by Ali Vali
"Sure anytime, let me know if you need anything else."
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"Thanks, Mom, I think that I can take it from here. Harry is playing with the workmen today so I thought I would get some work done. There’s that big gallery that needs to be filled and Tony is after me to get going."
"Don’t tire yourself out, sweetie. You sure I can’t watch Jack for you?" June walked with Desi to the studio at the back of the property. She hadn’t seen it yet and Desi had offered to give her a tour while Bobbie sat with Mona.
"If you can pry him off of Harry, then he’s all yours. I’m glad you and Bobbie are enjoying him as much as Raul and Maria seem to be. The fact he will have so many people around him that love him, makes me happy. Have you two given any more thought to moving here again? I know that Bobbie’s family is in New York, but that seems so far away for us to build on what we have already." Desi took her mother’s hand as they walked through the garden in front of the studio. There was nothing growing now, but the gardeners came anyway to rake and clean out all the leaves and dead growth on the shrubs.
"We haven’t made any decisions yet, but anything is possible. I want to know my girls again and I think Bobbie does to. It has never mattered to her that neither you nor Rachel are her blood, she has loved you just like I have." The first thing she noticed about the room was the painting that hung at its center. Desi had never told her the story of the rocker, but it seemed to play an important part in their relationship. "Is that the old house?"
"No, can you believe the woman that used to live here just painted it from her imagination. Harry liked it so much she kept it, only it stayed out here instead of in the main house." Desi ran her finger along the cypress frame thinking of how Harry must have felt when she had seen it for the first time here in this room.
"Why.."
"Why, out here?" Desi finished for her mother getting her to nod. "Because she told me it would have killed her to see this everyday when she walked in from work. The old swing upstairs on the deck is the one from the old house. Harry bought it as a birthday present for me last year. It was the first place that she worked up the courage to kiss me and tell me she loved me, so it holds special memories for us."
"Your father was such a jerk honey, to let that girl get away from you. Not that I’m any better, I should have come back sooner, damn the consequences. I try to reconcile it now and I just can’t. A mother should never leave her children no matter what." June sat on the edge of Harry’s desk and put her hands over her face to hide her tears.
"I don’t sit and try to analyze that too much, mom, especially now that I have Jack, I just figure that you did the best you could at the time. The time for bitterness is passed, not that I ever had any for you."
"How could you not."
"Because I thought you were dead, and how could that be your fault. If you had stayed there was a chance that you would have never been happy after Bobbie left. In my case, Harry was always there even when we were apart. There isn’t one beating that I regret now that I’m here, and know that she waited for me because she couldn’t forget what we had together." Desi pulled her mother’s hands away from her face and kissed her on the cheek.
"That must have been some kiss you gave her." June smiled through her tears and gave thanks again that despite her, her children had turned out to be caring adults.
"There might have been some heavy petting involved too." Harry stood at the door with Jack asleep in the carrier on her chest.
"You remind me of a certain doctor I once knew a long time ago." June put her finger to her lips as if trying to remember the name.
"Tall?" Desi asked.
"Definitely tall," answered June.
"Good looking?"
"Yes, very."
"What happened to her?" asked Harry.
"I married her and she still makes me laugh just as much thirty years later. While there was a large part of my heart missing because I left my girls behind, the part that I had to live with, was very well taken care of. You remind me of a younger version of her. Always quick to point out the better part of life no matter how serious the circumstances. My daughter is lucky to have that, and you are lucky to have found someone who can appreciate how precious that is."
"Thanks." Harry leaned over her son and kissed her mother-in-law on the opposite cheek Desi had just graced with one. She then turned to Desi, "Are you going to be all right for a while baby?"
"What are you up to, doc?" Desi leaned in for her own kiss, which Harry gave willingly.
"Nothing, I just need to borrow the baby for a minute. I promise to return him in the same condition he is in now." June laughed when Harry gave her one more kiss and walked out without further explanation.
"And you’re saying, they never change?" Desi asked her mother.
"No, dear, they don’t, and that is the proverbial double edged sword of falling in love with them."
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"They are a lot alike aren’t they?"
"It’s scary, but it’s nice to know how one of them will turn out any way."
"Yeah, our life together has been quite the experience."
"So have you given my offer any more consideration?"
"You want me to make a decision like that without consulting with June first?" Bobbie sat back in the chair across from Harry’s. They were having a beer together in the new house Harry and Desi had gotten, talking over what Harry had proposed to her the day they had signed the papers on it.
"Okay, let me put it this way, if it was just your decision, what would it be?" Harry kissed the small head under her lips again drawing Bobbie’s attention to her grandson.
"You are shameless, you know that right?"
"So my wife tells me. Come on, you know you want to."
"You’re right, I do want to. It seems like the perfect solution and if you promise to protect me from the wrath of June, my answer is yes."
"You won’t regret this, I promise."
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"I’m already regretting it."
"What’s you’re stake in all of this? You know what I want, but I’m not getting what your interests are here. Wait a minute, you want the doctor, don’t you?" Byron got dressed in front of Mitzy, getting a kick when he took the hospital gown off and she saw he was naked.
"I just wanted to help you, and this is how you repay me."
"Don’t think so, baby, you are one of those queers aren’t you?"
"The term is lesbian, and that is none of your business. Finish getting dressed and get out of my house." He moved quickly for a man with only one mobile arm and a stab wound in his gut giving Mitzy a matching cut on the other side of her lip.
"I’m getting tired of telling you this, Mitzy," he said her name in almost a singy songy voice that she found annoying. "I am the one giving the orders here, not you, now get over here and help me with this stuff." He handed Mitzy the underwear he had found in the bag and looked at her like he dared her not to comply.
"You can forget it, I’m not touching you." Mitzy threw the underwear back in his face before considering the full extent of the consequences.
Byron took a deep breath and moved his head from side to side cracking the bones along his neck before grabbing Mitzy by the hair again. "I said put the fucking underwear on me before I show you what you are missing by being a fucking pervert." She dropped to her knees before him when he pushed her down and laughed when she turned her head from the sudden erection he had. Putting on the underwear had suddenly become not such a problem for her.
Once the jeans where in place and she had cut the shirt to fit around his cast, Byron asked her for some tape. Not wanting any repeat of the dressing incident, Mitzy opened one of the kitchen cabinets and took out a roll of silver duck tape. Her captor waved her to a chai
r in the living room and she sat without saying a word.
When she came to from the vicious blow to her face, Mitzy found her hands and feet taped to the chair with another piece of tape stuck over her mouth. Lifting her head she could see Byron taking a nap on her sofa looking like a friend that had stopped by to crash for the night. Mitzy put her head down thinking how she could get out of this mess she had created for herself when the phone rang making her jump from surprise.
"Mitzy, this is Catherine from the hospital. There was a detective here this morning looking for you. He had some questions about one of the prisoners down in the Angola building that has escaped. I’m sure you don’t know anything about that, but I would appreciate you calling me and telling me what happened to you last night. Dr. Albertson was quite upset that the tests on the list of patients he left weren’t performed. If I don’t hear from you, I will see you tonight." The machine shut off after Catherine hung up the phone and Mitzy could hear it rewinding.
Why in the world would the police know to question me? I didn’t leave anything behind that would have identified me, and I’ll just explain my absence on the fact I got sick and had to go. Mitzy was so busy trying to think of anything she had done wrong that would point to her having set Byron free that she didn’t notice his eyes opening.
"Mitzy’s been a bad girl. Not even twenty-four hours after going astray and the police want to question you already?" His question was meant to mock her since she couldn’t answer him from the tape over her mouth. "What’s going on behind those hazel eyes Mitzy girl, trying to figure out why the cops are on to you, or are you trying to think of ways to kill me?" He got off the sofa and bent down so their faces were inches apart before he took the end of the tape and pulled hard.
The pain was excruciating when the skin on the cuts on her lips pulled apart with the departing tape, but she tried not to scream. Part of it was not to give him the satisfaction of showing pain, and the other was not to cause any more pain if she made too much noise. "There is no way the police are going to figure out I helped you. It’s your word against mine, and look at me. Who’s going to believe you?"
"Clever, clever girl, you got me. You know what the problem with you women is?" He paced before her not really wanting an answer from her. "Your problem is, you look at a guy like me and think you are smarter than me because all I do is fix cars for a living. All this modern crap about going out and working, achieving independence and finding yourselves, that’s what it is — a load of crap. Desi knew where to find herself, in the bedroom or in my kitchen. It’s not that complicated really, but a woman like you who thinks she has bigger balls than I do you are no different. You are as fucking stupid as the rest of them. Where is that special little key you brought with you genius?"
It was like a cold front that had started in her head and settled in the pit of her stomach. The realization that she didn’t need to reach into her pocket to confirm was true. She had put the key down on the table next to Byron’s bed to help him sit up and hadn’t put it back into her pocket. Would the man at the army supply store that had sold it to her remember her?
"Come on, partner, we are going for a little drive." Mitzy looked outside and saw that the sun had gone down again. If they were going to Harry’s and she found out Mitzy had helped Bryon escape, the doctor would never give her another opportunity to have a life with her. "Oh, and look at what I found while you were taking your little nap in the chair." Mitzy looked at the object in horror, things had suddenly taken a turn for the worse if that was possible.
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"Where did you get that?"
"A little bird gave it to me. I was thinking of framing it and putting it in my office. What do you think?" Harry asked as she held up an old photo of a naked Desi sitting in a tub of water.
"I’m thinking that if you want a close up view of that same butt, you are going to hand that over to me right now." Holding Jack to her breast with one hand, Desi snapped her fingers with the other hand to get the incriminating evidence from Harry.
"You are no fun."
"I was just going to put it next to the one of you running naked through the front yard in our photo album that your mother gave me. Stop pouting and hand it over, doc, it’s for your own good."
"How do you figure?"
"The sooner you give it up, the sooner you can come over here and hold the two of us," offered Desi. Harry handed the photograph over and moved behind Desi on the bed and took her into her arms. They didn’t hear the door open because of the kiss they were sharing and both of them jumped a little at the voice.
"Isn’t this a cozy family picture?
"What are you doing here?" asked Harry moving to cover Desi’s chest.
"I was checking on my patient oh rude one, and I thought I would see if the princess needed anything before I went home. Can I kiss the little guy good night?"
"Tony, a word of advice my friend, never separate a Basantes from a nipple under any circumstance. If you do, you do it at your own risk. Oof." Harry looked down at the woman who had just given her an elbow to the midsection.
"Are you sure she isn’t a man?"
"I’m sure, pumpkin, though her fascination with football leaves room for doubt." Desi laughed at the sour looks Tony and Harry were exchanging, ending with Harry sticking her tongue out at him. "Good night, Uncle Tony, come and kiss your favorite Basantes good bye."
Tony drove to the gate and stopped to check for oncoming traffic. He punched in his home number to see if Kenneth had made it home yet when he saw the car coming down the street, slow down and pull up in front of the Basantes home that was being renovated.
His own voce in his ear made him tear his attention away from the street for a moment. "Damn, I wonder if he’s screening calls or if he’s still at the hospital?" Tony talked to the steering wheel while he waited for the message to finish playing.
"Hey are you home?" He tapped his finger on the back of the phone waiting for Kenneth to pick up. The beep sounded in his ear signaling the end of his time to leave any further message. Tony turned his head back to traffic remembering the car that was still parked on the street.
The people were still sitting inside just looking at the brick fence seemingly not talking. There was just something about them that made Tony drive around the block to get a better look. St. Charles was one of the most visited streets in the city because of the grand homes, the park and Tulane University, but there were no attractions near Harry and Desi’s home. It was one of the larger homes granted, but the twelve-foot solid brick fence was a good privacy barrier from the outside world.
"Who are you?" The rest of the question died in Tony’s throat when he looked at the woman’s face. She looked so familiar to him, but her name eluded his memory.
Mitzy watched the car that pulled out of the neighbor’s gate turn around and come back. When the man slowed and looked at her, she recognized him and for a brief happy moment she thought he was going to stop. Instead he kept driving and turned a few blocks down.
"Hi, sweetie, could you put Harry on the phone for me? No, I promise it’s not to tease her anymore, I just forgot to tell her something." Tony had pulled into his own driveway ready for a bath, but the memory of that woman’s bruised face kept coming back to haunt him. So instead of giving in to his lazier side, he turned around again and headed back to the house.
"Hey, Tony, what can I do for you?"
"Are you on the mobile phone?"
"A strange question, but yes I am. What’s up?" Harry moved out of the bedroom not liking the tone of Tony’s voice.
"I was leaving and I saw this car pull over and park in front of the house next door. Wait let me finish," Tony interjected knowing Harry was about to say something flip. "The woman driving had some humdinger bruises on her face and she looked vaguely familiar to me."
"Bruises like she had been in an accident?"
"Bruises like she met up
with the wrong end of a fist, if I had to guess from looking at her split lip anyway. I’m on my way back there now to sit with Desi and the baby if you want to go and check it out." Harry saw the beam of his headlights as she moved further away from the bedroom. There was something wrong she just knew it.
"Your parents aren’t home are they?" The thought had just occurred to Tony as he put his car in park and pulled the door open.
"Shit, come on." Harry walked back to the bedroom followed by Tony. The argument was inevitable, but Harry wasn’t going to back down. "Baby, Tony is going to stay with you for a little bit while I go next door to check on a few things."
"Why, what’s wrong?"
"Nothing’s wrong, he just saw some people parked out front that didn’t look like they belonged there and I’m going to see what’s what. You two stay here and I’ll call you as soon as I figure out who they are." Harry kissed Desi’s cheek before sitting to put her shoes on.
"I’m coming with you." Desi moved as well, intent on getting dressed to join her partner on her little walk.
"No, you’re not, and don’t look at me like that, this isn’t up for debate. I’ll have my phone so I’ll call if I need any help." Harry left after she tried to kiss Desi again, but the small woman had turned her face in anger.
"Sweetie, don’t get mad at her, she’s just looking out for you and the baby." Tony patted Desi’s shoulder trying to ease some of the tension in her body. Does stress curdle breast milk? Tony pondered the question wondering too if Desi was going to talk at all.
"I do not appreciate being treated like a child, not even by Harry. What good is all this talk about me becoming my own person, if when it counts I have to roll over and go along with what she says?"
"Desiree, I want you to stop now and consider what you are saying, and who you are saying it about. Because if you repeat that in front of her, you will never be able to take those words back no matter how many times you apologize.