I would love to tell you that Mom’s homecoming was a wonderful and joyous reunion; but it was neither of those. Grandfather and Grandmother left for the hospital at exactly 8:07 a.m. and didn’t return again until 11:56 a.m. I know the exact times because I sat staring at the clock on the kitchen wall watching every second tick by.
Micah was there with me, but we didn’t talk. Well she tried to get me to interact with her, but despite her best efforts to engage me, I stayed religiously focused on the clock.
From all the way in the kitchen I heard the motor of the garage door whining as it came to life.
“Their home!” I shouted to Micah and ran from the kitchen.
I didn’t know how angry I was with her until Mom stepped through the door from the garage. She held out her arms longingly for me; I didn’t move.
“Did you leave a note?” I blurted out.
“What?” she asked, her arms still outstretched.
“Did you forgot to write a suicide letter or did you just not think to leave me one?”
Grandfather started to move past Mom to intercept me. He was building up to charge me down and stop me from saying another word, but Mom reached out and took hold of his arm to stop him.
“I didn’t think…” she started to say but changed her mind, “Alvin I love you so very much.”
“Really?” I don’t really believe that I was thinking at this point. Anger had taken over all controls.
What came out of my mouth next was nothing short of poison but it needed said… I needed to say it!
“It’s a bit hard for you to love me when you’re dead, isn’t it?”
Grandmother and a nurse were holding Mom; Mom was holding onto Grandfather and they all were looking at me with complete unbelief twisting their faces.
Mom whimpered out what I am sure she thought was a heartfelt apology, “I’m sorry.”
“Are you?” I asked as if spitting on her.
“Alvin? Why are you so angry.” she asked me.
I know I said something to her but for the life of me I cannot recall what I said.
Whatever it had been, they must not have heard me either because Mom said, “What?”
I shook my head both to indicate that it didn’t matter and that I was so disappointed in her.
“It’s different now?” she said.
She had me with that one. I had to ask, “How’s it different?”
“I feel better.” She offered as though it were supposed to make everything I was feeling just go away.
“Maybe at the moment!” I said.
“Alvin that is enough!” Grandfather said firmly.
“No Dad, it’s alright.” Mom told him.
I don’t know where it came from, but a power I didn’t know was in me expelled the following words with deadly force. “Feeling better right now doesn’t help me!”
Grandfather and Grandmother recoiled but Mom didn’t as much as flinch. I think she had been expecting it and had been ready for it. Either that or she was so medicated that she hadn’t felt a single thing.
I’m sure that the Premier of China had called up the President of the United States to ask what the heck was going on in Maine. That should give you an idea how loud I was shouting.
“What happens tomorrow or next week when you don’t feel so good? What happens if the next time you do it right? What happens when I am alone?”
The instant those last six words were out of my mouth all the anger in me turned to tears. I ran to Mom and threw my arms around her. The two of us crumpled to the floor and wept for the longest time.
“Mom, please don’t ever leave me!” I hysterically wept within her arms.
Later that afternoon while sitting at the table and eating a late lunch alone, Micah came in and handed me a postcard which had just arrived in the mail. On the front of the postcard was a picture of the California coastline with an X drawn in blue ink. I instantly recognized the area beneath the X as the same stretch of beach I used to haunt. I flipped it over and to my delight I saw it was from none other than Gary himself. On the back were a phone number and a single sentence instructing me to call the number right away.
Dear Alvin,
Call this number A.S.A.P.
and be sure to call collect.
0-1-619-555-4279
“Eddie would go”,
Gary
Someone else might have read that note and thought that the only message contained was to call that number but being a lifelong surfer I also picked up on Gary’s closing line, “Eddie would go”. If you were to ask any regular surfer what it meant they would tell you that it was basically a way of calling someone a big chicken but to those that live and die by the wave, it means a whole lot more.
“Oh my goodness! Micah, thank you so very much!” I said while jumping up from the table, hugging her around the waist and running from the room.
I nearly collided with the wall as my stocking feet slid across the kitchen tiles while attempting to retrieve the phone. It took three tries to dial the number because I kept hitting the wrong buttons.
“This is the Operator, how might I help you?”
Still breathing hard I said, “I’d like to make a collect call.”
“One moment sir.”
The line went quiet for what felt like an eon. Then I heard the operator say, “I’ve connected you with your party. Have a nice day.”
“Hello Gary?” I shouted.
“ALVIN!!!”
Oh it sounded so good to hear Gary’s voice again.
“I just got your post card like two minutes ago.” I said still shouting.
“You don’t have to yell. I can hear you fine.” Gary said while laughing.
“You sound good.” He said.
“I am. Well not really, but are you really getting married?” I said very quickly.
“Whoa-whoa-whoa! Slow down Alvin. One thing at a time.”
“Sorry! I am just so glad to talk to you again.” I said.
“Alright, I am glad to hear from you too. Now for starters, are you alright?” Gary asked.
“Yes and No.” I said and then went on to tell him what has happened and I do mean everything. I told him about Dad, about Mom and about how Grandfather had been treating me.
“Oh Alvin I am so terribly sorry about your father.” he said with a shaky voice, “Despite everything he put you and your mom through, I really liked him.”
All I could think to say was, “Yeah.”
“Your mom’s back home then?” he asked.
“Yeah, just this morning but she has been sleeping since she got here.” I told him.
We talked a bit about Mom and then he switched the subject to Grandfather.
“Now what is this crap about your granddad?”
I repeated again how Grandfather had been treating me, how he had taken my surfboard, and how he said I wasn’t allowed to surf anymore. I wanted Gary to somehow make Grandfather stop being so mean to me, to make him give me back my board and to allow me to go to the competition in California. But what could Gary do from all the way out there.
“Where are you anyway?” I asked abruptly.
“Manzanillo.” He said.
“So you are in Mexico?” I asked and explained about how I had called trying to talk to him and instead found out he had sold The Shack.
“Are you really getting married?” I asked again.
“Not getting… got.” He said.
I didn’t understand what it was he had just said and had to ask, “What?”
“I am not GETTING married. I GOT married.” He said while making sure he emphasized the right words.
“YOU GOT MARRIED?” I shouted.
“Sure did.”
“TO WHO?” I exclaimed.
The line was quiet for a second then Gary said, “Alvin my cell phone battery is nearly dead. We’ll have to put a pin in this conversation. Try to stay clear of your Granddad for a while and try not to worry. Everything has a way of working ou…”
Right in the middle of what Gary was saying the call went dead. I tried calling back both collect and just dialing straight through but neither attempt was successful.
After hanging up the phone I turned around and suddenly realized that Micah had been there the whole time I had been talking.
I watched as her lips parted and was ready for her to comment somehow on one or more things I had said to Gary but that isn’t what she asked, “What is Sloppy Tuna?”
“Huh?” I asked back.
“The lil’ boy’s mother,” she started out saying.
“You mean Joey’s mom? Her name is Mommy Beth… Uh… I mean Beth” I said.
“Ah yes. Beth gave recipe for Sloppy Tuna. She say you like; No?” Micah said.
“Um, it is…” I went on to explain it to her all the while watching her closely to see if she was going to react in any way to what she had overheard. The instant I got the feeling that she was placated, I ran out of the room.
After spending the remainder of my evening on the computer, I eventually made my way up to my room where I once again found Micah. He was turning down my bed and quietly humming to herself.
Don’t ask me why I did what I did next. Perhaps the devil inside of me wanted to have a little fun. With her back to me, I crept up behind her quiet as a church mouse.
When I was directly behind her I shouted, “HI MICAH!”
But she didn’t scream, jump, or nothing. She kept pulling down the covers and fluffing the pillows.
I started to reach out and touch her with a single finger. Right before I actually made contact she spun around and said, “BOO!”
I fell backward onto my butt laughing.
“Micah that isn’t fair! I was trying to scare you!” I giggled.
“Al-bin too loud.” She said while bending over and grabbing me by the ankle. “Micah hears you coming from all the way downstairs.”
She pulled on my leg until I was from the middle of my back to my toes off the floor. She then proceeded to tickle the bottom of my stocking foot.
“AAAAAAAaaaahhhhh! I squealed and thrashed about trying to get free.
“Al-bin need laugh more.”
Unable to get away from her and her not letting up on the tickling I started to cry out, “UNCLE! UNCLE!”
When she finally let me go I found out that she didn’t know what saying ‘Uncle’ means and had to explain it to her.
She helped get me ready for bed and tucked me in good and tight. She even gave me a kiss on my forehead and told me that she loved me. When she was about to turn off the light and close my door I saw something that caused me to exhale as though I had just seen a ghost.
“Al-bin okay?” Micah asked.
For a second I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I had to blink twice to be sure.
“Al-bin?” Micah had come back into the room and was standing next to the bed, “Al-bin alright?”
I nodded to her and asked if she would leave the light on for me. After she left I lay there looking at my surfboard hanging on the wall where it belonged. I fell asleep wondering if it had been Grandfathers idea to put it back or if Mom had something to do with it.
The End
