“Let’s talk outside,” John suggested, mixing himself a strong rum and cola.
They sat near the break wall that led to the marina at the edge of the bay. The waves from Lake Superior crawled up to the shore, depositing bits of flotsam: twigs, seaweed, seagull feathers. The breeze was still cool in the April afternoon and it ruffled John’s jacket.
John downed half of his drink before he said anything. When he started, he found it hard to stop.
“Allexa took me in, Simon, no questions asked. She took care of me, shared with me, taught me and… loved me. I became part of this incredible family of hers. Her two grown sons became my friends and their children were like my own grandchildren. It was hard and there were hard times, but it was also good and I never lacked for anything. She saved my life.” He paused as a darkness crowded his thoughts. “I helped her bury her brother and his wife, and I helped her kill those that had murdered them.” He took another swallow of his drink, the ice cubes tinkling in the glass.
“Do you love her?” Simon asked, silently digesting the revelation that John had killed someone.
“Yes, I do. I don’t know if she would take me back though, now that I just walked out on her with no explanation.” John’s mouth tightened around the words.
“How long has it been since you’ve been south to see your daughter?”
“Early November. I got back here just before the earthquake.”
“Have you talked with her since then?”
John smiled. “Yeah, we’ve talked a couple of times recently. I think she has a new boyfriend.”
“I’m going to send you home for a week or two, John. You’ve been through a great deal, more than these other guys. You need the break.” Simon stood and extended his hand. “Thank you for confiding in me. It will stay between us.”
John left the next day on a flight out of Sawyer International to Green Bay, then from Green Bay to Indianapolis International. From there he took a commuter for the short jaunt to Greenwood Municipal Airport. A taxi took him directly to his front door.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Even though John had keys, he didn’t want to startle anyone by just walking in. John knocked on the front door he had painted gray. That had been more than six months ago. It felt like a lifetime ago.
“Yes?” Trevor asked, opening the door.
John stared at the young man. Taller than he was, dark hair, dark eyes, clean cut, and he carried himself with confidence. John immediately liked him, and wondered if this was Christine’s new boyfriend.
“Is my daughter here?” John asked. Trevor’s eyes widened.
“Daddy!” Christine screeched from behind Trevor and she threw herself into his arms.
John hugged her tight, relief flooding through him. He didn’t want to admit there was a time he thought he might not ever see his baby girl again. His eyes misted and he set her back down on her feet and stepped inside, reaching behind to grab his duffle.
“I’ll get that for you, sir,” Trevor said, and picked up the bag with ease, bringing it inside.
John kept his arm around Christine’s shoulders and she had her arm around his waist.
Christine took a deep breath. “Daddy, this is Trevor Monroe… my fiancé. Trevor, this is my dad, John Tiggs.” She turned back to John, her lower lip quivering, and hugged him again just as Holly came bouncing into the room.
John froze, memories flashing in his mind. He stooped down and patted her head. “Hello, there. You’re a pretty girl, what’s your name?”
“Holly, and before you ask, it’s a long story how she came here. She’s a good dog, Dad. A therapy dog and incredibly well behaved,” Christine said. Holly’s tail thumped on the hardwood floor.
“Golden Retrievers are some of the gentlest dogs I’ve ever met. She looks a lot like what Chivas will look like,” John said, standing back up.
“Who’s Chivas?”
“A Golden Retriever puppy I left behind,” John replied. “While she wasn’t mine, she is a member of the family I stayed with.” He looked from Christine to Trevor. “Fiancé? You two are getting married? Wow… congratulations! When?”
“Christine didn’t want to set a date until we knew you would be here, Mr. Tiggs,” Trevor replied.
“Considering you will be family, I think you can call me John.”
“Thank you, John.” Trevor held out his hand and John shook it.
***
After dinner, the three took a glass of wine to the living room to enjoy a cozy fire and to do some catching up.
“I know I just got here, but I’d like to go see your grandmother tomorrow,” John said.
“I understand completely, Dad. Can I come with you? I haven’t seen her in months either and we can use the drive time to talk,” Christine answered. “You don’t mind, do you, Trevor? I know you were expecting me at the store.”
“No, it’s fine, honey. You need to spend time with your dad. How long will you be here, John?”
“I’ve got two weeks off. There’s always a day of travel on either end, so only twelve full days. I’ll want to stay a few days with my mom, and a few days getting to know you, Trevor,” John replied. “I also… need a few days alone, to decompress from the past few months and get used to being in the real world again.”
“Was it difficult, Dad?” Christine prodded.
“In some ways, yes, in others, I had it easy compared with what everyone else was going through. We can talk about that later. Right now, I need some sleep.” He stood. “Is my room still mine? Or have you turned it into a nursery yet?” he teased.
“Daaaad!” Christine blushed.
***
Trevor and Christine snuggled under the covers.
“I like your dad,” Trevor whispered to her.
“He likes you too, I can tell,” Christine responded, smiling in the dark. “He seems much quieter than before though. He must have gone through much more than he’s letting on. You really don’t mind if I go to Kentucky with him?”
“I’ll miss you, of course. He’s your father, Christine, and he might need you right now, so I think it’s important that you go with him. Besides, we’ve been together almost 24/7 for the last four and a half months, and a little bit of distance can be good for a relationship.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
“So tell me about this woman you’ve been staying with, Dad,” Christine prompted as John drove the SUV southbound on I-65 toward Kentucky.
John thought how to tell her about Allexa, how she’d saved him, and how he hurt her. “Her name is Allexa Smeth, though she let me call her Allex. She’s a massage therapist, that’s how we met. My arms and hands were in really rough shape from using the jackhammer for long hours at the mine, I could barely move my fingers. She fixed me.” He thought back to that day, and all the other days Allex came to the Green Way house at odd hours, whenever he needed her. “She’s pretty and funny and smart in ways that I had trouble comprehending at first. Allex always had exactly what someone needed. How she did that I still don’t know.” John went silent for a few long moments. “She has two grown sons and two young grandchildren that are delightful, and I’m sure they are all really upset with me right now for leaving.”
“Why did you leave?”
John chose his words carefully. “Although I know it wasn’t about money with Allex, I know she had spent a great deal over the years to get as prepared as she did. She sacrificed a lot to make sure her family would be taken care of during a time of need, no matter what the situation was. When I became part of that family, she stretched what she had to take care of me too. I came to her with nothing except the clothes I was wearing! She even clothed me. She saved my life and my sanity. I want to pay her back, Christine, and the only way I know how is to get back to work.”
“You said it isn’t about money with Allex, maybe she needs you more than she needs the money,” Christine said. John glanced over at his daughter.
“You’re pretty smart.” He
went quiet again while he wove around the traffic exiting at Columbus. “Tell me about you and Trevor. How did you meet?”
“I think I need to lead up to that, Dad. The whole thing was… shattering. Damn, I almost said ‘earth’ shattering.” She let out a snort. John glanced at her sideways.
“Remember that seminar I was going to the last time we talked? It was in Granite City and part of ground zero for the earthquake…” she said quietly, letting all those memories come washing back.
“You were at ground zero?” John exclaimed, astonished.
“Yeah, me and a co-worker. I climbed down three flights of stairs filled with debris from falling walls, even while the ground was still shaking, just to get out of the building. Lois was crushed when the stairwell collapsed.” Her voice quivered. “It was horrible, Dad, really horrible! I saw people die and I saw others come together to help each other. I was one of the lucky ones. It took me two days just to find my way out of that city and get back on the road to go home. I stopped at the T’N’M’s at the 31 exit for gas and Trevor was there, working. Only he doesn’t really work there, he owns the stores.”
“Owns the stores? Wow.”
“And then one of his employees burned down one of the stores and tried to kill him.” She thought back to that day, and it seemed like so long ago. “Then the flu hit. Trevor got sick, but I didn’t. These past few months have been a real wake-up call for me.”
“Sounds like we both have a lot of stories to share, baby girl.” John drove on. It was another half hour before he spoke again. “Do you love him?”
Christine smiled. “I sure do, Daddy. He’s a wonderful man. He’s kind, gentle, generous, and very protective.” She turned to her father, watching his rugged profile, his bald head covered with the ever-present cap. “Do you love Allex, Dad?”
John sighed. “Yes, Christine, I do.”
“Then you have to go back to her!”
***
“It was good to see Grandma and Aunt Ann. Thanks for taking me along, Dad. I feel badly that I haven’t been to see them all this time,” Christine lamented.
“Your grandmother is very independent, you know that. With everything she does, and all those friends with her now, I wonder if she missed us at all!” John laughed. “Plus she had Ann with her. I was surprised to hear that the textiles mill where she worked had been shut down by the government.”
The drive back to Greenwood was quicker than driving down. The traffic was lighter and the weather was delightful.
“Even if you haven’t set an actual date yet, have you thought about when you would want the wedding?” John asked.
“I’ve been thinking about June. I know I want you there, Dad, to you know, ‘give me away’, I also think we would like a small wedding. It just occurred to me that the park near the house would be perfect, and we could get Seth to perform the ceremony. I think he would like that. Could you come back in June?”
“I’ll make sure I can, baby girl,” John reassured her. “I have my rotation schedule in my bag back at the house. If you can work within that it would help. Who is Seth?”
“He’s one of our new friends that we met at the park. He’s a minister and has a church downtown. His wife died in the last flu sweep and he’s been taking his dog to the park for something to do. Dot and Holly are best buds now.” Christine laughed.
***
The three of them sat at the kitchen table with John flipping through his work calendar.
“It looks like I’ll be in rotation the second full week of June, starting on the twelfth. I could be down here for the weekend of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and the seventeenth. Does that work for you two?” John asked.
Trevor sat there, stunned.
Christine took his hand. “I know this seems fast, even though it’s two months away. What do you think, Trev?”
“I’d marry you tomorrow if that’s what would make you happy,” he said, and realized he meant it. “I know we were only waiting so John could be here.”
“So we agree that Saturday, June sixteenth is the date?” Christine said, excited. “Next time we go to the park, let’s ask Seth to do the ceremony.”
“That is a splendid idea!” Trevor agreed.
John made a note in his calendar. “Now,” he said, “about your wedding gift. I’m going to deed this house to you, free and clear.”
Christine gasped and Trevor was stunned for a second time.
“Before I do that, I want to explain something to the two of you.” John looked at them and saw how in love they were. “It’s my belief that every couple should have something that is theirs individually, separate from the other. Kind of like a property insurance policy. Trevor, you have your stores that you own, so I’m going to deed the house to Christine. Please understand, Trevor, it’s no reflection on you. From my experience, a woman needs the security of having her home, something no one can take from her. After one year, you can do whatever you want, Christine. That should be enough time to understand and repair any differences. Will the two of you agree to that?”
“This is a most generous gift, John. I have no problem whatsoever of Christine having the house in her name only for as long as she wants,” Trevor replied.
“Oh, Daddy.” Christine stood and gave him a hug.
“Now that we have that settled, the final gift to you both is I will keep the utilities paid until your wedding, after that, you’re on your own. And of course I’ll pay for the wedding,” John added. “Oh, and I’m keeping the house in Ft. Wayne.”
“Why?” Christine asked.
“Never know when I might need a place to go or somewhere to stop.”
***
News that evening announced that the new bridge over the Mississippi was near completion and truck traffic would resume in a week.
“That is really great news, Christine!” Trevor said joyously. “That means there will be another route for getting supplies and inventory for the store. I might even be able to open the one on Exit 31. Things are really looking up for us!”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
“Christine, I would love to help you with the wedding!” exclaimed Marion.
“It’s going to be small, you understand, and we plan on having it at the park near us. I don’t know many people in town, and most everyone that Trevor knows are customers and not really friends, so the guest list will be short,” Christine said. “I guess the main thing will be food and maybe a tent? I have no idea what is available, that’s why I need help.”
“I’ll do whatever I can, dear,” Marion reassured her. “You need to pick out a dress of course, and even though there aren’t any florists still open, June will be the perfect time to pick flowers from the garden. I’ve got some lovely flowers that will be in bloom then. The weather is usually warm around that time and stable too.” She paused. “That’s something else I wanted to talk to you about. A garden. You have a nice big yard, have you considered putting in a vegetable garden to help out with your food? Fresh grown is so much better and you don’t have to go to the store for it.”
“That’s a good idea. I don’t have a clue on what to grow or even how to go about it though,” Christine said. “What would you suggest I plant?”
“Tomatoes, green beans, lettuces, peppers, carrots, whatever you like to eat fresh would be good to have. I can help with that too. I love gardening, but our lot is small and there are so many trees the backyard doesn’t get enough sun. I do have flowers in the front though.
“Why don’t we do a big plot and share it?” Christine offered, and Marion beamed. “When do we start planting?”
Marion laughed. “That’s a ways off. We need to get the ground ready first, and check into what nurseries may still be open.”
***
“John, these are our friends, Chief of Police Martin Mallory and his wife Marion,” Trevor made the introductions. “Marty and Marion, this is Christine’s father, John Tiggs.”
“Well, if you’re going to
have only a few friends, the Chief of Police is a good one to have,” joked John, holding out his hand. “Martin.”
“Please, call me Marty. I’m pleased to meet you, very pleased! You have a wonderful daughter, John.”
“Thank you, Marty,” John smiled. “On our way back from Kentucky after visiting my mother and sister, we stopped at the state liquor store and stocked up. Prices down here are a lot better than in the U.P., though still very expensive. The bar is open, Marty, Marion.” John led the way to the side table that fit up against the wall in the dining room. Christine had ironed her favorite table runner and placed it on the long table to protect the polished wood, and then set out a bucket of ice and a variety of glasses next to the liquor bottles.
John had purchased Kentucky Bourbon, spiced rum, vodka, whiskey, and a selection of wine, along with some common mixers. The wine made him think of Allex and his heart ached. Christine had gasped at the total when John handed over several hundred dollar bills, some of which he had folded and slipped to the clerk and the guard. Later he explained that graft was common during times like this.
“Oh, my. I haven’t had a rum and cola in months!” Marion exclaimed, pouring herself a drink.
***
Dinner was a simple dish of pasta with a beef flavored gravy and mixed vegetables. Meat was still scarce. Trevor had brought home some garlic bread from the store and dessert was fruit cocktail over yellow cake Christine had made from a box mix.
“That was really good, Christine, thank you for having us to dinner,” Marty said, wiping his mouth with the colorful pink and green cloth napkin. He picked up his glass of wine, a smooth red blend, locally made, and said, “John, thank you for adding to this delightful evening. We don’t often get to eat and drink this well anymore.”
The Journal: Fault Line (The Journal Book 5) Page 18
