Chapter 5

Mother Duck

I found myself laying on my bed in the middle of the day looking at the paper with Happy's number on it. Should I call him? Carlos said I should. He thought it would be healthy for me to since I'd been hauled up in the house since I got here. What did he know?

It was getting pretty boring here though. I was starting work on Monday and had nothing to do this weekend. I hadn't even met anyone new here. Most of the people that lived near my grandma were older or red necks. Not what I'd pick for a social life.

So I just laid and asked myself over and over again if it would be worth it. I rubbed the top of Shelby's head. "What do you think girl? Should I call him?" She just rolled on her back inviting me to pet her belly. "Maybe I should since I've lowered myself to talking to my cat."

Rolling out of bed I headed to the living room to grab the phone. Grandma was in her room taking a 'nap', but in all actuality she really just laid in bed and read. After I got my calling card out of my wallet and sat in my big comfy chair and dialed out.

"Hello?" It was Happy's gruff voice that greeted me.

"Um… Hey. It's Alyssa."

"Oh hey. Didn't actually expect you to call.'

"Well Carl… I mean Juice talked me into it. And the fact that I just had a one sided conversation with my cat."

"Damn. It getting that bad?" I could swear he was laughing at me.

"Not really a bad thing. Just starting to run out of things to do inside. Winter weather up here ain't a pretty thing." It really wasn't. I had to go into town today to drop off a dvd at the Redbox and I was soaked just from walking from the parking lot.

"Tell me about it. Can't really do shit without freezing your balls off."

"I wouldn't know. So whatcha doing this weekend. I need to get out for awhile."

"Don't think I have anything planned. What do you want to do?"

"I could go for a drink. Haven't had one since I've been here."

"You know where Roy is?"

"Yeah." It was a town less than twenty minutes from me. Small place.

"There an old saloon type place there. They got good beer. Me and a few of the guys could meet you there. Koz likes the place."

"Cool. Sounds like a plan. Day and time?"

"Friday. Seven good for you?"

"Sounds great. Talk to yeah later."

"Late."

As soon as I had the phone hung up grandma came waltzing out of her room. "Well hello there little girl." She still called me a little girl even though I'd be twenty two in fifteen days time. "I was thinking about taking a walk today the weathers a bit nicer."

I jumped up from the chair not wanted to miss the opportunity to get out of the house. "I'll go change and get ready."

We started our walk around the neighborhood. It really wasn't that bad of a place. There were a few houses here and there that really were kept up, but it was good for the most part. Tall evergreens stood everywhere. Even though it was cold out we decided to head down to the lake.

It only took us about a five to ten minute walk to get down there. Walking around brought back many memories of my childhood. Like when my best friend at the time, Brandon, and I found a pair of dogs roaming around and brought them home. Or the time I lost my seventy dollar sneakers I had to have after a hula hoop contest at the park. I missed being young and not caring about anything but having a good time.

Now I was stuck with stressing about my health and how I was going to pay the bills. So easily we forget how to let things run off our shoulders. Children want to grow up so quickly and I would do anything to go back to that care free life style.

Once we got to the lake we walked out to one of the two docks. I remember the summer they had to rebuild this one. A storm had destroyed it. That summer Brandon, his brother, and I had accidentally kill a mother duck. We honestly didn't mean to. We were just trying to catch it, but when we did we were holding it by the neck and it thrashed around eventually breaking it.

I cried. I think I was about ten. I felt bad for the four babies that were left behind. So that summer I had spent everyday with either Brandon or by myself at the lake with the ducklings feeding them bread. I think they thought I was their mother because they used to follow me around whenever I was down there and would hide in the reeds when I wasn't.

The men rebuilding the dock called me 'Mother Duck.' I would help them out by swimming out and bringing them the rope or whatever they'd need with my little ducks right behind me. It really was quite a sight.

Now I stood at the end of that vary dock looking out at the mountains and green trees. "It really has been to long hasn't it Grams." She was standing right behind me checking out a house that had recently been built.

"Yes it has. It's a lot more crowded in the summer. That's when you'll start meeting more people." She said to me. She had been worried about me being cooped up since I'd been here. That was just like her. Always worrying about everyone else when she had much bigger things to worry about.

I let out a breathe and watched it make a cloud in front of me. "Yeah. I will. Don't worry about that." We turned to leave and start our walk back to the house.

Climbing the hill to go back to the main gate was hard for her so I held her hand as we went up. For almost being eighty she was pretty active. I could only hope to have her energy when I was that old. Probably go crazy before I turned fifty. That what Rob would always say to me…. Ass.

"I'm going out on Friday." I said to her absently.

"Oh really? Where to?" She seemed genuinely surprised.

"To that place in Roy you used to take me when I came to visit." I still had a picture of me dressed up in my dad's old leather jacket and my cowboys boots. We would go 'honky Tonkin' as Grandma would call it.

"That's just great. I wish I could still go dancing like I used to. I just haven't been able to since my surgery." About two years ago she had a partial spinal fusion on her lower back. She was so excited to show me her scar when I seen her in Santa Barbara at my aunt's house last March. It was pretty impressive.

"Don't know if there'll be much dancing. Meeting up with a guy I met on the way up here. The one from Tacoma the other day. Carlos talked me into going."

"Good good." she patted my hand as she talked.

Soon enough we were back to the house and talking our jackets and sweaters off. No sooner were we inside it started raining. "Glad we went out when we did."

Okay so I didn't get this chapter as long as I'd hoped. I kind of wanted to do the meet up in Roy as it's own chapter. Originally it was going to be part of this one as well, but I change my mind.

Happy reading and please review!