“They all tug at your heart. You’re a nurse, remember?”
“Not like this, I mean—do you know his story? His mom? The crazy lady said she wished he was dead!” I shocked myself at how loud I'd become. People glared at me as though I’d lost my mind or something. “Oops! I guess you could call me passionate.”
“I’d call you crazy, and yes, you are passionate, too passionate. What makes you think you can change him, just because he’s had a rotten life? And your dad? How’s he going to feel about it?”
“Nat, I barely know the guy, but I feel like I have some kind of connection to him. Like a deep connection. He freakin’ went to the clinic, high on something and I could tell he was, but it didn’t bother me right then. I have this feeling that if he had a more stable life, he’d be okay.”
“You’re dreaming, Mols. You should know better. Didn’t they teach you all about that in school? Once a druggie, always a druggie.”
I sighed, she had a point. “But Nat—”
“Just be careful girl. He’s bad news.”
“And he’s hot, sexy, has an amazing car, he looks at me with sparkles in his eyes and kisses like a god. I just felt a connection to him.” I insisted.
“Had, he had an amazing car. Now he has a piece of junk in his trailer park yard. Trailer park, Mols! And it’s not even a nice park like where Grammy lives. Is your life’s goal to live in a trailer park? You live in a mansion on snob hill,” she scoffed. “From Snob Hill to the Hood, sounds like a good book.” We both laughed and I was so happy she was my best friend. She was only thinking about me.
“Nat?”
“Yeah?” she answered, as she sucked out the last drops from her macchiato, which made a slurping sound we weren’t supposed to make in the company of snooty adults.
“Did you seriously call her Grammy?” I asked, as I stood up and slung my purse over my shoulder.
Natalie smiled and said, “I sure did. She’s my Grammy. We should go see her. You know you haven’t seen her in years.”
“Let’s go, right now.” Natalie had a great family. They were of Italian descent and her mom and dad were still married, which was something rare in this day and age. Sometimes I wondered if Mom and Dad would still be married if she hadn’t died of that fucking cancer.
“You sure? Right now?” Natalie asked.
“Yeah! Why not? You know your Grammy makes the best pizza around. I'll drive my car and follow you over there.”
Following Natalie was like a street race in itself. We finally arrived in one piece and she was right, her Grammy’s trailer park was beautiful. Rows and rows of pre-manufactured homes with lawns that looked immaculate. I wondered what kind of place Jack lived in. I knew this park was for older folks and they had a tendency to keep things pristine, but it did make me wonder if I could live in a trailer park with all their rules and regulations.
“Hi sweeties!” her Grammy smiled. She was happy to see us and she'd just made some homemade pasta noodles and marinara sauce, so we sat down at the small table to eat with her. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.
“So what have you girls been up to? It’s been so long since I last saw you!” Grammy said as she brought us two bowls of steaming pasta.
“School, work, I sold some of my designs a few months ago. How are you, Grammy-kins? You okay over here?” Natalie said before she stuffed a fork full of pasta in her mouth.
“You sold some of your designs? I knew you would, honey. You’re so talented.” Then Grammy looked at me and asked, “How are you, Mollie? How’s school?”
I swallowed a bite of some of the best pasta I’d ever eaten and answered, “School is great, only a few more weeks and I’m finished.” She sat down with us, placed her hand on my arm and smiled at me.
“You’re going to be a great nurse, helping all those kids.”
“I'll do my best,” I answered and took another bite. “Grammy, this pasta is out of this world.”
“Thank you, honey. So, what brings you girls over here for a visit today?”
“Pasta,” Natalie chimed in. “Really good pasta,” she slurped up another bite. “And we missed you. How are you doing?”
Grammy sighed, “If it were just the pasta, you’d be here more often, and I’m fine. I’m actually having a great time for an old woman. Been playing some games at the rec center they have across the way. We carpool to the movies, shopping. It’s nice. The people are nice.” Her face reddened and a coy smile crossed the old woman’s face.
“Gram, do you have a boyfriend?” Natalie teased. “Oh my gosh! That look! You do, don’t you?” I couldn’t believe Natalie was prying in Grammy’s business, but she was her granddaughter after all.
“Maybe,” Grammy answered, playfully. “After your grandpa died, I didn’t think I’d ever find another man to spend some time with.”
“Deets!” Natalie yelled out, “We want deets!”
Grammy looked confused. “Deets?”
“Details woman, details. What’s his name? How old is he? Did you kiss him?” Nat scrunched up her face and looked at me. “Do old people kiss?” Natalie barraged her with questions and the old woman’s face lit up. The twinkle in her eyes was unquestionable. Grammy really liked her new man.
“His name is Henry, and a lady never tells.”
Natalie slapped the table, “Yay! Grammy! I’m so happy for you!” She stood up, held Grammy’s hand and did a little dance, singing, “Grammy’s in love! Grammy’s got a man!” A feeling of love and warmth washed over me. This was family. An older woman in love, telling the younger people in her family and there were no complaints from us. Just this overwhelming feeling of love and adoration. I sighed. I really missed that.
“Calm down, girls. He’s just a friend. So, do you beautiful filly’s have any boys on the brain?”
“Filly? Gram, filly?” Natalie teased. “No boys on this filly’s brain, but Mollie has one.”
“Oh, do tell! I must hear about your new beau.” Grammy was old school. No doubt about that, but I loved her outlook.
“He’s not my boyfriend, just a guy I want to help out. He’s had a rough life,” I answered but I didn't want to tell her too much about Jack. I wondered how he was doing though, now that Natalie had brought him up, but I knew he was home, resting hopefully.”
“Yes, people who’ve had bad starts in life sure do tug at your heart strings.” Grammy looked like she was thinking about something that might have given her heartache in the past. “Natalie, you know your grandpa had a rough start, but he sure won my heart. He was a rascal, that’s for sure. My dad forbade me from seeing him and in those days, we did what our fathers said, or we got the switch. You girls ever had the switch?”
“No Gram, what is it?” Natalie asked. I hadn’t heard of it, either.
“It’s a thin branch off a tree that my daddy would whip me with if I was naughty.” Grammy smiled and added, “And I was real naughty back in those days.”
“Grammy!” Natalie yelled, shocked.
“Mollie, dear,” she patted my arm, “see past the rough and tough and you’ll be able to tell his heart. If he’s got a good heart, he’s a keeper. With love, the walls will start to come down, his tough outer shell will melt and you’ll find his heart will open up and true love will take you places you didn’t know existed.” She smiled and got up from the chair. “Girls, I hope you got enough to eat. I must go lie down now, I have a dinner companion at seven and I don’t want to be tired.”
We got up from the table and thanked her for the food, hugged and kissed her goodbye. I wanted to hear more about her life. I bet it was amazing.
As we got to our cars, Natalie asked, “What are you going to do now? Go home?”
“Yeah,” I lied. “I think I will. That pasta was amazing but I think the carbs are making me a little sleepy. School tomorrow?”
“Yep, you?”
“Nope, clinic. They're getting ready to close, so we’ve been really busy. I’m actually surprised I got t
oday off,” I replied as I slid into my Beemer. I wanted to go by Jack’s trailer park, now that I knew where he lived, but I wasn’t about to tell Natalie. She’d probably have a fit.
Chapter Eight — Jack
Thanks to Andre’s older brother, CeeCee, I got some of the parts I needed to fix my car. He drove me around to a few pick-a-part places and we hauled them back home. I’d stayed at Elaina’s for a couple days, but Mom insisted I come back home. I didn’t want to, but I knew she needed me, if only to pay the electric bill and buy her some booze. She couldn’t have me paying someone else the money; she was too selfish for that.
Most of the remaining parts I needed, I’d ordered online yesterday and I was expecting them to arrive today. Just doing the math in my head, it became obvious that I’d have to invest all of my stashed savings in the repairs, but at least the Camaro was repairable.
I wanted to stay in my room all day, if only to get some peace from my mom. I didn’t want to wake up and find her wailing on me—I couldn’t risk my stitches breaking and to be honest, I still felt like a Mack truck had ran over me and then backed up and done it again. Mom just wasn’t the mothering kind. She had zero patience with me, especially since I’d left her ass in jail for a few days. It had been a peaceful vacation, but now it was over—at least until the next time she went back there, which was inevitable.
I was surprised that no cops had come to arrest me yet, which could mean one of two things. One—they didn’t have enough evidence to charge me with, at least not yet, or two—they were still gathering evidence so they could throw the book at me. Either way, I didn’t care. What with Mom’s raspy screaming all night, and drinking parties with strangers in our house, I wouldn’t mind if they did take me. I hated waking up to her screeching and yelling, and it didn't help seeing my fucked up car in the driveway every time I looked out the window. I was trapped in this fucking hellhole without a ride and it would take weeks, if not longer, to get back on the road and back to racing. Fuck! I had too much to think about.
When the UPS man showed up, Mom was still passed out on the couch, half fucking naked. She didn’t seem to give a shit that her robe was wide open. Must’ve been a great fuck last night because I’m sure the whole fucking neighborhood heard her. I threw a blanket over her and I went to retrieve the packages from the porch, happy that the guy left without seeing the inside of the house.
There was no way I could leave the parts outside in my neighborhood. They'd definitely get ripped off in a heartbeat and then I’d have to buy them back from some small time 'businessman'. Victor had called me earlier and offered to send some of his people over to help me. He wanted me back on the track soon, but I turned down his offer. I didn’t want him snooping around and peeking at what I'd put under my hood. As far as I was concerned, it was nobody’s fucking business but mine. That's what gave me the edge.
Clumsily, I carried the boxes in and felt pain shoot through my shoulder and neck. Must’ve been more than the ten pounds the doctor cautioned me about carrying. I tried to be a quiet as I could while Mom was sleeping on the couch. I don’t know why, but she never slept in her room. Never fucked in there, either.
“Ahhh! Fuck! Shit!” I bumped my arm on the doorframe and pain jolted through my elbow to my shoulder. “Fuck!” The box fell and crashed onto the floor. I jumped around holding my arm, and then Mom woke up, and yelled.
“Sonofabitch! What the fuck just happened? You trying to give me a heart attack or something?” She threw the blanket off and stared at me with booze induced glassy eyes. Her blonde hair looked oily, like she hadn’t washed it in a while, but I didn’t bother to apologize. Why give her more ammunition? You can’t show weakness with her. “Sonofabitch! Didn't you hear me? You’re just like—”
“Yeah, I hear you, Mom.” Geezus! I hated to be around her. I walked out onto the porch. She was still yelling something about my father. That man totally fucked up my life and the irony was I didn’t even know anything about him.
“Get in here when I’m talking to you!” I stood by the railing and lit a cigarette. I knew from experience that it would take her a good ten minutes to get off the couch and follow me outside. As I puffed, I noticed a black Beemer coming up the street. No one parked their Beemer’s in this neighborhood. Shit! It’s Mollie. Oh, hell no!
She slid her car onto the driveway behind my wrecked Camaro and waved at me. “Hi Jack! How’re you feeling?”
I took one last drag of my cigarette and tossed it to the side. I swallowed hard against the nervous lump in my throat and waltzed down to her car, not letting on how painful it was and leaned on the top of the door. “Well, if it isn’t my angel of mercy. What’re you doing in these parts?”
I pretended not to notice a few of the neighbors who were casting suspicious glances our way, but it made me feel good to know that they noticed us. With her bright blonde hair and sleek black Beemer, she was hard to miss.
“Look at you! You look great, Jack.” I couldn’t help the cheesy-ass smile that crossed my face. I wanted to tell her that I felt great, but I figured looking half-decent is better than nothing.
“Thanks, you look beautifully amazing today. What brings you by?” I hadn’t meant to ask the question like that, but I was curious. “Did I leave something behind?” I ran a mental checklist of my possessions. I couldn’t find my phone charger but other than that, I wasn’t missing anything. It never occurred to me that she might visit just because she wanted to see me.
“No, I was just was in the neighborhood and thought I’d swing by and check on you as I didn’t get to say goodbye.” She twirled her hair nervously around her finger, like girls do, and looked up at me. Her blue eyes sparkled in the sunshine. Mollie was easily the prettiest girl I’d ever talked to, and just looking at her smile and her beauty in her fancy car reminded me she was from a different world and too good for me. Way too good.
“Come on, Mols…in this part of town?” No way was Mollie in the neighborhood for a joyride. Even if she was back at the Village Clinic, that was two streets over and nowhere near my glorious cul-de-sac. She smiled nervously, but before she could answer, my wonderful mother made her appearance on the porch and she still hadn’t bothered to button up her robe, or tidy up her hair.
“Jack! You sorry sonofabitch! What the fuck did you do with my cigarettes? I saw you pick them up! Bring them back, you sorry mother f—”
“Mom! Cut it out. Just go inside and get dressed. I’ll bring you some cigarettes in a minute.” Fuck me! I couldn’t believe this was happening in front of Mollie! And it sucked balls to know there wasn’t a fucking thing I could do about it.
“No! You bring me that pack right now, damn it! I ain’t about to stand here and watch you whore around with some tramp. I want my damn cigarettes!”
I had to get out of here, and get Mollie out of here, too. Abusing me was one thing, but I wasn’t going to let that happen to Mollie. She'd just come here to see me and had no way of knowing that my mom was crazy. I ignored the screaming banshee on the porch. “Hey, you want to get a bite to eat? It’ll be my treat.” With wide eyes, she nodded and I quickly slid into the passenger seat, “Go, just go.” I didn’t bother bringing my mom a cigarette. She could stand outside and scream her head off for all I cared. I hoped that someone would call the cops while I was gone and they'd shut her up.
As Mollie drove out of the trailer park, I ran my hand through my hair and laughed. “Well, this was totally awkward. I’m sorry you had to see that. My mother is an alcoholic and not your average drunk. She’s been drunk since the first minute I can remember her. She doesn’t mean what she says, but that doesn’t make it right. I’m really sorry about that.”
“You have no reason to apologize. You aren’t the only one with a crazy parent and for the record—I’ve already spoken with your mother.” Mollie shifted her BMW like a pro and drove us onto the highway. I had no idea where we were going, but I was cool with that. Nice car, I wondered how fast it went and if she’d
ever let me drive it?
“When? You mean she came to the hospital?” When could Mollie have met her?
“No, I mean she called your room like a thousand times while you were there. I hate to tell you this, but I hung up on her.”
I laughed out loud, again. It hurt a little, but it felt so good too. “I bet! I wish I could hang up on her a thousand times.”
“So why do you stay? I mean, why would you stay with her when she treats you so bad?” Silence rolled between us as I considered my answer. I’d asked myself the same question a million times over.
“All I can say is, she’s my mom, and if I didn’t have her, I wouldn’t have anyone. Dad took off when I was just a baby and my grandparents are dead, so... that’s it.” Damn, that was a heavy question. I wasn’t used to talking so openly about my fucked up family drama with beautiful girls I hardly knew.
Another few seconds of quiet passed between us then Mollie tactfully changed the subject. “I hope you like sushi?” I didn’t have the heart to tell her that the only sushi I’d ever tried had come from the gas station and I’d been sick for days after. I just smiled and nodded.
Mollie drove us to a posh restaurant up on 9th, just about five blocks from my neighborhood. It was funny to think that so much poverty could exist so close to all this wealth and privilege. Apparently, this place was so special, you had to take your shoes off as you came in. That was unfortunate because I had no socks on and I protested. I didn’t want to shed my shoes just to eat some raw fish, but the server insisted. “No worries, I have socks for you,” and she wasn’t kidding. She brought me a pair of socks to wear, but only after I'd sat down. The table and benches were crazily low to the ground and I laughed again at that.
“You eat here a lot?” I stared at the sushi menu, unable to figure out most of it. It wasn’t that I was stupid—I just didn’t know the terminology. What the hell was sashimi? I tossed the menu down. I’d let her order for me.
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