River Town Box Set

by Grant C. Holland

  In an awkward, strangled tone of voice, Puck said, “Of course.” Ross reluctantly handed Addie to Ellen. Addie began to fuss and sobbed softly as she left the familiar arms.

  Ross nervously glanced over his shoulder while Myron wandered into the rest of the living room and dining area.

  Puck said, “Why don’t you both have a seat? Ross is making dinner.” He gestured toward the couch.

  While bouncing Addie to try and quiet her, Ellen said, “Oh, we can’t stay long. We were in the area, and I just wanted to say hello to sweet Addie. It has been far too long.”

  Watching Addie, Ross instinctively reached into his pocket for his keys. He frowned thinking Ellen looked like she was holding onto a foreign object. He wanted to speak, but he held his tongue to avoid causing trouble for Puck.

  Puck whispered, “It has been too long.”

  With another quick glance over his shoulder, Ross saw Myron inspecting a bouquet of roses in a vase on the dining table. He held out his keys and jangled them near Addie. The fussing stopped.

  Ellen asked, “Are we welcome to visit in the future when we can stay longer? We weren’t completely sure we would be welcome.”

  Myron stepped back into the living room as Puck said, “You are her grandparents.”

  “Of course we are. And we’re Miranda’s parents. It was a horrible tragedy. I wake up at night sometimes in tears. Don’t I, Myron?”

  Myron stepped up beside her, wrapped an arm around her waist, and said, “Yes, you do. It is awful.”

  Ross couldn’t recall ever hearing two people speak about such a horrific tragedy with so little emotion in their voices.

  Ellen turned in his direction for a moment and then held Addie out to Puck. “I think she wants her father.”

  Puck wrapped Addie in his arms while Ross continued to jangle his keys. She nestled her head into Puck’s shoulder with a smile on her face.

  Myron whispered in Ellen’s ear. Then he turned to the two men. “We’ll be going for now.”

  “Thank you for your hospitality,” added Ellen as they both turned toward the door.

  Ross said, “Uh, good meeting you?” He pushed the door shut behind them and turned around leaning his back against the door as if to prevent any other unwelcome intrusions. In a voice of exasperation, he asked, “What the fucking hell was that?”

  Puck shook his head while rubbing Addie’s back. She was softly cooing against his shoulder. He said, “That was Miranda’s parents. That was my former in-laws. Surely your parents are better than that.”

  Ross shrugged. “Well, they aren’t perfect, but yeah, Ellen and Myron set the bar pretty damn low. They are the ones who have never seen Addie before? The ones who haven’t been in contact since the funeral?”

  Puck nodded. “That’s them, and before you get any more upset than you already are, I’m sorry for introducing you as a friend. They caught me off guard.”

  “I don’t care about that. Who knows what the Stepford couple might do if they knew the truth. Damn!” Ross wandered over to the dining room table. “And what was Lurch looking for over here?”

  “Who knows. He always gave me the creeps. Miranda said he barely talked when she was growing up. One time he caught her kissing a boyfriend in her bedroom, and he stared for about thirty seconds, said, ‘Stop that,’ and left the room. She said she tried to stay out of his way.”

  “Shit!” exclaimed Ross. “I think this is what he was looking for.”

  Puck peered over the back of the sofa. “What’s such a big deal?”

  “This card. I forgot about it. I didn’t throw it away because I’m keeping a collection at home. This one from you is particularly sweet.”

  “He looked at the card?”

  “I’m sure he did. I saw him staring down at the table by the flowers.”

  “What does it say? I mean, I wrote it, but that was a couple of days ago. I figured we’d take the flowers to your place on Friday night.”

  Ross read the words. “For Ross, my love forever and ever, Puck. Damn, it makes me tear up when I read it out loud.”

  “Well, that kind of spells it out, doesn’t it?”

  Ross made a brief stop at the kitchen stove looking into a pot before making his way over to the couch to sit beside Puck and Addie. “What do you think they’re up to?”

  “I don’t know. I guess they finally felt guilty enough to say hello to their granddaughter. I haven’t seen them since Miranda’s funeral.”

  Ross kicked his feet up on the couch and laid his head back on Puck’s lap. He wanted to put the unexpected visit behind them even though it made his blood run cold in his veins. “Let’s forget it for now and have a good evening. I’ve got a fine dinner cooking for us, and I’m hoping for a little dessert later.”

  Puck reached down and rubbed his hand on Ross’s chest. He deftly unbuttoned two buttons of the shirt and slipped a hand inside to enjoy the warmth of the skin beneath. “So what’s cooking for dinner? It smells like pork or beef. I’m always bad at figuring out what’s cooking from the smells.”

  “My grandma’s recipe for pot roast. If we handle it like she did, we should have at least three lunches worth of meat after eating tonight.”

  Puck laughed. “Don’t talk about the leftovers until we’ve had the first round of food.”

  Ross rolled his head back and looked up at Puck. He said, “I think we should take Addie to a beach sometime this summer.”

  “In Minnesota?”

  “Nothing requires us to stay in the state. We could pack everything up in the car and head south, or east to Lake Michigan. At a minimum, we could show her Lake Calhoun in the cities.”

  “Are you trying to raise a mermaid?”

  “Much much better than a mermaid. I’m trying to help raise nothing less than the perfect child.”

  Puck pinched one of Ross’s nipples causing a yelp in response. “I’m glad you’re not putting any pressure on her or us. Being a good dad is going to be a cinch, right?”

  Ross nodded. “Feed her well. Let her play. Show her the fun of nature, and then let her watch you. She can’t find a better example of a great person.”

  20

  Ellen

  In retrospect, Puck thought the timing was uncanny. It was the first weeknight in nearly a month that Ross didn’t stay over. He was working late on a project for Diego and said that he might have to get up very early the next morning. Despite Puck claiming a few hours in bed together was better than none, Ross opted to spend the night at his own apartment.

  At 7:00 p.m., Puck was startled by the ringing of his doorbell. He was lying on the couch with Addie in his arms watching TV. After struggling to stand and cradling Addie against his shoulder, he was startled to find Miranda’s mother at the door.

  “Ellen! This is the second unannounced visit. Did you lose my phone number? And where is Myron?”

  “May I come in?”

  “Of course. I was relaxing with Addie. We’re having a quiet evening together. Why are you in the neighborhood?”

  She narrowed her eyes slightly. “Perhaps you could be somewhat more polite in greeting. That would set a good example for the little one.”

  “I’m as polite as necessary considering all of the circumstances. I suggest you tell me the reason for the visit. If you all you wanted was to see Addie, take a quick look. I’ll be putting her to bed soon, and I don’t like to disrupt her schedule. A baby with a consistent sleeping schedule is a happy, healthy baby. That’s what Dr. Merton tells me.”

  “This visit isn’t about seeing Addie, although it is always a pleasure to see my granddaughter. I want to speak with you, Gerald. I can wait for you to put the baby to bed.” She gestured toward a chair in the living room. “May I sit?”

  Puck frowned. “Sure. Suit yourself. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He carried Addie to her crib in the far corner of the room.

  “Doesn’t the child have her own room?”

  Trying to make something up quickly, Pu
ck said, “I like to keep her here near me while I’m still awake. I can respond more quickly if she needs something.”

  “I would like to see her room before I go.”

  Puck ignored the comment. He settled Addie into her crib with her teddy bear. She was tired and already drifting off to sleep when he kissed her cheek. He whispered, “I love you, Addie, more than anything.”

  Puck felt like he was walking through quicksand as he dragged himself back toward Ellen. He sat on a chair approximately ten feet away. He couldn’t bring himself to sit any closer to her. Ellen’s lips were pinched so tightly that her mouth appeared half its normal size. She looked like she had sucked at least a thousand lemons in her lifetime. Her eyes were mere slits behind her glasses, and her silver-gray hair looked brittle like the straws of a broom.

  “Myron and I have concerns about Addie’s care,” said Ellen. She held a black leather purse on her lap and folded her hands together at the clasp.

  “Concerns? She gets exceptional care. I have a good friend who is a stay-at-home parent. Addie is cared for while I’m at work with one other child, also an infant.”

  Ellen asked, “Who is the other young man we met here. I believe his name was Ross.”

  “He’s a good friend.” Puck’s leg began to bounce out of nervousness. He sensed some disapproval of his relationship with Ross was coming.

  “A boy…friend?” asked Ellen. She dragged out the word boy like it was an accusation. Like it was an abomination. After she finished forming the word friend, her mouth pinched even tighter than before, and she leaned slightly forward.

  “He’s a good friend. You have no reason to know the specific details of our relationship. Ross is an outstanding man, and he helps provide Addie even more care.”

  “If he is spending a great deal of time in close proximity to our granddaughter, we do have a reason to know more about him.”

  Puck reached up and scratched his head. “And why would that be? You’ve had no interest in your granddaughter before now.”

  Ellen sat upright. She delivered her next words like she was a judge pronouncing a sentence. “We don’t believe exposure to homosexual relationships at such an early age is a positive influence on our granddaughter.” She said the word “homosexual” like she was holding something filthy by the corner and trying to avoid contact with the entire meaning.

  “You don’t know Addie, and you don’t know me. Why is your opinion on any of this of any consequence? You know nothing about my relationship with Ross.”

  “The card by the roses said quite enough. After our last visit, Myron spoke with an attorney, and he believes that we have a valid concern.”

  Puck felt a chill race through his body. He didn’t know whether the comment was true, or if it was some kind of bluff. He glanced over to the corner toward Addie, and then he turned back toward Ellen. “I think it’s time for you to leave.”

  “You’re throwing me out of your house? Are you trying to prevent your child’s grandmother from visiting with her grandchild.”

  With a growl in his voice, Puck stood up and said, “You already told me that you weren’t here to see Addie. You are here to speak with me, and I’m done speaking with you. The conversation is over.”

  “Very well,” said Ellen. She stood up from her seat and brushed the wrinkles out of her skirt. “You will hear soon from our attorney about our custody concerns.”

  As Ellen stepped toward the door, Puck said, “You don’t care for Addie, and you cared little for your own daughter. I don’t know what you’re trying to do now or why, but you won’t be successful. You can’t take my daughter away from me.”

  Ellen was silent as she stepped through the door. Puck looked at the living room window and watched her walk to her car. He found himself wishing that she would trip on the broken sidewalk panel near the curb, but she carefully avoided the hazard. As Ellen drove away, he turned back toward the living room silent and in shock.

  Puck wanted to shout, but he knew that an angry outburst would wake Addie. Instead, he turned to the photo of Miranda sitting in a stainless steel frame on a side table between the sofa and the chair where Ellen sat. He picked up the picture and sat on the couch staring into the frame.

  “Why? Why did you have to go? We had them defeated. We held all the cards, and Addie was ours. Now! Now, what will happen? Can they take Addie away? Somehow, I struck gold twice, but now it might all go up in flames.”

  He stared into the impassive blue eyes. In the photo, Miranda was wearing the dress Puck bought for her on her last birthday. It was a cobalt color that set off her eyes against her dark brown almost black hair. Miranda was beautiful, and Addie would be, too.

  Puck began to howl, and he forgot about the volume of his voice. “What the fuck, Miranda? You left me all alone! And I’m going to be alone again! I can’t let them take our daughter away, and I won’t let them. I’ll do anything to keep her! I’ll live like a hermit if I need to. She’s ours. You know that, and your parents would do anything to destroy my life. They wanted to destroy your life, and now I’m left behind. Fuck, Miranda! Where are you?”

  Puck held the photo to his chest and lay back against the sofa. He curled up into a fetal position and wept. A few minutes later, Addie began to cry, too. Puck placed the photo back on the side table, stood, and set out to care for his daughter. It was the one thing that he knew he could do that was the right thing to do. Before picking her up, he wiped his own eyes with his wrist and then cuddled Addie against his shoulder. Within seconds, she was quiet again.

  21

  Split

  Diego had last-minute paperwork for Ross and Rhea to complete. It meant that Ross would be about an hour late arriving at Puck’s. He placed a phone call, and the response to the news was a flat, “That’s okay. Don’t rush.”

  “I’ll see you soon. Give Addie a hug from me, and you get a kiss. Maybe we’ll order pizza for dinner.”

  Puck said, “Maybe.”

  As he disconnected the phone, Ross looked at Rhea. His mouth was partially open, and she immediately sensed that something might be wrong.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know, but I’ve never heard Puck talk like that. He’s always animated whether he’s happy, upset, or completely confused.”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know. I guess I would say his voice was flat. It sounded almost like someone blew out a candle, and there was no light left.”

  Rhea said, “Maybe he’s just tired. Taking care of a baby is exhausting.”

  “I hope it’s that. He’s been through so much. I don’t know how much more he can take. I worry that someday he might snap. He’s never shown any signs of depression or intense anxiety, but it can come on suddenly. My sister Linda had a nervous breakdown. We found her one day sitting on her bed, staring out the window, and babbling at the birds.”

  “You love him don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  Seconds after Ross said the word, Diego poked his head into the office. “I don’t want the two of you staying too late. If the paperwork is too much, you can take care of it in the morning. I have to go. It’s date night with Alan.”

  Rhea smiled. “Out for dinner?”

  “We’re driving up to Red Wing. We’re having dinner and then walking down by the river if the weather is nice. Someday I’m taking him to Paris, and we’ll walk along the Seine.”

  Ross said, “I’m jealous.”

  “You should do the same with your man soon.” He added, “Goodnight, and see you in the morning,” before closing the door.

  Rhea said, “They are such a happy couple.”

  “It’s amazing after what I know about how things started.”

  “They are two phenomenal men. Most people are more resilient than they think they are. I wouldn’t worry about Puck. He’s handled it all so far.”

  It only took the two of them working together fifteen more minutes before they were ready to leave. Ross lo
oked at his phone and discovered that he wouldn’t be the full hour late getting to Puck’s. “We’re early. This should be a nice surprise.”

  “Have a great night, and give that sweet little girl a kiss for me.”

  “I will.”

  As he stepped through the door and hugged Puck, Ross saw that something was wrong. He tried to share a kiss, and Puck turned his head. Ross took a step back, pushed the door shut behind him, and said, “Okay, something is wrong. Tell me what’s going on, and I won’t accept, ‘Nothing.’”

  Puck placed a hand on Ross’s chest. “Please, be kind. Let’s sit on the couch.”

  Ross followed Puck to the sofa and said, “This isn’t you. It’s almost like you’re in shock. What the fuck? Addie’s okay, isn’t she? She’s over there in the crib, isn’t she?”

  Puck sat carefully on the couch, rested his elbows on his knees and folded his head into his hands while he stared at the floor. “She’s fine, and before you go see her, we need to talk. What I have to say is going to hurt. It will hurt a hell of a lot, but please be nice. I know you will be, and you will understand, but I have to ask anyway.”

  “Now you’re almost babbling. This is crazy. What’s going on?”

  “Miranda’s mother came by again.”

  “Just her? When? What did she want?”

  Puck looked up for a moment, saw the confused look on Ross’s face, and stared at the floor again. “It was just her last night. I don’t know what Myron was doing. You weren’t here either like you usually are. It was just Addie and me. I hope there’s a chance he doesn’t agree with her. It was awful.”

  “What’s so awful? They can’t barge into your house. It’s your house, and Addie’s your daughter. You can throw them out if you want to. You can send them packing.”

  Puck said, “They know about us.” He swept his fingers through his hair and continued to stare at the floor.

  “Know about us? They know you’re my boyfriend? What’s that have to do with anything? The whole world knows about us. It’s a great thing. Everybody can know about us.”