Chapter Eleven

 

<><> Chris <><>

 

After a lazy day hanging out with my brother and friends, it’s time for Jackie’s Birthday Party. She’s always working, so having a party is something she deserves. Uncle Terry and Mom’s friends from work have arranged the whole thing. At around five, people start showing up at our door and by seven the place is packed. There are dozens of faces I don’t recognize and dozens I do. Jackie’s been working at the restaurant and the pub for years now and everyone really likes her. Even her bosses show up to celebrate and that says a lot. Brian Foster comes in with a massive bouquet of flowers and he’s wearing a tie. For a guy who runs a construction company, wearing a tie is a big deal and Jackie notices. He’s really trying to impress her and maybe it’s going to work this time. We’ll see. Maybe she’ll see him as more than just our newly divorced landlord. He’s persistent, I’ll give him that.

Everyone’s drinking beer, eating pizza, and socializing. The ladies from the pub where Jackie works are loud and laugh a lot, but it’s great to see my mom let loose. Bettina arrived home today so Kyle and her are snuggling in a corner talking like they’re the only people on the planet. It’s intense and makes me wish I had someone special here too. Instead, I have a phone number, that’s it. Hopefully that phone number will open a door to something more with Miriam. I guess time will tell.

“Hey, everyone get ready!” Uncle Terry screams and the place goes quiet.

Jackie’s friend Gail steps out of the kitchen carrying a cake with candles blazing and we all start singing Happy Birthday. Jackie comes over as Gail places the cake on the coffee table and we all finish singing. She blows out all the candles and I see Brian Foster’s face light up. All the candles out means no boyfriends according to superstition. At least, that’s what we believed as kids. Everyone claps and whistles. I move in to help cut the cake and pass it around, waiting to grab a corner piece with tons of icing. I swear I could live off chocolate cake.

After Jackie opens a few gifts, people start to say goodbye and trickle out. The rest of her guests gather in the living room to talk and laugh and swap stories about things Jackie has done; some stories I’ve never even heard before. It’s a great party until the phone rings.

Kyle goes to the kitchen to get it and comes back a second later. “Jackie. It’s for you.” I can tell by his face exactly who it is. Judging by Jackie’s quick pace, I can tell she knows too. No one seems to notice the tension that Kyle and I share as the party continues. He’s looking over at me and when I get up to go to the kitchen, he joins me.

“…and you can’t just call here like we’re still married. You aren’t allowed to do that anymore,” says Jackie as we come in. Her voice is hushed and direct and all too familiar. This is what it used to sound like when our dad, C.J., lived here. She was always trying to tell him to stop yelling or drinking or leaving, you name it. Jackie was a completely different person — an unhappy one. It amazes me how one phone call can turn her good mood upside down. Kyle and I stand beside her for moral support.

“I do appreciate you wishing me a happy birthday. That’s not the point.” She covers the receiver with a hand and whispers, “He’s drunk.”

Kyle and I exchange knowing looks. It’s probably more than just alcohol since C.J.’s been arrested for drug possession in the past and has a habit of falling off the wagon in more ways than one. When he falls, he falls big.

“Don’t say that. It’s not fair.” Jackie’s voice sounds all wobbly and my adrenaline spikes. When I hear him yell a few choice words through the receiver, I reach out and take it from her gently. She has tears streaming down her face now and this makes me want to get violent with the phone, the wall beside the phone, the kitchen chair, you name it. Instead, I dig deep for some calm and click the phone off. Then I turn the ringer volume right down in case he calls again.

Jackie’s lip quivers and Kyle pulls her into a hug. “He just had to call on my birthday, didn’t he,” she sobs into his shoulder.

I’m thankful the guests can’t hear or see us in the kitchen. Otherwise they’d be asking if things are okay and who was on the phone and question after question. This way, we can keep it private and not let my douche bag excuse for a father ruin her special day.

“Maybe it’s time to get an unlisted number, huh?”

Jackie pulls away and wipes her tears. “Maybe,” she sniffles.

“I’ll call the phone company tomorrow,” I say.

“But for now,” Kyle pulls out a glass and fills it with water, “have a drink and pull yourself together, Birthday Girl. This night is all about you and you only.”

“Thanks, honey. I love you guys.” She takes a sip and puts the glass down on the counter. “Come here.”

Kyle and I swarm her, bringing her into a bear hug until she sighs in relief. “What would I do without my boys? You’re the best things I…”

“Ever did. We know,” Kyle and I say together and laugh. She’s been telling us that our entire lives.

“Now, how do I look? Raccoon eyes? Make-up down to my chin?”

Kyle wipes away the last tear and turns her around before pushing her gently toward the kitchen door. “Go have a good time.”

“Are those your instructions?”

“Yep. Out you go.”

Jackie walks away, but stops and turns back. “I really mean it, you know. I love you both so very much.”

“Get out of here before you cry again,” I say, thinking I’d better follow my own advice.

 

 

By ten thirty, the party is winding down. Debbie, my mom’s close friend from work, puts her arms around Jackie and Uncle Terry and smiles.

“We’re just getting warmed up. Lets go downtown and find some music!”

Uncle Terry agrees to this immediately since Debbie and him have been exchanging flirty looks all night. I noticed. Hell, everyone in the room noticed. It’s about time he found someone, and I know for a fact Debbie’s been asking Jackie about him for months now. Uncle Terry never was one to take a hint until it stared him directly in the face.

“Are you two going out?” Jackie asks Kyle and Bettina.

“No. Bettina and I are going to hang out here.”

Bettina walks over and gives Jackie a huge hug. “Happy Birthday! It was a fun party.”

“Thanks, honey. So happy to have you back again. Kyle’s been a bit mopey these few weeks without you.”

Bettina laughs and starts nesting the empty plastic beer cups into each other.

“Just leave all this. I’ll clean it in the morning.”

“Get serious, Jackie, it’s your birthday. We do the dirty work,” I say and start the clean up too.

“Okay, that’s our cue to leave. Later!” Uncle Terry and Debbie leave with their arms wrapped around each other.

“I think they’ve finally made a love connection. Now, it’s my turn!” Jackie grabs her purse. “Are you going out, Chris?”

“I might,” I say, though I doubt it. I have a very important phone call to make.

“Don’t wait up!” Jackie winks and leaves.

After Kyle, Bettina, and I clean up the party mess, they head to Kyle’s room as I head down to my bedroom. I close the door, lounge on the bed and pull out my phone. Scrolling down the names, I find Miriam and just as I’m about to press dial, I notice the time. 11:07 p.m. Damn, it’s too late to call. I debate what to do since I told her I’d call today. At this point, she probably figures I’ve blown her off. All the more reason why I have to call, whatever the time is. Here goes nothing.

One ring.

Two rings.

Three rings. I’m panicking. Am I waking her up right now? Is she ignoring my call? Is she with someone else?

“Hello?”

“Hi.”

“Hi, Chris. Can you hear me?”

Hardly. It sounds like Miriam’s in a wind tunnel. Okay, she’s definitely not at home. “Where are you?”

“Walking to my door from the car.”

“Oh.” Should I ask where she’s been or would that be too forward?

“I was at Bailey’s house watching a movie. I didn’t think you were going to call.”

“But I did.”

“But you did, yep. Just a second. Actually, can I call you back once I’m inside?”

“Sure.”

Miriam hangs up and I’m left feeling excited, anxious, and stupid. I should have called earlier.

Minutes pass and I start to get a little nervous. What should we talk about? Lying across my bed, I flick on my music and turn it way down so it won’t interrupt us. I scan through the selection with my remote and stop on a slow song, Cemetery Gates by Pantera. That should do it, make me calm the fuck down. My heart’s racing out of control. The phone vibrates, bouncing all over my side table like some leaping frog. “Hello?”

“Hi, it’s me.”

“Hi, can you talk?”

“Um, yeah. I had to say goodnight to my mom and make sure she was comfortable.”

“How’s she doing?”

“Okay.”

Long pause. “So,” I wish she was here in person, “what movie did you watch?”

Miriam starts telling me about the movie when my phone buzzes. I glance down and notice it’s Donna trying to call through. I don’t pick up, just let it go to voicemail as Miriam and I talk for an hour and get to know each other. After a while, our conversation gets easier, more natural, and she has me laughing. It’s so fun getting to know her.

“So, will I see you tomorrow?” I ask.

“I have to work at the pool tomorrow.”

“Lifeguarding?”

“Yes. You know what that means.”

“What?”

“No homemade cookies, but my mom has some popsicles for you guys.”

“No big deal, I think we’ll survive — although I love your hot cookies.” Okay, so this kind of sounds sexual. Miriam laughs out loud and I know she thinks so too.

“Sorry. That sounded weird.”

“You’re hilarious. I should go. I have to get up really early and so do you. You need a good sleep with all the digging you’ll have to do.”

“This was nice.”

“Yeah, it was. Talk to you later, okay?”

“Okay. Night.”

“Night.”

We hang up and it’s tough. I want to keep talking. I can’t wait to see her again.

 

~ ~ ~ ~

 

The first raindrop strikes with a drumbeat on the blue tarp covering a mound of mulch followed by another and another until it’s a chorus, the soundtrack forcing us inside the trucks where it’s dry. This isn’t just any rainstorm. If it was we’d work through it. No, this is different. This is 'torrential' as the weatherman called it this morning, so the guys and I make a judgment call and leave a sight for the first time in over a year. The Pritchard backyard will have to wait.

The rain keeps pelting down for three long days and it feels like I haven’t seen Miriam in an eternity. Sure, we’ve talked on the phone, but it’s not the same as seeing her in person. It takes everything in my power not to text her whenever I remember something I forgot to ask about herself. It also takes everything in my power not to ask her to come over, but I get the sense that Miriam doesn’t operate that way. She’s not into booty-calls like someone else I know. This kind of control is keeping me on my toes, teaching me discipline in a good way. It’s tough, but I like the challenge.

Finally, the clouds part and the sun’s out in full force on Thursday morning. We’re right back into it, though the Pritchard backyard looks like a muddy wasteland. It doesn’t take long for the rays to soak up the carnage, allowing us to kick it into high gear. With heavy metal going non-stop and the guys working hard to catch up to our schedule, we put our heads down and get the job done.

Miriam waved this morning as she left for her job at the pool. I’m tempted to go and see her in a bathing suit during lunch, but that would be creepy and just plain wrong. There was a time when I would have, but now I know it’s not the best idea and I respect her too much to pull that shit. Maybe if I was seventeen again. Besides, I don’t want her to get the wrong impression of me. In this town, it’s only a matter of time before she realizes I have a past — unless she already knows about it and that’s why she’s keeping her distance as long as she has. I so don’t want to blow it with this girl. These are the kinds of things I’m thinking about as I sweat and grunt and get right in there digging. Next, we’ll start the framing for the gazebo now that the cement has set. All that rain actually helped to prevent it from cracking in the heat.

As we’re lining up the jagged limestone rocks around the edge of the pond in the back corner, I see movement out of the corner of my eye and Miriam’s mom comes out the back sliding doors all wrapped in a blanket despite the humidity. The sky’s on the verge of pouring down again, but it’s been teasing us for most of the morning, so maybe it won’t. At least the sun’s hiding behind those thick grey clouds giving us some relief from the glare.

Mrs. Pritchard takes a seat in a lounge chair and watches the work unfold. Leaving the guys to it, I mosey over, not wanting to disturb her.

“Afternoon.”

“Afternoon, Chris. How are things going out here?”

“It’s coming along. I was meaning to ask if you’re happy with the size of the gazebo platform.”

“Beyond happy. It will be a feature back here. I can’t believe how fast you guys operate.”

If she only knew. “When we have a detailed plan, things get going quickly. We’re right on schedule.”

“Despite the rain delay?”

“Yep.”

“Great. I love to hear that. So, you still have to construct the gazebo and shed, the new fence between the backyard and the driveway, the raised brick flowerbeds in that corner, the new flagstone walkways…it really adds up.”

“It’s all worth it. This backyard is a great investment, honest.”

She smiles. “I know. I just wish we could do something with these old cement stairs. I’ve thought about painting them. Any ideas?” She points down to the stairs leading off the back patio where she’s sitting.

“I could cover them easily with flagstone. It would tie everything together.”

“You do mason work too?”

“Yes, I do most of the mason work for Newton’s projects.”

“That’s quite a skill; a specialized, rare skill that takes plenty of talent.” She smiles again, genuinely impressed and it makes me stand up taller.

“Al taught me two summers ago. I’ve done quite a few retaining walls and flagstone walkways already.”

“Hmm. You know, I think you might be right. Covering this cement patio and staircase with flagstone will tie the project together. Could you do that?”

The thought of spending more time here totally revs my engine. “Absolutely, but I’ll have to run it by Al first. It’ll change the original quote too.”

“I know. It might be worth it though, right?”

“Yeah, definitely.”

“Can you bring me some pictures to show me an example of how it will look?”

“I can do that.”

“Thanks, Chris. By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you a favor.”

“Yeah?” I ask, readjusting my baseball hat. “What is it?”

“Well, I’m wondering if you could take Miriam out for dinner or a movie sometime. Because she’s so involved with my care, she hasn’t been very social lately. Her girlfriends are busy with their jobs and getting ready to move away for school. I’m afraid she’s lonely looking after me all the time. It would be nice to see her go on a date with a nice boy.”

She thinks I’m a nice boy? That’s a first. “I guess I could do that.” I can’t believe my fucking luck!

“Would you mind asking her? I don’t want her to know I asked you.”

“Sure. When?”

“Whenever you want. Thanks.”

I take my hat off and wipe the sweat off my forehead before putting it back on. I just can’t believe what I’m hearing. “Would Miriam be okay with me asking her out?”

Mrs. Pritchard smiles this knowing little smile. “Chris, lets cut to the chase. I’m sure you have your pick of girls and may not consider girls like Miriam, but she’s amazing. Yes, she’s conservative. I wish she would shake up her life a little, have some fun, travel. But she’s different than I was. She’s way more reserved and I can’t fault her for that. But I will tell you this. She likes you, I can tell. You’d really be doing me a favor by showing her a good time. I’ll leave it up to you.”

“Okay. I’ll ask her tonight.”

“Do you want her number?”

“Nope. I’ve already got it.” I smile and walk away backward as Mrs. Pritchard wags a finger at me.

“Sneaky. Very sneaky,” she says, laughing.

I turn and walk back to the pond to join the guys and I swear, I feel about ten feet tall. I officially have the green light to date Miriam.

 

 

My rush over Miriam’s mom requesting I take her daughter out and show her a good time is still sky-high when Al shows up an hour later to see how the work’s coming along. Cowboy and I are hauling soil out of the back of the truck in shovel-loads. It’s murder on my back, but it has to be done. There’s another load after this one too. Whatever it takes. I find myself doing this for Mrs. Pritchard more than anything – like time is on the line, which it is.

“Need a drink, Chris?” Al calls.

I huff as I swivel to dump a heavy shovel-full out. “Yeah, maybe I will have that drink.”

Now that Mrs. Pritchard is back inside, we all sit on the patio and I let Al know that she’s interested in having it covered with flagstone along with the steps leading to the rest of the landscaping. The idea has him stoked, not because of the money, but because it’s always great when a client sees how well the work is going and wants to carry it through the entire yard. Al believes that doing anything halfway is pointless. His strong, driven work ethic is contagious.

“You’ll have time to do that for her, Chris?”

“No problem.”

“There’s another project starting at the end of this one, but if this takes longer, I’ll move the other guys over and you can stay here until you’re done. Sound good?”

“Sounds great. I want to do this well.”

“Nick was telling me about Mrs. Pritchard. What a shame. And her daughter will be all alone. She’ll probably have to move away.”

As Al says this, a sense of panic comes over me out of nowhere. I hadn’t thought of that. Miriam’s only eighteen. Old enough to move away to school, but still too young to have a house and settle down. That’s why she mentioned selling this house at the beginning of the project.

“Chris?”

I snap out of it. “Yeah?”

“Sorry, I asked what’s going over in that corner?”

I follow Al’s pointing finger. “Cedar hedges at the back and Russian Sage in the front. I’m putting a Japanese Maple at the top of the pond with a cedar screen behind it to cover up the garage. Miriam says it’s a better option than having the entire garage painted.”

“Makes sense. Good.” Al sighs and gets up with effort. His knees aren’t what they used to be from all the kneeling in flowerbeds and swinging jackhammers. “Keep up the good works, boys. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll place an order for the gazebo wood tomorrow. We should be able to get our hands on it by early next week.”

“And the flagstone for the porch. I’ll have to do a measurement and calculate the stairs too. I’ll give you the numbers.”

“Sure,” Al says. “That’s about it for now. I’m off to have dinner with my girls. Shelly’s dance recital is tonight and I can’t be late. Later, guys.”

“Later, Al,” we chime.

Al’s a good guy and we respect the fact that he trusts and respects us to get the job done right. We hear his work truck hum to life as we get up and get back to work. As six o’clock rounds out, the guys wrap up the day and trickle out. More like drag their asses out the driveway and home to shower and eat everything in sight. I stink and there’s dirt encrusting both sides of me, but I stay in my truck waiting for Miriam to come home. I listen to music, drink the last of my water, and check my messages. There are two from Donna — one bitching me out for not calling her back and one sounding as sweet as pie. She’s a split personality. There’s a message from Simon telling me to meet him downtown in an hour, and three messages from girls I haven’t talked to in forever. They’ve obviously heard about my break-up with Donna and want a piece of me. Thing is, I’m not interested.

I’m so distracted by my phone that I don’t notice Miriam come home until she’s practically standing beside my truck window. She’s smiling, all golden from the sun and looking incredible. “Hey,” I say, sitting up taller and throwing the phone down beside me.

“Hi. Are you finished for the day?”

“Yeah. I was waiting for you.” I give her my full attention. She’s so pretty, all natural and effortless.

“Really?” I notice her smile go a little wider. “I was running late today because we had an emergency.”

“Something bad?”

“Yes, really, really bad. A kid crapped in the baby pool.” She giggles. “You were thinking spinal injury, right?”

“That’s totally disgusting.”

“Yep. Kids are critters.”

“You didn’t have to pick it up, did you?” Okay, I can’t believe I asked her that.

“Um, no. We have nets and gloves and bleach.”

As she says this, I remember how I smell and what I look like. “Speaking of shit, I should go home and shower since I’m sure I look like the accident in the pool.”

“Thanks for waiting for me. I’m going to bed early tonight, so I won’t be able to talk to you later.”

“Oh, okay. I actually wanted to ask if you’d like to come to dinner with me tomorrow night. Are you busy?”

“Dinner? Like a date?” Her face lights up and the half smile she’s wearing looks cute and shy all at the same time. I can tell she’s a little nervous as I wait for her answer. She’s really debating it, which gets my palms sweating as I grip the wheel. Maybe asking her was a bad idea. Maybe she’s not as interested as I thought.