by Robin Cain
It had gotten pretty cold out while Tyler had been in the bar, but he thought the cold air would do him some good. He rolled down the window and welcomed it in. He needed something to keep him awake. He glanced at the clock and realized he was still thirsty. If he drove the opposite way home, there was a convenience store he could get to. He did a U-turn in the middle of the street and headed the opposite way.
The clerk behind the counter, on the phone the whole time Tyler was in the store, was too busy to notice how unsteady he was on his feet. Tyler slapped the six-pack and a twenty-dollar bill on the counter and motioned for a pack of Marlboro Reds. Without even looking up, the clerk got him his cigarettes and his change and went on with her phone call. Tyler got back out to his truck, popped open one of the cans and downed its contents before starting the engine. He threw the empty in the back seat as he threw the truck into drive.
He flipped on the radio, popped in a Metallica CD and cranked it up. The singer, screaming unintelligibly as if in pain, pounded the strings on his electric guitar. Sharing his pain with a stranger made Tyler feel a little better but it also suddenly reminded him of Sam.
He groped around on the seat for his cell phone. Without looking, he hit the speed dial number and waited for her to pick up the phone he’d purchased for her last week, after tiring of never having a way to reach her. She answered on the third ring.
“Are you really pregnant?” he blurted out.
Sam didn’t say anything at first and then answered with a question of her own, “Are you really drunk?”
“Yes, I am. Blasted, if you must know. Now tell me.”
“I don’t have to tell you anything,” she said.
“Sam, if I’m the father, I have a right to know.”
“You don’t have a right to anything. I’m going to get rid of it.”
Tyler had just pulled into his driveway, slamming on the breaks to avoid hitting his neighbor’s mailbox. Sam’s answer had been muffled by his blaring music and, when he grabbed for the radio control on the dashboard, he’d only managed to make it louder. The sound, coming out of his over-amped Harman-Kardon speakers, was sure to wake up the neighborhood. He drunkenly laughed before finally getting the volume back down.
“W-What did you say? I had my music too loud.”
“No shit. I said I’m getting rid of it! And there is nothing you can do!” Sam yelled, really pissed off now. Not only had Tyler called her while drunk, but now he was laughing about it. There was no way she was going to carry this asshole’s kid.
“You bitch!” Tyler blurted out before he had the chance to censor himself. “You can’t kill my child!”
“Oh, yes I can and yes I will. There is no way it’s going to have a drunk as a father,” she told him before slamming down the phone. Tyler yelled once more into the phone before realizing the futility. Throwing the phone on the dashboard, he clumsily reached for another beer. After a good long swig, he leaned his head back on the headrest and let his pent-up tears begin to fall. The alcohol had finally worn him down.
Out of tears and now out of beer, Tyler grabbed his phone and climbed out of his truck. Leaving it parked right where he had stopped it, he kicked the truck door closed and walked in a zig-zag to the door of his little guesthouse.
When he threw himself on the sofa, his phone prodded his behind as he landed. He grabbed it, squinting at the display, and saw Sadie’s name among those listed on caller ID. Without thought to time or circumstance, he dialed.
It was nearly two o’clock in the morning.
“Hello.”
“Hi.”
“Tyler, what’s the matter? You know how late it is?”
Tyler began to cry. “I miss you,” he mumbled.
Now awake and aware of what she was hearing, Sadie asked, “Are you drunk again?”
“No... yes. But that isn’t why I’m calling.”
“Well, why are you calling?”
“Can you talk to me?”
“Yes. Tell me why you are calling.”
“Sadie... Sadie...” Tyler’s words and thoughts were rambling.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Sadie, Sadie, you didn’t know I was a big drunk, did you?”
“Tyler, it’s going to be okay. Just stop now and make up your mind this is the last time. Shouldn’t you go to bed and sleep this off? It’s pretty late.”
“I never told you. I never had the balls to tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
“I’m just a big drunk. A big fucking loser of a drunk.”
Sadie tried to get him to make more sense, but he kept repeating the same thing over and over again. Sounding depressed and out of control, he was now making her worry.
‘Tyler, are you alone? Is anyone with you?”
“I don’t know... I was mean to her. She... she doesn’t like you much, you know. You cause all kinds of problems. She was here, wanted to tell me something important and then she left. Poof. Bye-bye. Left the fucking drunk.”
“Who left you, Tyler?”
“Sam. She was here. And now she is gone.”
“I’m worried about you, Tyler. You need to go to bed and stop talking now. You’ll feel better in the morning.”
“Ah, hell, morning doesn’t matter. You still won’t be here.”
“I’m sorry, Tyler... go to bed now. We can talk about this again when you sober up if you like, okay?”
“I miss you. Come see me. Right now. Get on a plane and I’ll pick you up.”
“Call me when you sober up and we can talk about it then, okay?” There was no point in having this discussion now. He’d likely, once again, forget that he had called her.
“Sadie? I’m... I’m sorry I started again... this is all yours. Your fault,” he mumbled, sounding like he was losing consciousness.
“Tyler? Tyler, are you still there?”
“Yeah... I-I’m still here, baby. A baby, Sadie. Can you fucking believe it? Daddy.”
His words were garbled and she was tired. She only understood every other word. “Go to sleep, huh? I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“D-don’t hang up. Don’t call me... tomorrow. I need to tell... I still need to tell you about it... baby.... today... right now. I’m so sorry. I can’t do this... do this... without you,” his voice trailed off. Sadie heard him softly breathing and whispered good night before quietly hanging up.
Sadie lay back down in bed but spent a long time tossing and turning. Tyler had managed to stay sober for seven years... and now this. She had to make things finally right between them. She didn’t want to be responsible for ruining his life. His garbled and distorted words hadn’t really been clear but one particular word he’d said came to her suddenly, causing her to bolt upright in bed. Sam is pregnant.
And I am, too.
Her heart ached with the thought of it.
twenty-two
SADIE SPENT the next few days working with a local agency to hire a replacement for Vivian. Wanting to put the whole ugly event behind her, get her life organized and get up to Sullivan as soon as possible, she moved quickly while, at the same time, trying to not let Frank know what was going on. She had been unable to reach Tyler by phone or e-mail since she’d talked to him the last time and she worried about what was going on up there.
Sadie eventually settled on a woman named Carol Wilson to replace Vivian. Older and seemingly more reserved than her predecessor and equally—if not better—qualified, Carol had a sense of tranquility about her that Vivian had lacked. She appeared interested in nothing beyond doing her job professionally and courteously. This alone gave Sadie faith she’d feel content in her own house again.
With Frank in good hands, Sadie felt comfortable making plans to go to Sullivan to see what she could do for Tyler. She’d made up her mind that Tyler was obviously out of control and she needed to get involved. Still uncertain as to whose baby she was carrying, Sadie had to do all she could to help Tyler. Sick with worry, wondering how far
into the abyss he had slid, Sadie tried telling herself that it wasn’t her fault. She knew she couldn’t have helped him, but she also knew she was kidding herself. This was all her fault.
Afraid no one was there to help Tyler as he spun out of control, Sadie wondered if the girl Tyler was dating was even aware of his problems. She wouldn’t know until she got up to Sullivan to see for herself. Coincidently, the caretaker of the house in Sullivan had called this last week to tell them the roof was in need of repair and this was the good excuse Sadie was going to use. Frank still had rehab sessions and work that waited, so Carol’s being hired and in place enabled Sadie to make plans.
On Thursday, Sadie called MineWare to see if the corporate plane was available. While on hold with MineWare’s travel department, she glanced out the window and saw the flowers near Frank’s ramp. Their initial beauty now faded, they needed to be replaced with something else. Maybe hedges would be better, she thought. She’d have to look through her plant books. As she focused on her list of things needing to be done around the house, she thought nothing of the blue BMW parked down the street.
Within minutes the MineWare scheduler came back on the line, informing Sadie that, although the plane was already scheduled for a trip the very next day, it would be possible for it to make a stop in Sullivan. Sadie reserved the spot, thanked the scheduler and hung up. The perks of being the owner’s wife were endless.
A lone gray squirrel raced up the tall trunk of a tree that stood right outside the window and Sadie watched its circuitous journey as it skittered from branch to branch. When the squirrel froze in place, apparently hearing something in the distance, its ability to stay still outlasted Sadie’s. As she walked away, the blue BMW parked down the street caught her eye and its significance now registered.
Vivian drives a blue BMW.
Getting up from her chair and going into another room, Sadie tried to get a better look at who was in the car. Not quite able to see, she thought it looked like a woman, but she was too far away to tell. Her suspicions nagged her.
Now more angry than scared, she didn’t give a thought to what she’d do once she got there, but she rushed out the front door of the house and down the street toward the parked car nonetheless. When she had nearly reached its rear bumper, the engine roared to life and took the car barreling down the street. Sadie caught a glimpse of what looked to be Vivian’s brown hair but couldn’t be certain. The face in the rearview mirror was too far away to be recognizable. Giving chase was futile. Sadie watched helplessly as the car peeled out of sight.
It might have been her imagination, but the similarity of the car and it speeding away was just too much of a coincidence. A shudder ran down her spine. What was Vivian doing here?
She hurried back inside her house, locked the front door and peeked out the side window to see if the car had returned. Once certain it was gone, Sadie picked up the phone to call Frank. But before she completed dialing the number, she changed her mind and hung up.
Vivian is only trying to scare me, she told herself.
This is just Vivian’s way of checking up and trying to see if we’ve found a replacement. There could be a million explanations. No need to jump to conclusions. Parking on a street isn’t a crime and, besides, she probably just raced off in embarrassment at being discovered.
For the rest of the day, Sadie tried her best to convince herself that Vivian was no threat. But she found herself stealing looks over her shoulder, checking her backseat before getting in and scanning the streets for familiar cars. She couldn’t shake the feeling she was being watched. The last maniacal look in Vivian’s eyes still made her skin crawl.
When Frank got home that night, Sadie was unwilling to share her fears. Once again caught up in the activities of MineWare, Frank seemed too preoccupied to note any difference. Sadie knew his absence at MineWare had affected company morale and knew better than to suggest he take it easy. She was doing her best to better understand his motivations these days, trying not to take his current priorities personally. Frank did manage to inquire, though, if she had called her doctor.
“Yes, I actually got in to the clinic late this afternoon. I couldn’t get an appointment, but they were willing to do my test. I’m still waiting for results, though. Seems everyone these days is having babies,” she told him, at once realizing the irony of her words.
“Great. When did they say they’d let you know?”
“Tomorrow, but I’ve scheduled a trip up to Sullivan. Now that Carol is in place, I thought I’d go up there and check on the house and have someone take a look at the roof. I should be able to call from Sullivan and get the results.”
“You’re going tomorrow?”
“I’m actually hopping a ride on your plane first thing in the morning. The scheduler told me there was another flight booked, but the plane could stop in Sullivan.”
“Really? Oh, that must be the trip Janie scheduled for this weekend. I can’t remember where she said she was going... Seattle maybe? Well, okay. Glad it worked out. You know I’m going to try to get to New York next week?”
“Yes, I saw it on your calendar. Are you sure you should be traveling already, Frank? Between your therapy and just going back to work?”
“I’m fine. Between an assistant and my own plane, I’ll be fine. There is too much going on right now to ignore.”
“Alright then,” Sadie conceded and let it go. She had other things on her mind.
The next day, when it was time for Sadie to leave, she was more preoccupied than she’d been in days. She still hadn’t located Tyler; her nerves and stomach were a mess; and she was certain she would kill the next person who looked at her cross-eyed. On top of that, she’d found her slacks to be pretty tight when she’d put them on this morning. Had she already begun to show?
She hurriedly packed her bags and, running late, she had the sneaking suspicion she was forgetting something. Frank, running late as well, seemed to just be getting in her way.
“Have a good trip then. Make sure you get the roof on the house looked after,” he told her. “Let me know what’s going on and if you hear from the doctor.” He left the room without so much as kissing her goodbye, his mind obviously already on his list for the day.
“You, too,” Sadie answered absentmindedly, her mind on other things as well. She grabbed her bags and left to catch the MineWare plane.
Janie and the flight crew were already in place when Sadie arrived. Janie greeted her with what Sadie detected was a twinge of sarcasm as they walked over to the plane together.
“I hear you’re making a little trip?”
“Yes, we hired a new aide for Frank, so I’m able to get up to the house now and check on some things. Thanks for letting me catch this ride. Where are you going, by the way? Frank couldn’t remember.”
“Visiting family up north,” Janie said, but Sadie didn’t quite hear her answer over the jet’s engines and the wind that had whipped up. Not really caring anyway, Sadie didn’t ask for clarification.
They settled in seats across the aisle from each other. As Janie buckled in, Sadie noticed the small travel cooler Janie had brought along.
“What’s in the cooler?” Sadie asked, trying to make conversation. She had the feeling lately Janie didn’t like her much. Not that she cared—the woman was inexplicably odd—but, as Frank’s secretary, Janie could make her life miserable, so Sadie did what she could to get along.
“My lunch,” Janie tersely told her.
Sadie wondered why in the world she would feel it necessary to bring along her own food. It wasn’t like the plane didn’t have snacks aboard or even that the flight was going to be very long.
Janie was an odd duck. There was no question about that.
Sadie kept her thoughts to herself and simply nodded. Janie buried her nose in a pile of documents she had brought along and Sadie, relieved to be free of idle conversation, turned and looked out the window. She allowed her thoughts go to Tyler and what was waiting for h
er in Sullivan.
Neither Sadie nor Janie said another word during the short flight. Janie’s first words were directed to the pilot before they touched down at the Sullivan airport, telling him she’d like to get out and stretch her legs before they flew on to Seattle. She wanted him to just park the plane for awhile and the pilot, used to being at MineWare’s beck and call as he was, made arrangements to do just that. Anxious to land, get her to luggage and rental car, Sadie didn’t care what happened to the plane—or Janie for that matter—as long as she got to where she needed to be.
As luck would have it, there was some confusion about the reservation and Sadie had to wait for a rental car. She got a car an hour later and left the airport, only to discover halfway to the house that it was having electrical problems. Forced to circle back to the rental agency, she waited for another car, made sure it was in working order, and eventually managed to get on her way hours after she’d landed. It was much later in the afternoon than she had planned and the caretaker was just finishing up with his work day when she arrived at the house.
“The first roofing guy will be her about nine a.m. and the next about ten, if that’s alright, Miss Sadie. I got him to come on Saturday just for you,” he told her.
“Yes, that’s fine, Charles. Thank you.” Too distracted at the moment to care about the roof, she’d lost nearly an entire day screwing around with the unnecessary.
“Okay, if there isn’t anything else you need, I’ll be heading home right after I finish sweeping up the back porch.”
“I don’t need anything, Charles. Thank you. Have a good weekend.” Sadie started making calls, checking her voice mail first, as Charles headed out to the back porch.
“Mrs. Campelletti, this is Dr. Field’s office. Can you give us a call back please?” The woman’s perfunctory tone gave no indication of the results.
Sadie glanced at the clock. The office already closed, she wouldn’t get a hold of anyone there. Now it would have to wait until Monday. She tried calling Frank next. Maybe they had called him as well. No, that was crazy. The doctor’s office would never call someone else with the results.