For Nicky

Home > LGBT > For Nicky > Page 21
For Nicky Page 21

by A. D. Ellis

Nate and I looked at each other over Nick’s head and laughed. “You know, I think Miss Elizabeth and I may be talking about that a little later. Just for you Nicky!”

  “REALLY!? REALLY, Nate!? Miss Elizabeth, are you going to marry Nate and be my sister and have babies for him??!” I couldn’t help but giggle at his excitement. Maybe Nate and I did need to talk about that later. For Nicky.

  EPILOGUE

  Nate

  Obviously Libby and I didn’t get married. At least not just for Nicky. We got married for ourselves. About a year after Nicky got out of the hospital. Nicky wasn’t very patient about having to wait, but he would have done anything for his Miss Elizabeth.

  The wedding was beautiful. Well, it was beautiful according to Audrey and Libby and my mom and the other women in town. All I can remember of it is seeing Libby walking toward me in her white dress. I smiled to myself as she walked toward me. A long ago memory flitted through my head; right after our first kiss I imagined Libby in a white dress and then later with her belly swollen with our baby. At the time, that thought scared the shit out of me, but with the image of Libby walking towards me, I was excited for those thoughts to come true.

  After the wedding, Libby and I bought a little home about halfway between her dad and my parents. Libby has had a grand old time decorating it and making it ours. And, of course, ours means that Nicky is there at least once or twice a week to sleep over. There have been some surprising changes in Nicky’s life. Changes that I would never have predicted, but Libby shared with me that she had once had an inkling of something like this happening. I’ll leave that story for another time; I’m not 100% sure that I’m okay with the changes. It’s almost like a father trying to get used to his child growing up.

  Libby and I have been married about a year. I’m proud to say that Libby’s belly is VERY swollen with our baby. It never ceases to amaze me that I put that baby in her belly. Libby isn’t all that happy with me and my “putting a baby in your belly skills” right now. In fact, she’s pretty uncomfortable, but I know she’s excited to meet our baby. We decided to wait until the baby arrives to find out the sex. Speaking of sex, pregnant sex is awesome. I’m just saying.

  Libby continues loving her job and being awesome at it. She’ll be taking a leave when the baby arrives. She’s taken a semester leave for now, but she’s not completely sure if she’s going back or not. I don’t know how it will all work. I know she wants nothing more than to be home raising the baby like her mom and my mom were, but I also know that her job at the center is her dream come true, and I don’t know how she’ll feel if she leaves it for good. Right now she’s feeling very comfortable with her sub, a sweet girl named Carly, taking over for her.

  Nicky recovered completely from his illness. He was, of course, my best man at our wedding. He was super excited about his role in the wedding. He was asking about the babies and when they would arrive before we had even cut the cake. He had worked really hard on his speech for the reception. Nicky was a microphone hog and would have done anything to keep talking into that thing. His speech was totally perfect and completely Nicky. I’m pretty sure Mom and Dad helped him a little bit, but he delivered it as only Nicky could. “Miss Elizabeth, I love you. Probably not as much as Nate loves you. Maybe. You were my teacher then my friend and now you’re my sister. Nate has always taken care of me and protected me, but he has you to take care of and protect now. And he has to take care of your babies. Nate is the best brother ever and you’re just the best ever. Nate, you don’t have to protect me anymore. Just love Miss Elizabeth as much as I love her. And give her babies!” I had tears in my eyes and a laugh on my lips, as did everyone else, when Nicky finished his speech.

  We waited until Libby was well into her second trimester before we told him. We did this for two reasons. We wanted to be sure everything was ok with the baby because it would be too hard to explain to Nicky if something bad happened. The other reason was because we knew he’d drive us insane about the baby’s arrival so waiting that long gave us a bit of a reprieve. Nicky still attends the center. He’s made two new friends. Both of these are strange friendships, but they work. One of his friends has to do with those changes Nicky is experiencing. The other has Nicky, a grown man, being best buds with a little boy at the center named Beckett Jordan. Beckett’s dad, Jeremiah, brings him to our home sometimes to play video games with Nicky. Jeremiah is a great guy and Beckett is an adorable child. I think Nicky connects with Beckett because Beck has a lot of the same difficulties and challenges as Nicky has lived with all of his life.

  I finally decided make use of my degree and look for a counseling job. I lucked out and got a job right away. It may have been helpful that my dad is such a well-respected and influential staff member at the middle school and the counselor there was retiring. So, at the start of this school year, I started the first day of what I hoped to be a long, successful, fulfilling career in school counseling. I dream of being admired and respected by the students like my dad always has been. I have my work cut out for me; those are big shoes to fill. I feel blessed that I’ll have my dad around the place for at least 5-10 years before he looks into retirement. So far, I’ve met some awesome 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. I’ve met some rotten ones, too. I’ve heard some stories that made me laugh, some that made me cry, and some that made me feel like that protective big brother itching to fight a bully all over again. My goal as a school counselor is to help kids that are bullied and to help the bullies, too. I do this for the victims, the bullies, and for Nicky.

  In the end, I owe it all to Nicky. I’m grateful that I finally gave in to him and met his dear Miss Elizabeth. Many people think that I take care of Nicky and protect him, and I do. But, Nicky has done just as much, if not more, for me. This life has thrown some curve balls, and I’m sure the curves will keep coming, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I’d do it all over again. For Nicky.

  THE END

  How to Connect with A.D. Ellis

  Please come check out my Facebook page! I keep it updated with information about For Nicky , upcoming books, news, and myself. Audrey’s story is coming soon so you’ll be able to keep up to date with her book there as well! www.facebook.com/adellisauthor

  You can also “friend” me on Facebook if you’d like! Just search for “A.d. Ellis Author”. I love to “meet” my readers so give my page a LIKE and friend me. Let me know if you’ve read For Nicky!

  I’m on Goodreads as well. www.goodreads.com/adellisauthor PLEASE leave me a review on Goodreads if you enjoyed For Nicky! Positive reviews are a life line for independent authors.

  I’m not very proficient with Twitter, but I’m on there! www.twitter.com/ADEllisAuthor

  Check out my webpage as well. www.adellisauthor.webs.com

  About the Author

  A.D Ellis was born and raised in a small farming town in southern Indiana. An avid reader from the time she learned to read, A.D. could often be found curled up somewhere with her nose in a book. Most of her friends were not such book enthusiasts which earned her a few snickers when she was constantly reading.

  A.D. had always dreamed of being a teacher. She earned her degree in Elementary Education from Indiana State University in 1999 and her Master’s Degree from Indiana Wesleyan in 2003. A.D. has been teaching in the inner city of Indianapolis for 15 years. While she’s taught several different grades, fourth grade is her favorite. They are learning independence by 4th grade, but most haven’t learned the attitude yet. A.D. loves teaching fractions, variables, probability, and graphing in Math. She loves almost all aspects of English Language Arts. Figurative language, theme, making predictions, drawing conclusions, inference, context clues, making writing come to life, A.D. loves it all! Her students may not be in agreement with that excitement.

  A.D. met her husband in college in 1996 and they married in June of 2000. A.D. lives in a south side suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana with her husband and two school-aged children. When she’s not reading or writing with music blaring,
she can be found shopping at thrift stores, reading to her children, and running.

  A.D. had always pondered the idea of writing a book, but until recently it was a far off dream. In today’s age of independently published authors, A.D. decided to take a chance and try her hand at writing. She has learned so much during this journey and is having a world of fun with it.

  Please connect with A.D. Ellis on Facebook. www.facebook.com/adellisauthor

  Author’s Notes

  Torey Hope Education Center

  As a teacher, I see students all the time who would thrive in a school setting like the center where Libby works. There are some schools like this, but they are few and far between and more are needed. Not every student is on a college track, but they all need life skills. I know there are different funds used for schools like the one Libby works at. I took “artistic liberties” creating the center in Torey Hope. I’m not sure where the funding for this center comes from, but I know it’s perfect for the students it serves and I hope that more students can find a place like this.

  Bullying

  According to www.stopbullying.gov “bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior….that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated….” There are three types of bullying according to this site. Physical, verbal, social.

  As a teacher of 15 years, I watch bullying occur daily. I do my part to help educate my students about bullying. What it is, some of the reasons it may happen, how to stop it. I especially like to focus on students learning to “take a stand and lend a hand”. Bystanders are almost as bad, and in some cases worse, than the bully. Bystanders just let it happen. Whether the victim is your friend or not, you should always have the common decency to step in and stand up for him.

  Bullies usually act out due to something negative in their life. They are being bullied, home life is bad, a past traumatic experience, the list goes on and on. Bullies have no excuse and they should be stopped, but I feel it’s important to realize that the bully almost always has something bad going on with them as well.

  The R-word

  I have always and will always find the words retard and retarded disgusting, hurtful, unacceptable, and uncalled for. I found a site called www.R-word.org This site explains that the R-word (retard/retarded) “hurts because it’s exclusive. It’s offensive. It’s derogatory.” I hope that Nicky’s story will help to bring awareness about the use of this word. Here are some sites that offer other words and reasons not to use the R-word:

  http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Using-the-Word-%22Retarded%22

  https://www.aucd.org/template/page.cfm?id=605

  http://www.parents.com/blogs/to-the-max/2013/03/06/autism/5-things-people-dont-get-about-the-word-retard/

  Male Rape

  I didn’t know a lot about male rape when I wrote this book. I knew it was possible and I assumed it happens a lot more than one might think. While it is true that male rape is more often male on male, females raping males does happen. I found this page helpful when looking for research about date rape of males:

  http://voices.yahoo.com/sexual-arousal-male-victims-rape-1504019.html

  If you are a victim of rape there are many resources out there for you. In regards to male rape victims, here are some sites:

  http://www.rainn.org/get-information/types-of-sexual-assault/male-sexual-assault

  http://www.aftersilence.org/male-survivors.php

  Interventions

  There are many reasons for needing to plan an intervention. We see this almost joked about a lot of times, but if a person is truly in need of intervening, it is nothing to be made light of. I found this page helpful when planning the intervention:

  http://www.originsrecovery.com/how-to-plan-a-successful-intervention/

  Alcohol Recovery

  Captain Decker turned to alcohol after his wife died. He suffered with alcoholism most of Libby and Audrey’s tween and teen years. He did eventually get help and he’s in recovery, but an alcoholic is never truly recovered or healed. An alcoholic will be in recovery mode permanently. Alcoholism is a disease and it’s treatable but not curable. If you or someone you love has trouble with alcohol, please seek help:

  http://www.aa.org/lang/en/subpage.cfm?page=1

  http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/

  Grief

  Captain Decker, Libby, and Audrey would have all benefitted from grief counseling when they lost Lois Decker. If you or someone you love is having a hard time dealing with their grief, please seek help.

  http://psychcentral.com/lib/the-5-stages-of-loss-and-grief/000617

  http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/depression-grief

  The For Nicky Playlist

  Playlist to go along with For Nicky. I have this playlist on Spotify. Feel free to follow me on there (A.d. Ellis Author). Please know that I love music, but I don’t know or care much about the details. I know I like a song, but I don’t usually know or care who the artist is. So, on the list below, if Spotify told me it was by a certain artist, I took their word for it.

  Brave by Sara Bareilles

  Ho Hey by The Lumineers

  Beneath Your Beautiful by Labrinth

  Let Her Go by Passenger

  A Thousand Years by Christina Perri

  Say Something by A Great Big World

  All of Me by John Legend

  Reach for Me by Kirsty Hawkshaw

  Only Teardrops by Emmelie De Forest

  Apologize by One Republic

  Fine By Me by Andy Grammer

  I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz

  In Your Arms by Kina Grannis

  Never Stop by SafetySuit

  Me Without You by Loick Essien

  You Should Know Better by Andy Grammer

  Use Somebody by Kings of Leon

  I Can’t Wait by Runner Runner

  Amazing by Danny Saucedo

  Take My Lips by Ferras

  Better With You by Kris Allen

  Out of My League by TJ McCloud

  I Will Wait by Mumford and Sons

  Machinehead by Bush (this is totally the song that goes along with Nate when he’s so angry and fighting everyone who bothers Nicky! Thanks to my cousin for the suggestion!)

  Animals by Martin Garrix (the song Nate and Libby dance to in the club)

  CINDY MORGAN’S BANANA CAKE RECIPE

  (Ok, it’s actually the author’s mom’s recipe, but Cindy can borrow it!)

  BANANA CREAM BARS

  Makes 50 bars.

  1/2 c butter, softened

  1 1/2 cups sugar

  2 large eggs

  2 tsp vanilla extract

  3/4 cup sour cream

  2 large or 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed

  2 cups all purpose flour

  1/4 tsp salt

  1 tsp baking soda

  Cream butter and sugar together, add unbeaten eggs and beat thoroughly. Add vanilla and sour cream, mix well. Add the flour, salt and soda alternately with the mashed bananas, and mix until well blended.

  Put into a greased 15 x 10 x 1 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. cool.

  FROSTING

  3 oz cream cheese, softened

  6 TBS butter, softened

  1 TBS milk

  1 tsp vanilla extract

  2 cups powdered sugar

  1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

  Mix all together.

  Spread over cooled bars and sprinkle with nuts if desired.

  These are very moist and they freeze wonderfully.

  Coming Soon from A.D. Ellis

  Because of Beckett

  This is Audrey’s story. As much as you probably hated her in For Nicky, you more than likely realized that there had to be reasons for WHY she was so horrible to those around her. In Because of Beckett you find out the ugly truth. You also get to meet a kinder Audrey and the ever gorgeous, reformed, single dad, Jeremiah Jordan.

  Be sure to LIKE my Facebook page so that you can learn about Because of Beckett and when it wi
ll be released. www.facebook.com/adellisauthor

  I have a couple other stories playing out in my head, I’ll keep you updated on those as well!

  Please Leave a review

  If you enjoyed For Nicky would you please consider reviewing it? You can write your reviews on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, anywhere really! I’d love for you to share your thoughts about For Nicky on my Facebook page as well! Positive reviews are what keep people taking a chance on my book and they mean the world to me! Thank you!

  Acknowledgments and Thanks

  To the amazing people who have supported me throughout this journey. You have no idea how much I appreciate you, but I’m going to try to put it into words. Let me just start with a huge THANK YOU!

  Oh my! Where to start? First, I will begin by thanking God. That’s not just a cliché little saying for me. I have a strong faith in God and I know that I would be nothing and be nowhere today without Him.

  I want to thank Jodie D. for prodding me to write a book. Jodie and I share a love of the romance genre and she constantly persisted that I should write something. She’s been one of my biggest supporters and cheerleaders since all of this started. She was also my very first beta reader. It was so scary to let my baby go before someone else’s eyes, but Jodie read it and loved it. Well, she didn’t love it so much as to say it was great at that point (because it wasn’t, at all), but she loved the idea of it so much that she helped me make For Nicky what it is today. I am so thrilled that she’s been on this journey with me! I hope that we can continue on the trip together.

 

‹ Prev