The Undertaking of Adam Novak

by Sofie Hern

–

  Jingle Bell Rock is playing overhead. The aisles are decorated with a Christmas theme. As she expected, the store is crowded, which allows her to blend in. She walks the aisles, looking around, but keeps her head down, in case the cameras catch her.

  She knows exactly what she’s looking for and goes to the appropriate aisle where she picks up a box of latex gloves. She needs to pick up something else to avoid any attention and grabs a bag of chocolates.

  As she makes her way to the checkout, she spots one of the other items on her list and figures if she gets it here, she doesn’t have to go to Wal-Mart and deal with the crowds there. She looks around and sees an elderly woman picking up a pack of plastic cups in the same aisle. Once the woman leaves, Irene grabs the turkey baster and goes to the cash register.

  She tries her hardest not to appear nervous. She soon has the irrational thought that the cashier might have the ability to read minds and know exactly what she’s up to. You’re losing it, Irene, she thinks, and shakes her head. Her heart is pounding as the cashier scans her items. He’s a bit too cheerful for a Monday morning, but she’s glad he’s not asking any questions.

  –

  “First two items? Check,” she says and smiles as she puts the bag in the back seat then gets in her car. She exhales and rests her head back, giving her heart a moment to slow down. Boy, what a rush!

  She takes her phone out of her purse to search for the nearest auto parts store. She gets the address and follows the GPS instructions. She knows that purchasing the items at different locations will make it more difficult to track down, should an investigation ensue. She’s confident that her plan is going to work exactly as planned. She’s in control now, and nobody can fuck up her plans this time. Still, she needs to think of everything.

  Periodically she checks her phone and is angry when she finds nothing from Adam. The sun peeks through a cloud and she puts on her sunglasses. Traffic on this side of town is much lighter, mostly because those who were heading for work are already there, as are most school kids.

  She tries to keep it together and fears she may chicken out. She hates the feeling of knowing she’s about to do something horrible.

  –

  She recalls the time when her brother’s dog, Max died. He was an old Golden Retriever and all it did was mope around the house with its head down. Irene was only a child, ten, maybe eleven-years-old. She was in the kitchen peeling an orange when Max walked up to her, begging for food.

  Irene hated that stupid dog because it never liked her. The dog approached with its head down, dropping slobber everywhere. She remembers the sound its head made when she kicked it as hard as she could. She remembers the thrill, the feeling that she had that power over the dog. But Max stopped moving and her panic kicked in. She left the kitchen and when her brother came home, he found the dead dog on the floor

  Her brother buried the dog in the back yard and Irene felt great knowing she had a secret. No one ever asked what happened, the old dog simply stopped living.

  –

  To make matters worse, when she turns on the stereo so she can focus on something else, one of Jordyn’s favorite songs is playing and her heart sinks “…I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife…” says the song and Irene quickly turns it off.

  “Keep it together, Irene,” she whispers.

  Finally, she arrives at her destination. She pulls into the shopping center of the Napa Auto parts and once again parks as far away from the entrance as possible, in case any security cameras are recording.

  –

  Her sneakers squeak with each step she takes on the polished floor. The sound of jingle bells from the music annoys her. She’s never really liked the whole season of joy and crap.

  Again, she knows what she’s looking for. She walks about half the store until she comes across her item and picks up a gallon. She studies it and smiles, then walks the rest of the store. She picks up a four-pack of air fresheners and for her bonus project, a can of black spray paint. She becomes nervous once again as she makes her cash transaction then walks out.

  –

  “Final item? Check,” she whispers.

  Smiling, she throws the bag in the back seat and gets in the car and drives the forty-five minutes back home.

  As she drives, she’s starting to feel more relaxed and hopes to remain this way. She needs to make one additional stop to get the last items on her list, but for that, she only has to go to her local Walgreens where she often purchases this specific item so no one will be suspicious.

  The drive back is quick and she’s glad that the store is mostly deserted. No one pays her much attention and she grabs the sleeping pills and to avoid suspicion, a box of tea. As with the rest, she pays in cash and walks out of the store feeling great for completing her scavenger hunt.

  –

  She sits in the car in her driveway thinking that Adam will soon be home with her, consoling her and they will be happy together forever. Knowing that she no longer has to share his love with anyone makes her happy and gives her the courage she needs to proceed. With the boy and Jaycob already in California, she doesn’t have to worry about them ever again.

  She’s deep in thought when her phone rings. She doesn't recognize the number and thinks it might be Adam calling from California but is shocked when she hears Levy’s voice.

  “Hey.”

  For a moment Irene panic, but then recalls that she has done nothing wrong. To the contrary, it was he who went squealing to Ken.

  “What?” she says.

  “I just wanted to check-in.”

  “Why did you tell Ken about the accident?” She hopes to sound angry and not as scared as she is.

  “Chill, he ain’t gonna say shit. We talked about doin’ business together. I told him so he knows what I’m willing to do. He was impressed with my ability to get away.”

  She isn’t sure he’s being truthful. “Don’t count your chickens, Lee. The boy is in California.”

  “What the fuck? Why?”

  “To recover. And… if he talks, well, you’re screwed.”

  “Where is he?”

  “LA, they’re staying at a friend’s while the boy recovers.”

  “How the fuck do you know this?”

  “I have my sources. That boy is going to be trouble for you, you know that, right?” She hopes that her words scare him. “If you’re hoping to do business with Ken, you might need to fix what you fucked up.”

  She gives him as much information as she can, hoping that he’ll get the courage to finish what they started.

  4

  ADAM

  I spent the night with Aaron as Dr. Barksdale will be performing surgery first thing in the morning. I slept on the sofa and when I open my eyes, I see that the sun is barely coming up.

  I stretch and I’m surprised at how well I slept. Although the nightmares continue, the sofa is surprisingly comfortable. I sit up and rub my eyes, then take my phone from the table to check the time, then see a message from Rita and I smile.

  –Good morning! Hope you guys are good. Big day today, let me know how everything goes.

  I put the phone back on the table and go to the restroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. I check on Aaron, who is still sleeping and I look at him for a moment, reminiscing about all that has happened. We lost Tianna nearly five weeks ago, but it feels longer with so much happening.

  My thoughts go to Rita once again and I wonder what she’s doing, what time she goes to work and if she thinks about me too. I smile like an idiot and realize Aaron is awake, looking up at me.

  “Hey, buddy. How do you feel?”

  “Good.”

  “Nervous?”

  “No way, I’m so ready!” he says making me laugh, then I help him sit up. Dr. Barksdale is pleased that Aaron’s core is still strong, which is a good sign. I sit at the edge of his bed, facing him. “I’m so proud of you, Aaron, and I know your mom is, too. I know she’s going to be with you through
it all.”

  “I miss her.”

  “I do too.”

  Then a nurse walks in. “We need to take him to the prep room.”

  I rise and the nurse proceeds to unhook the machines and then an orderly walks in and I approach Aaron.

  “You’re gonna be okay,” I tell him and he smiles then he’s rolled away.

  I go to sit on the sofa in the lounge, leaving the door open. I lean my head back, taking a deep breath. Please let him be okay.

  My phone rings. It’s Rita, and my heart flutters.

  “Hey, Rita.”

  “Good morning! How is he?”

  “He was just taken in for prep,” I say as Jaycob walks in, followed by Howard. They stop and wait in Aaron’s side of the room, to give me some privacy.

  “Ah, man! I was hoping to catch him before they took him.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “No worries. I should have called earlier. How are you guys?”

  I go to stand by the window, looking out as the city continues its daily struggle with traffic. I am still bothered by how I feel about Rita and shake my head.

  “It's really warm here,” I say, finally.

  “Lucky!” she says and we laugh.

  We continue to talk for a few minutes and I’m glad to learn that she’s planning a visit for Christmas. The more I talk to her, the stronger my feelings are becoming and the more scared I feel. I can’t fall for her. For one thing, she’s married and that’s a big no-no. Secondly, I still love Tianna. Right? And lastly, I’m still married to Irene. Yes, maybe I’m making excuses, but they are valid. I have to relax and push these thoughts and feelings far, far away.

  When we finish talking I go to greet Jaycob and Howard.

  “Thanks for coming,” I say to Howard.

  “No problem, man… how are you?”

  “Nervous but also hopeful. A mix, really.”

  “I’m going down for coffee,” says Jaycob, offering but I decline.

  When he’s gone, I invite Howard to the lounge and we sit on the sofa. The awkwardness continues, but when we get to talking, it slowly disappears.

  “Once again, thanks for this,” I say and he nods. I lean back on the sofa resting my head.

  “I know we haven't talked in a long while,” he begins. “But I still consider you a great friend, Adam. And… yeah, we both acted like jackasses, but that was long ago and—”

  “I fucked up, Howard. I was angry and…” I shake my head. “She made me believe it happened. I was so fucking stupid and I’m sorry that I believed her or that I didn’t talk to you first, get your side.”

  He’s quiet for a long moment and then puts a hand on my shoulder.

  “Let's move on, Adam.”

  I nod.

  “I’m sorry about Tianna though,” he says shaking his head.

  “It’s been rough.”

  “Did you guys ever talk about it again? About… you know…”

  I shake my head. “It was what it was and there was nothing I could have done differently. She knew how I felt and that was that.”

  Jaycob walks in and I’m afraid he might have heard us.

  He takes his coffee to the table and sits in silence, looking at his phone. I worry about him. He’s mostly keeping to himself and I have no idea how to help or talk to him.

  “Doing okay, Jake?”

  He nods.

  “I told Jake about a job opening at the station. Gonna put in a word for him and hopefully get him in,” says Howard.

  “And he also told me about going to school, like for broadcasting and shit?” says Jaycob, finally animated. We then get into a discussion about different radio programs and the more we talk the better I feel, especially seeing Jaycob opening up.

  –

  After a while, I leave the room and go out to the waiting area for coffee and to call Charles. I give him the latest and he says he’s praying that everything goes well. I then call Jordyn.

  “Dad!” she exclaims and I smile.

  “How are you, sweetheart?” I sit on one of the chairs, glad to be alone. I can hear that she’s at school already.

  “I’m good, how’s Aaron?”

  “He’s doing well. They just took him in for surgery.”

  “I miss you guys,” she sounds sad and a lump in my throat appears.

  “Miss you too, kiddo. But don’t forget that I’m going to get you and bring you here for Christmas for a few days.”

  “Can’t wait!” she says and I hear a bell ringing in the background.

  “I have to go.”

  “We’ll talk later, okay?”

  “Okay, dad.”

  I end the call then get my mini-coffee and head back to the room where we spend the next couple of hours talking.

  We tell Howard about Aaron’s accident and that we are sure that Levy had something to do with it. He offers his help and says we should definitely start looking into it. If in fact, Levy is responsible, then he needs to be found and held accountable. Though we are confident that Aaron will walk again, what Levy did was wrong. In the end, we decide that once Aaron is out of surgery, we need to talk to Thomas, the private investigator from Henderson.

  –

  By the time the doctor announces that surgery is finished, I’m feeling much more comfortable around Howard. Dr. Barksdale walks into the lounge where we are sitting and stands in front of us with her hands in her pockets. “Surgery was a success,” she announces and the three of us exhale with relief and exchange a series of high-fives.

  She tells us exactly what was done. “We have successfully stabilized his spinal structure. We had to remove pieces of his vertebrae that were embedded in his spinal cord which caused most of the damage on impact. We then had to re-align his spine by inserting rods and screws to help support it. There were two discs pressing against the spinal cord which we were forced to remove.”

  All the information sounds scary, but I’m relieved that they fixed the problem as far as stabilizing his spine. I realize that there is more work to be done and that Aaron’s uphill battle is just getting started. Dr. Barksdale says that he will still have to wear the halo until his spine heals, at least for a few weeks and he will start physical therapy soon thereafter. She also said that they’ll be removing the cast in the next coming weeks.

  “Will he walk again?” asks Jaycob.

  The doctor looks at us for a moment and is at this point that I know she’s ready and eager to answer.

  “The damage wasn't as severe as we anticipated and with the right treatment and physical therapy, I'm quite certain that Aaron will walk again.”

  Again, we all exhale in relief at the same time.

  “How long with that take? When can he start walking?” Jaycob asks again.

  “He’ll have to be in a wheelchair for a few weeks. Once he starts physical therapy we’ll have a better idea of a time frame.

  “He will need professional care for a few weeks when he leaves the hospital and through his recovery.”

  We all nod. “We’ll get whatever he needs,” says Howard.

  “Perfect. He’ll be brought back here in a few minutes.”

  Jaycob and I hug, Howard and I shake hands and then I call Rita, Charles, Jordyn, and Nurse Beth, in that order, to share the great news.

  5

  IRENE

  Irene is becoming more and more nervous as time goes by but is ready for her big night. Jordyn arrives home sometime after 7:30 p.m. after spending the evening at Karina’s doing homework.

  Irene is in the family room looking through a fashion magazine and hears the door open. Her heart sinks because she knows the time has come.

  “Mom, I’m back,” announces Jordyn, peeking in the family room.

  Irene smiles, “Good.”

  Jordyn looks at her mom suspiciously, making Irene nervous. “I have a bit more homework so I’ll be in my room.”

  Irene smiles and Jordyn goes upstairs.

  When she hears the door to her r
oom close, Irene puts the magazine on the table, takes a deep breath and exhales.

  “Here we go,” she whispers and walks up to Jordyn’s room.

  –

  With a shaky hand, she knocks on the door.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m going to make you a milkshake before you go to bed.”

  Jordyn opens the door and says, “It’s alright, mom. I’m not hungry.”

  Irene smiles and caresses her daughter’s cheek.

  “I have been a jerk of a mother lately and… I want to make things right with us. Please, honey?”

  Jordyn nods and smiles, “Okay. Thanks, mom.”

  Irene smiles and walks back downstairs. Jordyn usually goes to sleep late, most of the time she stays up until after midnight which gives Irene plenty of time.

  “For Adam,” she reminds herself. Did he really think that Irene was going to allow him to take the girl to California for Christmas and not her? It stops here. Tonight, she thinks.

  She grabs her bag from the family room and takes the sleeping pills then goes to the kitchen.

  –

  She has not done any cleaning in days and the sink is full of dirty dishes but she doesn’t care. She takes out the milk from the refrigerator, a few ice cubes from the freezer and puts them in the blender. She then adds a banana, a few strawberries, and some chocolate syrup.

  She takes five pills from the box, puts them on the counter and starts grinding them to a perfect powdery consistency and then adds them to the blender. She takes a deep breath, turns on the blender and lets it run for a few seconds until she feels everything is incorporated and then shuts it off. From the cupboard she takes a glass and pours the contents from the blender into it, leaving nothing behind.

  –

  Once again her heart starts to pound uncontrollably as she makes her way up to Jordyn’s room and knocks on the door.

  “Can I come in?”

  Jordyn opens the door and Irene steps inside.

  “Here you go, honey. Drink up,” she says and gives Jordyn the glass.

  Jordyn places it on the desk while she takes her notebooks out of the backpack and Irene sits on the bed.