Charmed Life (24 page)

Grace exhaled. “Look, Tina.”

“Put the child down,” Tina ordered.

“No.”

“Put the child …” Tina reached for Regan.

Regan didn’t just bark, she growled and attacked, her mouth rapidly snapping as she snarled and extended her tiny body, nearly jumping from Grace’s arms.

“What the fuck?” Tina jumped back.

“Yeah, that’s right.” Grace nodded. “Don’t make me set her free on you.”

Tina attempted to move to the door, and again, Regan went into attack mode.

“Fine. Fine.” Tina pointed. “You’ll get yours.”

Grace smiled and rubbed Regan’s hair, whispering. “Good girl, thank you.” As she attempted to kiss her, Regan happily … licked her cheek. Grace giggled.

As she stepped off the porch, Tina stopped and turned around. “Oh, yeah. You may want to do something about your buddy out here. He’s tied to a tree.”

At the table, Rhoda giggled, “I told you so.”

When it was free and clear, and Tina was gone, Grace and Marybeth rushed out.

Grace was quick. “No you don’t.” She reached down, snatching the slingshot from Damian’s hand, just as she revved back to fire off at Freddy, who wasn’t just tied to the tree; he was secured to the tree with Industrial strength fly strips.

+++

Polly was mad. She wasn’t just mad at Damian, she was pissed at Clyde for giving Damian the industrial strength fly strips. “We wouldn’t have had this problem,” she told him. “If you got the regular ones for her.”

Clyde waved her off.

“Didn’t I tell you,” Polly scolded Damian. “You can’t tie people with them.”

“You said Regan, Grandma, not people. How was I supposed to know it would leave a mark?”

Polly shook her head and turned to Grace. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

At that second, the emergency room doors opened, and Bobby ran in. “Grace, I am so sorry.” He snarled an angry father look at Damian. “Damian, what in the world were you …”

“Bobby,” Grace interrupted. “It’s fine. She didn’t know.”

“Ha!” He laughed in sarcasm. “She knew. Trust me, she knew.” After saying, ‘excuse me’, he pulled Grace off to the side of the hospital waiting room. “How is he?”

“He’s fine. Just some welts and burns. A few marks. No problem. They’re keeping him tonight for observation just incase he gets an allergic reaction.”

“I feel bad. Really bad. I should have never let you guys take the kids without me there.”

“Why?” Grace asked. “That’s dumb. How am I ever gonna learn what they do and what they don’t do, if they are never free to be themselves in front of me? And they aren’t when you’re around. You correct them and stop them.”

Bobby sighed out.

“Unless you don’t want me to get to know them.”

“No, Grace I do.”

“Good, because if it wasn’t for Regan, I would have been beaten up by a very scary Lesbian named Tina.” Grace nodded. “Second time today, whether they knew it or not, that your kids stood up for me.”

“How did a three year old stop …” Bobby caught himself. “Never mind, she went Cujo, didn’t she.”

Grace smiled.

“That doesn’t bother you?” Bobby asked.

“No, it worked today.”

“Can I just apologize to Freddy?”

“Tomorrow,” Grace said. “He’s heavily sedated right now.”

“Is he in that much pain?”

“There was some missing skin.”

Bobby cringed. “I’m sorry.”

“Bobby, stop. I think Damian does feel bad.”

Bobby raised his eyebrows.

Grace looked at Damian who played with her slingshot. “Ok, maybe not. In any event, Rhoda and I still have to finish our collage. So since I’m suspended from work, can she come over tomorrow?”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Bobby grinned. “Yeah, she can.”

“Can I ask you something? And I can take any answer you give.”

“Sure.”

“Are you seeing us going somewhere? Not on vacation or anything like that, I mean …”

“I know what you mean,” Bobby said. “After today, how can I not see a future with you, Grace? You’re amazing.”

“Remember how I told you to bear with me while I adjust to life?”

“My kids haven’t helped?”

“No, they are. I just … I just think it’s time for me to explain what that meant. And then, after I do, I want you to tell me if you still see us going somewhere.”

Bobby titled his head, and questioned with his eyes.

+++

Grace didn’t tell him at the hospital. She waited until they returned to her place. Where it was quiet and she had his complete attention.

So she thought. Bobby couldn’t pull himself away from the forming collage. He was impressed with it.

She left him at the table while she retrieved something from her bedroom, when she returned, she carried a small picture frame, the picture side pressed to her chest.

Joining him at the table, Grace scooted the collage aside.

“What’s up?” Bobby asked. “I have to tell you I’m nervous.”

“So am I,” Grace said. “But I have to tell you, Bobby. I do. I can’t continue this relationship if it isn’t honest. You’re too honest. I trust you. I trust you with my life and that is why I’m telling you. I also, have to say, once I tell you, you’ll understand why it’s important that I trust you with my life.”

Bobby nodded.

“A little over a month ago, Freddy and I were going to see my boyfriend. I was going to break up with him. Freddy had me convinced he was organized crime, even though I wasn’t convinced.”

“Was he?” Bobby asked.

“Very much so. Our little impromptu visit was a surprise all the way around. We walked in the office just in time to see my boyfriend, his father and a hit man... kill someone.”

A glaze of serious and concern swept across Bobby’s face.

“We tried to run away, we were scared,” Grace explained. “But the feds got us. They have been trying to break this organization for a while, and we were witnesses that could do so.”

“But they could kill you if you testified,” Bobby said.

“Exactly.”

“Witness protection.”

“Ex …. Exactly.” Grace said. “They moved us here, got us started, and that’s the story. We were so out of our element. Oh, my God.” She smiled. “I just needed you to know. I’m safe. They don’t know where we are.”

“The witness protection program works,” Bobby commented. “I’ve heard about it.”

Grace nodded. “I have faith. So, I’m not Grace Berkowitz. I’m … Grace Benson.” She handed the picture to Bobby. “Daughter of famed Gregory Benson, AKA Cara Mia Benson, B movie actress.”

“Oh my God.” Bobby looked at the picture. “You’re father is Gregory Benson.”

Grace nodded.

“Oh my God,” Bobby heaved out. “I am so sorry I made fun of your movies and you as an actress.”

“Huh?”

“I feel really bad. I really dissed you.”

“Bobby, that’s fine. How... how do you feel about this?”

“Relieved.”

“What do you mean?” Grace asked.

“Grace, I’m not a dumb man. I knew something was up with you. I was just worried that it was going to be something mental like with Marybeth.”

Grace caulked back. “Marybeth?”

“You don’t know?”

Grace shook her head.

“Grace, she ran away to Lodi, yes. But she didn’t run away from the divorce. She ran away because her husband and two sons were killed in an accident.”

“She says her sons …”

“Have you ever seen her sons?”

“No.”

“We just go along with it. You’ll never see them. There always somewhere.”

Grace’s hands went to her face. “Oh, poor Marybeth.”

“Yeah. But this is her way of dealing with it, you know? She’s not ready to face the pain. Who are we to make her face it?”

“I wish you wouldn’t have told me. Now I’m just gonna cry if she talks about her sons.”

“You’re an actress. You can play it off,” Bobby said.

“Not a very good one,” Grace scoffed.

“The best.” Bobby leaned to her and kissed her.

“So does this mean, you’re not giving me up?”

“Not on your life. No pun intended.” Bobby snickered. “But I have a secret I want to share with you.”

“What is it?”

“Let’s take a ride.” Bobby held out his hand.

They drove about ten miles out of town, pulling into residential street in Wadsworth. Bobby stopped the truck before a cute little white house, with blue shudders, and a small porch with blue and white rails.

“Why are we here?” Grace asked.

“You said you wanted to see my work.”

“Oh, do these people own some?”

“You can say that,” Bobby said. “Actually, you can stop saying I’m an artist. This house here, this is an example of my work. When I said I painted houses. I really painted houses. I did this one. The shingles, the shudders, porch.”

“You did a very good job,” Grace said. “Wow. So let me get this straight. You don’t like make paintings that hang on walls?”

“No, I paint the walls that paintings hang on.”

Grace snickered. “Boy, I must have sounded dumb.”

“No, just sweet. Still want to be with me?”

“That’s sarcastic isn’t it? It’s not like a big secret, Bobby.”

“No, but you gave one, I wanted to give one.”

Grace looked through the windshield. “I’m still gonna call you an artist. This takes talent.”

“Thanks.” Bobby scooted closer to her, and leaned in to kiss her.

“Just one question.” Grace held up a finger. “Who did the velvet painting?”

Bobby smiled, laughed, and answered her with a kiss.

+++

Gregory Benson knew exactly what he had to do. For an actor of his caliber and stature it was truly a case of humbling.

He received stares and gasps when he walked into the office of the national Enquire. He took a flight to Florida just to meet with the Publisher.

The publisher stayed at the office late when he heard Gregory was coming.