“Did I forget something?”
“No,” said Augie. “It’s just…”
“Don’t hold back,” Colleen said. “Remember? Say what’s on your mind.”
“Well, to be honest, I would feel better if I just took a cab to my apartment so I didn’t… so your mother doesn’t…”
“Ah. I understand. I didn’t think about how it might be a bit awkward if you had to depend on my mother, and I am sure it would be awkward for her. She would want a ton of explanations and all of that, and you don’t know her from Adam.”
“Wow,” Augie said. “I couldn’t have said it better myself. You read me like a book.”
“You’re better than a good book, young lady.”
Augie chuckled and repeated, “Young lady. I don’t feel so young anymore, especially today.”
“So you’re ready to go then?”
“I think I have everything,” said Augie.
“It’s gonna get powerful quiet in here without you.”
“Sounds like you could use some peace and quiet. I know I could.”
Colleen made a pouty face and said, “I don’t like the kind of quiet that makes me feel isolated.”
Augie tried to mirror Colleen’s pouty face. “Ugh. My face hurts. I am pouting on the inside. And at the same time, I’m excited!”
“Me too,” said Colleen. “I can’t wait to get my ass out of this bed and back to the Triple C. There’s always something happening there.”
Augie went to Colleen’s bedside and kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll see you soon, sweet girl.”
“Got everything you need?”
“Yup. I’ll text you or call or whatever as soon as I get the cell phone.”
Colleen went back to her pouty face. “Don’t keep me waiting too long.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
“If you run into any trouble, just come back here, okay?” Colleen said.
“I will.” Augie paused for a moment. “Thank you,” she said. “Seriously.”
“You are more than welcome. Just be careful and call me as soon as you can.”
“I will. See you soon.”
“Promise?”
“I promise,” Augie said over her shoulder as she headed out the door.
Colleen grabbed her cell and dialed the house. There was no answer. She hung up and dialed Joan’s cell, but her call was sent to voice mail after two rings.
“Shit,” she said aloud and waited for Joan’s lengthy recorded greeting to wind down. “Hey. It’s me. Gimme a call back… please? I know you’re not exactly happy with me right now… and I’m sorry. You know how I get… and I know that’s no excuse… I shouldn’t have… Shit, Mom. I’m sorry. That’s all I can say. Anyway… please please call me back? I love you.”
†
“I’m sure she’ll try you next,” Joan said to Carlos as she poured coffee.
“I have to answer. You know this.”
“I do,” said Joan.
“What do you want me to—” Carlos’s cell phone vibrated. He slid it out of his belt case and looked at the caller ID. “It is she.”
Joan made “I’m not here” gestures with her hands. “You haven’t seen me this morning,” she whispered.
Carlos nodded and answered, “Bueno?”
“Hey,” Colleen said. “Don’t say anything because I know you’re probably in the house having coffee and I know Mom’s probably right there. Am I right?”
“Yes.”
“I figured as much. I don’t blame her for avoiding me. Los, I need a favor. Can you help me arrange some stuff?”
“Sure,” said Carlos. “How can I help?”
“Okay… I know this puts you in an awkward position, but I need the closet and dressers in the spare room cleared out. I know that’s not exactly your responsibility, so could you please relay that message to Mom for me? I’m sorry to do that to you, but I don’t know how else to get it done.”
“I can do that,” Carlos said as he looked up at Joan, who was standing with her hands on her hips.
“I need it done as soon as possible.”
“I will take care of it,” Carlos said.
“Thank you, Carlos. Again, I’m sorry to put you through that.”
“Es no problemo. I don’t mind.”
“Thank you. Could you also tell her I know that it’s short notice and all, but I’ll explain when I know more. Probably sometime this afternoon.”
“Okay,” said Carlos. “Do you need anything?”
“No. I’m good for now.”
“Okay.”
“Anything else happening there?”
“Not much. It’s hot, but business is the same.”
“Good. Nice and quiet. That’s how I like it.”
“Get better soon, Boss.”
“I’m gonna let that one slide, Los. Talk to you soon.”
Carlos ended his call and set his phone on the table and took a sip of his coffee.
“Well?” said Joan.
“She knew I am having coffee with you.”
“I figured as much. What did she want?”
Joan sat down and poured sugar in her coffee.
“You use too much sugar,” said Carlos with a wink.
“She said I use too much sugar?” Joan chided.
“No, I say you use too much sugar.”
“You’re avoiding the question. Let’s hear it.”
Carlos took another sip of his coffee and put his cell back in its case.
“She said she needs the spare room closet and dressers cleared out. I think she is having a visitor.”
“Hmmm. I think you’re right.” Joan sighed and stirred her coffee. “She say anything else?”
“She said she is sorry for putting me in the middle.”
Joan said nothing, tasted her coffee, and put in more sugar.
“What is in your mind?”
“Too damn much is in my mind, Carlos. Things around here are gonna change… fast… and not for the better.”
“You know this… visitor?”
“I’m pretty sure I do. She’s gonna be trouble, just like that filly she bought. Another straggler.”
“The filly has potential if we can calm her down, but it will be difficult,” said Carlos.
“Well, this new filly comin’ in is surrounded by a shitload of trouble. I can tell by lookin’ at her that she needs professional help… of another kind. Talk about difficult…”
“I see,” said Carlos thoughtfully.
“The good news, if you can call it that, is that Colleen will be in the house for a while. She can look after her, because I swear, Carlos, I can’t handle much more of this.”
“You can handle anything.”
“I don’t know anymore, Carlos. Since Chase died…” Joan trailed off her words and her eyes welled up as she took a sip of coffee. “I just don’t know anymore.”
“I am here,” said Carlos. “I will help you. Same as always.”
Joan wiped away a tear and said, “If it weren’t for you, I don’t know where the hell I’d be.”
“You worry too much.”
“The hell I do.”
“And you swear too much,” Carlos added with another wink.
As they finished their coffee, Carlos made small talk as a diversion from Joan’s troubles. Carlos returned to his work and Joan surveyed the spare room. She sniffled as she moved Chase’s mothballed suits to the cedar chest in her own room. She dusted the dresser and pictures, and moved Chase’s polo trophies to the den.
The spare room was filled with memories of her dead son, and the thought of a stranger desecrating his “shrine” weighed heavy on her. “She’s not worthy of spit-shinin’ Chase’s boots,” she said aloud as she hugged his tattered Baby’s First Bible tightly to her chest.
†
“Hi, is this Sheila Jones?”
“Yes, this is Sheila.”
“Sheila this is Erica, Doctor Zwybel’s nurse.”
/> Sheila tightly gripped the steering wheel of her BMW.
“Oh. Hello, Erica.”
“Hi, Sheila,” said Erica. “We have the results of your mammogram.”
“No kidding. I’ve never had results this fast before.”
Erica paused for what seemed like an eternity to Sheila.
“Doctor Zwybel compared the latest mammogram with the one from six months ago, and he wants to schedule you for a biopsy.”
Sheila closed her eyes, shook her head, and sighed heavily.
“Sheila?”
“Yeah… I’m here. So… do they… what do… they do? Is the biopsy of the lump in question, or another spot, or what?”
“Umm… let me see here.” Heavy computer keystrokes filled Sheila’s Bluetooth earpiece. “It says biopsy of the left breast.”
“That’s where it is, all right,” said Sheila. “Can I get the biopsy today?”
“We can look at the schedule and try to get you in as soon as possible, but it usually takes a couple of days.”
Sheila opened her eyes. “Where will they do the biopsy?”
“At the imaging and procedure center at Las Palmas.”
“I am actually headed to Las Palmas to see a sick friend. You sure I can’t be… worked in?”
“No, I’m sorry, Sheila. They are always booked solid.”
“Okay. Well, I’ll take the first appointment that becomes available, no matter what time. Before I forget, I wanted to make sure that my cell number is the only one the office uses. I don’t want any… information left on my home voice mail.”
“Umm… I will put a note here in your file. Do you want me to delete the home phone number just in case?”
“Yes, please.”
“I will do that. Did you have any questions about the procedure or anything else?”
“No,” said Sheila. “Not at this time, but if I think of something, can I call back?”
“Absolutely.”
“Well, at least I know more now than I did when I first found the lump.”
“I’m sorry, Sheila,” said Erica. “I wish we could get you in right away. The waiting is sometimes more difficult than… you know what I mean. I think you said you found the lump during a self-exam? Can I ask how often you do them?”
“Actually, I make a habit of doing it every month, usually about two or three days after the end of my period. I have it on my calendar.”
“That’s fantastic,” said Erica. “That’s actually the perfect time to do them.”
“Breast cancer runs in my family.”
“Well, if it helps at all, statistics say that eight out of ten biopsies turn out to be nothing. I’m sure you already know that early detection increases the…”
“Well… I gotta run,” Sheila interrupted abruptly. “Thanks for calling, Erica.”
“You’re very welcome, Sheila. Let us know if there’s anything you need.”
“Will do. Thank you. Bye.”
Sheila leaned forward and rested her forehead on her white-knuckled hands. “Oh, Jesus,” she sobbed.
†
Carmen Gutierrez admired Jim’s naked reflection in the full-length mirror. Jim tugged at his jeans with his good hand while he puffed his smoke.
“Want me help you?” Carmen asked in broken English.
“I got it,” Jim said out of the side of his mouth. “What time your husband get home?”
“About six. We have plenty of time for more if you want.”
“Oh, I definitely want. First I gotta do something. Mind if I borrow your car?”
Carmen pulled the bed sheet to her waist. “Only if you promise me more when you come back.”
“You got it,” said Jim.
“How long you be? You want me go with you?”
“What about your kids?”
Carmen turned on her back and lit a cigarette. “They’re fine. They not going nowhere.”
“No… You rest up for round two. I’ll be a couple hours at least.”
“Okay,” sighed Carmen. “Keys are in my purse on the table.”
Jim sat down on the edge of the bed next to Carmen and pulled on his boots. Carmen reached up and ran her fingers over Jim’s bulging bicep. “So strong,” she said as she blew smoke in the air. “I like it when you choke me… you know… during.”
Jim turned and traced the red marks on Carmen’s neck with his fingers. “You like it rough?”
Carmen tilted her head back and made yummy sounds. “Mmm… siii,” she whispered.
Jim turned his hand over and ran the back of his fingers down between her sagging, stretch-marked breasts. “There’s plenty more where that came from,” he said, and then stood up and tucked in his t-shirt.
“Don’t be too long, okay?” Carmen begged.
“I’ll be back in a few hours. Keep it warm for me,” he said with a wink.
Before Carmen could say anything, Jim was already in the kitchen. The grimy porcelain sink was full of dishes caked with dried refried beans and burnt chorizo. A rusty high-chair smeared with dried corn mush sat next to an overflowing trash barrel.
Jim unzipped Carmen’s purse and fished for the keys. The fake Louis Vuitton wallet inside bulged open with crumpled bills and change from the previous day’s shift at Millie’s. He withdrew a few bills without taking the time to check their denomination and stuffed them in his jeans pocket.
Suddenly he heard a noise from the living room. He grabbed the keys, shook them noisily, and headed for the front door. As he passed through the living room, he saw movement in the day crib.
“Poppy? Poppy?” Two curly-haired, dark-skinned toddlers stood in sagging diapers with their arms in the air as if they wanted to be picked up.
“Callate! Shut up!” Jim sputtered through clinched teeth. “I’m not your Poppy!”
He nearly ripped the screen door from its hinges on his way out. The toddlers screamed at the top of their lungs as their replacement Poppy backed Carmen’s Honda out of the driveway in a cloud of thick blue smoke.
†
“You didn’t get more chicken?” MaeBell Lohr asked as Joan slid into the vinyl booth.
“Are you kidding? My ass is big enough. Another plate like that and Carlos will never look at my ass again. That is, if he does to begin with.”
“Bullshit,” said MaeBell. “My ass is twice the size of yours, and Jeff has no problem chasing me around naked in his Indiana Jones hat.”
Joan stabbed a slice of marinated cucumber and said, “Oh. Thanks for that little piece of information. It paints quite the mental picture.”
“Sorry. Harrison Ford he ain’t. And as for Carlos staring at your ass, I’m sure you give him plenty of opportunity. He stares at it, all right. Trust me on that one.”
Joan swallowed her cucumber and stabbed another. “You know,” she said. “Just when I think I got him where I want him, I can’t close the deal.”
“You know why that is,” said MaeBell.
“I wish I did. You sound like you know why. Care to enlighten me?”
“Joanie, in the horse auction of life, you’re competing against a stronger bidder.”
“Like who?” Joan asked.
“Someone I never met, which is something you keep telling me I should be thankful for,” said MaeBell.
“Who? Carl?”
MaeBell nodded while she blew on her hot coffee and took a sip. “Carlos won’t. Not the way things are now. The memory of his dead best friend, who just so happens to be your dead husband, will outbid you every time.”
“That’s encouraging, Mae. Thanks a lot,” Joan said with a frown.
MaeBell dumped sugar in her coffee. “He still come for morning coffee?”
“Yup. Every day.”
“Well, you’re gonna have to up the ante a bit if you ever hope to outbid Carl.”
“How am I ever gonna do that? I swear I’ve tried everything, but he just won’t have any of… it.”
MaeBell smiled devilishly. “By it, you
mean…” she said, leaving the blank for Joan to fill.
“You know what I mean.”
“More coffee, ladies?” the waitress asked, interrupting the flow of conversation.
“Uhh… sure, Dawn,” said Joan, holding her cup out with a guilty smile on her face.
“I’m good,” MaeBell said and winked exaggeratedly at the waitress.
“Uh oh,” said Dawn. “I interrupted something good, didn’t I?”
“No,” Joan said, her face reddening.
Dawn set Joan’s coffee on the table, wiped her hands on her apron, and put her left hand on her hip. “Uh huh,” she said. “I’m gonna get a new name tag pretty soon. Instead of Dawn, I’m gonna have one made up that says Stupido. That way, everyone that comes in here can read it.”
Joan chuckled and grabbed the sugar dispenser. MaeBell haw-hawed her signature laugh, which was known to turn heads in the midst of noisy crowds.
“Shhhh!” Joan hissed. “You’re embarrassing me!”
“Oooo it must be good,” said Dawn. “Slide over, MaeBell. Catch me up on what I missed.”
Dawn slid in the booth and turned so she could cross her legs.
“Never you mind,” Joan said. “It’s nothing.”
“I wasn’t talking to you… Joanie. Okay… give me the thirty second version.”
MaeBell leaned in close to Dawn, and Joan leaned over her plate.
“It boils down to this,” MaeBell said, lowering her voice. “Miss Goody-Goody over here ain’t havin’ any luck getting’ the stud to mount.”
“The filly been offering the rump?” Dawn asked in the same low tone as MaeBell’s.
“Dawn!” Joan sputtered. “Hush!”
“Uh huh. But the stud’s gun shy,” MaeBell whispered without breaking stride.
“Gun shy, huh?”
“Yup.”
Dawn and MaeBell sat up straight and looked around the room as if they were hiding something. MaeBell sipped her coffee. Dawn brushed the front of her uniform top and leaned over the table toward Joan.
“Here’s whatcha do, see…” she said like a ventriloquist. “Get yerself one of them see-through numbers they sell at them places in Hollywood… when the stud struts over to the tank for a cool drink, show ’im what he’s missin’. He won’t be able to resist a hot drink instead.” Dawn glanced down at her watch. “Oh, shit. I gotta get movin’.”
Remembering August (Triple C Ranch Saga) Page 33