Wild Ride (4 page)

“Sorry…I did put money in the swear jar.  In fact I paid in advance,” he laughed. “I saw her up there in the window watching us play ball and Matt did take her some dinner so we didn’t completely forget about her.”

Another look of confusion appeared on her face “What do you mean you saw her in the window?”
she asked.

“She was looking out the window…watching us play ball.  When I caught her looking she stopped…”
he explained.

“How…I don’t understand…she’s not voluntarily
got out of bed in the past two weeks.  She only gets up to bathe and then goes right back,” she said. “She even refuses to take her depression meds now along with refusing counseling and physical therapy.  It’s like…she’s completely given up…and I…don’t know… what else to do…anymore.”

“Umm…well she did tell Matt that we needed to be quieter so we must have been bothering her.  Actually we were pretty loud for most of the night so…”
he said. “I’m not real good at being sympathetic and shh…sorry.”

She could only smile at his obvious attempts to curb his appallingly foul language.  She could only hope the boys didn’t take to cussing like a sailor based on his example. 

Perhaps that would cause her father to rethink this whole community service idea of his.  Then again she hoped not.  She found herself liking Chuck regardless…

“Well
, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, picking up his backpack and slinging it across his shoulder.

After locking up as she heard him tear out of the drive on his motorcycle, she headed upstairs to check on the boys and Meredith.  She looked in on Ben first and found him completely out.  She kissed his cheek and then headed down
the hallway to Matt’s room.  He woke slightly when she entered his room.

“Hey
Mom… Chuck’s awesome,” he said before drifting back off to sleep.

The smile on his precious little face made her wonder if perhaps her father did know what he was doing with this whole scenario of community service after all. 

Kissing his cheek as well, she headed down the hall to Meredith’s room.  Opening the door Carla was surprised to find her daughter sitting in the wheelchair as though she’d been waiting for her to get home.  She looked less pale… but angry…
very angry.

“You need to call Grandpa and put a stop to this whole…
Chuck
thing,” Meredith began. “I can only imagine what the house must look like!  He had the boys outside playing football in the heat!  Then he let them help him make dinner instead of fixing what you told him to.  After that they tore up the living room…or at least it
sounded
like they were destroying it,” she finished indignantly.

Carla stopped the smile that threatened to show itself on her face and forced it into submission.  Just this morning as she’d helped Meredith bathe she’d been almost in tears at her strong willed daughter’s melancholy state. 

Looking at her now, one would never have guessed it had been months… no… closer to a year since
this
Meredith had lived here.  A sparkle of fire lit her eyes and her cheeks were flushed from the righteous conviction of her words.

“Are you even listening to me
, Mom?” Meredith said with disgust. “He offered to ride the boys on his motorcycle for God’s sake!  Oh and did you know that he cussed at Matt?”

“I’m sorry honey… I am listening…
I’m just tired,” she said. “Matt didn’t say anything to me about Chuck cussing at him.”

“Of course not…
he’s won them over!” Meredith said angrily. “The boys laugh at him about it… like it’s some big joke.  He even calls them his
little buddies
… I mean really, Mom?”

“Well I can’t do much about it tonight or even tomorrow for that matter.  There’s no one else I can get to watch them on such short notice
,” she lied. 

If one day of Chuck in the house had caused this amount of emotion in her…
and Matt for that matter… what would a week do? 
Chuck wasn’t going anywhere.
  Foul mouth or not!

“Oh my God
, Mom!  What about the boys?  Aren’t you concerned about what he might do to them or teach them? I mean have you seen him?  He looks like a gang banger!” she said in disbelief.

“He has a nice smile…” Carla offered
.

What the hell was her mother thinking!
  What was Grandpa Patterson thinking for that matter? 

Sighing in exasperation at her mother’s non-committal attitude about the whole situation
, Meredith sat back in her chair.  He
did
have a nice smile…and
those eyes.

“Whatever
, Mom, don’t take this seriously.  However, don’t say I didn’t warn you when Bennie starts cussing in church!” she said smartly, watching Carla’s face for a reaction.

“What is all this really about?” her mother asked quietly.

What
was
this about and why did she even care?  What was it about Chuck that had her so… pissed off?  Thinking over the events of the evening she realized she was angry because he hadn’t listened to her… hadn’t even
considered
her really… just kept doing what he wanted… being loud. 

Forcing her to participate because of the noise when she didn’t want to…
when she wasn’t even in the same room!

“It’s just…he’s so…loud!”
she finally choked out, unable to look her mother in the eye. 
He also was a little wild between the things he said and did.

She was being ridiculous.  She knew that but…
pity she could understand.  She’d received nothing but pity since the accident… for both the loss of her father… and her limb. 

This was more like indifference…
like he didn’t understand…
or care
… that she was different now… handicapped.  Treating her like her wishes for quiet and solitude didn’t matter… like she’d been out-voted by the majority. 
That
was what had her so pissed.

“I’ll talk to him tomorrow before work
,” Carla sighed in resignation.

Her mother looked stressed…tired…
old.
  Had the accident caused this change in her?  Or was it
Meredith
that had aged the most beautiful woman in the world?  Guilt hit Meredith in the stomach like a fist. 

She’d been so busy recovering… grieving… from the accident she’d not noticed the toll it had taken on her mother until just now.

Taking a deep breath she said
, “No, it’s fine, Mom.  He’s probably just adjusting to all this.  I’m sure someone…
like him
… isn’t used to having small kids around.  That’s all.”

“I won’t be here to judge how…
bad… things are so I have to rely on what you and the boys tell me,” her mom said pointedly.

“I’ll try to keep an ear out…
keep you posted,” she smiled.

“Well
, if it gets to be too much or anything really bad happens, you can always call me at work,” her mother said. “I’m tired and am going to sleep.  Do you want some help getting back in bed?”

“No
, I think I’m going to stay up for a little while yet.  I can get it,” she replied.

“Ok
, honey, goodnight,” Carla said and closed the door as she left.

She wheeled herself over to her vanity and picked up her makeup bag
then began sorting through it to determine what, if anything, was still usable after so long. 

It all needed replaced but in the unlikely event she’d have to deal with
Chuck
…she couldn’t let him see her looking like the mess she was right now.

What?
  Where had that come from?  He wouldn’t notice anything other than her stump anyways… like everyone else... including her ex fiancé Joshua. 

Josh was majoring in finance just like her when they’d met in her freshman year of college.
  They had been the perfect couple her sophomore and junior years of college.    All of their friends envied them.  Both sets of parents had been thrilled when they got engaged at the end of her junior year. 

Then tragedy had struck a mere
four months later and Josh had taken one look at her injuries and started to back pedal. 
So much for the ‘in sickness and in health’ part of the whole deal.

Why did she even care what
Chuck
might think of her?  If not for the accident she’d have both a degree and been married by now and wouldn’t even have given him another thought. 

As for Josh, she couldn’t blame him…
the accident hadn’t just stolen her dreams and goals… but his as well apparently.

Josh had visited in the beginning, but those visits had become fewer and farther between until he’d finally admitted that he wasn’t prepared to care for an invalid for the rest of his life.  He’d promised they would remain friends but after one final visit she hadn’t heard from him since. 

Her friends’ visits had also become less frequent and eventually stopped all together.  They were living their lives… their dreams and their goals.  She was stuck here… with her memories… listening to the noise of an overgrown wild…
child.

The following morning Chuck decided to call Gran for a cake recipe.  Edna
, or ‘Gran’ as she was affectionately called, was Bobby’s grandmother.  The old woman was a saint if there really was such a thing. 

When he’d first started working at the shop he’d been homeless…
sleeping under bridges or abandoned buildings… bathing in public restrooms… and eating when and where he could.  Gran had taken one look at him and known… how he couldn’t say… but she had.

He’d shown up for a party that Bobby invited him to and she’d honed in on him and after studying him for a minute had insisted that he rent the spare bedroom in her house so he would be closer to the shop.  His instincts were top notch and he’d known that she was aware of his situation…
somehow
. 

He’d lived there for about six months until the shop got off the ground and Bobby was able to hire him on full time.  Gran had taught him all about how to clean and cook during his brief stay...
when he wasn’t working at the shop. 

When he’d moved into his first apartment
Gran went on a cleaning spree to clear out all the clutter and had basically set him up with everything from dishes and towels to furniture.  When he’d thanked her for letting him stay and helping him out she’d assured him that he would return the favor… by painting her house. 

He’d spent the next three weeks scraping and painting the outside of her little house.  Somehow that home maintenance project had endeared her to him more than taking him in off the street.

“Gran… it’s me, Chuck,” he said when she answered.

“Well how’d your first day with the kids go?”
she asked.

“It was good…I think they like me
,” he said.

“Of course they do…
what kid doesn’t like a big strong ten year old?” she chuckled.

“Very funny…
you should do stand-up,” he said with a laugh. “The little guy’s birthday is tomorrow and he wants to make his own cake…”

“Oh you should try that new cake recipe I used for Gretchen’s party.  I thought both the cake and the butter cream icing were splendid
,” she gushed.

“We
ll actually that’s why I called,” he said with a smile in his voice.

“I’ll write it down for you and send it with Lilly… she’s feeling a little green this morning and may be late to work… morning sickness is still bothering her,” she said.

“Ok and thanks
,” he said.  Then deciding to ask what had been nagging him since yesterday he said, “Gran?  Can I ask you something?”

“You just did…
but go ahead,” she chuckled again.

“There is an older sister that lives with the two kids I’m watching.  She was in an accident that killed their father and she lost a foot.  She stays up in her room and refuses to do…
anything
… participate… whatever,” he said. “Normally I wouldn’t give a shit but the little guy wants her to join in for his birthday.”

“You being so full of it and all
, I can imagine how that would bother you,” Gran said.

“Hey!  I’m not
that
full of shit!” he laughed.

“I didn’t say you were full of
that
… now did I?  Life, Chuck… you’re full of life.  I saw it the first time I met you.  Losing a limb is hard on a person… having to relearn to do things differently than you’ve done your whole life and learning to accept the changes in your appearance can do a real number on a person,” she said. “Sometimes a person will let that kind of loss just take over until they can’t function anymore.”