From the footfalls, she could tell it was a man. A second later, Mike stuck his head around the corner. “Sure, but someone is at the gate. I heard them buzz. I was just coming out to see who it is, or at least ask them that same thing, ‘Who goes there?’”
“Really? At this time of night? It’s close to midnight. Who could it be?”
“Actually it’s 12:45. I’ll be back in a minute and see what I can find for you to snack on.”
“Thanks.” Celia waited and wondered, at this time of night, who could it be? If Martin wanted something, he would just put in the code and come in. It could be some kind of prank, and if so, they could call the police.
She knew the intercom was in the garage so there was no way she could hear who it was or what was going on. She hoped that Mike would play it safe and not go wandering out to the gate on his own.
The idea that he might do something stupid like that caused her to lean forward again to try and see what was going on. It was no use. She couldn’t see anything but the light coming from the kitchen.
She reached for the phone. If she had to, she would wake her mother who would probably be asleep by now. She had taken the back bedroom but was on the same floor. She’d wanted to sleep by Celia in a chair, or on one of the other smaller sofas, but Celia had convinced her that it wasn’t necessary.
Finally, around eleven she’d gone to bed assured that if Celia needed anything, she could page her with one of the phones. Now Celia was thinking she might have to wake her mother so she could go check on Mike.
Five minutes went by and she heard footfalls again. She heard cabinets opening and closing and then heard more footfalls. The minute she heard Mike coming, she flipped on a small lamp. “What’s going on?”
“It seems that we are having company at this late hour. I hope you’re up to entertaining.”
“Of course I’m not! Who in the world would want to come around at this time of the night?” She reached out and took a small cup of pudding and a spoon from Mike’s hand.
“Would you like some milk with that?”
“That sounds good, but I hate to bother you.”
“No bother. I think I’ll have one, too.” He stepped out of the room and she looked after him.
“Who’s coming to see us? This is not a good time of night to have company. Did you open the gate? Just send them packing. I am in no mood to… entertain, as you called it.”
She heard footfalls again. She had just taken a bite of pudding, looked up and asked, “What kind of person goes around visiting at this time of the night?”
“Why, family of course!”
“Roger?” Celia asked, setting down the pudding as she looked up. The tears came fast and she held out her arms. “It’s so good to see you. No one told me you were coming.”
“I didn’t call. I wanted it to be a surprise. I checked in with Mom and she told me what happened and that you were in need of some help, so here I am.”
She hugged him again, not caring about the pain that it caused. “It’s so good to see you,” she said, as he pulled out of her arms and sat down on the couch beside her.
“How are you? I’m so sorry to hear this happened. You don’t have to worry about anything. I’m here to take care of you. I owe you after all.”
“Thanks, but what do you mean, you owe me?” Celia tried to wipe away the tears on her face. She was not one to cry at the drop of the hat, and she hoped that she stopped this when her body was healed from the accident.
“You don’t remember the summer I broke my leg and you had to wait on me hand and foot? Well, it’s payback time and I’m here to take my medicine.”
Celia’s brow furrowed and she leaned back taking a spoon of her pudding. After her bite, she nodded. “It’s all coming back. If I recall correctly, you had a little bell you rang. Mother bought it for you and by the end of the month, I wanted to shove it up your—.”
“Celia, that’s no way to greet your brother.” Mike came into the room and set a glass of milk on the table.
Laughing, she leaned over to pick it up. “You didn’t live with him that summer. It was terrible. He had me doing everything he could think of. I’ll have to work overtime to get back half of what I did for him.”
“Well, you just start naming it. I’ll even get you a little bell if you want. I’m here for you, Sis, any time of day or night. All you have to do is ask.”
Celia finished her pudding, and then looked from Mike to Roger. “It’s so nice of you to offer. I don’t guess the fact that I’m staying in this fine mansion in sunny California had anything to do with your visit, did it?”
Chapter 33
After the Fall
Mike sat eating his pudding and listening to Celia and Roger talk. Nothing was better medicine for a broken body or a broken heart than reminiscing about old times. The more stories they told, the more Mike could see into the real Celia. He realized that she’d changed a lot in the years she had been away from her home. He wasn’t sure that was a good thing.
The brief glimpse into the past had shown Mike that he probably would have enjoyed spending time with the old Celia. A smile crossed his lips at the phrase, ‘the old Celia’. She wouldn’t like that.
The pudding was gone, the milk glasses rinsed, and from the look on Celia’s face, Mike could tell she was very tired. Roger also noticed because he found a lull in the laughter and old stories, and spoke.
“I think it’s time I look around this huge house and find a bed to crawl into. I have a few errands to do tomorrow and a bell to buy.”
“You better make that a two-way radio. This house is huge, and if I know you, the better part of your time will be spent around the pool.”
Roger leaned over and kissed Celia on the cheek and replied, “I may take you up on that. I think we’ve both heard enough ringing bells to do us a lifetime.”
Mike and Roger exchanged a nod, and Roger walked out of the room and went up the stairs. He hadn’t been gone very long when Celia spoke, “He can always make me forget my troubles, at least for a while.”
“The two of you seem to get along well.”
“We do. We fought some when we were kids, but most of the time, we got along well. We loved irritating each other, but it was all in fun.”
“I think you almost had too much fun tonight.” Mike stood up and asked, “Is there anything I can get for you before I turn in?”
“I didn’t mean to keep you up. I’m sorry. I’m guessing you have to work tomorrow and I caused you to miss work today, too.”
“I do need to go in tomorrow, but today was okay.”
“Don’t let me keep you. I can manage.”
“Manage what?”
Celia looked up, and bit on her bottom lip for a second. “I did have a pretty big glass of milk. That might have been a mistake.”
“Oh, OH!” Mike felt the blush slipping up his face and he turned, glancing over his shoulder. What had he gotten himself into?
“It’s not that big of a deal, but it is something I didn’t think of when I chose this room.”
Mike didn’t turn and look at Celia yet, but an idea was forming in the back of his mind. She wasn’t going to like it, but he was pretty sure she didn’t have much of a choice. He wasn’t sure what bothered him most, having to help her to the bathroom or having to look her in the eye and tell her she needed to sleep in the same room that Randi Sanders had slept in.
She must have noticed he seemed unsure about something for her voice raised in pitch somewhat as she spoke, “Really, it’s not a problem. It’s just a couple of steps. Go on to bed. I can manage. I’m going to have to get used to doing things on my own anyway, so, no time like the present.”
“No. You can’t,” he said, turning to look at her. “I don’t mind helping.” He lied. He didn’t mind helping her in some ways, but taking any woman to the bathroom was not high on his list of priorities.
“I managed just fine in the hospital. I can do this.”
&n
bsp; “Yes, but you didn’t have steps to deal with. You need to be on level floor, somewhere that you can get from the bed to the bathroom with ease.”
“I know, but I didn’t want to be way in the back of the house.” Celia started moving her pillows and cover so she could get up.
“Well, I think I have a solution to your problem. You’re just not going to like it.”
Celia gestured to her leg. “It seems to be my month for things that I’m not going to like. Feel free to add your idea to the list of many.”
Mike moved over and sat down on the arm of the couch. He inhaled a deep breath, looked down at his shoes for a second and then ripped off the band-aid. “I think you should stay in the back bedroom where I’m staying.”
Celia had the very reaction that he thought she would. She raised her pretty eyes at him, and if she could have thrown daggers in his direction, she would have.
“You’ve got to be joking. I do not want to stay in that room. Not the same room that— no, no, no, no, no!!!”
“Celia, it’s just a room and there are no stairs. Even after you get some crutches, stairs are not going to be easy.”
“I know, but it’s not fair.”
“I know it’s not but it has a bathroom and a nice soft bed. It’s the perfect solution.”
“But, I don’t want to,” she insisted.
“Celia, please do me a favor and just come on. I’ll sleep on the couch tonight. If you want to figure out something better tomorrow, I’ll help you rearrange the whole house. It’s late and I’m tired and I need to get some sleep.” He didn’t think it would work, but it did. She nodded and held out her hand for him to help her up.
They didn’t speak at all but he did hear a whimper as she made her way up the steps and a soft sigh when she sat back down in the wheelchair. He pushed her into the bedroom then into the bathroom. For a moment his gaze met hers in the mirror. He wanted to ask if she needed any help but he wasn’t sure what to say.
“Set the brake on this silly chair and grab my pillows from the couch, please.”
“Sure. Will do.” He was happy to have anything else to do other than help her in the bathroom. It felt rather strange to even be in the same room with her. And, he promised himself that tomorrow he would not bring Celia a tall glass of milk at midnight.
Chapter 34
The Final Straw
“Want some help with that?”
Randi turned to find her dad coming into the kitchen. She was fixing breakfast - trying to help out around the house before going to work. Her assignment for the day was to clean a couple of offices in Blanton Office Building. It was a job she didn’t mind doing. There was a lot of glass in the building and she had a knack for cleaning glass and not leaving streaks.
“Sure. Would you like to scramble the eggs? I’ve fried bacon and sausage, tater babies are in the oven, toast is ready to go, so that leaves setting the table and scrambling the eggs.”
“Tater Babies? Trying to get on your mother’s good side?”
“Maybe. Just trying to start the day off with her being in a good mood. I thought this might help. I’ve tried to keep the dishes washed so there will be no mess when we’re done.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll do those to help with mending fences.”
“I’m not sure it will help. She has her mind set on pushing her anti-Martin speeches. I don’t know what to do about it.”
“Follow your heart. I don’t want to come between the two of you so I’m not going to say a lot more on the subject. Your mother means well. She’s got your well-being in mind.”
Randi sighed as she set the table. “I know that but it’s like she doesn’t trust my judgment; like she expects me to just take her advice and forget Martin. I can’t do that.”
“I know and I’m just here to mediate.”
“Do you think it’s that bad?” Randi asked, with uncertainty in her voice.
“Your mother is stubborn. You’ll have to stand your ground with whatever decision you make.”
“I will. It’s just hard to go against what she wants. I don’t want to hurt her or make her angry. But I have to live my own life and take my own chances.”
Her dad patted her on the arm and motioned to the right letting her know that her mother was coming down the stairs. “The scrambled eggs are ready.”
Breakfast was nice but there was tension in the air; no one made mention of Martin. There was even laughter when Randi’s dad reminded them of the first time he tried to scramble eggs.
“It was quite a mess,” her mother said, laughing. “He didn’t have any grease in the pan and they stuck. He turned to find an egg turner and they started burning.”
“Yes. Then the smoke detector went off, and that’s what woke me,” her mother said. “I didn’t know what was going on. I came running out of the bedroom but it wasn’t far.”
“No. That apartment was so small,” her dad said, wiping his eyes. “We were never very far apart.”
“We survived but it’s a wonder that I ever agreed to let you fry an egg again.”
“He did a fine job today,” Randi said. “He’s even offered to wash what’s left of the dishes, and on that note, I should change shirts and get ready to leave for work.”
“Everything was great.” Randi rose.
“You did most of the cooking,” her dad said. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, and if you don’t need the car, I’d like to borrow it today and for a while this evening.”
Before she could leave the room her mother called out, “Where are you going tonight; to see Martin? If so, I don’t think you should use the car for that.”
Randi turned and replied. “I don’t have plans to see anyone. I need to do some shopping.”
“Good. That’s okay.”
“No. It’s not okay,” Randi said. “If you’re going to start telling me where I can go in the car, that’s not okay.”
“Then maybe it’s time you get your own car.”
“There’s no need to argue. I don’t need the car tonight,” her dad said. “We had a nice breakfast. Let’s keep the day going on a positive note.”
“I’m not fighting, I’m just stating facts. If she’s going to continue to see Martin, she needs to get her own car. I’m not having any part in this relationship.”
Randi wasn’t sure what to say. She was in no financial condition to buy a car. She didn’t want to get her dad involved, she wouldn’t put him on the spot.
“Fine. I won’t use the car. I’ll take the bus, or a taxi, or have Martin come and get me. I don’t know why you are so against a man that you’ve never met!”
Randi left the kitchen and went to the bathroom to change clothes. She’d brought a shirt to change into for work. Though she would be cleaning, she didn’t want to show up at work with something that had grease on it from cooking breakfast.
She washed her face, put on a little make-up, changed shirts and combed her hair. What her mother had said had made her angry, but it had hurt more. Truth be known, she was having trouble seeing this as her mother just ‘looking out for her’. It seemed to be turning into more of a control issue.
The last thing she had to do before going to work was make sure the dogs had water. With the mood her mother was in, she might not think to check on them. Her dad was washing the dishes and her mother was nowhere in sight. She was worried that if she spoke to her dad she might start crying, and she wanted to be stronger than that.
Once she saw that the dogs were okay and patted them on the head a few times, she opened the back door and called out, “I’ll talk to you later, Dad.”
“Be safe, Randi,” he said.
She took the keys out of her pocket and walked around to the carport. When she saw her mother standing there, she wasn’t sure what to think. From the look on her face, she half expected her to hold her hand out for the keys to the car.
“Mom, I don’t want to fight with you. I won’t use the car to see Ma
rtin.”
“Good, but this is about something else. If you continue to see him, you’ll have to move out. You can do what you want on your own, but as my mother always said, ‘as long as you are under my roof, you will do as I say’.”
Randi didn’t know what to think. She had no idea that her mother would say anything like this. She also knew her mother wasn’t stupid and she knew that, at this moment, Randi had nowhere else to stay. She didn’t have a close girlfriend that she could spend the night with, and she certainly wasn’t going to tell Martin.
Rather than cry, or scream, or yell at her mother, she just nodded. “I understand and I agree. This is your house and I’ll do as you wish, but now, I need to go to work.”
“You can see Martin long enough to tell him you’re not going to see him anymore, but after that, I don’t want you to date him, call him, text him or have contact with him in any way.”
Randi couldn’t answer. She nodded, climbed into the car and watched her mother turn and go back inside the house.
Chapter 35
All in the Family
“You’re up early,” Mike said, walking into the kitchen to find Roger at the table reading the morning paper. As he went to the coffee pot, he noticed Roger was looking at the want ads. He didn’t comment, but he did hope that Roger could hang around to help out with Celia.
“I couldn’t sleep - different bed and I’m used to being cold and sleeping under a pile of blankets. It’s kind of hard to get used to a change like that in one night.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard that complaint before.”
“That, and I have a lot on my mind. I lost my apartment and I’m looking for work. I need to pay off some bills and get settled somewhere, so I thought, ‘why not settle here?’”
“There’s a lot of job opportunities, if you want to work.”
“I don’t mind hard work, but I’ll be putting that off for a few days until Sis is ready to take care of herself. I’m not just here to sponge, I’m here to help.”
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