She walked into the main office and hit the small bell on the front desk for service. Almost grinning from her newfound independence, she took a deep breath, then reminded herself that her father was still in the hospital.
“Can I help ya?” an older toothless woman asked, walking to the front desk.
“Yes. Do you have any small apartments available for rent?”
“We have six. You don’t have loud parties, do ya?”
Melody shook her head. “No, ma’am. I won’t be here much, because I have two jobs.”
She smiled. “Good. You’ll be payin’ your rent on time, then.” She grabbed some keys and walked with Melody to the apartments. It looked like a motel, with the rooms all lined up in one long building. She opened the door to one of the apartments, with one bed containing mattresses with no sheets, a closet with a built-in dresser, a bathroom and a kitchen. There was a small table with two chairs in the kitchen and the place looked new. All the floors were hard wood and everything was very clean.
“How much?”
“A thousand a month, just like we advertise.”
She did some quick math in her head, and even if she just had one job, she’d be able to swing the rent.
“Oh, and the electricity and heat are included,” the woman added.
“Sold,” Melody said with a smile. “Where do I sign and when can I move in?”
“Let’s go back to the office.” The woman shook her hand. “I’m Lorene, by the way.”
“Melody.”
“I already know who you are. You’re famous. Are you gonna be entertainin’ that big New York tennis pro in your apartment?”
“No,” Melody said. “That’s over.”
“Good. We don’t like noise here and don’t want any degenerates. It’ll upset your neighbors.” She leaned toward her. “So if you do have someone over, make it very quiet. Your neighbors are good church-goin’ people.”
“Got it,” Melody said with a grin.
“You can move in any time as soon as I get this month’s partial rent in advance.”
Melody sighed. All she had in her checkbook was a little over a thousand dollars, and with the bill from the credit card company due, it would be tough. “Fine. When’s the next month’s rent due?”
“On the last day of the month. You owe me a partial month’s rent now and the lease is for a year. If you terminate early, I get a month’s full rent.”
“Got it.” Melody signed the papers as soon as they got into the office, and wrote the check for three hundred dollars, since it was close to the end of August. She’d have enough for food and dishes, and maybe some sheets and blankets with a pillow, still able to save something for the credit card bill and gas for her car. She’d make it and that’s all that mattered.
After getting all the paperwork out of the way, she drove back to her Aunt’s house and walked up to the apartment. “I’m back.”
“I see that,” Shirley said. “Any luck?”
“Yep. I got a job, and I have an apartment near the job so I don’t have to drive very far.”
“You’re movin’ out? You just moved in!”
She faced her aunt. “I love you dearly, but I’m old enough to be on my own now. It’s time I do this because I’ve never had the opportunity before.”
“That’s an understatement. Can you still work for me?”
Melody nodded, happy to finally be on her own. “Yes, I can. I don’t go to work until three at the other job, and it’s about ten miles from here. I work until eleven at night.”
“Where is that?”
“Oakville Greeting’s. I’m gonna be their new model for their new greetin’ cards.”
“I know the guy who owns that place. You’ll like it there. Wholesome place, down home and they treat their employees really well.” She opened the refrigerator and pulled out some sandwich fixings, putting them on the table. “So you’re gonna model?”
“Only part time. And I told them nothin’ crude.”
“I agree,” she said. “If they don’t treat you right, walk away and you’re always welcome here.”
“Thank you.” Melody made them each a sandwich for lunch and sat down to eat.
“Oh, you got a phone call,” Shirley said after taking a bite.
Melody swallowed the bite in her mouth. “I did?”
“Yes. John called between sets. He’s doin’ well in the game and wanted to thank you for that.”
“He is? That’s great!”
“He wants you to call him back.”
Melody swallowed hard. “I can’t.”
“Why? The boy’s in love with you. He told me himself.”
“I know, but I can’t. I can’t lead him on. I’m makin’ a life for myself now, and can’t go back to bein’ kept by someone and at their beck and call.”
Shirley smiled. “I understand that, but at least call him. He said he’d be done around one.” She picked up a piece of paper. “He even gave me his direct number and said you should call him collect if you have to. If you don’t call him, I will. Ned’s out of town and I could always date him myself.”
“Give me that paper,” Melody said, chuckling. “I’m not breakin’ up another relationship.”
As soon as Shirley handed her the paper, Melody checked her watch. “I don’t have a lot of time and I need to buy some sheets and plates.” She stood up and hugged her aunt. “Thank you for everything. Can I pay you for lettin’ me stay here last night?”
Shirley laughed. “No way. But I want to hear everything about John, and I mean everything. I figure he’s gonna be my new nephew-in-law, so check him out for me.”
“You’re crazy.” While laughing, she took her suitcases to the car and drove to a local store that carried everything. She only bought what she knew she could afford—sheets, blankets, a pillow, and a few items for the kitchen. She didn’t have time to get any food, so she paid for her order and went to her new apartment to put her things away. It was one o’clock but she didn’t have a phone. She left the apartment, drove to a convenience store, and called the number on the paper with whatever change she could find.
“Hello, this is John,” he said.
“It’s Melody. I only had enough change for three minutes, so talk fast.”
“Where are you?”
“A convenience store.”
“Where will you be in an hour?”
“A new apartment.” She gave him the address, talking as fast as she could. “Why?”
“Be there in an hour.”
“I have to leave at three for my new job.”
“It’ll be on time. I love you.”
She smiled. “I know. And you know how I feel, but it’s not gonna happen.”
“I hear you. Be there in an hour. Promise?”
“Yes, sir.” Her three minutes were up, so she hung up the phone. An hour? What was he talking about?
She drove back to her apartment, made the bed, put away some clothing, then cleaned and stored the dishes in the cabinets. It was very lonely, and she wished she had a television. It was just as well she didn’t, though, because cable would be a waste of money. She finally was on her own, but had nothing to do.
She sat at the kitchen table and checked her watch. She had fifteen minutes to wait for whatever John had in mind. It suddenly struck her. What if he was coming to see her? She ran into the bathroom, brushed her hair and teeth and fixed her makeup. She was still in the bathroom when someone knocked at her door.
John! Butterflies filled her stomach and her heart began to flutter. What would she do? What would she say? She started to run to the door, but slowed herself down and walked the rest of the way. As soon as she opened the door, she sighed.
“I have a package for Melody Gray,” the deliveryman said.
It wasn’t John, making her heart sink. “I’m Melody.”
“Sign here, please?” He handed her a clipboard with a paper, where she signed her name. “I’ll be right back.” He walked
away, then returned with a huge box, standing about three feet tall.
“What’s this?” she asked, taking the box from him.
“I don’t know. It came the whole way from New York, special delivery, early this mornin’. Your address was just given to us.” He turned and started to walk away. “Have a good day!”
She took the box into her apartment and checked the return address. It was from a company she’d never heard of, but knew it had something to do with John. She opened the box and saw three things inside.
A beautiful bouquet of at least a dozen red roses was packed on one side. Each stem had a plastic end to it filled with water to keep the roses fresh. She took the vase out with a grin, walked into the kitchen and read the note.
“Please come back! I love you so much, John,” she read as she held the note in her hand. She smelled the flowers and poured water into the vase. “What a sweetheart!” The thought made her sentimental and she missed him more than ever.
She walked back into the room and took out the next item. It was a huge box, and said ‘to remember me’ on the top. She opened it and saw a huge brown fluffy teddy bear, at least two or more feet in height, holding onto a tennis racquet. On the racquet were the words, ‘love me,’ with John’s signature under it. She sat it in the middle of her bed. What a wonderful man. He must have had it personally flown to West Virginia.
There was one last box, which was smaller, but heavy. She opened it and saw a brand new cell phone inside. There was a note on the phone with John’s number, and the words, ‘call me.’
She turned it on, dialed the number and waited.
“Well, hello, gorgeous,” he said as soon as he answered.
“Someone sent me a bunch of wonderful things. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he loved me,” she said, sitting at the top of the bed. She leaned up against the wall and listened to him laugh. She loved hearing him laugh.
“I missed you,” he said.
“I missed you, too. How did you do today?”
“I won.”
A smile filled her whole face. “You won? Congratulations! That’s fantastic!”
“I hurried the game along, and beat the guy quickly, just so I could talk to you.”
“You didn’t have to—”
“Yes, I did,” he said. “I was so worried about you this morning. What happened?”
“I went home for my things—”
“Why did you stay in your car last night?” He seemed concerned.
“Well, Dad had a girlfriend over last night and they were, uh, havin’ fun in the livin’ room, so I didn’t want to barge in.”
“He was having sex in the living room? How could you see it?”
She shook her head, still not understanding the whole situation. “The front windows were wide open, but that’s beside the point.”
“So you stayed in your car?” he asked. “Wasn’t it cold?”
She smiled. “That’s what bridesmaid’s dresses are best for. Blankets.”
He started to laugh. “I guess so.”
“Anyway, I went back this mornin’ to get the rest of my clothes, and Daddy pulled a gun on me. If you wouldn’t have called the police, I’d be dead.” She wiped a tear. “Thank you for savin’ my life.”
“It’s the least I could do. You saved my life at the wedding.”
She shook her head. “I did no such thing. The man had an unloaded gun.”
“So what happened to your father?” he asked, ignoring her comment.
“The police shot him in the shoulder, but it wasn’t bad. He’s in the hospital. I went to visit him, but the doctor told me not to go in. He’s goin’ to jail.”
“Good. I don’t want him hurting you, and I’d really love it if you came back here to me.”
“I have a job.” She checked her watch. “I have to go soon. I start work at three.”
“Watch me on television, please?” he asked.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t have a television.” She looked around the room. “I have a bed, a kitchen, a table, dresser, and a bathroom. That’s about it. No frills. I have to save money for this place and my bills.”
“I’ll send you money.”
She shook her head, because he didn’t understand. “No, you’re not sendin’ me money. I’m not charity. I have two jobs now, and I have to work. I’m gonna make it, and that’s all thanks to you for savin’ my life and makin’ me realize I can do it.”
“Did you say two jobs?” He didn’t sound very happy, but she had to live.
“Yes, sir. I’m workin’ for my aunt at the salon in the mornin’, and then work from three until eleven at night at a greetin’ card place. It should pay the bills, I hope.”
“Look. I have a day off and I want to come down there.”
“No. You need to practice. This is the most important thing you can do for me. Play for me, John, and make it good. I’ll read about it on the headlines on the paper.”
“The headlines?”
She smiled. “I don’t get the paper either, but pass newsstands. Make me proud. Now, I have to get ready for work.”
“Leave your phone on, can you?”
“No, I’m modeling. I won’t be near the phone.”
“Modeling? For whom? Is it safe? It’s not porn, is it? If you need money—”
She started to laugh. “Not porn. It’s for that greetin’ card company, and it’s just for the first part of the shift. Other than that, I’m on the assembly line boxin’ up cards.”
“So you went from riding in a limousine in New York to boxing up greeting cards in West Virginia?”
She smiled, because he really didn’t understand the working class person. “Somethin’ like that. I have to go.”
“I know. I love you so much, and I’ll make you proud. I promise.”
“You’d better. I know where you live.”
He laughed at her, and she joined him. She really did miss him more than she thought she would.
“Call me when you get home, please?” he asked.
“I’ll try,” she said. “Unless I fall asleep walkin’ in the door.”
“Better not. You won’t fall asleep while driving, will you?”
“No, sir,” she said. “The place is right near here.”
“Good.” After talking for a minute more, they said goodbye and she turned off the phone. It was the most wonderful gift and he was a great man.
She got a quick shower, put on some clean clothes and went to her job.
~~~~~
Chapter 10
She was tired. The modeling was okay, but she didn’t know if she wanted to do it for a living. They got many shots of her in different outfits, ranging from a parka to shorts. They did so much work in those four hours; her boss said she could work on the assembly line for a few days until they decided what else they might need. He was very pleased with her work and she learned a lot about putting her best face forward.
Her feet ached. Boxing up greeting cards was dreary work. She walked in the door after driving home, covering her yawn. She stopped just as she walked into the main room where her bedroom was located.
There, in front of her, was a television set sitting on a small table. She walked out of the room and checked the number on her apartment door. Yes, it was her place, but where did the television come from?
She pulled out the cell phone and turned it on. She had four missed messages, all from John. As she listened to them, she realized he missed her. All of them were just seeing how she was, and to tell her he missed her and loved her.
She deleted them all, then dialed his number.
“Hey! You called me back!” he said.
“I’m sorry, I was workin’.” She covered her yawn. “That’s nasty work.”
“Ready to come back yet?”
“No. I have to do this. I have to make it.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Because I just do.”
“Not just that. I have to prove…” She sighed. “Oh, you’d never understand this.”
“Try me. You’d be surprised at what I understand.”
She walked to the kitchen and got a glass of water. Considering she had no food in the place, that’s all she could get. At least she’d had crackers from the vending machine for dinner.
“What are you drinking?”
“Water,” she said, taking the cup from her lips.
“What else do you have in that place?”
“Uh, water.”
“No food? Nothing?”
“I’m fine. I’m not here enough for food anyway.” She stared out at the bedroom. “Someone broke into my apartment and left me something.”
“They did? What was it?”
She could hear him smile and it was adorable. “A television set. Did you do that?”
“What if I did? Oh, and you have cable, too. As a matter of fact, if you turn it to channel twenty-six, you’ll see my game today.”
She did as instructed, and there before her was a very clear picture of John. He was so handsome, hitting the ball on the court while wearing a white shirt and dark blue shorts. She instantly remembered why she felt like she did when she was with him, because the butterflies in her stomach started, even though he was only on television. She sighed and fell onto the bed, sitting on the end. “Adorable.”
“What, the television?”
“No, what’s on the television. Simply adorable.”
“Who, me?”
She couldn’t let his ego get in the way. “No, the net, silly.”
“Very funny. Now, tell me why you can’t leave West Virginia and what you have to prove.”
She stared at the screen, watching John hit a ball way to the left of his opponent. “I was hopin’ you’d forgotten about that.”
“Never. Who do you have to prove something to, and why in West Virginia?”
“Your mother and my father. I live here, and that’s why I’m here.”
“My mother?” he asked. “You have to prove something to her? What do you have to prove?”
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