by Kate Gilead
I nod. “I can’t wait to meet her in person. She seems so awesome, but, it’s hard to tell just by waving in the background on a Skype call or following someone on Facebook.”
“We’ll meet her this summer.”
Theo lets go of my boob again.
I look down. He’s fast asleep.
“Here, lemme take him,” Jack says. “You lay back and relax now. Drink more of that juice.”
“Okay. Jack…?”
“Mmmhmm?” He’s looking down at the baby, a smile playing across his lips.
“I’ve been thinking. As soon as I can, I want to go back to school.”
“Oh? You haven’t said much about it since Todd was born, so I thought…”
“I know. Todd was a surprise baby, and I wasn’t prepared for how…busy it is, just being a mom. And, I enjoy doing the books for Sawyer Forestry, but…”
“It’s not enough?”
“Well, it won’t always be. I still want to get certification in Early Childhood Education. I want to have that sense of accomplishment. And then, when the kids start school, maybe I’ll do something with it.”
He gazes at me, the love in his eyes plain as day.
“You’ve already accomplished a lot. You don’t need to do anything more, in my book. I’d be happy if we just had a couple more kids and you just keep doing what you’re doing.”
“I know. I want to have them soon, too. I think having kids two years apart is just about perfect. Don’t you?”
“Yes. Did I ever tell you, I think you’re just about perfect?”
We smile at each other as I lean back contentedly.
“Right back atcha, Lumber Jack.”
Extended Epilogue Chapter 14
Twenty Years Later
MOLLY
Shading the sun from my eyes with my hand, I stand on the deck, squinting across the lawn at Jack, who’s standing shirtless over an eight-foot cedar log, fresh cut from an old tree by the water line that we had to cut down.
He picks up a log-tong from the grass, then attaches it to the log. Before I can say anything, he turns and starts pulling it by its chain, all by himself. The muscles of his broad back ripple and strain in the sunshine.
“Jack!” He doesn’t look up. “Jack!” I yell it louder.
He looks up, smiles, and then keeps pulling.
“Jack! Stop…dammit!”
I turn and step over to the sliding door to the house. Opening it, I yell inside. “Todd? Todd! Could you please help your father?”
Todd steps out from behind the open fridge door, then comes over to where I am to peer out.
“What’s he doing?”
“Look at him, he’s trying to…oh! Jack! ”
Damned if the log, weighing at least three hundred pounds, isn’t starting to inch across the lawn as my stubborn husband pulls it.
“Jack! Jack! Wait a minute, will you?”
He looks up at me, grins, then grits his teeth and shakes his head like an animal. “Raarrrr!” He bellows, then laughs.
Oh, Jesus.
“Dad! Just a second, let me help you!” Our twenty-two year old son takes off towards his dad, slipping a little on the wet grass. Grabbing up another set of tongs, he quickly attaches them to the log behind his father’s and then turns to put his own mighty strength in the pull.
The two men, one older, one younger, are still about evenly matched in size and strength.
The log begins to slide more quickly across the grass, digging a runnel in the sod as it goes.
The two of them pull it all the way to the graveled area beside the wood-shop, where it will sit for a time to cure in the warm summer air.
Eventually, they’ll turn it into shingles or planks to be used for various purposes.
Our sixteen year old daughter Karen, our third and final child, and the baby of the family, comes to stand beside me. “Oh, look what it did to the lawn, Mom.”
“Yeah. Nothing else we could do, though. Bringing any kind of machine down there would’ve torn it up worse.”
She takes a thoughtful bite of the popsicle she’s holding. “I’m gonna miss that tree,” she says.”It’s been there all my life.”
“I’m gonna miss it too,” I sigh. “But it was either cut it down or wait for it to fall down. You know your dad’s not going to take any chances.”
She leans her head against mine and stands watching her father and brother as they go back to pull the next log.
Todd’s wife Louise comes to stand beside us, holding my grand-baby in her arms. Spotting her daddy and grandfather, nine month-old Niah bounces in her mother’s arms.
“Oof,” Louise says. “Baby girl, you are strong like an ox, you know that?”
“Wonder where she gets that from?” I laugh.
“Come on, Auntie take you to go see what’s doin’,” Karen says, taking the baby from Louise’s arms and heading down the steps towards the men.
Height-challenged like me, as Jack likes to say, Karen still motors along quite nicely, her well-muscled legs sturdy and brown from the sun.
“I can’t stand watching those lumber-jack types sometimes,” Louise comments. We go back into the house to check on the red sauce we have simmering on the stove. “It’s like I can feel it in my own body when they do their Manly Man shit,” she laughs.
“Tell me about it,” I agree. I give the sauce a stir and then taste it. “Mmm, this is good. It’s ready now. We can put the pasta on whenever we want.”
“Cool,” she says. She takes the big pot out of the cupboard, fills it with water and sets it to boil on the stove.
“How’s it going anyway, hon?” I ask. “Seems like we hardly get a chance to talk anymore.”
Niah was a surprise baby, just like her father. However, she and Todd were not married and the child’s advent caused some turmoil in their lives.
They met in school and dated into college, but had been broken up for a month or so when Louise found out she was pregnant.
Her parents most definitely did not approve, so the only support she had during her pregnancy was from us. It was decided that it would be easier for her to live in our home, so we took her in and they stayed until a few months ago.
We were happy to have them and naturally, gave them all the support they needed.
But I know it’s been hard on Louise, having been estranged from my own mother long ago.
“Well, like I told you, things got better when Niah was born. Mom softened a lot when a grandchild became a reality. Then it got better still when we moved into our own place, and, it’s even better now that there are wedding plans being made.”
“Well, baby-steps, I guess,” I say, and she nods.
She opens a package of table salt and shakes some into the water. “Dad was always more okay with it, but…you know. He had to keep the peace.”
“I hear ya,” I say. “Things will get better and better. Once Todd finishes school and starts working full-time, I think the worst will be over.”
Gathering greens and salad-makings from the fridge, I chop celery, peppers and carrots, add baby spinach and toss it all together with dressing.
She helps me cut a long crusty loaf carefully in half, then I watch as Louise blends some butter, parsley and garlic to turn the crusty loaf into garlic bread.
Karen brings the baby back in, who again starts bouncing when she spots her Mama. “Oh, Mama and Gramma are busy,” Karen coos, “so let’s go see what Big Nana’s doin’, ‘kay?”
Louise grins at me. “Big Nana, that’s a hoot,” she says. “Your mother’s so tiny, I could practically put her in my pocket.”
Laughing, I say, “Yes but she’s like one of her Chihuahuas. Small but ferocious.”
The front door opens and slams shut.
“That must be Theo with the cake,” I say.
* * *
My mother sits in the place of honor at the head of the big table, wearing a pointy, acid-pink foil birthday hat, a spray of yellow paper ribbo
ns sticking jauntily out of the top.
She’s also wearing an enormous grin as the whole family stands up to sing Happy Birthday to her.
The cake, her favorite lemon cake with chocolate frosting, holds two lit birthday candles in the shape of numerals, one six, and one five.
“Happy Birthday to youu…you look twenty-two…happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to youuu!”
Standing up, she takes a bow and then blows the candles out. Everyone claps, including Niah, who bounces and babbles in her high-chair.
Jack helps me take some of the dishes into the kitchen while Theo cuts the cake and teases his grandmother. “You really do look twenty-two, Grandma,” he says.
“Oh, shush. I do not!” But she’s laughing and loving it. “Thank you, everyone, so much. What a lovely birthday!”
In the kitchen, Jack and I start loading the dishwasher. “I wish Mikey, Elsa and the kids could have made it,” I remark. “I know Mom’s still missing Larry since he passed last year. But, they’re gonna Skype with Mom later, so that should help.”
“They’re coming for Christmas, too, don’t forget. And Jean’s got that gentleman from the dog show circuit who’s quite taken with her. She’ll be okay.”
“I know.”
We finish with the dishes, and then Jack grabs my hands and pulls me into the pantry, shutting the door behind us.
“Hey sexy,” he murmurs, pulling me into his arms. “You wanna get freaky in the pantry with me?”
Giggling, I try to push him away. But he won’t let me go.
“You silly…” I start, but he stops my words with a kiss. It turns into a pretty spicy one, too, taking me unawares.
He takes my hand and puts it on the bulge in his shorts. “See what you do to me?”
Giving it a squeeze, I say, “What’s going on, honey? Why is Mr. Happy so happy today?”
Wrapping his arms around my shoulders, he pulls me tightly to him and rocks me, looking down into my face.
“It’s a beautiful day, and I have a beautiful wife.” Kiss. “And three beautiful children.” Kiss. “And a grand-daughter.” Kiss. “And money in the bank.” Kiss. “And most importantly, I have you.” Kiss. Kiss. “And all the memories we have together, they make me happy, too. “ Kiss. “Oh and, did I mention…you?” Kiss. “You make me…” Kiss. “…soo very happy,” he sings, swaying his body against mine.
“Mmmm, sweetie. You make me so happy, too. Have I ever mentioned, I kinda like you?”
“I kinda like you, too. And, as soon as it’s even slightly feasible, I’m taking you upstairs, tear your clothes off, kneel in front of you and worship at your altar…” Kiss. “Then I’m gonna throw you on the bed, put those gorgeous legs of yours over my shoulders and f…”
The pantry door opens. Todd, holding condiment bottles to be put away, jumps back with a startled gasp. “Jesus, what the…?”
Jack holds me close, not letting me move so Todd doesn’t see exactly how happy his father is.
“Hey,” Jack says, “can’t a happy couple have a little snuggle in private?”
“Oh…sure, sure. Um, pardon me. ” Todd starts to swing the door shut, then stops, opens it again, and holds the condiment bottles out to us, looking the other way.
Jack and I take the bottles and put them on the shelf.
Todd starts to swing the door shut, then stops again, and still looking away, says, “Um. Theo cut you each a piece of cake. And, Grandma’s gonna open her presents soon, so…uh. Yeah. Just sayin’.”
Then he swings the door shut again.
The End
BILLIONAIRE Sample Chapter
Chapter One
CHERRY
Another gust of wind brings a swirling curtain of snow, obscuring everything around me, even the red brake lights on the long line of traffic ahead of me.
Anxiety gnaws at my gut.
Great. The “possible snow squalls” the weatherman warned about this morning seem to be turning into a freakin’ blizzard with white-out conditions now.
Late February snow in Toronto is a given, for sure.
But why does it have to be a really bad storm today of all days?
I knew it was risky taking Highway 401, the busiest highway on the continent, to the downtown core.
Especially in my ancient Chevy.
And it’s Friday, and that means there’s more traffic than usual as well.
Even leaving much earlier than I normally would didn’t make a difference. There must be an accident up ahead as well as snow and traffic volume adding to the chaos.
Anxiously, I check my phone for the time. Ten minutes to my scheduled interview. Nope. Not gonna make it.
I gotta call them.
Ahead, the red tail lights blink off and traffic moves ahead somewhat.
We’re going slow enough. It should be okay to use my phone in the car if I’m careful.
Keeping half an eye on the traffic, which has disappeared in another gust of snow, I keep my foot on the brake, locate the company’s info in my phone’s contacts and tap the dial icon.
Looking up at traffic as I lift the phone to my ear, it seems to be moving ahead again finally.
I goose the throttle a tiny bit to catch up.
Another gust of wind comes up, the strongest one yet. Oh…oh, no! It’s actually pushing my car from behind.
And, oh shit…it feels like I’m sliding now…there must be an icy patch here under all this freshly fallen stuff.
Dropping my phone into my lap, I try braking gently.
But braking does nothing…I’m sliding and I can’t see anything ahead…oh God please stop, please stop…!
Red brake lights loom up, barely visible in the blowing snow.
“Ohhh shit! Shit shit shit!”
Pumping my brakes lightly in time with each expletive, I turn my steering wheel into the skid.
It’s no good.
The icy patch combined with heavy wet snow is too much for my balding tires. My car just sails along until…
Kah-LUNK!
I hit the back of the car in front of me. Not too hard, but hard enough that I’m thrown forward against my seat belt.
My touchy, grumpy engine, on its last legs like everything else on this car, coughs and then sputters to a halt.
Oh, come on! Really?
Why today, of all days?
* * *
“Ohhh, fuuuck, lady! Whyn’tcha watch what ya doin’?”
The dude from the car ahead flings open his door, bounds out and is now staring incredulously at me, then the back of his car, then back at me, as if he can’t believe this happened.
Someone honks their horn, the sound muffled by the snow in the air.
“Jesus Christ, lady!” The man comes to my window and peers in, big snowflakes decorating his head and angry visage. “Whyn’tcha watch what ya doin? Ya can’t drive inna snow? Jesus Christ!” He’s red-faced and sputtering.
Just to be safe, I engage my door locks while opening my window a crack.
“Sir, please calm down. Are you hurt? I’ll get my…”
“Calm down? I got shit tah do, lady. Lookit this mess!”
Even though traffic is at a standstill basically, I’m nervous about this guy getting himself killed or causing another accident, just by acting foolish in the roadway.
And that would be my fault, too.
“I…look, I know. Calm down, we’re in the middle of traffic here. Don’t freak out!”
“I got shit tah do!” He throws his arms up in the air and paces in a circle. “Gimme ya insurance info and I won’t call the cops! Damn! Fuckin’ bullshit!” He puts his hands in his pockets, paces forward to look at his bumper again, then looks my car over and comes back to my window. “Lookit ya tires! Ya got no treads on ‘em tires, lady! What the fuck ya drivin’ on tires like dat?”
Shit, the one time I use my phone when I’m driving anymore and look what happens! I rear-end a psycho with “shit tah do.”
Fo
r the umpteenth time since I came back to Toronto, a wave of loneliness and self-pity washes through me. I have no one to help me, no one to call.
My elderly parents are far away in Ottawa. They’d want to help me, but what could they do except worry?
Feeling very lost, alone, and at the end of my rope, I start digging in my purse for my insurance card.
The man’s still pacing outside my window. “Hey,” I call out to him, “You don’t seem to be hurt. I’m not hurt. I didn’t hit you very hard, okay? Everything will be cool! Calm down!”
“You fuckin’ calm down! You fuckin’ hit me, you gonna make it right! Ain’t gettin’ out of it!”
“Not trying to get out of anything…just gimme a sec, I’m looking for my card.”
Outside in the swirling snow, the dude flips the hood from his jacket over his head, crams his hands into his pockets and continues pacing, shaking his head and muttering angrily.
He stops by my window once again. “Hurry up! It’s freezin’ out here!”
“I’m trying….”
From the traffic behind comes more muffled honking, longer blasts now and more insistent.
Good thing we’re in the passing lane. Traffic can only go one way around us, leaving us some breathing room on the driver’s side.
Vehicles behind start making their slow way around us, merging into existing traffic when they can.
This is too much. My heart’s pounding as the gravity of the situation sinks in.
I can’t afford any extra expenses right now. I can’t afford to fix my car, can’t afford a rate hike on my car insurance.
Fingers shaking as I dig through my wallet for my insurance card, all I can think is how screwed I am.
Around us, the blowing snow dampens the worst of the traffic noise. It’s not even lunch time but the storm clouds are creating an ominous gloom, lit only by vehicle headlamps and the yellow and red lights of blinkers and taillights.
“Lookit this mess! Come on!” The dude outside is really snarling now.
Where is that card? Don’t tell me I don’t have it with me?
Now, he grabs my door handle and yanks on it.
“Hey!” I stop what I’m doing and glare at him through the window. “Don’t touch my car! Calm down! I’m trying to find my…”