What should she take? How many days should she pack for? Melinda said only a couple of days. She hoped that's all it was. She wanted to be home for Christmas. Wanted to spend it with Stephen. Now that she let herself go, she didn't want to be away from him.
After she finished packing, she called Stephen. He wasn't home so she left a message. She got in her car and went to visit Louise.
Her friend was delighted that Stephen agreed to spend Christmas with her. "I've never seen you look happier." Louise said. "Are you sure you'll only be gone a couple of days?"
"I think Melinda just wants me there for the surgery. Once he's on the road to recuperating I think she'll be fine." Rose hoped that's all she wanted. While she looked forward to seeing her daughter and grandchildren, she hated to be away from Stephen for too long.
Funny, not long ago she wouldn't even speak to him. Now she couldn't bear to be away from him.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Stephen called her later. "Rose, what's going on? Is everything all right?"
"I have to go to Oregon for a couple of days. Harold, Melinda's husband, is having surgery Thursday, and she wants me there. I have to go."
"Of course you do. Is there anything I can help you with? Can I take you to the airport?
"That will be a big help. I was hoping you'd offer. My flight leaves at nine. Are you sure that isn't too early? I have to be there by seven thirty the latest."
"That's fine. I'll see if Millie will stay with Sarah and send her to school. I'm sure she will." Stephen said.
Rose didn't sleep well the night before her flight. She hated flying for starters, and her nerves were frayed. She should have taken a tranquilizer, but she didn't like the after affects. They made her groggy. She finally got out of bed at five. May as well get up and take her shower. At least she'd have time for coffee before she left.
Rose sat at the table and waited for Stephen. She still didn't like the idea of leaving. But Melinda took priority. It was time she put her kids first. Besides, surgery of any kind was scary. It'd be good to see her and her grandkids again. It had been too long. Maybe they'd even enjoy part of the visit once Harold was recuperating.
She had left her return trip open, so she could stay pretty much as long as she wanted. Not that she wanted to stay long at all. But it was her first trip to Oregon, and she did look forward to seeing some of the beautiful state. She looked forward to the warmer temperatures too. Of course they weren't anything like Florida, but according to the Weather Channel the average highs were in the forties and lows were only in the high thirties. That beat the twenties and thirties they dealt with in Ohio. Heck the high forties would feel like spring to her.
Stephen knocked at the door. "I know I'm early but I wanted to spend some time with you before you left. We have about an hour before you need to be at the airport. I saw the lights on so I knew you were up."
Rose opened the door and went straight into his arms. "Would you like some coffee?" She offered after a quick kiss.
She didn't trust herself for anything longer. She'd melt if he kissed her the way he did just before Melinda called.
She didn't want him to let her go, wanted to hold him, but knew she couldn't do this now. She was struggling with herself. She hoped Stephen didn't change his mind about her while she was gone. She sat down at the table and accepted she had to be content just to look at him.
"Did you schedule your return flight?"
"No, I wasn't sure how long Melinda would need me. I hope to be home Sunday or Monday."
"You let me know, and I'll pick you up from the airport."
Rose smiled at him. "I was counting on that." She took a piece of paper off the counter and handed it to him. "My cell phone number in case you want to call me. That way it's not long distance."
"Thanks, I never thought of that. You have my number, don't you? I want you to call me and let me know how the surgery went. Heck, call me any time day or night. And don't worry about the time difference."
Rose looked at the clock. "Guess we better go." She switched off the coffeemaker, turned off the lights and looked at Stephen." She took a key off the key holder and handed it to him. "Check my house while I'm gone."
The dark sky fit Rose's mood. "Looks like we're going to get more snow."
"It's in the forecast for the next three days."
Rose looked out the window. Already her stomach did flip flops anticipating the flight. She had never flown alone before, and she didn't relish the prospect. She hated flying as it was. The idea of doing it alone made her doubly nervous.
Stephen pulled around to the curbside check-in. "Since I can't go much farther, I'm just going to drop you here if you don't mind."
Rose agreed. Since nine eleven, airport security was so tight if you didn't have a ticket you couldn't go anywhere in the airport.
Stephen got out and took her suitcase out of the trunk.
Rose looked up at him and tears welled in her eyes. She reached up and pulled his mouth down to hers. He put his arms around her and held her. "I'll miss you," she said.
He ran his finger through her hair, pushing a strand behind her ear. "I'll miss you too. Call me when you get there."
Rose pulled away reluctantly. She'd better get a move on, she didn't know where her gate was, and she didn't want to miss her flight.
Stephen got into his car just as security came along to tell him to move it. He blew Rose a kiss and drove away. Damn, she actually said she was going to miss him. He had made more progress than he thought. Things were looking brighter. Hopefully this short trip wouldn't make her change her mind. Put that wall back around her.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Rose checked her bag, picked up her ticket and went through the security check. Good thing she got here this early, the line wound around almost to the ticket counter. And wouldn't you know it her gate ended up being all the way at the other end of the airport. She hardly had a chance to sit down when they called her flight.
She found her seat on the plane, sat back and took a deep breath. The passenger next to her had a book out and was reading. Good. There wouldn't be any meaningless talk during the flight. She hated that people tried to be friendly. She had a hard enough time flying without making small talk.
The plane finally took off, and Rose gripped the arm rests 'til her fingers turned white. She wasn't sure what she hated worse taking off or landing. Both were equally nerve racking.
Once they were in the air, she settled down. The flight attendant passed out earphones for the movie, but Rose didn't feel like watching it. She leaned back and closed her eyes. They had to make one stop in Houston, which seemed out of the way to Rose. Certainly wasn't the most direct way to go and the flight was going to take seven hours with an hour layover. Damn, that was a long time to be in the air. Hopefully, she could catch up on some of the sleep she lost last night.
Before she knew it the attendant came around with a snack. Rose sat up and pulled down the tray in front of her. Not that she was that hungry, but she knew she needed something. She ordered a coffee. She figured she was paying enough for the flight, she may as well. After she drank her coffee, she pushed her tray back up, reclined her seat and tried to sleep.
Next thing she knew, the pilot announced their arrival. That seemed like a quick two hours and the plane started its descent. She decided she hated landing more than taking off. But she had to give the pilot credit. The wheels hit the ground without a bump. Nice smooth landing. Rose let out her breath, stood up and waited to get off the plane. It felt good to stretch her legs. Now to kill the next hour. Rose found a small shop, picked up a magazine, leafed through it and decided to buy it along with a small coffee. She took it back to her gate, sat down and started to read. An article, How to Develop a Relationship Past your Forties, caught her eye.
Finally, she boarded the plane again for the rest of the flight. Four and a half more hours. She couldn't wait to see Melinda.
Another smooth landing and R
ose hurried off the plane with the other passengers. She spotted Melinda almost immediately. Luke and Angie stood next to her. She hurried to them and hugged Melinda and turned her attention to the kids. It had been too long. She hardly recognized them. She hugged thirteen year old Luke next. "My goodness, how you've grown. Let me look at you." She held Luke at arm's length. He looked just like his father.
"Hi, Grandma," Angie said.
Good Lord, she was the spitting image of Melinda at that age. Sweet sixteen. Where had the time gone? Rose held out her arms, and Angie went into them. "I can't believe you two. I'd hardly recognize you. You look just like your mom."
"Let's get your luggage, we're in the way here." Melinda said. "Come on, Harold is driving around waiting for us. Can't park close anymore. You can only stop for a minute to pick up a passenger."
Rose put her arms around her grandchildren and followed Melinda to the van. She couldn't believe she was here after all this time.
Harold pulled up to the curb and got out. Rose hugged her son-in-law and kissed his cheek. "How are you feeling, Harold?"
"I've been better." He smiled.
Rose always liked his smile, something about the way it lit up his face. He didn't just smile with his mouth it reached his eyes, crinkling the corners. Even wrinkled his nose.
They got into the van, and Angie and Luke talked nonstop on the way home. Rose was anxious to see Melinda's house. She'd only seen pictures of it.
"Whose fault is that?" Emma asked. "Shame on you, Rose."
Damn, she thought she was rid of Emma's ghost, hadn't heard it much lately. Too bad it had to intrude now. Well, she'd just ignore it for now. She was here to enjoy her family, and she didn't need Emma's voice reminding her it was her fault that she hadn't been here before. Didn't need it reminding her of anything, actually.
Harold pulled the van into a long curved driveway.
Rose took a breath as the beautiful two story brick home with an arched entry way came into view at the end of the long drive. Even from here, Rose could see a built-in pool in the back yard. "Melinda, it's beautiful." She hardly knew what to say. She knew they both had good jobs. But she had no idea they were that good. "Obviously, you've both been very successful."
"Come on, I'll show you inside." The pride in Melinda's voice was unmistakable.
"Pictures don't do it justice. I can tell you that. I had no idea how big it was." Rose followed Melinda inside the marble-floored foyer. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine her daughter living in something like this. Never had she ever imagined herself in a house like this. This was one of those mansions you saw on television or dreamed about when you were starting out in life.
Not that her house was shabby. Frank had provided well for his family. But it was nothing compared to this. This was the kind of house movie stars lived in.
After a quick tour of the downstairs, Melinda showed her the bedrooms and took Rose to her room. "I know you must be tired, if you want to lie down for a while. The time change has to affect you."
The room was done in lavenders and rich deep purple. Obviously, Melinda liked color too. Rose sat down on the bed. "I am kind of tired, but I really don't want a nap." She looked at her watch– almost five o'clock her time but only two here in Oregon.
"You're like me. Napping is a waste of time." Melissa said. "Are you hungry?"
"A snack might be good. If I remember correctly, you don't eat dinner until five or six."
"Okay, come on then, we'll see what we can whip up for you."
Rose followed Melinda to the kitchen. A cook's dream. It had every modern convenience Rose had ever seen and then some. The dishwasher and refrigerator fronts looked just like the cabinets. There was even a wine cooler and warming oven built in. Her daughter had done well. "What time is surgery scheduled for tomorrow?"
Melinda hesitated, looked away. "Um...about that..."
Rose sensed something fishy. Melinda never was a good liar. "Okay, Lin," she reverted to the childhood nickname. "What's going on here? What aren't you telling me?"
The phone rang, and Melinda hurried to answer it, obviously escaping Rose's question. Something was going on, and Rose wasn't sure she liked it.
Melinda came back into the kitchen. "The surgery's been cancelled. They want to wait another week at least, see what happens."
"And you knew this when?" Rose was beside herself. Another week, she couldn't stay that long. Christmas was next week. Call her selfish, but she wanted to spend it with Stephen.
"We only just found out."
"I see. Melinda, you know I can't stay that long. I...Christmas..."
"I know, Mom, it's okay. I know you're planning on leaving Monday. We'll manage."
"Honey, are you sure? I mean I know how difficult it is." Rose felt guilty about not staying with her daughter. But she had her own life now. Damn, she hated making these choices.
"Really, Mom, it's okay." She handed Rose a plate with a sandwich on it. "You don't mind going out to dinner tonight do you? I mean...Harold and I want to treat you. Show you some of Portland."
"That's fine, I don't mind." That was one of the things she hated about staying with anyone. Even when Frank was alive, they always stayed in motels when they visited friends out of state. They had their own car and could do what they wanted when they wanted. They weren't locked in to doing things someone else's way. Rose sighed. How would she ever handle it in the summer?
Three months living with her son or daughter. She wasn't sure she'd survive. The thought made her cringe. No way to get out of it. She had made a promise, and she'd stick to it. Maybe she could get away with a month.
Later, she unpacked and got ready for dinner. Melinda said dress casual so she took a pair of jeans out of the closet and one of her new sweaters. She applied her make-up with more care than usual, not sure why. She put her new dangly earrings in. She usually shied away from the dangly ones, but something about these caught her eye, and she loved them. She stood in front of the mirror, ran the brush through her hair one more time and smoothed her sweater. Not bad for an old lady.
She followed Melinda and Harold into the restaurant. Luke and Angie followed behind her, giggling like the teenagers they were. Something about them aroused a suspicion in Rose. Something was going on here, but she didn't know what.
When they got to their table, Rose noticed it was set for nine. What the heck? Before she could give it another thought, someone put their arms around her from behind.
"Merry Christmas, Mom."
"Francis!" Rose turned around and looked into her son's eyes. "All right what's going on here? I smell something fishy. And it's not the restaurant."
Francis pulled a chair out for her, and Rose fell into it. Jennifer leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Merry Christmas, Mom."
Francis's kids, Tommy and Kathy both hugged her. "Merry Christmas, Grandma."
Rose didn't know what to say. Heck, she couldn't even think. Everyone sat around the table. Angie and Luke grinned from ear to ear.
"I sense a conspiracy." Rose had trouble holding back the tears.
Melinda laughed. "Don't know how I managed to pull this one off. If you hadn't called when you did, Francis, I might have blown it."
"So, there isn't any surgery is there? This was all a ploy to get me here." Suddenly it all clicked. "No wonder you were being so evasive about the surgery this afternoon."
"Sorry, Mom, it was my idea," Francis said. "Hated to use Harold's kidney stones as an excuse, but we knew you wouldn't come otherwise."
"We just wanted to celebrate Christmas with you," Melinda said. "When we found out about you and Stephen, we devised this plan to do it early."
Rose wiped the tears. She couldn't believe her kids. God, she had missed them so much. Why had she ignored them for so long? "Well, I can't say I'm upset. I'm only sorry you had to resort to trickery."
They had an enjoyable dinner, but Rose couldn't wait to get home to call Stephen. He was not going to believe this, unles
s he knew about it. Probably part of the conspiracy. Right now, she'd believe anything. That Stephen and Francis had kept in touch amazed her. Conniving little sneak. Rose chuckled.
Later, she curled up in the living room and called Stephen. "Did you know about this?"
"Honest, Rose I had no idea. They didn't let me in on this. Probably thought I'd blow it. I'm glad your son-in-law doesn't have to have surgery though."
Time To Love Again Page 16