by Randi Rigby
Around 6:30 Dr. Stellenhauer, still in his surgical scrubs, finally stepped into the waiting room to give us an update. The bypass surgery went well. Pops was in recovery resting. It would be a few more hours before he could have visitors and even then, probably only a few at a time. He said this last bit with a little smile as he took in the McCoy mountain range instantly on their feet at his arrival.
“Drew and I will run home and take care of Charlie. Do you need anything from the house?” I asked Dad as the family started to organize in shifts.
“Maybe a change of clothes?” He was still in his shirt and tie.
“How about something to eat?”
“Sounds like Trey is making a food run.”
“Okay. Text me if you think of anything else.”
We hugged Gran and promised we wouldn’t be gone long. “He’ll be back to golfing and dancing with his best girl in no time, you’ll see,” Drew said, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek.
“Thanks for coming.” Her hand was on his neck, stilling him before he could straighten. Gran’s watery blue eyes were intent and serious as she looked earnestly into his. “Family is what gets us through the hard times, Drew.” Then she blinked and slowly smiled at him. “But I know you already know that, don’t you son? Because you’re here.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Drew finally said. He was struggling with his emotions as Gran pulled him in for another hug. It was impossible to walk away from that woman and not know that you were loved.
We were packing Dad’s running shoes, clean socks, some jeans, a T-shirt, deodorant and a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash and dental floss into a duffel bag while Charlie tore around the backyard taking care of a long afternoon’s worth of holding it in, poor boy. “You hungry?” I asked Drew, opening the fridge and surveying our options.
“Always.” He had the metabolism of an Ethiopian distance runner and the appetite of a Polynesian offensive lineman. I’d never seen anyone who could eat as much as he did and I was related to Landry. He placed Dad’s bag on the floor by the kitchen door to the garage and let Charlie back into the house while I was pulling out leftovers and placing them on the counter.
“Sniff test first,” I advised. “That Thai’s been in there awhile.”
He was taking off lids but his mind was obviously elsewhere. “Drew? Seriously, I’m pretty sure that cashew chicken has gone off.”
He dumped it on his plate and stabbed at it with his fork. “I don’t want you to go.”
I slowly closed the fridge door and leaned against it.
“I mean, I don’t want you not go to Brown because it’s obviously where you need to be right now and it’s important to you. Just, for the record? Everything in me is screaming hold on to this girl. And at the end of the summer you’ll be gone.” He shook his head and put down his utensils. “Sorry Kel, that’s a pretty lousy way of saying I’m going to miss you.”
I thunked my forehead softly against the side of his head. “Me too. I’m kind of terrified I’m making a huge mistake.”
Drew sighed and wrapped an arm around me. “You’re not. Just don’t forget about me, okay?”
“Impossible, babe.” My hands were in his hair as I kissed him. “I’m your 5:15, remember?”
He slowly grinned. “Yeah. You are.”
And as we loaded up the car and headed back to the hospital and my sometimes crazy, mostly awesome family, I realized that, more than anything, was my great miracle. I had people in my life who loved me and I Ioved them right back. Everything else? #frosting
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND LETTER TO READERS
Hi everyone, Randi Rigby here!
Thanks so much for taking the time to read Model Behavior! I know there are a LOT of wonderful options out there for you to plunk down and commit yourself to so I’m incredibly grateful that you chose to invest in Kel’s story.
Writing is a solitary madness that requires ignoring, for too long really, that you have a family, friends, and an aching neck and backside in the real world while you’re busy creating a world of your own. So an eternal shout out to Brant, my Drew, for all your love and support. Lakin and Jordan—I finally did it!
Thank you to Cynthia Wright and Elaine Rigby for your invaluable feedback and work on editing. To my awesome beta readers: Paula Nielson, Kendall Dowden, Emma Eversole, Julie Balkman, Emma Christensen, and Alice Fuller—I greatly appreciated your feedback and enthusiasm. It gave me the courage to take that deep breath and publish.
The idea for this story came from a girl I saw in an airport. She was very tall, very pretty, and very shy. I couldn’t get her out of my head. Like I often do (it’s a problem), I started to imagine what her life might be like.
And I’ve turned it over to you. Let me know what you think? I’d love your feedback: [email protected] or find me here: https://randirigby.com
Keep reading. Keep dreaming. Keep searching for the magic in your life. It’s there.