Never Too Late (Resetter Series Book 1)

by Brenda Barrett

  "You still love your ex wife and I am pretty sure your current wife doesn't know how you feel." Addi snapped. "You have no right to talk to me about how I feel."

  "Touché," Josh muttered. "Let me drive up there. On the off chance that he is home, you'll see your dream house."

  Addi turned to look through the window. She pulled her sweater closer. It had gotten progressively chillier the closer they drove to Hope Vale, the place where Randy had his house.

  It wasn't very far from where they used to live either. The Hope area had changed beyond recognition.

  Where there was pastureland was now built up communities. Each house looking like it was competing with the others in size and design.

  Mandeville was known for its cool climate compared to the rest of Jamaica, and for its returning residents population. She could see evidence of this in the new communities they were passing through.

  Josh stopped at a tall, black, iron gate that had intricate designs bent and artfully arranged on it. A sign at the bottom of the gate read 'Automatic gate stand clear'. There was a small security out post with two guards.

  Josh rolled down his window and the security standing near their side of the gate came up to the car.

  "I am here to see Randall Vassell. My name is Josh Porter."

  The security guard nodded, went back inside her station and made a call. A few seconds later the gate started opening.

  "I guess he is here then," Josh muttered. "I could use a bathroom break."

  Addi swallowed. He was here. She hadn't seen him in a year and he was here. "We don't have to get out of the car," she said, her voice had a tremor to it. She hoped Josh didn't pick up on it. "I just want to see the house."

  "You can stay in the car. I need to use the bathroom," Josh said. "It is becoming somewhat urgent."

  Addi rolled her eyes. "Okay. You visit them often?"

  "Yes," Josh said grudgingly as if he was finding conversation with her difficult. "They have a lovely clubhouse down that way." He pointed down a palm lined street. "We kept Nancy's eight birthday party here last month."

  "She liked the gift I sent?" Addi's voice was husky. She cleared her throat.

  "When we get to the house this evening you can ask her, but from what I could see she did." He turned into a cobbled stone driveway of a beige colored house with brown trimmings. The walls were low; some pretty yellow and pink flowers were planted at the border of a large lawn.

  "Here is your dream house," Josh said softly. "Got to give it to you, it is a nice design. You have taste. I have got to use the bathroom."

  Josh got out and no sooner had he pressed the buzzer the door was flung opened and there he was, Randall Vassell the third—all six foot one inch of him, looking the same as he did last year when he had told her that he couldn't live a lie anymore.

  Josh must have said something to him; he looked straight at her in the car. It wasn't long before he was heading towards her, his long strides eating up the driveway. His confidence was palpable. He was a big guy, muscular, hulking. He had bulked up since the last time she saw him.

  He had probably amped up his workouts because his biceps were bulging underneath the red shirt that was stretched across his wide chest. He was clean-shaven, except for a low circle beard. He had dark mahogany skin, straight nose, and chiselled lips. He looked like he usually did—handsome, commanding, full of presence.

  Devastating. Twenty-five years and she still wasn't cured.

  There was a flutter in her heart region that developed into full-fledged palpitations when he came closer and his molasses dark eyes locked with hers through the car window.

  He knocked on the glass briefly.

  And she wound down the window. Her fingers trembling.

  She tucked them into each other. And drummed up a smile. "Hey."

  "Hey," his voice was low and husky. "Want to come inside?"

  "No." Addi swallowed. "I just wanted to see the house."

  "I figured." He shrugged one shoulder. "Kenya is not here. She is gone to a conference in Kingston for three days. You can come and look around."

  "I shouldn't." Addi paused.

  "I built it all to your specifications," he said roughly, "I painted it exactly how you said..."

  "But I don't live in it," Addi said sadly. "How are your children, Togo and Chad?"

  "They are fine," Randy said roughly. "Addi, don't do this. Your brother is inside. You are probably feeling overly emotional… I heard about Sky."

  Addi swallowed and looked down at the urn.

  "That her?" Randy asked gruffly.

  "Yep." Addi nodded.

  "I can't imagine how you feel." He touched her hand briefly and then pulled it away. "I know how close you two were."

  "I am supposed to pour her ashes on the blue stone at the back of the place we used to live." Addi swallowed, "and then read a letter dated for today after I do it. She left me a package with her will. It's all so elaborate."

  "And so very Sky-like." Randy smiled sadly. "You were the serious one and Sky was the drama queen."

  "Drama queen to the end," Addi said huskily. "She put on her favorite dress, put on a full face of makeup, then took a whole bottle of sleeping pills."

  They stared out together at her dream house silently, neither of them having anything more to say. Addi cleared her throat and leaned back in the car seat.

  "I still love you, Addi." He said it softly.

  She pretended that she didn't hear. She had spent one whole year weaning herself from thoughts of him. This talk was sure to make her have a relapse.

  "You ended it for a reason," She said it as stridently as she could muster. This was for her as well as him. "Chad was in the hospital for asthma, Kenya had a tantrum about you not being there for your family. Your church was being taken over by some rogue pastor and you were sick and tired of hiding around."

  "Yes." He nodded. "Yes. But I am so unhappy without you. I should have left a long time ago."

  "You shouldn't have married her in the first place," Addi hissed. "You should have waited for me. You could have. You never wanted to go into ministry anyway. Yet you did. You chose money, you chose power, you chose Kenya over me."

  She swiped away the tears flowing down her cheek. "I am over you Randall Vassell. Over. You. I wish I never met you. I wish I never lost my baby at least I wouldn't be so alone and pathetic."

  Randy closed his eyes and swallowed. "Addi, please..."

  She turned her head away from him. Breathing ragged gulps of air. Not bothering to stem her sobs when Josh got into the car.

  He drove away without a word. It was quite a few minutes before he stopped again and Addi realized that they were parked in the middle of the driveway of the two dwellings. To the right was her childhood home; it looked freshly painted in white. Somebody had kept up with the garden too. There were some neatly trimmed bougainvilleas in a neat box shape. All of them blooming.

  To the left was Uncle Stan's house. It was also well kept and painted in burnt orange. Low purple flowers flanked the driveway giving it a nice contrast.

  The brothers, Nathan and Stanley had built identical houses beside each other on the same property separated by a common driveway. At the back of the dwellings was a small office with a sign that said Porter Brother's Construction still hanging on the door.

  Josh looked at her grimly.

  "There were tenants over at Uncle Stan's until recently. Our place has been empty for a while. Dad did some repairs the other day, said he was planning to sell it."

  "He told me." Addi hiccupped.

  "I am not going to ask why you were crying," Josh said gruffly. "But know this, I can't be friends with Randy anymore."

  "Oh Josh." Addi got out of the car and stretched. "Don't destroy years of friendship on my account."

  Josh snorted. "I can and I will."

  Addi grabbed the urn. "It's your call. You will have to tell Kenya and Avery why you guys are on the outs. They are friends aren't they?
You will be breaking up two families, which would be the heights of irony because Randy and I are no longer together."

  She took a deep breath. "Okay, let's get this party started—fulfill Sky's dying wish and head back to my corner of the world where none of this matters."

  She walked to the end of the driveway to the edge of the property where a slab of rock jutted out from the hill. It was large enough to have an overhang. It was almost cave-like in appearance. Several persons could probably hold under the overhang with ease. At one end of the rocky over hang the stone had distinct shimmery blue streaks running through it.

  They used to fantasise that the streaks were precious jewels trapped in the rock. Uncle Stan had even had a geologist come and assess it. The geologist had declared it ordinary limestone rock, which may have some semi precious potential.

  They had lost interest after the geologist's lackluster declaration. When they were girls this had been their spot though. There was a palm-sized engraving etched at the left of the blue rock. In the middle of it the blue was strongest as if somebody had splashed some paint on it. They had always fantasized that it was somebody's hand forever immortalized in stone.

  It was Sky's favorite part of the rock.

  Sky would put her hand in the palm and stand there waiting, fantasizing.

  Addi searched for it, and found the etching of the palm. It was where it always was, partially hidden under a thin bush that had fallen over the side of the bank. She pulled a branch to fully reveal it.

  She took a step back and inhaled. "Well Sky, here goes," she muttered.

  She unscrewed the top of the urn and started pouring the ashes. Josh watched her from a distance, his mouth set in grim lines.

  When Addi finished she felt as if she should say something but no elaborate speeches came to mind just the cold loneliness that had dogged her since Sky's death.

  "Goodbye Sky."

  She turned away and headed to the car. She reached for the package that Sky had said in her will should only be read after scattering her ashes. It was a package within a package within a package.

  Josh stood behind her and watched as she pulled away the folds of paper.

  "It's a book," she declared when she finally finished pulling the last paper off. An ordinary hardcover book which was taped up at the sides. Obviously it wasn't for her. There was a bold scrawl in Sky's handwriting, which said, To Be Read by Sky Porter Only.

  This was more than odd. Why would Sky address a book to herself? And then leave it to her. It didn't make sense. A letter fell out of the back of the package when she was folding back the papers.

  Addi picked up the letter which had her name printed on the front of the envelope.

  She opened the envelope and started reading.

  My darling Cousin Addi,

  I know you think I am being extremely inconvenient with all of this high drama. Sprinkling my ashes on blue stones and reading letters after you do it. But there is a reason. You are the only person in the entire world, who I trust to do this. You are the only person who would even countenance what I am about to say. So listen to me carefully. Don't dismiss me Addi! This is important.

  Remember Monica Campbell, the quiet lady who lived beside us on the hill. One day she told me something, I never told a soul. I thought she was crazy to be honest. She told me that her grandmother could time travel if she wanted. She said that there were four time portals in Jamaica. All of them connected to stones. The blue stone on our land is one of the portals. You can only travel once in your lifetime.

  And, only special people can travel. Only the people with a distinct T in the lines of their palms can do it. You have that T, Addi. Most people have five main lines in their hands you have two. Just two. It is obvious that you are different. It is obvious that you are one of them.

  Every Sunday when we meet for brunch I have wanted to tell you about this, but I know that you would laugh it off. We are not people who believe in all of this madness, but every time I see the T in your palms, I wonder.

  And that is why I requested that you bring my ashes here to be scattered. I knew you would do it.

  There are things that I have been hiding. Oh Addi forgive me. I suffered through a special kind of hell these last couple of weeks. I couldn't taint you with it. I couldn't tell a soul. Even my expensive therapist. It all began in the summer of 92. I need you to go back there. I need you to stop it before it began. I need you to fix things for me. I need you to fix me. I am broken. I am broken beyond repair and this year, 2017, I decided that I couldn't go on. I need your help. I have a notebook attached to this package, when you go back you need to give it to the young Sky. You need to insist that she read it. You need to make her believe it.

  Monica told me that all you need to do to travel in your own lifetime is to place your palm on the blue stone, imagine the year you want to go to and you'll get there. This is our do-over Addi. It is worth a shot. Save me. Save our family. Please.

  Your cousin and friend,

  Sky

  Chapter Three

  Addi folded the letter and looked into her palm. She didn't pay attention to her palms. Why would she? She had two clear lines in her hands and no intersecting lines. It had never been an issue before this mad letter.

  "Let me see your palms!" she called to Josh who was peering into the house, his hand cupped around the glass windows to get a better view inside.

  "What?" Josh looked up at her.

  "Your palms," Addi said impatiently. "Let me see them..."

  Josh held up his hands and walked over to her. "What's this about?"

  Addi held up her hands and he looked at them and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

  "I only have two lines in my palms. Yours look more like an M, mine looks like a T."

  "Ah," Josh nodded. "So you are an alien? I always suspected it."

  "No silly, "Addi wriggled her fingers at him. "Sky thinks that there is a special reason why I have only two lines in my palms. I can time travel."

  "Sure." Josh mused. "Why not?"

  "No laughter. No snicker. No protests." Addi touched his forehead. "You okay?" Feeling feverish?"

  "I am quite fine." Josh leaned on the car. "However, I think that Sky was not okay, that's why she killed herself. And you, I think that you are grieving. Because there is no way that you are taking any of this seriously.

  "You are the woman who has a PhD. Obviously, your love life was a mess so I am not sure about your judgment, especially where men are concerned, but I kind of expect better from you, Addi. You know, it is expected since you are the bright one and all."

  Addi sighed and leaned beside him on the car. "Yay me, bright Addi with the PhD."

  She folded her arms and looked out at the landscape. Not much had changed on their street. In front of their house was an open lot with quite a few pink fleshed guavas growing wild over there. They used to raid the trees when they were children. Her mom would make jam and jellies and juices.

  To the left of them were the Jones'. The poor Jones'. Every year it had seemed as if Mrs. Jones had a new baby. Her father and uncle had tried to use Mr. Jones in their business so that he could have a steady income but the man was no good at the jobs assigned to him. Her parents had settled for having him garden instead.

  She wondered where they were now. The two story bungalow house where they used to live seemed empty. The house was the same non-descript green color that always looked as if it could do with a lick of paint. The yard looked unkempt and the larger than average garage where Mr. Jones used to tinker with his old car was filled with junk.

  "Where are they now?" Addi asked pointing at the Jones' place.

  "Don't know." Josh shrugged. "I heard that the oldest girl, I think her name was Joy, became a lawyer. And one of the boys was something in athletics a couple years ago."

  Addi smiled. "Good for them. Why did we never get to know the Jones'? Especially the wife, she had seemed nice."

  "You can't be friends with everybody
."

  "But they were our neighbors." Addi pinched Josh. "We should have made an effort. Even though it was a small community, we had really lived insular lives, didn't we? In New York I have no idea who my neighbors are."

  Josh smirked. "Add that to your list of regrets—the living of an insular life."

  Addi nodded. "Maybe I will."

  She looked to the right of them. On a hill was a sprawling white Victorian style house that had a large wrap around veranda to take advantage of the view. There was a long winding driveway that led up to the house. The cut stonewalls bordering the driveway was flanked by the breathtaking shrub called Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. The purple and white flowers were prolific and distinct against the stone work and the shrubs seemed to extend all the way to the top of the impressive entrance of the house.

  It was where Monica Campbell lived. She was the one who told Sky tales of time travel. Addi turned around and looked up at the house fully. It looked the same. Well kept. Imposing. And then she saw movement on the veranda, like a person going in and out of the front door.

  She straightened up from the car.

  "Does Monica Campbell still live over there?" she asked her brother who had gone silent. He was staring in front of him with a frown as if he was considering unpleasant things.

  "Yes." Josh roused himself from his painful contemplations and focused on her. "Why?"

  "I want to go and see her. It won't hurt."

  "Want me to drive?" He looked at her green wedge shoes. Which had seemed to be a good idea when she was leaving her apartment to head to the airport.

  She had only packed for two days, the intention had been to come to Jamaica, spread the ashes and then get out of the country as fast as she could.

  Now here she was actually contemplating Sky's letter. At least she would have a conversation with Monica confirm that her cousin had been losing it and then head back to Kingston with Josh.

  "Want me to drive up to the Campbell's residence?" Josh asked repeating himself, longsuffering resignation in his voice.

  "Yes." She nodded. "Yes."

  "I won't ask why." Josh opened her side of the car door. "I am done asking questions just consider me a casual observer in your clown show."