HOW DO YOU KEEP THE MUSIC PLAYING?
©Mirandagk@aol.com
CHAPTER 41
"Could you tell me where I can get ice for this please?" Laura asked the nurse behind the desk as she held the plastic hospital pitcher in her hand.
As the nurse was giving her directions, Laura could see someone walking towards her through the corner of her eye. She looked over and noticed JC and her Aunt Dorothy walking down the hallway. JC hands were dug deep down in his pockets as he walked through the hospital corridor towards his wife. He was noticeable uncomfortable with his surroundings and was constantly looking around at everything he saw. Laura immediately walked towards him and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. JC was stunned by her reaction but wrapped his arm around her back to pull her closer while his other hand remained in his pocket.
"Thank you so much for coming." she said as she kissed his cheek and looked into his eyes.
He slightly smiled. "Thanks for picking him up from the airport Aunt Dorothy." Laura said as her aunt grabbed her hand tight to show her support.
"So how is she?" he asked.
"She fell down the steps. She was unconscious when the neighbors found her. She broke her ankle. They had to reset the bone so she was in surgery just a little while ago."
"Has she been awake yet?"
"No, not yet, but the doctor says she should be coming out of it any minute now."
"Laura, you look exhausted. Why don't you and JC go down and get something to eat. I will stay with your mother."
Laura doubled checked with her aunt to make sure. Her aunt nodded her head and brushed Laura's hair back with her fingers and she held her cheek in her hand. Laura put her hand over her aunt's and hugged her before walking over to JC and proceeding towards the elevators. The two of them were silent as they sat in he hospital cafeteria and drank coffee. Laura ran her finger across the bracelets on his arm. "I appreciate you coming here. I know you don't like hospitals very much."
JC looked up from his cup. "No, it's not that. I'm just a little worn out."
"Do you want to go? I can ask my aunt to take you to the house." she asked.
"No. I just got here, Laura." he said as he began to stir the tiny red straw around in his cup.
"I know...I just..." Laura stopped talking and shrugged her shoulders as she ran her thumbs across her cup. JC didn't know what to say to her. He didn't know what was going on in her head. He wanted to ask her about the journal, but didn't that it was the time or place to bring it up. But it was eating away at him and he needed an answer and soon. He sat up and leaned towards her so no one at the surrounding tables could hear them." Laura."
"Yeah?" she asked as she ran her hands through her hair before resting her chin on her knuckles. He looked down and started to fiddle with a packet of sugar as he continued to speak. "I...I really don't know how to ask you this, but I am a little concerned about something that I stumbled across a little while ago...And it is probably not the right time to bring this up, but it is eating away at me."
"Ask me what?" she said as she took a sip of her coffee.
"Are you hiidd---"
"Laura, your mother is waking up." a voice interrupted from behind. Laura quickly turned around and saw her aunt standing there motioning for her to follow her. She looked back at JC, who nodded for her to go ahead. She jogged towards her aunt and down the hallway. JC walked slowly towards the hospital room and could see Laura standing over her mother alongside the doctor. Laura's aunt was on the opposite side of the bed.
"Connie? Connie...It's Dorothy! Can you hear me?" she said loudly.
JC walked closer and stood up against the wall and watched the doctor flashing a light into the woman's eyes. JC noticed that Laura didn't look like her mother. Her long flowing strawberry blonde hair was neatly placed over her shoulders. Her face showed a woman who had been through a great deal in her life, but he knew that she was not as old as she looked. He remembered that Laura had told him a long time ago that her mother was younger than her aunt. As he looked at her mother and then at her aunt he felt there must have been some sort of mistake, because Laura's mother looked much older.
"Mom?" Laura said as she lightly rubbed her mother's arm.
"Laura?" the woman mumbled as she squinted her eyes to focus.
"Yes mom, its me."
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I came to see about you mom. I was worried."
"She took the first flight out to get her to be with you, Connie!" Dorothy said loudly.
"Damn, Dorothy! I'm not deaf." Connie mumbled trying to clear her throat. Laura poured her a cup of water and helped her sit up to take a sip. The doctor went out into the hallway to give them a few moments to talk to her alone. Dorothy followed him into the hall to ask him a few questions.
Laura's mother was still squinting and looking around as she tried to let her eyes adjust to the lights when she noticed JC standing against the wall. "Who the heck are you?" she asked.
"Mom. That's JC."
"Oh." she responded.
JC walked closer towards the bed to say hello.
"Ahh, I remember you."
JC and Laura looked at her in confusion. Connie rolled her eyes at their reaction. "I've seen pictures of him and Rachel at Janine's house." she explained. "Damn. I'm not senial yet, Laura." JC went to shake her hand but eventually pulled his hand back when she looked the other way towards the door ignoring his attempts. "Well, I see you here, JC, but where is Rachel?" she asked as she looked back towards them.
"She isn't here. JC is my…Good friend." Laura hesitated. JC looked at her as she looked up towards him feeling more embarrassed by the second. Dorothy walked back into the room with the doctor. "Connie, Dr. Grossman says that you will be able to go home in a couple hours. He just wants to observe you for a little while longer and he needs us to fill out some forms before they release you.
As the doctor spoke to the them about caring for her ankle, JC looked over and noticed Laura didn't seem herself. He placed his hand on her back to give her comfort. He didn't know if the change was all in his mind from what he read in her journal or if it was real. Dorothy instructed JC and Laura to go home ahead of them. She explained that she would bring Connie home in a while and for them to get some rest until then.
It was a very quiet drive to Laura's childhood home. JC would glance over at her while she was driving and could tell her mind was filled with a million thoughts. As they drove down the quiet little street, Laura pointed out a little blue house on the corner that had a small picket fence.
"That's Rachel's old house. Her sister Janine lives there now." she said as they passed by. About six houses down they came across a two story home. Laura pulled up into the driveway and turned off the car. She sat completely still as she looked at the bright white house. JC noticed that everything seemed to be so perfect. The grass was a dark, healthy shade of green and perfectly trimmed. The flowers were perfectly spaced from one another. JC felt he had been spun back in time to an episode of "Leave It To Beaver." He looked over at Laura who seemed to be frozen behind the steering wheel. "Are we going inside or did you want to sleep in the car tonight?" he asked.
She snapped out of her thoughts and looked towards him. "Huh? No." she smiled. "Come on, let's go."
She dragged herself out of the car. JC walked over to the other side with both their bags in his hand as he followed Laura up the steps onto the porch. Laura unlocked the front door and took a deep breath before going in. The inside was just as perfect as the outside. Everything was in its place, the hardwood floors seemed to sparkle. Laura showed JC around the house. As they walked down the hallway towards the stairs JC reached to open a door, "What's in here?" he asked.
Laura grabbed his hand and pulled it away, almost as if she were scared for him to even touch the door knob. "Nothing! It's just the basement. Let me show you upstairs."
As they walked up the steps he glanced at various pictures of her when she was younger and family portraits of other relatives hanging on the wall. She led him upstairs into the guest bedroom and placed his bag on the full sized bed. "This is where you'll be sleeping." she said as she went into the closet to get him some towels.
"Where is your room?" he asked. Laura smiled at him and shook her head. He followed her down the hallway. Laura stopped in front of the door and ran her hand lightly across the wood before slowly turning the knob and flipping the switch to turn on the lights.
Laura placed her bag on the floor and circled around the room in awe. "Wow. I can't believe she left everything." she said as she ran her hand across a unicorn figurine.
"What do you mean?" JC asked.
"Nothing...I'm just...I'm just surprised that she didn't get rid of all this stuff. I would have figured she would have changed it into a big sculpting studio by now."
JC looked around the room and noticed that there were four shelves covered with trophy's and ribbons. He saw the walls were decorated with different plaques and awards. He saw various pictures of Laura when she was younger at various music competitions. The mirror was covered with photos of her and Rachel from when they were babies up until their high school graduation.
"Wow." he said as he continued to look around. Laura sat on the edge of the bed and picked up a stuffed tiger that was laying on the light purple pillow. "You've been playing the piano since you were 4?" he asked in shock.
"Yeah" she replied. JC turned around and noticed her petting the stuffed animal. He walked over to her and grabbed the tiger and leaned down so that he was at eye level with her. "You okay?"
"Yeah...I'm fine." she said solemnly. "Let's get a bite to eat from the kitchen, she said as she stood up and walked out of the room.
JC followed her down the steps and past the stairway towards the kitchen. As they sat in the living room with their tv trays watching television, JC decided to look at more photos that were draped around the room and over the fireplace.
"Why doesn't your mother have any pictures of you at different competitions down here? You wanted them all in your room or something?" he teased. "I mean, she must have taken a million pictures of you in front of the piano."
Laura didn't speak as she followed him with her gaze. He turned to look at her to see if she was paying attention to him. "My dad took most those pictures." she said.
"Daddy's little girl, huh?"
"Yeah...At one time I was."
JC sat down next to her on the couch and rest his head on his hand. "At one time?"
"Yeah. Then I woke up one day and he just....He just wasn't there anymore." she said softly as tears began to fill her eyes.
"What do you mean?" JC asked as he placed his hand on her leg.
"He committed suicide when I was 9." she replied. JC placed his arms around Laura as she cried softly.
"I'm sorry, Hun. I didn't know."
"It's ok. It happened so long ago. Just being back here, brings back alot of memories for me is all." she said as she wiped the tears away and stood up to take their plates into the kitchen.
JC wanted to follow her, but didn't know what he could possibly say to her to make her feel better. He knew her father had died, but she nor Rachel never said anything else about it. Laura didn't really speak too much about her family. JC started to realize why when he was at the hospital with Laura and her mother.
While he was waiting for her to come back, he noticed a family album that was sitting on the coffee table. Laura came back into the room and looked over JC's shoulder and noticed he was looking through the album. She rounded the corner of the couch and could see him smiling to himself at pictures of her when she was a baby. She sat down on the couch next to him as she went on to explain the history of each and every photo they came across. She would try her best to skip past the embarrassing naked tub photos that everyone seems to have, but JC held her back while he laughed out loud to himself. "See, I knew you were a freak from way back!" he joked.
A couple hours later, Dorothy opened the door and helped Connie in with her crutches. They could hear the television was on and walked into the living room. Connie was about to speak until Dorothy motioned for her to be quiet. Laura's mother looked up and could see JC lying on the couch with his foot draped over the side on the floor and Laura lying between his legs with her head on his chest. Laura's arms were wrapped around him. JC's chin was on top of her head and his arm was draped over her back as they both slept peacefully. Dorothy grabbed a blanket from the back of the rocking chair and draped over the two of them. Connie quietly limped towards the two of them on the couch and saw the open photo album sitting on the coffee table. She noticed the picture of Laura's father and stood there for a moment staring at the book before she finally closed it. She went to leave the room and stopped in her tracks where she heard movement. Laura moved her hand and let it fall to the side of couch. Connie immediately noticed the ring on her finger sparkling in the lights reflected off the television. She covered her mouth in shock. She tried to look at JC's hand but was interrupted by her sister telling her to let them rest. She nodded and limped over to the television and shut it off before leaving the room and struggling up the steps into her bedroom trying to figure out what she had just seen.
CHAPTER 42
The next morning JC came downstairs after a shower and followed the smells of bacon and eggs. He stopped right before he went into the dining room and noticed the two women sitting across from each other in complete silence. Mrs. Charles was sitting at the table reading the newspapers. Laura was sitting quietly eating and glancing at her mother and then out the window every few seconds. JC though it seemed strange, but figured it was something normal in their household.
"Good morning, ladies." JC said as he entered the room. "How are you feeling, Mrs. Charles."
Laura's mom put down her newspaper and sipped her coffee. "I'm in a little pain, but better than I was yesterday. Thanks for asking." she responded as she looked down at his hand.
Laura grabbed a glass and filled it up with orange juice and handed it to him. He smiled at her as she started to make his plate. Connie sat back and watched the two of them. She folded her arms and cleared her throat. "So when is the baby due?"
Laura had to cover her mouth with a napkin to keep from spitting her orange juice all over the place. "Excuse me?" she coughed as she looked at her mother in dismay.
"Well I may be old, but I am not blind just yet." she said as she pointed to Laura's hand.
JC looked down towards Laura's stomach with concern.
Laura looked at where his gaze was directed and put her hand in his face. "She means the ring, JC." Laura looked back over at her mother. "I was going to tell you before, but I wanted to wait until you were feeling better. I didn't want to pile on too much too soon, mom."
"Is that what you were nagging to talk to me about before? When you left those messages on my answering machine?"
"Yes. You never returned my call, so I didn't know if you ever received my message." she said as she looked down in disappointment realizing her mother had been ignoring her calls.
"When is the baby due? That is obviously why you would go and get married out of the blue. Especially to someone your best friend was about to marry." she said as she ate a piece of her toast.
"I'm not pregnant." Laura replied.
"Then what were you? Drunk?" she asked as she went to sip her coffee.
The room was completely silent as both JC and Laura looked at one another. "You were, weren't you?" her mother asked. Neither of them replied. "Well that figures." she said nonchalantly as she finished eating her toast.
"Does Rachel know?" Connie asked with a concerned look on her face.
"Not yet. We were waiting to tell her in person. She's been rather busy lately though."
"Yeah, well I guess I would be too when my own best friend was stabbing me in the back."
JC was appalled at the way her mother was speaking to her, but he did not want to make matters worse by interrupting. "I wasn't stabbing her in the back, mom." Laura said as she stood up and gathered plates to take into the kitchen.
Laura's mother rolled her eyes as her daughter left the room and went into the kitchen. "I don't know how she got you into this mess, JC, but I hope you are fully covered with insurance, cause by the time she is done with you, I don't know if there will be anything left." she whispered as she looked him up and down.
JC went to respond but Laura walked back into the dining room to gather the rest of the plates. "We are going to do this right though, mom. We are having a formal ceremony and the whole 9 yards very soon."
"Do you honestly think that going in the church and standing before God is going to make all the pain you've caused disappear?" she yelled after her. Laura stood over the sink as she ran water across the dishes.
She took in a few deep breaths and looked towards the ceiling to keep from crying. She slowly walked back into the dining room and looked towards JC. "I need to go and get a few things to make dinner with later on tonight. Could you help my mom with anything she needs while I am gone please."
"Of course." he replied as he looked at her with concern.
"I should be back shortly, mom. I am very sorry if I disappointed you in any way with what I have done." she said as she quickly kissed her mother's forehead.
"I kept telling you the path you were taking was only going to lead to trouble...And I was right. Look at you now. You just gotta be more responsible, Laura!" she called after her as she walked out the front door.
JC sat there staring at Mrs. Charles and tried to make sense of what had just happened. He shook his head in disbelief and was about to speak, but she spoke first. "So..." she said before pausing. "...Son-in-law..." she shook her head and smiled to herself. "Tell me more about yourself. All I know is what Rachel used to tell me about you and what Laura has said here and there. You are a musician right?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am. I sing...I write...I play."
"Just like Laura's father." she said as she looked out the window. "Did Laura tell you about her father?" she asked. Not really looking for an answer from him, she continued to talk. "He used to play his piano all the time around here. I finally had to make him put his piano and his other equipment in the basement. Our neighbors would complain when he would get an idea and be up at 3am banging away at the keys." she laughed in remembrance. She stood up and winced in pain.
JC quickly got up, "Are you ok?"
Mrs. Charles smiled. "Yeah. Just stood up too fast. Come with me." she said as she limped out of the dining room and down the hall. She opened the door to the basement and put her hand on JC's shoulder to gain balance as she slowly went down the steps. Once they reached the bottom, he followed her to the very back of the basement. There was a big red door with the words KEEP OUT written across it. She asked JC to slide his hand above the door frame to find a key.
~~~~
Laura sat in the parking lot of the grocery store and finally let the tears fall. She rested her head against the steering wheel and just broke down and cried.
~~~~
"I might as well show you this now, so that there aren't any uncomfortable questions later on down the road." Mrs. Charles said as she nodded for him to unlock the door. "Laura isn't even allowed in here. So we will just keep this between the two of us, ok?"
JC nodded. He gently pushed the door open. He could feel cold gust of wind hit his body and instantly got goose bumps. Mrs. Charles slid her hand inside and flipped up the switch. The bright light illuminated the room as JC slowly walked inside. He immediately noticed the black piano sitting up against the wall. He gazed in awe at all the pictures and posters. There seemed to be hundreds of photos of Laura's father with different singers and musicians all over the country. JC noticed old posters of jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong, Frank Mangione, and Charlie Parker framed in glass with their signatures and personal messages to him.
"This is incredible..." he said as he kept looking at photos.
He noticed three pictures sitting on top of the piano. One was of Laura and her father sitting at the piano together. The other was of Laura and her mother. Mrs. Charles was sitting on the porch with Laura on her lap as she puckered her lips towards the camera and a 5 year old Laura had her arms wrapped around her neck and her lips planted deep on her mothers cheek. The last photo was of the three of them cuddled together on the porch swing. "She looks like her father a lot." JC smiled.
"Yes...I know." she replied never smiling back. JC looked down next to the piano and noticed 4 crates full of sheet music. He looked towards Mrs. Charles who was still standing outside the door.
"May I?" he asked.
"Sure." she replied.
He leafed through a few pages and shook his head. "This is just amazing."
He placed the sheet music back into the crate and turned around to find a tiny wooden piano and miniature sized stool in the corner along with a box of toys sitting next to it.
Laura's mother looked in the direction of his gaze. "Laura used to sit down here for hours with her father while he played. I would be all the way upstairs in the kitchen and I could hear her singing along so loudly to the music he played." she said as she starred at the tiny piano. "He used to sit her up at the piano and they would play together. I used to have to drag her upstairs some nights because she would always want to stay up 'help dada' with his songs."
JC smiled as her mother continued to speak about Laura's younger years. He noticed 6 radios sitting on the floor piled on top of one another. "That's a lot of radios." he commented.
"Yeah. I don't have a need for music in this house anymore. I've had enough music around here to last me a few lifetimes. " she quickly stated.
JC was puzzled by her response, but didn't feel he had any right to ask her why. Mrs. Charles looked as though she were ready to go back upstairs. JC took one last look as he turned off the light. He locked the door and placed the key back where he found it and helped her back upstairs.
Laura came home and found her mother sitting in the living room watching television while JC was in the kitchen writing. "Mom. I went and picked up some shrimp to cook for dinner tonight. I know its your favorite." she yelled towards the living room.
"I'm going out to eat with your Aunt Dorothy tonight. You and JC can have it." she yelled back.
"Oh..." Laura said as she placed the bags onto the counter. "I didn't know you had other plans."
"Yeah. You should have asked me before you went and bought all that stuff."
'This woman is psychotic' JC's mouthed to himself as he looked towards the living room.
"That's ok. We can just have more shrimp for the two of us, Laura." JC said trying to make her feel better. Laura nodded her head in agreement as she began to put the food away.
A loud knock came at the front door. "Come in!" Connie yelled.
"Mrs. Charles? It's me, Rick."
"Oh, hey Ricky! How is your sister doing?"
JC looked up from the table and leaned to see who had just come into the house.
"Oh she is doing pretty good." the voice said.
"Oh, man! Ricky?" JC yelled as he stood up to go into the other room.
"What's up man?" Ricky grinned as he walked over to JC and shook his hand before giving him a hug.
"I haven't seen you in so long. How are you?"
"I'm doing pretty good." Ricky said. "I just came by to pick up a couch Mrs. Charles said we could have."
Laura walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. Ricky looked over at her. "Wow." he paused as he scanned her body with his eyes. "Hey Laura."
"Hey Rick." she replied as she went over and gave him a hug. JC could tell Laura felt awkward during the embrace. He noticed Rick hugged her just a little too long and a little too tight. JC suddenly felt uncomfortable.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I came to pick up a couch your mother said Janine could have."
"Oh. Which one?"
"The white one in the basement."
"The brand new one I had sent over to you a month ago?" she asked.
"It's still in the plastic they delivered it in. I don't have any use for it, Laura, so I told Janine she could have it."
"Oh," Laura replied.
"Why don't you help him with it, JC. Its pretty heavy." Mrs. Charles said.
"Sure."
"Rachel is on her way into town. She told me to tell you that she will be over as soon as she gets in." Rick told Mrs. Charles.
"She is?" Laura and her mother said simultaneously in surprise.
"Yeah. She called around looking for you and found out from Justin that you were here. She was worried like we all were so she and Jerry took the first flight they could to get here."
"She's such a sweet girl." Mrs. Charles said. Rick nodded. "Well I better hurry up and get back home." he said as he leaned down and hugged Laura's mother. He stopped in front of Laura on his way into the hallway. "It was nice seeing you again, Laura."
"You too, Rick."
The two men went down into the basement and started to take the couch out of the house.
"You and Laura are rather close these days."
"We've always been close." JC said as he struggled to climb the stairs.
"Yeah...That's true. You two do have Rachel in common. And the two of them are like sisters, so I guess I could see how you two are inseparable."
"What's up with Laura and her mother?" JC asked.
Rick stopped. "What do you mean?"
"Her mother seems kinda....Kinda cold blooded."
"Yeah....Let's wait till we get outside to talk about that." Rick explained.
Once they were outside and had loaded the couch into the truck, Rick and JC got in and began to drive down the street. "Ever since Mr. Charles died, things haven't been the same in that house…."
Rick went on to explain that Mrs. Charles tried everything in her power to keep Laura from following in her father's footsteps. First she locked up his studio where the piano was and forbid Laura to ever go in there. She used to have a large padlock on the door when Laura used to live here. Then she got rid of all the radios in the house. She signed Laura up for other activities that had nothing to do with music. She took down all the pictures that had anything to do with music. She had become emphatic that there be no music in that house.
"...She is still a great lady, but she has never been able to deal with his death properly." Rick said as they neared the house.
"I thought I was just imagining shit." JC said.
"No. It's good that you are here with her though. I'm sure she wouldn't have been able to handle her without you."
"She doesn't seem to really like me much."
Rick laughed. "You're a musician. She probably hates you, JC...She seemed rather interested to know you back when Rachel would brag about you. She doesn't know about anything that went down between you guys though. The whole thing with little Nikolas has remained a big secret too."
"Nikki? What do you mean?" JC asked.
As they pulled up to the blue house on the corner, JC noticed the limo.
"Look, the jackass is finally here." Rick said as he saw Jerry grabbing bags out of the trunk. "Look, I'll explain later, JC. Let's just hurry up and get this in the house so we both can get the hell out of here."
JC smiled. He hated Jerry, but knew Rick hated him even more. Rick got out of the car and asked the limo driver to move the vehicle out of his way. JC saw Jerry turn around and walk towards him in the truck. JC quickly looked down at his hand, scared that Jerry would leak the news of his recent marriage to Rachel before he and Laura could. But he was mostly afraid Jerry would leak the news to the press to gain more publicity. JC quickly pulled his wedding ring off his hand and stuffed it down in his pocket.
"JC. What the hell are you doing here? I have been trying to call you non-stop since yesterday."
"I came up to see about Laura's mother with her."
Jerry seemed far from interested in the condition of Laura's mother. "Oh. How are you two coming along with the album."
"It's moving along. Our schedules have been a bit hectic...Especially with emergencies like this."
"Well I need you guys to put some petal to the metal with this. You only have a couple months left."
"I know Jerry."
"Good. As long as you know our asses are on the line with this." he pointed out.
"I could give a fuck about your ass, Jerry." JC laughed.
Jerry was not amused. "Well then think about Laura's. She's got a great deal riding on this."
"Look...We'll have it done by deadline."
"That's what I like to hear." Jerry said as he walked back towards the house. JC rolled his eyes before getting out of the car to help Rick bring the couch into the house.
CHAPTER 43
"Rachel said she would be over in a little while." JC stated as he walked into the house. He went in the kitchen to talk to Laura and noticed there were groceries on the counter but she was no where in sight. He walked in the living room and saw Mrs. Charles sitting there reading a book.
"Where is Laura?" he asked.
"Upstairs having another one of her dramatic moments." Mrs. Charles responded as she turned the page. JC walked up the steps and rounded the stairwell towards Laura's room.
KNOCK KNOCK
"Laura? Are you in there?" he asked as he went to turn the knob. He opened to door and saw Laura sitting in the middle of her bed with her legs pressed up against her chest. He saw her eyes were red and puffy. He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed and touched her toes. "What's happened?"
"Nothing." she mumbled between her sobs. "I'll be fine in a minute."
"Laura. Tell me what happened." he asked.
She pointed to a large box on the end of the bed. JC pulled back the flaps and noticed that the box was full of padded envelopes addressed to her mother.
"What am I looking at here?" he asked.
"Every last one of the songs that I have written to date. She didn't even bother to open them." she said is dismay as she wiped her tears away and breathed deeply. "Anytime I write a song and its recorded, I send her the tapes so she can hear them."
"She never opened one?"
"Never. There are songs in there from 5 years ago, JC." she cried. He put his hand around her head and pulled her in closer to his chest. He gently rubbed her back and ran his hands through her hair as she sobbed. "She loves you, Laura."
"I've tried to send her money to help her out and she refuses it. She had been eyeing that couch set at the store one time and I went and bought it for her as a surprise. She just gives it away, like it were an old sweater she didn't need anymore. I send her newspaper and magazine articles about me and she throws them away, JC." Laura continued to cry.
All JC could do was sit and try and sooth her pain. "No one is perfect. And we all have problems. Your mom is just having a hard time dealing with hers. She sees your father in you and I guess that is something she hasn't been able to cope with, so she puts up a defense. But she loves you, Laura. That much you need to know is true."
"I know she does...I just wish she would say it." she wiped her eyes. "So I guess now you know why I'm so screwed up. This is so embarrassing."
JC kissed her forehead. "We're all screwed up." he said as he moved her hair out of her face and kissed her lips. "Why should you be anymore special."
Laura lightly smiled and let her head fall into his chest. He sent her off to take a shower and freshen up while he went downstairs to make the salad for dinner.
As he was chopping up the lettuce, Mrs. Charles came into the kitchen to get a glass of water and take her pain medication. "So is she done having another of her childish tantrums? I mean, really...They were only a bunch of tapes." she said as she took a sip of her water.
JC placed the knife down on the counter and turned to look towards Laura's mother. "How can you be so cold?"
Connie stopped in mid sip. "Excuse me?"
"How can you wake up every morning knowing that you treat her the way you do? I've been in this house less than 24 hours and I am ready to bolt out of here the first chance I get."
"Then leave! No one is stopping you. And make sure you take her with you."
"I get here and I see that Laura's a mere shell of the woman I see everyday. She is vivacious and full of life. She doesn't let anyone tell her what she can and can't do. She knows what she wants and she goes and gets it. And she sure as hell doesn't let anyone talk to her the way you have!" he yelled as he looked at her in dismay.
JC caught himself and tried to calm down. He leaned back against the counter and continued to speak. "She is an extremely charismatic person. Did you know your daughter can walk into a room and it will light up just because of her smile? Did you know that she is very respected in our industry? And its not because of who her father was. It is because of who she is..."
"Ha...Like that is something I should be proud of? My daughter...The musician. Writing songs about a bunch of crap! Not trying to change anything in this world we live in. Only looking out for that almighty dollar. Being as irresponsible as it comes. Going out and getting drunk and only God knows what else and ending up married? I just can't fathom how many people she opened her legs for to get where you say she is today. And you call her respected?! I guess you would. You're a musician too. Just greedy and hung up in yourselves and your precious music."
"How would you know anything? You've never even listened to any of her songs! You don't know what she writes about. You don't know how many hearts she has touched with her music, because you've never been interested enough to find out. You don't know how many lives she may have changed because of a simple line in a song that meant just the right thing to that one person at just the right moment. You don't know how many faces light up when they see her enter the room because they finally get to see the face behind the music that they cherish and love." JC shook his head. "I can't believe you can stand here and talk about her like that. And I'm actually more of an asshole for allowing you to talk about my wife the way you just did! She's your daughter...Your own flesh and blood and you don't even know the first thing about her. That's sad, lady."
"I don't need to! She is just like her father. Reckless and irresponsible. She is going to end up just like him if she doesn't straighten up!" she yelled back.
"You think she is going to kill herself like your late husband did? Well I guess you would think that." he mocked. "You are probably the one that dro-"
"That's enough JC!" a voice yelled out from behind him. JC turned around and saw Laura standing in the doorway.
"Yes. That is quite enough!" Mrs. Charles stated as she took another sip of her water.
The room was silent as the three of them stood there looking at one another. Laura had on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. Her hair was wet from the shower and dripping onto the towel draped around her neck. "Will you excuse us please." Laura asked as she looked at JC.
"I don't know what came over me." he tried to explain. "I am very sorry, Mrs. Charles." JC wiped his hands on a towel and started to leave the kitchen. "I'll be upstairs if you need me."
The kitchen was silent as Laura and her mother waited. Once she heard the door shut Mrs. Charles began to speak. "Who did he think he was talking to?"
"He was talking to his mother-in-law. The only reason I asked him to leave was because I don't need him to defend me to my own mother."
"You think he was right in talking to me the way he did?"
"I believe he had quite a few valid opinions." she said as she sat down at the table. She folded her hands and looked up at her mother who was leaning on crutches. "Why do you hate me?"
"I don't hate you!" Her mother defended.
"Ever since daddy died, you don't even seem like you want to look at me. As if looking at me were bringing back unwanted memories. You belittle me every chance you get. You've always tried to make me feel as though my hopes and dreams were nothing but childish fantasies. I tried so hard to make you happy. I did everything I could to please you, mommy, and it never seemed to be enough for you." she sobbed.
"Well what do you expect? You are the reason he left us. He couldn't stand the fact that at 9 years old you were a better musician than he could ever be. Showing off every chance you could. Gloating about being able to finish pieces that took your father months to work on. You drove him over the edge. You act and look just like him...Why would I want to look at you, and see him in your eyes?"
"Is that what you still tell yourself at night? That I was the one that drove my father to hang himself in the basement?"
Connie covered her ears so she couldn't hear what her daughter was saying.
"You were so angry that daddy left us the way he did. You got rid of everything that had to do with daddy and music and locked it tight down in that basement where you wouldn't have to deal with it. But I was also a part of daddy! You were always looking for someone to blame. Someone to be responsible for daddy's death. He did it to himself, mom. It wasn't anyone's fault but his own."
"You don't know what you are talking about little girl." she said angrily through clenched teeth.
"Why didn't you just get rid of me when you could? Grandma and Grandpa Charles wanted me to come and live with them. But I guess you needed someone around to feel just as bad as you. And 16 years later you are still doing it. Growing bitter and bitter by the day."
Laura's mother limped over to the sink and turned her back to Laura as she placed her glass down.
Laura watched her and stood up and walked towards her. Her mother never turned to face her. She went to touch her but pulled her hands back and stared at the back of her head as she continued to speak. "And every time you treat me the way you do, I try my best to love you even more...Because I am waiting for just that one moment when I can look into your eyes and see some trace of someone I used to look up to as the greatest person in the world...My mother. But I can't even do that anymore." she said softly as she placed the towel onto the counter.
"Well good. It will save us both the aggravation of having to deal with one another. I think it is time for you and your new husband to get out of my house." she stated as she turned on the water.
Laura pushed in her chair and chuckled lightly to herself. "It's actually my house. My father left it to me in his will. I am just letting you live here. But you are right, mom. I do need to go. Sixteen years is a long time to go without hearing 'I love you' from the person that gave birth to me. I've tried so hard to make you proud of me. And it seems I will never have a moment when you can look at me and be happy that I am your daughter." Laura proceeded up the stairs and grabbed her things. JC was sitting in his room when she poked her head inside the door. "Are you ready to go?"
"Go where?"
"I'm ready to leave. We can find a hotel near the airport until we get a flight out of here." she said.
"Okay." he nodded as he collected his things. "What happened with your mother?"
"I don't want to talk about it right now, ok?"
"Okay." he agreed.
As they came downstairs they both went into the kitchen to say goodbye. "I again apologize for my outburst earlier, Mrs. Charles. I was out of line." JC noticed that her eyes were wet and wondered if she had been crying. "It was very nice meeting you." he said as he stretched out his hand.
Mrs. Charles shook his hand quickly and nodded her head before saying goodbye to him and turning back around towards the sink as she continued to wash dishes. Laura made her way to the kitchen and gave him the keys to the rental car and told him she would be out in a second. She looked towards her mother and then up at the ceiling trying not to cry again. "I'll talk to you soon, then..." she said as she turned to leave.
She stopped and closed her eyes before opening her mouth slowly and saying, "I love you, mom."
Laura walked out the door. Her mother stood in the kitchen still looking out the back window. A single tear fell down into the sink as she heard the car drive off.
CHAPTER 44
"No. We are going to stay just another day. Tell Johnny thanks for understanding, Justin...Okay...Talk to you later...I will...Bye." JC hung up the phone and leaned towards Laura who was lying in bed beside him. "Justin says hello." he said as he kissed her neck.
Laura nodded her head as she starred at the hotel alarm clock.
"You need to get up and get some air, Hun."
"I will soon."
"You need to blow off some of that steam, Hun. I, for one, volunteer my services in any way possible…if you know what I mean." he teased as he playfully bit her earlobe.
Laura kicked her foot back to push him. JC smiled as she draped his arm around her waist and nibbled on her neck. She pushed her body back against his and closed her eyes feeling safe and comforted by his touch. "Is it horrible for me to feel kinda sad but at the same time extremely free and liberated? she asked as she turned over to face him.
"No. Not at all."
"Do you know I've never been able to stand up to her until today!?" she exclaimed as she sat up and straddled him on the bed. JC wrapped his hands around her hips and then up her back as she leaned down to rest her chin against his chest. JC kissed the top of her head. Laura smiled at him and ran her fingers lightly across his lips. "My mother has been this overpowering force in my life for so long, I didn't know what it was like to be able to speak freely in my own house. "
"Well we all want to please our parents, babe. We don't ever want to disrespect them, or be out of 'place'."
"Listening to you defend me to her somehow gave this tremendous feeling of confidence. Like I could finally say what I have been wanting to say for so long, JC. No one has ever done that for me." she softly said as she ran her fingertip down the tip of his nose. "God, I love you so much." She leaned down and began to kiss him deeply. JC ran his hands down to the small of her back. As the kissing grew more passionate, he slid his fingers up the back of her shirt to touch her skin.
"You make me feel like I can do anything when I am with you!" she yelled with joy before quickly pecking him on the lips a few more times and jumping up off the bed.
JC reached for her wondering where she was going in the middle of their moment. "Did you remember my notebook?" she asked.
With everything that happened JC had forgotten about it. "Yeah. Its in my bag. Do you need it right now?" he whined.
Laura laughed. "Yeah. I wanted to write a few things in there."
He went over and grabbed the bag and took out the notebook and handed it to her. As she was writing in the back of the book he decided to finally ask her. "Laura?"
"Yes?" she said as she continued to write.
"Please don't be upset with me, but I read your songs."
Laura stopped writing and looked up at him. "So? I don't mind."
"Well...That's not all I read."
Laura was confused. "What do you mean?"
"I read the front part of it also...Your journal."
Laura's face turned 12 shades of red and she remembered some of the things she had written about him. "Oh Lord. That's just great." She closed her eyes and began to quote herself. "You read that part before we were even together about wanting your tremendously large cock to slide between my breasts?" she asked as she covered her face with the pillow.
JC smiled in recognition. "Yeah. But that's not all I read. There was this one entry back in February of last year."
"And?" she asked as she was trying to figure out what he was talking about.
He shook his head and took the notebook from her and opened it up to the page and began to read:
February 25:
Rachel came over earlier today and we had a very long discussion about things that have been going on lately. I don't know what the hell I am going to do. If I tell him, I stand a chance of losing them both as friends. I just don't know if JC will ever forgive me if he finds out what I did.
Laura's head fell back onto the pillow. JC watched her as she looked up at the ceiling and shook her head from side to side.
"What were you talking about when you wrote that?" he asked.
Laura sat up in bed and put her face in her hands before raking her fingers through her hair and looking at him. "I have been struggling with this for the past year now. And I think now is a better time than any to be completely honest with you...I-"
The hotel room phone began to ring. Laura ignored it and started to speak again. JC kept looking at the phone and then at her for an answer.
"Let me get this. I think its the woman about our plane tickets." she said as she held her pointer finger up.
"Hello? Yes this is she. Oh they are?" As Laura continued to talk JC heard his cell phone ringing. "Hello?"
"Where the heck are you guys?" Rachel asked.
"At a hotel near the airport. The Radisson. Why?"
"I have been trying to see you guys for the past three days." Rachel continued to talk.
Laura hung up the phone and whispered that she needed to go and get their tickets before the flight was booked up. They only had a 30 minute reserve on the seats before they were offered to someone else. She told him she would be back soon and grabbed her shoes and ran out the door.
"I went looking for you two at the house but Ms. Connie said that you had left and were headed for a hotel. What the hell is up with that? I am actually in the area right now. What room are you guys in?"
"Yeah there's been a lot of drama lately. It's a long story. We're in room 314. Laura ran over to the airport to get the tickets but she said she would be right back."
"Good. I need to talk to you both about something. I'll be there in a few minutes."
Laura returned to the hotel 45 minutes later with two large bags and a carrier tray with two large drinks. "JC, I went and got us some Wendy's on my way back. I know it's not shrimp, buuutttt-" Laura stopped in midsentence as she looked down at the site in front of her.
CHAPTER 45
The lamp and two chairs that were sitting near the entrance to the room were tipped over on the floor. Laura called out to JC and looked around the room to find him, but he was no where in sight. She walked towards the bathroom and heard something crack under her shoe. She looked down and saw broken glass on the floor. She leaned down to pick the larger pieces up as she called out to JC again. As she stood up she was startled by the figure standing in the doorway to the bathroom. "JC? What the hell happened in here? Are you okay?"
JC put his hand up on the frame of the door and let his head slightly fall as he looked towards her. He never spoke a word. Laura's heart was beating a million miles a second. The silence seemed to be deafening. She slowly walked towards him and could see he had been crying. "JC...Talk to me. What happened here?" she asked as she reached to touch his chest. JC stepped away from her and walked over towards the bed and sat down. Wearing only a pair of sweatpants he leaned down and started to put on a pair of socks.
"Will you please talk to me!? What is going on?" she asked loudly.
JC spoke softly to her. "I don't even know who you are anymore," he answered, continuing to put on his socks.
Laura was confused. "What do you mean?"
"Don't do this to me. I don't need this shit right now, Laura!" he said as he laced up shoes.
"JC. What-"
He quickly interrupted her and began to raise his voice. "A whole year...A whole fuckin' year and you have been in my life everyday and not even said a word about it!"
Laura realized what he was talking about and let her body slide down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. "Rachel came by while I was gone, I gather."
"Yes. Apparently, she needed to get a few things off her chest."
"What did she tell you?"
JC's anger was building as he tightly gripped onto his t-shirt to keep from throwing something across the room. "She told me everything you didn't. That's a whole year of his life that I have missed. A whole year that someone else has been taking advantage of, in my fuckin' place!" he yelled as tears began to fall down his eyes.
Laura sat against the wall crying to herself as she watched JC and saw how much pain he was in. He started to pack his things up to leave. Laura slowly got up and walked over to him at the dresser.
"JC I'm sorry...I didn't know Nikky was--."
"Dont' fuckin' lie to me, Laura. Just stop. Don't make shit any worse than it already is!" He walked away from her back over to the bed to pack up his shirts and plane ticket.
"She is my best friend. What was I supposed to do, JC? Was I supposed to betray her after I promised I wouldn't say anything to anyone about it? She never told me he was actually yours."
"But you knew he could have been. You knew there was a possibility that Nikolas could have been my son!?" JC threw his head back in dismay as he thought back to all the times the three of them were together with the baby. "I mean all those times that we all sat around together and I played with him. You knew how much I loved that kid. You knew how badly I wanted kids. How could you just sit there each time and not be able to tell me that the little blue eyed kid I adored was mine?"
Laura kept wondering why JC kept referring to Nikolas as his own. Rachel had only told her there was a possibility. Laura was curious to find out exactly what Rachel said to him. She wanted to make sure that Rachel wasn't up to anything and that she told him before she found out about their recent marriage to one another. Laura was about to ask when she looked down and noticed that JC's wedding ring was not on his finger. "Did she tell you this before or after you told her about the wedding?"
JC paused and looked towards her. "I never got a chance to bring it up." He said.
Laura rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I guess you must have left that part out." She pointed down towards his hand. JC looked down and remembered that he wasn't wearing his ring. He went to explain but shook his head and said, "Don't try and turn this around on me."
He grabbed his bag and walked towards the door. Laura ran in front of JC to stop him. "Where are you going?"
"I'm getting the fuck out of here before I go crazy." he said as he started to walk past her.
"No, you're not going...You're not leaving." She grabbed his arms to stop him.
JC threw his bag down. "What do you want from me, Laura!" He yelled loudly.
"I want us to talk this out. I want to explain this to you. I want to know what you are thinking right now."
"You don't want to know what I am thinking right now. You don't want to know that I don't even want to be in the same hemisphere as you. You don't want to know that I can't even stand to look at you right now."
Laura began to cry even more. "JC, please. I am so sorry." She wept as she inched towards him. With every move she made in his direction JC moved back from her. "I didn't know. I was trying to protect you." she pleaded.
"What the fuck? Do I have a fuckin' sign on my back that says protect me? Do I look like I need saving!?" he yelled.
"No" she nodded. "I was only trying to be the best friend I could be. I only did it because I love you..." she cried as she went to place her hands on his face. "I just want to be with you."
"Don't bullshit me." he said as he grabbed her hands.
Laura kept repeating that she loved him. JC pushed her back against the door and continuously pounded his fist into the wall next to her head "Don't bullshit me...Don't you fuckin bullshit me!!!" he yelled. JC slowly backed away from her.
"I love you." she cried as she began to walk back towards him. JC pushed her hands away, but she didn’t relent in her pursuit to make him understand. He grabbed her wrists in his hands to keep her from touching him and looked away from her to avoid any eye contact. He eventually let go of her wrists as she placed her hands on each side of his face trying to get him to look at her. He looked down as she continued to speak. "I love you...And I know you love me too. I would never do anything to hurt you. I want to hear you say that you don't love me, JC. Cause if you do, then I won't bother you ever again." she said, taking off her wedding ring and placing it in his hands.
Laura moved her face in closer towards his. "Just tell me now, and I will get out of your life." she said as she slowly kissed his cheek.
JC looked up into her eyes and they both stared at one another for a brief moment before he calmly stated matter-of-factly, "My mother was right...I don't love you." He quickly leaned down and grabbed his bag and walked out the door.
The words hit Laura like a bullet to the stomach. She doubled over in pain as she fell to the floor and began to sob uncontrollably.
~~~~~
"Ma'am? Would you like a pillow and a blanket before we take off?"
"No thank you. But could you please possibly get me a drink?"
"Sure. What would you like?"
"I would like a-" Laura stopped in mid sentence as she saw JC boarding the plane.
They both made eye contact. JC rolled his eyes and slowly walked towards her looking down at his ticket to see where he was sitting.
"On second thought, is there any way that I can sit somewhere else?"
"I'm sorry ma'am, the entire flight is full. We would have to wait until all the passengers are here and ask if anyone would be kind enough to switch with you." The stewardess turned around and saw JC approaching. "Oh, Good morning, Mr. Chasez. It's good to see you again." The stewardess said as she moved out of the way so JC could take his seat.
JC recognized her from his flight into Philadelphia and slightly smiled before putting his bags in the overhead compartment. He overheard Laura talking to the stewardess about her seat change. He looked around and noticed that alot of people were staring at him and whispering to one another. He knew that if she changed seats he would be at risk of sitting with someone who wouldn't let him get a moments rest until they got an autograph for everyone in their family. "You don't have to move. I think we can get through two hours together, Laura."
The stewardess was surprised that they knew each other. She looked down and noticed that the same notebook JC had been reading a few days before was the same one Laura had been writing in. Her curiosity was peaked.
"Did you still want that drink?"
"Yes. One..No…Two of those little bottles of vodka would be fine. And a sprite also."
JC inched past Laura to the window seat and fastened his belt.
"Anything for you?"
"Just a pair of headphones like last time. I need to get some sleep." he smiled to her.
Laura was under the impression JC wanted to talk to her when he told her she didn't have to move, but soon figured out why when a lady and her two teenage daughters walked by and suddenly stopped when they saw him. JC smiled and talked to them briefly and signed his name on a couple napkins for them before the stewardess came over and instructed the ladies that they needed to take their seats.
Neither of them spoke a word to one another during the flight. JC grabbed the airplane phone in the compartment and pulled out his credit card to make a call. "Hey...It's me...No, I'm on my way back now. I should be home in the next couple hours or so."
Laura could hear him talking and watched him through the corner of her eye.
"When will you be back in town? I want to get together and talk. There's alot I need to tell you...About us...I also want to see the baby." JC continued his conversation.
He looked over at Laura every few moments to see if she was listening. Laura was writing in her notebook and seemed to be busy in her own thoughts. In actuality she was writing a bunch of garble to make it look like she were not interested in what he was doing. She knew he was talking to Rachel and she had to try and focus on something else to keep herself from crying. She called over the stewardess and asked her for a pair of headphones. She needed to block out his voice. The stewardess returned with the headphones and Laura placed them over her ears and adjusted the sound so that she could only hear the music.
After his conversation was over, he leaned his chair back and put his headphones back on and closed his eyes and listened to the music. JC was awaken by a familiar tune playing. His eyes lit up as he listened to the song. He recognized the group was Jagged Edge and soon realized it was so familiar because it was a remake of an old Air Supply song, "All Out Of Love". He smiled to himself at how good the old hit sounded. He glanced over at Laura and could see her staring straight ahead. He noticed the tears falling down her cheeks and his smile faded. He pretended to sleep as he peeped over and saw her wiping the tears from her eyes. She sat there listening to the music playing through the headphones and thought of JC as she listened to the lyrics.
I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you
I know you were right, believing for so long
I'm all out of love, what am I without you
I can't be too late to say that I was so wrong......
When they arrived in Florida, Laura and JC went their separate ways through the terminal. Once they were outside, they both began to hail down a cab. JC flagged one down first and proceeded to get in. He told the driver where he wanted to go and sat back and looked out the window towards Laura who was struggling to get a taxi of her own. JC took a deep breath and told the driver to pull up to where she was standing. She stood there and was about to walk over until she saw JC. "You comin' or not?" he asked as he rolled down his window. Laura walked over and got into the cab. "She's going to the same place." JC told the driver.
The drive home was long and silent. JC looked straight ahead the entire drive. Laura wanted to say something to him, but knew she was better off leaving him alone. When they reached her house she slowly opened her door and started to get out. She leaned in and got her bag and looked towards JC and said, "We'll need to meet soon to get everything situated, so that things are taken care of swiftly and not drawn out too long."
JC looked towards her and nodded before turning his gaze back out the opposite window. Laura shut the door and watched as the car drove off around the corner. She picked up her bag and walked up to the door. She took the mail from the mailbox and slowly entered her house. Laura dropped her bag by the door and went and laid on the couch. She stared up at the ceiling trying to figure out what she should do next. She decided to try and forget about her troubles for one day and just use the day to sleep away her sorrows. She leafed through her mail and noticed a card from Hallie. She smiled as she opened it. Her smile soon faded when she saw the card. It had two wine glasses on the cover. She opened it up and saw a special message from her friend:
Hey girl,
Sorry this is late, but you didn't give me much notice...j/k. Call me when you get this. Don't laugh at my poem I wrote either. It took me forever to write. =o).
Your best bud,
Hallie
~~~~~~~
Marriage Doesn't Come Flat Pack
Marriage is not an impulse buy.
Like buying flat pack furniture from a life style store.
It’s not something you get to impress your friends,
Because Cosmo said it’s of the latest trends.
It’s not cherry veneer on MDF, with castors and handles to match.
Something you can wheel around with the flick of a catch.
It’s more like that old sideboard in the corner supporting the wall.
It has a drawer for odd things like string, hooks, fuses and tape.
Another for old photos, pictures and things that have meaning.
It has solid feet and blocks to prevent it from leaning.
There’s a place underneath for your favorite shoes.
And a nook to store things you don’t want to lose.
There’s plenty of space for things you have been given.
That cake stand, decanter, teapot; things best kept hidden.
All the things you can’t use yet.
And the things you have shared since you first met.
There is room at the back for games, toys and prizes,
To amuse children of all shapes and sizes.
It’s not held together with clever catches and odd shaped screws.
It has dovetail joints stuck with care and old fashioned glue.
It’s solid and warm with coffee ring stains and edges that don’t catch.
It’s totally unique. No others to match.
It has a familiar bees wax smell,
And you know that it will serve you both well.
This thing is BIG.
It can take knocks and scrapes and the odd small explosion.
It can be mended and fixed with care and devotion.
You may decide to have it restored,
A coat of French polish and new liners for drawers.
Hopefully, an occasional rub down is all that’s required…..
You can cover it in chintz, velvet or paint.
It can be kitsch, cheesy, tasteful or quaint.
The point is that it’s yours’ to change.
It doesn’t have to fit with the latest range.
It can be grand, outrageous, fun or tame,
Because it’s built on a hardwood frame.
This piece has no price tag. It’s not on a list and can’t be bought in a sale.
There’s no receipt, it can’t go back to the shop or be sold.
It doesn’t come in flat pack with a plan and some packing.
It may end up battered, tired and lacking.
But it’s yours. Yours alone. Don’t be tempted to chuck it into a skip,
Because fashion dictates that sideboards aren’t hip.
Laura let the tears stream down her face as she finished reading the card. She reached over and grabbed the phone and dialed Hallie's number.
"Hello?"
"Hallie?" she said between sobs.
"Laura? What's wrong?"
"Can you come to Florida? I need you. I'll book the flight and everything...I don't care. Please just come." she cried.