Chapter 28
M rs. Moretta lived in a tidy two-story cottage three blocks over from Luke’s parents. The front porch was partially obscured by colorful pots overflowing with petunias.
A hummingbird feeder hung from a rafter.
Harper blew out the breath she had been holding. Claire reached across the console and patted her hand on the steering wheel.
“You’re a good girl, Harper. Let’s go help a friend.”
They were only halfway up the walk when Mrs. Moretta burst out of the front door. She was wearing a flopping sunhat and one garden glove. Harper could see tears.
Claire hurried up the steps to her friend. “Oh, Ina.”
The two women embraced on the porch. “Thank you so much for being here, Claire. They just called. He’s alive.”
“Thank God for that,” Claire said, holding her tight.
“Harper.” Mrs. Moretta released Claire and nodded in her direction. “Let’s go inside and get a drink.”
They let her lead the way back to a cozy kitchen with a greenhouse window over the sink. Mrs. Moretta paused, staring off into the yard. “He’s in surgery. They think he’s going to lose a leg. But he’s going to live.”
Harper covered her mouth with a hand and closed her eyes. Aldo was alive, and that was what mattered. She excused herself for a moment and fired off an email to Luke from her phone.
From: [email protected]
Subject: Alive!
Alive and in surgery. May lose leg, but he’s expected to survive. We’re with Mrs. M now. She’s holding up. I’ll let you know if I learn anything else. I love you.
H
When she returned to the kitchen, Mrs. Moretta and Claire were talking quietly at the dining room table.
“The base said they’ll be sending me to Dover when Aldo gets there, and then I’ll go with him to Walter Reed. I’ll know more once he’s been moved to Germany.” She sighed and removed her glove. “What would we ever do without our boys, Claire?”
“We’re not going to have to find out, Ina.” Claire squeezed her friend’s hand. “Aldo’s going to come home and be just as big a pain in your ass as he ever was.”
“Remember when they were just boys and playing in the creek the entire summer?”
“Remember when they camped out in the back yard in a tent and I found them curled up side by side on the couch the next morning?”
“When did our little boys turn into men?”
“They’d tell you it was a lot earlier than I would.”
Mrs. Moretta sniffled.
“Can I get you a drink, Mrs. Moretta?” Harper offered. “Some tea or water?”
“Harper, there is a box of cheap Chardonnay in the fridge. How about you grab us three of the biggest glasses you can find, and we’ll drink to our boys?”
It was on the third refill trip from the kitchen that Harper returned to Claire whispering to Mrs. Moretta.
“She’s just what he needs?—”
“Harper, Claire is distracting me with gossip about you and your Luke. She seems to think that you’re doing him a world of good.”
Harper felt the blush rise to her cheeks. “I think it’s more vice versa.”
“I wish Aldo would settle down. That boy can’t focus on one woman for longer than a month at a time.” She sighed.
“Maybe they just weren’t the one he wanted?” Harper offered.
“You sound like you know something,” Claire said, wiggling her eyebrows.
“Spill it,” Mrs. Moretta ordered. “The gossip, not the wine.”
Harper handed out the glasses, sloshing only a few drops over the rims.
“There seemed to be some sparks between Aldo and Gloria when we had them over for dinner. And Aldo gave her a ride home.”
“Hmm,” Claire and Mrs. Moretta said in unison.
“Little Gloria Parker,” Claire said. “I never would have guessed.”
“Aldo also may have confessed to carrying a torch for her since high school. But that I can’t confirm without permission from the source,” Harper added.
“No wonder he hated that asshole Glenn so much,” Mrs. Moretta said, sweeping a hand over her hair and finding the hat.
“Why the hell didn’t you two tell me I was still wearing this? I was gardening when the base called. I’m such a mess.” She yanked the hat off and tossed it over her shoulder where it hit a brass birdcage full of silk flowers.
Claire and Harper snickered.
In the end, the box of wine was empty, the pizza they ordered was mostly gone, and Charlie had to come pick them up.
“I’m so thankful to you two for being here for me,” Mrs. Moretta said as she wrapped them both in a bear hug. “It means the world to me.”
“You just keep us up to date on Aldo’s progress and when you’ll be leaving. We’ll help out in any way we can. Harper will come by tomorrow to get her car—unless you have another box of Chardonnay in there, and then we’ll just do this again,” Claire giggled.
Charlie clapped his hand on Mrs. Moretta’s shoulder. “He’s a good boy. He’ll be home safe and sound before you know it.”
“Thanks, Charlie. Harper, maybe you want to let Gloria know?” Mrs. Moretta suggested with a pronounced wink.
“I’ll tell her tomorrow after we know more about how the surgery went,” Harper promised.
That night Harper crawled into bed with both dogs and one of Luke’s sweatshirts. She buried her face in it and let all the pent-up tears come.
The next morning, a slightly hungover Harper woke to news from Luke.
From: [email protected]
Re: Alive!
Harp, Just got word on Aldo. He came through surgery.
They had to take his leg below the knee.
He’s still unconscious, and doctors are worried about infection but think he’ll pull through.
He just needs to wake up. The medical team was in contact with Mrs. Moretta, so she’s up to speed. Are you okay?
Harper breathed a quick sigh of relief. Aldo was alive. And he would wake the fuck up. She couldn’t imagine a scenario in which he didn’t.
From: [email protected]
Re: Alive!
There’s no way he’s not going to wake up. So don’t even think about that as a possibility. Aldo’s going to wake up, wink at the nurse, and demand a cold beer.
Mrs. Moretta is a rock. A rock with an incredible tolerance for alcohol. She and your mother drank me under the table reminiscing about the good old days until your dad had to come pick us up.
When—and I do mean when — Aldo comes home, the Guard is going to take Mrs. Moretta to meet him in Dover and then on to Walter Reed.
Was anyone else hurt? Are you okay? I’m freaking out a little bit, but hearing your voice helped and so did your email.
I’m worried about you. So you’d better be taking care of yourself or else I’ll do something drastic.
Like paint all of the original wood trim in the house black.
Seriously though, I need to see your face.
I don’t suppose you could come home on leave just to wear some clothes so I have something to sleep in that smells like you? No? I’ll settle for a video chat. I love you so much it hurts.
H
P.S. Here’s a picture of Max and Lola enjoying the doggy pool in the yard and one of the garden. Those green things are PLANTS not WEEDS. Success!
Harper clicked send and took a breath. She needed to tell Gloria about Aldo. And, after yesterday, the dogs needed a good long walk. Plus, she wanted to pick up her car and check on Mrs. Moretta.
She whistled for the dogs. Ears perked, Lola barreled down the hallway into the kitchen with Max hot on her heels.
They danced around Harper’s barstool, anticipating a bacon snack, attention, or—dare to dream—the “w” word.
Harper slid off the stool and patted their heads. “Okay, guys, let’s go for a w-a-l-k.” She had learned to spell the word after realizing that Max had the tendency to get so excited he peed when he heard “walk.”
At the front door she grabbed her sunglasses and bag. The second she reached for the leashes, puppy pandemonium erupted.
“For the love of God, hold still!” Harper said, chasing Max’s wiggly neck with the leash. Lola pranced in place until Harper secured the harness around her.
“Let’s go see Auntie Gloria,” Harper said. She’d use the six-block walk to Gloria’s mother’s house to figure out how to break the news to her friend.
Gloria answered the door of the tidy brick ranch with a cheerful smile. “Harper! This is a nice surprise.” She leaned down to pet Lola’s massive head while Max shoved his tiny body between them.
“Yes, I see you too, Max!” Gloria giggled and picked him up. “Can you come in, or are you just passing by?”
Harper pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head. “I actually have some news about Aldo.” She took a deep breath and ripped off the bandage. “He’s hurt, Gloria. He came through surgery, and the doctors are hopeful. They had to take part of his leg.”
She watched the blood drain from Gloria’s face. “Aldo?” she repeated.
Harper nodded and grabbed Gloria’s arm. “He’s going to be okay. Luke emailed me this morning and said the surgery team’s only concern right now is infection.” She paused, debating. “He hasn’t woken up yet.”
Gloria cuddled Max closer. “But he will.”
“Yeah, he will.”
Gloria exhaled a shaky breath. “I emailed him Friday night after you gave me his address.”
“Then he’ll have something to read when he wakes up,” Harper smiled. “So, speaking of Aldo, would you mind giving me and my two stinky mutts a ride to Mrs. Moretta’s house? I left my car there last night, and I wanted to check in on her.”
Gloria glanced down at her denim shorts and pink t-shirt.
Harper grinned. “Are you nervous about meeting his mother?”
“It’s Mrs. Moretta! She’s terrifying. Who wouldn’t be nervous about meeting her?” Gloria said, eyes wide. “Oh, screw it! Just let me brush my hair and bag up some of the cookies I baked this morning.”
It went better than expected. Mrs. Moretta opened the door with the announcement that Aldo was awake and, after learning that everyone else in the unit was okay, had demanded a cheeseburger.
Gloria held her own under Mrs. Moretta’s inquisition that covered all facets of life, including religious faith, how many children she planned to have, and all the ingredients in her jam thumbprint cookies.
At the end of the question and answer, Ina Moretta had merely harrumphed and nodded.
“I feel like I just got steamrolled,” Gloria said, shell-shocked.
“I think it went well,” Harper said, loading the dogs into her car.
“I can’t tell. I’m not sure.” Gloria sagged against the side of her car.
“She kept the cookies. That’s definitely a good sign,” Harper offered.
“What was that ‘huh’ noise there at the end?”
“I think that’s her seal of approval. She’s recognizing that you’re more than good enough for her son.”
Gloria shook her head. “I think I’m going to go home and take a nap.”