned off into the low light. Fallon shrugged and followed Grant, with Ger right behind her.
Finally, Fallon found Grant standing over Alex. The artist was sitting on the couch staring blankly into the darkness; a cigarette hung from her lips. From what Fallon could tell, it wasn't her first, based on the overflowing ashtray in front of her.
Alex wore a kimono-inspired robe, and for the first time, Fallon could see her bare arms. Along the inside of her arm were many pinprick scars, like an old dot-to-dot along her pale skin.
"Alex, it's me, Grant," Grant said.
"They went nuts," Alex said softly and almost unintelligently.
"Who went nut?" Grant asked.
"The world, they forgot about me, Ger, and Kora," Alex said.
"What are you talking about?" Grant asked.
"Why did they pick the fight?" Alex asked.
"Are you talking about the show?" Grant asked.
Fallon shook her head, step forward, and picked up the taller artist. "C'mon, Alex, you need a shower and your bed," Fallon said.
Alex didn't protest as Fallon got her moving. Fallon stopped them and looked back to Grant. "Could someone show me around here?" she asked.
"Ger, help her out," Grant said.
"Okay, Uncle Grant," Ger said and went to show Fallon where to go.
While Fallon took care of Alex, Grant went around cleaning up the place. He also discreetly looked around to see if Alex was hiding anything. Grant had made some headway when Fallon finally returned.
"How's Alex?" Grant asked.
"Sleeping; Ger fell asleep next to her," Fallon said.
"He's a good kid," Grant said.
"Seems that way," Fallon said, "What does he call you anyway?"
"Onkel Grant," Grant said, "Alex taught him that. It just means Uncle Grant."
"Awe! That's cute because you're close to his mom?" Fallon asked.
Grant scrunched up his face and bobbed his head. "No, because I'm his uncle."
"So, Ger is your brother's son?" Fallon asked.
Grant shook his head, "No, sister's," he said.
Fallon looked at Grant. "Now, I'm confused," she said.
"Alex is Ger's adopted mother. My sister didn't want my parents or brother to get Ger. So, that's how Alex ended up with Ger," Grant said.
"I can't get two plus two to equal four here," Fallon said.
Grant sighed, "The cliff notes are Alex comes from some rich conservative family. She's the baby and a bit indulged. She was going to art school when she met my brother," Grant said.
"The track marks?" Fallon asked.
"Yeah, that's my brother's doing," Grant said, "I don't know why or how, but he started on shooting up, and I'm not sure if it was Alex that introduced it to him or vice-versa. What I do know was somehow my sister got into the mix too."
During their talking, they took seats on the couches. Fallon looked at Grant. "Tell me about your sister," she said.
"She was the baby and was spoiled," Grant said, "My mother sent her to college to get her MRS. Well, she was a bit of a free thinker and took art classes. One summer, she followed her har favorite band on tour."
"What was her favorite music?" Fallon asked.
"My sister was a metalhead," Grant said.
"Nothing wrong with that," Fallon said, "So, is Ger's dad in the picture?"
Grant shook his head, "We don't even know who he is," he said.
"So, how does Alex factor into the whole Ger situation?" Fallon asked.
"Soon after Alex met my sister, she left my brother and started seeing my sister," Grant said, "As you could see, Alex and my family has a complex relationship."
"That's just relationships," Fallon said, "Your sister died."
Grant nodded, "Yeah, Ger was little, and my sister OD'ed," Grant said.
"Oh wow!" Fallon said.
Grant shrugged, "Alex and my sister had broken up by then. It surprised Alex that she got Ger," Grant said.
"What was Alex muttering when we came in?" Fallon asked.
"I've not a clue," Grant said.
"Yeah," Fallon said and made a face.
"You've been understanding; a lot of people run away when they hear about my brother and sister," Grant said.
"My oldest sister had a drug problem, pills though," Fallon said.
Grant nodded, "Yeah, Alex has been clean for about a half a dozen years now," he said.
"So has Chase," Fallon said, "For probably multiple decades now."
Grant and Fallon nodded, sat there, and waited, listening to the sounds of the rain hitting the windows.
Now this song is nearly over
We may never find out what it means
Still there's a light I hold before me
You're the measure of my dreams
The measure of my dreams
