AN: Welcome back, guys! Remember that the chapters will alternate between 1987 & 2010. The chapters are short now, but they'll get longer as we get more into the fic.
Lizzylillyrose, thank you for pre-reading and dealing with me on gchat when I get a new idea!
SparklingTwilight – Jersey – & ginginlee thank you for your super fast, super awesome beta job! You girls are so great
Chapter 2:
June, 2010
It was just as hot outside as I remembered, however, not as green. The drought must have really affected this area. I stood underneath the high covering of Exxon's gas station, taking advantage of the shade that the structure provided. I waited patiently for my Prius to fill up, finally taking notice of the drastic changes in this old, forgotten town. The fact that I wasn't using Buck's Stop n' Go to fill up my car was sentiment enough.
The entire strip of Highway 42 was painted with new shops, fast food joints, tanning salons, and I heard there was even a Super Walmart just up the road. I was impressed but disappointed at the same time – the originality of the small community I had spent my summer in all those years ago seemed to have just disappeared, replaced instead with chain restaurants and a CVS on every corner.
However, one thing stayed the same…good ol southern charm. I marveled at the way a young man held the door open for me as I stepped inside the station to pay for my gas. I said thank you and he replied with, "Yes, ma'am." Ma'am? I had to remind myself that people here called every woman that regularly, and that he didn't say it because I thought I was old. I wasn't old…right? Okay…I was old…forty years old, to be exact.
I released a big sigh as I stepped up to the counter, laying down cash for my gas and for a pack of Newports. Damn things cost me an arm and a leg. Might as well have handed them over my first born…except I never had one, so that kind of dismissed that saying.
"Anything else, ma'am?" the older lady behind the counter kindly asked.
"No, that's all, thanks," I mumbled, grabbing the change and stuffing it all in my purse. I tore off the wrapper of the cigarette pack and tossed it in the trash next to the pump as I got to my car. I was preparing to turn right on the highway when I finally lit one up, breathing in deeply, and a feeling of immediate relief flooding through my system. I didn't smoke too much anymore…trying to cut back, and all. I knew the effects it had on the system…I just didn't believe it when I got hooked on them when I was seventeen.
Oh, seventeen, what a bloody, fantastic age. It was the year that changed…well, everything.
I pulled up Uncle Charlie's old driveway, wincing at how the gravel was probably nicking the bottom of my silver car. It was exactly the same as when I had been there last; the sun beat down relentlessly, the white paint on his siding was chipped and worn, the field was cut short, and the sound of horses could still be heard from out back. I grabbed my bags from the trunk and climbed the stairs of his front porch, knocking on the screen door a few times before opening it slightly and sticking my head in.
"Uncle Charlie?" I called, listening intently for a response.
"Uncle Charlie?" I called again.
When I didn't get an answer a second time, I disregarded politeness, and I stepped into the old house. The wooden floors creaked beneath me, and the smell of cigarette smoke made me feel right at home. The furniture was exactly the same, arrangement and all; the plaid couch and torn recliner set in front of the fire place and a seriously outdated television. I checked the kitchen, noticing a growing pile of dirty dishes in the sink and an overflowing trash bin, but I didn't see the old man I had been searching for.
"Charlie?" I yelled up the stairs, climbing them finally and looking in the upstairs bedroom and washroom, but he wasn't there, either. I took a moment to look around the small room, though, memories of that summer flooding my mind. I shook my head from the thoughts, and a figure caught my eye from the window. It couldn't be…I ran right up to it, having a perfect view of the back field with the horses, and saw a man in overalls and cowboy boots walking a horse back into the stable. His back faced me, the wide shoulders looking all too familiar. My heart skipped a beat, suddenly racing. I left the room running, going down the stairs two at a time. The back door swung open, hitting the side of the house with my force, but I ignored it, my feet…my heart…carrying me over to the man in the stables.
I hopped the fence, surprised that after twenty some years I could still do that, and with staggered breathing, entered the stables, eyes searching.
"Uh, can I help you with something?" a male voice called out to me, and I whipped around.
"Edw…oh…um, hi."
The boy stood confused, looking at me as if I was insane.
"I'm Bella…I'm looking for Charlie," I mumbled, trying to hide my disappointment and save a little face.
"Bella? Oh right! Mr. Swan said something about you coming by. He ran up to the store for something."
"By himself? He drove up by himself! I thought he couldn't…"
"Um, no, he wasn't alone. Some guy came and got him. I don't know his name, but he comes by every Sunday and takes him to the store for, you know, groceries and shit."
"Oh…um, okay. I guess I'll just go inside and wait for him, then."
"He'll probably be a while…he just left a little bit ago."
I sighed and twisted my hair into a braid, bringing the thick strands off of my sweating neck. "Okay, thanks."
I headed back inside, much less enthusiastically than my runabout exit, and I headed back up to my room.
The thing was…Charlie was sick. When my mom called me last month, she filled me in best she knew, but the last I heard, he could barely walk on his own. He couldn't go anywhere without his oxygen tank, and his hands shook constantly. That was why I came down…he needed someone to take care of him, and since my mom was off living her life traveling the world, I was the only family he had.
I lifted my suitcase onto my bed and began to unpack my belongings. I wasn't sure how long I was staying for, but I was lucky my profession allowed me to go anywhere. I was a freelance editor. Reading books had always been my favorite hobby, and I was extremely lucky that I had a job doing something I loved, while having the freedom to travel and live where I wanted, on top of it.
After I had finished unpacking, I went back downstairs, tying up the trash and taking it out to the bin beside the house. I replaced the bag and got to work on the dirty dishes, next. From the look and smell of things, they were days, maybe even a week or two old. I scrubbed, soaked, and scrubbed some more. It was probably an hour later that I had it all done, and in that moment, I was especially glad I had come down to North Carolina. He needed me. I looked around the rest of the house again, cleaning as I went. I moved a load of his laundry and searched high and low for a dust rag to dust the house. I swept next, opening the front door to sweep the bits onto the porch since I couldn't find a dust pan.
I was exhausted from the long day of driving and cleaning, so I decided, since I was waiting, I had might as well take a nap. My old bed still squeaked as I climbed into it, and I fell into a deep sleep quickly. When I awoke, the sun had disappeared from the sky, leaving the room in complete darkness.
I blinked rapidly, while my eyes adjusted to the lack of light, and I had to remind myself where I was. I yawned, stretched, and crawled out of bed, opened the door to my room upstairs and made my way downstairs. I heard the television on, so I followed the sound and saw Uncle Charlie sitting in his old chair, oxygen tank sitting dutifully by his side. He looked up and smiled when he saw me, then attempted to stand. I quickly protested and walked swiftly over to where he was, leaning down and hugging him so he could stay seated in his chair.
"Hi, baby!" he greeted. "You look good, Bella, really good."
I laughed and sat on the couch, facing him. "You don't look too bad yourself, either, old man."
"Oh, you know me…trying to keep my looks up to standards to impress the women."
"Always a ladies' man."
"Got that right," he said, winking. "You know, you really didn't have to uproot your life to come take care of me. I'm perfectly fine on my own."
I scoffed, leaning back on the couch and crossing my legs. "You know I'm not doing this for you. I guess…after everything that has happened in my screwed up life…I just needed to be around family." It was partially the truth, anyway. I knew how Charlie valued his independence, and I wasn't staying with him to make him feel like he needed taking care of…even if he did.
"How is all that going, by the way?" he asked sadly.
"It's finally over. All the papers are signed, everything was 'divided equally.'" I laughed without humor.
"Divided equally, huh?"
"I didn't want any of it," I whispered sadly. "But, for the first time in my life, I couldn't be happier that we never had kids. I don't think I could drag them through this…"
"I'm proud of you, Bella. You made the right choice."
"Ah, yes…so they say."
"What do you have to say about it?"
"I wanted it to work…really, I did."
"Do you regret it?"
"Regret what? The marriage or leaving the cheating bastard?"
"Do you regret where you are now…who you are today?"
I thought about that for a moment, looking him in the eyes as I responded, "I don't know if regret is the right word, I just wish my life had turned out differently."
He smiled sadly. "Sometimes, I wish the same thing about my life."
"I'm glad I still got you, Uncle Charlie," I admitted honestly – he had always been there for me.
"As I am with you, Isabella."
We sat in silence for a few minutes as I reflected the disastrous events that had taken place in my life. It was funny, in a very not funny, ironic way, that a few very simple decisions could change the entire course of one's life. If only we would have known then…
I made dinner for myself and the old man, and after bringing it in on trays we ate in the living room with the TV on. Some sports-thing was playing – I honestly didn't understand why men felt the need to watch a sports talk show, when they themselves had just watched the game. Why did they need to talk about it? Oh well…there were some things in the world that I guess not everyone us was meant to understand.
When eleven o'clock rolled around, Charlie used his walker to go back to his bedroom and get ready for bed while I cleaned up the dishes and straightened up the house. Soon after, I clicked the TV off, turned out the lights, locked up the front door, and went to bed myself.
That night I dreamt about county fairs, riding horses…and strawberry wine.
…
I awoke the next morning with a start, sitting straight up and covering my ears. Some…incredibly annoying…beeping was screeching throughout the house, and I quickly scampered my ass out of bed, dressed in only my underwear and tank top, mind you, and I flew down the stairs.
"Uncle Charlie?" I yelled out, noticing the smoke filing out of the kitchen. "Charlie?" I yelled again, swatting at the smoke and walking into the gray mass cloud. Charlie was standing over a flaming oven.
"Charlie, get out!" I cried.
"Oh, hush, Bella, it's just a little smoke."
I ran over to the closet and got out the fire extinguisher and – as gently as I could – moved Charlie, who was trying to swat the smoke away with a dish rag, to the side and released the pin that allowed me to put out the fire. The poor oven was covered in white foam, but luckily, the fire was out.
I moved Charlie from the kitchen and got him outside to some fresh air.
"What the hell were you trying to do in there?" I yelled.
"Calm down, Isabella, I was just making breakfast."
I grunted and rubbed my eyes with my hands.
"Why are you naked?" he asked, just as a car honked its horn as it drove by. Ugh.
The smoke alarm was still going off, and I could hear the sirens as they made their way down the street. I groaned and stepped down off of the porch and sat on the grass beside the house, trying to get out of the way. Charlie simply sat on his porch swing.
"I'm taking it this happens fairly often?"
"Third time this week…"
"Great," I mumbled sarcastically.
He laughed at me. "Lighten up, Bella. The house is still standing. No harm done." His tone made him sound like he had ulterior motives, and the smirk that sat smugly on his face only encouraged my theory.
"What are you up to, Charlie?"
He looked at me with wide-eyes. "Are you accusing me of doing this deliberately?" he asked in mock-horror.
I rolled my eyes. "You are up to something…"
He shrugged right as the large red trucks pulled up on the lawn.
"Morning, boys," Charlie greeted, while I tucked my head into the nook between my knees as I sat on the ground. I wrapped my arms around my legs and held myself there.
"Is everyone okay, here?" a man asked. I lifted my head and nodded.
"I already put the fire out," I explained.
"We're just going to go in and check everything out."
"Be my guest," Charlie said happily.
A few more men with masks entered the house, and Uncle Charlie just looked out into the yard, whistling away, as we waited for them to come back.
"So what do you want to do today, Bells?" he asked without a care in the world after we had been sitting there for a little while.
"I have some work to do, but other than that I'll be free. I was thinking about doing some work around the house."
"What needs work on the house?"
"A paint job, some deep cleaning…"
"Psh," he dismissed. "You're always wanting to work, honey…just enjoy it. Go ride the horses, take a swim in the lake, just do some livin'."
"You sound like a cheesy country song," I said laughing.
"Welcome back to my neck of the woods there, darlin'," he relayed, pushing the thick accent.
I laughed out loud right as the men filed out of the house.
"Everything seems fine. Be more careful next time, Mr. Swan," one of the men said, shaking Charlie's hand.
"Thank you, gentlemen." He stood, and I stood along with him. They all nodded towards me and headed back to the truck. I went to go back into the house when Charlie held out his hand to stop me. "Wait for it…" he said.
"Wait for what?" I asked, confused.
"Alright, Charlie," a voice called as a man stepped out of the doorframe. "I put some of your box fans up and opened the windows…" He stopped mid sentence.
Holy shit.
Charlie stood grinning from ear to ear.
A smile slowly slid onto the man's face as his eyes took in my practically naked body.
"Wow," he began. "I can't believe it."
I stood there dumbfounded.
"You're looking really good, Bella," he drawled out slowly.
"Masen!" the boys called from the truck. "Let's go, buddy, clock's a tickin'!"
He smiled quickly before he bounded off towards the red engines. I turned around and watched as his form disappeared.
"You are one conniving old man, Charlie Swan," I mumbled seriously.
He went back to whistling and headed back inside the house as I stayed glued to my spot…watching in amazement as he drove away.
End Notes:
Up next: back to the Johnston County fair. Let's see just how great of a friend Edward Masen can be…
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