She controlled herself and got serious. “They have these parties, Angela. These horrible, horrible parties.” She shivered.
“What parties, Ma?”
“Drug parties. The kids? They go into their parents’ medicine cabinets and take the prescription drugs, and then they go to someone’s house and pour them in a big bowl and everyone takes a handful and swallows them. Just swallows them like they don’t have a care in the world, and they don’t even know what they are. But Emily said no, she wouldn’t do that and she didn’t want to go, so Taylor told her she was a prude and now they’re not talking. I’m proud of Emily for having enough sense to say no, but she’s so upset, I’m worried she might do it just to keep Taylor as a friend.”
I thought about what my mother said. “They have parties and just take handfuls of mixed prescription drugs? Are you serious? Someone could die doing that, Ma.” I realized I did exactly what Jake does, repeat things people said to me. Guess I couldn’t really get annoyed with him for doing that anymore. I still would, but I shouldn’t.
“Well, duh. Don't you think I know that? That’s why I’m telling you about it. Ah Madone, this is bad, Ang. This is real bad. You still have my painkillers in the cabinet, don’t you? What about my other medicines? Did you get rid of those? You better lock them up. Better yet, throw them down the pot. We don’t need nothing tempting sweet Emily.”
“It’s okay, Ma, I don’t have any of that stuff anymore, but I do have some other things, like Jake’s cholesterol medicine, and some stuff left over from my surgery last summer. I should probably hide those, just in case.” I paused and thought some more. “Wow. I can’t believe this. Good for Emily not getting involved, but what do I do? Do I talk to Emily? Should I call Taylor’s mother?”
“Well you can’t tell them how you found out, that’s for sure. If it were me, I wouldn’t tell Emily anything just yet. I’d just find a way to approach her about her fight with Taylor. That’s what I did with you. Act like I didn’t know what was going on, even though I did. It worked every time.”
Huh. Who knew?
“She’s a mess Ang, and I don’t want her doing anything stupid out of desperation. And as for that little cagna, I’m gonna give her the evil eye.”
I laughed, not because it was funny, but because I knew my mother would do it. “Ma, you can’t go around administering your own brand of ghostly justice, and Taylor may very well be a cagna, but she’s also a child. She has her own set of issues to figure out, God bless her. Let me handle this, okay?”
Ma frowned at me, but nodded. “You really know how to spoil my fun, don’t you?”
“It’s a skill I’ve perfected over the years.”
“Aren’t you glad I snooped, Angela? I can be a big help like this, you know.”
I had to admit, she was right about that. I just hoped there was a better way to go about it the next time.
The next time. Geesh. What did I get myself into? Actually, what did my dead mother get me into?
We chatted a little more about typical mother-daughter stuff, and I realized normal people don’t have this chance; they don’t get to chitchat with their dead mother. I felt blessed knowing I’d got a second chance at time with my mom, and cursed she wasn’t going to be the only ghost in my life. I decided Mel was right, yet again. I needed another sit down with Linda because this stuff was way over my head.
Chapter Thirteen
Jake finished the yard and Josh decided to head over to the pool with his friends. Gone are the days of me packing up snacks, toys, sun screen and extra towels, throwing on my bathing suit, feeling bad about how I looked in it, and heading to the pool to make sure my kids didn’t drown. I couldn’t wait for those days to end...couldn’t wait for the freedom it brought. I never believed I might miss them like this. I thought about asking Josh if he wanted me to go, too, but decided to let him be a big boy. It made my heart hurt.
I meandered to Emily’s room and gathered my composure before knocking.
“Em, it’s me, can I come in?” We have a rule here. The house belonged to Jake and me and it was a privilege to live here, so no doors are allowed to be locked, except ours, and we can enter at any time. Emily hated the rule. Josh wasn’t there yet, but his time would come. I never really just walked in unannounced, but they knew there was always that chance. She was lying on her bed, reading some trashy teen vampire novel, which I hated but at least she was reading.
“You’ve got a bunch of reality TV shows on the DVR. Do you plan to delete them any time soon or should I?”
“I’ve watched them all so you can delete them if you want.”
Why couldn’t she delete them after watching? Like her father and brother, whatever they'd taped sat on the DVR until something I wanted to watch didn’t get recorded and I got pissy about it. I was beginning to think they actually enjoyed making me pissy and maybe if I stopped being that way, things would change. Ha. I knew that was a pipe dream.
I sat on the edge of Em’s bed and tried to be casual. With a teenage daughter, perception was most definitely reality, and if I came off in any manner other than casual, her defenses would shoot up like the space shuttle. “So, what’s up? Still not feeling well, kiddo?”
She kept staring at her book. “I’m okay, a little better, I guess. Just not good enough to go out and do anything yet.”
I pulled my legs into the Indian style position, and said a silent thank you to the heavens because they still bent that way. “Well, that’s good, but I hope you’ll feel well enough to go out again, soon. I was thinking maybe we could go shopping or something tomorrow.” Yikes. I wanted to pull the words back into my mouth immediately after they came out. I hated shopping. I mean, I really, really hated shopping, but more importantly, I really hated shopping with my Emily. She couldn’t just try something on and buy it. Nope. She had search through every single rack at every single store, try on every single thing she might consider liking, then go back to each store and reconsider every single thing she tried on and maybe a few others, until she finally decided on one, maybe two things, if anything at all. I’d rather have two root canals at the same time and go straight to the OBGYN for an annual exam than go shopping with my daughter. And she knew it.
“Mom, I’m fine. You don’t need to take me shopping. I know how much you hate shopping, especially with me.”
Phew. Dodged that bullet. I started to tell her no one likes to shop with her, but didn’t think it was the right time to joke. Sometimes I could exhibit self-control, as long as chocolate or cupcakes weren’t involved. “Good point, but I can tell something’s up, so if you want to talk, I’m here.”
She continued to fake read, not realizing she hadn’t turned a page since I came in. “Nothing’s wrong, Mom. I’m fine.”
This was a battle I knew I couldn’t win, so I got up. “Okay, just throwing it out there. It’s a mom’s job, you know. I walked out of her room.
Ma met me in my bedroom. “You got nothing, huh? What’s with these kids today? When you were her age, you told me everything. Why don’t they do that now?”
I didn’t have the heart to tell my mother I didn’t tell her everything, especially when I’d barely told her anything, so I shook my head. “Beats me. I need to talk to Jake about this. He needs to be involved, too.”
Ma looked at me with her shifty smile and I knew before she said anything she was going to do something I wouldn’t like. “Okay. Well, I hope you figure it out."
“Ma, do not go back over to Taylor’s house and do not give that child the evil eye. You hear me? I know that smile, Ma. I know you’re thinking up something, so stop it.”
Her face shifted to her I’m innocent of all charges smile, which was the proof I needed to know I was right. “Who me? Then she shimmered away.
“Dammit, Ma! I hate it when you do that!” Trying to talk rationally with someone who could disappear on a whim was so freaking annoying.
Nothing happened in the, I see dead people part of my
life for several days. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t relieved and secretly hoped the curse...er, uh, gift, was gone for good. Instead of calling the psychic, I decided to ignore the whole situation. Sometimes that whole, if you pretend there isn’t a problem, then there isn’t a problem thing worked, so I figured I’d give it the good ol’ Richter family effort.
Emily finally left her room for more than just food and asked to go to a different friend’s house – one she hadn’t spent a lot of time with as of late, and I liked – so I let her go. I hoped this would make a dent in her teenage angst. Josh filled up his busy social calendar with trips to the basketball court and pool, practicing lacrosse, and hanging out in his room playing Legos while Jake spent few days on another trip to New York and was already back. Ma, to the best of my knowledge, hadn’t caused any headaches or tossed any pillows, but it was quite possible she had adopted the ask for forgiveness, not permission policy. All in all, the Panther family seemed to be humming along like a finely tuned engine. I should have known something was coming.
Chapter Fourteen
Murphy’s Law had a way of biting me in the butt, and it took a big ol’ chunk right out of my left cheek. I’ve never learned to knock on wood when it comes to covering my butt and I always end up suffering for it.
I should have known it wouldn’t be a good day. I woke up before five o’clock, something I don’t try to do, but Gracie’s internal alarm clock didn’t care what I wanted and told her to bug me until I moved. So I piddled around on my phone a bit, checking emails and FaceBook, and texting Mel. I left the comfort of my bed to hit the pot, as Ma used to say, and when I turned to flush, dropped my brand new bifocals right into my stuff. There was nothing more disgusting than picking soggy toilet paper from a pair of glasses before five o’clock in the morning. Nothing. Okay, except maybe kid puke in the middle of a bed that can’t be ignored. So I knocked on the wall when I thought of that, just in case. Wall, wood, same thing, right?
I rinsed my glasses, weighed myself, growled at my scale, certain it was out to get me, threw on my workout clothes and headed downstairs. I let the dog out and made her breakfast. When I let her in, she ran straight to her food dish, sliding on the wood floor into the wall. She didn’t care. She gobbled her food in seconds flat. If only a bowl of unpleasing food made me that happy. I’d eat broccoli all day long if that were the case and be a stick. A stick. I cursed Eve for taking the first bite of the apple, again.
Gracie excused herself with a nasty smelling dog food burp in my face and went back to bed. I grabbed a coffee cup and went to pour myself a cup, then realized I didn’t set it on auto the night before. After a long sigh, I grabbed my workout bag from the kitchen desk and walked out to the garage. Sometimes you just have to know when to give up, and I knew. Starbucks was my best option, so I headed there before the gym.
I pulled into the parking lot, and laughed at the six cars already in the lot. Maybe these people forgot to hit the start button on their coffeepots, too. Jenn asked if I want my regular today, but I told her I’d had an annoying morning, so I deserved the full fat mocha with extra whip. She gave me a tall in a grande cup, and added about one thousand calories worth of whipped cream on top and I loved her more than ever for that.
I sipped my luxurious, caffeinated cup of Heaven, and people watched as the sky slowly turned from black to light blue. Jenn came over every so often to chat, but didn’t mention what happened. It was our little secret or maybe the elephant in the room, I wasn’t sure. But not discussing it was fine with me since I was pretending ghosts weren’t a part of my life and all. Not sure where the time went, I realized it was an hour later and my mocha was long gone. I contemplated another, but instead said goodbye to Jenn and the other baristas and headed over to the gym. I gave myself points for self-control.
An hour later my face was the color of an over-ripe tomato from an intense workout and I felt energized, something I hadn’t felt in quite some time. The house was fairly quiet when I got home. Josh was snuggled under a blanket on the couch watching some horrific and ridiculously loud Nick JR show. “Hey, little man. Your dad in his office?”
“Yep." His eyes never left the TV.
“What about Emily? Is she up yet?”
“Mama, it’s morning, not afternoon.”
“Good point, but why are you up? It’s not even eight yet. Still trying not to waste your day?”
“Nah, I couldn’t sleep. I had this weird dream that Turner and me were in an airsoft war and we were facing a bunch of Marines and we had to hide in his neighbor’s garage. One of them shot the wall next to me and there was this loud boom, and I realized my iPod dropped off the bed, so I woke up. Don’t worry though, it didn’t break.”
“Oh, okay.” Note to self: don’t let son spend so much time on the XBox. “Well, I’m jumping in the shower now, ’k?”
“Yup.”
The phone rang just as I started to get into the shower. I let it ring a few times to see if anyone would answer, then finally ran, naked, into the bedroom to get it. It was Helen.
I grabbed my robe, knowing the conversation wouldn't be short. They never were. Helen had become my unofficial sounding board and when she called, I tried hard to become hers. Usually I hogged the conversation, but at least I tried.
“We need to talk about your dad."
I stiffened. “Why? What’s going on?”
“He’s not doing well, Angela. He’s lost a lot of weight and he’s really struggling with his breathing. The doctor says it’s anxiety, but I just don’t know. I think you should come out here. I know he’d like to see you.”
I hadn’t seen my father since Ma’s memorial service, and with his health deteriorating, visiting sounded like the right thing to do. “Is he eating?”
“Barely. He just has no appetite anymore. He’s worried about all of the weight he’s losing, but I can’t get him to eat more than a few bites of anything, even his favorite ice cream sandwiches.”
“And the doctor thinks it’s anxiety? That doesn’t make sense.” When I feel anxious I tend to stuff my face.
“I know. I’m really worried about him. I really think you should come up.”
“Okay. I’ll talk with Jake. He’s going out of town next week but I’m sure he can cancel. I’m assuming you want the whole family to come?”
“I know your dad would love to see everyone but I’m worried it’ll be too much for him.”
“No problem. Jake can stay with the kids then.”
“It’s okay, they can come if you want. I know it’s hard to pick up and leave like that.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure it won’t be a problem. Let me talk with Jake and see what he can do and I’ll call you back.”
After my shower, I got a wild hair up my butt and decided to put on makeup. If Jake notices, he’ll think it’s foreplay for sure. Ma floated in. “We need to talk,” she told me.
“Oookay.” I stretched my face to apply my mascara. “What’s up?”
“It’s about your father.”
I set the mascara down and stared at Ma. “What about Dad? What’s going on?”
“You know how I told you there are things I can’t tell you?”
I wasn’t up for game playing, not when it came to Dad. “Ma, tell me. What’s going on?”
She gazed the ceiling and made the sign of the cross. “I’m gonna have to do it. Forgive me, but I’m gonna have to do it.”
“Ma!"
“Your father, Angela, he’s sick. He’s really sick, Ang, and you need to see him. And you have to tell your brother, too. He needs to go. You make him go with you, and you go today.”
My first thought was to jump up and start packing but I tried to remain calm. I couldn’t quite call my brother and tell him our dead mother told me we had to rush to see Dad and I didn’t know if Helen had called him. “What do you mean by really sick? Like he’s going to go to the hospital, sick or he’s going to die, sick?”
She frowned. The sadne
ss in her eyes was overwhelming. “I’m not supposed to be telling you any of this, Angela. I’m breaking the rules, but you gotta go. Call your brother.”
My hands shook and tears welled up in my eyes. I felt them roll down my cheeks. “Is he going to die, Ma? Is Dad going to die?”
Ma reached for me, but her hand passed through me. I felt an odd sensation, but it wasn’t comforting. I don’t think anything could have comforted me then anyway. “Honey, listen to your mother. Go downstairs and tell Jake he has to stay here with the kids and call your brother and tell him you’re going.”
“He won’t understand. He’ll think I’m being overly dramatic.”
“Then make him understand, Angela. Helen called him today, too. He knows your dad isn’t well. Remind him of what happened when Paul didn’t take you seriously about me. He’ll go.”
The tears came faster, and I tried to blot them out without destroying the little makeup I’d applied. I don’t know why that mattered, but it did. “Ma, please tell me, is Dad going to die?”
Ma shook her head. “I’ve already said too much. If your grandmother could, she’d beat me with a switch. But don’t worry, Ang, I’ll be with you, now go tell Jake.”
So I did.
“Is he going to die?”
I started to bawl. Jake grabbed me and held me tight and in the warmth and security of his touch, I calmed down a little. “She couldn’t tell me but I think I should go, Jake.”
He wiped my tears with his thumb, and I could see his eyes were red, too. “Yes, you should. Do you want me to come, too?”
“Helen thinks it might be too much for Dad, but I don’t know. I mean, if he’s going to die...” I couldn’t complete the sentence because it made me cry again.
“I’ll call Delta and get you on a flight tonight. When you get there, let me know what you think. If you want us to come out, we will. If you think we shouldn’t, we won’t. The kids will be fine. Don’t worry about them.”
Unfinished Business An Angela Panther Novel (A Chick-lit Paranormal book) (The Angela Panther Series) Page 14
