“Visiting hours are over. I’ll go first thing in the morning.” She told him while Asher pulled his bag out.
“Okay,” Asher replied confused.
“Look, were not a normal family and she’s barely human. She doesn’t care about anyone but herself, she’s never loved me. So, don’t you dare judge me.”
“Fiona, I didn’t say anything.”
“But you thought it, I can see it in your eyes.” She told him as she walked through the front door of the resort. Asher stood there for a minute trying to control his self and push down the anger. He knew she was hurting because her mother was sick and she was taking her anger out on him. Asher walked through the door and was immediately greeted by an attendant behind the counter. He smiled back at the blonde and nodded at her. He walked over to the counter Fiona was at and waited. The dark hair male attendant smiled at him while Fiona signed the papers.
“Will you be needing two keys or one?” He asked. Fiona held up two fingers and the attendant smiled and slid two key cards into the small sleeve he handed Fiona.
“Fiona, I’m really sorry to hear about your Mom, your uncle set you up in the Double Deluxe Suite, and everyone knows your coming so don’t worry about anything.” He padded her hand gently.
“Thank you.” She told him. Fiona walked back out the front door and Asher followed her. She went to the outdoor stair and climbed up to the second floor. Asher sighed and followed with the bags in hand. Fiona stopped at the last door on the right and used the key to unlock the door. She walked in sliding the latch so the door would stay cracked open for Asher. When Asher walked through the door Fiona wasn’t in sight. He saw a Do Not Disturb sign on the door on the left and looked in the opposite direction and there was another bedroom. He walked through that door and the door read Suite 2. Asher went back over to the closed door. He looked on the counter next to the room and saw a key card, he grabbed it and pushed it down into his pocket. He sat her bag down right in front of her door. Asher’s stomach growled then. He went and checked out the menus on the coffee table in the room he assumed was his. The resort had two fancy restaurants and a bar that offered American classic food, the bar ‘Quincy’s’ stayed open for three more hours. He went down to the bar to grab a burger and maybe some fries.
Asher sat down at the bar and was immediately greeted by one of the two bartenders.
“What can I getcha?” He asked with a smile and long drawl.
“Can I get a beer and something to eat?”
“Sure, do you need a menu, or do you know what you want?”
“Guinness if you have it and a burger with fries.”
“We have it, and what would you like on your burger?”
“Everything is fine.”
“What’s your room number?” Asher pulled out the key card and then told the bartender the room number. The bartender looked Asher over and then his cheerful face turned into excitement.
“Amos, you’re going to want to see this.” He called over to the other bartender. The taller man came over to them with the almost identical facial expression.
“What?” Amos asked him.
“He’s with Tootie.”
“No, shit!” Amos laughed aloud.
“Uhmm Tootie?” Asher asked them.
“Oh, my bad, I mean Fiona Waters.”
“Man, the hell with all that you are talking. That girl name is Feyauthei, her momma called her Feyauthei, and I’m going to call her Feyauthei.
“Feyauthei?” Asher asked confused.
“Feyauthei Waldroup,” Amos told him.
“Damn, where’d Fiona Waters come from?” Asher asked.
“I’m sorry, how rude of me. I’m Quincy and this is my brother Amos, and I own this establishment.”
“He owns the whole damn resort.” Amos corrected with a fake cough.”
“That too.” Quincy corrected with a grin.
“I’m Asher Barker.” They all shook hands. Quincy reached underneath the bar and pulled out three Guinness’s and removed the bottle caps and then handed one to Asher. They clinked their bottles and all of them took a swig.
“Brace yourself, Asher, the story of Feyauthei Waldroup is a bumpy one,” Amos warned him.
Chapter 8
Asher stumbled back into the suite a little after three in the morning. Asher had learned everything there was to know about Fiona. Quincy had given Asher the suites master key that will unlock any door in the suite. Asher went straight to Fiona’s locked door and used the key to open it. When Asher bolted through the door Fiona shot straight up in her bed.
“What the fuck are you doing?” She shouted.
“Shhhhhh.” He hissed at her. “You not locking me out Fi.”
“Get out Asher.” She told him as rolled over to her side, covering her head up with the bedspread. Asher tried to take off his boots but they were too difficult in his inebriated state. He left the boots on and unbuckled his belt and then unbuttoned his jeans. They fell to his ankles and then he tried getting out of his shirt. He broke two of the buttons on his plaid shirt. His main problem was his t-shirt. He tried pulling both of his arms out at the same time. This wasn’t working out for him. Asher got stuck in his t-shirt and then he tripped over his shoestrings on the boots and the pants trapping his ankles did not help the situation. Asher fell into the wall and then back into an accent chair. When her hit the floor, he tried to get up too quickly and then bumped his head on the coffee table. He just laid there on the floor underneath the coffee table and started drifting off to sleep.
Fiona got out of bed and went to check on him. She didn’t see any blood anywhere so she figured he was okay. Once she heard his loud snoring she knew he was alright. She knew listening to his chainsaw sounds would not give her any comfort for the rest of the night. She decided to take a long hot shower and head over to her Mom’s house. She headed over to the main lobby after she was squeaky clean. She walked over to the closed and locked door and knocked. The door opened and arms pulled her into them too tightly.
“Tootie, we’ve missed you baby girl.” Her drunken Uncle Amos told her. She kissed him on the cheek and pulled back from him.
“Where’s Uncle Quincy?” She asked him. Quincy waved at her from across the room with stacks of money on the table in front of him. She walked over to him kissed him on the cheek and then sat down.
“Can I catch a ride with you?” She asked him.
“You can, but where’s your boyfriend?” She glared at him.
“I don’t have one.”
“Well, you better let that man upstairs know that because he thinks he is.”
“I’ll handle it.”
“You know, I’ll never understand you. After all the shit, you’ve had to climb out of, after all the times you’ve had to start over, and after all the lies you’ve told. You finally have the life you’ve always wanted and you’re still fucking it all up. Tootie you are nothing like her, she’s never been good and the only good thing she’s ever had in her life was having you.”
“Yea, well, she tried everything she possibly could to get rid of me. That doesn’t make me feel very good.” Fiona told Quincy while she fiercely wiped the tears running down her face. Quincy scooted his chair over closer to Fiona and pulled hers to him.
“I’m not a praying man so I wished to God so many nights that he would change her, but he never did. I can’t imagine the things she put you through. I tried to everything I could for you as soon as I found out, we all did.”
“I don’t blame you all.” She told him through tears.
“I know, but I blame myself and that’s just the pain I will have to live with it from here on out. Honestly, I don’t know why you do the things you do for her and I don’t why you come back here.”
“No matter how terrible she was and is now, she’s still my mother.” Quincy nodded back at Fiona and he finished counting his daily earnings. Fiona picked up a stack and started counting as well.
About an hour before su
nset Quincy locked up the bar and said goodbye to Amos. He and Fiona headed out of the parking lot and drove towards town. Quincy made an unexpected turn to down a dirt road. Fiona grinned wide and Quincy laughed loudly. When they pulled up to the restaurant/house Fiona could smell the bacon. They got out and walked up the stairs. The chatter from inside was getting louder and louder with every step they made. The door chimed when they opened it and everyone sitting turned to face the door.
“Oh, my word, it’s Tootie yawl.” Was all Fiona could make out. Everyone started shouting and clapping and all talking to her at once. She grinned, laughed, and blushed. There were no empty tables in the front sitting area. Tables with two people that would normally sit four started scooting and sitting together, so an empty table could open. After a few tables shifted together the bust boy came and cleaned a table for Fiona and Quincy. They thanked everyone and sat down. People were still talking, hugging, and taking pictures with Fiona.
“Yawl let the girl order her food now,” Rona told the patrons. Everyone started retreating to their tables and the ones from the other sitting areas returned to their section of the restaurant. LuLu’s was a Southern Cuisine Restaurant. It was formally a four-bedroom house but has since then been transformed into a restaurant. The walls were a bright canary yellow and the floors were a dark walnut. Framed new paper articles were the walls décor. Fiona’s articles were most of the décor. Everyone in town was so proud of her and her accomplishments.
Fiona looked over the menu. She knew exactly what she wanted but the menu was new and she wanted to see if there were any new editions. Fiona was deciding on her order when someone cleared their throat. Quincy and Fiona both looked up from their menus.
Braylin Harrison stood next to his little sister Collette Harrison. Quincy stood and hugged Collette and shook Braylin’s hand immediately. Fiona tried her best to keep her composure so she stayed seated. Collette rushed over to her and hugged her tightly.
“Fiona, oh my gosh. I didn’t know if I’d ever see you in the flesh again. You’re such a superstar now, I follow you on all your social media accounts and even a few of the fan-made ones. Are you still dating Leo? You guys are so yummy together.” She gushed. Fiona laughed and rubbed Collette’s soft hands. She let her get everything out she wanted to say before she answered any of her questions. When Collette stopped for air, Braylin interrupted.
“We heard the crowd roaring from the other room and I figured you were to blame.” Braylin teased. Fiona tried her best to ignore him so she stayed focused on Collette.
“My gosh it’s been forever, you’re such a beautiful lady now. What school do you attend?”
“I go to Ole Miss and it’s my second semester.”
“Wow, time really does fly. Are you going to pledge anything?”
“AKA, well I hope.”
“I’m sure they’d love to have you, just keep your grades up.”
“Can I take a snap with you?”
“Sure,” Fiona told her. Collette turned her Samsung around and she pressed the side of face against Fiona’s She snapped a picture and then she turned their faces into toast with one of the snap chat filters. They laughed and Collette took another picture.
“Okay Collette, we’ve interrupted them enough,” Braylin told her. Collette hugged Fiona one last time and then rushed back from the room they came from. Braylin lingered a bit.
“I was sorry to hear about Ms. Melba. She’s a tough one and I’m sure she’ll pull right through.”
Quincy waited for a beat and then thanked Braylin for his kind words. Fiona just kept a pleasant look on her face. Braylin nodded and then walked away. Fiona picked her menu back up and started looking over it again.
“I think you got that thing memorized by now Tootie,” Quincy told her. She sat it down on the table.
“I’m ready to order.” She told him. Quincy waved over the waitress. Quincy ordered a stack of tallboys with a side of corned beef hash. Fiona ordered the chocolate croissant french toast with southern fried potatoes. The waitress sat down a bread basket full of buttermilk biscuits and honey butter. Fiona opened the strawberry jam jar and slapped a heaping clump on her biscuit. She dug right in.
“Can I ask you something?” Quincy asked Fiona. She looked at him.
“Asher seems like a pretty stand-up kind of guy. You really don’t feel anything for him?”
“Quincy, Mom really put a number on me and I have my career to think about.”
“Career? Tootie your career is soaring. You’ve been to Paris and walked in the shows four years in a row now. You’ve covered three major magazines at least a dozen times already. You’ve broken through those crazy beauty standards and other plus-size girls and women believe in themselves. You’ve conquered and you're accomplished.”
“I know, but I need more,” Fiona told her loving uncle. The food arrived and they enjoyed southern breakfast cuisine.
Quincy dropped Fiona off at the hospital. He told her to call him when she was ready to go back to the resort. Fiona told him ok but she knew she’d call a taxi because Quincy had been up all night already. Fiona walked down to ICU and then she signed in and went to Melba Waldroup’s room. There were flowers and balloons that read Get Well Soon and We’re praying for you. She stood around reading all the tags on her mother’s gifts for about an hour. Doctor Knowles walked in during his rounds. He hugged her and told her to have a seat. Fiona sat down next her mother’s bed. He explained to Fiona exactly what alcohol poisoning was and what it has done to her mother’s body.
“Fiona, your mother suffered from an acute alcohol poisoning. It’s a medical emergency due to the risk of death from respiratory depression and/or inhalation of vomit if emesis occurs while the patient is unconscious and unresponsive. Fortunately, someone found her in time and your mother is still with us. What were concerned most about is the time she was unconscious before she got here. She wasn’t breathing and were not sure how long she went without air. She has a lot of swelling on her brain from her fall down the stairs. She’s a true fighter and that’s a good thing. I would like to wait till her swelling goes completely down before we try anything. Her intracranial pressure can prevent blood from flowing to her brain, which deprives it of the oxygen it needs to function. Swelling can also block other fluids from leaving her brain, making the swelling even worse. Damages to her brain cells may result. Since she’s unconscious we’ve been trying IV fluids to treat the swelling. Giving her fluids and medicine through an IV can keep her blood pressure from dropping too low. This helps to make sure that her brain is receiving enough blood. However, some fluids can make her swelling worse, but we’re watching very closely.”
“How long of a recovery are we looking at?” Fiona asked him.
“The common stages are coma, vegetative state, and minimally conscious state. In the first few weeks after a brain injury, swelling, bleeding or changes in brain chemistry often affect the function of healthy brain tissue. The injured person's eyes may remain closed, and the person may not show signs of awareness. As the swelling decreases the blood flow and brain chemistry improve, brain function usually improves. With time, the person's eyes may open, sleep-wake cycles may begin, and the injured person may follow commands, respond to family members, and eventually speak.”
Fiona sat there listening to Dr. Knowles. He told her every possible outcome that her mother could face in the state that she was currently in. Fiona’s phone started ringing and she silenced it without a glance. She stayed at the hospital till the sun started fading away. Fiona called a taxi to take her back to the resort. She dug into her purse for the keycard, she found it and slid it into the slot. Before she could push down on the latch, the door swung open.
“What the shit Fiona?” Asher yelled at her from the inside of the doorway. She pushed passed him and walked inside of their suite. Asher moved out of her way, dropped his head, and shut the door. She flopped down on the sofa and pulled her phone out. “Listen I know your mom is bad off bu
t fuck Fiona!” She held a hand up to him.
“Thank you for bringing here, I’m going to be here for the next few weeks or maybe even the next few months.” She dug into her push and pulled out a fist full of money and handed it to Asher. “You should get back so you don’t miss any more work,” Fiona told Asher as she looked at him for the first time that evening. Asher had a large protruding knot on the side of his forehead.
“Hey, are you alright?” Fiona asked as she reached towards Asher's forehead with her free hand.
“Fuck that shit!” He dodged her touch. Asher gripped Fiona’s wrist and held it up for her to see. “Why? Why are you so detached to me and everything else?”
“What? I wanted to pay you money for bringing me here. I know you need to work and gas it damn near three dollars a gallon. I pay my dues.”
“I don’t need your fucking money, Fiona!”
“Look you don’t have to try to empress me, just take the money and go home. Thank you for giving me a ride.” Asher released Fiona’s wrist and stepped back from her.
“That’s it, isn’t it?”
“What?” Fiona asked him confused.
“You think I’m poor white trash and that I can’t support myself nor anyone else?”
“You have a nice truck and bike, I know you don’t live in poverty.” She frowned.
“Fiona. I can support you if need be. I’m not bad off I promise you. I’m not some biker trash.”
“I never said that.” She sighed and turned from him. Asher took another step back and then turned towards the door.
“You just did.” He told her as opened the door and walked out.
Chapter 9
Fiona Waters had moved from the resort to her mother’s house. She had a cleaning crew come in and it took them four whole days to get that filth den somewhat livable. She had the painters and flooring crews in next. Waverly arrived at Fiona’s mother’s house on Fiona’s one hundred and fifth day in Mississippi. Fiona picked Waverly up at the airport in a rental pickup truck. When Waverly arrived, they hugged and then got into the truck. Waverly was taking in all the sites that Memphis had to offer.
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