4. Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Calista
T oday, I'm biting the bullet and heading to my parents’ house to visit my dad. The true reason I was asked to come home was because of his health decline and Mom needing help to take care of him.
The distillery my brothers started in town is taking off and they swear they need help there. But the reality is my parents are getting older and need help, so my brothers want me here to help with Mom and Dad, so they don't have too.
Every time I would talk to Mom on the phone, she’d swear up and down they are fine, and she is able to keep up. But then I’d get a different story from my brothers. So, I figure before I make too many plans I should see my parents with my own eyes. After my brother's go to the distillery for the day, I'm having brunch with them so there is no chance of the guys popping in. I don't want them trying to influence my opinion of how our parents are doing.
As a nurse, one thing I learned is to assess a patient one-on-one because the parents or the child will make things worse than they are or feed you a different narrative. After that, I talk to the caretakers and sometimes they have more info, but most of the time they are worried over something small.
When I pull into my childhood home, I find my dad sitting on the front porch swing with his dog, Wolfgang, lying with his head in my dad's lap. Wolfgang is a scary looking German Shepard with a heart of gold. But don't let it fool you, he's protective too. A person working on the power line found out the hard way when they walked into the yard where they weren't supposed to be.
When I pull in, Wolfgang jumps up and barks until I step out of the car. He knows me from all the times my parents brought him to visit, so soon as he realizes who it is, he runs down the porch to greet me, covering me in slobber.
“Hey, sweet pea. Looks like he's as happy for you to be here as I am.” Dad stands to greet me as I walk up on the porch.
Though he's a little slow to get up, he’s steady on his feet once he's up. Dad wraps me in a tight hug as Wolfgang pushes between us to get in on the action.
“Missed you. So glad you're home,” Dad says as he holds me tight.
“Missed you too,” I whisper, fighting back tears at the sound of the emotion in my dad's voice.
“Well, let's head inside and let your mom fawn all over you,” Dad says as we pull away. Before going inside, we both pet Wolfgang and give him the attention he thinks he deserves.
“She's here!” Dad calls out and the noise in the kitchen stops. My mom comes running down the hallway in her 1950s style dress with her apron swooshing around her. She was the original pin-up girl before it was really a thing.
“Oh, you're here!” She pulls me into a hug. “Your brothers said you looked good, but you know how they are,” she waves her hand and goes back to the kitchen.
The other day, my brothers came and helped me unpack and move into the apartment. They insisted that Mom and Dad stay home. We all agreed we didn't want them going up and down the stairs since they’re steep. I like that my place is directly above one of the shops.
My brothers are already trying to convince me to move in with the parents instead of staying in town. Hence my visit today before I make my choice.
“Come, keep me company. The food will be done shortly,” Mom calls to me.
Dad and I follow her to the back of the house where the kitchen opens to a large dining room. Beyond that, we have a spacious great room that easily fits all of us. The fireplace is going, and the dining room table is already set for three. Dad and I sit at the kitchen island because Mom doesn't want us in her way. But she wants us near so she can talk.
“Now, I'm not happy you snuck into town in the dead of night, but I'm glad you were there to help that poor woman!” Mom says as she stirs the gravy on the stove.
“Evan called and told me she is doing fine. She was very lucky,” I say.
My parents exchange a look that I can't read before my mom continues.
“Why did Evan call you?” she asks casually.
“Because I asked him to update me when he knew. I was worried and she was really out of it when they loaded her into the ambulance. How did you find out about all this?”
“Small town, sweetheart. Evan called Cody, but I also heard it from Judy, who also called to make sure you were okay too,” Mom says.
“Even Jack heard about it and called to check in,” Dad says.
Jack owns the outdoor store, which also serves as the hub where everyone goes for information, as well as to order items they can't get in town. The families that live in the mountains rely heavily on him. In addition, he also sells many handmade items there that town’s people make.
He gets a lot of his business from tourists on their way from Yellowstone National Park to Glacier National Park or vice versa, since we are a good stop between the two.
Once my mom serves breakfast at the table, we talk and catch up before my dad and I take over cleaning. Dad always said if my mom cooks, she isn't cleaning the kitchen too. Once the kitchen is clean, we join Mom on the couch by the fire.
“You know, your sons made it seem like you two were on death’s door and wouldn't survive without me moving in to help,” I say sarcastically.
They both start laughing.
“I had a feeling they would go that route. We were all talking about how much we missed you. Once we found out you were between jobs they started their scheming to get you home,” Dad says.
“We won't be running in the Boston marathon anytime soon, but we are doing fine. You room is ready for you whenever you want it,” Mom says.
“I think I want to get my own place in town. I have the apartment until spring, so I have time to look for my own space.”
Fortunately, I was able to rent the apartment in the off season. Normally it is a short-term rental for people passing through. My best friend, Kaylee, helped me find the place. She says it normally sits empty in the winter, so the landlord was happy to have the income.
“I figured you would,” Dad chuckles.
“But if you ever need it, I'm willing to move in and take care of you too,” I say.
“We will keep that in mind,” Mom says.
“So, will you be helping your brothers at the distillery?” Dad asks.
“They said they needed help, but I don't know if that was another lie to get me here or not,” I say.
“Oh, they need help, Mom says. “That place has exploded since they opened. They have expansion plans already in the works.”
“You should go down and check it out when you leave here,” Dad urges me.
I nod, but don't commit to anything.
“I might look and see if the doctor’s office is hiring even if I just work part time. I need to work to transfer my license and keep it active,” I say.
“That's a good idea. Dr Hamilton retired, but the new doctor is really nice. She is looking for help too last I heard,” Mom says.
Interesting. I love working for female doctors, but even more, I want to know she took over the practice from Dr Hamilton because he had no desire to retire. Well, that was the last gossip I heard, anyway.
After talking some more, I say my goodbyes and am given strict orders to not be late for dinner this weekend. I promise and then get back in my car.
Mom and Dad are doing well. The house is clean and maintained, but they have definitely declined since I saw them at Christmas. Dad isn't as steady on his feet and Mom looks thinner and pale. I think I can help take some of the burden off of them. Even if I was manipulated to be here, I'm glad to be home.
I drive by the distillery, but I don’t stop. Mom will no doubt have given them a heads-up, but I want to completely surprise my brothers when I stop in. Besides, I need to hit the grocery store and stock up for a few days. Though I think I'm going to go home after this and work on unpacking the last of the boxes and get settled in.
Driving by the distillery, I can't help but feel proud of my brothers. They have been talking about building this place for a while. But even longer, they have been planning and dreaming of it, and here it is. It's pretty busy for a Tuesday afternoon off season, and the parking lot is decently full. There are people filling the patio under the warmers, taking in the beautiful mountain view. I see Cody talking to a group of people by the door and there are lots of smiles on happy faces.
Glad I decided to drive by, I head toward my apartment downtown. Once inside, I open the curtain in the living room window and enjoy the mountain vista and natural light. Then I go into the kitchen and unpack my new coffee maker that I picked up this morning. I am not a morning person, so coffee is a must and the tiny one cup at a time coffee maker would not cut it on a day-to-day basis with me.
I'm setting it up on the counter when my phone rings. The screen says it's from Evan. Why would he be calling? Maybe he has another update on the woman from the other night, so I pick it up.
“Hello?” I ask as more of a question.
“Calista,” he says, and I can hear the smile in his voice.
“Everything okay?” I ask because I can't think of another reason he'd be calling me.
“Yeah, I talked with your dad, and he said you had brunch there today. I wanted to see how much your brother's story matches up,” he laughs.
“Not at all.”
“I figured. I also wanted to see how you were settling in and if you needed any helping moving in or unpacking.”
“I'm okay for now. My brothers helped with the big stuff already. But I'm going to be looking for something more permanent. When I move all my stuff from storage, I will one-hundred percent take you up on it. You will live to regret that offer.”
“I doubt it, but I'm happy to help if you need it. I'm sure I can rope a few guys from the station to come help, too.”
“Between you and my brothers, you will have the whole damn town helping.” I sigh, wishing I was over exaggerating that claim, but I'm not.
“Hang on,” he says and then there is some muffled whispering on his end, but I can't make out any of it. He must have his hand over the phone.
“Judy says to tell you the doctor's office is hiring part time,” he says and then there is more whispering. “She already told them you'd be coming by.”
“Tell Judy I said hi and thank you. You know I only mentioned that to my parents less than two hours ago. I think the gossip vine around here has gotten faster over the years,” I chuckle.
“The faster the internet, the faster the gossip,” he says, making us both laugh.
Since we haven’t really talked in ages, we take some time to catch up. He asks about my life away from home and I find out about his career on the force. Before I know it, an hour has gone by, and I’ve set up the coffee machine.
“Have we really been talking for an hour?” I ask, shocked.
“Looks like it. I better go pick up Skye. See you this weekend,” he says.
I'm looking forward to this family dinner more than any other one before it. Maybe I know why, but I’m not admitting it.