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She’s replying.
Thank fuck.
The bubbles disappear and I sit here staring at my phone like an idiot, waiting to see what she’s typing.
Nothing comes up and finally… my phone rings.
“Hadley?” I answer immediately.
“Cash. I’m so sorry. Last night. Oh my gosh, it was a shit show. I’m so sorry I didn’t reach out sooner.”
“Are you okay?” That’s my main concern.
“Kind of. Not really? I don’t know.”
“Talk to me. What happened?”
“First of all, around five last night I got a text from Trotter that was a 9-1-1 text. We never abuse that so I knew it was an emergency. He told me I needed to get to Nashville and naturally I assumed there was a medical emergency, which turned out to be true but not because of what he told me. Anyway, since I thought it was that, I had Brooklyn and Aunt Dorothy come along. My parents’ plane was still in Gatlinburg so we took that because that’s what Trotter told me to do in the text. I know it sounds –”
I interrupt her with, “It doesn’t sound any sort of way, don’t think I’m going to judge you for a private plane or whatever else. I understand.”
She blows out a breath. “Thank you. It sounds so uppity, I know, but that’s just who they are.”
“Yup. Kind of figured that out already.”
She goes on, “On the way to the airport, I called Trotter and he told me my parents were in jail.”
“Jail!” I shout.
“Crazy, right? My parents. My dad not really, just in the drunk tank or whatever that means because he was freaking hammered out of his mind. Never seen that before so I can’t begin to imagine what that even looked like. My mom for other reasons. I’m not sure why Dad isn’t out yet, though. Unless he started acting up at the police station, which is very possible, unfortunately.” She lets out a laugh but it lacks all traces of humor.
“Your parents… are injail?!”I repeat because that’s the craziest thing I’ve heard in alongtime.
“I know. That’s not even the entire story. Anyway, we landed in Nashville and yeah, the night went to hell fast after that. Aunt Dorothy wasn’t feeling well after the flight so she asked for some Sprite and next thing we know, she’s lightheaded and vomiting and her chest was hurting. She’s in the hospital in Nashville because she had a freaking heart attack.”
“What the hell!”
“She’ll be okay,” she rushes to explain. “She had to have emergency bypass surgery last night and my parents are still in jail so I’m in an Uber right now heading to the jail to bail them out. Something I never thought I’d have to say.”
As she’s talking, I’m looking around my office, sure I’m on candid camera. Her prim and proper parents. In jail? No way. There’s no way. Dorothy had a heart attack? The woman who hustles and still runs the diner like she’s in her prime?
“Uh. I’m not sure where to start. You’re sure Dorothy is going to be okay?”
“Yeah. Doctors are confident she’ll recover fine but it’ll be a slow process. Or, at least, slower than she’s used to. Good thing I’m taking over the diner so she won’t have that on her shoulders.”
“Damn. She’s strong so I’m sure you’re right. And stubborn as ever which will be fun for you to deal with when you’re trying to keep her at a slow pace but a good thing for her because it’ll make her determined to get well as quickly as possible.”
“Right.”
“Hadley. How areyoudoing?”
I hear her sniffle and it breaks me, knowing she’s alone and crying. “Exhausted. Brooklyn and I stayed in a hotel last night but didn’t get there until after midnight. My phone died, Brooklyn’s phone died, too. As soon as I woke up, I went to the Walgreen’s that was just down the street this morning and bought a couple chargers and a few other necessities then back to the hotel to shower and change into the clean underwear I bought at Walgreen’s, which is gross because they haven’t been washed but at least they’re cleaner than what we were wearing. I bought both of us cheeky Nashville sweatshirts at the hotel gift shop along with some shorts so we’re both sweating like beasts and will need to keep tapping into the deodorant I bought at Walgreen’s but whatever. It’s not the worst thing we could live with. Sorry, that was way too much information but you know how I get. I babble. Anyway, we’ll be at the hotel again tonight. Neither of us want to leave here until we’re able to bring Aunt Dorothy with us.”
“Do you know when that will be?”
“At the earliest tomorrow. Maybe the day after.”
“How are you getting back to Red Oak?”
