Nothing Lasts Forever (4 page)

“What else is going on, Abbs?” Maggie made another smacking sound.

“Are you drinking Mag?”

“Hm, yes. Hey, hold on. Jake’s on the other end.” The silence on the phone went on for several moments as if someone hit the pause button on a music video. The phone clicked and Maggie was back. “That was him. He called to say he’ll be home soon.” She laughed. “I won’t count on it because I know he won’t be.”

“That’s sad, Maggie. What are we going to do? Our men have pushed us in the background. How do I compete with modern medicine?”

“Hm, good point, Abbs. How do I compete with real estate development?”

The line went silent for a few moments before Maggie began to laugh. “Abby we are modern, independent and strong women. We know what we want. I’m not going to sit here and wait for him to pay attention to me. I am going to do some research tomorrow in Key West and if I’m not home when he calls, then maybe he’ll pay attention. There’s no more sitting here like a mild mannered woman. You shouldn’t either.”

“Then I say we don’t. Let’s put them second like they put us second.”

“Yes! You tell ‘em sista! We’re not going to do this any longer. Let’s celebrate.”

Abby heard the bottle slosh as Maggie toasted herself. She missed her friend. “Maggie, you’re gonna wait on him tonight, aren’t you?”

Maggie began to giggle. “Yes.”

Abby hung up the phone with a smile. Maybe Maggie was right. She was on the biggest adventure of her life. She planned for this for a long time. The hospital was a dream come true. Every day she got to be with children whose only hope was one more pill or one more procedure to have a normal life. Her three hour position involved her to dress up as Pippi Longstocking, the crazy adventurer who burst on the scene and sang them songs to cheer them up for a little while. Some didn’t even know who Pippi was, but it didn’t take away from the fun and smiles on their faces afterward. Penny and Pete entertained them with dog and bird tricks that made them forget they wore monitors and carried needle pricks in their little arms on a daily basis.

She was living her dream. It didn’t mean she had to sit around and wait for Jon. Yes, she wanted to share her journey with him, but he found something to keep him interested. Medicine. At least she hoped it was medicine and not the medical director with legs that ran from her waist and all the way down. Abby drank in the misty evening air. It felt like rain.

Abby got up and secured Penny’s leash. It was time to explore. The two walked along Love Me Tender Blvd and turned left on to Don’t Be Cruel Lane towards the community pavilion. A small group mingled with others as a guitar strummed in the background. A solo singer sat in the front on a lawn chair while others gathered around to listen.

It was Elvis. A very close look-a-like at the least. He reminded Abby of the picture her Mother always pointed to when they got a chance to scarf a magazine from someone’s trash when they were homeless. Her mom would sift through the pages, excited to see photo after photo of Elvis and read about his stardom. At night when they sat under the stars, her Mom would sing Elvis love songs to her. She would sit on her lap and stare at the stars as she listened to her Mother’s beautiful voice.

Abby sat down at the picnic table in the first row and stretched her legs in front of her. Penny sat beside her on guard and let a few of the patrons pat her on the head. Abby placed both elbows on the table behind her as she leaned back to listen to the mystical and cooing sound of the love songs. The solo singer looked up and smiled. Handsome, no doubt, his crooning of the age old songs of Elvis had the older ladies sighing like drooling fans at a music concert.

His sky blue eyes stared in to Abby’s as she let the music sooth her saddened soul. She closed her eyes then and let the sound of the slow music envelope her. It was a sad song about a one sided love affair. Abby wasn’t listening to the words as much as the soft sound of the guitar. It took her somewhere deep down in her soul, back to the days of her childhood when she lived among campfires and in homeless shelters along the coast of Florida. It was times like this she missed those days, even if she never wanted to go back.

Those deep inner feelings gave her a sense of belonging. Those days were long gone but before her parent’s abandoned her, she never doubted their love. Now Abby seemed all alone again. Her and Penny against the world. Where was Jon? He was her rock and yet he found Sallie and the fascinating world of medicine more worthy. She shook herself because she sounded like a jealous child.

She had a different vision of how this trip would be, that’s all. In her mind, she saw them both volunteering at the hospital and then lazy evenings basking in each others arms, exploring the vast elements of Memphis and the country and music scene. She never expected to sit here alone as she waited for the love of her life to come back.

“Are you enjoying the show?” a sweet older woman asked her. She didn’t realize the lady sat down beside her. “I’m Margie.”

Abby shook hands. “I’m Abby and this is Penny. Nice to meet you.”

“Are you here all alone?” Marge asked her.

Abby nodded. “Kind of. My boyfriend is still at the children’s hospital. He should be back soon. He’s a doctor.” She didn’t want to explain why Jon wasn’t here. It would make her sound petty and Abby didn’t want to harbor jealousy. She would accept he was doing what he loved, the same way he accepted the things she loved. She still didn’t like the idea of him and Sallie alone together.

Marge nodded. “I see. Well, I’m here on my own too. I drive the little motor home over yonder.” She pointed to a small class C RV large enough for maybe two people. It was an older model and the colorful lights lit up the patio awning. A single lounge chair sat under the awning, along with a fold up end table.

“You’re by yourself?” Abby asked.

“My husband of 35 years passed on last year. This was our dream, to travel around and see the sights in an RV. He never got the chance to because he died of a heart attack. Now here I am, doing this for the both of us. In his memory.” She frowned as if she were living some memories in her mind.

Abby reached out and took her hand. “I’m so sorry for your loss. I am amazed that you decided to do this alone. Is it safe for you to travel by yourself?”

The older woman flung her hand in the air. “Oh sure. No one wants to harm an old lady.” Her smile lit up her face. “Besides, I get to see the young ‘uns like this Elvis imposter shake it up and it makes me dream of days long gone.”

Abby grinned. If an old lady can enjoy life all alone like this then so could she. “Where are you from?”

“Oh Northeast Georgia. My husband was an Army man. We travelled all over the states, even did a stint in Japan years ago.”

“It sounds as if you had an exciting life. Thanks for sharing with me but I better go.” When Abby stood up to go so did Marge.

“I’ll walk with you. Hey, want to stop in for a nightcap? I have some crackers and cheese and a bottle of wine I got at this great little gift shop downtown.” She took Abby’s hand and pulled her along. Penny hesitated and wouldn’t move, her back ramrod straight.

Abby turned towards their camp. Darkness engulfed their site because she forgot to leave a light on. It was a bit darker along the tree-line. She had Penny with so it shouldn’t be a problem walking back alone, but Abby didn’t feel like sitting there by herself yet another night. “Sure, why not.”

Marge brought out another chair for Abby and they sat around a small fire ring eating cheese and crackers, sipping on wine for a few hours. Abby brushed down the hairs on Penny’s back with her hand, which stood straight up. For some reason the dog was on guard tonight, cautious of her surroundings. “Penny,” she cooed. “What’s wrong?”

“Does she always act this way?” Marge asked, her eyes on the dog.

Abby shook her head. “Not always, unless she’s leery of someone or something. It could be she senses some animals out in the surrounding woods.”

Marge grunted. “It’s a good idea to have a guard dog like her with you. Maybe I should get one myself.” She reached over to pet Penny, but the Shepherd sat back on her haunches and a deep growl started in her throat.

“Penny!” Abby got off the chair and kneeled down in front of her. She reached up and placed her hand on either side of Penny’s face. “That’s enough Penny.” Abby reprimanded her some more, but the dog stood her ground.

“Don’t scold her. She’s doing her job,” Marge told her.

“I better take her back to our camp. Thanks for the wine. Good night Marge.”

“Good night dear. Oh by the way, I’m going to do the mansion tour in the afternoon tomorrow if you want to come along. Stop by around 3 and we can go together.”

“Maybe I will. I get done volunteering at 2 so I’ll see you then.” Penny seemed glad to head back to the RV site as they retraced their previous path. The last road ran parallel to the tree-line but Penny acted as if nothing was out there. Her skittishness disappeared after they left Marge’s site, which made Abby wonder why she acted that way. She couldn’t be leery of an old woman, that seemed so weird.

Then Penny began to pull on her leash. Her tail began to wag and a small moan escaped from her throat. The closer they got to the campsite, the more excited she became. She acted that way when Jon would come home after a long day at the center.
Jon!

Abby let the leash fall to the ground when she couldn’t contain Penny any longer. The dog bounced towards the bulky figure in front of the RV. Jon sat in the lounge chair, his feet kicked back. Penny jumped on his lap like a little lap dog. The only problem was she was about seventy pounds heavier than one.

Air left his lungs as Jon began to wrestle with her. Abby stood in the dark watching the two, her heart wrenching at the way her dog fell in love with the man she loved. She wanted to jump on him too.

She giggled.

He looked up as she began to run towards the patio. He grinned and shooed Penny as Abby landed on Jon’s lap. She began to roll off but then he pulled her back in to his arms. Her face settled in his chest as he kissed the top of her head. His face lingered there for a moment. She heard him take a deep breath. “I needed this today.” His arms tightened around her.

“What’s wrong love?”

Jon held her, his face nestled in her hair. He let out a deep sigh. “I’m heartbroken.”

Abby leaned back. She reached up to caress his cheek. “What happened?”

“I fell in love today.”

Abby sat up straight as goosebumps began to prickle on her skin!
He fell in love with Sallie! Oh God, please, no!
She stared at him, unable to utter a word.

Jon rubbed a hand over his jaw. He gritted his teeth and leaned his head back. He began a small swirl of circles with his fingers along the edge of her shoulder. “I watched them perform a craniotomy on a little five year old boy today. You want to know why he had to have this type of surgery?”

Abby nodded her head, his pain raw and open and yet relieved it wasn’t Sallie he fell in love with. Was that selfish at a time like this?

“His mother wasn’t paying attention. She’s a crack whore. While she was high and fucking a man for money, this precious child should’ve been in pre-school. She didn’t have time for that. Instead, she let him wander through the house while she locked herself away in her bedroom and he found his way to the balcony alone. An ice cream truck was driving by and he got so excited, he jumped up on the loose rail, the one his mother never got fixed. The neighbor saw him fall, otherwise he’d be dead because if she hadn’t taken the quick action she did, he would not be alive. I’m not even sure he should be.”

“Oh Jon.”

He swallowed and stared at her. “I don’t know why this child gripped my heart in the way it did today. After the surgery his mother never came in to see him. Instead, she went to the children’s agency to sign off her responsibility and rights for him to the courts because she says she can’t give him what he needs.” His grip on her shoulder began to tighten. Abby placed her hand over his to sooth his tense fingers. “When and if he gets better, he’ll find out his mother abandoned him to the foster care system. How the hell is that right!”

His misery ate at her heartstrings. This was why she tried to bring joy to those suffering children’s lives. Most of the time no one knows the history of the child. All Abby did was to make them smile for a little while. “Baby, I’m sorry. What can we do?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. After the surgery, I had two choices. I could sit in another surgery or be with this child. I sat with him because when he woke up I didn’t want the first thing he saw was a white room with no one in there to comfort him. He’s five years old with no mother or father. No one cares.”

She placed her hands on his cheeks and forced his eyes to meet hers. “You care. Right now, that will have to be enough.”

Jon groaned and kissed her with so much need she shivered in his arms. “I need a shower but afterwards, you’re mine.” He stood up and took her with him, planting her on the ground beside the chair. The bath house turned out to be a small walk up the road and he turned around twice as he walked away. “Wait for me.”

Abby sighed. She hugged herself as she watched the man of her dreams stroll away before she realized he was so worked up he forgot a towel. A wicked grin ran across her face as she scampered to find a towel for the both of them.