Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Samuel
“God, I hate having to come here,” I grumble to myself as I pull into the driveway of my former home that I shared with my wretched ex-wife.
While I’m still on the deed for both the land and the house built on it and have every right to be here, the last thing I want to do is run into Myra. The thought of such an encounter makes my skin crawl. She’s definitely not the woman I met and fell in love with all those years ago, and it breaks my heart to see how far she’s fallen. Because she managed to ruin our son, God rest his soul. Although… finding out how he was treating Holly and by proxy, my sweet granddaughters, has me realizing he wasn’t the man I thought I raised. He had no honor in his soul and his heart was blacker than tar.
I blow out a sigh of relief when I don’t see her car parked in the driveway. I just have the last of my tools in the garage to grab, then I never have to return since we’re going to be selling the house then splitting the proceeds. At least that’ll help me start my new life. I honestly didn’t think I’d find myself single at my age, but better that than the alternative of being married to a vicious, mean-spirited shrew.
I hit the garage door opener and am momentarily stunned when I see a vehicle, covered by a tarp, sitting inside.
Mumbling to myself, I say, “That’s strange, we’ve never used a tarp before.”
Shaking my head, I back in and park my truck, shut it off, then head into the garage to grab my tools and several totes. I’m not sure what to do with the garage door opener since I won’t be needing it again after today, then figure that I’ll just give it to the realtor for the new owners.
It doesn’t take me long to get my stuff sorted and loaded into the truck so once I’m done, I decide to appease my curiosity and see what’s resting under the tarp. When I lift it, I see the car that Myra normally drives, only it’s got some major front-end damage. It looks almost as if she had a run in with a wild animal, but I haven’t seen any strays in the area recently.
What on earth did she hit? my mind whispers. I don’t see any fur that would indicate she struck a deer, and the damage is a little too low for that, there's a huge dent in the fender going onto the hood, the headlight area is broken with pieces missing, and there’s paint transfer as well. Shrugging, I replace the tarp and head to my truck, grateful I didn’t see her. She’s probably using the second car we owned, which reminds me that one of the cars needs to be sold. Although, her personal car would be better off sold to a scrap yard for parts. It won’t give us much income to split, but it’d be one less thing I have to deal with when it comes to the insurance company. I’ve got my truck and it’s a dually, so I’ve got the space inside for my granddaughters.
I hit the garage door opener for the last time to close it, then toss it into the glovebox, since I have one for my new place and don’t want to confuse the two since their casings are similar. I’ll put it and the house keys in an envelope for the realtor and drop them off since the house is up for sale already.
My stomach growls as I head to my new house, so I decide to detour to the diner to ease the rumbling. I’m not much of a cook, so I’ve been eating there rather frequently. At least for dinner, but I can always grab a meal to go and reheat it later this evening.
“Grandpa!” Turning, I see Paul sitting with Mina and Ruby and head to their table, my smile so wide I feel like my face will split in two.
While I haven’t seen the girls as much as I’d like, I decide to change that fact, especially when I see how excited they are to see me.
“Hey, my sweet girls, how are you?” I ask, scooting into the booth where they’re both sitting.
There’s something about a grandchild’s hugs and kisses that humbles a man, that’s for sure. Once they’ve both had their turn and I promise to come over and see them soon, I look over and see the expression on Paul’s face.
“Paul, you okay?”
He looks like he’s aged ten years and it was only a few weeks back since I last saw him at a card game we were both at; neither of us won, but we had a good time shooting the shit and drinking a few beers.
He sighs then says, “Been a few weeks since I saw you last, Samuel.”
The tremble in his tone has my head canting to the side with curiosity. I can tell he’s trying to hold it together for the girls’ sake, but we’re both their grandfathers and need to present a united front whenever possible. “Yeah, it has. What’s going on, old friend?”
Because despite Myra’s shrewish behavior toward both Esther and Paul, I developed a structural friendship with them both. The three of us have the same goal; protect Holly, Rebel, and the girls as much as we can. At first our friendship was founded due to our love and commitment to Mina and Ruby’s welfare, as well as Holly’s, but then it was because I genuinely enjoyed their company and being with both of them.
“Daddy had an axdent,” Ruby states. “Pappy and Grammy sad.”
“Mama’s sad too,” Mina chimes in, before picking up her cup of milk and taking a drink.
“Rebel?” I ask Paul, needing clarification. At his nod, I add, “When did this happen?”
“About two weeks or so ago,” he replies. “Someone hit him from behind as he was angling to pull into the driveway.”
My mind immediately flashes to what I saw under the tarp, and I know my face pales by several shades. Surely Myra wouldn’t hit Rebel, would she?
“Is he okay?” I question, my body shaking as I anticipate his answer. I know he might have to censor some of what he’s gonna tell me because of the girls, but I need to know if my suspicions are correct.
“No, he’s not. He’s got a long road ahead of him since both legs were broken and he’s covered in road rash. Both of them do, actually since Holly’s been staying with him. But they just moved him to rehab, and they won’t let her stay at the facility with him overnight, so she’ll be coming home tonight to be with the girls. Esther and I’ve been taking care of the girls for her while she oversees Rebel’s medical care.”
I glance at the girls, then pull out my phone and send Paul a text, not wanting either Mina or Ruby to hear what I’m about to tell him.
Out loud, I ask, “Which rehab center?” Then I send him a message.
Me: I think I may know who hit him.
I watch the bubbles as Paul glances at me while he says, “Sunnyside Rehab. It’s got assisted living there too, but they’ve got a top-notch physical therapy program.”
Paul: Who?
Me: Myra. Went to the house to get the rest of my stuff and found her car in the garage covered with a tarp. It’s got a bunch of front-end damage.
“We need to let Rebel know,” Paul states, his voice quiet so the girls don’t pick up on the tension.
“I’ll head over there. I may or may not have pictures of the damage.”
Right now, I’m glad I thought of taking them as a precautionary measure. But, after seeing what was underneath the tarp, I chose to pull out my phone, take a video of the car, then quite a few still shots. Maybe it was instinct, I don’t know, but if Myra ends up being involved in this heinous act, I’ll have the proof they need to nail her to the wall. Once again, my heart drops thinking about how much she’s changed over the years. It’s almost as if she’s a completely different person these days. She was always a bit high strung, but over the years, that slowly morphed into a controlling persona which got even worse when Devin died.
“Good, I’m sure the police will want to see them as well,” he replies. “Girls, your mama is coming home tonight.”
“I’ve missed her and Daddy,” Mina says, her lips quivering.
Leaning over, I pull her into my side and kiss the top of her head. “He’s in the best place he can be so he can get better, and I know your mama misses you both very much, but he needs her right now.”
I can’t explain the pride that wells inside me when I see that Holly is prioritizing her relationship with Rebel. While I wish my son had been that man for her, I’m so happy she’s found her forever in him. I’m sure there are those people out there who would think she should put her children first, and for the most part, she does, but right now, Rebel needs her.
“We got to see Daddy today,” Ruby says.
“He’s in rehab,” Mina adds, nodding her head wisely. “Mama says he gets to come home soon, though.”
“I’m sure you’re being good girls for your grammy and pappy,” I reply.
Both girls nod, still eating their food. I’ve lost my appetite which is good seeing as I didn’t order anything except for coffee when the waitress came over to the table right after I sat down. Still, that’s sitting in my stomach churning violently and I have to swallow back the bile that’s threatening to rise and expel across the table.
“We are!” Ruby exclaims, clapping her hands.
“Grammy says we can color some pictures today to give to Mama for his room,” Mina adds.
Paul, seeing the girls are finished, asks, “Are you two ready to head home? I’m sure Grammy would love some help making dinner for when your mama gets there later on.”
I toss down enough money to take care of the bill that the waitress left, ignoring Paul’s quiet huff, then help him get the girls’ coats on, before I walk out with them. After hugging and kissing both girls, I get Mina in her car seat while he buckles Ruby into hers, then tap both of their noses before closing the door.
“Paul, I’ll keep y’all posted,” I promise.
“Good. I hate to think that she’d do something like that, but after the hell she put Holly through, nothing would surprise me at this point.”
I nod because I agree. She virtually kicked her own granddaughters out of the only home they’d ever lived in when our son died, then went after Holly for money for so-called ‘renovations’ even though there really wasn’t anything wrong with the house outside of normal wear and tear. Holly, who is an absolute sweetheart, wouldn’t let me pay it for her, nor would she let her grandparents take care of it.
Instead, she got a part-time job at the bar the club owns, which is how she ended up meeting Rebel.
As I walk to my truck, I murmur, “At the end of the day, that was the best thing Holly could’ve ever done. She’s got a good man in her corner, one who loves her with every breath in his body, and he loves those girls like they’re his own.”
What more can I honestly ask for? Once in my truck, I start it up then input the rehab center’s address into my GPS, since I’m not familiar with where it’s located.
“Time to let the chips fall where they may.”