In Search of Lucy: A Novel

by Lia Fairchild

  “Just wanted to see what someone looked like back then.” Kyle flipped through the pages, carefully combing each side, then finally stopped and pointed to a photo. “And there she is.” He skimmed his hand across the top of his hair, ran it down around his head, and then rested it under his chin with his elbow balanced on the table.

  Alex set the cereal box down, did a side hop around the counter, and slid perfectly into the chair. “Who is she?” Alex always had women on his mind, but those days there wasn’t much else, so he was game for a little female intrigue.

  “Lucy Lang,” Kyle said with his finger and his gaze still on the picture.

  “Not bad. So what’s the story?”

  “No story…yet.”

  “There’s always a story.”

  “Not for you, little bro.” Kyle gave Alex a little puppy pat on the top of his head.

  “C’mon, is that all I get?” Alex sighed. Then he got up and went back to making his breakfast. “I hate it when you do that.”

  “Do what?” Kyle asked defensively.

  “You dig through all that crap in the garage to find your yearbook to look up some chick and there’s no story? You gotta give me something. Did you guys hook up or what?”

  “I really just met her a couple of weeks ago, but I plan to ask her out.”

  “Plan to?” Alex grabbed a few pieces of cereal and popped them in his mouth. “Is that a long-range plan?” he asked sarcastically. “C’mon, bro, what are you waiting for? You worried about Shannon?”

  “Definitely not. Shannon has been over for months.”

  “See, you never tell me anything.” Alex walked over to the table with his cereal and gave Kyle a smack on the back before sitting back down. “We’re roomies now, bro. We gotta tell each other crap like that.”

  Kyle smiled and appreciated his brother’s pushiness. He didn’t mind that he was the one who was supposed to be giving the advice since he was four years older. Charm was Alex’s biggest asset. Two inches shorter than Kyle, his five-foot-ten frame was pretty solid. He had about eighty percent of Kyle’s looks but a hundred and ten percent more personality. Neither was jealous of the other, and Kyle didn’t mind benefitting from Alex’s talent for getting what he wanted.

  “Now let me tell you something. Get on the horn right now and give her a call.”

  “This girl is different though. I already called her once, and she hasn’t called me back yet.”

  “Oh, so you mean she’s a bitch?” Alex said with a sly smile. “You have been known to be attracted to those.”

  “Shut up, man.” Kyle got up from the table and carried his bowl to the sink. He washed the bowl and spoon sufficient enough to be clean, but he still placed it in the dishwasher—a habit he’d learned from his mother. He leaned up against the counter and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “There’s just something about her. I don’t know what it is yet, but I can’t stop thinking about her.”

  “Well, there you go. Let’s go pick out a ring.”

  “You’re an ass!” Kyle said more slyly than with anger. Alex was lucky Kyle was in a good mood since that comment should have landed him a backhand on the neck. He knew this was a sore subject, and sometimes he pushed things too far.

  Kyle’s three-year engagement to a girl he met in college ended with her cheating with his then-roommate Michael. They met their sophomore year at UCLA, and Kyle was happy to finally be dating someone who was more driven than he was. They were engaged the next year, and both agreed they should wait until they graduated to get married. After another year passed and Kyle was still stalling, Shannon became frustrated, and while Kyle was out of town at a recruitment fair, she sought comfort with his roomie. There’d been no other serious relationships since then, and no roommates to boot, until now.

  “Well, I’m outta here.” Alex jumped up and headed for the door, grabbing a banana as he passed Kyle. “You keep staring at that phone. Maybe you can send her a message with your mind.”

  This is so stupid, Kyle thought to himself. She must have had a good reason for not calling him back. He should just give it another shot, and if she wasn’t interested then fine, end of story. He punched in the number, hesitated for just a second, and then hit the green send button.

  CHAPTER 13

  Every time the phone rang, Rick and Katie both wondered if it was her doctor with news about a donor. It had been several weeks since they made the decision, and they were nearing the end of their search. No possible matches had turned up from Rick’s small but dependable family, or from their close friends and neighbors. Even some of the local Realtors that Rick and George knew got tested. Her doctor had told her not to get discouraged because there was plenty of time, and she was still on the donor waiting list. But somewhere inside, Katie sensed that she could have less time than they originally thought. She knew her body, and in the last few months she just didn’t feel as good as she should have.

  It was about seven thirty, and Rick was loading the dishwasher while Katie was helping Carly with her bath. Actually, she was pretending to be organizing the sink area since Carly insisted she could do it herself, but Katie didn’t want to leave her alone. The phone rang, and only Rick heard it; he picked it up after the second ring. Dr. Brady said he was working late and finally got to his afternoon messages, which brought some incredible news. Rick couldn’t get off the phone fast enough and raced to the bathroom.

  “You’re not going to believe this,” Rick announced, standing in the doorway.

  Katie, kneeling down next to the bathtub, just stared at Rick. Carly was trying to gather up the last of the faded bubbles in the tub.

  “What, Daddy?” Carly said for her mother.

  “Well, it’s not a hundred percent yet, but it looks like Aunt Lucy is Mommy’s match!”

  Katie still didn’t move. The news was taking some time to register in her brain. She was supposed to be happy, relieved. “Wow,” she finally said anticlimactically.

  “This is great news.” Rick knew she’d need some convincing at first. “Look, babe, your sister is the one…and you need to just forget about all that other stuff. This is incredible!”

  “What other stuff, Mommy?”

  “Oh…well Aunt Lucy and I didn’t always get along so well. Remember, I explained that to you before.”

  “Oh yeah.” Katie scooped up some bubbles and made a pile on top of her head. “Look at my crown!”

  Rick grabbed Katie’s hands and pulled her up. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her into his hug.

  “C’mon, baby, let’s just be happy with what we’ve got.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry, babe. I’m sure everything’s going to work out. And yes, I am happy.” Her voice sounded as if she were reading dialogue from a script.

  “Yeah, you sound ecstatic.” He let her down but still held her waist.

  “Does this mean Mommy’s going to get better?” Carly interrupted.

  “There’s a good chance now, sweetie.” Katie looked at Rick with a genuine smile. “Seriously, I’m happy. How could I not be?”

  “Yay! I’m happy too!” Carly threw both her hands in the air, flinging water that splashed onto Katie and Rick.

  Lucy felt a soft tap on her shoulder and turned to the elderly woman sitting two chairs over from her. The woman was trying to get her attention, but Lucy hadn’t heard her, given that she was lost in the therapy of her iPod. Music was like medicine to her, and when she had both ears connected, eyes closed, she could usually free herself, even if for a few moments, of the loneliness and regret she felt. But this time she was ingesting the news that, so far, all the tests she had taken indicated that she would most likely be a match for her sister Katie. And once confirmed locally, she would need to go there for final confirmation and eventually the surgery that would save her sister.

  “Excuse me, but your phone…it’s ringing.” The woman wore a white fuzzy sweater that matched her hair. She pointed to Lucy’s cell perched upon he
r purse in the seat between them.

  Lucy pulled out one earbud and let it dangle. It took a second to realize what the woman was saying until she heard the faint buzzing of her cell phone. She had put it on silent when she arrived at the doctor’s office for her psychological evaluation.

  “Oh, thanks.” She fumbled with the phone and was able to hit accept just before the last ring sent the caller to voice mail. The old woman smiled, content with herself.

  “Hello?” she said quietly. She looked around to see if anyone was annoyed by her answering the phone, even though there were only two other people in the room. The receptionist was the only one to look up, but just for a second.

  “Hey, Lucy, it’s Kyle.”

  There was a minor delay, so Kyle repeated, “Kyle Benson, remember me from the—”

  “Of course I remember you. I gave you my number.”

  “Yes, you did.” His voice sounded friendly yet put off. “That’s why I called you last week.”

  “Oh…I’m really sorry.” Lucy got up from her chair and walked to the open doorway where she could stand and still listen for her name. “Things have been kind of crazy lately.”

  “Sorry to hear that. Is this a bad time?”

  “Actually…it kind of is,” said she apologetically. The old woman watched her and smiled. Lucy wondered why she wasn’t looking at a magazine or even watching the TV. She wished she could be that relaxed and patient.

  “I can call you back later?” His voice stuttered and strained, but he said what he thought she wanted him to say.

  “Well, the thing is…that I’m right in the middle of something and it’s going to take a while. And actually…I should probably say that right now I really don’t have the time to—”

  “Eat?” he interrupted her.

  “Eat?” she repeated in confusion.

  “Yeah. I mean I know you’ve got a lot going on, but everyone’s gotta eat, right?” His words were spilling out fast, hoping that she wouldn’t be able to get a word in to say no. “We could meet somewhere for lunch or dinner…or breakfast. I just thought…well…you gave me your number, and I really—”

  “Okay!” she jumped in abruptly. “How about Friday night?” She wondered if the old woman just gave her a nod of approval or if she had imagined that.

  “Uh, yeah, great!”

  “I’ll text you my address later tonight. You want to pick me up at seven?”

  “Sure, that’s great, Lucy. I’m really looking forward—”

  Noticing the woman behind the counter waving her over, she hurriedly said, “Oh, I’m sorry, gotta go!” She walked toward her holding up a finger. “Let’s work out the details later. Bye,” she said as she closed her phone. “Sorry about that,” Lucy said as she arrived at the counter. She felt bad about cutting Kyle off, but she did not want to be a problem today. As much as she dreaded going, she was fortunate to get an appointment. They’d agreed to fit her in at the last minute due to her particular circumstances.

  Lucy had hoped the meeting wouldn’t be anything like her experiences with the school counselor. Mr. Anderson drilled her like a witness in a Supreme Court trial. Lucy figured the school must have had some idea how bad things were at home, and he was just trying to get some information. “I have nothing to say to you,” she would tell him time after time. Mr. Anderson used words like “loner” and “withdrawn” and told her she was “much too smart for the grades she was getting.” She wasn’t about to trust him. She couldn’t trust anyone. She just sat there staring at the picture on the corner of his desk: Mr. Anderson, his lovely blonde bride, and two little girls, both in matching lavender dresses.

  Today she would play the part of the loving, concerned sister. Lucy knew what they were looking for, and she would deliver. She had to. If she didn’t show that she was sure about her decision, that she was a perfectly sane person, they may decide she couldn’t donate to Katie.

  “No problem. I have one more paper for you to fill out.” She handed Lucy a clipboard with a paper attached to it. The woman’s long blue nails clicked against the board, and Lucy cringed. They were tacky and reminded her of some of the type of work Suzie did for her clients.

  “Thanks.” Lucy took the clipboard and went back to her seat.

  She finished the last paper and gave it back to the receptionist, who repeated her standard, “Thanks, it’ll be just a few minutes.” Lucy remembered her saying that to the fuzzy-haired woman about half an hour ago, but she was still there. Returning to her seat, Lucy spent the next half hour listening to her iPod, doodling on an old grocery list that was in her purse, and watching CNBC talk about the immigration situation. She wondered why they had such dry and depressing stuff on the TV given the mental state of some of the people waiting in the room. It was about fifteen more minutes before the patient door opened again. In the last few minutes, Lucy grew stressed. For only a brief moment, she actually thought about walking out. She had come so far. She had to see it through. So when the nurse called her name, she gathered her things and headed for the door.

  CHAPTER 14

  The need to let off some steam led Lucy to Kelly’s after her appointment—a semi-regular destination spot for her. It was where she went when she couldn’t be alone but didn’t want to be with people either. Kelly’s was a small Irish tavern with a few casual tables and a bar, which is where Lucy preferred to make her perch.

  She walked in the double-door entrance and as usual scoped out the bar area to see if it was worth staying. The longer side of the L-shaped wood bar was optimal so Lucy could have her back to the tables. It was only a little after four, so most of the tables were empty. She noticed only one man sitting at the bar, but regrettably he was right smack in the middle. She’d have to choose either end and decided on the left side against the wall. As she walked toward the bar, she noticed the bartender look up at her, causing the customer to follow his gaze. The man looked to be about in his mid-fifties. He wore khaki pants and a polo-style golf shirt, and he had a pale face with light eyes. He gave a nod and raised his glass as Lucy passed.

  “Good afternoon,” the bartender said in a mellow voice. It was as though he had a sixth sense, to read a person’s mood and respond with the particular tone of his greeting. He slapped a napkin down in front of Lucy as she took her seat. She recognized the bartender as the young, scruffy-faced guy who had served her before, but she wasn’t sure he recognized her. Maybe he knew she wasn’t looking for friendly banter. “What can I get ya?”

  Lucy could feel her neighbor’s eyes on her and wondered how many drinks he’d had. Guys like that didn’t faze her, but she wasn’t in the mood to deal with some drunken idiot. Over the years, she had developed a sort of loser radar, especially since that was mostly the type of men that she encountered around her mother.

  Once when she was seventeen, her mother was supposed to be taking her and Katie to stay with one of Linda’s friends for the weekend. She wouldn’t say why, only that she had to leave town for a couple of days. On the way they stopped at a house. “Just some guy I know,” Linda explained in the car. Said she had to pick something up before her trip. Katie sat on Lucy’s lap for about fifteen minutes while Linda was back in another room. When they started to hear arguing, Lucy got nervous. They could hear the man calling Linda names and telling her to get out. Lucy sent Katie to the car, and in a wave of panic, she took her mother’s car keys, forty bucks from the guy’s wallet, and ran out the door. Lucy drove them back home since she didn’t know where Linda’s friend lived. She couldn’t believe she actually did that. The bizarre part was that Linda came back a few days later and there was never a word spoken about it.

  “I’ll have a Crown and Coke,” she said to the bartender, finally snapping out of it but without making eye contact. Beer and wine were fine for home, but she needed something a little more effective. A sudden noise, and she made the mistake of looking to her right and met eyes with the man.

  He raised his glass again and said, “How’s
it going?”

  Lucy smiled and turned away. She didn’t want to give a false aura of friendliness. But the middle-ager didn’t take the cue. He stood as if wanting to stretch his legs. Then he looked over at Lucy, cupped his napkin around his drink, and slid it across toward Lucy. She lifted her eyebrows and gave him a look that said, Don’t even think about it. What could he possibly see in her anyway? No makeup, wearing faded jeans and a white long-sleeve shirt, not to mention drinking alone at bar.

  The man slid his drink right back and immediately sat down. “Ookaay.”

  The bartender smirked as he brought Lucy’s drink and set it down in front of her. “Here you go.” Then he turned to the back counter and began drying glasses.

  Lucy took a big sip of her drink, hoping to instantly drain the pressure from her brain. The last few weeks had finally caught up to her. Until now, she had basically been running on autopilot—forms, needles, exams had all been formalities. None of it seemed to be for any real purpose. She was going through the motions, full bore—until today. The psychological evaluation had really made all of it seem so real. Her mind was racing. She took another drink, this time almost finishing it. The second the bottom of the glass touched the napkin, she raised it again and finished it off. She sat still for a while, watching the bartender as he hung the last of the glasses he was drying. She could see his face in the huge mirror that hung on the back wall, and she slouched slightly to avoid seeing herself.

  “Another?” he asked when she caught his eye in the mirror.

  Lucy nodded in agreement, and he went to work preparing another drink. The door behind her opened and closed over the next twenty minutes, and the ensuing patrons filled in vacant tables. Lucy didn’t take notice of the increasing volume of clinking dishes and glasses, and muffled conversations.