Page 4 of Second Chances

His phone rang, and he groaned. Melanie again. Ignoring it, he thought of his son, who possessed so much more courage than Henry, and begrudgingly, he knew his ex was partially responsible for that, as she had been full of boldness and bravery, even if lacking devotion and commitment. Major events during the past year had turned Josh’s life upside down. First was when his fiancée, Tess, left him the night before their wedding. A few months later, Josh discovered the reason Tess cancelled their nuptials was because she had fallen in love with his best friend from college, Sam. Immediately following that, the surgical fellowship he’d been certain was his had gone to his colleague. Finally, as his life unraveled, a near-fatal mistake made during a routine surgery required him to take a leave of absence from a prestigious hospital in Manhattan. After everything imploded, Josh came home to South Dakota, eventually working beside him at the auto shop. It was there that his son met Effie, the woman who had helped him find not only clarity but belief in himself and his life. All heartache was behind him now, because a few weeks ago, Josh had made his break from New York City official. While moving forward with his relationship with Effie, he was now finishing his surgical residency at Beverly General Hospital, which thrilled Henry.

On the other hand, since Josh moved in with Effie, Henry’s own life returned to a day-to-day slog which never seemed to vary. While his son lived with him these past months, his insular existence vanished. He finally had someone on the other side of the breakfast table every morning. Dinner was no longer for one, but two. And while Josh may have inherited Henry’s more quiet and reserved personality traits, his voice was enough to pierce the silence that usually pervaded the house. He supposed he would be back to that again, because even though Effie’s house was just around the block from Henry’s, a visit from his son wouldn’t be the same as Josh living with him.

In his office, Henry brewed a pot of his newest coffee blend, a dark French roast; as the aroma filled the air, he put on his reading glasses, which he was still getting used to wearing. One of the joys of getting older, he thought to himself. Unfortunately, the glasses meant he could now read his ex-wife’s name more clearly when his phone rang again, to his chagrin. Of course, he’d repeatedly tried blocking Melanie, until guilt inevitably infiltrated his conscience. Should he answer? He was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t—she’d call again either way.

Tired of avoiding her, he answered her call, putting her on speakerphone to distance himself from her. “What is it?”

“My word, Henry, I thought you would be a bit more receptive to me, especially considering everything that has happened.” Just like Melanie to play mind games at the end of his workday. God forbid he should be able to do some paperwork in peace and enjoy his drink while it was still steaming.

Gruffly, he responded, “What do you want? I’m working.” Henry, exasperated, released a disgruntled sigh. “Even though you think being a mechanic is reprehensible and demeaning, I do have things to accomplish.” One of her many complaints before she left him and their son had been his profession. Back then, he had worked for his dad at the family auto shop in his hometown of Clover Lake, population less than one thousand. After her desertion, however, needing a new start for not only himself but especially Josh, Henry had moved them to Beverley, a larger town of about fifteen thousand, forty miles away. There, at an estate auction, he had purchased an old auto garage that had sat empty for several years. In honor of his grandfather, Henry named his shop Check Care Auto, inverting two of the words from Check Auto Care. From almost the ground up, Henry built his own business, going from servicing cars himself to the crew of six he currently employed. The cacophony of machines, loud voices, and the stereo everyone loved to sing along with starkly differed from what Henry experienced in the months after becoming a single father.

Melanie’s quick intake of breath informed Henry that he had now offended her. That was Melanie—forever the injured party, yet always denying her part in inducing any pain to anyone else. “Henry, how could you say that? I never, not once while we were married, ever said those things to you or about your work.” Henry protested with a snort, and his ex-wife clarified, “Yes, I may have inferred that you were worth of more than manual labor. And yes, that was definitely something I never wanted for our son.” Her sharp tongue sliced him with her next words. “Remember, Henry, you never wanted to be a mechanic, either. When we met, when we talked about our dreams, the only thing you wanted to be was a doctor.”

Unable to argue, Henry ruminated on what he should have been, before all choice had drifted out of reach that summer…the summer he had met her. “Well, I think you and I both know we don’t always get what we want. Then again, sometimes we get things we don’t want, like when I received divorce papers in the mail from you, dated the day after you left us, but mailed a year later from Sioux Falls. Just enough information to mess with my head, but too late to do anything about it.”

After several seconds passed in silence, Melanie said, “Believe it or not, I didn’t call you to argue.” Well, that would certainly be a first. “I was wondering if…if maybe we could…meet up?”

“Meet up? Are you kidding me? Meet up? And where would we do that? May I remind you that I don’t even know where you live…haven’t known for two decades.” Chugging his coffee, Henry hoped burning his throat would wake him from this nightmare. Instead, he choked, and coffee sputtered everywhere.

“Henry? Henry? Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Not that you ever really cared,” he hoarsely responded.

“That’s not fair!” Despite the pain she had inflicted, her sultry voice made his gut clench. “I have always cared—it’s the reason I left. I cared too much.” God, this was rich. Now, that was a new one from her.

“Melanie, I hardly think ‘I cared too much’ is a defense when someone abandons their only child. In fact, I’m pretty sure that is the opposite of what the phrase means.”

She sniffed. “Good lord, Henry, I hardly abandoned Joshua. He had you. He had your family. They always seemed to matter more, anyway, every time,” Melanie replied, her voice catching.

Henry closed his eyes, casting his mind back twenty-five years, thirty years, and almost forty years, to the most recurring argument he and Melanie had when they were married. “Melanie, please, I’m too tired for this…too old for this.” Today he was feeling every one of his fifty-six years, and he just wanted to be off the phone. “Could you please get to the point of this phone call? What did you mean when you said that I should be more receptive to you after everything that has happened?”

“Well, I think I am owed some recognition for our son getting his head right and focusing on being a surgeon again. After all, you would’ve been fine having him languish next to you in that shop for who knows how long?”

“How did you know—” he stopped as he realized his own dad had probably been the one to inform Melanie about Josh. Unbeknownst to Henry until a few months ago, his father, William, had been in touch with Melanie sporadically throughout the years after she had left.

Melanie continued in the superior tone she had mastered years ago, “I’m not thrilled he’s moving back to South Dakota, mind you, not after building a life in New York City. I mean, he could have been the chief of surgery at one of the country’s biggest hospitals. You know he was meant for more, Henry.” One of the few things he and his ex were in agreement about: their brilliant son was destined for greatness, but for Henry, Josh being satisfied with his life was all the greatness he expected, unlike his ex-wife.

“Can’t you just be happy he’s on track again? He was never going to work in the shop with me forever; we both knew that.”

To his surprise, she agreed. “Okay…you’re right. Now, can you please just think about meeting with me? It’s important I see you, Henry, face-to-face.” Henry heard her draw in another raspy breath. “I’ll even come to Beverley.”

Absolutely not, Henry thought. Long-buried feelings for her aside, he couldn’t think of one good reason for her suggestion, other than to cause strife. Torturing him with agonizing phone calls wasn’t enough anymore, evidently. “If this is about getting back in our son’s life, you are on your own. Other than that, I don’t see any good reason for us to be in contact anymore.” His phone beeped with an incoming call from his brother. Great, now he had an excuse to get off the phone. “If that’s it, I have to go.” Despite her pleading not to, he hung up to take his older brother’s call.

“Hey, George. You’ll never guess who just called⁠—”

“I don’t have to, since I was standing next to Dad when the Ice Queen called him first. I don’t know what’s wrong with our old man. Says he’s always had a soft spot for her.” Melanie had gravitated to his dad, William, from the minute she and Henry had arrived in Clover Lake almost forty years ago. “Anyway, I figured, as usual, she’d call to mess with your head.”

“Right as always. I don’t hear from her in practically two decades, but now, over the past few months, she suddenly needs to talk to me? Makes me think about getting a new phone.”

“Nah, don’t do that. Just block her.” Easy for his brother to say, since he’s never been in Henry’s shoes. “So, are you leaving your shop soon?”

George, who had bought the shop in Clover Lake from their dad over a decade ago, closed at the same time as Henry but routinely left earlier, mainly because William still did most of the office work. “Yes, I was closing everything down when Mellie called.”

“Mellie, huh?” George’s tone was worried, and Henry cursed himself. “I haven’t heard you call her that in years. Do I need to be worried?”

Henry protested, “No, not even a little bit! It just slipped out,” he assured George. “You actually won’t believe what she wanted.”

“More than likely to cause her brand of turmoil, but don’t tell me over the phone. Just get your ass to Huron and fill me in then.” Huron? What was his brother talking about? All Henry planned to do tonight was grab some takeout from La Hacienda, go home, and watch Jeopardy. Maybe start on his new project in his woodworking shop. “Don’t tell me you forgot!”