13. Will
CHAPTER 13
Will
“ G randpa?” I yell into the shop when I enter.
No one is perusing the shelves, but he should still be manning the front desk. He has a few people that help him, but this is what he loves, so he works most days. I’d compare him to Millie, but Grandpa truly sits there for most of the day while Millie is always on her feet.
“William, how was lunch with my favorite lady?” Grandpa appears from the back room, mug in hand. He must have been refilling his tea.
“She’s good, we’re uh, dating,” I say. I don’t know why. He didn’t ask. I wanted him to hear it from me, even if the relationship is fake.
“It’s about time. I didn’t like that other one,” he grumbles, moving behind the counter to sit on the stool we keep back there.
“My ex-fiancée?” I can’t help but laugh.
He nods and gives me no explanation, and although I’d love to know why, I need to remember why I rushed back here.
“Anyway, did you bring the delivery in? Miss Jane called me because Frank told her you refused your normal delivery. ”
His face morphs into confusion, and he laughs in disbelief. “Frank didn’t come here today.”
“He did, Grandpa. The delivery is always scheduled for Mondays. And sometimes Frank runs early, you know that. It’s always been like this.”
He takes in what I said and thinks it over, then his face shifts into something else. “Right, right, yes. Well, can you call Frank and have him deliver it tomorrow?”
“He did deliver it, Grandpa. You didn’t let him inside. You know what, don’t worry about it, I’ll go check outside.” I fake a smile because this isn’t the first time this has happened. I haven’t been around to witness it, but have been told by Jeremy, who heard it from other people.
Again, small town, news travels fast.
It’s the reason why I’m here. Grandpa called me more than once to ask me the same thing, not remembering he’d already inquired about it. Jeremy confirmed some of my suspicions, that Grandpa has started to become a little forgetful. I’ve been weighing my options for what to do next, even before I came back to town. How does one figure out if their grandpa has dementia? How do I go about telling him? Do I tell him?
This wasn’t something we ever talked about. I don’t know if it’s something that runs in the family. Besides my grandpa, I don’t have any other family members. Well, correction, no family members I care about.
I didn’t know my mom, but I’ve seen my dad a few times after she passed away. I was young, and he only ever visited because he felt bad and wanted to check on me. He’d become overwhelmed after my mom died, so we came to Willow Pines to stay with my grandpa. We were here for a week before he left. Left me.
My feelings toward my dad are obsolete. I don’t remember anything about him. My childhood is filled with memories with Grandpa and the Rose family. I know nothing else.
When I get outside, the packages from Frank are there, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Not that I thought anyone would take them, but it could happen.
As I bring in the last box, Grandpa comes to the back room to check the stock.
“Feeling okay being back in town?” Grandpa asks.
I ignore the nagging desire to change the subject to ask about him. “It’s been…different.”
“Good different?”
The smile that sprouts on my face is enough of an answer.
He chuckles. “I take it this has to do with Millie.”
“It, um, maybe.” I laugh. “We don’t have to talk about it, Grandpa.”
The last box is put away, but I stay while he takes inventory.
“Why not? Don’t want to tell this old man what’s on your mind?”
I sigh. “We rarely talk about things like that, you know? You didn’t ever care to hear about Julia.”
“Well, she’s not here, is she? She never cared to learn about our town.”
Grandpa puffs his chest, and at that moment I forget everything.
I forget his memory is fading.
I forget the need to decide what my next step is.
Every bad thing that’s happened over the past year vanishes when I see the pride and joy on his face. He’s told me many times that he’s proud of me, that he’s happy I’m around. I owe him everything for raising me.
It’s not easy to have a child dumped on you, even if they are blood.
“Stop looking at me like that, don’t you have a lesson?” Grandpa laughs.
Oh, shit. Yes .
After I make sure Grandpa is good, I climb the stairs to the apartment above the store with a few minutes to spare. This has been my safe-haven since I came of age and moved out of Grandpa’s house. He left it for me, for when I’d come back to visit, and it’s perfect because it’s close to everything. As someone who likes to stay home, it lets me do what I need to do and take minimal steps outside to obtain food.
With my music education degree, I knew I wanted to teach guitar lessons to kids, and that’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve built a decent client list over the years, enough to sustain the lifestyle needed to live in the city.
Today’s virtual session is with a seven year old girl. Her older brother learned from me, and now that she’s the perfect age to take lessons, it’s time for our first session.
I grab my acoustic guitar and take a seat on my couch.
With the laptop open and everything connected right, I sign into the call for my lesson.
Her mother is with her, in case she needs additional help or wants any notes for when they practice on their own. I love when a parent shows their support because I know how much this means to the kids.
The session lasts for thirty minutes. I keep it short for the first four before lessons lengthen to an hour. When you first play guitar, it can be frustrating. Like with any instrument, there’s a learning curve and your hands need to learn the correct positions. My students' mental health means a lot to me, and I don’t want them to ever be overwhelmed. Or at least overwhelmed in a way where they don’t know how to get around it.
The little girl and her mom wave goodbye, and I tell them both I’ll see them at the same time next week. Conversations come from below as I place my guitar back in the stand. The store hasn’t seen a lot of foot traffic since I’m back.
It gives me an idea. Could we find a way to uplift local businesses with the spring festival? Immediately, I text Millie.
Mills
Millie Mae
Boyfriend
Millie texts me back fast, and when I see what she said, I drop my phone on the floor. Shit .
She texted me a winky - face emoji after that, which made me chuckle. This girl is trouble, but I’m happy to see she’s not mad at me anymore. At least for the time being.
I have an idea for the event, can you stop by today?
Millie Mae
Was already planning on it. Give me a few minutes and I’ll walk over. Want any coffee?
Duh.
Okay, I’m in a better mood. Since this morning was interrupted by Jeremy, we didn’t get to talk much about the list we gathered from Saturday. This will spring that into action, no pun intended. We both have a lot going on. Not that Miss Jane would have had any idea, but it’s the worst timing to be forced to throw an event together for the town in the matter of weeks.
When I head downstairs a few minutes later to meet Millie, a laugh barrels through the hallway, and I can’t help but cringe.
“Oh, hi, Will.” Kira glances at me.
I dip my head to briefly acknowledge her.
“Kira here was stopping by to say hi.” Grandpa grins my way. I have to smile back at him. I’m not going to give him the cold shoulder because I’m not Kira’s number one fan.
“Oh, that’s great. Millie is coming by soon,” I say, hoping she gets the hint.
“So, you two are genuinely together? I suppose that’s why you didn’t want to go out with me. ”
I raise my eyebrows at her, but she keeps talking.
“I mean, I know I saw you two and everything, but I was hoping it was a…temporary thing.”
Why she comes in here and acts like she knows me is beyond me. Sure, we were raised alongside each other, but that’s way different than Millie, Jere, and I. Kira and I didn’t talk unless she was with Millie. I never had eyes for her. I only had eyes for Millie, even as a lanky twelve-year-old. I knew there was something about her, and it was the reason why I never accepted Kira’s advances. And never will.
“It’s not a temporary thing.” I almost growl at her like a damn animal, but Millie comes through the front door and spares her. She should be thankful.
“Hi, babe.” Millie smiles my way, playing the part of a perfect girlfriend.
“Hi, love.” I pull her into my side as she walks next to me and presses a kiss to her forehead.
She says hi to Grandpa and asks, “What’s not a temporary thing?”
“Us,” I say plain as day, looking at her eyes when I do. She doesn’t move, doesn’t flinch, but stands there with no look of surprise.
“Definitely not a one-time thing.” Millie winks at me, then looks at Kira. “What are you doing here?”
There’s no sass in her tone, even if I wish there was, because Kira deserves it, and more.
“I’m checking to see if they need any help,” Kira says, her shoulders slumped.
“Did you need help babe? You could have called me, you know, I would have come sooner.” Millie pulls my jaw toward her and plants a kiss on my lips right in front of Kira.
And she’s damn lucky we are in the middle of the store right now with watchful eyes .
“You’re here now. That’s what matters.” I rest my forehead on hers.
“Yep, way better than Julia,” Grandpa mutters, and I can’t help but laugh.