Gus grinned. “I’d love to hear the answer.”
Chapter 45
He waited a couple of days before addressing the blocks issue, and then took the easy out of simply sending her an email:
Thank you for the gift. Sam and his friends enjoyed it. Do not repeat this extravagance at Christmas. I hope you are well.
—Gus
There was no reply, of course. Sam never asked what had become of her, and Maureen didn’t bring it up, so he just pushed it out of his mind as best he could. Occasionally he would be looking at a calendar to figure out what day something fell on, and he would find himself thinking of it; thinking how far along she would have been if… Then he would shake it out of his head again and continue with whatever he had been doing.
Maureen moved into an apartment on November 1 that was less than a mile from their house and close to Sam’s school. With Gus’s blessing, she occasionally walked over to the school and took Sam and Jordan home with her to play until either Gus or Craig went to retrieve them for supper. On weekends she stayed at their house, getting better at acting casual when Sam came in to rouse them in the morning with his demands for food and attention.
Thanksgiving was spent at Gus’s parents’ house. Both of his sisters and their spouses were there as well. Jean was friendly to Maureen, asking her how Cathy was and sharing her pistachio pudding recipe with her, but Liz was her usual stand-offish self, especially since her husband seemed to have a problem keeping his eyes where they belonged.
After several torturous hours, Sam finally started acting cranky, and Gus declined his mother’s suggestion that they put him down for a nap upstairs, instead saying, “We’re gonna get on home. Thank you for having us over.”
“If you’re sure.”
“I’d really like to just put him in his own bed and not worry about moving him.”
“Okay. Well, thank you for coming. Sam, give Grammy a hug.”
Sam obeyed, then darted away to climb in his grandfather’s lap before his chubby cousin could get there.
Evelyn hugged Maureen next, kissing her cheek. Finally she turned to Gus. They eyed each other warily, then she stepped toward him just as he started to turn away. She rested her hand cautiously on his arm and said so low only he could hear it, “Gus, thank you for coming back in our lives. We’re proud of you.”
He smiled and kissed her forehead quickly. “Thanks, Mom.”
When they got out to the car, he dug in the glove box for a moment, then produced three tablespoons.
“What on earth…?” Maureen asked.
He reached under his seat and pulled out a bottle of Pepto Bismol. “Who’s first?”
“Gus!” She chastised, but giggled, holding out her spoon.
“You should teach Gramma how to cook,” Sam suggested as he extended his spoon.
“I’m finally beginning to suspect she really doesn’t do it on purpose. She just really can’t cook, you know?”
Sam offered, “She makes good cinnamon toast. And bologna sandwiches with extra cheese slices.”
“That would have been a huge improvement over that feast. I say when we get home, we have some nice chicken noodle soup and see if we feel better.”
“Will you stay with us tonight, Mommy?”
“Well…”
“Please!”
“Milo’s been home all alone today. I should…”
“We could bring him to our house! He can meet Frodo!”
She looked over at Gus for help. He mouthed, “Please?”
She paused, then nodded resolutely. “Okay. Just for tonight. We’ll see how they do.”
Milo was not particularly pleased with being roused from his nap, stuffed in his carrier, and taken for a ride. Even though Sam poked his fingers through the cage wires and talked baby talk to him, he howled all the way. They set the carrier on the couch and opened it, and Frodo came over to investigate. When the cat hissed and swiped at him, he jumped back in surprise, then whined and lay down.
“Milo, you be nice to Frodo!” Maureen ordered, giving Frodo a snuggle.
“Let’s put his stuff in the laundry room, and let him settle in a little,” Gus suggested.
They put a box with fresh litter in the back corner of the laundry room, and the bowls of water and food on top of the dryer, out of Frodo’s immediate reach, then went out to retrieve the cat to show him. He was gone.
“Frodo, what happened to Milo?” Sam demanded.
The dog whined again.
They checked behind the furniture, in the curtains, under the beds, all to no avail. “What if Frodo ate him?” Sam asked.
“We would have heard it,” Gus assured him. “Let’s try the basement.”
Sam’s eyes opened wide. “Oh no! Milo don’t know about the zombies!”
Trying not to grin, the adults led the way, Gus whistling to keep them all safe. The cat was sitting on top of the furnace, his eyes shining like polished obsidian. “Okay, Sam, head back upstairs. I gotta stop whistling to get him down.”
“Don’t die, Daddy!” Sam cried, then ran for the stairs.
“You shouldn’t encourage that.”
“I know. I just told them that because I caught a bunch of them down here one day trying to light matches. Any chance this cat is declawed?”
“Of course not. That’s mean.”
“Great. Open your arms—I’m doing a fast pass-off here.” He stretched up and snagged the cat by the nape of his neck, and swung him into her arms.
“Not much of a cat person, huh?” she commented as she cuddled the cat to her chest.
He shrugged. “I’ve just never had one. Never had a pet before we got Frodo. I can learn.”
She nodded and led the way up the stairs. Sam was waiting anxiously by the doorway. When they came up, he exclaimed, “You got away!”
“All safe,” Maureen said.
“Buddy, there are really no such thing as zombies. I was teasing you when I told you that. Okay? Nothing in the basement to be afraid of.”
Sam rolled his eyes. “I know that. Do you think I’m a girl or somethin’?”
“Then why…?”
“It’s a game, Silly.”
“Ah. Okay. So let’s get this tiger settled in, and work on bedtime.”
“Can he sleep with me?”
“First let’s show him the food and litter box. Then we’ll put him in your room. He might want to start under the bed,” Maureen suggested.
“Okay.” Sam rushed to change into his pajamas while Milo was getting the tour, then Maureen brought the cat in and settled him next to Sam on the bed. The two of them petted him and talked softly until he finally started to relax a little, an occasional purr escaping. Then she kissed them both, and slipped out, turning off the light. In the hall, Frodo was lying next to the doorway, looking displaced.
“C‘mon, Frodo, let’s see if we can find you a treat, okay?” She led him to the kitchen, where Gus was warming soup.
He turned when she entered and wrapped his arms around her for a lingering hug, whispering, “You feel just right.”
She nodded. “You feel like home.”
Chapter 46
“What’s going on?” Maureen asked, walking into Sam’s room, where all the toys were pulled out of the toy boxes and closets, and Gus was going through the dresser drawers.
“We’re getting ready for Christmas,” Sam explained.
“How, by setting a booby trap for Santa?”
While Sam giggled, Gus explained, “We’re taking a trip to the Salvation Army later today. Every year, we take them the clothes and toys we’ve outgrown. Plus some groceries. Want to help?”
“Sure! Sounds good. Do you have piles started here?”
“This is the stuff I’m keeping.” Sam pointed at the bed. “All them things we gotta decide if we’re giving ‘em or throwing ‘em away.”
“I’ll help you decide, okay?”
She sat down on the floor with him, and they worked their way t
hrough a pile of toys. Suddenly Sam stood up. “What’s wrong?” Maureen asked.
“‘Member those blocks Sarah gave me?”
“The castle? Yes. What about them?”
“I never play with them. It’s too messy.”
She glanced over at Gus. “You want to give all those away?”
“I want to give them to Ricky. He gots a really mean mom. He don’t get fun stuff for presents, just things like boots.”
“I see. That’s very nice of you. But we’d probably better ask her first. Maybe she doesn’t want him to have something so messy.”
“We can give him the buckets, too, so he can keep ‘em picked up.”
“What do you think?” she asked Gus.
“We definitely have to ask her first. She’s a weird one.”
“Can I do it? I’ve been waiting to meet her.”
Gus grinned. “Your funeral. She’s in the brown house on the far side of Jordan.”
“Okay. Wish me luck.”
“You should take Frodo with you so he can bite her if she starts bein’ mean,” Sam suggested.
She grinned. “Don’t you worry. I know how to be mean right back. Remember who my sister is?”
Gus followed her to the front door. When he was sure they were out of earshot, he told her, “You gotta make her think she’s doing you a favor by taking them. She thinks everyone is looking down on her because her husband skipped out on them a couple of years ago.”
“Ah. Thanks for warning me.”
Gus returned to the bedroom and finished filling the box of clothes to give away, then helped Sam start boxing the toys. Nearly an hour passed.
“Should we go check on her?” Sam asked.
“Let’s take stuff out to the car. See if we can spot any covert activity. Put your coat on.”
Just then she came back in, an odd smile on her face. “She would be happy to take them off our hands. Would you mind taking them over there while Ricky is in school? And Sam, would you mind keeping it a secret?”
“Okay. I never talk to Ricky anyway.”
“But don’t tell the other kids, either, okay? Not even Jordan.”
Sam nodded. “That’s a good idea, ‘cause they’d get mad that I gave ‘em to Ricky and not them.”
“Run get your coat. Let’s load the car up.” As soon as Sam darted out of the room, he asked, “What did she really say?”
“That was really what she said. After she told me to watch out for you because you were just like all the rest, and she could spin my head around with stories about all the floozies you’ve had around this place.”
He grinned. “Damn. Wish I’d been here when they were.”
“No floozies, huh?”
“Well, that would be Sarah—she probably qualifies—and you, and my mother. That’s pretty much it. Afraid I’m really as boring underneath as I appear on the surface.”
“I got to hear all about her slime-ball ex and his current floozy. And turns out her dad was a slime-ball as well. All men are the same, you know. So I told her what a jerk Tim is. She said what did I expect, hanging around lawyers.”
“Good question.”
“I don’t think she believed me that I’m Sam’s real mother, though. For some reason she was under the impression that I lived in Florida.”
“Oh, yeah. That. Remind me to tell you when little pitchers aren’t around. Let’s get this stuff packed up.”
Chapter 47
Gus was out front shoveling the sidewalk when Maureen returned from seeing her therapist. He crossed to the car as she got out and kissed her, then asked, “Now?”
“No. I told you she said we should give it at least a year. That’s September at best. Not February.”
“Maybe I could give her enough money to retire?”
She chuckled and shook her head, then said, “Hey, I’m going into the city with her on Thursday. I get to be a lab specimen.”
“For what?”
“Some group is doing research on bipolar disorder. Trying to link it to a genome. They’re drawing some blood, then having me answer all these questions about my family history and all. Sounds interesting.”
“Do you get to see the results?”
“Not until someone publishes it, if they ever do. But they’re paying me $75 and feeding me lunch.”
He hugged her, then asked, “You sure you want to do this?”
“Sure. Why not?”
“It won’t upset you?”
She kissed his nose, then brushed the snow out of his hair. “I’m a big, strong girl, Gus. Not a porcelain doll. You need to stop treading so lightly around me. Your feet will get sore. Okay?”
At his hurt look she kissed him again. “But I love you for trying.”
He sighed, but nodded slightly.
“Any chance you’re the one who shoveled Ricky’s mom’s drive?”
“Are you kidding? She hates me!”
“Gus…”
“I paid Craig $20 to do it for me.”
“Really?”
“I’ve had him do it every time it snows since her husband left. She’s never asked him why. Or told him thank you.”
“She’s obviously still real hurt. Could probably use some counseling.”
He shook his head. “Baby, you’d see the house fall on the wicked witch, and you’d be worried about if she’d suffered.”
“Hush and get back to work. I’ll go start a fire, okay?”
“Could I make a better suggestion?”
“What’s that?”
“Can you go get Milo?”
She gave him a querulous look.
“We’re expecting a ton of snow tonight. Probably a snow day for the kids tomorrow. Would you stay with us tonight?”
She smiled. “All right.” She started to turn.
“One other thing.”
She stopped.
“Would you mind…take my car instead of yours? I’ll put yours in the garage.”
“Why?”
“The roads are getting real slick. I think it’s safer. Heavier.”
“Gus, you’re my boyfriend, not my dad.”
“Please?”
She held up her keys to trade him, then kissed him again. “Is the gas tank full?”
“It’s only two miles, round trip.”
“You never know. Ta!” She waved and skipped to his SUV.
He shook his head again, then stamped the snow off his boots before getting into her MG.
The children spilled noisily out of the school bus, tossing their bags to scoop up handfuls of snow for throwing or to fall on their backs to make angels. Frodo abandoned his blanket in the garage to join them, barking happily as they pelted him with snowballs.
As he watched them, Gus thought about last winter—the nightmare afternoon when Frodo had been injured, and the strange relationship with Sarah that had ensued. What if they had actually gotten involved? What if they had been seriously involved when Maureen surfaced? What if they had been serious when she had gotten pregnant? He forced that out of his head. “C‘mon Sam, Frodo! Let’s go warm up!”
“Do I gotta? We needa build a snowman!”
“Okay. Give me your bag though. And put your hood up. Jordan, give me your stuff, too. Let me know when you need cocoa.” He took their book bags, checking Sam’s for notes from the teacher as he passed through the garage entry into the laundry room. While he was building a fire, he heard the laundry room door close. He waited, but no one came out. “Sam?” No answer. He shrugged it off. Maybe Jordan was getting his bag. When the fire was going strong, he stood up and turned.
“Shit! Where’d you come from?”
Milo was sitting on the television, gazing blandly at him.
“Maureen?” He looked out the front window. The SUV was in the driveway, and Maureen was on her knees in the front yard, helping pack snow around the torso of a large snowman. Her cheeks and ears were bright red with cold, but she was grinning happily. He loved her so much!
&
nbsp; In December, Dr. Blair had helped her get a part-time job assisting at a shelter for battered women. He knew how much it weighed on her to listen to these women’s stories and try to offer them some comfort and hope, only to see them go back to their abusers. She never talked about it in front of Sam, but once he was asleep she would burrow into Gus’s arms and let it all out. As much as he wanted to, he never asked her to quit, because he knew it was important to her to feel like she was helping. But watching her now, playing so carelessly, he couldn’t help thinking how much happier she would be if she could be a teacher instead, like she’d always dreamed.
She looked up and caught him watching, which made her smile change to a more intimate one, her dark eyes sparkling. He waved, smiling back, then rubbed his hands up and down his arms to signal warmth. She shook her head, grinning, and turned to help set the snowman’s head in place.
Chapter 48
By Thursday, the roads were mostly covered with the dry white powder of melted salt, the gutters full of black slush. Maureen left Milo with Gus before she headed into Chicago for her appointment, a sure sign that she was more worried about how she was going to react than she was letting on.
“You don’t have to do this,” he reminded her.
“I want to. It matters to me. If they can find out why, maybe someday they’ll be able to do better than just muffle people like me.”
“All right. Just take it easy. I’ll see you later.” He kissed her. “I love you.”
“I know. That’s what makes everything okay.”
He spent the day washing linens, cleaning windows, polishing furniture, rubbing Old English into the cupboards until they glowed. What was taking so long? Mike’s mother rounded everyone up to make Valentines at her house, which gave Gus even more time to be distracted.
Finally Frodo raised his head, alerting Gus to look out just as she pulled into the driveway. He met her at the door, concerned about the expression on her face. “You all right?”
“Fine. Really. The traffic was hell. I don’t know how people do that every day.”
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