114: Tearing Down the Last Walls
Easton
Luci sleeps facing me, with her left hand under her cheek. I can’t help but smile seeing that ring on her finger. My ring that she agreed to wear. She’d never given me a reason to doubt she’d say no, but I had the one little fear in the back of my mind that she’d say it was too soon. I only truly met her three months ago.
I hadn’t watched a minute of the ballet last night. They could have trotted out a giant squid or flaming ratchet toad instead of the rat prince or mouse king or whatever the hell was in it, and I’d never have noticed. I stared at her face the entire time. She was truly enthralled and I stored away the idea to take her to another ballet soon. Or I’ll buy tickets for her, Syd and Stormi to go. Play instigator and add Kylie in along with no filter Catalina and Mrs. Isabelle. Syd says she’s been to a musical and a few other plays.
I cheated last night and took the ideas for the flower heart from one of her movies she liked. I always knew I would do the walkway with my family basically also proposing to her and the rest of her family in the audience. They accepted her long ago.
Becker had the idea for the hotel room with dinner. He’s damned creative for a single guy. Cole
and Barrett wanted candles all along the path, but instead I compromised with using Skittles.
Explaining that romance was more than flickering firelight might have been dangerous with
those two.
Luci begins waking and I move closer to her. Her eyes open a crack and she smiles. “Morning.
How long have you been awake?” She rolls slightly and runs her fingers over my cheek.
“Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes. I like watching you sleep. You were smiling, so I think it was a good dream,”
“I had all good dreams. Some handsome, blonde hockey player was in them.” I grab her moving fingers and kiss her palm then her wrist.
“I’ll have to have words with him over being in my fiancée’s dreams.”
She laughs. “All he was doing was teaching me to skate.”
“Definitely warning him off then. He’ll be teaching you to play hockey so he can touch you a
lot.”
Her eyes narrow. “Now I see what you were up to with your hockey dates.”
1/5
114: Tearing Down the Last Walls
I make a wry face at her. “You complain about me, but smile about the dream guy.”
“Grumpy flurry. You are the dream guy.” She grins. “Look at what you got me to say.”
+15 Points
Now I laugh. “Mission accomplished. Want to go out for late breakfast or order in? Check out is at 11.”
“Could we go have stuffed french toast at close to 11?” Luci doesn’t have please eyes. She has her sweet, hopeful smile which is worse for me.
“If that’s what you want. Let’s check the weather. Make sure it’s not snowing like crazy.” I turn the tv on without looking at it and the announcer is saying “Barry Traylor is opening a new restaurant this weekend. Barry, how….” Luci tenses up. I know her cues and immediately search her face. “What’s wrong, Luci?”
She glances down. “That name…his wife is the one who said I wasn’t real.”
I look up to see an older middle–aged guy with thinning brown hair. “Barry Traylor.” I read off the caption.
She nods. “His wife is Rachel. They had two kids, Sam and Lana, who were nice.”
“Tell me Luci, please.” I beg softly. “Don’t keep me out of this part of your past anymore,
sweetness.” This is the last wall she’s kept me behind. Her eyes search mine and I
cheek. “I want to know.”
cup
her
She nods and the whole story tumbles out first. “Don’t go lava volcano please. Rachel’s
mother was the meanest woman. She would always grab my upper arm painfully at anything.
Making me be last, saying I needed to be watched and that the other two got to do things first. She would bring their cousin, who was horrible. He would grab my hair and tell me I was a throwaway kid. Try to break things if he knew they were mine.”
I want to beat the life out of all of them. “Was he the one who destroyed your pictures of your parents?” She slipped up one day and confessed that to Cole.
“No, that was…that was the house I went to after the Traylors. The daughter there, Hazel, she was mean to all the foster kids. She got mad because I stood up for a younger boy she was yelling at. She ripped up four of my pictures and then she took scissors to my clothes. I hid some of them, luckily, but her parents wouldn’t replace them. Her parents never believed she did wrong. She told them I tore my clothes trying to get new ones. The house I lived in before the Traylors was the same. They bought their kids new clothes and we were given very old hand–me downs and used clothes she would go buy. That was why the memory of my new outfit for the Santa visit with Rachel Traylor was such a big deal. She made sure our clothes
2/5
+15 Points
114: Tearing Down the Last Walls
were nicer. Looking back, I can remember other little things she would say towards me and an older girl. Like for our birthdays after that Santa visit, we got a cupcake with a candle and she mentioned not giving us expectations since the day was a reminder how we had no one that could remember why we came into the world. That no one had chosen us to take home for good. Like I said, a horrible woman. Her husband would nod and agree with her.”
“You told Collins?” She said he was a good guy.
“Some of it. I was young and some of what happened didn’t register with me that it was wrong. Not until I got to Janet’s after Hazel’s house. It’s in the past though. Like I said, I learned what I needed to and moved on.”
“That’s all of it? No more held back from me?”
“That’s it.” I know she’s sincere.
“You should have never had to go through that. You are really amazing sweetness to come out with your soft heart and outlook on life.” I kiss her softly while my insides flame. The Traylors will not foster kids any longer if they still are. And I’ll make sure Rachel never forgets my Luci’s name. Her poison lived inside my girl’s head for far too long. Mine is about to live in
hers.
“You didn’t erupt.” She observes.
“More like internally boiling. You can distract me though. And then I’ll take you for stuffed
french toast before heading home to our little boy and our dog. Sound like a plan?”
“Yes. Thank you for this weekend. All the beautiful moments you created for me.” Her eyes shine with happiness again.
“Get used to them. I plan on filling your life with them whenever I can.” I promise her.
Jason
“Grandpappy, will I live with you forever?” Cole stares at me over his stack of pancakes. I
brought him out for breakfast just us.
“Why do you ask that buddy?” I’m curious when he goes for the big stuff.
“Cause Barrett lives with his daddy in their own house.” He answers before munching on his
bacon.
Such a simple observation with so much weight behind it.
“No. I love having you live with me but one day your daddy and mommy are going to want
their own house. One where you and them and Skittles live as a family.” I’ll miss seeing him.
3/5
+15 Part
114: Tearing Down the Last Walls
I’ve been home longer the last almost three months than I had in two years. Realizing all the pieces I’ve missed had been even more bitter to swallow. I didn’t want to face my wife and cost myself other things in the process. That was all my fault though, not Imogen’s. I made that choice. Now I was working on making that right.
“I would miss you Grandpappy. And all my uncles. And Baker.” He looks a little sad. “I told Mommy I want a baby brother. Daddy says I has to wait.”
I hold back the laugh. If only I’d gotten to see Easton’s face for that. “Yes you do. Mommy needs to finish her classes and you three need to get used to being a real family.” I can’t wait for another grandchild. We’ve sorta adopted Barrett as one already.
“You could get a cousin or two before you get a baby brother. That could be just as fun. In the meantime, you have to teach Skittles how to be part of a real family. And keep me company.” I whisper to him.
“Ok Grandpappy. Maybe we build more train town.” He gives me what I call the hopeful eyes.
“Sounds perfect, Coconut.”
A week later, I answer a call at my home office. “No he’s right to question what sounds like an
insane work order. I’ll walk over.” I hang up and walk down the road.
“Mr. Reed, I got the papers but I want to be clear before I royally screw something up. You
want this whole house razed to the ground?” Bert, the foreman of the demolition team I hired,
stares at me curiously.
“Yes. I don’t want a sliver of the foundation left.” I assure him.
“Yes sir. Will take us a day or two to fully clear out the debris.” He tells me.
“Perfectly fine. House has been completely stripped, so debris pickup shouldn’t be as difficult.” I donated all the appliances, fixtures and anything we could salvage. Vivienne and Lorelei Winters moved into this house fifteen years ago. When she was arrested, I tried to buy it, figuring it was mortgaged heavily with her spending issues. To my shock, it was paid off. I figured I could bide my time. It wasn’t my intention to help her with her debts to Carlos Greco, but it gave me what I wanted. To own the house, giving her and Lorelei no home near mine. No way for Lorelei to basically spy on my kids and Cole.
Before the ink had dried on the sale papers, I had the demolition crew lined up. It’s a nice lot and with some TLC, it will have a beautiful yard again. I was going to offer it to Easton and Luci to build a house on. Selfishly allowing me to keep Cole close by and also my son. Until I thought that would be weird to have them living on the grounds Lorelei grew up on. Instead, I’ll
4/5
114: Tearing Down the Last Walls
save it for whichever of my boys gets engaged or married next.
Baker joins me later as I stand behind the safe zone line. I hand him a hard hat and we silently wait for the hydraulic excavator to begin tearing down the walls. The sounds of the destruction are somehow soothing after everything that’s happened.
”
Ivory Row
Little time jump in the next chapter. We’re almost done. Five maybe six chapters left. There isn’t a missing chapter either if you look at the numbers. I’m going to slowly fix them as I go back to edit other issues. Chapter 9 was split so there’s no missing 113. This is really 114 now.
15
Comments
Watch Ads (0/20) >
E
764
Vote
