by Naomi Niles
“Okay. I’ll call you when I get home and settle in.”
“Okay. I’ll be waiting.”
I smiled. “Alright.”
After I hung up the phone, the light switched to green, and I traveled through the intersection. Just ahead, there was another red light that slowed my pace. As I eased my foot onto the brake, I noticed bright lights behind me. High beams blinded my vision as I looked through the rearview mirror. Jerks. I shook my head as the music thumped from the speakers of the vehicle behind me. Loud bass rattled the trunk. I couldn’t wait for the light to turn green so I could pull away from the obnoxious driver. As soon as the light switched, I pressed the gas pedal and sped off, leaving the car behind me.
A few minutes later, a white truck appeared on my side, riding parallel to my car. I smashed on the brakes in the middle of the street once I realized that it was the same truck I saw when I was out with April. Behind me, a car slammed on its brakes and blew its horn, but I was oblivious to it. With a panic gaze, I watched the white truck ride slowly down the street. The person in the car behind me honked the horn again, but this time, the driver leaned on it until I moved out of its way. Once I pulled to the side, he rolled past me slowly, yelling curse words in the process.
I couldn’t stop my hands from shaking as I parked in front of a small store. I looked in the direction that I saw the truck, praying that it didn’t circle around and come back to me. I couldn’t see anything inside the truck because the window was too heavily tinted, but I had a feeling it was Anthony. Get a grip, Bethany. Get a grip. My hands continued shaking like I was in sub-zero temperatures. My eyes were wide open as I saw my reflection on the side window. The lights from the store beside me lit up the area, and at that point, I was afraid to move. I didn’t know if that was Anthony, and if it was, I was afraid that he was going to follow me home. Instead, I made a U-turn and went back to April’s house. I didn’t want to chance it, and if anything happened, I knew that April and Mark being there would be better than me trying to handle him on my own. I had no idea what to do next, especially if Anthony had followed me to Roanoke. He was nothing but trouble waiting to happen.
Chapter Nineteen
GAVIN
“Dad, I feel like I have to throw up.”
Vinny walked into the kitchen with a disgruntled look on his face. His bag was still strapped onto his shoulders, but his hands were on his stomach.
“What did you eat this morning?”
“Just some pop tarts, and I drank some juice. I don’t know what’s wrong.”
“Do you think you need to stay home?”
He winced. “No. No, I think I’ll be alright. Maybe it will go away once I move around a little more. I want to go to school, though.”
That was another way he was the complete opposite of me at times. I would’ve cashed in on any opportunity to stay home from school. Faking sick just to get the day off was my routine, but Vinny hated missing school. He felt that he was missing some important information if he didn’t show up, and up until his mother kept him out of school this past Monday, he had perfect attendance. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m positive. Can you walk me to the bus stop?”
I grabbed the keys, then walked beside him as he slowly trudged to the stop. He looked out of it, but I wasn’t going to force him to stay home, especially if he said he was alright. It was one of the ways he reminded me that he was far more mature for his age. He knew what he could handle and what he couldn’t. As the bus arrived, he looked at me. His face was scrounged together as if he was trying to withstand pain. “I’ll be alright, Dad. Don’t worry.”
I sighed. “Alright, son. If it gets bad, don’t hesitate to call me. I’ll leave work and come get you, alright?”
“Alright.”
I watched him get on the bus, then ease into his seat. After they drove off, I went back to the house to gather my things so I could leave for work. As soon as I showed up, Shirley had a few papers ready for me on my desk. After the rough first day she had at the job, I thought things would get better with her, but they didn’t. She messed up orders and sent shipments to the wrong buildings. At times, she forgot to write down meetings that I had scheduled for the day, and it made me look like a complete fool, especially when high profiled businessmen showed up, and I had no idea that they were supposed to be there.
I still gave her the benefit of the doubt, though, because I knew she was trying her hardest. Even still, my patience was running thin. I took my suit coat off and placed it on the coat rack, then took a seat at my desk behind the computer. A lot had changed since Bethany and I had started to iron out our relationship. I glanced to the right of my computer. A picture of her was framed right on the corner of my desk. There was a time when I thought that I’d never put a picture of a woman on my desk. Why would I? That alone would ruin the chances of me sleeping around with one of my secretaries or sexy interns from time to time. But now, things had changed. I didn’t mind boasting her as my woman, and I hoped that things went further between us, but only time would tell.
It was 10 am when I heard a knock on my door. “Come in.”
Shirley peeked into my room with a smile on her face. Her gray curls dangled on the sides of her head. “Um, Mr. Wallace. Sorry to bother you, but Hendrix Company is here to see you.”
I lowered my eyes, “Hendrix? Today?”
“Yes, sir,” she said, cowering. “I think I must’ve overlooked them. However, they are standing in the lobby right now, waiting for your presence.”
“Shirley, come on, now. Hendrix?” I said, standing up, “This is a major supplier in–” I stopped myself before I allowed my anger to explode from my mouth. This was the second time that she had done this is the past two months, and one time was already too many. I tapped my foot against the floor, then removed my suit coat from the rack. “Is the meeting room ready?”
“No, sir. Not yet. I still have to clean it out a bit.”
I wanted to curse her out, but I couldn’t. I knew for a fact though that this would be the last time I had to deal with her incompetence. I thought she’d gotten the picture after the first time she did it, especially since it caused me to lose a potential partner, but she was still making the same mistakes. “Fine, Shirley. Fine.” I looked around my office and straightened a few things out, then re-positioned the chairs around the table. “How many of them?”
“Four, sir.”
“Four. Great. Send them in.”
“I am sorry, Mr. Wallace. I don’t know how I forgot about–”
“Just – Just send them in, Shirley. Please. We will talk about this later.”
“Very well, sir.”
She ducked out of the room. I tried to calm myself down before the men came into my office. Shirley had to go, and I knew it, but now wasn’t the time to concern myself with that matter. A few minutes later, the men walked into the room. “Hello, gentleman,” I said as I invited the four of them to their seats. “I am sorry for the space, but there was just a little confusion on my end, and I apologize for that. It shouldn’t be a problem though.”
The meeting went off without a hitch, surprisingly. As the men left my office, Shirley came in with another message. “Um, Mr. Wallace, sir,” she said, timidly, “your son’s school is on the phone. Line 3.”
I exhaled. “Alright. I’ll take it.” I sat down at my desk and grabbed the phone. “Hello?”
“Mr. Wallace?”
“Speaking.”
“This is Nurse Chambers at Morris Elementary. It is about your son, Vinny. He has thrown up a couple times, and right now, he is complaining of a stomachache. I think it would a good idea if you came to pick him up. It doesn’t look like he will be able to finish the school day.”
I rubbed my fingers on my forehead. “Alright. Yeah, I’m on my way. I’ll be there in about thirty minutes.”
“Alright, sir.”
I hung up the phone and grabbed my suit coat, then walked towards the elevato
r. “Shirley, no more meetings today. I will be out of the office. If there are any problems, please contact me on my cell phone. Can I trust you to do that?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Alright.”
“Um, sir,” she said, beckoning for my attention as I climbed onto the elevator.
“Yes?”
“Again, I am sorry about today. I don’t know how I missed it.”
“Yeah, it happens, Shirley. It shouldn’t, but it happens. You enjoy the rest of your day.”
I let the elevator close between us. She was going to have to be replaced. I tried to stick it out with her as long as I could, but nothing was changing. I called HR and let them know to start looking for another secretary to replace Shirley. I sped to Vinny’s school. When I walked into the nurse’s office, he laid curled up on the bed. To his right, Bethany was seated in a chair, rubbing his head and doing her best to comfort him. The anger I had about Shirley’s mishap immediately went away upon seeing her smile. “Hey, Gavin. The poor guy has been throwing up for the last hour or so.”
“Hour?” I said, stepping closer to him. “The nurse just called me.”
“Yeah, that’s because he was trying to stick it out. But, after he threw up the second time, his teacher brought him to the nurse’s office. He doesn’t have a fever or anything, but he doesn’t seem to be able to keep anything down.”
I walked closer to his bed. “Hey, kid, you couldn’t stick it out, huh?” He shook his head no. “Is it the same pain as earlier this morning?” He nodded his head. I turned to look at Bethany, “Alright. I guess I need to take him home and start trying to find out what is wrong with him. Do you have any suggestions?”
“Well,” she said, looking back at him, “Pepto might help for the time being. He could just have a stomach bug. If that is the case, he should probably eat some toast, rice, and applesauce until his stomach can handle regular foods.” I heard everything she said, but it was too much for me to retain. I looked at her with a confused eye. She smiled, “Um, how about this? I’ll stop by there after I get off work to check on him. I’ll bring him some soup and things like that. It might take 24-48 hours before he starts to feel better, but the soup and other things I suggested will help it run its course.”
“Wow. Yeah, I think that would help out a lot because right now, I have no clue what to do with a tummy ache. I know how to handle one for myself, but this is pretty new to me.”
“You’ve never helped him when he had a stomach ache?”
“No, I haven’t. I mean, the kid is usually pretty healthy, you know? This kind of caught both of us by surprise.”
“I see.” She smiled as Vinny moaned a bit in the background. “Well, get him home. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Got it.”
I helped Vinny up from his bed, then put my arm around him. After I signed him out at the office, I got him inside my car and drove home. He leaned his seat all the way back and curled up in the fetal position during the ride. “Are you hanging in there?”
He nodded his head. As soon as we got home, I helped him out of the car. Not even a second later, he threw up all over the driveway. “Jesus, kid!” I yelled as he covered his mouth. Vomit spewed through the space between his fingers like a sprinkler. I put my hand on his back, “It’s alright, let it out. Get it all out.” He continued vomiting and gagging for a few moments until he was finished. Afterward, I brought him inside and led him to the shower so I could get him cleaned up. He looked out of it, and at the time, I felt completely helpless. It was the worst feeling in the world.
When he got out of the shower, I put him in his bed and placed a trash bucket right next to him. “Now, if you feel the urge, go ahead and get it out right into the bucket, okay?” He nodded in agreement and with that, I went downstairs to get him a Gatorade drink to help with his dehydration. The clock read 2:44 pm, and I knew that Bethany would be here in just a few more hours. I couldn’t wait to see her, especially after the day that I had today. With Shirley’s mishaps and Vinny coming down with a stomach bug, she was the only thing I needed to help me make it through the day. She was my lifeline, and if I never needed one before, I needed one now.
Chapter Twenty
BETHANY
As soon as I got off work, I called April to let her know that I wasn’t going to make it to her house tonight. “Hey girl, I have to go by Gavin’s house and check on Vinny. Gavin has no clue what he is doing, and Vinny came down with some kind of stomach bug at school.”
“Oh, so you’re playing mommy tonight, huh? Okay. Well, be safe, and I guess I will talk to you tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
I hung up the phone and made my way to Gavin’s house. Ever since I saw Anthony’s truck right next to my car a few days ago, I’d been increasingly nervous when I drove around the city by myself. I didn’t tell April the truth about why I came back to her house because I didn’t want her to worry. I told her that I had forgotten my notebook there, and I needed to come back and grab it. After that, she didn’t think anything else of it, but I was nervous. I went home that night and didn’t see any sign of Anthony or his truck. I dreaded what would happen if I did because I didn’t know what lengths he would go to just to make sure I got whatever message he was trying to send.
I stopped at the store to grab a few things for Vinny: soup, applesauce, bread, and rice. Things that would help soothe his upset stomach for the time being. I also grabbed some spaghetti to cook for the night. I figured that since April was showing me how to handle myself in the kitchen, I may as well start showing off what I learned. When I arrived at Gavin’s house, he opened the door with a smile on his face and greeted me with a hug. “It is good to see you again.”
“Likewise,” I said as I stepped inside. “How is Vinny?”
“He is up in his room right now, sleeping. He threw up a lot when he first got home. It was all in the driveway. I had to take a hose to the cement because I hear if that stuff sticks, it is nearly impossible to clean off.”
She chuckled, “Yeah, that is true. You did the right thing.”
He took the bags from my hand, then led me into the kitchen. “So, I just want to thank you for coming over. I know you didn’t have to, but trust me, I have no clue what to do with Vinny. I wish I did, but this is not my area of expertise.”
I pulled items from the bag, “Not a problem. I guess that is another reason why I am here.” I smiled, then poured the contents of the can of soup into the pot on the stove. I set the eye so that the soup would come to a boil, then prepared some other things to take up to Vinny.
“So, how did you become so good with children? I mean, where did all of this come from?”
“Well, I don’t know, honestly. I’ve always been drawn to them, ever since I can remember. When I was younger, I would ask to babysit other people’s children, and the funny part about it is that I would do it for free. I just loved being around children, you know?”
“Wow. So, I guess it would make sense for you to find yourself in a school setting now. Why haven’t you crossed the line to become a teacher yet?”
The soup simmered on top of the stove. I sighed. “Yeah, that’s another thing. I know I was telling you about school and how close I was to finishing it, but, I guess I am kind of nervous. I mean, I like where I am at now, but whenever I do become a teacher or whatever, I feel like I will be stepping into something I have no clue about. I know how to take care of children and how to connect with them, but I’m not sure if that translates into teaching. Maybe I should just like… open a daycare or something?”
He laughed. “Well, that is another way to think about it. But, then again, you can’t let fear push you away from doing something you want to do. That’s all it is. Fear. Hell,” he stood up and occupied the space next to me by the stove, “if I let fear control me, then I would never be the CEO of my own company. I would’ve never taken out a loan. I would’ve never moved to Roanoke. There are a lot of things that I wouldn’t
have done, but fear is nothing except false evidence appearing real. That’s it.”
“Wow. I’ve never thought about it like that.”
“Yeah. Most people don’t. And most people give up because they don’t know how close they are to the finish line. It is depressing sometimes, you know? When you look at people who have given up and you’re just like, ‘Man, if you went a little further, you would’ve made it.' That’s why I keep going, even now. I want to make it to the end.”
His words were life to me. It encouraged me to keep going, no matter what was ahead of me. Right then and there, I wanted to call my school and let them know that I was going to finish up my hours so I could graduate. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess I just have to gather myself and get back on track.”
“You should. That is exactly what you should do. School. Your career. Whatever it is, just go for it. It really doesn’t make much sense not to.”
Steam rose from the pot of soup as I stirred it around with a spoon. “I think it is just about ready. So, I am going to put this in a bowl and take it up to our sick – I mean, your sick little boy, and hope this makes him feel better.”
He smiled. “Right after you.”
When we got into his room, Vinny was on his bed, curled up in the fetal position with his eyes closed tightly. “Vinny?” I said as I eased into the room with the bowl of soup and a side of crackers. “Vinny, we’ve got some food for you, kid. Can you pop up for us?” He slowly opened his eyes and raised himself in the bed. He rested against the headboard as I put the tray of food in front of him. “Now, the soup is kind of hot, okay? So, take your time with it.” He nodded his head. I put my hand on his forehead while he looked down at his food. “He feels like he has a slight fever. That is a good thing, though. That means his body is fighting whatever it is that is attacking him.”
I looked at Vinny and asked, “Can you eat?”
