The differing in interests didn’t cause a rift between Mike and his dad, instead, it created mutual respect. John did not see his son as less than because Mike could barely change a light bulb. Rather, John respected Mike’s creative talent and unwavering ambition to make it in the music industry.
Mike leaped into his dad’s arms and the two embraced in a bear hug for what felt like five minutes. Feeling his dad in his arms once again reassured Mike that good times were on the horizon.
When the pair let go of the embrace, Mike took his mom in his arms, she came to the door moments after John announced Mike’s arrival. “So good to see you!” Helene said. Mike could feel the wetness from the tears streaming down her cheeks on his. He did not want this moment to end.
“Mom,” Mike muttered into the neck of his mom, holding a lump in his throat. The pair let go, and right behind her was Sophie. Sophie gave Lily to Tom to hold while she rushed toward her big brother. “Sis!” Mike yelled, unable to hold back the tears any longer, Mike broke down, overcome with emotion. It had worried him that Sophie, Tom, or Lily had been trapped in the house. He was ecstatic to see their entire family made it out and appeared to be unharmed.
Sophie also broke down, sobbing uncontrollably, crying into the crook of Mike’s neck. “We almost didn’t make it,” relented Sophie, near hysterics and letting her body rest into her older brother.
“Goodness, Sophie. I was so worried after I saw the house. I’m so sorry,” soothed Mike, cradling her head and stroking her hair to calm her down. Mike had gotten a handle on his emotions to be strong for Sophie. She bawled into his shoulder, allowing all the emotion to come out. The family stood on the porch of the Cromwell’s hillside home, finally reunited.
Tom came from behind Sophie, holding Lily, and put his hand on his wife’s back to calm her down. “I think your niece might want to see her uncle,” said Tom. Mike relaxed his grip from Sophie patting the sides of her arms and held out his arms for Lily. Tom handed her over to her and Mike held his niece in his arms, elated that the three of them were all safe. Tom married Mike’s sister four years ago, and Mike thought Tom was a good match for Sophie. Tom Morris stood at six-feet tall and had brown hair. Working construction, he made decent money and provided for his family. Owning his truck and marrying the cute blonde who lived on the hill were his two greatest accomplishments, and he was not quiet about it. This part of Tom made Mike feel uneasy, but he took care of his sister, so it was worth looking past.
“Shall we go in?” Helene said. Mike nodded, tears coming to his eyes as he held his niece.
John added, “We were having a candlelit dinner.” Tom led the way to the table followed by Mike who held Lily, not letting her out of his arms, Sophie, Helene, Demi and John all filed in from the porch. Demi hung back to allow Mike to have a proper homecoming.
“I’ll get more chairs,” said John. “Helene made enough that we can all have some of her specialty, camp-fire pot roast.” He left down the hall to get the chairs.
Helene said to Demi, “We are so glad you came with Mike.” Helene was protective of her son and always trusted Demi. Mike held the band together while Demi was the driving force that lifted them to stardom. When rumors circulated that Demi Thicke and Mike Cromwell were dating, Helene was excited that the pair finally began a romantic relationship. Later, she was disgruntled to find that the rumors were not true and the two had more of an older sister-younger brother relationship. Nevertheless, she always saw Demi as a member of her family, almost a daughter.
Helene had a thin frame, and tan skin, as she only stood five-foot-two inches. She came from Native American heritage, but only on her dad’s side. Growing up in Utah, her family moved from Hotysville to Salt Lake City while her mother attended the University of Utah. Growing up in the city was more exciting than the small town she had briefly grown up in.
While in college, Helene met John at the University of Utah. The pair fell madly in love and married right after graduation. They had Mike right away and raised him in a small, two-bedroom apartment. After John’s business took off, the family moved up on the hill as they were having their second child, Sophie.
“Of course!” Demi said. “We were performing when all of this went down in Vegas. We were glad to speak to Sophie and help her get Lily’s fever down.” Demi turned to Sophie and asked, “Did the lavender work?”
“Like a charm,” answered Sophie. “I rubbed and patted the essential oil on her legs. A few hours later, her fever broke.” Sophie Morris, Mike’s younger sister seemed to have it all. A young family, a house, even a white-picket fence. Well, she used to have those things, but Mike was confident that she would get them back.
“So glad to hear,” replied Demi with a smile.
“Where did you become so knowledgeable about homeopathic remedies?” Sophie asked.
“Oh, well. Growing up,” Demi answered. Sophie knew very little about Demi’s upbringing, other than she was from northern Montana.
Mike knew that she was being coy with the information and wanted to give her the acknowledgment she deserved. While he held Lily, bouncing to soothe her, he interjected, “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Demi.”
Demi’s face grew red, “Oh stop,” she said. “You’ve been a great support. You got me away from Kenny.”
“Kenny?” John asked as he walked into the candlelit dining room with the backs of the chairs hooked onto either arm.
“Oh, crazy fan,” Mike said as he hoped to squash the awkward interlude he and Demi had with Kenny. “We get crazy fans all the time. Demi is a pro at handling them.” Mike did not want to worry his parents any more than was necessary.
“Here you guys go,” said John, not appearing as though he wanted to push the Kenny incident any further. “Helene and I are so glad you guys made it. And now we get to have a family meal as we used to when you guys would come to town in between shows.” John took a moment to straighten up his white hair from caring for the chairs. John’s hair appeared to be whiter since the last time Mike had seen him. Mike thought it could have been the candlelight, and did not think much of it.
“You should not exert yourself, dear,” said Helene to John.
“Oh relax, I’m fine,” admonished John. Demi and Mike took the seats that John brought them. John appeared to be visibly stressed as he struggled to catch his breath from carrying two solid oak chairs. A chore that should have been no problem for John, but that did not appear to be the case. Mike noticed this, but he ignored it as he held Lily, not certain to make of it.
Mike handed Lily back to Tom who kissed his daughter's forehand as he took her back. John then barked, "Helene, get these guys some bowls of pot roast,” in-between gasps of air.
Helene did just that. She went to the kitchen and came out with a fresh set of silverware and two bowls. The family had been eating as Mike and Demi arrived. Helene then went to the big pot in the middle of the table and dished out two servings of pot roast. She placed it in front of Demi and Mike. “Here you guys go. I made it in the back yard on the camping stove we have,” she explained as she set the bowls in front of Demi and Mike. “Oh, it’s so good to have you two here,” she said, returning to her seat and resuming her meal.
The family all ate, enjoying the pot roast Helene had prepared. They made small talk as they ate. Sophie and Tom mentioned how they ran with just their clothes on their backs as the fire-ravaged their neighborhood. Mike and Demi expanded further on how they made it out of Vegas. They told the table about Lonnie and how his family gave them what they needed to get to the Cromwell's.
In between spoonfuls of stew, John explained, “We were able to buy a pork side a few days ago from a local rancher. Helene salted it right after Tom and I brought it home. Then Helene made a Zeer pot from two unglazed clay pots. They fit inside each other with sand in between them. Then the sand is filled with water, allowing the unglazed clay to become wet,” explained Tom.
“I know what a Zeer pot is,” Demi interrupted
.
“Demi!” Mike hushed, annoyed by her know-it-all attitude.
“Mike, it’s fine,” soothed John. “Anyway, we have the Zeer pot in our garage, so it’s in a cool place. Thankfully it’s early fall, so we don’t have to worry too much about the heat. The food should last us a few more days, and then hopefully we can buy more meat,” added John. “Oh, and we were lucky that we had several cans of food on hand. Paul’s Grocery had a sale and we stocked up before this whole thing hit.”
Demi turned to Mike and whispered, “Sorry.” She then turned to Sophie and Tom, “So glad you guys made it out of your house. Goodness, that must have been hard.” Demi said. “Oh, but we did find something when we stopped there on our way up to John and Helene’s,” added Demi as she pulled out the stuffed blue teddy bear she found in the remains of the fire.
Sophie nearly broke down again as Demi handed her the bear. “It’s not even damaged,” wept Sophie holding the bear. “I bought this when I first found out I was pregnant. It’s blue because I did not know I was having a boy or girl, and just assumed I was carrying a boy.”
Tom’s eyes lowered to the ground as he comforted Sophie, taking her head in his arms. While he held her, he explained, “Well, we made up the hill with just the shirts on our back, when the fire broke out. It ravaged our neighborhood. But thankfully it did not come up the hill," explained Tom.
Sophie gathered her emotions and sat up. Tom then added while he put his hand on Sophie's arm, “We have all that matters. Family. Sophie and Lily are fine, and that's all that matters. I'm just looking forward to when this whole mess is solved and we can go back and rebuild.” Tom looked down for a second, tears formed in the corners of his eyes. Mike did not like seeing Tom in this state, he wanted him to be strong for his little sister. Tom then said, holding back tears, “And thanks for John and Helene for having some reserve food. Otherwise, I’m not sure where’d we be.”
"Right, we will have to find a new place to live. Thankfully we were insured," Sophie said as she looked at Tom, appearing to try and cut the emotion Tom was showing.
John said while he sat at the head of the table, “Tom, Sophie, you two can stay as long as you need, even after we get power back. I’m friends with a contractor down the street and we can rebuild your house bigger and better than it was before. Plus, we love spending time with our little granddaughter.”
John then turned to Mike and Demi and said, “Obviously, Mike you’ll stay with us and help get food. I’ve been thinking of digging a root cellar in the backyard. Depending on how long this thing lasts. Demi, you’re welcome to stay as long as you need. What are your plans, by the way?”
“I’m headed to Pocatello,” answered Demi.
“Idaho?” Helene asked.
“Yeah, my sister is going to Idaho State University. She’s studying dentistry there,” explained Demi. “I’m going to get her and take her to David’s compound.”
“Oh, your dad’s place?” John clarified.
“Right. David’s” corrected Demi.
“And I’m going with her,” interrupted Mike, to break the awkward tension and to inform his family that he would not be staying as they thought. “I need to make sure she finds Lacey in Idaho and arrives safely to David’s. After that, I’m not sure where we’ll go.”
“You two can come back here,” offered Helene, appearing to be relieved that she could have both Mike and Demi under her roof. Mike was not certain of the plan after they got Lacey to David’s, so he remained quiet.
Demi piped up with a solution. “You guys are welcome to come with us," said Demi. "I'm not on the best terms with David, but I'm sure he will allow me to stay for a while once I show up with Lacey. I’m sure he could use the help on the homestead. He has plenty of chickens for eggs and cattle for beef. He’s been preparing for this ever since my mother died."
"We couldn't possibly leave. We will just stay here and wait for this thing out," interjected John. "But, we appreciate the offer. That’s very kind of you.” John paused for a moment and then said, “Demi, we always have seen you as a daughter. Especially when you were living with Chris down the street.”
Demi appeared as though she did not hear what John said, and turned to Mike and whispered in his ear, “We need to get them to come with us."
Mike defended, “That’s my dad, he doesn't want to come. Everything will be fine, Demi, don't worry." Mike was grateful for Demi’s expertise, but all of the advice was starting to wear on him.
Tom interjected and broke the weird tension that was coming across the table, “Sophie, I think Lily is getting hungry. Can you take her in the other room and feed her?"
Sophie nodded. She got up from the table and took Lily from Tom's arms. She then went to the room next to the dining room. Mike said to Tom, "She's getting so big!"
Well, Tom took some spoonfuls of the pot roast, he replied, “Yeah, she still nurses, but we plan to move her to solid foods soon."
Demi did not seem like she could let this go, as she Pried more into the Cromwell's plan, "John, so what is your plan when things don't get better?"
While John took bites of his pot roast, he answered Demi, “Well, we will continue living here as we are, things haven't been so bad. We have our family here, we have meals by candlelight when it's dark, and at the moment we have enough food and water. We have both of you guys once you get Lacey to David’s.”
Mike could tell that Demi was having a hard time with this, as she looked like she was about to burst at the seams. Demi blurted out, “And what happens when you run out?"
John calmly said, “We will cross that bridge when we get to it. But I do not see that happening."
Helene added, “We like it here in our home. We wouldn't want to spend this catastrophe anyplace else. I’ve been fortunate being from a small town and not having much that I know how to do things, like Zeer pots.”
Mike turned to Demi and said, “They're fine here. I think we can all ride it out here once we get back from Montana.” Then Mike turned to the rest of the table and said, "I am just glad all of you guys are all right. It’s so good to be back home.” Demi said nothing else, she did not push the issue any further, which relieved Mike.
The entire family at the table, minus Sophie who was nursing her daughter in the other room finished their dinner, and Helene cleared the plates. John and Mike helped Helene while Tom and Demi sat at the table, conversing. Demi and Mike's job had always intrigued Tom, which became a point of fascination for him. Tom bragged to his friends that he was the brother-in-law of a member of the hottest rock band in the United States.
While Mike cleared the plates, he overheard Tom and Demi talking. "That's fantastic, you've been to 18 countries in the last 12 months!” Mike just smiled to himself. His life was a dream compared to the simple life that people in Salt Lake City lived. Mike enjoyed being in his family’s home.
He looked forward to returning once he and Demi got Lacey up to Montana. Mike planned on taking some time off from touring. He figured with the incident that they could cancel some of their shows and not piss off fans too much. Mike's parents' house was dark, but there was an ease and comfort with it as they grew him up there. Being surrounded by familiarity help to ease the anxiety from Mike's body. He and Demi had been through a lot in the last few days and being home reassured that everything would be all right.
Around an hour after dinner, Sophie returned with a Lily. Lily, sleeping in Sophie's arms, while she joined the family in the dining room. She said, “I’m going to put Lily down for the night. And I'm tired myself, but Mike and Demi it was so good to see you guys."
Sophie hugged Mike and then Demi, as Demi said to Sophie, “My heart broke when I saw your house. But now seeing you Tom and Lily here it makes me think we are all going to be all right." This about-face surprised Mike, and perhaps Demi was coming around. That the two of them could stay with his parents while they waited this thing out.
Tom said as he got up from the chair, “Ye
ah, Soph, I will join you in a few.” He turned to the rest of the family and said, “Good night everyone. Mike, Demi always great to see you guys."
Helene came from the kitchen and said to Demi and Mike, “You two can have the guest bedroom. You guys don't mind sharing?"
Demi spoke up and said, "I wouldn't have it any other way." She jokingly turned to Mike, giving him a knowing look.
John announced, “Well I guess we all should start getting to bed. Let's hope that they turn on power tomorrow."
"Did you hear that?" Mike said as he woke Demi from a deep slumber. He heard Demi snoring in the bed next to him. He went over to her, crouching at the side of her bed. He didn't want to startle her but he wanted to wake her up.
"Demi," Mike whispered.
"Mike?" Demi responded groggily. "What is it?"
"I heard something. It sounds like someone is walking around the house, but everyone is asleep."
"Do you think they are just calming Lily down?” Demi asked. “Maybe they’re feeding her.”
"I think I would've heard a baby crying if that was the case," shot back Mike.
Demi appeared to be more awake now as she sat up in bed. "Be silent, I will grab my gun."
"I was sleeping with mine," Mike retorted. Mike pulled out the gun from his waistband and loaded a bullet into the chamber. He then raised his gun to so the pistol was pointing in the air, he whispered to Demi, “Let's go."
Lights Out (Book 2): Power Trip Page 4
