Chapter 18 #2
We continue to work in tandem, my taking control of meal prep but recruiting her to assist like my sous chef, cleaning, chopping, and retrieving serving dishes, just like I’d done for her when I was a kid.
I know many adult kids have to change roles and care for their elderly parents for any host of reasons, physical health, dementia, or financial to name a few.
But I never imagined that depression could be this relentless in my mother’s destruction.
Anyone who thinks it isn’t possible to die of a broken heart is kidding themselves. I’ve been watching it happen in slo-mo for years.
Walking into the firehouse for my next twenty-four-hour shift, I barely have both feet in the door when music starts to blare. My head pops up to find Matt, Jason, and Brecken all staring at me with shitty grins on their faces as “Dancing Queen” by Abba plays in the background.
I flick them all both of my middle fingers. “Fuck off. All of you.” The last thing I need after dealing with my father, the disheartening visit with my mother, and the fact that the one girl I’ve ever felt anything for split without a word is being continually mocked by these fuckwits.
“Awe, c’mon, Smoke. You know we’re just messin’ with ya.” Jason gives me a reassuring look, trying to convey he had nothing to do with this.
I’m about to clap back that I know exactly who was behind this when the station’s alarm tones start to ring.
“Engine 12, Engine 12. Respond to a house fire. 322 Sycamore Lane. 322 Sycamore Lane. You’re responding to a grease fire in the garage.
Everyone is outside the building. But that’s only cause I had to warn Junior he’d be in big trouble if he went back in there to get his Chili Cook Off trophy from last year,” Henrietta adds.
We’ve all quickly donned our turn out gear and helmets and are seated in the engine, flying down Main Street in the direction of Junior Dean’s place when I hear Jason’s voice come through the headset.
“Man. I’ll give Magnolia Pointe that much. They may not be a lot bigger than Sycamore, but in the short time I helped out down there, at least their dispatch didn’t come across the radio sounding like something from an old Hee Haw episode.”
I literally scratch my head. “What the hell is Hee Haw?” I choke out. “You forget I grew up in Jersey.”
Jason’s voice cracks with laughter. “It was an old hillbilly variety show my parents used to watch when I was a kid. I doubt you could even find it on YouTube anymore. But some of the women in the skits sounded a lot like Henrietta.”
In no time, we turn onto Sycamore and can see dark smoke billowing from the driveway. I sit a little taller in my seat, knowing you need to be prepared for anything around here. It may come out as a goofy call, but any fire can quickly get out of hand.
As Matt parks the engine, we all jump out and grab our gear to get to work as Jason approaches Junior. “Hey, Junior. What the hell happened?”
“I dunno. I was just trying to do what my nutrition lady said.”
Burn the house down?
“How’s that?” Jason prods.
“Well, she’s been after me to eat better.
Guess she ain’t a big fan of the dad bod.
” He chuckles and grabs his rotund abdomen with both hands, jiggling it for effect.
Once I look a little closer, it appears he only has one bushy caterpillar of an eyebrow over his right eye. The left one’s been singed clean off.
Silvie is the local dietitian. She’s a nice lady. While this could’ve been a push to gain control of his weight, something tells me there is more to this story. “Are you diabetic?” I ask.
“Yeah. So they say. Anyhoo, she said I should try eating more turkey. Hell, I thought chicken was good for ya. But if turkey is better, I figured I’d try one of those fried turkeys I saw on the Facebook. So, I could do it again at Thanksgiving if it tastes as good as they say.”
I head in the direction where Matt and Brecken are working on the fire, but they already have it in pretty good control.
“Too much piping hot oil combined with a frozen bird doesn’t always end well,” Matt deduces as I get closer.
Once the fire is under control, we walk back over to where Junior and Jason are standing.
“My gut feeling is, Silvie meant you should try substituting ground turkey for red meat. Chicken is fine. Not so good for you when it’s fried,” Jason tells him.
“Neither is turkey when you practically set your place on fire,” Brecken mutters.
“Turkey instead of beef? That girl’s lost her mind.” He turns in the direction of the cows on his farm and extends his arm Vanna White style. “Does she think these heifers are a photo op?” He shakes his head. “They’re dinner.”
Good lord.
An hour later, we’d packed up everything and headed back to the station, all shaking our heads at the type of calls we deal with.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love Sycamore Mountain. The people here though… well, they’re a special breed,” Jason mocks.
“An inbreed,” Matt adds.
“Isn’t Junior married to that pretty, sweet blonde lady? What’s her name? Shelly?”
“Yeah. They’ve been married for like thirty years,” Jason says.
“How the hell does a guy like that end up with a nice, normal lady like Shelly?” Matt chuckles.
“They both grew up here. And unless you missed it, there’s not a lot of options in this town for mates.” Jason shakes his head. “Why do you think all of us met our wives elsewhere? Well, except Addison. But hell. She probably put us in the same category with Junior.”
“You better watch out, Smoke. You could end up with the female equivalent of Junior. Or Earl.” Brecken throws his head back in laughter just in time for Jason to smack him on the back of the head. “Hell. You guys are going to give me a brain injury.”
“Too late,” the three of us announce in unison.
“Don’t have to worry about me. I have no interest in the institution of marriage. I’m fine just as I am.”
“Oh, yeah?” Matt whispers after the other two have moved out of earshot.
“Because Ellie and I were talking about driving down to Candy Cane Key over one of our long breaks from work. Figured it might be the last chance to do it before she’s too uncomfortable to travel, carrying twins and all.
Didn’t know if you might be interested in tagging along?
” My ears prickle at the thought, knowing full well that’s where Char lives.
Fine, just as you are, right?