Chapter 12

Lula and I had learned about all we could from Gordy about dirty fighting and he began teaching us some martial arts. We liked to go to class about three times a week to work out and aggravate him. We think he would miss us if we stopped going. Grouchy would never admit it though. Lula was still trying to get the poor guy laid.

Greg and Bruce had finished studio sessions for an album and now he was doing sessions for another artist and trying to finish before a short U.S. and European tour that Bruce was planning to follow up the new album. Our wedding was going to fit right in between and some of our honeymoon was going to be later in Europe. Even though we didn't get to see each other every day, Greg's voice was the first I heard every morning and the last that I heard before I went to sleep at night.

We had at least two dates every week. One night we dressed up and went out some place different weekly with Greg always bearing flowers and a gift and the other night was our stay in and cuddle night. My life had become so calm and normal that during my time alone when I had time to think I began to wonder if my previous constant drama just wasn't a manifested expectation of the Burg, my family's disappointment in me and the wrong choices I constantly made in my life. I was by no means a Freud, more like a Watson and I think I definitely had something there.

A week before the wedding, Greg got a call to do a studio session with an artist in Los Angeles scheduled the day before the wedding. The artist promised him a ride back to Trenton on a private jet to get him to his nuptials on time. Greg reluctantly agreed to take the job.

We made love before he left to fly to L.A. "Two more days Steph and you're my woman and we're off for a long vacation and we're going to find us some cozy diggs when we get back. Anything you want sweetheart. I want to spoil you." He kissed me breathless.

"I'm a lucky guy and I love you."

"I'm a lucky lady Greg. Love you too. See you Saturday afternoon and don't be late buster." He hugged me and got out of the car and I watched him walk to the doors of the Newark airport and he turned and smiled and blew me a kiss.

Having more means than normal, I had chosen a simple strapless A-line Vera Wang silk gown in off white with a tiny train. It had a lace and beaded belt and I chose a veil to match the lace of the belt and length of the train. It was simple and beautiful. I let Lula, Connie, Mary Lou, and Greg's sister pick the style of dress they wanted to wear in shades of coral. I just stood firm with Lula that she couldn't pick neon or spandex.

Greg and his guys including Tank had picked simple black and white Ralph Lauren tuxedos. Greg and Tank had become strange friends and we spent time with Tank and Lula once every couple weeks. Greg loved Lula. Nobody could make him laugh like her. We had found a Catholic Church with a small but beautiful chapel to make our parents happy and I was currently waiting on my man to show before my mother declared the wedding ruined like a cold roast beef dinner.

It was almost one hour past the time for the wedding to begin and I was looking at my phone when there was a knock on the chamber door. Lula opened the door to Tank. His normal dark chocolate skin was about two shades lighter than the usual.

"Tank?" I slowly stood up.

"Bomber, I... have...some news about Greg." I clutched my chest as the air left me and I couldn't speak. "Little girl, his plane...went down two hours ago. Rescue workers just confirmed…" he just shook his head as one lone tear rolled down his face. The whole room gasped and everyone looked at me with horrified faces and my world began to spin and turn dark and then thankfully, I didn't feel or hear anything anymore.

I woke curled up in a strange bed and heard voices outside the room. I got up and walked out and looked at them. I was evidently in Ranger's apartment. He, Tank, Lester, and his medic Bobby were sitting in his living room. They turned and we just stared at each other as I walked in the room. I still had the veil on and it was irritating me. I reached up and pulled it off and dropped it. Then I kicked off my shoes and reached under my dress and pulled off the wedding garter and dropped it and then ripped the stockings and threw them. "Better." I headed to the door and out.

I hit the elevator button and waited. "Babe?" I held up my hand for him to stop. When the door opened I walked in and turned around and looked at him. "Looks like we're destined for the same end anyway. No future." The doors closed and I rode to the garage. Cal was there when I walked out of the elevator. "Can you give a girl a lift buddy?" He looked at me with soft sad eyes and nodded and walked to his SUV and opened the door. I hopped in and we rode to my apartment in silence. He went up and checked my apartment as they are all trained to do and came back. "Call me kid, if you need anything." I nodded at him. I pulled all the shades down and went to my bed and crawled in and curled up.

On the third morning, I was still curled up in my dress when the locks tumbled and I heard footsteps. "Good God Plum! We have our work cut out for us here. What's that smell? Somethin' die in here? What? No smart mouth? Get your ass up out of that bed. My students don't quit!" I rolled over and pulled my pillow over my head. Then he surprised me. He picked me up by the ass again and carried me to the bathroom and dropped me in the shower and turned the cold water on. I screamed and sputtered and cursed at him. "Damn You Gordon!"

"Finally! We got somethin'. Damn colorful language Plum. You could be a Marine. Shower yourself. You smell." Then he left me. I turned the water on warm and peeled off the sopping wedding dress and put my head under the spray. It actually felt good. I washed everything and wrapped a towel around me. When I walked into my bedroom, I saw Gordon had laid out a black suit and blouse and shoes. He looked at me and handed me a cup of coffee and said in a soft voice, "Closure Plum, everybody needs it."

"Will…you come with me?"

"Manoso is going with you."

"But…" He held up a hand.

"He's the one you need right now. Trust him and give him a chance. Sometimes it takes a God smack to see what an idiot you really are." He gave me an awkward kiss on the cheek and walked out of my bedroom and apartment.

I made like a robot and put my clothes on and put my hair in a ponytail. Today, I would have to face that Greg was dead and wasn't coming back, ever. The beautiful wedding dress would go in the garbage, the same place where the rest of my life resided again. I guess I'm not meant to have much happiness. Maybe futures are overrated and not worth the fight anyway. I was deep in thought when I heard a voice. "Babe?" He got down on his knee in front of me and took my hands. He was irritatingly handsome in his black designer suit. "You ready to go?" I nodded. He took my hand and led me out of the apartment.

TPD and Rangeman were working together covering security for the funeral because of the celebrities expected to attend and the media circus involved. Ranger never stopped touching me. Not when I had to speak with Greg's entire family, his friends, Bruce, and his band. I was numb. I remember nodding and whispering several thank you's and I remembered when the casket was lowered into the ground. I said where Ranger could hear me, "Well, I have experience at this now." Then I let go of his hand and got up from the chair sitting in front of the grave and walked away.

He followed me quietly to his car and opened the door for me. When we got to my apartment, I got out of his car as soon as it stopped and began walking to the building. I heard him walking behind me. "Goodbye Ranger. Thanks for the ride today." I opened my apartment and went to slam the door and Ranger caught it and walked in behind me.

He went in my bedroom and picked up my honeymoon suitcase and started out with it. "What are you doing? Put that down." He kept going with it and came back and went in my bedroom and grabbed another bag and my hand and pulled me toward the door.

"Let go of me. What the hell are you doing?"

"We're going to Miami for a few days. My housekeeper Ella packed your bags and took care of your dress and she is taking care of Rex." He locked my door and kept pulling me to the stairs and down.

"We are not going anywhere together. That's my honeymoon suitcase you took, you jerk. Put it back in my apartment and leave."

"Babe, I have already talked to your parents and Lula is going to let Connie and Mary Lou know where you are. Now I'm not going to argue with you. I will carry you on the plane if I have to. Get in the car please." He opened the car door. I growled at him and sat down in the seat.

I got out of the car and stomped up the stairs of the plane and nodded at Captain Kevin and Jack. Then I headed to the very back of the plane and sat down, hopefully as far away from Ranger as I could get. He came back to check on me and sighed and shook his head and walked back to the front of the plane.

We arrived in Miami and Ranger came back and unbuckled me and grabbed my hand and pulled me to the front of the plane and I nodded again at Kevin and Jack. He dragged me down the stairs to his car and opened the door and set me in while our bags were being removed and placed in the car.

We drove in silence to his house and got out. He got our bags and carried them to his room and I grabbed mine and dragged them down the hallway to another bedroom. I slammed the door and locked it. He picked the lock at dinnertime and came in with a tray. I kept the water bottle and set the rest outside the door.

I sat in the dark and looked out at the night sky and the ocean mostly and slept very little that night. Before the early light of the morning, I dug in my suitcase and found my jogging clothes and headed out. I put my head down and ran and ran. Finally, a shadow jogged up next to me. "Babe it's time to turn around." I kept running. He reached out and touched me and I reacted with anger. He grabbed my shoulder and I reached out and grabbed his hair and pushed my hand up and bloodied his nose and hit him in the Adam's apple and was going for his ribs and groin and knees when he began to counter the attacks. "Babe, your moves are good, but you forget who wrote the book."

He grabbed my hands and pulled them around his waist and pulled me to him and put his cheek to mine. I pulled back and looked into his face. "No. You're not going to take advantage."

"I'm not trying to take advantage. I care about you and I noticed you're not crying and not grieving. I just want to help you."

"Then let me go and let me go home."

I ran as hard as I could back to his house and went to the shower. I came out with a towel wrapped around me and he was lying on the bed. He got up and came to me and took my curls in his hands. "I love your wild curls. Do you have a comb and I'll help you comb it out?"

I groaned, "Do you? Can you excuse me?"

I went into the bathroom and began frantically pulling out drawers until I found what I was looking for. I took the scissors and began cutting close to my ears until all the curls lay around me on the floor and then I lay the scissors down and sat on the floor and breathed a sigh of relief.

TBC