Savage Love

by Jodi Woody

  “We like our privacy, can you tell?” Leal laughed. He started driving and gestured to the buildings. “Welcome to Mountain Home, I know, not real original. We have a pool, guest rooms and gardens. I already used the CB to radio into my wife Trisha to let her know we were bringing company. She’ll be all ready for you. Then in the morning we’ll see what we can do about fixing that car.”

  As they got closer to the house Samantha and Seanna couldn’t help but get a little excited. It looked like it was built right into the side of a hill, from the driveway it looked more like a rambler style. But when they drove around they could plainly see that it had several levels with windows and balconies from top to bottom. There was one balcony that overhung a large pool. The pool itself looked like it disappeared over the edge of the hill. As they pulled up under a carport area, Seanna looked at her mom with her eyebrows raised and a big smile on her face.

  Before they came to a complete stop, a petite young woman hurried out to greet them. She had an Asian look about her. Her hair was straight black and cut at chin length and she had a friendly smile. She walked right to the driver’s side door and started giving instructions to her husband about bringing the luggage into the house. Then as the girls stepped out of the limo, she met them in front and introduced herself.

  “Hi I am Trisha, Leal’s wife. You two just grab what you need to freshen up and Leal will get your bags into the house. Follow me. I’ll show you where you’ll be camping for the night.” Then she led the way into what could only be described as a modern mansion.

  Chapter 2

  All That Glitters Is Not Gold

  Daffyd waited until his assistant, Trisha, got the ladies out of the car and into the house before he allowed Leal to help him out of the limo. Being so weak from his chemo treatment, he had to be practically carried into the house. Why did I let Leal talk me into bringing those two here? I should have had him take them into town no matter how long the trip. Now I have unwanted guests and I feel like the usual half corpse after that poison!

  The treatments wrecked havoc on his already weak body, but they were the only thing keeping the stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma from killing him. He had always been thin, but now he looked more like the pictures of severe anorexia patients than like the Rock Star that he was. His once long blond hair had fallen out the first year of treatment. He had dark circles under his dark circles and his skin was the color of chalk. He could have passed for eighty instead of his recent birthday of thirty years.

  Maybe I should have let them get a look and they would have run away screaming, begging Leal to take them to the next town. At least I still have my sense of humor. Like when Leal talked about his grandmother’s saying “this too shall pass”. The only time that applies to me is after I eat. It all passes right through or comes back up. Maybe I should have contributed to that conversation. Then they for sure wouldn’t be invading my privacy.

  Leal got him into his room unseen. That was quite the feat going up the open stairs one side of the great room while Trish kept the company distracted by showing them their rooms. This was one time that the whole open concept to his dream home became an issue. When he built the house four years ago he had dreamed of a place to rest after long tours. He needed a safe haven away from the world of music and media. That was all before his brother’s accident, before the massive anxiety attacks and before the cancer. When Gareth and his wife died it rocked Daffyd’s world in a way that he hadn’t expected. Especially when he had read his brother’s will asking him to care for his nephew Bryce. Gareth and Daffyd had gone their separate ways after high school, and had only seen each other at the few family gatherings that Daffyd had made it around to going to. His family had always been close and loving. Bryson Sayvage, his father was a second generation American of a Welsh descent. His parents were strong in faith and their convictions and had brought up their two boys to love God and to serve others.

  Even though they were polar opposites, Daffyd and Gareth had always been close. Gareth loved sports and working at the local homeless center in the kitchen after school. Daffyd, though athletic, loved books and music. By the time they were in high school, Daffyd’s musical talent began to grow. He could play any musical instrument he picked up and was singing solos at school and Church. In his senior year a group of older guys asked him to join a band, and against his parent’s advice, he did. Gareth didn’t like the way the whole lifestyle was pulling his brother away from his family and his beliefs. Soon the band was playing in bars and clubs all over the area. In a few short years the band members had all been replaced, other than Daffyd, and had become known simply as ‘Savage’, a play on Daffyd’s last name.

  At the young age of twenty five he was the hottest singer in the business, not only in the U.S. but in several other countries. The world knew him as James Savage the Rock Star. When Gareth and his wife were killed in a plane crash several years later, Daffyd started suffering from severe anxiety. Crowds and noise made him feel like he couldn’t breathe, like the world was caving in on him. His scheduled tour had to be cancelled and his manager scrambled to make excuses for his young star. It was leaked to the tabloids that he was suffering from exhaustion, which wasn’t too far from the truth.

  Thankfully his nephew Bryce was in his senior year in high school and was able to stay with friends until his graduation. So Daffyd’s role as guardian of his nephew was put on hold. By the time summer had rolled around Daffyd had overcome his anxiety enough to record his next album. Even without the tours, it hit the charts and stayed on top for months. That first summer was a battle for Daffyd to come to terms with the death of his estranged brother and to prove to his parents that he could care for Bryce. In the fall his nephew began college at Daffyd’s encouragement and financial provision. They had grown to love one another if not understand each other. In Bryce’s last year of pre-law Daffyd had gotten the flu and it didn’t seem to get better. After passing out in the recording studio Trisha insisted he go get a checkup. The diagnosis was cancer. Now after almost two years of treatments, his prognosis wasn’t any better. He had gone into remission for a while, but the disease had come back with a vengeance. From the first day he found out, he had hidden his condition from the world. He had fired Barry, his long time manager, and had moved into the house in Montana taking Trisha and Leal. On one of Bryce’s visits he had broken the news to him but made him promise not to tell anyone, not even his grandparents.

  Now he had taken a chance that all of his best laid plans, his secrecy and his deal with the small town leaders, would all be blown to bits by two stranded motorists. Maybe the chemo has finally damaged my brain. As soon as he was settled in bed with the bucket by his side, he gave Leal instructions to send Trisha in as soon as she got done with settling his unwanted guest. Man he felt old. If I wasn’t such a coward, I’d just take a few more pain pills than prescribed and be done. But what if this wasn’t all there was? What if all that stuff that his parents, Gareth, Bryce and even Trisha and Leal believed was true? You used to believe it too…what happened to that simple faith? But what kind of God would take good people like Gareth and Rebecca from a great kid like Bryce? What kind of God even allowed cancer? No he’d beat this on his own, just like he made himself a star. He didn’t need God, and he sure didn’t need false belief in something better. This is all you get, Bucko.Take it or leave it.

  His pity party was interrupted by Trisha coming in and fussing over him. He hated to admit it, but he loved it when she fussed. Which was probably why he kept her around, well, maybe her cooking and her great business sense didn’t hurt much either. They may not see eye to eye on all things, but Daffyd, Trisha and Leal made a great team.

  “So…?” said Trisha as she settled on the side of his bed.

  “So… what?” asked Daffyd.

  “We have guests.”

  “Yes, Trish, we do.”

  “What do you think about that,” she asked.

  “You sound like my old therapist.”r />
  “You don’t need a therapist. You just need God.” She stated.

  “Now, you’re crossing that line we talked about, Trish…”

  “Ok, sorry. But really, isn’t this just fun. We’ve never had anyone here but Bryce, and they seem really sweet. It will be nice to just let them relax and have fun until we can get that car fixed. And aren’t they both the cutest. They look more like sisters than mother and daughter.”

  “Leave it to you to think hosting guests, while feeling like crap, would be fun.”

  “You’d feel like crap with or without guests. So I was thinking we should still have our ‘Post Treatment Comedy Pajama Night’. What do you think?”

  “I think you are crazier than usual,” Daffyd snorted.

  “Who made the rule? Quote:‘New House Rule-One hour of treatment equals one hour of everyone else laughing until their guts hurt.’ Did I get that right?” Trisha said poking fun at her boss.

  “Rules changed when your Good Samaritan husband wanted to pick up those damsels in distress today,” Daffyd said.

  “That’s funny. I thought he said it was your idea. I should have known better. Your heart is too cold to be a Good Samaritan. That’s why you do not give to charities, or why you never built that children’s wing on the hospital, and never ever would have paid for your orphaned nephew’s college,” countered Trisha.

  “You can shut up now. If I approve the movie and the pajamas will you leave me alone until then?” he asked wearily.

  “Of course, as soon as I tuck you in and bring you that herbal tea that helps settle your stomach.”

  “Actually, it wasn’t so bad this time. I didn’t even throw up in the car on the way back. So just tuck me in and forget the tea. You can invite your guests to movie night. They’ll probably be too tired to come, but we wouldn’t want to be rude. And you better warn them, I don’t want them to freak out when they see me. But remember, nobody mentions who I am. I am just plain Daffyd Sayvage.”

  Chapter 3

  A Merry Heart

  Samantha and Seanna were sitting in the room that Trisha had given to Samantha. Her room was almost as big as their living room at home. It was all done in earth tones, mostly warm browns and cool greens. There was a big four posted bed in dark cherry wood. Matching tables on both side and a large dresser with a round mirror completed the furnishings. The pictures were mostly photographs in black and white. There were two big windows that looked out into the surrounding hills. Both Seanna and Samantha were sitting on the big bed. They were talking about all the weird events in the last few months. They both agreed it was like something out of the movies, the death of Richard, the rushed flight to Washington, the long trip, car trouble, the limo rescue and now this mansion way out in the middle of nowhere. If it hadn’t been happening to them, they wouldn’t have believed it.

  “Who are these people?” Seanna asked. “They live in the middle of nowhere and are filthy rich.”

  “They are the people God sent to help us,” Samantha answered matter of factly.

  “The guy in the back of the limo must be rich. Look at this place. This looks like something off of the Home and Garden channel. Why do you think ‘Mr. Rich’ never introduced himself, or even showed his face? Did you notice he never even got out of the car? Maybe he is old and ugly, or deformed or something.”

  “Somebody has been watching too many movies. Maybe he just wants his privacy. All the more reason for us to get the car fixed right away in the morning and get back on the road. We’ll just stay in our rooms until then, and not be a bother,” said Samantha.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. I sure would like to see the rest of the house. Did you check out the bathroom down the hall? And the view out my window is awesome. You can look out over the mountains. I am gonna at least take some pictures of our rooms and the view. Nobody will believe this without proof.”

  Just as Seanna got her camera out of her purse, there was a soft knock on the door.

  “Come in”, said both girls at once.

  Trisha came in and took a seat on the bed right along with Samantha and Seanna.

  “I am here to invite you to a movie and snacks in our video room,” said Trisha. “But if you are feeling too tired and just want to rest that’s ok too. They are just some old Three Stooges movies. It’s kind of a tradition here.”

  “You show all your guests Three Stooges movies?” asked Seanna with a bemused look on her face.

  “No,” laughed Trisha. “You’re actually our first visitors we’ve had, except Daffyd’s nephew Bryce. I guess I should tell you about Daffyd, my boss, then you’ll understand. He has stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma which is a fancy name for a real bad form of cancer. He has been fighting it for two years. He gets a little better, has even been in a full remission, only to have it crop back up. He was actually on his way home from a chemo session today when they picked you up. So the tradition is that every treatment day we all put on our pajamas, so Daffyd doesn’t feel left out, he lives in his now days, and watch his old Three Stooges movies. He says it’s so that we will all ‘laugh until our guts hurt’, he doesn’t want us ‘to feel left out’. It cheers him up and we do whatever we can to keep him happy.”

  “So is that why he didn’t let us see him in the limo?” asked Samantha.

  “He does look pretty rough and he doesn’t like people to see him this way. His privacy is very important to him, so I am not at liberty to say much more. He is a real nice guy who is in a real hard spot. But between you and me, Leal and I think it is right where God wants him.”

  “I think we should join them. What do you think, Mom?” asked Seanna.

  “If he would be uncomfortable, maybe we shouldn’t,” hedged Samantha.

  “Sometimes being uncomfortable is what makes us change. I think it would be good for him. God knows, Leal and I would love the company. It’s pretty quiet when Bryce isn’t here,” said Trisha.

  “That’s the nephew you were talking about?” asked Seanna.

  “Yep, since his parents died he’s here during breaks from law school. He’s a great kid. You just missed him by a few days. He stops to visit Daffyd’s parents for a couple of weeks before he comes here,” Trisha replied. “So what do you say? Snacks and some corny movies?”

  Samantha looked at her daughter, who looked back with her ‘please, Mom’ look.

  “Sure, we’ll come. But what was that about pajamas?” asked Samantha.

  “Well I guess you would be forgiven if you didn’t, but Leal and I wear ours and when Bryce is here he always wears some crazy ones to make his uncle laugh. It’s totally up to you. Just come down to the kitchen in about an hour. I’ll be putting together some eats and will show you to the media room.” Trisha popped up off the bed and said as she left, “its nice having you here, even if it is just one night.”

  “Well, I for one, do not have pajamas fit for company. All my flannels are at home. I have been sleeping in my summer stuff that is way too skimpy for public,” stated Samantha.

  “I’ll just wear one of my tank tops and shorts, that’s my summer sleepwear,” Seanna said.

  “I guess I do have a few tanks…do you think its ok for me to be in public in my pajamas?”

  “First off, you’re talking like you’re an old lady. Secondly, we’re not in public. We are in a private home. Thirdly, our host requests pajamas. Come on, Mom. Live on the edge!” Seanna joked.

  An hour later they were helping Trisha put butter on some popcorn and various junk food articles on a tray. Samantha couldn’t help a twinge of guilt and she hadn’t even touched the food yet. It’s not going to hurt you to eat a little junk food now and then. It’s not like you’ll change a lifetime of good eating in one night. She had gotten past the whole pajama thing when she saw Trisha in a pair of silky pants and a tank top that said ‘sleep is over rated’. Soon Trisha was leading them downstairs to a big room with a huge sectional that pretty much filled two walls. There was a screen almost as big as a real
theater where you could see from any part of the room. A big heavy table was in the center of the room and there was a bar area on another wall.

  The lights were already dimmed and Samantha could just make out Leal and another man sitting on one side of the big couch. The other was reclined and on the end next to Leal with a hooded sweatshirt on. All she could see was a pale outline of a face. Their host pushed a button on the remote and before anyone could say a word, the movie started. Trisha motioned towards the couch. Seanna and Samantha sat while Trisha set the tray and the popcorn on the table. Leal hopped up and grabbed some sodas and juice out of the fridge in the bar. He kept one, handed one to his boss and put the rest on the table. Soon the movie was rolling and there was no chance for conversation.

  Samantha had never really liked the Stooges much, not that she had seen much of their stuff. She didn’t think Seanna even knew who they were. She had resigned herself to sit through at least a half hour before begging off with the excuse of being tired. But before she knew, she was laughing right along with the rest of them. Leal had a big laugh, Trisha had one long giggle, Seanna was laughing so hard she was leaning on her mom. Samantha’s face hurt from laughing so much, a few times even having some issues catching her breath. The only one not laughing out loud was their host. He did have a huge smile on his face and occasionally chuckled. Mostly he was enjoying watching the others, especially the two guests who snuggled and whispered and fell into each other as they laughed. Samantha forgot all about her thirty minutes, ate junk food and drank a whole soda, skipping the water all together. What did Seanna say about living on the edge? I think I have jumped right off. Then she laughed even harder at her own joke.

  When the movie was over Trisha got up and turned on the light with the pretext of finding something she dropped under the couch. Daffyd saw right through her poor acting and tried to pull the hoody over his face a little more. Samantha and Seanna were trying to catch their breath and drying their eyes and smiling at each other.