Out of The Box Awakening (22 page)

“So, were you stalking me?”

“Oh, God, no! Your door was open, for God’s sake. I couldn’t help but see you!”

“Well, did you like what you saw?”

“God, yes! I could hardly tear myself away to go up to my room. I just hoped you wouldn’t turn around and see me. How embarrassing would that have been?”

“You should have come in and helped me dry off. I would’ve let you dry every damn inch of me!”

We both laugh. Sharing secrets, drinking our hot chocolate…I like sharing secrets with Ash.

“Ash?”

“Yes, my little stalker?”

“Do couples our age really do what we do? I mean, is it normal?”

“Yes, honey, they do! It’s called intimacy, and yes, it’s totally normal, silly.”

I look straight into his eyes. “Then where have you been all of my life?”

“Waiting for you!” He scoops me up in his arms.

We go into the living room, put big pillows on the floor and sit on the floor by the Christmas tree, drinking our hot chocolate.

“Can we just stay here all night?”

“Anything you want, Olivia…I’m officially your love slave.”

OMG…

I want so badly to know if he and Anne had this type of sexual relationship. Maybe I don’t want to know, though. I could never bring myself to ask him about it, so I should probably just stop over-thinking things. Something I do so well, and shouldn’t! I don’t want to spoil the night by asking questions that I don’t need answered. Why can’t I just live in the moment and not wonder what his life was like before me? Obviously, he is totally into me. I don’t need to know what his sex life was like with Anne or the other lady he dated. Earth to Olivia: Stop over-thinking!

I fall asleep in his arms on the floor He wakes me.

“Hey my little love bug! Let’s go to bed. You were snoring.”

“I was not!”

He laughs and kisses my head. “I know, but we do need to go to bed. We can’t stay here forever. Come on…I’ll carry you.”

He carries me to bed, and we sleep in each other’s arms totally satisfied. I don’t want to wake up, and I certainly don’t want to go to work in the morning. I would love to just spend the day with my man, loving all day! But, reality sets in and I realize that I do have to work now.

Work is busy. Emily comes in, and is in a really happy mood. I want so bad to ask how things are going with her and Tommy, but I don’t. Sarah is at the market, so Emily and I have the store to ourselves, and I feel like we can goof off a bit. It’s really busy, so we don’t have much time to talk. I notice that she is texting off and on all day. When we’re ready to leave for the day, I ask her…

”Want to go for happy hour?”

“Oh gee, I can’t tonight, Olivia. I’m meeting Tommy for dinner…hope you don’t mind. He texted me and asked if I would meet him.”

“Oh! Emily, that’s super! No, I don’t mind at all. He’s a super great guy!”

“Yeah, I kinda think so, too. He’s so good-looking…nice, too!”

“Well, have a great time and I’ll see you tomorrow!”

I head home, so excited that my hookup seems to be working. Ash isn’t in from work yet, so I decide to check in with my kids. I call each one of them. Lainey is good. Feeling a bit sick, but nothing serious. She and Kellan have their tickets to come in for Christmas. Ash has insisted that they all stay here instead of getting a hotel room, and I am so glad. I’ve not gotten my apartment yet. I really don’t care what Alan thinks. Abby will probably go mental that I haven’t moved out yet, but I’ll deal with that later. I call Dalton but forget about the time difference.

“Hello? Mom? Is that you?”

“Yes! Hey Dalton! What’s up?”

“Well, I’m at work. What time is it there?”

“It’s seven p.m. And you should be working?”

“Yep! 9:00 a.m., here. We’re fourteen hours ahead of you. So, everything okay?”

“Yes! Absolutely. Just checking in on my kids. How’s the job going?”

He tells he that work is great and that he has met an engineer who works with him and they are dating. “She’s a great girl, Mom. You’d love her. Her name is Kat and she’s from Oklahoma. She went to OU.”

“Well, that’s great, Dalton! So happy for you. So, how long has this been going on?”

“Since before Thanksgiving, actually. Didn’t want to say anything too soon. We’ve pretty much been hanging out every day.”

I am elated! “Well, at least you have someone to spend Christmas with! I was feeling bad that you would be in Malaysia without your family.”

“No worries, Mom! She’s staying here for Christmas. Everything is good. So, about the divorce; any news?”

“It’s in process, that’s all I can say. Everything should be final by February.”

“I’m so sorry that things went this way. Dad called and tried to explain, but he called when I was on a job site and couldn’t talk. I never called him back. Didn’t want to hear his bullshit.”

I tell him that I miss him and that he needs to call me more often.

“Will do Mom! I love you and I’ll call in a few days.”

When I hang up from Dalton, my phone rings. I see on the caller ID that it’s Todd.

“Olivia?”

“Hey, Todd! What’s up?”

“Olivia?”

I can tell right away that something is wrong. His voice is broken and he sounds upset. “Todd, honey, what’s wrong? You sound upset. You okay?”

“Olivia, awww, fuucck! Can you please come…now?”

“Todd, what’s wrong? Where are you?”

“I’m at my Grammy’s house. I came to pick her up for dinner and I…I think she’s dead! She’s not breathing... Oh, fuck! Can you please come now? I tried calling Tommy but he doesn’t answer! Please, please come now! Oh, my God, Olivia! She’s on the floor. I don’t think she’s breathing... she’s just looking up at me. Her eyes are open. Oh, Grammy! What do I do?”

“Honey, listen to me. Call 911. I’m on my way—give me the address!”

He tells me where he is and I tell him again that I’m on the way. I drive like a bat out of hell, thankful for the GPS. Tommy is at dinner with Emily, so it makes sense that he doesn’t answer his phone. I call Ash while I’m on the road to Todd. Ash tells me that he will try to get hold of Tommy.

“Olivia, call me when you get to his grandmother’s house. You have the address right?”

“Yes, he gave it to me and I’m on the way.” I text Ash the address and he tells me that he is on the way too. I call Todd back. “Honey, I’m on the way. Did you call 911?”

“Yes, but I think she’s dead…oh, my God. No!” His voice breaks, and he starts to cry. “Why Grammy? Why?”

“Todd, listen to me! Check her pulse. The medics will be there soon…don’t panic. I’m ten minutes from you, and I’ll stay on the phone with you till I get there. Is she breathing?”

“No— he’s just lying on the floor. Oh, God, Olivia! She can’t be dead…right? We were supposed to go to dinner tonight. I was gonna give her the gift I bought her. She’s all I have left. Awww, no!”

“Todd! Stay calm. I need you to listen to me! Go out on the front porch and wait for the paramedics! Understand?”

“I can’t leave her.”

“Okay, then. I need you to stay calm. I’m almost there. Ash is trying to get hold of Tommy. When he does, Tommy will come. I promise.”

I arrive at the house. It’s a nice older two-story house, pretty big, with a beautiful front yard. When I walk through the leaded-glass double-front doors, Todd is hovered over his Grammy balling like a baby.

“Grammy! Wake up…please! It’s Todd; I’m here to take you to dinner…Wake up, Grammy!” He nudges her. “Come on!”

The paramedics and police arrive. Neighbors have come out to see what has happened. The police do a good job of sending the curious neighbors on their way, and I’m glad. Todd is so vulnerable right now, I’m afraid he’d go off on one of them if they came into the yard, even though they are probably friends of Grammy’s. Once inside, the medics shuffle us out of the way so they can do their work. Todd resists.

“No! Fuck you! I’m not going anywhere! She’s my Grammy! Make her wake up!”

They check her pulse, shake their heads and I can tell that Grammy is gone. The medics look to me to control Todd and get him into the other room. He’s crying and shaking uncontrollably. I take him into my arms and rub his head. “It’s okay, honey, I’m here. You’ve got to let them take her.”

“No! They’re not taking her anywhere. She’s not dead. Wake up, Grammy! Now!

“Come on Todd, honey, come with me.” I take him into the kitchen. “Honey, she’s gone. It’s not your fault, we’ve got to let the medics take care of her.”

My phone rings and its Ash. “Honey, I’m probably twenty minutes from you. I got in touch with Tommy. He and Emily are on the way. They just finished dinner. You okay till I get there?”

“Yes, but Ash, Todd’s in really bad shape. He won’t let the medics tend to her.”

“Let me talk to him.”

I give the phone to Todd. Ash seems to be able to talk to and calm him.

“Hello?,” Todd says. “Okay.. You almost here? And Tommy’s on the way too? Okay. Yes. Yeah. I understand. I know. I just don’t want them to take her yet. Yes. I know. Umm-hmm. I promise. Okay. I will. Yeah, she’s right here.” He gives the phone back to me.

“Okay, Olivia, just stay with him and we’ll be there shortly.”

Todd goes into the living room and lies down on the floor curled up like a baby. I can so relate to getting in the fetal position for comfort.

“Olivia, I came to take her to dinner…I came in to get her and she was on the floor, cold. Why?”

“Honey, I don’t know. I’m so, so sorry.”

I take him into my arms. He is crying like a baby. My heart hurts so badly for him. I rock him gently, like I would one of my own kids, and his body relaxes. This tough bad boy of a young man is hurting really bad, and it’s just killing me seeing him in so much pain. Since he’s an only child and already lost his parents, his Grammy was all he had left. He had told me that he and his Grammy went out to dinner, but I had no idea that he came to take her to dinner on a regular basis and was so close to her. Such a rough exterior, with a teddy bear heart and soul.

Ash arrives first. He comes into the living room and gets down on the floor with us. Todd immediately hugs Ash.

“Mr. H., my Grammy’s gone!”

“I know, son, I’m so sorry! Look, Tommy’s on his way. He’ll be here soon. We’ll figure this out. We’re all family and here for each other.”

Tommy and Emily finally get there. Tommy is dressed in a nice pair of jeans and a long-sleeved black dress shirt. He looks so good! Emily is dressed in a short black skirt, black tights, a black turtleneck and black boots. They make such an adorably cute couple! Emily comes into the room with me, not wanting to intrude on Tommy and Todd. Tommy goes straight to Todd.

“Tommy! My Grammy’s dead, man. What am I gonna do now? She was fuckin’ all I had left. I loved her so damn much!”

“I know, man. It’s gonna be all right. I’m here for you, just like you were here for me, remember? We’ll get through this together, man. Look at me…in the eye! You and me, right?”

Todd, with tears in his eyes looks at Tommy

“Right, Tommy. Thanks, man.”

Tommy puts his arm around Todd and says, “Okay, then. Come on. Let’s do a shot for Grammy.”

Tommy gets a bottle of whiskey out of the bar cabinet, along with two shot glasses and pours each of them a shot. “Here, man. This is for Grammy. Come on, Todd. For Grammy!” He holds up his shot glass and tips his with Todd’s. “Slainte! We love you, Grammy!”

They down their shots and slam their empty shot glasses on the counter. I think Todd feels relieved that Tommy is with him. Todd puts his hands in his pockets and looks at Tommy. “Tommy, you got any cigarettes, dude?”

Tommy looks at him, confused “No, man, you know I don’t smoke.”

“Well, I really need one bad.” Todd says.

“Dude, I thought you quit six months ago…”

“Well, I did, but I fuckin’ need one bad! I’m goin’ to the store.”

Todd starts to go for the door and I get him over in a corner and I dig into my purse and whisper, “Here, I have some. Take the whole pack… here.” I stuff the pack in the pocket of his leather jacket.

He looks at me totally surprised, “You smoke Olivia?”

Not wanting anyone to hear I tell him, “Shhhhh! Well, no…sometimes, yes, but—really no.”

That statement makes Todd laugh. “Olivia, babe, that doesn’t make a fucking bit of sense. You’re a nut! But you did make me laugh, so I guess I gotta give you props. Thanks, though. I’ll keep the pack and we’ll square up later. Do I need to keep this a secret, as well?”

“Something like that, yeah.”

He smiles, winks at me and gives me a hug. “Okay, something like that. Thanks for coming and being here with me. It really means a lot. I didn’t know who else to call. Damn! I sure wish you could have met my Grammy. She was awesome! It was just her and me. She was the only lady in my life.”

“I wish I could have met her, too. She must have loved the hell out of you. What a lucky grandma she was to have you for a grandson!”

He tears up again and goes looking for Tommy. The two of them head outside to talk, and I guess for Todd to smoke. Emily and I sit in the kitchen. I look through the cabinets until I find coffee and filters. I make us a pot of coffee.

“So, how was dinner,” I ask.

She tells me that Tommy took her to an Italian restaurant in the Old Italian neighborhood. “It was great. The food was amazing. He’s so incredibly easy to talk to. At first, I thought I’d be really intimidated by him, but he’s nothing like that. I just figured, you know…being a band guy and all. Musicians are usually pretty stuck on themselves.”

I suddenly realize that the rest of the guys aren’t here, and I wonder if they’ve even been called yet. I go outside and ask Tommy. “Have y’all called the guys? “

“Oh, shit! No, I haven’t. Can you bring me my phone?”

I go inside and ask Emily to take it out to Tommy. When she gives Tommy his phone, he gives her a hug and kisses the top of her head. She sits in his lap and stays outside with them. The rest of the guys all finally arrive together, and I answer the door.

“What happened?” Brady asks.

I tell him and they all hug me.

“Y’all need to go outside and talk to Todd. He’s in pretty bad shape.”

They all go out to be with their friend and band mate. One by one, Todd hugs them and cries like a baby. They all do a group hug, and I know with them, it is strength in numbers. They are really tightly bound by their unique and meaningful friendship. They work together, they have fun together, they hurt together, and they are there for each other.

They stay outside drinking and talking most of the night. I suspect they will probably just crash here tonight. Ash and I stay inside, drinking coffee and talking until the details are settled and they have taken Grammy to the funeral home. I wonder what will become of her house. It’s a really nice, big house and I suspect she has left it to Todd. I ask Ash if he knows anything about what Grammy had.

“No, I have no idea, but I think we need to get someone from Abby’s office to help Todd sort through things if he needs us to. I believe his folks left him pretty financially secure. He doesn’t spend much money. My guess is that he rat-holes it all away. He’s a pretty simple-minded guy. You and I can probably help out, though, since we’ve gone through this with our parents. I suspect Todd is clueless, and will need our help, but I may be wrong. Who knows, he may be a rocket scientist when it comes to his finances. I’m sure Grammy helped with funeral arrangements for Todd’s folks, so we will need to step in and help him out.”

“Ash, I think the guys are probably hungry. Should we get something delivered?”

Ash thinks that’s a good idea, since they’re all drinking pretty heavily. We order some food for the kids, and it is delivered shortly. Surprisingly, they’re all hungry. Knowing Emily is in the midst of finals; I go out to her and ask if she wants me to take her home. Tommy quickly says that he’ll take her. He gives her a hug and asks if she’s ready to go home.

“Well, I really don’t want to, but I have a final tomorrow, and I’ve really got to study for this one. Sorry, Tommy! Olivia said she would take me.”

“No, Em, I’ll take you. I’ll come back after I get you home.”

He kisses the top of her head and takes her hand. Seeing him being so tender and caring makes me feel good. I just knew he was that type of guy!

She gives Todd a hug and a kiss. “Todd, I’m so sorry about your Grammy. If there’s anything I can do, anything at all, please let me know.”

Todd tells her “Thanks for coming, kiddo. I know you have schoolwork, but I appreciate you coming with my man Tommy. Take care of him. He’s good people, Emily!”

“Will-do, Todd. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Sure thing, Em. Sweet Em. That’s what you are from now on. Sweet Em.”

I know that the guys all like her because she is in no way threatening to their friendship. She is totally content sitting around with all of them—and doesn’t want Tommy all to herself. That’s what comes when you are secure about yourself.

Ash and I go to the funeral home and help Todd pick out a casket for Grammy. Todd picks one of the most expensive, beautiful ones. He tells the funeral director that he wants the best of the best. He gets out his checkbook and casually writes a check for everything, so Ash and I figure that he has his finances in order. He picks out a dress from her closet that he wants Grammy in. It’s a beautiful, navy blue knit St. John suit. Grammy definitely had good taste. I tell Ash this suit had to have cost a thousand dollars.

Todd tells us, “Grammy loved this suit. She wore it to Mom and Dad’s funeral. I think it’s a good one for her to wear, right, Olivia? And I picked out her diamond earrings that my grandpa gave her”

“Todd, this is perfect!”

I look at the diamond studs and they are huge! Grammy had a husband that really loved her!

The staff of the funeral home asks Todd about music for the service and he stalls.

“Olivia, I have no f’n idea what music to pick. If it were up to me it would be hard rock. Help me pick out something?”