by Burke, Dez
“Since when do you golf?” I tease.
“Don’t be a smart ass,” he warns. “I’m pissed off at you and you know it. There’s no sense in bullshitting each other. Why haven’t you called me back?”
I sit up straight, put down my glass of whiskey, and give Cole my full attention.
“I know,” I say after a moment. “You have every right to be pissed. I’ve not been around at all. I truly am sorry. I’ve honestly not had a moment to myself until now, though, Cole. This tour has taken everything out of me. This is the first time I’ve had a night off in months. I never get a chance to breathe these days. I’ve been working my ass off.”
“Tell me about it,” he says. “While you’re working hard playing your guitar and fighting off women, I’m running the farm, raising a child, and taking care of our dad. Who is not doing well, by the way. Not that you give a flying fuck.”
I frown. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
“No, it’s not okay,” Cole says, the exasperation with me clear in his voice “Dad’s gone downhill lately. It’s almost as if something happened overnight. One week he was fine, and then he wasn’t. Some days he acts as if he doesn’t even know who I am. You need to get back here soon to see him.”
“It’s not going to be that easy,” I say, shaking my head. “My manager has me booked for personal appearances and radio shows when I’m not on tour. It’s not as if I’m on vacation if I’m not doing concerts. The work goes on.”
“I don’t want to hear your lame-ass excuses,” he says firmly. “Find a way. Otherwise, the next time you see him, you’ll be meeting with a stranger. The Alzheimer’s has taken hold of him in a bad way. If you don’t get back here now, you might miss out on the last chance you’ll have to see Dad while he still knows who you are.”
“Are you serious? He’s that bad? I was there at Easter and he seemed to be doing okay.”
I’m stunned. I had no idea things had gone downhill that fast.
“He’s worse than you can believe,” Cole says. “I wouldn’t lie to you about that. I don’t care what your schedule is, or how many shows you have lined up. Get your ass back home and spend time with him. What little time he has left.”
“Are you saying he might not know me?”
My voice is filled with guilt. I’ve only seen my dad a few days here and there in the last eighteen months. Mostly holidays.
“He’s not well. Please, just come home for a visit. Soon.”
“I’ll see what I can do. I’ll call my manager now.”
For the first time, Cole’s expression softens into a smile. His face fills with relief.
“Are you shitting me? You’ll come home?”
“I’ll try my best. I have the next few weeks off from performing and I’m sure any personal appearances can be canceled and rearranged. I’ll get there as soon as I can.”
“You’ll only be here for a couple of weeks then, if at all?”
“I’ll talk to Harry and see if I can make it longer.”
“Levi, I’m not just asking you to come home for Dad. I’m asking you to come home for me too and Lily. Things are falling apart here. I need your help.”
Cole is my big brother and I’ve never known him to ask me directly for help.
Things must be bad.
“Why didn’t you say something before now?” I ask. “What do you need? Money? People? I’ll fix it for you, Cole. Just tell me what you need.”
“We need you to come home,” he says again. “Dad keeps asking about you and I’m running out of things to tell him why you aren’t here.”
“Okay, I hear you.”
“Please don’t let us down.” Cole’s face creases with sadness. “You’re missing out on the last of Dad. You’re missing out on seeing my daughter grow up. Not to mention that I’ve barely seen you in years. We used to be close.”
“We’re still close,” I say.
There’s a long pause on the end of the line, just long enough to make the guilt twist in my stomach.
“I’ll see what I can do,” I say. “I can’t make any promises, but I’ll try to get home long enough to help you out.”
“Okay, that’s the best I can ask for, and I appreciate it more than you know,” he says. “Call me when you figure out when you’re coming. I’ll straighten up your room.”
“You don’t need to go to any trouble on my account. I can sleep anywhere.”
“We’ll see you soon then?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be there.”
Cole nods with his eyes closed, as if a weight has been lifted. “Thank you, Levi. Dad and Lily will both be happy to see you.”
“Give my little niece a hug for me, okay?” I say. “I’ll see you all soon.”
“Goodnight.”
I hang up, now sick with worry. I knew my dad had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, but I wasn’t prepared for it to take him down so fast.
The last time I talked with Cole, he’d said the doctor mentioned the disease could go on for a decade or more, in one stage or the other. I imagined it would be a slow progression over time, not a sudden drop off.
I always thought I had more time to tell him everything he meant to me.
It’s time to go home.
5
Levi
I leave my penthouse suite and take the elevator down to the next floor to see if Harry is in his hotel room. I knock loudly on the door. I hear him shuffling to the door then he opens it wide, looking like a Hollywood movie pimp.
I’m not surprised. Harry has always given off a sleazy vibe.
He’s wearing the complimentary white hotel gown and slippers, barely drawn closed with the belt tied loosely around his waist. Through the gap, I see his bright red silk boxer shorts. His pale skin is flushed as if he’s just stepped out the shower. His chest and legs are covered with wet reddish hair.
Not a pleasant sight that I’ll forget any time soon.
“Levi! What’s up? Are you bored already? Come in. I’m just having a pre-dinner drink.”
“I can tell. It smells like a bar in here.”
I take a quick glance around. His bedsheets are wrinkled and there’s a half-empty bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice on the table. Smoke is curling up from a cigar sitting in the ashtray beside the bed.
“Are we celebrating something?” I ask. “You didn’t tell me we were having a party.”
“No, I’m just letting my hair down, unwinding and relaxing for a change.”
“Uh-huh.”
“What brought you down to the slums all the way from the penthouse suite to see me this evening?”
I sit carefully on the edge of the bed. Harry pulls up a chair and sits opposite me. I glance away from his widespread legs.
“Jesus, Harry, pull your robe together or put on some clothes. Your balls are flashing me.”
Harry chuckles and readjusts his clothes. He leans forward on his knees.
“Well? You still haven’t answered my question. What do you need?”
“I’ve just spoken to my brother. He’s been trying to call me for the past week. I need to go home to Georgia.”
He waves a hand at me in relief and walks over to pour himself another glass of champagne.
“Of course! Sure, why not? You’ve got time for a quick visit before the tour begins again. Go back to that farm, put your feet up, go trout fishing or whatever rednecks do. The time off will do you good. Keep a notepad in your back pocket. You might even be able to write a few new songs while you’re there.”
I clear my throat before speaking. “See, that’s the problem. I don’t think two weeks is going to be long enough. My father’s not doing well.”
Harry gives me his best sympathetic expression. It’s so insincere I almost roll my eyes.
“He’s getting on up there in age,” he says. “All of our parents get old at some point. What are you going to be able to do for him there that you can’t do for him from here? Take it from me, your
money will do more than hovering around him with good intentions. And you know where you’ll get that money from? From this tour. Go take some time to see him while we’re on break, then hire a caregiver. Preferably a young, pretty one. He’ll be much better off with someone who knows what they’re doing. A gorgeous nurse will perk up any man.”
I take a breath and remind myself to be patient. Harry can be hard to deal with sometimes with his one-track mind. All he cares about is keeping the money rolling in.
It works well for me when he’s winning me gigs all over the country and negotiating sell-out shows, but not so great when I need to interact with a real human being with a heart.
“That’s not going to work for me,” I tell him. “He’s got Alzheimer’s. He might only have a few months of sound mind left. From what I hear, he’s already struggling with reality. I want to spend some time with him before it’s too late and while he still knows who I am.”
Harry places his hand over his heart. “I’m sorry, that’s so sad. I get what you’re saying, Levi, I do, but we both know big things are happening for you. Is it worth the risk to take time off right now? Does it matter so much if your dad doesn’t know who you are? You’re on your way to the entire world knowing who you are. You need to see the bigger picture here.”
I try to ignore how fucking insensitive he’s being with his remarks.
“I need the summer off. A minimum two months or more.”
“That’s a bit of an overreaction, don’t you think?” he says. “You haven’t even gone down there yet to check the situation out for yourself.”
“I’m not asking for permission from you. I’m telling you that I’ll be gone for a while. I need you to fix this with the record label and explain the situation. We’ve been touring for several months solid without missing a single show for anything. I played even when I was dead to the world with the flu back in January and could barely speak. I need to go home.”
Harry stands and folds his arms across his chest. He shakes his head, trying to control his irritation with me.
“Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get this tour off the ground? How many hours of phone calls and meetings I put in to get this opportunity for you and the band? Things don’t happen with a snap of my fingers. I’ve worked my ass off for you.”
“And you know I appreciate it. I do. Some things are more important than playing shows.”
“Playing shows?” He throws up his hands causing the front of his robe to completely come loose. “What the hell, Levi? We’re talking the second leg of a major tour. Do you have any idea how much money this will cost all of us if you start canceling shows? I think you’ve got your priorities mixed up.”
“That’s funny. My brother, Cole, pretty much said the same thing in certain terms. Maybe I do have my priorities messed up.”
“I’m only thinking about you,” Harry says in a calmer voice, trying another tactic. “The record label won’t be happy about this. If they can’t depend on you, they’ll find someone else to take your place. Singers are a dime a dozen these days.”
“I’ve brought in millions for the label,” I remind him. “The least they can do is give me a few weeks off to spend with my sick father. Life happens. Money and work isn’t everything.”
Harry shrugs. “This is a cutthroat industry. The shows must go on. Tickets have to be sold. Seats need to be filled. If you’re not going to be the one on stage, the label will replace you. I’ve heard they’re already in talks with two more solo artists as warm-up bands for you. It wouldn’t be hard to slide them right into your spot.”
I rise from the bed. “If I’m that easy to replace, then maybe I shouldn’t be in this business. I need the summer. That’s all I ask. Then, the label will have one hundred percent of my focus back again. I need this time and I need it right now. Not in six months when the tour is over or in a year. It has to be now. My dad doesn’t have time.”
“Levi…”
“You don’t understand, Harry, and I can’t expect you to,” I say. “I wasn’t there when my mom died. Are you asking me to go through that again? Some things are more important. The label can accept that I need time off, or they can rip the contract up and throw it in the damn trash for all I care.”
His face turns the color of his red hair. “You’re playing with fire here,” he says, pointing a finger at me angrily. “This is your one big chance and you’re blowing it all to hell!”
“This is my family we’re talking about. Fuck it! I’m tired of talking about this shit. I’m going home and there’s not a damn thing you can do to stop me.”
Without another word, I storm out and let the door slam shut behind me with a loud bang.
6
Annie
The noisy coffee shop and bakery is crowded with customers. It’s a favorite meetup place of mine and my best friend, Taylor. At least once a week, we meet during lunch for chocolate lattes and a donut or two. Our outings give me an opportunity to hear all about her latest dating adventures.
We always sit at the same table by the window and gossip about the people walking by on the sidewalk outside. We’ve been following the identical routine since we were teens and it never grows old.
Time spent with Taylor is always fun.
Right now, she’s telling me about a disaster date she went on this past weekend. I sit with a grin on my face, listening to her talk.
“His tongue was doing this when he was kissing me.” She sticks her tongue in and out. “I almost gagged. I had to make up a sudden excuse and leave. Then I blocked his number from my cellphone.”
I crack up laughing at her adventures. “Where do you find these guys?”
She points to her phone placed face down on the table.
“The wild, crazy world of the internet. Everything from dating sites to random Facebook dudes. Every app and website you can think of. And I keep getting duds. One right after the other. Each one worse than the one before. Sometimes I wonder where the hell these guys come from. Is there not a single decent guy left to date in the whole state of Georgia? I mean, surely there must be one man somewhere. Maybe I should widen my reach to Atlanta? That’s a big city.”
“Maybe it’s time to try something a little more old-fashioned instead of online dating,” I suggest.
Taylor gives me a horrified expression.
“You mean try to meet someone in real life? Or date someone I know? What is this? The fifties? Am I supposed to wait for a guy to ask me out for a milkshake at the local drive-in burger joint?”
“It worked out for our parents just fine,” I remind her. “This internet dating stuff isn’t good. I worry about you meeting up with strangers too. I wish you wouldn’t do that.”
“You don’t understand,” she says. “I’m so much more attractive through a social media app’s filter. With a few clicks I can make my skin and hair perfect, plus take off a few pounds and plump up my boobs. If only we had filters in real life to make our eyes appear bigger and our teeth whiter.”
“Haven’t you heard? We do have that. It’s called makeup.”
She laughs and puts down her now-empty coffee mug. “You’re a good one to talk. What about you? When are you going to put yourself out there in the dating pool? All you do is work. You’re boring.”
“I’m not into all that internet dating stuff. There’s no way I can go on a blind date with a stranger I met online. That’s not me. It would freak me out too much. Besides, my luck would be worse than yours.”
“Which is probably why you’ve been single forever,” she says. “This is Monroe. The population isn’t getting any larger. You’re not going to meet anyone new here. We know every single, eligible guy within ten years of us on either side. You need to cast your net wide into the dating pool. Expand your choices. It’s the only way to find a husband.”
“No, that’s not me,” I say, shaking my head. “I don’t want to do that. It’s not worth it. Besides, I want to focus on my career right now.”
>
She reaches over and pinches off a piece of my second red velvet donut and pops it into her mouth. “Oh for heaven’s sake, Annie! Working at the drugstore? You’re already the head pharmacist. How much further up can you go in your job if you plan to stay in Monroe?”
“I know, you have a valid point there. My advancement possibilities are limited unless they open up more drugstores.”
My voice trails off as a familiar face catches my eye through the window beside us. I can make out the stooped figure of Edward Hamby slowly shuffling down Monroe’s main street alone. He’s wearing a pair of light brown slacks with a white starched shirt and a pair of old boots.
He’s walking aimlessly down the street, gazing down at the ground. I’m afraid he’ll fall off the curb right into the street or step in front of a car without checking for traffic first.
I turn back to Taylor in a panic and stand. “I’m sorry. I’ve got to go. That’s Levi’s father.” I point to him through the window beside us. “He shouldn’t be in town alone walking down the street. Something’s wrong.” I throw down a few bills to cover my coffee. “Call me later, okay?”
“My lunch break is over anyway. Think about what I said. There’s a whole world of bachelors out there online. We just need to sort through them.”
“I will.”
I rush out the door and hurry across the street. Edward isn’t supposed to be wandering around by himself. I pick up my pace to catch him and gently place a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.
“Hi, Edward. Where are you off to today?”
He comes to a stop when I slide my hand down to his elbow and tug gently. He glances up, then around, as if he’s not even sure where he is.
“What?” he asks, fixing me with a suspicious stare. “Who are you?”
“Where are you going? Can I drive you somewhere? Or call someone for you? My car is right over there across the street.”
Edward squints at me against the bright sunlight. “I don’t know.” He waves a hand aimlessly toward the shops up ahead. “I’m going to the store. To pick up some feed for the cows.”