Throwing her robe on, she went to the kitchen and started breakfast. She had just finished up the last pieces of French toast when Liz and Stephen entered. After eating she left the kitchen, and looked around the living room.
She used to love to rearrange. She and Rick would spend a Saturday moving the furniture around. Since his death, she hadn’t touch a thing. Everything had a place, the same as that day. Maybe it’s time. She went back into her bedroom and opened the closet door. On one side were her clothes and Rick’s on the other.
Allison left her room and made her way to the garage. In the far corner she spotted what she was looking for. She grabbed a couple of flattened boxes and headed back to her room. She put the first box together and with a sharpie wrote on the outside of the box, ‘keep’ then placed it on the floor next to her bed. Putting the second together, she marked it with ‘donations’.
She stepped back into the closet and grabbed an arm full of the clothes on hangers. She buried her nose in the shirts and took in a deep breath. Even after all that time, they still smelled like him. She took them over to the bed, took the first one off the hanger, and folded it, placing it in the box.
Liz entered the room and stood next to her mom. “Mind if I help?”
“Sure.” Allison went back into the closet and got another arm full of clothes. She looked at her daughter.
Liz held one of Rick’s shirts. “This was Dad’s favorite.”
“Yep. I’m surprised it’s still in decent condition. He always wore it.”
Liz turned to her mom. “Can I keep this one?”
“Of course.”
Stephen came into the room. “What are you guys doing?” He stepped up to them and looked into the box. “You’re getting rid of Dad’s stuff?”
“Not everything, but yeah, it’s time. Do you want to help?” She waited for his reaction, but to her surprise he stayed calm and started to fold with them. Allison went back into the closet. She pulled down a couple of boxes off the shelf and brought them out setting them on the bed.
The one on top was a shoebox and marked ‘personal belongings’ with Rick’s full name and the date he died. It was the box the police had given her after the accident. She had forgotten all about it. When they had handed it to her she had automatically shoved it into the back of the closet. She couldn’t bring herself to open it and see what was left of her husband.
She sat down on the bed as her kids stood watching. Running her hand over it first, she opened it and looked inside. She reached in and pulled out a couple of items, Rick’s wallet and keys. She put the keys down on the bed and opened the wallet. His driver’s license was the first thing she saw. School pictures of the kids and their family portrait filled the plastic holder. She smiled to herself.
Stephen reached in the box and pulled out a belt. “I remember giving this to Dad for Father’s Day.”
“He wore it all the time.”
“He was wearing it when he died?” Stephen didn’t move. He just held it and stared.
“I’m sorry, Stephen. You don’t have to do this.” Allison placed her hand on his arm.
“No, I’m fine.”
Allison put the keys and wallet back in the box. Stephen still held the belt so she left it with him. She placed the lid back on. That box would be one she kept. She couldn’t get rid of everything. She placed it in the larger box then rested her hand on the edge. “This one we’ll put the stuff to keep. We’re not forgetting, just saying goodbye for now.”
Liz and Stephen nodded. She went back to the closet and shuffled around in the back. On the floor sat a colorful box that she didn’t remember putting in there. She lifted it and brought it out.
“I made that.” Liz said and stepped up to her mom. “I gave it to Dad. I thought it was lost or thrown away.”
Allison handed it to her. Liz grabbed it and took it to the bed. She lifted the lid off and they all peered inside. Liz picked up a stack of papers and flipped through them. Liz and Stephen’s report cards and graded assignments comprised the pile. Liz glanced up at her mom. “He kept our stuff.”
“Doesn’t surprise me. He was so proud of both of you.”
Allison spotted a key chain sitting in the bottom of the box. She pulled it out. It had the Disney characters on it. “We got this when we took you two to Disneyland. He must have kept it. That was a great vacation.”
“I was, what, thirteen?”
“Yep, and Stephen was about ten.”
Stephen reached in the box, pulled out a refrigerator magnet from Yellowstone and held it up. “I think my favorite vacation was this one. A week of camping, seeing the hot springs and Old Faithful. It was great.”
“Not one of my favs.” Liz replied. “No real showers, no makeup or hairspray.”
“Typical reaction from a girl.”
“Hey, it was overall fun, but I so prefer a hotel.”
“I liked all of our trips.” Allison was glad she’d decided to do this and her kids were helping. So many happy memories were buried deep in her closet and her mind. It was good to remember Rick with her kids. Finally she was able to talk about him without the hole in her heart being ripped wide open.
Nineteen
The next morning Liz went downstairs. Humming floated out of the kitchen. She smiled. It had been a long time since she’d heard her mom sing to herself. She entered the kitchen and her mom was making breakfast. Stephen wandered in and plopped down in the seat next to Liz.
“Good morning.”
“Morning.” Liz said, and Stephen grunted next to her. Liz had just showered and had a towel on her head. Stephen looked like he just rolled out of bed.
Allison placed a plate of pancakes down in front of them and Stephen stabbed a stack of four, dragged them onto his plate, and drowned them in syrup. He ate noisily, wolfing down his stack. He was half way done before Liz got hers buttered.
Allison sat down and took a couple for herself. “Any plans for today?”
“I have play rehearsal after school then I’ll be home.” Liz didn’t wait for Stephen to respond. He wouldn’t be up for air till his food was inhaled.
“I don’t have any errands, so I’ll be home by five.”
Stephen chewed the last bite of his food on his plate. As he stabbed the next stack of pancakes, he honored them with a response. “Track practice.”
Liz laughed. It still amazed her how much her, not so little brother, could shovel in. Allison laughed too.
Stephen looked up. “What?” He responded with a mouth full of food, which brought on another round of giggles. He finished eating and went to his room.
Liz finished a little bit later and went back to her room to finish getting ready. When she was done with her makeup and dressing, she headed into the living room. She sat at the computer and woke it up to check her email. Her mom’s Facebook account was open. Her eyes went to the top of the desk. Her extra birthday invitations sat up there.
“I’m ready.” Stephen said as he walked into the living room.
She jumped up and ran over to the phone. Flipping Allison’s address book open, she found Trent’s number. “Yes!” She scribbled it on a piece of paper and tore it out of the notebook.
Stephen came up behind her. “What are you doing?”
“I’ve got an idea.” She pulled on him. “Come on.”
They stopped in the entry way and Liz yelled to her mom. “We’re leaving now. See you later. Love you.” She rushed out to her car. They climbed in and she started the car.
“You gonna tell me what’s up your sleeve?”
She handed the torn piece of paper to Stephen. “It’s Trent’s number. I’m going to invite him to my birthday party.”
“You think he’d come to your birthday party?”
“If he likes Mom, like I think he does, he’ll be there. I know she likes him. If she knows we’re good, maybe she’ll finally admit it out loud.” She looked out of the corner of her eye. Stephen was staring at the number with his eyeb
rows furrowed. “You okay with this?”
“Yeah. It’s weird.” He sighed. “Truthfully, I didn’t think Mom would ever date.”
Liz pulled into the school parking lot and put it in park. She turned to face Stephen. “I have to admit, I didn’t think she would either. She’s been so unsocial. Yesterday, she was finally letting go. She’s ready.”
He took in a noisy breath and handed the paper back to Liz. Leaning forward he fiddled in his backpack.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
She watched him rearrange his backpack, not in any particular order. Something was on his mind. “You’re not telling me something. You know I won’t leave you alone till you do.”
“Fine.” He leaned back against the seat. “I got mad at Mom.”
“Why?”
“One morning she was on the Facebook looking at Trent’s profile. I was upset and told her no one would ever replace Dad.”
“Stephen!”
He held his hands up in front of him. “I know. I felt horrible afterwards. I don’t even know why I freaked out.”
“Are you still mad?”
“No. I want to help. Dad’s right.”
Liz smiled and threw her arms around Stephen. “I’m glad. I don’t want you upset while we’re trying to help her. I don’t think we would have gotten much accomplished.”
He squeezed her tight then quickly let go. “Ok. Enough mushy stuff. We’re at school.”
She laughed and punched him in the arm. She reached in front pocket of her backpack and pulled out her cell. “Hopefully, we can get a hold of Trent.” She dialed and waited.
“Hello?” It was finally answered after three rings.
“Hi, is this Trent?” Liz asked as she wiped her sweaty hand on her jeans.
“Yes. Who is this?”
“Hello, my name is Liz, you know my mom, Allison.”
“I’m surprised to hear from you. Is something wrong?”
Liz heard the panic build in his voice and smiled a little. His worry made it easier to know she was right. “Everything’s fine. I’m calling because of my birthday party Friday.”
“Yes, Allison mentioned you’re turning eighteen. Um… How’d you get my number?”
“Mom’s address book. Anyway, I would like to give you a personal invitation and hope you’ll come. I know my mom would like to see you again.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” She gave Stephen a thumbs up. He’s interested.
“In that case, I’d love to come. When?”
“May 3rd at 7pm.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Great, see you then.”
She snapped her phone shut and put it back in her backpack. She turned to her brother. “He’ll be there.” She watched for his reaction.
He smiled. “The plan’s in action.” Then rubbed his hands together, over acting an evil laugh.
She smirked and pushed him into the car door. “Let’s go to class.”
***
Trent pulled up to the guard station, finally back in Lincoln. He’d checked into the hotel closest to his office and was back at work, just now pulling up to the guard station. He didn’t want to waste any time. He needed to get caught up on work before the weekend. Liz’s birthday party was in a couple of days and he wanted to make sure his attention was free and clear, so he could concentrate on Allison.
Spending time with his son was a good move. His son and Allison’s daughter had given him new confidence. When Liz called inviting him to her birthday party, it gave him hope that Allison finally wanted more. If her kids were seeing some interest on her part, there must be something.
“Welcome back, Mr. Urbane.”
“Thanks, Eddie. It’s good to be back.”
“Sir, sorry to have to tell you this, but there was a situation while you were out of town.”
“What?”
“Your ex came by. She wanted to get to your office. She was told no and she caused … um… a scene. She became angry. The police were called, but she ran off before they arrived.”
“When did that happen?”
“It was a couple of days after you left.”
That would have been about the same time he’d talked to her on the phone. That’s why she had to talk to me?
Eddie held out a business card for a Detective Jones. “He said to have you call.”
“Thanks.” He drove off and parked near the door. It was still empty. Only a few cars littered the parking lot. The hiring process would begin next week. He would be going through applications for the plant opening the first of June. He would also be looking for the person who would take over after he left.
He took his keys out and opened his office. Setting his things on the desk, he sat and grabbed the business card. Reaching for the phone, he figured he should get a hold of the detective.
“Hello.”
“Detective Jones, please.”
“One moment.”
While on hold, he thought about applying for a job at the factory. He would be able to move to Lincoln and be with Allison, if she was ready to accept him. Even if she didn’t, he didn’t have anything keeping him in Montana anyway.
“This is Jones.”
“Yes, hi. My name is Trent Urbane. There was a disturbance at my work place while I was out of town. I was given your card.”
“Yes, Mr. Urbane. I was called in to investigate. Who’s this woman to you?”
“My ex-wife. She left me nine years ago. I hadn’t heard a word from her all those years until a couple of weeks ago.”
“Her name is still Ruth Urbane?”
“Yeah. She kept my name. Can you tell me where she’s been?”
“I did a search on a Ruth Urbane. Didn’t come up with a lot, but the person I found does have a record, a couple of prostitution charges and domestic violence.”
“I couldn’t imagine that being the woman I was married to. Of course I never thought she’d abandon her son.”
“I was informed you’re only in town till the new plant opens. How’d she know you’re in Lincoln?”
“I’ve worked at the same company for over fifteen years. I’m sure she asked someone there.”
“How long will you be in Lincoln?”
“I’m not sure, could be a couple of weeks, maybe a month.” Trent shrugged even though Jones couldn’t see him. “What did Ruth do?”
“There’s no security cameras, but your guards said she wouldn’t leave and caused a scene. She starting out being nice, then got mad and broke out in tears, and went back to being mad a second later. The police were called when she had curled up into a ball, crouching on the ground. Putting it nicely, her behavior was… let’s say… out of the ordinary. I’m going to do some more digging. If she contacts you, let me know.”
“I will, thanks.”
Trent hung up and sat back in his chair, running his hands through his hair. What was wrong with Ruth? Hopefully she would get on with her life. But the possibility wasn’t sound like it would happen. Trent programmed Jones’s number into his phone, then went to work.
Twenty
Allison woke early. The day had finally arrived, Liz’s birthday. Her baby turned eighteen. There was a huge bash planned. She padded her way down the hall and into the kitchen. She would make Liz’s favorite breakfast, French toast and bacon.
She dug under the cabinet next to the stove. Being as quiet as possible, she searched for her favorite skillet. She moved everything but no sign of it. She stood and checked the dishwasher. She’d be upset if it was in there. Her kids knew it was hand washed. Nope, not there.
Not on the counter. She went back to the cabinet where it was stored. Kneeling on the floor, she moved every piece of cookware in there but still came out empty handed. She crawled over to the next and worked her way through each one.
Climbing up off the floor she leaned against the stove and looked around the kitchen. Where’d it go? Staring across the darkened ro
om, dumbfounded, Allison caught a glimpse of something that didn’t belong.
She reached over to the wall and flipped the second switch on. The light over the table lit up and in the middle of it sat the skillet. How did it get over there? She laughed to herself. Maybe we have ghosts.
One of the kids must have put it there and forgot to put it away. She grabbed the skillet and brought it back to the stove. Her mind wandered as she prepared the food and thought about Trent. She was actually getting worried about him.
She still hadn’t heard from him. Did he have a good visit with his son? Did he go home instead of back to Lincoln? Would she see him again? Maybe he met someone during his visit and lost interest. She shook her head in an effort to dismiss the bad thoughts from her mind.
The last of the food finished cooking so she moved the skillet off the stove and over to the table. Allison turned around when Liz entered the kitchen. She threw her arms in the air and yelled. “Happy birthday, Liz.”
“Thanks Mom.”
“I made your favorite.” She grabbed Liz by the shoulder and led her to the table. Stephen walked in and took his usual seat.
“How does it feel to officially be an adult?”
“I don’t feel any different. But I’m excited for tonight.”
“I bet you are.”
“I still get a friend over, right?” Stephen broke in as he served himself a large portion.
“Yes of course. You two can either hang out in your room or at the party.”
Liz pointed at her brother. “Only if you and your friend aren’t obnoxious jerks. Don’t be hitting on my friends.”
“Can’t promise anything.” He grinned.
“Settle down you two.” Allison interrupted before it could escalate. “Tonight will be great.”
Liz and Stephen looked at each other, then back to their mom. “Better than you know.” Liz whispered and Stephen shhhh’d her. They suddenly sat straight and smiled at her, their argument forgotten.
“What did you say?” Innocent stares were her answer. She squinted at them. They both pretended not to notice. What are they up too?
“Anyways.” She drew out the word. “I’ll be off work early to set things up. How many did you say were coming?”
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