Someone Always Loved You

by Brooke Williams

  “Delivery for a Mr. Bartlett,” the FedEx guy read and thrust a clipboard into Jay’s hands for his signature.

  “That’s me!” Jay proclaimed a bit too cheerfully as he scrawled his name on the blank line and returned the clipboard. The FedEx employee dug through his bag and extracted a thin envelope stamped with the company logo and Jay’s address.

  Jay was expecting a wedding gift, something more the size of a place setting or crystal vase. Weeding his way back into the apartment through the boxes of just such wedding presents, Jay turned the envelope over and slid his thumb beneath its flap. He dropped the envelope to the floor in shock as he revealed two first class plane tickets to Hawaii as well as reservations in an upscale resort on the island of Maui. The papers were dated for the following day. Someone gave us a honeymoon, Jay thought, still astonished at the items he held.

  He and Madison had planned to get away at the bed and breakfast an hour up the road for the weekend before settling in to married life. They both wanted more, but they couldn’t afford a trip on their own, and they didn’t dare ask her parents who were already paying for the wedding. Jay turned the reservation sheet over in his hands and read the hastily written message on the back. “Good luck,” it said. No name, no explanation, just “good luck.”

  With no obvious proof, Jay couldn’t be sure, but he thought he recognized the handwriting. The letters curved and bent just like the words he used to see scratched on the fridge in the form of a grocery list. This gift had to be from his mother.

  Feeling guilty for fighting with Madison over inviting his mom, Jay picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number to his old house. After the connection was made, the busy signal beat into his ear over the telephone line, and he quickly hung up. Jay couldn’t imagine his mother talking to anyone on the phone, but as he glanced at the clock on the wall, he realized he didn’t have any longer to wonder.

  Jay would never forget the way Madison looked the first time he saw her in the aisle of the small chapel. They had invited family and a few friends, but the chapel was overflowing with people who loved them.

  When Madison appeared in the doorway, the apprehension in the room stilled as the guests noticed her glow. Her dress was long but simple. The vibrant white gown had only a small amount of bead work. She wore no veil, and Jay was glad. He didn’t want anything covering the face he loved so dearly. The shimmering dress flowed out around her, hugging her waist and swaying close to her hips. She had a few sparkles coming from her hair, garnished with barrettes that her mother had pinned close to her head. Jay thought she looked radiant and once again couldn’t believe that she was there to bind herself to him. As their eyes met, they reaffirmed that they were perfect for one another.

  The ceremony was short and sweet with nervous giggles and handwritten vows. Jay messed up one line, and Madison stumbled over her long dress which caused her to lift it up and kick off her shoes, returning to the ceremony with her toes curling into the bright orange carpet of the chapel. Nothing could spoil their moment.

  After they were pronounced husband and wife, Jay and Madison raced down the aisle. In the few moments they had alone before the guests began to file from the chapel to congratulate them, Jay informed his wife of the week ahead. “I hope you packed your bags,” he teased.

  “I did,” Madison replied, stroking his haphazard curls lovingly, “but I won’t need much. I can’t imagine that we’ll spend much time seeing the sights.”

  “You don’t enjoy palm trees?” Jay asked, feigning horror.

  “Palm trees…at Clancy’s Bed and Breakfast?” she said in confusion.

  “I think we’ll save that weekend for our anniversary and head to Hawaii instead,” he stated casually with a flip of his hand as Madison’s jaw dropped and a million questions flooded her mind. Before she could say anything more, the guests began to hug and congratulate the new couple. Between each family, Madison elbowed Jay briskly in the ribs, getting his attention for yet another questioning look.

  It wasn’t until they were in their toilet paper and soda can laden car driving to the reception that he finally filled her in on their new honeymoon plans. “So you think it’s from your mother?” Madison asked incredulously.

  Jay nodded, unable to think of a way to express his thoughts.

  Hawaii dazzled the newlyweds, though Jay received a tomato red sun burn on their first day at the beach. Now that they were married everything from sunsets to sand crabs seemed beautiful. The resort was fit for royalty, and for that week, Jay and Madison were able to forget everyday life and enjoy being pampered. Everything was idyllic--the food, the ocean, the hula dancing lessons--but they both looked forward to returning home. As much as they enjoyed the relaxing call of the sea gulls and the salty smell of the ocean, they were looking forward to beginning a life together in a normal setting.

  A few weeks before the wedding, Jay and Madison had found a small apartment in the middle of the town they chose to make their home. It was quaint and nothing special, but it would be theirs, and they loved it. It was close to downtown, allowing easy access to Jay’s office and promising many opportunities for Madison. It was also a safe area, so they weren’t concerned about violence in their neighborhood.

  Jay worked diligently at his accounting job, and Madison began substitute teaching at every local school, fast becoming the most sought after sub. They loved their life together, learning new idiosyncrasies about the other on a regular basis.

  The day Jay’s mom called, he had just returned from the office, greeting Madison with a kiss. They were about to sit down to leftovers from the previous evening when the phone rang. As Jay recognized his mother’s tone, he tried to thank her for the wonderful honeymoon she had supplied, but she wouldn’t let him speak a word. Her message was the only thing on her mind.

  Jay’s father had returned. No parade. No fanfare. He simply turned up in his brown chair that afternoon as if he had never left. There was something in his mother’s voice that bothered Jay. This was not a happy reunion, and there was a slight quiver in her tone. Something was different this time.

  Ruffling Madison’s hair, Jay kissed her forehead and gave her a reassuring smile. “I’ll call you in a few hours,” he promised, trying to ease her mind with his upbeat tone. Flying down the stairs as soon as the door shut behind him, he jumped into his reliable old white Toyota Camry and revved the engine.

  An hour and a half later, he arrived at his mother’s door. It had been years since he lived there, so he knocked. After repeatedly receiving no answer, he extended a hesitant hand to try the knob. Finding it unlocked, he stepped inside. The aroma and sights brought memories flooding back to him. He was a child again, tugging at his father’s pants, begging for attention. “Mom?” he called softly. He saw an unmoving lump in the brown chair across the room. Silent, but awake. His father had aged severely. His previously graying hair had left his head entirely, revealing much of his skull, but his head wasn’t shiny, rather it was dull and dirty, with age spots mottled across the top. Jay moved past the infamous chair further into the house of his childhood.

  After a few more tries, he gave up calling for his mother and walked methodically through the house, thinking she was probably at work. When he reached the bathroom, he heard soft crying and a clatter as she dropped her make-up kit into the sink. Jay didn’t waste a second throwing his shoulder into the door, splintering a few pieces of the jam as the door thrust against the bathroom wall.

  His mother stood before him, in a frenzy to hide her face from her son. Her half done make-up job had only made it worse. The bruise was green and purple and extended from the corner of her eye to her cheekbone.

  Jay’s mom folded onto the floor, sobbing, as he took her in his arms and asked her what happened. “It was just an accident,” she defended. “I know he didn’t mean it.” Jay flew into a rage. His father had done this to her. After all of these years, he’d come back and had brought violence with him.

  Flying out of
the bathroom much the way he came in, Jay floated to the living room, having an almost out-of-body experience. His hands were around his father’s neck before he could stop himself. All of the shaking and cursing Jay did had no effect on his father who sat before Jay with a blank look in his eyes, almost daring Jay to kill him. Jay could feel the gentle pummels of his mother’s small fists on his back, and he knew she had to be screaming at him, but he couldn’t focus on her words. He’d had enough of this man coming in and out of their lives and taking everything down with him. He was not going to hurt Jay any longer, and he was certainly never going to lay a hand on his mother again.

  Maybe it was the cold stare his father gave Jay and the limp arms and legs he presented that finally snapped Jay from his violent streak. Or maybe his mother’s voice broke through the barrier.

  “He’s not worth it, Jay! He’s not even your father!” his mother screamed over and over again.

  Jay slowly released his grip on his father’s neck, pushing him back into the chair. He looked much like when Jay had come in, reverting his stare to the wall. Jay couldn’t imagine this man lifting himself from the chair long enough to harm his mother.

  The realization of his mother’s words began to sink in as he turned incredulously to ask her to repeat herself. With the fingers of her hands clutched to her lips, she nodded emphatically, “That’s right. You’re not his son…he’s not your dad…never has been,” she continued, knowing that this truth had broken Jay’s grip on her husband.

  CHAPTER 11

  Cory was finally being released from the hospital, and physically, he couldn’t have felt better after all his body had endured. He finished buttoning the shirt he had requested his assistant deliver as Dr. Rodriguez strolled in with his walking papers.

  “Good to go,” the doctor said as Cory signed his release form in half a dozen places. Slapping him jovially on the back, Dr. Rodriguez asked if Cory had arranged for a ride home.

  “Oh, no sir, no way. You can’t get rid of me that easily,” Cory said emphatically. “I’m not going home. I’m needed here. I’m going to be right where I belong, at my wife’s side.”

  Dr. Rodriguez smiled worriedly. The love he saw in Cory’s eyes for his wife was rare. The doctor side of him was concerned with what the stress would do to Cory’s health. The human side of him understood, and he ushered Cory into the hall. He could see Cory was anxious to join his wife on a more permanent basis, so he briskly walked him to the elevator.

  Cory and Dr. Rodriguez said their good-byes, but they both knew they really meant, “See you later.” Cory would be a fixture of the hospital as long as his wife needed to be there.

  Dr. Rodriguez thought back to medical school where he had learned the ins and outs of medicine. He could pronounce the complicated words in fast succession, and he could perform even the most difficult procedures, but he still could not understand the depths of coma patients. What made some comas last only a day while others dragged on for months? Despite numerous professional articles and theories, Dr. Rodriguez still could not wrap his head around the concept. He didn’t understand why a coma continued when there was no obvious medical reason. All he could do was support his patient and her family…and hope for the best.

  When Cory reached Jordan’s room, he couldn’t help himself from smiling and then instantly frowning. He was glad to be here, but he wished he didn’t need to be. The physical therapist had just finished exercising his wife’s limbs to keep her agile during her time of immobility. Cory himself liked to assist in those exercises, but sometimes the actions were too painful for him to bear. Moving Jordan’s limbs with his own hands meant that she could not move them for herself. Running his fingers through his silver speckled curls, he slipped into the room. The physical therapist sensed his melancholy and swept past him wordlessly. Cory didn’t know why he was trying to be quiet. He had tried everything to awaken Jordan as it was, so a little noise certainly wouldn’t disturb her any more than having each of her limbs bent and stretched.

  Taking the chair from across the room and dragging it next to her bed, Cory commanded his post. “Hey Darlin’,” he said lightheartedly. If there was any chance she could hear him, he wanted her to hear his optimism. “I thought I’d run down to the bookstore later and pick up some of your favorite books. Maybe I can even find a few new ones you haven’t gotten around to reading yet. But right now I just want to be with you for a little while.”

  He brushed a few strands of hair from her face and tucked them behind her ear. The nurses weren’t always careful about putting her hair back into place when they came in to bathe her, rotate her position, or check her monitors. Now that Cory was there, he would make sure every hair was situated.

  “Remember when we first met?” Cory reminisced. “I knew I was the luckiest boy in that school when I saw my locker was next to yours. And when became friends, life only got better. It was like you put a bounce into my step,” he paused, gazing into the distance. “I kept asking you out and asking you out. I thought I was so cool and irresistible, but you sure found plenty of ways to resist me,” Cory continued. “I never thought the day would come when you would relent and let me take you out.”

  * * * *

  After Jordan received the note from Cory in her locker, she did everything she could to act completely normal around him, as well as in front of her friend Megan. Cory allowed her to continue the semester as if nothing had happened. They reverted to casual conversations freckled with occasional mild flirting between classes, but Cory would not let her completely ignore his feelings. Each Friday morning he arrived at school early and placed a note in her locker. They were always different, but always the same. “What are you doing tonight? Feel up to a stroll downtown? –C” “Have any plans this weekend? Want to catch dinner? –C” “Give up yet? I’m free Saturday. –C”

  Cory acted so normal in person that Jordan almost began to wonder if she had another admirer that went by “C.” But even though his words and actions were the same as before the whole Megan debacle, his eyes had changed. He didn’t look at her with a hint of teasing or amusement. The depths of his eyes were clear, and the love that she saw scared her.

  Not surprisingly, a few weeks after Megan and Cory’s date, Megan had set her sights on a different boy. He was athletic and blonde and didn’t seem to have a brain cell in his head. But when Jordan saw Megan and her new obsession arm in arm in the hallway, she couldn’t help but stare and muse at how beautiful they looked together. This time, the golden god was interested in Megan as well, and a heated courtship began in earnest. The idea that this could leave the door open for Jordan and Cory only crossed her mind briefly. She didn’t need Cory or any other guy, and she still didn’t want Megan to think she had stolen him.

  It took Megan herself to get Jordan’s attention focused in the right direction. One afternoon at Jordan’s house, after an hour of detailing her last date with the golden god, Megan furiously filed her left pinky nail and said, “So what’s up with Cory? Are you ever gonna go out with him or what?”

  Shocked, Jordan dropped the bottle of nail polish remover she had been holding and quickly knelt to assess the damage the spill had done to the carpet.

  “What are you talking about?” she gulped.

  “Oh come on, Jordan. Everybody knows! Haven’t you seen the way he looks at you? He’s like a little puppy dog, hanging on your every word! I think you should give him a chance. He’s cute. Besides, you don’t get out much, and he’s so obviously into you,” Megan rattled casually.

  “But, what about you?” Jordan asked cautiously.

  “What do you mean, ‘what about me?’ Things with Gabe are great. I couldn’t be happier. I have no use for some locker junky who’s hung up on my best friend.”

  All it had taken was a new gorgeous guy to distract Megan. Jordan should have guessed. Cory wasn’t the love of Megan’s life as she had professed just weeks ago, but he could be Jordan’s.

  Jordan let a few days pass, an
d when Friday rolled around she made her way to the school so early that the hallways were still dim from the previous day. She slid her note through the crack on his locker and popped the combination open so he could get in when he arrived. She then headed to the library where she pretended to read her history homework for the next hour, always getting stuck on the third sentence as her mind drifted to the note and the locker.

  Cory arrived at school early that day. It was Friday after all, and he had a note to slip into Jordan’s locker. This one was different. It will surely get her attention, he thought. As their lockers came into view, he noticed his standing a bit askew. Next, the small blue slip of paper caught his eye, and he rushed forward. “O.K.” it said and was signed “J”. Cory almost couldn’t believe his eyes. He leaped into the air, grasping the paper in his hands and turning a full circle before his feet hit the ground again. There were no other students around, but he wouldn’t have cared if the whole school saw him.

  Turning his own prepared note over, he dug through his locker for a pencil and scrawled a new message, “I’ll pick you up at 6. –C” After stuffing the note through the slot in Jordan’s locker, Cory headed for the gym. He had time to run a few laps before his first class, and he needed to burn the extra energy that suddenly pulsed through him.

  They were both a bit nervous, but their first date was the last first date either of them would experience. The date wasn’t overly romantic or sentimental. Cory picked Jordan up and took her to his favorite home cooking restaurant. It was a quaint place and not a high school hangout, so they had privacy. As they sat across from each other, their conversation flowed effortlessly until their meals were diminished to a few fries. When Cory caught Jordan’s eye over the multitude of empty soda glasses, there was no longer any need for conversation. She fell deeper into their depth and felt like she could see straight into his soul. Likewise, Cory was in a trance amid the ocean of her blue eyes. Neither could stop the stare and neither wanted to break the spell. The waitress finally put a stop to the enchanting moment as she chewed her gum loudly and placed the check on the table.