Chapter 9 #5
I pointed at a road sign that we were rapidly approaching. “What does that say?”
She squinted at it. “Hang on… ‘No Passing’!” she exclaimed triumphantly, just as we drove by it.
“Annie, you’re as blind as a bat! If you don’t start wearing your glasses to drive, I swear I’ll call the Secretary of State on you to get your license revoked,” I said.
“You wouldn’t!”
“I will, and I’ll tell Luke too.”
She was quiet. “Fine.”
“Fine.”
We got back to Nana’s with Annie seriously ticked off at me, and me afraid to let Macdara drive home with her. She swore she wouldn’t go over 25, then stuck out her tongue at me. “I’m not that bad!”
I pointed to the heap of bike in front of the garage. “This says different. 25 max, ok?” I looked at my bike and sighed. Well, we still had Charlie’s.
The Jeep was gone from the driveway. Charlie tore inside and headed right up to the shower.
I went in more slowly, observing the kitchen, which was full of dirty dishes and crumbs, through the living room, which had beer bottles and clothes and our dishes used as ashtrays strewn around, and up the stairs to Cassie’s bedroom.
“Cass?”
She was lying on the bed in the same spot as always, her arm over her eyes.
“How did it go today?” I asked.
“Bad.”
I checked the basin, and it was full. She was feeling pretty sick, then. I took it and cleaned it out in her bathroom, then refilled her water glass. “You need to take your enzyme supplement. Are you in pain?”
“Yes.”
I picked up the prescription bottle, and it was almost empty.
“I’ll ask the doctor to call in a refill.
We can pick it up tomorrow at the hospital pharmacy.
” She didn’t answer. I shook the pills out into my hand, and held up her neck up so she could take them.
Gently, I laid her head back on the pillow. “Are you feeling up to some dinner?
“No. Leave me alone.”
I bit my lip. “Where’s Mike?”
She didn’t respond, and after a moment I snuck back out to clean the house up and start on dinner for Charlie and me. Maybe I could get her to eat something too.
It was a rough night. I stayed in Cassie’s room, sitting in a chair, reading to her and feeing her ice chips. At around three Mike got home. Cassie looked up at me when we heard the car pull in, then closed her eyes again, and I kept reading.
I managed to get about an hour of sleep while she dozed on and off, then a longer stretch before Charlie got up for school, but I was a wreck.
I came down the stairs to brew some coffee and get more crackers for Cassie and heard a noise from outside.
I glanced through the kitchen window. In the chilly morning light, I saw Mike by the Jeep. What was he doing up so early?
He was putting a bag into the back of the car when I came out on the porch. “What’s going on, Mike?”
He jumped, and swung around to face me. “Why the fuck are you sneaking up on me, Emmy Lou?”
I stared at him. “You’re leaving. Does Cassie know? Does Charlie?”
He picked up another bag. “I’ll say goodbye.”
“Liar.”
He narrowed his eyes and puffed out his chest. It was so stereotypically “fight or flight” that it almost made me laugh. As if anything about this was funny.
“She’s dying, Mike.” My breath came out on a sob and I cleared my throat. “You’re leaving her while she’s dying. You’re leaving your son.”
His face crumpled briefly and he looked down. For a moment, I thought maybe he would change his mind. In his own, stunted way, I knew that he loved Cassie. Maybe Charlie, too.
Then he swallowed hard and looked back up at me. “I’ll be back.”
I nodded. Sure he would. “Liar.”
His shoulders hitched up, but he didn’t respond.
“We need money,” I told him. Mike reached into his pocket for his wallet, and handed me a wad of bills from it. “We need the car.” His head shot up. “We don’t have a car. Don’t take the car.”
“This is my Jeep,” he said.
“We have to get to the hospital,” I said loudly, then bit my lip, remembering that Cassie’s room was up above us. “What am I supposed to do?”
He walked to the driver’s door and I ran down the steps and stood at the front of the car. “Mike, please. Please! Please don’t take the car!” I put my hands on the hood, as if I could hold the car there. “Don’t do this to them again!”
Without looking at me, he got into the Jeep and backed down the driveway. My arms slid off the hood to my sides. I heard the engine roar as he sped off down the road, away from us.
I walked slowly back to the house, sat down on the back steps and rested my face in my hands. How was I going to tell Cassie? What was I going to do?
“Em?”
I jerked up my head. “Hey, pal.”
“Can I have breakfast?”
“Sure.”
We sat at the kitchen table, my hands wrapped tightly around my coffee mug.
Ideas were flying through my mind. I could steal a car.
I could steal a credit card number and rent a car.
I could rob a bank and use the money to buy a car.
The getaway would be hard on Charlie’s bike.
I could call the police and report Mike for something, then try to get the Jeep out of impound. I—
“Emmy? Did my dad leave?”
I stared at Charlie. He took another bite of oatmeal.
“Yes.”
“Is he coming back?”
I couldn’t speak, so I just shrugged my shoulders, and shook my head.
Charlie nodded, and I walked around the table, knelt down beside his chair and hugged him.
In the end I didn’t steal anything, and I didn’t set the police on Mike. I walked Charlie to the closest school bus stop and waved wildly at the bus so it would pick him up. I called Tara and woke her up after her night shift, and asked her for a ride to the hospital.
“What about Mike?” she asked groggily.
“He left. He’s gone.”
“Fucking Mike,” she said.
Yep, fucking Mike.
I had to tell Cassie. I literally dragged my feet, dreading it. I opened the door to her room and said, “Hi. How are you feeling?”
She had replaced her arm over her eyes. “Bad.”
“Can I get you anything? Want to try some toast?”
“No.”
I had to tell her. I drew in a breath.
“Did Mike leave?” she asked.
I wasn’t sure how both Charlie and Cassie had known. “Yes.”
She nodded slightly.
“Cassie…” I trailed off.
“I want to be alone,” she told me. “For five minutes. Leave me alone.”
Tara showed up at about 9:30. Her hair was standing straight on end. “Don’t say it,” she said, gesturing at her head. “Darby used up every drop of conditioner and left me nothing. I look like a porcupine. Do you have any coffee?”
I poured her a cup. “I owe you big for this, Tara.”
She grabbed my chin and looked into my face. “You don’t owe me shit, sister. Got it?”
Tears filled my eyes. “Got it. You’re a good friend.”
“I’m your BFF, and don’t go forgetting it when your boyfriend gets back here with his servants and champagne lifestyle. So, Mike?”
“He left this morning, took the Jeep.”
She slurped a big sip of coffee. “Ah, this is cheap crap. It’s worse than what we have at the hospital. Were you hoping for another result from him?”
“No. Yes, I guess I was. I was hoping…I don’t know. I was hoping he’d leave us the car, at least.”
Tara shook her head. “If we look what he’s done in the past…”
“I know.” I got up to get Cassie and help her down to Tara’s car.
Cassie was so sick after her treatment that day that I didn’t feel like I could leave her and go to work. Reluctantly I let Martha know that I wouldn’t be coming in. Luke had called twice, and when Cassie dosed off I went down to the kitchen to return his call.
“Emmy?”
“Is it ok for me to make international calls?” I asked. “Should I hang up?”
“No, don’t hang up. It’s all right. I want to talk to you, I miss you. How are you doing?
All of a sudden I choked up. He was being too nice.
“Emmy?”
I tried to get a hold of myself so I could answer.
“That bad? Was it the chemo?”
I made a huge effort and took a deep breath. “Cassie is really sick. I had to miss work. Mike left. He took the car,” I clipped out.
“Shit. Shit. Let me get a hold of Annie.”
“Annie?”
“If Milos isn’t there, and I’ll bet he isn’t, you can have his car.”
“Really? He won’t mind?”
Luke swore again. “It doesn’t matter if he minds. The company provided him with that car, now the company is taking it back. We’ll get you a car of your own when I get back. Think about what you want.”
Anything with wheels. “You don’t have to buy me all this stuff.”
“Emily, what would you do in my position?” he demanded. “If you had the means to help me, wouldn’t you do it? I’m not even there. Shit. I knew something was going to happen with that guy.”
There was silence over the line.
“Are you crying?” he asked. I couldn’t answer. “Oh, sweetheart.”
I pulled myself together again. “No, I’m fine. Tell me about London. Let me live vicariously.”
“It’s grey. Rainy. Full of foreigners.” He made me smile.
“Do you think you chose terrible places to do business, or is this just indicative of a bad attitude?”
Luke laughed. “It’s bad attitude. I don’t want to be here. I want to be in Michigan with you.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Or I wish you and Charlie were here. Charlie would love the London Eye, you could see all the museums and landmarks. I’m staying in Mayfair. There are so many people, shops, bikes.”
Bikes. That made me think of Annie. I would keep that incident to myself for now.
“All right, I just sent some emails,” Luke announced. “You’ll get Milos’ car in about an hour. Two, tops. Will that work?”
“Luke, I don’t even know what to say. You’ve helped me so much. Everyone has helped me so much.” I rested my chin on my hand, then jerked back when it put pressure on my sore elbow. Stupid Annie and her lack of glasses.
“Sweetheart, you’re in an impossible, awful situation. You’re doing the best you can.”
It wasn’t enough. Still wasn’t enough.
“When I think back to what I was doing when I was 25…” he trailed off. “I can’t even imagine the pressure you’re under. And if I can help you, I’m happy to. Overjoyed to. It’s my pleasure. Got it?”