Fort Collins

by Christian, Claudia Hall

  “Chto proizoshlo?” Ivan asked. Nash’s pidgeon Russian translated to “What happened?”

  Nadia held up her phone to him. Ivan took the phone. He scowled and gave the phone to Nash. There was a picture of Mike helping Nadia into the limousine. From that angle, it looked like Mike was Nadia’s date. The headline read. . . something Nash couldn’t translate. He held it out to Ivan, with a questioning look on his face.

  “Valerie’s greatest pain,” Ivan said. “Implies Mike and Nadia. . .”

  He waved his hand in Nadia’s direction. Nash blinked at Ivan. Nash looked at Nadia for a moment.

  “I’ll take care of it,” Nash said.

  He sped out of the room. He jogged down the hallway and took the stairs two at a time. Valerie had been standing in the kitchen when he’d left. He sped through the living room and slid into the kitchen.

  “Nadia,” Nash said. He had to stop to pant. He bent over, his hands hitting his knees.

  “Nash?” Valerie went to him. She put her hand on his back.

  “There’s a. . .” Nash panted.

  “What’s happened to Nadia?” Valerie asked.

  “Picture,” Nash panted. “Reason. . . paparazzi.”

  “We were just talking about how crazy they seem today,” Valerie said with a shrug. “Are they after Nadia?”

  Although a small woman, Valerie was a force to be reckoned with. She glared toward the front of the Castle.

  “What did they do to Nadia?” Valerie asked. Her voice threatened rage.

  “They took a photo of Mike helping Nadia into the limo,” Nash said, swallowing hard. “It’s in some Russian paper.”

  Valerie shrugged.

  “They think Mike’s with Nadia,” Nash said. “It says ‘Valerie’s Heartbreak.’”

  “Cheating on me with the beautiful heiress is my heartbreak?” Valerie laughed.

  “I’m so sorry,” Nadia said from the entrance to the kitchen. Ivan was standing just behind her.

  Valerie put her head back and laughed. Nash, Nadia, and Ivan looked at Valerie as if she’d gone mad. Mike came in from the garden.

  “What’s so funny?” Mike asked.

  “The papz are here to catch a photo of you with your new girlfriend,” Valerie said.

  “Noelle?” Mike asked. “Fucking pervs.”

  “Nadia,” Valerie said. “It says, ‘Valerie’s greatest pain.’”

  “The article says you can’t get out of bed,” Nadia said. “Your family is concerned you will kill yourself.”

  Valerie laughed.

  “Why is that funny?” Nash asked.

  “Because they think that some mix-up could possibly be worse than Mike going off to war or getting captured,” Valerie said. “They have no idea what military families live with every single day.”

  Valerie gave them a nod.

  “What do you want to do?” Nash asked.

  “I think we take it to the papz,” Valerie said. “We release a statement that says that Nadia is a dear family friend. And that my greatest pain was losing Mike as a casualty of war. Whatever happens, Mike and I will work it out. He’s alive and breathing. We’ve proven that so far. But our military families deal with the greatest pain imaginable. To say this mix-up is my ‘greatest pain’ only serves to diminish their tremendous sacrifice.”

  Valerie gave Nash a nod. She smiled at Nadia.

  “Sami will be here around noon,” Valerie said. “Are we still on?”

  “I. . . I. . .” Nadia nodded vigorously. “Are you sure you want to go. . . with me?”

  “Of course,” Valerie said. “Sami’s already mapped out our afternoon — shopping, snack, spa. But first, we help Delphie with the fruit trees.”

  “I would love that,” Nadia said.

  “Great,” Valerie said and went upstairs to Jill and Jacob’s loft, where Jackie was playing.

  “One good thing,” Nadia said.

  Mike lifted an eyebrow at her, and Nash turned to look at her.

  “The matchmaker left a message saying that, since I was with a ‘good Russian man’ she would back off,” Nadia said with a smile.

  “Mike?” Nash asked.

  Nadia nodded. Mike grunted.

  “I’m ready,” Noelle ran into the kitchen. She stopped short and said, “Did I miss something?”

  “I’m having an affair with Nadia,” Mike said with a glare.

  “Oh?” Noelle asked. “Nash will kill you.”

  “Mmm,” Mike said.

  He nodded to Nash and turned in place. They grabbed their jackets at the door and went down into the tunnels.

  “Are they angry?” Nadia asked in a quiet voice.

  “Not at all,” Delphie said as she came in from the backyard.

  Nadia’s eyes flicked to Nash, and he shook his head.

  “Why not?” Nadia asked.

  “It’s happened before,” Nash said. “They’re always trying to make it seem like something’s wrong between Mike and Valerie.”

  “Sells papers,” Ivan said.

  “I think they’re jealous,” Delphie said. She washed her dirty hands before turning on the electric kettle.

  “What can I do to fix this?” Nadia asked.

  “Did you make up the story?” Ivan asked.

  “No, but. . .” Nadia said.

  “Then there’s nothing to do,” Delphie said. “Valerie will call her people, and they will release a statement.”

  Nadia dropped down into a chair at the kitchen table.

  “You seem upset,” Delphie said.

  “I’m just. . .” Nadia began to cry softly. Ivan pushed Nash forward to her. He knelt down beside her. He put his arm over her shoulder. “This is. . . And she. . .”

  Nadia gestured up the stairs.

  “I don’t have. . . female friends,” Nadia said. “And she. . . and Sami. . . They. . . and all of this. It’s like a dream. Everyone is so dear. . .”

  “You’re welcome here,” Delphie said. She put her arm around Nadia. In a low voice, she said, “Welcome home.”

  Nadia glanced at Nash, who nodded. She looked up at Delphie before starting to weep in earnest.

  Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy-eight

  Frog legs

  Saturday morning — 8:35 a.m.

  “Is this it?” Tanesha asked.

  She peered at a rundown apartment complex in Glendale from the driver’s side window of Jeraine’s car. She glanced at Heather, who shrugged. There was a blonde brick path separating two sides of a sun-browned lawn. It was a warm day, and all of the windows were open. At least one infant was screaming at the top of his lungs.

  “That’s what the GPS says,” Tink said.

  Tink held out her cell phone from the back seat. Tanesha turned around to look at it.

  “This is the place,” Heather said.

  “It’s a dump,” Tanesha said.

  “Losing your nerve?” Heather asked.

  “Oh, hell, no,” Tanesha said. “This prick sells my phone number and address to the highest bidder. He’s going to get a piece of my mind.”

  “We’d better get moving, then,” Heather said. “They’re expecting us at the Castle, and you need to study.”

  Nodding, Tanesha got out of the driver’s seat. Heather met her on the sidewalk, and Tink followed close behind. By the time they were a few feet from the building, they could smell a mixture of grease, cigarette smoke, and food.

  “Brings back memories,” Heather said.

  Tanesha nodded. She paused at the front door. At one time, there was a security system that kept the front door locked unless someone buzzed you in. Some time ago, someone had unloaded a handgun into the box and pried it from the wall. The metal plate dangled from the wall by electric wire. Heather pushed open the door, and they stepped onto a dirty, peeling linoleum floor. Tanesha pointed to the half-flight of stairs down.

  They went down the threadbare, filthy carpeted stairs to a basement hallway. They continued along the dark hallway past the ope
n doors where scantily clad women watching television were in full view.

  “Looking for some fun?” A woman said from the doorway of the first apartment. She tugged on Tink’s forearm to keep them from going anywhere.

  “We’re looking for Cody,” Tanesha said.

  The woman looked Tanesha up and down before pointing to the last door on the hallway.

  “When you finished up, come back and see me,” the woman said. “I’ll give you an early bird discount.”

  “Gross,” Tink said and pulled her arm away from the woman.

  The woman gave her a creepy smile.

  “No offense meant,” the woman said. “Just trying to be friendly.”

  Tink gave Heather a disgusted look.

  “Can’t you do something?” Tink asked.

  Heather raised an eyebrow. She clapped her hands together. One at a time, as they passed, the women closed their doors. They slowed at the last door on the hallway.

  “What did you do?” Tink asked in a whisper.

  “Boosted their self-respect,” Heather said.

  Tanesha touched Heather’s arm in approval. Tink nodded. Tanesha pounded on Cody’s door.

  “Just a sec,” a young man yelled from inside the apartment.

  They waited a few minutes before the door opened a little bit. Cody was wearing baggy shorts over his full leg cast. His chest was bare and his hair wet as if he’d just stepped out of the shower. He took one look at Tanesha and tried to slam the door closed. Tink held it open.

  “Who do you think you are?” Tanesha asked.

  “I. . . I. . .” Cody said.

  “You sold my phone number and address to the paparazzi,” Tanesha said.

  Cody’s eyes went wide, and his mouth hung open. He took a breath to respond.

  “Don’t deny it,” Tanesha said. “I know you did it. What I don’t know is: Why? Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do to you?”

  “I. . . uh. . .” Cody said.

  “He’s going to pass out,” Heather said in a low tone to Tanesha. She nodded.

  “I don’t hate you,” Cody said. “I don’t. No. That’s not it. I know you think that’s it, but it’s not.”

  “You call her the n-word!” Tink said.

  Cody’s panicked eyes flicked to Tink. Tanesha raised her eyebrows, and Cody swallowed hard.

  “Well. . . I. . ..” Cody started.

  “So far, I haven’t told the school that you took my phone number off the confidential class list and sold it to the vultures,” Tanesha said with a sniff. “What do you think they’re going to do?”

  Cody shook his head.

  “What do you think Fin’s going to do when I tell him?” Tanesha asked.

  “I. . .” Cody swallowed hard. “You don’t have to. . .”

  “Cody?” asked a male voice with the distinctive accent of someone with a mental challenge. “Who is it?”

  “No one,” Cody said.

  “It sounds like somebody. Did they come to play video games with us?” the young man asked. A teenaged young man with Down Syndrome appeared in the hallway. “That’s Miss T. ”

  Cody glared at Tanesha.

  “Hi, Miss T!” the young man said. “Hi, Miss T’s friends. Are you famous, too?”

  Heather glanced at Tink.

  “Hey, dude,” Tink said. She pushed by Cody. “I’ll play video games with you.”

  “Great!” the young man said. “Hi! I’m Brian.”

  “Hi, Brian,” Tink said with her usual giggle. “I’m Tink.”

  Tink followed Brian into the living-room area of the apartment. Tanesha watched as Brian gave Tink a video-game controller. She settled in, and they started to play.

  “My parents died when I was in high school,” Cody said. “Car accident. On the way to watch me play my last football game. The state wanted to put Brian in this home. I was. . .”

  Cody nodded.

  “You needed the money,” Tanesha said with an understanding nod.

  “I. . .” Cody swallowed hard. “You always seem like you’ve got it all together. Rich, famous husband, and Fin hanging on your every word.”

  Cody’s resentment came forward with an angry glare.

  “What do you care if anyone knows stuff about you?” Cody asked. “Just more fodder for your pathetic, ego-driven tragedy.”

  Locked in the laser beam of his rage, Tanesha took a step back. Heather touched Cody’s arm. Surprised, he looked at her. After a moment, he let out a breath. Tink laughed at something Brian said, and they turned to look.

  “That’s my daughter,” Heather said in a warm voice. “We call her Tink, but her name is Tiffanie. Before I knew her, she lived on the streets. But then, I did, too.”

  Cody looked up with surprise.

  “Tanesha had to put her first year of medical school on hold because she had to work four jobs to save her Gran’s house,” Heather said. “Her Gran raised her.”

  “Why?” Cody asked.

  “You can look it up online,” Heather said. “I’m just trying to say that we understand your situation — just not your choices.”

  Cody nodded. He glanced at Tanesha.

  “What’s the deal with that guy Fin?” Cody asked. “Is he your boyfriend? He just reeks of sexuality. And that pseudo-not-quite-English accent. All the girls in our class want to get with him.”

  “He’s family,” Tanesha said. “And he can be a real prick.”

  “He acts like he’s royalty or something,” Cody said.

  “Or something,” Tanesha said with a laugh.

  “I’m all Brian has,” Cody said. “The social worker comes every month to see if they can take him away from me. We’re barely scraping by, and then I broke my leg in lab that day. Your phone number and address will pay my rent for the next six months.”

  Heather glanced at Tanesha.

  “So I’d like to say I’m sorry,” Cody said. “But I’m not.”

  “You know, Jeraine lost everything,” Heather said.

  “IRS,” Cody said. “I heard that. Serves him right.”

  Heather and Tanesha scowled at him.

  “He’s a lying, cheating asshole,” Cody said. “He’s treated you like garbage.”

  “Jeraine?” Tink yelled from inside the apartment.

  “He has,” Tanesha said with a nod. Heather nodded.

  “What can you possibly see in that guy?” Cody asked.

  “Why do you care?” Tanesha asked. “You going to sell the exclusive to some stupid magazine?”

  “Fair enough,” Cody said with a nod.

  They stood in uncomfortable silence for a few moments before Cody cleared his throat.

  “Listen, if you tell school, they’ll kick me out.”

  “They sure will,” Tanesha said.

  Cody swallowed hard. For a moment, Tanesha and Cody just looked at each other.

  “I have another idea,” Tanesha said. “Why don’t we use you to sell the information we want people to know?”

  “The dirt makes more money,” Cody said.

  “How would you know?” Tanesha asked.

  Cody sucked his teeth for a second before he nodded.

  “I’ll give you an exclusive,” Tanesha said. “You and only you will tell the world who Jeraine was kissing.”

  “Really?” Cody asked. “Why would you do that?”

  “You need the money and have the contacts,” Tanesha said. “It seems like a win-win to me.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Cody said.

  “Think fast,” Heather said. “We have to be somewhere.”

  “I have to go to school,” Cody said.

  “We can take Brian for the morning,” Heather said. “You and Tanesha can go study.”

  “What would Brian do?” Cody said with a scowl.

  “Hang out with Tink and her boyfriend,” Heather said. “We’re working on the garden this weekend. He can help if he wants to or play video games with them. They’re nice kids. He’ll like them.�
��

  “You’d do that?” Cody asked.

  “Only if you stop calling me a n. . .” Tanesha started and then shook her head. “You know.”

  “One word versus a whole day of studying,” Heather said. “Plus, Brian will have a blast.”

  “And a ride to school,” Tanesha said.

  “Done,” Cody said.

  He hopped away from the door. Tanesha and Heather waited for a few minutes before Cody arrived back at the door wearing a shirt and his backpack.

  “Time to go, Brian,” Cody said.

  In what was clearly a daily ritual, Brian took his jacket from a hook by the door and picked up his backpack.

  “Did you remember lunch?” Brian asked Cody.

  “It’s in your backpack,” Cody said.

  “Thank you, Cody,” Brian said.

  “They’re going to take us,” Cody said.

  “Okay,” Brian said with a smile.

  He looked at Tanesha and gave her a bright smile.

  “Shotgun,” Brian said.

  Tink squealed and laughed. They went down the hall and out of the apartment building.

  “Someday, we’re going to have a real house,” Brian said.

  Tanesha glanced at the young man. She remembered a time when she’d said those very same words over and over again. She had that house and that life now. She smiled to herself and got in the driver’s seat. She could afford to be generous today.

  “First stop, the biggest house you’ve ever seen in your entire life,” Tanesha said.

  “Goodie!” Brian said.

  Smiling, Tanesha started toward the Castle.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Saturday morning — 11:35 a.m.

  Warm and sleepy, Blane opened his eyes and stared at the sky. He’d been napping on a chaise lounge on the back deck of the Castle. Just one week ago, he’d been in his private hospital room. Today, he was napping in the warm sun while the turn-the-beds-weekend unfolded in the garden below him.

  He leaned up to see what was going on. Nadia, ER doctor, friend of Ivan’s, Nash’s love, was hanging from one of the fruit trees. She was wielding a pair of loppers and was attacking the dry and dead limbs left by last year’s early frost. At the base of the tree, Valerie and Delphie caught the limbs and offered encouragement.

  In the garden bed nearest to him, Noelle and Sissy were leaning on garden rakes while Nash and Dale shoveled compost from the heavily laden wheelbarrow. Noelle and Sissy sprang into action once Nash and Dale had finished. While the girls spread the compost onto the bed, Dale raced the wheelbarrow back to the driveway, where Jacob was standing in the bed of a Lipson Construction truck filled with compost. Like every year, they had already used the compost they’d made from kitchen clippings and garden extras. They were finishing up with commercial compost.