by J. B. Hawker
Max sat on the bed, his shoulders rounded and his hands hanging between his knees.
“Don’t look so dejected, Max. Maybe she left a note in our room. Let’s go look.”
They looked in their room and everyplace they could imagine the girl might leave a note, but it was soon obvious there was no note to be found.
“Why would she just go off like this?” Max asked.
“You have her cell phone number, don’t you? You paid for it, so you must have the number somewhere. Call her and find out what she is up to and why she ran out like this,” Bunny suggested.
While Max rummaged in his desk for the paperwork on the new phone, his own made the chiming sound of a new text message.
Max stood up and stared at the phone for a moment before looking at the message.
“It’s from Marki,” he told Bunny.
“Where is she? What does she say?”
“She’s at the airport getting on a plane to New York. She’s been asked to appear on some TV show. That’s all she said.”
“Not even ‘thanks for the teeth’?”
Max shook his head.
“I suppose I should be grateful she thought to text us. At least we know she’s okay.”
“Did she say which television show?”
“No. I’m going to ask that right now,” Max hit her number and held the phone to his ear.
“It’s going to voicemail. She must be on the plane….Hello, Marki. This is your dad. Have a good flight and be sure to let us know what show you will be on and when it will air. Bye.”
“I guess that’s all you can do, for now. I’m sorry you didn’t get more of a chance with her, Sweetie. Want to help me clean up the guestroom?”
“Sure. On the bright side, now I don’t have to ask her to move into the maid’s quarters when Ellery and Gilles come.”
Later that evening the phone rang. Max jumped up to get it, thinking it might be Marki.”
“Hello, Marki? Oh, no. This is Max Banks. I’m her father. Yes, I see. I’m sorry to hear that. Sure. Good-bye.”
Max scribbled something on the back of one of his business cards and sat back down.
Bunny looked up questioningly.
“That was Kyle,” Max explained. “He and Marki had a date for dinner tonight. When she didn’t show up and didn’t answer her phone he got worried. Apparently she gave our phone number as an emergency contact when she signed up for the interview.”
“She must’ve left in an awful hurry, not to even tell Kyle, especially after he got her the interview in the first place. I thought she was really fond of him, too,” Bunny commented.
“I have a feeling Marki is only really fond of Marki,” Max shook his head. “I wish I didn’t feel so responsible for how she’s turned out.”
“Don’t write her off, yet. She’s young, but I think she’s got a good heart.”
“What makes you say that? She hasn’t been very good to you.”
“Oh, I don’t loom very large on her horizon, just now. She’s got a lot of stuff going on. I think she’s being pulled in different directions, emotionally, and hasn’t even begun to heal from the ordeal on the ship. When you add running into you in the midst of it that must be horribly confusing.”
“Even so, she’s gone now and I’ve missed my chance to be her dad.”
“Airplanes fly both ways, Max. She’s flown off to what she hopes is fame and fortune. That seems to be what her mother taught her is the most important thing.”
“I can believe that!” Max interjected.
“So, if she gets what she thinks she wants she might decide she also wants a better relationship with you. If this doesn’t turn out to be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, she will probably turn to you again for financial help, if nothing else, and you will get another chance.”
“Makes sense. Of course, she’s still got my credit card, so she may not ever need me, after all.”
“I don’t mean to meddle, but I would cancel that card, right away,” Bunny suggested. “Or maybe tomorrow, after she’s paid for her cab fare to her mother’s place.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
─ Genesis 2:25
Life without Marki soon settled down for Bunny and Max, finally giving them a chance to adjust to routine married life.
Max spent most mornings in his office downtown, while Bunny remained back at the condo, working on her writing in the den. She also joined a couple of morning exercise classes held in their building.
Bunny had never felt comfortable joining a gym or fitness classes, but she was lonelier than expected in Houston, lonely enough, in fact, to overcome her natural reluctance. After several shopping expeditions to Houston’s largest retail mall, she’d finally found exercise clothes which were comfortable and not too revealing and signed up for both a yoga class and a beginners’ kick-boxing program. Bunny had experienced a need for self-defense often enough to think the kick-boxing might have benefits beyond physical fitness.
She was one of the older women in the class, but was holding her own, so far.
Max teased her about it, but she could tell he was proud of her.
Bunny was listening to the morning news on the television while changing into her exercise gear when a promo came on for a women’s panel/gossip program airing later that morning. Along with an actress recently graduated from her third trip to drug rehab and a mid-level politician, the announcer promised a visit with two of the “Mers Comtesse heroes.”
Bunny stopped what she was doing when she heard the cruise ship mentioned and scanned back on the DVR to watch the promotional spot.
When the announcer was saying, “Mers Comtesse heroes,” it was Marki’s and Warren’s faces which flashed on the screen.
Marki had been interviewed on “Good Morning America,” along with a handful of other surviving passengers and a couple of the Navy’s rescue crew, a few days after her abrupt flight from Houston.
Max and Bunny had assumed that would be the end of public interest in the story, until reading recently about a proposed mini-series dramatizing the hijacking and rescue.
Bunny set her TV to record the program and rushed out to the gym, all the while wishing there were classes she could take to defend herself from such unexpected complications.
“Well, that was informative, wasn’t it?” Max drawled to his wife that evening.
“And surprising, too,” she replied. “I never knew Marki played such a pivotal role in the rescue.”
“She certainly looked untroubled, this time, about sharing the more salacious bits of her experiences with the pirates.”
“I guess she’s determined to make a name for herself,” Bunny commented.
“I’m surprised, though, at how quickly she’s managed to put herself into the forefront of the story. Warren looked rather less comfortable. I appreciated the way he kept referring to Franz and including the parts the others played,” Max said.
“Even us!” Bunny piped up.
“Do you regret turning down our chance to be on one of these shows, Hun?”
“Never. I liked what Warren said about how we helped, but I wouldn’t have wanted to be there with him while he said it.”
“Not looking for your fifteen minutes of fame, then?”
“The way Marki is marketing herself, it is more like fifteen minutes of notoriety. She is welcome to all the public attention. I just hope she doesn’t live to regret it.”
“Are you thinking about that drug-addled actress on the show with her?”
“Yes, and some of the reality show celebrities who let fame destroy their lives.”
“Is there anything we can do to keep that from happening to Marki? She doesn’t seem to want anything from us, except our money.”
“Did you ever tally up all she cost you with that credit card before you canceled it?”
“Don’t remind me. It wouldn’t have gotte
n so out of hand if I’d taken your advice and canceled the card when she left, but I couldn’t believe she would just keep using it when she was no longer staying here, unless it was for an emergency. It never crossed my mind she would go on a shopping spree on Fifth Avenue and throw parties at upscale clubs. I underestimated how much she hates me, I guess.”
“I don’t really think she hates you, Sweetie. She’s young and her head is being filled with a lot of nonsense. When she calms down and reflects, she will remember how good you were to her.”
“I hope so. But, you know, I think I’m going to take a page from your book and turn her over to God. If he gives me an opportunity to be more of a father to her, I’ll step up, but in the meantime, I’m going to leave her with him.”
Bunny leaned over and kissed Max before getting up from the sofa.
“You are a wise man, Mr. Banks. What does your wisdom tell you we should have for dinner?”
A few days later, Max and Bunny were once again sitting on their sofa. This time they were joined in the living room by their houseguests, Gilles and Ellery.
“So, now you are unpacked and settled in, you can help us plan our itinerary for the next few days. What sounds like fun?” Bunny asked.
“I’ve cleared my schedule at the office, so we are completely at your disposal,” Max offered.
“I’m easy, mate. I’ll go along, happily, with whatever’s on offer,” Gilles said. “Of course, my wife’s a bit harder to please.”
“I am not! Now stop teasing! Bunny and Max might think you are serious,” Ellery protested.
There was not much chance of that. Since the Argyles arrival earlier in the day, it had been obvious to Max and Bunny the newlyweds were still happy honeymooners.
“Thanks for arranging to be with us, Max,” Gilles said. “Was it difficult juggling your work?”
“Not really. It was harder convincing the board I won’t be able to make any trips for a while. They wanted to send me off to Brazil in just a few weeks.”
“Max, you didn’t tell me about any trip to South America,” Bunny said.
“That’s because I’m not going. I can’t leave you alone so soon after your injury.”
“But, I’m completely well, now. The doctor gave me my pass back into the world of the normal.”
“I’d like one of those,” Ellery quipped.
“Maybe so, Buns, but you are still fragile. I wouldn’t feel right leaving you alone.”
“Why don’t you come stay with us, Aunt Bunny?. We would love to have you and Max could take care of business,” Ellery suggested.
“That’s sweet of you, but I couldn’t impose on a couple of newlyweds like that.”
“Is that our cue to leave, Bunny? You and Max are more recently wed than El and I. Maybe we should have thought about that before imposing,” Gilles said.
“Don’t be silly, Gilles. Max and I love having you both here. Newlyweds of our advanced years don’t mind the occasional visitor to give us a rest from all that honeymoon passion,” Bunny teased.
“Enough talk about newlywed passion,” Max pronounced. “Let’s get back to deciding what we want to do tomorrow, assuming we have the energy for other pursuits.”
Plans were made and over the next few days and nights a good time was had by both sets of newlyweds. However, the talk on that first night planted a seed in Bunny’s mind.
Driving back from the airport after seeing their guests off, Bunny shared her idea with Max.
“I think you should go on the Brazil trip, Max.”
“I told you, I’m not going to leave you alone.”
“I won’t be alone. When you fly south, I will be winging my way to Oregon. I want to go see my friends in Bannoch. Would you mind?”
“Why didn’t you accept Ellery’s offer, if you wanted to go to the Northwest?”
“Partly, just what I said. They are newlyweds and I would feel in the way. But mostly because I miss my friends, Naidenne and Shirley…even Rosamund.”
“And the sky-scraping Pastor Scott?” Max asked.
“Yes, I miss Scott’s friendship, too, as well as his teaching and preaching. Your church here in Houston is just so big. I connect with God, there, but not with any of the people.”
“If this is really what you want to do, then I guess I’ll make plans to go on the trip after all.”
They drove in comfortable silence for a few miles.
“You know, Hun, there’s no reason we need to stay in Houston all the time. I think it might be a really good idea for you to get Naidenne to put her real estate skills to work looking for a nice second home for us in Bannoch. That townhouse of yours would be ideal. I wonder if the owner would be willing to sell.”
“Are you serious? I’d love to have a second home in Bannoch!”
“I know. You may not have noticed, but I’ve sort of been making an effort to be more aware of what makes you happy.”
“You always make me happy, Max. You’re the best husband in the world.”
“Well, we won’t get into that. You give your friend a call as soon as we get home. Maybe she can have some places lined up for you to look at while you’re visiting. And make your reservations at that nice Bayshore Motor Inn for your stay. You don’t need to risk another session in someone’s moldy spare room or on their couch.”
When they returned home, Bunny wasted no time before making her call.
“That’s right, Naidenne, I’ll be there for a full week. I can’t wait to see you all. No, I’m sure, thanks for the offer, but I already made my reservations at the motel. Thanks again. Bye!”
Bunny put down the phone and joined Max in the guestroom where he was stripping the beds and straightening up after their recently departed guests.
“It’s all set, Sweetie. Naidenne was so excited when I asked her to check listings for a place for us. And guess what?”
“What?”
“Naidenne and Scott have set the date for their wedding and she wants me to be her matron of honor.”
“When’s the wedding?”
“Not for a couple of months. We will have such fun making plans while I’m there. I’ve never been a matron of honor before. I hope she doesn’t pick an unflattering dress for me. Bridesmaids’ dresses are notoriously unbecoming.”
“You will be the prettiest woman in the wedding party, no matter what you wear, my darling.”
“If that’s part of that special effort you are now making…keep up the good work,” Bunny grinned and patted Max’s bottom.
Max pulled his laughing wife into his arms and kissed her soundly.
“I’ve been thinking a lot, lately, about what you said…”
“Which pearls of wisdom do you mean? I’ve said quite a lot in my time.”
“You can say that again…but don’t. What I’m talking about is that thing you said on the sailboat, about being naked and unashamed.”
With a mock-guarded expression, Bunny responded, “Oh, yes?”
“Not that! I’ve been thinking it means baring our souls, our inner thoughts, to one another with no fear or shame.”
“That’s how I see it, too.”
“Well, I’ve been trying to let you see what’s going on inside. Have you noticed?”
Bunny leaned back in Max’s arms with her eyes closed, letting their days and nights together drift across her mind’s eye. She opened her eyes and smiled up at him.
“Every day, I have seen you open more of yourself to me, my darling. Thank you for not only letting me be myself, but for showing me the man I married is so much more than the dream man I once fantasized. Yes, now that you mention it, you could say I noticed.”
“I realize we can’t always make up for past mistakes, not even when we get a second chance, but sometimes, when we least deserve it, we get lucky. I thank God for you, Bunny, and I thank you for giving me another chance.”
Max and Bunny held each other tightly, rejoicing in their newfound intimacy, walking together openly before G
od.
Ω
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Acknowledgements
Special thanks to my proof-readers and copy editors, Debbie Towne, Terri Hawker, Lourie Larcade and Rodonna Reed, without whom many typos would have slipped into these books.
Thanks, too, to Neal Turek, for his keen eye and invaluable story advice.
A final thanks to my friends and co-workers at Tehama County Department of Education whose encouragement keeps me writing.