by Holly Smith
Returning home at the end of the day, she had just gotten through the door when her phone rang.
“Hi, Loyle; what’s going on?”
“Nelise, would you be interested in having dinner with me?”
“Sure. Where do you want to meet?”
“I’m in your neighborhood so I thought I’d pick you up if you’ll give me your address,” he said. “I was thinking of going for sushi; do you like that?”
“Yes, I’ll text you my address. I just got home so I want to freshen up a bit; give me ten.”
“OK, I’ll be waiting.”
Now I know I’ve shifted into a different world, she thought humorously; he not only called me but is picking me up! She smiled excitedly as she freshened up and hurried to meet him.
After ordering their food, Loyle asked, “How is your Aunt Gertie doing? Have you spoken with her lately?”
“No, I’ve been busy but I’m sure she’s doing well. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, I had fun that weekend and was wondering when you might visit her again. It feels to me like now would be a good time.”
“Really? Why?”
“Frankly, I’m bored with the same old routine; I thought maybe we could visit her again. What do you think?”
Nelise smiled. She realized since visiting Garden every evening and watching the changes in her life, she no longer felt bored.
“I could call her and see when she would be available. How about next weekend?”
“How about this coming weekend? Would that be too soon?”
“Hey, are you liking my aunt or something? You know she’s a bit older than you, right?” Nelise asked with a raised eyebrow.
Loyle smiled. “You’re funny, Nelise. I enjoyed the last visit and thought we could go again. Don’t get me wrong, I do like your aunt but not like that!”
“OK, just checking. I’ll let you know,” she said with a laugh.
Just then, the food was served.
“This is very good, what’s the name of this place again?” Nelise asked.
Chapter 18
“Hey there!” exclaimed Gertie happily. “To what do I owe the honor of another visit so soon?”
“Believe it or not, you can thank Loyle,” Nelise said as Gertie hugged her.
“Why thank you, Loyle!” Gertie said with a hug. “I know the perfect place to have lunch. You haven’t eaten, have you?”
“Nope, just coffee,” he said.
As Gertie was driving, she looked over at Nelise. “Lost some more weight, I see. You are looking well, dear.”
“Isn’t she?” confirmed Loyle. “Every time I see her, she looks better and better!”
Gertie smiled, but Nelise scowled.
Why do people think they need to say something about my weight all the time? Don’t they think I know what my weight is? People without weight issues don’t talk about their weight, why should I? I shouldn’t, even if anyone else does!
“Have you had as much rain as we have lately, Auntie?” she asked, changing the subject.
After they had finished eating and catching up on each other’s news, Gertie suggested they drive by the old house again. “What do you think, Nelise? I’m curious to see if the flowers are still there.”
“Sure, let’s go see,” Nelise agreed. “Do you mind, Loyle?”
“Not at all. I’ll play lookout like I did the last time; you know, like in the movies,” he said, squinting his eyes like a suspicious detective and laughing.
They pulled into the driveway and saw the mowed lawn but other than that, nothing had changed. While Gertie and Nelise headed for the back of the house, Loyle looked around as if something caught his attention.
When Gertie and Nelise found the blue rock, it had been freshly painted and was surrounded by fresh blue flowers.
“Would you look at that? Who could be doing this?” Gertie asked.
“I don’t know, Auntie, but it’s creeping me out. I feel like Mother is still around,” Nelise said with a shiver.
They went up to the house and peered through the back door to see if anyone was living there but saw no indication that there was.
“Auntie, look,” Nelise said, looking down at a dried, muddy footprint next to the patio.
Gertie looked where she was pointing.
“It looks like a man stepped here with boots, apparently after the last rain.”
“Yeah. Speaking of a man, we’d better get back to Loyle before he comes looking for us,” Nelise reminded.
They returned to the front of the house only to find Loyle missing.
“I can’t imagine him leaving without saying something,” Nelise said. “Let me try his cell phone.” After hearing the phone ring and ring on her end, the call went to voice mail. “No answer. That’s weird. I don’t think I ever want to come back here again, Auntie; it’s too eerie.”
“Shall we drive around and look for him?” Gertie asked.
“Yes, let’s do that. Meanwhile, he’ll see that I called him and call me back when he’s done doing whatever he’s doing. Maybe he went to use the restroom at the little convenience store we passed on the way.”
They drove back to the store. There was only one customer there.
Nelise went up to the clerk. “Did you see a handsome dark-haired man in here within the last half hour?”
“I’d know if I had,” said the smiling young female clerk.
“OK, thanks.”
“Guess it’s time to head back to the house. Whatever he’s doing wouldn’t have taken him this long,” Gertie said.
They anxiously jumped back into the car and Gertie drove while Nelise scanned the area on the way. They reached the house again but Loyle wasn’t there. After a mile or so further, the roadway changed from tar to dirt and Gertie stopped the car.
“Should I continue?”
“Oh, Auntie, I’m getting worried. Do you think something has happened to him?” Nelise asked frantically.
“No! I will not entertain such a thought. There has to be a perfectly good reason for this and we’re going to get to the bottom of it,” Gertie said firmly and starting driving again.
At that, Nelise sent Loyle to the Great Hall of Light and felt calmer. I hope that does some good, she thought.
When they had gone a short way, they saw Loyle in the distance. He was sitting on a big rock on the side of the road talking with a man in a tan jacket. Gertie stepped on the gas and stopped short in a cloud of dirt in front of Loyle, hoping to catch sight of the man. He had already disappeared into the woods.
“Of all the nerve! Loyle, what the heck are you doing? Trying to scare the wits out of us?” Nelise hollered, getting out of the car and slamming the door. Gertie was peering into the woods to see where the man went.
“I’m sorry, Nelise. You won’t see him, Gertie; he rushed away as soon as he heard a car. You must know I wouldn’t intentionally do something to worry you both but I do have some news to share which I would not have had otherwise,” he said defensively as he walked toward the car. “C’mon, let me tell you what happened.”
Loyle waited for Gertie and got into the passenger side back seat to avoid Nelise’s glare.
“You should have told us what you were doing,” Nelise scolded.
“Nelise, let’s hear what he has to say before we condemn him to hell, shall we?” Gertie suggested light-heartedly, hoping to ease the situation.
“Fine.”
“I apologize but I didn’t plan this,” Loyle said. “I tried to call but there was no signal. Anyway, I thought I saw someone walking away from the house just as we got there so I decided to take a little stroll and see. As soon as I stepped onto the sidewalk, I saw a man looking back as he was walking away. When he saw me, he looked more forlorn than suspicious and I felt inclined to walk with him. He didn’t seem to mind. His eyes were red and bloodshot and I asked him if he was all right. He didn’t say anything at first but slowed down so I was able to walk alongside. After a few minutes, he be
gan telling me his troubles. He had to sell his home because his deceased sister’s daughter is taking him to live with her and her family up north. He couldn’t afford to keep his house and nobody would help him with it since they didn’t want him living alone anymore.”
“And exactly what has that got to do with us?” Nelise demanded.
“I’m trying to tell you, Nelise. He was upset, not because he had to leave his house but because he had to leave his child; the one he had been visiting these past years.”
“Where is his child?” Nelise asked, impatiently looking back at Loyle.
“Nelise, please,” said Gertie, giving her a threatening look.
“His child is buried in back of your old house.”
Gertie gasped, bringing the car to a screeching halt on the side of the road. She and Nelise looked at each other in shock and then at Loyle, who was looking at them quizzically.
“Loyle, I’m sorry but . . . , what are you saying?” Nelise asked.
“It’s not really any of my business, Nelise. I’m just telling you what the man told me. I should have found a better way to tell you but with you so mad, I wanted to say it and have it done with. I guess he wanted to get it off his chest before leaving but I had no idea what was to come out of his mouth.”
“Loyle, we appreciate that but please tell us everything so we know if it concerns us or not. Were you able to get any other information out of him, like how long he has lived in this neighborhood?” Gertie asked.
“He said most of his life. He and his wife took over his parents’ house when they moved into a small villa. Anyway, his wife was an alcoholic and he was never able to get her to stop drinking. She eventually died of alcohol poisoning.”
“One night, she was drunk and out walking; she passed out on your parents’ front lawn, Nelise. Apparently your mother helped get her into the house and made coffee for her until she was sober enough to say who to call for her. That’s how this man and your mom met.”
“Shortly after that night, he stopped by to thank her while your father was at work and they both shared their troubles. They kept in touch and sometime later, she met up with him and sat in his car in front of your house to talk while your father was working and his wife was passed out at home. At first it was only to console each other, he said.
“Your mother wanted to leave your father but he told her if she did, he would not let her have custody of you. And, of course, the old man wouldn’t leave his wife as sick as she was. Over time, one thing led to another and . . . ,” Loyle stopped talking and looked uneasily out the window. “I feel terrible being the one to tell you both this; I don’t even know why he confided in me at such great length,” he finished.
“Did he use any names?” Nelise asked, hoping it wasn’t what she was thinking.
“I tried to get his name but he avoided giving it to me. At one point he slipped and called the woman Alice.”
Nelise’s mouth dropped open. Gertie’s eyes filled with tears as she cautiously pulled the car back onto the road and drove back to her house in silence. As soon as they went inside, Gertie took three beers out of the refrigerator and set them on the table with a bowl of chips. She opened one of the beers and took a long drink.
“I am absolutely speechless,” she said. “I’m sorry you had to be involved in our family’s drama, Loyle.”
Loyle took a beer and sat next to Nelise, who opened one and drank half of it right down without looking at him.
“It’s OK; very few families don’t have an issue or two,” he said sympathetically.
Gertie went to the refrigerator and took out more beer. “I rarely get drunk but I sure feel like doing that now.” She looked at Nelise questioningly.
“I don’t know what to think, Auntie. I’m shocked and devastated. I would never have suspected Mother of such behavior. And to think she left me alone in the house asleep to see that man,” Nelise said judgmentally as she reached for another beer.
At that, Loyle took his beer and headed out the door. “I think it’s time for me to get some air,” he said, quietly closing the door behind him.
Gertie and Nelise looked at each other.
“I’m glad he understands. He’s a pretty cool guy, Nelise.”
“Ugh. I don’t even care about that right now. I’m so furious about Mother and that man!”
“I’m finding it hard to believe that my sister would allow such a thing to happen. But then, your father didn’t make life easy for her, Nelise, and she would have never left you with him, knowing how he felt about children,” defended Gertie.
“I have blamed her all these years for not leaving him, or at least standing up to him. I had no idea what she was dealing with. I knew he was a jerk but I didn’t realize how much of one. Even so, to have an affair on top of everything else? And getting pregnant! How could she?” Nelise asked, gulping down the rest of her beer.
“Nelise, where’s your sympathy? We don’t have any idea what she was going through.”
“Maybe you’re right, but if she was able to sleep with another man while they were both married to someone else, how do I know she didn’t cause the miscarriage herself?” Nelise blurted out accusingly.
“Shut your mouth! Your mother would never do such a thing!” Gertie screamed, slamming her beer down on the table and causing Nelise to jump.
“How do you know? You never suspected her of an affair either, did you? And you never thought she would bury . . . , do what she did, on top of that!” Nelise yelled back.
Gertie took a deep breath, looked sternly at Nelise, sighed and drank more.
“Listen, Nelise. An affair is not so surprising in such situations. I’m not saying it’s right, just understandable. Whichever way it went, she had to have felt alone and desperately frightened to do what she did; and then guilty on top of that. I know my sister that much,” Gertie said.
“I suppose,” Nelise agreed with a more humble tone. “She couldn’t deal with much about life as far as I saw growing up. But why didn’t she come to you?”
“Why would she? I had tried to get her to leave him before, so I’m sure she didn’t want to hear it from me again,” Gertie explained.
“And how could that man keep caring for the grave of a child that never got to live; especially after Mother was gone? Why would he?” Nelise questioned, shaking her head.
“From what Loyle said, it sounds like it was his only child. I can imagine how that would have broken his heart . . . both their hearts, in fact.”
“Usshh! Poor Loyle, now we’ve left him out there alone again. He’s the one that wanted to come up here for some fun,” Nelise realized. “Ha!”
“Let’s put this aside for now, and go paddle boating before it gets too late. I don’t want this to be the crux of your visit. It’s all in the past. Go get Loyle; I’ll wait in the car,” announced Gertie suddenly.
“Auntie, are you sober enough to drive?”
“Yes, dear; the place isn’t that far from here and if I stay here contemplating this nightmare, I will definitely get drunk!”
As soon as they arrived, Gertie rented her own paddle boat and went off by herself. Moths were flying around the floodlights surrounding the small lake and there were only a few other people paddling around.
“I guess that leaves us together; or do you also want to be alone?” Loyle asked.
“No, I don’t want to be alone right now but you can do the paddling,” Nelise said with a half-smile. They paddled around the lake for a few minutes without talking. Finally, Nelise spoke up.
“You know, Loyle, I hate that our dirty laundry was aired in front of you. I didn’t know how bad it was. I am mortified that my mother might have done such a thing. Anyway, I apologize for your having to be a part of this dreadful mess. Now that you know what kind of family I come from, I would understand if you didn’t want anything to do with me.”
“Nelise, you don’t have to apologize; it’s none of my business anyway. As far as your mother an
d that man . . . ,” Loyle was saying when Nelise shut him down.
“Loyle, I don’t want to discuss it anymore. It’s unforgivable but what’s done is done. Let’s get back to shore,” she said with finality.
“OK,” Loyle said, looking pained.
When they returned to Gertie’s house, she turned on the back porch light and Loyle went out and pulled a patio chair next to his for Nelise. She no sooner sat down when Gertie came out with more beer.
“Nobody is going out tonight for any reason,” she said, handing one to each of them and sitting on a lounger. “It’s nice out tonight, cool and comfortable with lots of stars,” she added, looking at the night sky.
“You got yourself a nice piece of property here, Gertie,” Loyle said.
“Yes, I’m happy with it, thank you. I sometimes wish I had gotten a pool but then I would have had to deal with the upkeep, right? Say, I’m going to call for a pizza. We shouldn’t end the night getting drunk,” Gertie said going back into the house.
“Geez, Nelise, what a day for you guys,” Loyle said as he patted her back compassionately.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you, Loyle. I was mad that you strolled away without a word to us but now I understand how it happened.”
Loyle gave Nelise a comforting hug. They sat listening to the crickets and gazing at the stars.
“Let’s go inside and forget all this. It’s water under the bridge,” Nelise said, standing up suddenly, just as Gertie yelled out the back door that the pizza had arrived.
They spent the rest of the evening watching an action movie and betting on who the culprit was. Loyle fell asleep on the sofa again and Nelise covered him just as she had the last time. She sat on the footstool staring at him for some minutes debating whether or not to kiss him. Maybe just lightly, she thought. As her mouth neared his lips, he turned on his side and Nelise jumped up and ran out of the room.
Gertie was still asleep when Nelise and Loyle left early the next morning so Nelise left a note that she would call later on.
Chapter 19
Once they arrived back in town, Nelise drove to the drugstore parking lot and dropped Loyle off as before.