Letting Misery Go

by Michelle Larks

  “Okay.” Brian picked up the overnight bag and headed back outside.

  Ruth walked back to the kitchen and verified that the windows were down and the back door locked. She unplugged the small appliances, set the burglar alarm, and exited the apartment. She walked across the hall and tapped lightly on Alice’s door.

  “It’s open,” Alice called from inside.

  Ruth went inside and found Alice lying on the sofa. She walked over to her best friend, caressed the top of her head, and asked, “How are you feeling today?”

  “Not too bad. I had a treatment yesterday, so you know how weak I feel afterward.” Alice rubbed her forehead. She sat upright.

  “Well, why are you out here? You could have stayed in bed. I just wanted to tell you that I’m headed to Edwardsville.” Ruth pulled a sheet of paper out of her purse and handed it to Alice. “This is where we’ll be staying and the telephone number to the hotel.”

  “Ruth, I can always call you on your cell. You look very pretty today. Go ahead and enjoy yourself this weekend. I’ll be fine. You’re leaving me in good hands. Fred is going to come over today and spend the weekend with me.”

  Ruth’s left eyebrow raised. “Now, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she teased.

  “Girl, please. Most of the time, I’m puking my brains out or asleep. You’re the one I’m worried about. I have a feeling that Daniel’s going to try and put the moves on you,” Alice said.

  “Humph, I don’t think so,” Ruth replied. “Look, I’ve got to go. We’re going out to dinner after the ceremony. After breakfast on Monday morning, we’ll head back to Chicago. I’ll be back before you know it.” She leaned down and hugged Alice.

  “Oh, I have an envelope for Naomi. It’s on the kitchen counter. Make sure you give it to her after she flips that tassel, and tell her how proud of her I am.”

  Ruth walked to the kitchen and removed the envelope from the counter. She slipped it into her purse. She shook her head when she returned to the room. “I tell you, Alice, you spoil that girl rotten.” She put her hand on the side of her face. “I know you, and I know that you’ve put a check of some obscene amount inside this card. She’s getting a second degree, not her first.”

  “That’s all the more reason to give her a little something for her accomplishment.” Alice smiled as she walked Ruth to the front door.

  “Now, call me if you need anything,” Ruth urged her friend.

  “And what are you going to do in downstate Illinois? Stop worrying. Like the Allstate commercial says, I’m in good hands. Now go on and enjoy yourself with your family. You need a day off to relax. You’ve been going at it for a long time.”

  Ruth hugged her friend one more time before exiting the apartment. She went downstairs and walked in the direction of the van, which was parked a short distance down the street.

  To her surprise, Daniel got out of his vehicle and walked toward her.

  “Ruth,” he said, “you’re more than welcome to ride with me.” He looked dapper, clad in a charcoal gray suit, with a crisp white shirt and red tie. “I also wanted to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to advise me from time to time. I hope I haven’t been a pest.”

  “It was no problem. I would have done the same for anyone in need,” Ruth remarked formally as they walked down the street.

  Though he felt irked by Ruth’s comment, Daniel’s expression didn’t change. “Anyway, your suggestions for parenting and spending time with the boys have been most helpful. I wish you’d let me take you out to dinner to show my appreciation.” Daniel looked over at Ruth hopefully.

  Ruth shook her head. “That’s not necessary, Daniel. That’s what I do as a minister. You don’t have to feel obliged to take me to dinner,” Ruth said calmly as a pleasant glow spread throughout her body. “I told Sarah that I would ride with her and Brian.” She sounded doubtful, and she stopped walking.

  “I’m sure they won’t mind.” Daniel took her arm and steered her toward his SUV. After he opened the door for Ruth, he went to tell Brian and Sarah that Ruth would be riding with him.

  As the trip progressed, Daniel was on his best behavior. Eventually he and Ruth conversed easily. “Hey, do you remember what fun we had when we took the children to the Grand Canyon for summer vacation?”

  “Yes, I do. I was awed by the beauty the Lord had created.”

  “Remember my fortieth birthday? You had a surprise party for me.”

  “Yeah. The kids and I spent months planning it. The children were so afraid you were going to miss it because you came home late.”

  “You did a good job. I was definitely surprised. It was one of the high points of my life. You know I’d never had a birthday party in my life before I met you,” Daniel confessed as his voice choked.

  “That’s what spouses do for each other,” Ruth replied easily. She’d relaxed and gotten into the spirit of the trip down memory lane.

  “You know, Ruthie, I really regret ...” Daniel started to say something, but he glanced at Ruth to gauge her reaction.

  “Daniel”—Ruth shook her head firmly—“now is not the time to talk about what should have been done. We’ve both moved on, and I think we should leave things at that,” Ruth said evenly. Inside, she felt an enormous sense of satisfaction.

  “Can I ask you one more question? Are you seeing anyone?” Daniel asked Ruth.

  “That’s really not your business,” Ruth replied, tight-lipped. She thought about Aron, grew quiet, and stared outside the window.

  Daniel made several halfhearted attempts to steer their talk toward more personal matters, but Ruth firmly led the conversation back to less private conversation.

  Daniel felt slightly discouraged. His plan to win back Ruth was hitting a roadblock. Still, he remained hopeful that he’d win her over before the weekend ended. There was no doubt in Daniel’s mind that when they returned from Edwardsville, Aron would be permanently out of the picture.

  Six and a half hours, and two rest stops later, Brian and Daniel pulled into the Southern Illinois Edwardsville campus. Traffic was severely backed up due to the massive crowd, who’d come together to see their loved ones receive their degree. It took nearly twenty minutes before the men finally found parking spaces. After exiting the vehicles, the family joined the crowd that was entering the grounds where the ceremony would be held.

  Ruth tried her best to sit on the end seat, but Brian beat her to it. Sarah sat next to him, with Ruth on her left, and Daniel to Ruth’s right. Joshua and Maggie were in the row directly in front of them.

  Daniel stood up, took off his jacket and placed it on the back of his chair. He then unloosened his tie. “Nice campus, isn’t it?” he remarked to Ruth.

  “Yes, it is,” she said.

  She unsnapped her purse, took out her glasses, and put them on her nose. She quickly flipped open the program book and began reading, to stave off further conversation with Daniel. Ruth quickly turned to the page listing the graduates’ names and found Naomi’s. She grinned.

  Sarah leaned over and asked Ruth if she knew whether or not Montgomery planned to sit with them.

  Ruth shrugged her shoulders.

  “Do you think we should save the seat for him on the end, next to Joshua, before someone sits there?” Sarah asked.

  “It wouldn’t hurt,” Ruth said. Daniel’s eyes roamed the crowd of people.

  As if on cue, Montgomery sauntered over to the family, with his video camera dangling from a strap on his shoulder. He welcomed the family to Edwardsville.

  After the greetings were exchanged, Ruth asked him if he planned to sit with them. Montgomery declined, saying he had a seat near the stage, so he could videotape the ceremony. “Naomi told me to tell you to meet us at our house after the ceremony, and we’re going to have dinner there,” he said.

  Ruth and Sarah looked at each, and their eyebrows rose simultaneously. Naomi had failed to mention that she lived with Montgomery.

  Montgomery pulled a slip of pa
per out of his pocket with instructions to their house, and handed it to Brian. Brian, in turn, put the paper in his jacket pocket.

  “Well, I’d better be getting back,” he said, glancing at his watch. “The ceremony should be starting soon. We’ll see you afterward.”

  The classical music, which had been playing softly, intensified in volume as the graduates lined up in the rear area of the grounds. The school band played the opening notes of “Pomp and Circumstance” as the graduates marched to their seats.

  Naomi winked at her family as she passed their aisle. Ruth’s smile glowed ever so brightly as tears filled her eyes. Maggie waved at Naomi.

  As the ceremony progressed, both Ruth and Sarah were filled with emotion. When the president of the university announced Naomi’s name and presented her with her degree, tears overflowed from Sarah’s eyes. Brian put his arm around his wife. Ruth brushed away a tear from her eye. To her surprise, Daniel took her hand and held it tightly. She looked down at his hand and fought an urge to snatch it back. When Naomi returned to her seat, Ruth gently removed her hand from his.

  The ceremony ended ninety minutes later. It took almost another half hour for the family to exit the area and return to their cars. Brian entered Naomi’s address into the van’s GPS unit, and soon they were on their way.

  Montgomery and Naomi’s spacious two-story town house was located in an upscale area outside Edwardsville. It was situated on five acres of land. The emerald green lawn was perfectly manicured. Brian whistled as he parked the van in the circular driveway. The front door flew open, and Naomi ran outside to greet her family. Hugs and kisses were exchanged. Brian began snapping pictures.

  “I’m so glad you all could make it,” Naomi said joyfully.

  She looked beautiful, dressed in a cream-colored skirt, with a tan-and-cream striped blouse. Diamond earrings twinkled in her ears, and a gold-and-diamond tennis bracelet dangled from her right wrist. Her body was cloaked in the breezy fragrance of Juicy Couture cologne.

  Ruth blinked her eyes a couple of times, as if trying to figure out who the sophisticated young woman standing in front of her was.

  After Brian took pictures outside, Naomi said, “Let’s go inside. I can hardly wait for you to see my home.”

  The family followed her inside. If they were amazed by the outdoors, the inside was truly a sight to behold.

  “Wow,” Maggie said as she peered at the rooms she could see from the foyer, “your house is fly, Naomi. I like it.”

  The house was formal, yet cozily decorated with warm, earth-toned colors of mocha, burnt orange, cream, and umber. Naomi took her relatives on a tour of the house.

  The men retired to the den, while Joshua and Maggie went inside the game room. A billiards table occupied the center of the room, and an Xbox was connected to a flat-screen television. The Wilcox women walked to the room they considered the center of any home, the kitchen.

  Ruth remarked, “The house is simply beautiful, Naomi. Is this your house or Montgomery’s?” Ruth knew the answer to the question. Still, she wanted to hear confirmation from Naomi as to why she hadn’t told the family about her living arrangement.

  “It actually belongs to both of us. Montgomery added my name to the deed after I accepted his marriage proposal.”

  “Good for him,” Sarah said, her eyes taking in the high-tech silver appliances in the tangerine-and-white kitchen.

  “We were surprised when Montgomery told us we would be coming to your house. How come you didn’t tell us that you lived with him?” Ruth asked her daughter.

  “I—I don’t know,” Naomi stammered. “I guess because I thought you all would disapprove, and I feel like I have the right to lead my life as I see fit, like everyone in this family has.”

  “You’re right. I would not have approved, but that would not have stopped me from loving you, or coming to your house,” Ruth said carefully.

  “Thank you, Momma. I was wrong. I wanted to tell you everything.” Her hand swept in the air. “I just didn’t know how. I could picture you and Aunt Alice saying, ‘Nay, don’t tell me that you’re shacking up with a man.’”

  “You’re right, Naomi. That is exactly what we would have said. Anything we say or do is out of love for you,” Ruth said.

  “It looks like Montgomery makes big bucks,” Sarah said. “Is he a millionaire or something?”

  “He’s very comfortable. His business does well, and he has a trust fund,” Naomi said.

  The doorbell rang, and Naomi shot up from her seat. “That’s probably the caterer. Give me a minute.”

  She left the room to answer the door, while Ruth and Sarah looked at each other, thinking, Caterer? We could have just gone out to dinner?

  Naomi and Montgomery returned to the room minutes later, accompanied by three young men who were carrying platters of food. Naomi directed them to put the food on the counters.

  Montgomery removed bottles of ale from the refrigerator. “Let us know when the food is ready,” he said to Naomi before heading back to the den.

  After he left, Sarah couldn’t resist saying, “So where’s your wait staff? Surely, you hired someone to serve us?”

  “Stop teasing me, Sarah.” Naomi laughed. “I just thought it would be nice if you guys had dinner here, since this is your first time seeing me and Monty’s place. I thought it would take too long to cook, so I ordered dinner. I know you and Momma are going to help me set up the food. Plus, you know I’m not as handy in the kitchen as you two and Miss Maggie.”

  Maggie wandered into the kitchen. “I love your house, Naomi. It looks like the houses on MTV Cribs. Can I come and visit this summer?” She looked at Naomi, with a hopeful spark in her eyes.

  “Sure, you can, if it’s all right with your mom and dad.” She looked at Sarah.

  “We’ll see,” Sarah replied.

  “Okay, then. Ladies, can I get your help in setting out dinner? I requested Sterno heaters to keep the food warm, so we just need to set out the plates and utensils.”

  Naomi gave Sarah and Ruth aprons to put over their outfits. Soon the food had been placed on the dining-room table, and Ruth blessed the food. Naomi had ordered crab cakes, chicken and sun-dried tomato bruschetta, garlic sausage bread, and lamb cannelloni for appetizers. The entrees included baked lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs in marinara sauce, roasted turkey breasts, and slivers of roast beef.

  During dinner, Daniel kept glancing at Montgomery, trying to gauge how financially well-off his soon-to-be son-in-law was. He wondered if he could hit him up for some of Naomi’s tuition money back. Daniel rubbed his chin thoughtfully; maybe the solution to his financial problem was sitting at the head of the dining-room table.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  In Chicago, Fred had just finished fixing Alice a bowl of soup. They were seated in the dining room.

  “I wonder how Naomi’s gradation was. I sure wish I could have gone,” she said to Fred, who sat at the other end of the sofa.

  “I’m sure everything went well.” He nodded. “It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that little Naomi has two college degrees. I know Ruth must be so proud.”

  “She is. She nearly tore the graduation announcement up from re-reading it. Is there something you want to watch on television?”

  “No, the movie you selected is fine. I’m lucky you like action movies and not girlie ones,” Fred said.

  “Oh, I like them too. I’m just not in the mood for one right now.” Alice glanced at Fred. “What made Daniel decide to go to Edwardsville? Ruth told me that Naomi only invited him because it was the proper thing to do. She really didn’t expect him to attend.”

  Fred tore his attention away from the plasma screen and looked at Alice. “I think my baby brother is up to something, but I haven’t quite figured out what yet.”

  “I hope it doesn’t involve Ruth. She’s finally happy, and I don’t want Daniel to bring her any foolishness.”

  “You know my brother; who knows what he’s th
inking? We aren’t as close as we used to be, but we’re working on getting back in order. Lenora really messed up things for everyone. Like a tornado, she left a patch of destruction in her wake.”

  “You can say that again. It’s too bad those boys have to suffer,” Alice said. “Well, I’m glad Daniel has pulled himself together, but I hope he didn’t do so at the expense of Ruth’s happiness. She’s been dating a man from the church, and he seems to be good for her.”

  Alice’s comment got Fred’s attention. “You mean to tell me the good minister is dating? I hadn’t heard anything about that.”

  “Well, you can’t be in on everything that goes on around here. I think for once Ruth is finally experiencing happiness, and I’m glad for her. She’s a good woman who has been dogged, and her time has come.” A spasm of pain crossed Alice’s face.

  Fred looked at her with a worried, concerned expression. “What’s wrong?” he asked; there was an alarmed note in his voice. “Is something hurting?”

  Alice gestured limply to the pail sitting next to the couch, her breathing shallow. “I feel like I’m going to

  Fred jumped up and placed the pail close to Alice so she could have use of it. Her stomach heaved intermittently. Fred went to the bathroom and returned with a wet towel. He put it on Alice’s forehead.

  When she was finally able to talk, she said weakly, “It’s the darn therapy they give me. They say its worse than the disease sometimes.”

  “I understand,” Fred said tenderly as he pushed Alice’s thinning twists away from her face.

  Minutes later, she drifted off to sleep. Fred returned to the bathroom, where he emptied and rinsed out the pail. He returned to the sun parlor and sat on the end of the sofa, where he kept a careful watch on Alice, who continued to sleep.

  Fred stroked his jaw, and became troubled as he thought about his brother. In a way, he was glad that Alice had fallen asleep. He wasn’t quite ready to admit yet that Daniel was a completely changed man. Sure, he and his brother had become closer over the past few months, but Fred wasn’t picking up on the vibe that Daniel was a changed man yet.