by Kelly Holm
Mila guessed the ‘L’ stood for Leo. He and her mother had been together as long as Mila could remember, and he always surprised her mother with little handmade gifts like this. He told Mila once that making things with wood relaxed him, and reminded him of his childhood when he used to help his father with his furniture making business.
Mila opened the wooden trinket box, and low and behold, there was a small key that looked like the perfect fit for the old lock on the diary. She thought about opening the diary and reading it, but something stopped her, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to read it at all. She missed her mother so much already, but she was also afraid of what she might find out if she did read it.
She thought she knew almost everything about her mother, but as Mila went through her mother’s personal belongings, she realized that there were many secrets that Krystal kept over the years. Mila took a deep breath and put the tiny key in the lock and turned it. As she heard the lock click open, she knew she had to keep going. As she opened the journal, she held back the tears that tried to come when she saw her mother’s handwriting. She took
another deep breath and read the first entry dated Wednesday, January 21, 1987, (six years before Mila was born…)
Today, I was released from Middlefort Penitentiary for Women. I will never allow myself to get caught up with the wrong man again. Even if I never go on another date, I’ll be okay with that. I never want to go back to prison again. I never should have listened to Willie (that son-of-a-bitch) and helped him break into that house, I knew it was a stupid idea, but I was lost in love. Willie never loved me, he didn’t even come and visit me, not even once in a year – and I’m the one who got pinched! He got away.
I’m going to change my life. The only good things that came out of this whole ordeal are that I got rid of Willie and earned my GED. Tomorrow I’m going to drive over to Freyhill and apply for a job at the hospital there. Somehow, I don’t know how yet, but somehow, I am going to put myself through nursing school and make a new life for myself.
Her mother never told her that she did time, she just said she ran with a shitty group of people, dropped out of school in her senior year, and got in some trouble. She never went into details, and when Mila asked her about it, her mother would just tell her it was the past, and that’s where it should stay. She closed the journal and gently placed the lock back on. This was all she could handle for now. She wondered who this Willie guy was and how her mother got caught up with someone like that. It was so strange reading these things about her mother. She believed all these years that she knew almost everything about her mother, now she wasn’t so sure.
Mila packed up the rest of her mother’s personal
belongings and brought the boxes downstairs and started to stack them in the front room. She planned to have someone from the Salvation Army or maybe Goodwill come and get the clothes and some of the less personal items. She wasn’t sure what to do with the furniture or the house itself for that matter. She didn’t want to make that decision yet; it was too soon.
Later that evening, she decided to read a little more of her mother’s journal. She opened it to the page she left off at. The next entry was dated Monday, January 26, 1987…
I’m so excited, I got the job, and I’ve been accepted to their nursing program. Things are really looking up for me. I can’t believe I’m actually going to be a nurse one day! I saw Willie the other day; he was leaving the liquor store as I was pulling into the parking lot for the library. He didn’t see me, thank God! I start classes next Monday. I’m so excited!
Mila wondered if this Willie person was still living in Rockville. She decided to read more of the journal to find out. The next entry was several months later, dated Monday, November 16, 1987…
Classes are going great; I think I may have a knack for this. The hospital assigned me to the maternity ward. I get to assist the nurses and help the patients. This may be where I want to specialize, I’m not sure though, it’s all still so new. There was a terrible storm last night, two of the
huge trees from the back of the house fell; one fell right into the barn. I’m going to have to hire
someone to fix it. Not sure how that’s going to happen.
Mila got up and got herself a glass of water. She was learning so much about her mother. It was both exciting and sad at the same time. She so wished her mother was still here to answer some of her questions. She could tell by the dates of the journal
entries that her mother didn’t write consistently, Mila wondered if she only recorded the essential things. The next entry skipped to Tuesday, October 11, 1988…
I got a raise today! I’m thrilled. School is still great; I still can’t believe I’m actually doing it! Something else great happened today, I went to Jake’s Diner to have lunch, and I ran into Marcie, and she told me that Willie got pinched for murder! Yippee Whoohooo! He’ll be spending the next twenty-five years in jail. I no longer have to worry about running into him. Such a relief!
Well, that answers my question about Willie I guess, Mila thought. She decided to get some lunch and continue reading. When she went to the refrigerator, she realized that there really wasn’t much for food; she would have to go out. She grabbed her keys and purse and drove up to Jake’s Diner and ordered a burger and fries to go. While she waited, she looked around the diner, and casually waved a polite hello to some of the people.
She could still remember when she worked as a waitress here, several years ago. In fact, the diner hadn’t changed much in the last ten years. As always, several flyers were advertising various events around town on the front window, Emma Harris’s delicious pies were displayed on the front counter and the ‘No Playing Hacky-Sack Inside’ sign that went up the year Mila graduated, was still stuck on the wall next to the men’s bathroom.
She was a little surprised to see that Guy Schmidt, the fry cook, was still working here; he was the cook when she worked here too. There were less and less young people staying in Rockville after graduation. It made sense, there wasn’t much for work in these parts, and most of her friends went to the bigger cities like Los Angeles or San Francisco.
“Oh my God, is that you Mila?” A sweet high voice said.
“Marie?”
Mila was shocked to see that Marie was still working as a waitress at the diner. She thought Marie left after graduation and went to New York City like she always talked about.
“Yep, it’s me,” she said, as she proceeded to give Mila a warm hug.
Marie hadn’t changed much since high school, except her fabulous figure was a little rounder and thicker, and her fiery waist length curly red hair was now cut into a very short bob.
“Wow, how have you been?”
“Things have been pretty great. Rob and I got married about a year after high school, and we have three kids already. Can you believe it, I’m somebody’s mom!”
It was a little hard for Mila to believe. All through high school, Mila listened as Marie told her about her plans to move to New York City after graduation and become a model. She had never talked about wanting kids or marriage; in fact, Marie swore she’d never get married until she was at least forty years old. To see that Marie was still waitressing was a little sad, but she seemed to be happy, so Mila didn’t say anything. She was happy for her friend.
Marie noticed the look on Mila’s face go from happy to sad when she mentioned that she was someone’s mom and said…
“I’m really sorry about your mom. She was such a terrific
lady, and she’ll really be missed.”
“Thank you for saying that, you’re so sweet.”
“I tried to make it to the funeral, but I had a sick kid at home, and Rob was out of town on business.”
“Are you telling me you married Rob Wickenburg, your high school boyfriend?”
“I did; surprised?”
“Ya, I thought you two broke up after graduation because he was going to school in Arizona, and you were going to New York. W
hat happened?”
“Oh, you know, we were screwing around, and I got myself knocked up. I didn’t ask Rob to stay, he just showed up one day with a ring and a great proposal. I couldn’t say no.”
“That’s cool. You seem really happy.”
“I am. Who would have thought I, out of everyone, would end up staying here? So, how long are you in town? Do you think you’ll move back?”
“I’m just here for the funeral. I have a practice in L.A., so I’ll be heading back at the end of the week.”
“A practice, what do you do now?” Marie asked as she sat down in the chair next to Mila.
“I’m a clinical psychologist; I help people with addictions, phobias, and anxiety issues mostly.”
“Wow, that’s impressive. I, as you can see, haven’t achieved my goal of becoming a supermodel; however, I am head waitress now since Myrtle retired last year. It’s just me and Guy left. Everyone else is new blood.”
“Waitress, I need some more coffee,” Gary Osborne, who owned Osborne’s liquor store in town said.
“Sorry, lunchtime is always pretty busy,” she said, as she stood up to grab the coffee pot to refill Mr. Osborne’s cup.
“No worries. I think that’s my order anyway, so I’ll let you
get back to work. I’ll swing in again before I leave town.” Mila said, as she paid for her lunch and walked towards the door.
“I’d like that. I’ll see you later.”
As Mila got back into her car, she noticed there was a new message on her phone. She quickly listened to it. It was Lacy Williams, one of her patients, asking to change her appointment. She always had to change her appointment; it was one of her issues, and Mila was expecting the call. She made a mental note to call Lacy back when she got back to the house.
After she enjoyed her hamburger, she decided to read a little more of the journal. The next entry was dated Friday, Feb 3, 1989…
I’ve decided to get the barn fixed and maybe do a little remodel on this kitchen. I’ve been looking at these cabinets from the fifties for too many years. I think I want something a little more current. Mrs. Geller recommended Leo Mills, a local handyman. I’m going to call him. It’s time. Nurse Chestin told me today that I was the best candidate in class. Hard to believe she could say something nice. She‘s a tuff teacher, but a great nurse.
Mila continued to read. The next entry was Monday, February 20, 1989…
The handyman started work on the barn today. Boy, he sure is handsome, and kind. I was surprised. He rode up on a Harley wearing a leather jacket, white t-shirt, jeans, and boots. He
has long blonde hair which he pulls back with several binders, and he wears a blue bandana around his head. He is kind, shows manners, and has a great sense of humor. I think I’ll enjoy having him around, as long as his work is as good.
Mila knew that her mother and Leo had been together a long time, but she had no idea they met back in 1989. The next entry was a couple months later, Thursday, May 18, 1989…
Leo was here working on the kitchen today, and before he left, he asked me if I would like to have a picnic down by the lake with him on Saturday afternoon. I was shocked. No one has asked me out in so long, I didn’t know what to say, so I just nodded yes. He’s so different than the other guys I’ve known. He’s polite, smart, and interesting, and damn, he is HOT!
The next entry was dated, Sunday, May 21, 1989…
My date with Leo yesterday was magnificent. We rode out to the lake and had a lovely picnic lunch. He took care of everything. He brought fried chicken, potato salad, and these amazing strawberry rhubarb cupcakes for dessert.
He told me how he won a spot as a running back, with the Sacramento Sequoia, by a walk-on tryout, and how much he loves playing football. He moves up to Sacramento in mid-July and he comes back
after the season ends in January.
I know it means that he will be gone a lot, and there will be times he’ll be gone for months, but I’m fine with that. My life is so busy with school; I don’t have a lot of time for a boyfriend. Who knows, I think I’ll see where this goes.
Mila put the journal down and closed her eyes. She was learning so much about her mother. It was hard; she had questions, and no one to answer them. She thought about asking Leo, but she figured he probably wouldn’t offer much. Mila decided to leave the rest of the journal for later. She still had a few rooms to go through before she leaves to return to L.A. tomorrow. She had hoped to see Leo before she left too. She made a mental note to swing into the tattoo shop he worked at before she left town. Mila hoped that he would be ok; a loss like this could be devastating for him. He and Krystal had been together for a long time.
Chapter 3
When Leo opened the door and found Krystal lying lifeless, in a fetal position on the floor, he was devastated. Days later, even after her memorial service, he couldn’t imagine his life without her. She was his everything. They had been together for almost thirty years. He would have married her, but Krystal was dead set against marriage.
Everyone told Leo to take time off and grieve, but that wasn’t something he thought he could do. He wanted to be busy, so he didn’t think about his dear Krystal being gone. The day after her memorial service, Leo got up at his regular time and drove over to Lucky Tat, where he worked. His first client showed up around 9:30 a.m. He was a walk-in, and he wanted a black and white, realistic tattoo of a lion on his upper arm.
Leo found it more difficult then he thought it would be. As he was creating the stencil of his drawing, his mind kept wandering back to Krystal, and he worried that he might not do the best tattoo. He tried his best to push her out, but she just kept creeping back in. Leo persevered and completed the lion, exceptionally well, considering his mindset. His client was thrilled with is work, and vowed to tell all his friends to come to Leo for all their tattoos.
“Dude, your 11:30 a.m. called, he’s running a little late. You sure you’re ok to work today?” Ringo, Leo’s boss, asked as he was admiring himself in a mirror, fluffing up his green Mohawk and matching goatee.
Ringo wasn’t a big guy, standing at only five foot seven inches tall, but what he lacked in height, he made up for in loyalty. Ringo and Leo met in high school and became fast friends. He was there for Leo during the good and bad times.
“I’m fine, besides it’s just John from high school, I have to
do something, I can’t just sit around, I have to get her out of my head for a while,” Leo said, as he fought back the tears.
“I get it, man, when Nadine left me and took the kids, I couldn’t think straight for weeks, I threw myself into work too. I know you’re hurtin’ man, and you think work will help, but dude, trust me, you need time away. Just think about it.”
“I will,” Leo replied as he walked back to his station to prepare for his next client.
As he was cleaning up the inks from his first client of the day, he just broke down. Not wanting Ringo or anyone else to notice, he quickly walked to the bathroom and went inside to be alone and compose himself. After a few minutes, he realized that Ringo might be right, and he should take some time to grieve. When he felt he could control his mind enough, he left the bathroom and went to find Ringo.
“Hey, Ringo, you got a minute?”
“Sure, what’s up, buddy?”
“I know I told you I just wanted to get back into it, but I think you might be right, I think I need to take some time off to grieve.”
“How much time do you think you need?”
“I thought I could finish up the appointments that are booked for today, and then I’d like to take a couple of weeks to get my head straight.”
“Sounds like a good plan. Take as much time as you need. I’ll have Lori call and cancel your appointments for the next two weeks, and not to reschedule or book anyone until I hear from you.”
“I’d appreciate that. Thanks, Ringo; you really are a good friend.”
“Ah, stop, you’re making me blush, and the red wi
th my green Mohawk is making me look like a fucking Christmas
tree!” Ringo said, as they both laughed and he walked into the back room.
Just then, Miles Cavanaugh, the town’s lawyer, that was also handling Krystal’s will, walked into the tattoo shop. Miles was a southern gentleman that moved to Rockville to be closer to his wife’s family. It was clear he didn’t really fit in. Every day Miles wears a suit and tie, even when he isn’t working, he is always impeccably dressed. He is also very educated, holding a doctorate in law. His manners are impeccable, and unfortunately for him, he’s sometimes regarded as a bit snobby by those not quite as schooled in good manners.
Leo often wondered why Miles would marry someone like Mary Jo Penning. She was nothing like him; she liked to dress very casually, rarely wore makeup and usually wore her hair tied in a messy bun on the top of her head. Mary Jo didn’t make much of an effort with her appearance. She was a nice person, but her manners definitely needed work. When she popped back into town after living out east for several years, everyone was shocked to meet her husband Miles. He was her complete opposite, in every way, but somehow, they made a marriage.
“Ah, Leo Mills, just the person I’ve been looking for,” Miles said, as he wiped the sweat off his brow with a kerchief.
“Miles, what can I do for you? I’m going to guess you aren’t here for a tattoo,” Leo said, as they each smiled, and Miles politely laughed.
“No, no, I’m not here for a tattoo. First and foremost, I want to extend my deepest sympathy for your loss. I thought Krystal was a lovely person, and we lost her way too soon. If there is anything at all that I can do, please let me know.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that.”
“Would you possibly have a moment to spare?”
“Sure, what can I do for you?”
“Well, as you may know, Krystal hired me several years ago to put together her will. She also gave me this envelope and asked me to give it to you should anything ever happen to her,” he said, as he handed Leo the envelope.
