Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Back in the room, practically hyperventilating, I bury myself in my mother.  She pets the back of my hair shushing me while guiding us both back into the bathroom so we don’t wake Cole.  Sliding down against the door, we end up in a hump on the floor, and Mom starts humming something.

            “What is that?”  I finally ask lifting my head and resting it on her shoulder.  “What are you humming?”  She doesn’t answer right away and I wonder if she hears me.  Finally, she stops humming, yet continues to soothe my hair.

            “It’s a hymn.”  She says through a whisper.

            “Do you know the words?”  I ask.  After a few moments of silence she starts singing in her off key voice.

            “Turn your eyes upon Jesus,” she starts, “Look full in His wonderful face,” she continues through a nasally singing voice from crying, “and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”  Her singing is terrible, but the words are comforting.

It’s quiet for awhile except for the sound of her voice still echoing in my head.  Then she breaks the silence.

            “Look, I’m fine.  I’m scared, but…ya I’m mad, Letti, I mean…anything could have happened to you and….”  I lift my head up from her shoulder and look at her.  She shakes her head thinking before continuing,

“I think I’m just scared more than anything else.  When I think about the things I used to do, the situations I used to put myself in…we’ve had these conversation before, Letti.  I mean why didn’t you tell me when it happened?”  She pauses and takes a deep breath, “I don’t know, Letti…I just think it would’ve been easier to hear this before…you know, before….”  But she never finishes the sentence.

I knew what she meant, though.  She meant before Charlotte.

“When you slammed open that door and left, I wanted to scream in anger, but then I thought of the last time Tiff saw Char.  I just couldn’t handle it.”

She couldn’t handle it?  What about me?  How am I supposed to handle anything if my own mother breaks down like this?  I need her.  But I stay silent about my fears.  I just listen to her ranting about her own. 

I know I could’ve told her about this back on the trip.  We had opportunities to talk.  But I didn’t.  I don’t know why I kept it to myself and decided to get it out now.  I just felt like I was going to burst and needed her to be understanding and comforting.  I know the timing was bad.  I should’ve told her before.

She pulls me away and looks me in the eye.  “I want to know everything…right now.” 

“OK,” I answer in a quiet pathetic voice.

“I won’t blow up.  I won’t even cringe.  Tell me everything.  Before Cole wakes up and we have to get going…tell me what happened.”  Breathing deeply once more, she reaches up to grab the can of diet Mountain Dew from the counter. 

We’re both sitting up against the closed door inside the bathroom to guard Cole from our emotions.  She tosses me a roll of toilet paper, but I’m not crying.  I take the roll and flip it between hands as I think about how much I want to reveal.  Then my mind goes back to that day almost two weeks ago.

(Day 5)

I woke up wondering how in the world I lost my nerve the night before.  I had it all planned in my head.  There was the perfect opportunity to grab Mom’s phone and call Brandon, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.  Now it was Saturday and I figured my opportunity to see Brian was lost.

                      “Delaney, do you have to curl your hair?”  Grandma complained to my mom about her beauty ritual.

                      “Yes, Mom.  If I do it now, we can leave bright and early tomorrow when we’ll want to get on the road.  It’s not like we have any deadlines to meet this morning.”

                      “No, but the kids are all ready to go down for breakfast.  Shall we go without you?”

                      “Sure.  Just bring me a bagel or something.  I need another 30 minutes to finish getting ready.”  Mom no doubt was more than willing to allow someone else to deal with her three rambunctious boys during breakfast.  Since Grandma offered…well….

Downstairs sitting at the table, Cole needed to use the bathroom.

                      “Sissy.”

                      “What Cole?”

                      “Gotta potty.”

                      “Big or little?”

                      “Big.”  He answered already climbing down from his seat.

                      “Really?  Again?  Does he do that every time he eats?”  Grandma asked me.  I nodded to confirm. 

Cole has always had this strange digestive system.  He’ll take a few bites of a meal, jump up to go to the bathroom, and empty himself out.  Then he’ll return to finish eating.  It’s kind of like a breastfeeding baby who takes a dump in between boobs, and it’s pretty annoying for all those who have to take him to the toilet.  He’ll probably outgrow it just when he’s old enough to take care of it himself. 

                      “I sure wish my digestive tract worked that efficiently,” Grandma said while observing Cole climbing back up into his seat after I brought him back from the ladies room.

We finished up and brought Mom her bagel.  She and Grandma were talking about the schedule for the day while Mom cleaned up her mess on the bathroom counter.  Our plans were to go to the Will Roger’s Museum and then to the mansion.  After that, the day was kind of up in the air.

                      “Grandma,” I said suggestively as I joined her and Mom in the vanity area just after Walker closed himself behind the toilet room door.

                      “What, Letti?”

                      “Listen.”

                      “Listen to what?”

                      “To Walker…”  I nudged my head toward the door.

                      “What am I listening for?”  She asked me.  Mom was already chuckling to herself while zipping up her make-up bags.

                      “Just wait for it.”  I told Grandma waiting for the morning’s entertainment.  The next thing we know, Walker started singing while on the toilet. 

                      “Is that one of the old western ballads from the CD I bought yesterday?”  Grandma asked.  “That’s so cute.  He’s singing, and he doesn’t have a bad voice, either.  You can relax, Delanie, apparently he doesn’t take after you.” 

                      “Thanks, Mom.”

Not wanting him to stop, we held in our laughter a few moments more.  

                      “So, Cole poops during meals, and Walker sings while he’s on the pot.  I’m learning so much about the bathroom habits of my grandkids.”

                      “Well it’s bound to happen on a trip like this.  At least they won’t have to go again for awhile.”  Mom added as Grandma and I walked out, “Hurry up, Walker, we all want to get going.”  My mom called out as she followed behind us.

Several hours later, we were relaxing at a park with ice cream cones.

Everybody seemed to enjoy themselves earlier at the museum and mansion except me.  Why would anyone spend so much money on a trip like this?  Wouldn’t Disneyland have been a better use of our finances?  But I did end up getting plenty of good pictures of my brothers on the playground. 

I planted myself under a tree and fooled around with our digital camera trying different options with the pictures I’d taken.  A fairly new and advanced camera, I was able to add special effects and different color options.  If only I had a computer with me, then I really would have been able to do some cool stuff with our snapshots. 

Gus walked up and showed me something he found.

                      “Where’d you get those?”  I took a couple of old nails from him examining their size.  “They’re huge!  Sheesh…they could’ve crucified Jesus with these.”

                      “From the house we were just at.”

                      “The mansion?  Are you serious?  How?”

                      “I pulled them out of some floor boards.”  He informed me as I failed to hold back a nasally laugh.  Feeling obviously proud of himself, he was excited to share the secret with his big sister. 

                      “Look at you, you little vandal, you!”  I nudged him with my elbow still laughing.

                      “Vandal,” He said out loud to himself with a growing smile in a dreamy sort of way.  “What’s that mean?  I like the way it sounds.”

                      “It means what you just did, dummy.  You vandalized the place.  So, tell me Gus.  What made you resort to a life of crime?”

                      “I wanted something my ancestor touched.”  It was cute to see him so proud of a couple pieces of metal.  “Don’t tell Mom or Grandma,” he added.

                      “OK, I won’t…,” I assured him and then thought about the other secret that we kept between us, “…as long as you don’t tell them I almost snuck out of the hotel room in Nevada.  Got it?”  I figured I’d better add a little authority to the end of that verbal contract just to show him that I’m still the boss.

                      “Sure, I got it.”  I could tell he didn’t care about my threatening voice.  He just shrugged his shoulders while admiring his find…or his steal.

Mom walked up to inform us we were about to head back.  Gus quickly flipped the nails into his jacket pocket so she wouldn’t notice.  Tossing me the keys, she instructed me to grab our stuff and head back to the car while she and Grandma take Cole and Walker to use the outside bathroom a little ways up the path.  I was more than happy to follow the orders.  I’d rather find something good on the hotel’s cable channels to watch than sit under a tree like some nature freak.

We were parked on the street around the corner on the other side of some giant evergreens.  Just as we walked up and unlocked the cargo door in the back, a truck drove by and I heard my name being called out.

                      “Who’s that?”  Gus asked.

Looking up, I noticed the truck stopping and backing up to where we were parked.  I knew exactly who it was.  It was Brandon, the guy I was supposed to call last night, and his buddy, Carl. 

                      “Nobody.”  I snapped back.  “Stay here.  Put this stuff in the car, get in, and keep your mouth shut!” 

I looked down at the clothes I was wearing to see if I was presentable and then ran up to the truck trying to keep them at a safe distance from Gus so he wouldn’t overhear our conversation.

                      “What happened to you, sweetie?  We thought you were gonna call.”  Brandon drawled, smiling at me, just after his window finished sliding down inside the door.  The truck was jacked up so high I had to crane my neck to look up at him.  Grabbing the side mirror, I hiked myself up on the step.

                      “Ya, I know.  It was a crazy night and I was tired.  So, I changed my mind.”

                      “I guess that’s understandable,” he said looking back at Gus in the Suburban, “But since y’all ‘er still in town, how about tonight?  We’ll be hanging out again as usual.  What hotel are y’all stayin’ at?”

                      “It’s the Comfort Inn.  You know where that is?”  I regretted saying it as soon as the words left my mouth, and I half hoped he’d say it’s too far out of his way.

                      “That’s pretty close to McDonald’s.  Ain’t it, Carl?”  He turned to ask his wing man, who confirmed that little piece of information was true.

                      “Why?  Is that close to where you all will be tonight?” I questioned, only to find out that it was close, at least they said it was. 

My emotions keep going back and forth between anxiety and determination. 

Talking to them was making me nervous enough, but then I heard the Suburban start up and fell off the step in a panic thinking Mom and Grandma were back already.  But it was just Gus.  He was glaring at me through the driver’s side window. 

                      “That must be one of your little brothers,” Brandon said seeing me turn to look at him.

                      “Yes, it is.  Look.  I’d love to come hang out.  It’s just that evenings have been pretty crazy traveling with kids.  Still, I’ll try.  Meet me at McDonald’s at 10:45,” it seemed like a safe enough time, “but if you do go and I don’t show up…I’m sorry…it just means I wasn’t able to get away.  Since you said it’s so close, though, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal, right?”

With all of us satisfied with the plan, I told them that I needed to get back before Gus tries to drive off by himself.  They waved as they drove away, not just at me, but at Gus too.  I ran back to the car, jumped in, and tried to calm my racing heart.

                      “Don’t say a word to me, Gus!”  I didn’t even look at him, but could feel a smirk growing on his face. 

Several minutes later, Mom and Grandma appeared around the corner of the trees with my two little goofball brothers skipping along behind, and for some reason Cole was shirtless.

                      “What took you so long?”  I asked trying to sound like my normal obnoxious self.  “And what happened to Cole?”

                      “Grandma and I tried to get all the chocolate off his face and ended up soaking his shirt at the water fountain.  He took it off somewhere on the path, and I had to run back a ways to get it.  I guess I’m going to have to try and do some laundry tonight.”  Mom and Grandma sighed in unison indicating they both agreed that a laundry night was in order.

Great!  There I was in the back seat scheming in my mind how I would try once again to sneak out.  The laundry issue was a new factor added to my already complicated equation.  But I had an idea forming.

                      “I’ll do the laundry, Mom.  I know you’re tired.  And I’m sure you’ll want to go to bed early tonight before we have to get back on the road tomorrow.”  I was proud of my quick thinking.  She responded with a quiet grunt.

A few good minutes of peace in the car was interrupted by a strange question from Mom.

                      “Walker?”

                      “Yes, Ma’am?”  He responded.

                      “Are you wearing any underpants?”

                      “No, Ma’am.”

Everyone except the culprit himself and little Cole exploded with shocking reactions to my brother’s candid revelation regarding his underwear.  It was the third time during the trip that the discovery was made that the little booger had tossed his under garment and was going commando.

                      “Delanie, what in the world led you to ask him that question?”  Grandma asked dying to know the secret behind Mom’s cleverness.

                      “I noticed something in the grass when we finished battling with Cole at the water fountain.  I blew it off not wanting to process what the heck it was.  I was just thinking…it sure looked like children’s underwear…then it hit me.”  She explained, and then turned her attention back to her five year old.  “Walker, did you do that when we were busy at the fountain?”

                      “Yes, Mommy.  It was yucky.”  I saw Mom roll her eyes in the rearview mirror as she listened to his excuse.

                      “Why does he do that?”  Grandma’s question sounded almost pointless.  I mean, why do kids do most of the things they do?

                      “Because, Mom.  He’s a boy.  And it takes a boy a long time to get his aim right, you know what I mean?”

                      “Well, I guess the answer is ‘no’ since I’m not a boy.”  Smiling back at me, I could tell Grandma was satisfied with her sarcasm, so thinking herself a comedian, she continued, “Guess you don’t have to worry about washing his underwear tonight, Leticia.” 

The Leticia joke was getting old.  

                      “Does he even have any underwear left?” Grandma asked Mom.  It was a good point.

                      “Some, but we’ll eventually have to buy him more.”  Mom shook her head at the realization. 

                      “Mommy, can I get Star Wars under pants?”  Unconcerned with his bad habit of dribbling onto and tossing out perfectly good clothes, Walker’s face lit up with excitement at the prospect of shopping.  Mom never answered.  He kept trying to get her attention until she told him to hush up.

Our evening was filled with reorganizing duffel bags, suitcases, and Igloo coolers.  Grandma threw together some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for everyone.  We got Cole and Walker into the bath after Gus finished his shower, and then let them hang out for awhile in the tub playing with some of the toy souvenirs they’d been collecting.

Mom and I went to the lobby together to find a change machine and ask about a laundry room as well as the hours it would be available.  Come to find out, it’s conveniently unlocked 24/7, so we checked out the machines to make sure they were working as well as how many loads we could do based on their size.

As we walked back to the room along the outside walkway, we were about to open the door to the hallway entrance that leads to our room, when something caught my eye in a window.  I stopped in my tracks and took a few steps back getting Mom’s attention.  We stood there dumbfounded and too tired to react other than to just shake our heads. 

There before our eyes was naked little Cole.  He had climbed up into the window sill of our room and was dancing his little heart away giving a show to all in the world outside.  Looking around, we noticed only a couple people across the courtyard pointing and giggling.  Too bad we didn’t have our camera with us.

After tapping on the window yelling at him to get down, we finally started laughing and went inside to see what Grandma was doing while Cole was practicing for his future performing career. 

It was innocent enough.  She had to use the bathroom, so had quickly got the boys out with towels wrapped around them not wanting to leave them unattended in a tub of water.  She figured a few minutes of nakedness wouldn’t harm anyone.  Hopefully, no one outside at the Comfort Inn will end up scarred for life at his “R” rated exposure.

Mom declared lights out nice and early.  Keeping Cole with her in her bed, I was left undisturbed while doing laundry.  Grandma always uses her earplugs and eye mask so she wasn’t concerned with me keeping her awake.  I had the TV on low while folding clothes.  I did have one little setback.  Walker kept sneaking out of his bed and peaking through the connecting door at the TV show I had on while I was in the bathroom getting ready.  By 9:30, I finally had him settled and asleep in my bed.  Once that kid’s asleep, nothing wakes him till sunrise. 

I had a cute pair of white jean shorts designed purposely to look cut off…with strings hanging and all.  I had snagged Mom’s pink halter style summer blouse with the shimmering sequence bordering the neck then threw on a jean jacket.

Slipping into my flip flops, I was ready to head out by 10pm, so I used Grandma’s cell phone to call Brandon.  I stepped out into the hallway so no one would hear me telling him I was ready a little early then deleted the call before going back inside to return it to the nightstand. 

I was finally going to do it, and I wasn’t even nervous. 

(Day 18)

                      “So, that’s when you did it.”  Mom cuts me off in the middle of my story.  “It wasn’t Friday, it was Saturday.  And Gus knew about it?”  Her tone was getting angry again.

                      “No, he had no idea who they were and never asked me.  I swear, Mom, Gus was clueless.”

                      “The laundry gave you the opportunity, didn’t it?  OK, fine,” she puts her hands out in front of her and cocks her head resettling her nerves, “you left the room around 10 or so and walked to McDonald’s and some guy picked you up and took you to a party.  Is that what you’re saying?”  I nod my head in answer her question. 

She gets up and leaves the bathroom.  I’m not sure if we’re done talking, but then she returns a few moments later.  She had just left to check on Cole.  “Go on.  Let’s hear the rest.”  She says gently.  This time she is sitting on the toilet, leaning forward, elbows on her knees, and eyes on my face.

Written by Amie Spruiell

Amie Spruiell After the Event © 2016