Looking into his sober eyes, I believe him.
“I can’t believe what Mom did to this place. And where the hell is she? It’s going on nine. She’s never out this late.”
“I know where she is,” I say.
Jude cocks a brow at me.
“So, Mom…” I start. The three of us sit down, and David and I explain where Mom is and why.
“Shit. I didn’t think she’d take it so hard. She seemed to understand what I was saying, though. And it’s not even gonna happen for a few more months. I’m here for the first six months, living with Mom was part of my early release.”
“She has a lot of issues to work out,” I explain.
“Yeah. Sounds like the program you have her in is a good one. A lot like what I went through inside these past few years. Although sounds like her place is a lot nicer than mine was. I’m sorry this all dropped on you,” he says graciously.
“Hey, you didn’t cause it, you can’t control it, and you can’t cure it. We’re in this together. And as you know, she has to do this for herself.”
“I fucking love you,” he says and pulls me in for a hug.
We catch up a little more while Jude eats his drive-thru dinner, then the three of us get to cleaning up the disaster.
Late Sunday morning, I drag David over to the Schwarzkopfs, excited for my surrogate grandparents to meet the love of my life.
“Crystal-ball!” Mr. Schwarzkopf booms from inside seeing me on the doorstep.
“Hi, Mr. Schwarzkopf.”
He opens the door and gives me one of his signature bear hugs. Mrs. Schwarzkopf comes scurrying onto the front deck and stops short when she spots David and me. She pulls the kerchief off her head and tucks it into the cleaning apron she’s wearing and fluffs her hair. First, she hugs me, cooing about how good I look and making me promise to tell her all about Chicago.
“And I assume that the smile on your face is due to this handsome gentleman?”
“Yes,” I admit, my face burning with a blush. “Mr. and Mrs. Schwarzkopf, this is my boyfriend, David Waterston.”
Mr. Schwarzkopf and David shake hands, then Mrs. Schwarzkopf hugs him.
“Come on in,” she offers, swinging the door wide open. We step into their clean and homey living room. The aroma of fresh baked goods envelopes me, and I can’t help but smile. “Now sit,” she commands joyfully, proffering the loveseat to David and me while Mr. Schwarzkopf takes a seat in his Lazy Boy. “Make yourself comfortable. Can I get you some lemonade?”
“I’d do just about anything for your lemonade, Mrs. S,” I tell her, realizing I’ve missed it all this time.
David and I chat with Mr. Schwarzkopf until Mrs. Schwarzkopf returns with the metal tray painted with bright sunflowers on it that I’d given her one year for Christmas. Once the drinks have been distributed, she settles into her rocking chair.
“Your mother’s been doing well…” Mrs. Schwarzkopf starts, “… but I haven’t seen her the past couple of days.”
David and I fill her in on the past couple of days regarding Mom. Then I take a deep breath and tell them the biggest news. “So, completely on accident, I found my father.”
“You what?” Mrs. Schwarzkopf asks, her eyes as wide as saucers.
David and I quickly tell the story ending with the events of just thirty-six hours ago. How had all that gone down only the other day? It feels like it was weeks ago! But I can’t wait to return to Chicago and celebrate with my ‘new’ dad.
“Well, if the world just doesn’t get smaller by the day!” Mrs. Schwarzkopf says, beaming!
After celebrating and falling quiet, Mr. Schwarzkopf has a topic of discussion all his own.
“So, Waterston?” he asks. “As in the investors? The ones who financed the soil remediation project for the farms down this way? And the cleaning of waterways down in Broward County, Florida?”
“Yes, sir. That would be my family and me. We take the environment very seriously.”
Mr. Schwarzkopf raises an eyebrow at me, and a half smile graces his face. That right there is grade ‘A’ approval. Knowing that Mr. Schwarzkopf approves of David is such an incredible feeling.
“Oh!” Mrs. Schwarzkopf says, standing. “I just baked a strawberry-rhubarb crumble. Can I get you some?” My stomach rumbles at the thought. The lame toast breakfast had long faded.
“We’d love some. Mrs. Schwarzkopf not only grows her own berries and rhubarb, she’s won the county fair blue ribbon for her crumble,” I tell David.
“Well, not in the past few years. I haven’t entered so I could let some of the youngins have a chance of winning. But I still grow my own strawberries and rhubarb.” Her smile and wink twinkle just like the rest of her.
“Can I help you?” I offer.
“Was hoping you would!” She and I head into the kitchen while David and Mr. Schwarzkopf talk business-page news.
“Oh, sweet baby dancing Jesus!” Mrs. Schwarzkopf says once we’re safely out of earshot. “He’s more than a tall drink of water on a hot day!” she sighs, fanning herself.
“I can’t argue there,” I admit. Even after seeing him almost every day for the last two and a half months, except for those five days which I don’t like to think about, he still makes me swoon when I look at him.
“And I don’t think I’ve ever seen that smile on your face. Things must be really good with the two of you?”
“Really good,” I say, and without warning, tears spring from my eyes.
“Crystalline!” she croons. “What in the…?” She pulls me into her full-figured body and hugs me while I shamelessly shed a few tears.
“I don’t know,” I confess. “I’m just so happy, and he’s everything I could ever imagine in a boyfriend.”
“So why the waterworks?”
“I’m afraid it won’t last. He’s so refined and educated and posh. He’s just seen my place, met my mom and Jude. What if it’s all too much for him? What if I’m not enough for him?”
“And what if it’s not? What if you’re everything he needs? Why are you looking for problems before they’ve presented themselves?” She releases me and starts to scoop out servings of the fresh strawberry-rhubarb crumble—with one small corner gone, and I’m certain that Mr. Schwarzkopf has already done his ‘quality control’—and continues. “I see the look in his eye, Sugar Crystal, and the look he’s got is love. All love. For you. I don’t think for one second that he sees your childhood home, your brother, or your mother. He just sees you. You look. You’ll see.”
She turns and grabs the vanilla ice cream out of the freezer, and we finish serving up the bowls.
Before we return to the living room where the men are deep in conversation about investment strategy—I never knew Mr. Schwarzkopf was such a businessman!—Mrs. Schwarzkopf leans over and says, “Listen to your heart and stop overthinking things. I have a good feeling about the two of you, and I’m never wrong about that.”
We’re all sitting and gobbling up the crumble, and David says he understands how she’s won the blue ribbon repeatedly. He even encourages her to sell the recipe, and they “could live quite comfortably the rest of their days.”
“You’re too kind,” she says, actually blushing.
“What about the rest of your days? You gonna make an honest woman out of our Crystal?” Mr. Schwarzkopf says without batting an eye.
I’m mortified and want the ground to open up and swallow me whole.
David looks at me and smiles as he reaches for my hand and laces our fingers together. I stare into his eyes and search for what Mrs. Schwarzkopf was saying. I see it, I think. What she saw. I don’t feel one ounce of judgment. He’s not distanced himself at all. Friday night, he wanted to stay when he could have just as easily said that he wanted to give my mom and me time together and work things through. Instead, he stayed the night and helped get her into an incredible treatment facility yesterday. When we came back to the trailer park, he could have made excuses about having to get ba
ck to the city, but he sat and talked with Jude, and today he’s here with Mr. and Mrs. Schwarzkopf. He didn’t have to.
Staring into his eyes and feeling his thumb brush over my fingers, I can’t help the goofy grin that takes over my face.
“Oh, all in good time, sir,” he says softly.
We get home late Sunday night, and I’m beat—physically and emotionally. The seventy-two hours in Harton were the most grueling I’d ever experienced. My mother’s issues aside, I decided to give Heather a call. It was like no time had passed, but for a change, she was more interested in what I had to say—the Big City and all. When she asked about any romantic interests, I copped out by saying, “There may be someone. We’ll see how it goes.” She seemed disappointed that I wasn’t spilling any juicy details, but I promised her that if she ever wanted to come up for a weekend, she had a place to stay and we promised to get together soon. It was ‘funny.’ I’ve known Lainey for much less time, but I feel way more connected to her.
David insists we stay at his place, and I’m too tired to argue. David stays with me all day Monday taking a couple of business calls in his home office, but mostly he dotes on me. I do my ‘homework’ and focus on me keeping myself strong and in a good place, but it’s a challenge. Fortunately, I have David to lean on, and he doesn’t seem to mind one bit.
37
Will you?
CRYSTAL
Ten months later…
“Are you joining us?” I ask David as I leash up Wrigley, the rescue ‘Pomsky’—part Pomeranian, part Husky— we adopted from a local shelter two months ago. Wrigley wags her fluffy curled tail shaking all of her sixteen pounds this way and that, looking up at me with her mismatched eyes—one blue, one brown.
David looks up from his phone, and his face says it all. “Sorry, Tal. Jimmy just messaged me about this deal we’ve got going on, and…” he squats down to let Wrigley kiss his nose.
“On a Saturday?” I whine.
“If you can give me thirty minutes…”
Wrigley whines, eager to get out and relieve herself.
“It’s fine,” I assure him. I know David has several important projects wrapping up, and it’s stressing him out. Besides, I really don’t want Wrigley peeing in the apartment. I slip my arms into my coat and give David a kiss of my own.
“Walking your regular route?” he asks.
“Yeah, probably. You know how Wrigg likes the park up on East Chicago.”
“Just stay safe,” he cautions.
I chuckle at his protective nature and assure him that Wrigley will lick any attacker to within an inch of his life and head down to let our little baby take care of business.
In the lobby, the doorman, George, smiles broadly when he sees his new best friend and me.
“Wrigley!” George grabs a small treat from his stand and comes over to hunch down to Wrigley who has come to expect this treat every time she sees George.
“You spoil her.”
“That’s what I’m here for,” he says, putting his nose to Wrigley’s when she’s finished chewing her treat.
“Enjoy your walk,” he says, extra cheerily as he opens the door.
“Okay,” I say chuckling to myself as Wrigley and I step out into the still brisk, late spring air.
Spring, I think to myself. Has it really been more than a year since I bought that fateful ticket? The other day was the one-year anniversary of my very first payout. How my life has changed is immeasurable, and not just my bank account.
The past months have been a balancing act of epic proportions.
First off, there was my mom. For the eight weeks of Mom’s residential therapy program, David accompanied me on Thursdays with Chip flying the helicopter back to the treatment center for family therapy. I still can’t believe I’m dating someone who has a helicopter at his disposal, but it sure beats the seven-plus hour bus ride each way.
Therapy was tough watching my mother anguished with guilt which rivaled my own, and I accepted private sessions with her therapist to quiet some of my demons, basically refreshing all I’d learned in Al-Anon, but sometimes reminders are just what we need. With the help of her therapist, I told Mom about my lottery winnings and Jimmy. Both were quite a shock to her, but thankfully she was still at the treatment center so she could get the therapy to deal with it all. The therapist was able to help Mom recognize that although I’d left with my good fortune, I had shared it with her and ultimately led her to her path to recovery, even if she had stumbled. As far as Jimmy was concerned, I was surprised that she was genuinely happy for Jimmy’s success and our new relationship.
When she was released, she and Jude both moved to the Carbondale area for that fresh-start Jude was after. They got their own apartments just a few blocks from each other, and the independence is suiting them both wonderfully. I’m still helping my mom financially since I’d bookmarked part of my winnings for her mortgage. Jude refuses the help. They not only go to AA meetings together, they also are both working for Brian—Jude on construction sites and Mom working in the office. She’d always told me I got my knack for numbers from her when I brought home my math tests with A’s on them, but it was hard to know for sure if she was just telling tales. Turns out, she’s actually more than mathematically competent. It made my day when she let me pay for her to go to classes locally to get her bookkeeping accreditation from a community college near her home.
As for my living situation, I passed on renewing my lease after nine months and moved in with David since I was spending all of my time at his place anyway. A month after moving in, we adopted Wrigley.
“Hi, Aunt Crystal,” a young familiar voice says. I turn and see Francisca with her bedazzled cane in one hand and in the other she’s holding out a white rose for me and says, “This is for you.”
“You are just the sweetest thing,” I answer squatting down and taking the rose. I give the white blossom a sniff and hum at the sweet perfume. I hug the angelic girl with her thick black hair, golden skin, and seriously dark eyes. Her smile is bright, and I defy anyone not to smile when she’s smiling at you. She’s making great strides with her doctors at the hospital. Wrigley starts to jump all over her making her giggle with delight.
Teresa, Leo, and Marisol join Francisca and me, and also hand me a pair of white roses. “We are all so grateful for everything you did for us,” Leo says, getting emotional. I’m about to burst into tears myself as he and Teresa pull me into their arms.
We catch up for a minute, and then they head off to run some errands. Leo looks so happy, and both parents appear much more rested. With the help David and I were able to find, Leo was able to give up the night-time security job and spend more time with his family. We've spent a lot of time together over the past months, and I was totally honored when Cisca and Mari started calling us Aunt Crystal and Uncle David.
With my roses in hand, Wrigley and I keep walking, and I further think about how my life has changed. Things with Jimmy have been incredible. I started working in his office, and it is rewarding in so many ways. Not only have I gotten to know Jimmy, Dad—which feels so cool to say—professionally and personally, I’ve discovered that I really do have an aptitude for law. With Dad’s help, I applied to Loyola in Chicago, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern. I was beyond floored when I got accepted to all three. I decided on Northwestern which is where Dad went, and I’ll be starting in the fall.
I look up and see a paparazzo across the street snapping a picture of me walking Wrigley and snug the collar of my coat to hide my face a bit more. It’s even worse when David and I go out together, and it’s not something I’m sure I’ll ever get used to. They’re everywhere trying to snap photos, both flattering and unflattering. I’m terrified they’ll find out about my mother and make that whole situation worse, but so far, so good.
“Hi Talia,” a woman says, pulling my attention from the cameraman. Looking a little closer, I realize it’s Pam, my real estate agent. She holds out another rose, and
my heart is pounding. What is going on?
“Thank you, Mrs. DeWitt,” I reply, getting choked up and feeling my cheeks burn brightly.
She and I talk a little and catch up before she has to run off and show some condos to a couple moving from the suburbs.
I rush Wrigley to the park, and she plays with some of her familiar puppy friends, which is much busier since it’s a Saturday. As Wrigley dashes around with the other dogs, some twice her size, the woman from the shelter who helped us find and adopt Wrigley shows up and gives me another rose. Now I know David is up to something.
Once Wrigley is tuckered out from running all around, we head back home, and I have half a dozen gorgeous, fragrant roses cradled in my arm. People are smiling at me as they note not only the cutest dog on the block, but also my flowers, when a familiar voice sounds from behind. “That’s quite a bundle of flowers you have there.”
I turn to find Lainey. “I know, right? I have no idea what David is up to.” By now I’m laughing at this bizarre morning, then Lainey surprises me with another stem to add to my collection. “Seriously?”
Lainey grins and starts giggling as she sets her flower with the others then stoops down to love on Wrigley.
“What is going on?” I quiz my friend.
“You just look like a woman who needs flowers, I guess,” she replies not so innocently as she locks her arm with my free one, and we continue home.
“Miss! Did you drop these?” another familiar voice says behind me, I turn to see Dad and Deb, each holding a white rose.
“This is getting out of hand,” I say through my giggle fits, noticing people looking at me as I carry this growing bouquet.
Win for Love Page 30
