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ChapterThirteen
Lennox:
I look at Peter and can tell he does not want to be back in his hometown. I take his hand in mine as I watch the scenery as we make our way to the cemetery. We are not going to stay the night we are staying long enough for me to visit the grave and head home. I have toyed with the idea of bringing the bodies back to Alabama but never really made any moves to actually have it done. When my dad died my mom buried him here because she said she couldn’t bear to have his body that far away from her. And I couldn’t convince her to move to Alabama with me, she wanted to stay in the house she lived in for so long with her husband. She purchased the plot next to my dad for herself and even had a double headstone made with all her stuff on it except her day of death. So, when she died, I didn’t try to change her obvious wish to be buried here next to my father.
I place the flowers on the grave, as Peter stands stoically next to me. I don’t really cry anymore when I go out there, but I would be lying if I said coming here doesn’t make me sad for a while. I miss them so much and wish I could have had more time with both of them. We don’t stay long but I talk to them both to get them caught up on what’s been going on in my life. I am not sure why I do that when I feel like they are both with me and not in this grave but nevertheless, I still do it. Peter’s eye keeps wandering across the cemetery and I realize he is looking at his family’s mausoleum. I tell my parents bye and begin walking over to where Peter’s mother’s remains are. He allows me to lead him, but as we get closer he stops us both in our tracks. I just stop and wait for him to either lead us the rest of the way to where his mom is or to lead us back to the car.
After a long couple of minutes, he closes the distance and stands looking at the locked door. Above the door it says FAIRCHILD.
“Are you going to have them open it?”
“No”
After another long pause, he begins talking to his mother, catching her up on the past forty years of his life. He grips my hand like I am his only lifeline and near the end of his conversation I hear his voice break as he tells her he and I are getting married. Reaching up I wipe the tear away that has managed to escape his eye. But as soon as I have that one wiped away another takes its place. Followed by another and another, and the next thing I know I am having the breath squeezed out of me but I do not offer one word of complaint. Peter purges emotions I can only guess he’s held in since his mother passed away. I do not rush him or even speak a word. I let him have this moment as I offer support and strength. Eventually, he tells her he’ll talk to her again soon and we head back to the car to head back to the airport.
As soon as he starts the car, his phone rings. He takes the call, and I can tell it is not good news.
“There is some bad weather, so the flight is delayed. Are you hungry?”
“I can eat,” I say.
“Any suggestions?”
“Yes,” I tell him and give him the name of the restaurant. He puts the name in the GPS and heads that way. The restaurant is not busy, and we get seated pretty quickly. We order our meals when we put in our drink order. We talk about me moving to Mississippi, but Benny suggests we keep my house since I will still be commuting to work at the clinic a few times a month. He also suggested opening a clinic with me in Mississippi and teaming up with his other adopted son Atlas and his wife True since they have DV shelters. Even though I took the job at the hospital, I do not know how long I will keep it if Peter and I stay this busy with our personal projects.
“I think that makes sense; it also gives us someplace to escape to when life in Mississippi gets too hectic.”
“I plan on buying that hotel, but a home is a much better set-up. That gives me an idea to build a different type of hotel with home-like accommodations instead of just hotel rooms. I’ll have to talk to Asher and Shepp when we get back home, to see……”
“Look what the cat dragged in,” A voice I haven’t heard in four decades declares.
Peter:
I take a deep breath because I would know that voice anywhere. I look up and standing there is Emma.
“Emma,” I grate out. This trip home is forcing me to face a lot of shit I would have rather left buried.
“Even though I am surprised to see you back here, I am not surprised to see you with your precious Lennox” she snarls out.
“Emma, aren’t you like sixty years old? Shouldn’t you be over this by now, or at the very least too mature to still be dwelling on high school shit?” Lennox says dryly.
“Why would I be over the fact that you stole my fiancé’?”
“I stole him. When? Before or after you were fucking his best friend?”
“You’re living my life you bitch! Had you never moved here I would be living your life.”
“You wouldn’t be living my life; you would’ve had to go to school and become a doctor and it looks like all you did was sit at home and spit out children.”
“You bit….”
“If you call her out of her name one more time, I promise you will regret it. You will not disrespect my wife; I do not give a damn if you haven’t gotten over it if you keep acting like a spoiled bitch, I’ll help you get over it. Lenny didn’t take me from you, you took you from me. Your jealousy and vindictiveness, I proposed to you, but you were too busy fucking Brad to see you had everything you wanted. By the way how long were you and Brad fucking for?” I ask the question that has been in the back of my mind since I caught them together.
“Why does that matter now?” She backtracks.
“Aww, so before Lenny moved here. Now that I look back, I can see it. Maybe I just didn’t want to admit what I felt to be true. Where is Brad by the way?” I inquire. And as if I conjured him up Brad turns the corner and freezes.
“Wow, um well look who’s here. How are you, Peter?” Brad asks
