Chapter 28

Mike drove me downtown, and I did what needed to be done for the final arrangements for my woman. We had a little insurance. She would be cremated, that had been her expressed wish in a conversation about family matters we’d once had. I was in the chapel at the funeral home when it was done. My sobbing was beyond telling. I had never felt so low. I had nobody. I had nothing and nothing was what mattered to me.

I did have an ‘82 pickup truck. My part time job would pay—at a bit more than $1,100 monthly after taxes—barely enough for me to take care of the rent, utilities, food, gas to get to work. All of it was on me now. I’d be able to scrape by but that would be it.

Mike drove me to my place the day after the cremation. I hadn’t been home in some ten days. But, now I was, home that is.

I’d been through our apartment and cleaned it out. All I had to remember my woman by were her ashes, her clothes, which I would donate to Goodwill, some photos and a few knickknacks. I put my woman’s ashes on the little mantle of our faux fireplace; I couldn’t part with them, not yet, maybe one day. I was lost.

“Yes, mom, I went over there this morning, just like you told me too; but no one was home. And, no, no one was answering the phone either; and I did try to call. Sheesh, this is getting to be just too much,” said Selena.

“Well, keep trying. This problem has to be solved and put to rest. Maybe you could get her brother to call her. He probably sees your number on his phone and just isn’t answering. I mean if things with them are as frosty as they likely are,” said Victoria. Her daughter sighed.

“I guess,” she said. “But, I think what I’m going to do is wait a few days and then go over there. Kind of give them, her, time to cool off first. I don’t know, what do you think, Mom?”

“Maybe. Your dad will be back from his business trip today. We will talk to him tonight, the both of us,” said Victoria.

I’d gotten some three or four calls on my cell phone since my baby had died. I knew who it was that was calling. I knew because of the time of day that the calls came in. I didn’t have that caller ID thing, but I knew who it was, and I just didn’t want to be talking to them. But, then I changed my mind. I put a small framed picture I had of my Henrietta up next to her ashes on the mantle.

It had been two weeks almost to the day since I’d lost her. It was a Friday morning. And this time, they didn’t call; they just showed up, the two of them: my ex-wife and my ex-daughter.

They’d kind of surprised me, but I recovered from my surprise more or less suddenly, smiled, and welcomed them in—sort of.

“Well if it isn’t my ex-wife and my ex-daughter. Come together to gang up on me?” I said.

“John Michael, that’s not fair,” said Victoria. “We came here to once again apologize for our behavior.”

“Is Henrietta in?” said Selena. “I really need to talk to her.”

“No, not exactly,” I said, “but coffee?”

“Yes,” came the synchronous chorus of my exes. I smiled again and went to put the coffee maker on.

I was hoping that the two of them wouldn’t be so brain-dead that they wouldn’t notice the new decorations on the mantle. I would not be pointing it out to them. No, this had to be a matter of them discovering my little semi-secret.

I went back in and joined the two visitors as we all waited for the coffee maker to do its thing. It was a good five minutes before Victoria seemed to notice something. I took that moment to go back into the kitchen to get the coffees. I’d been gone maybe half a minute before I heard a muffled screech.

I came back in with the three coffees and the makings on a small platter.

“John... ?” whispered Victoria. I waited for her to say something meaningful. “Is that... ?”

“What darling ex-wife?” I said.

“Daddy?” said Selena.

“That’s ex-daddy to you, Selena,” I said.

“Daddy I didn’t know!” she said.

“Nor did I!” squealed my ex-wife.

“Know what?” I said, Pushing it.

“John, please,” said Victoria.

“Please what?” I said.

“Is that ... are those... ?” said Selena, pointing to the small funeral urn, really just a small sealed nylon container.

“Oh those. Yes, those are my wife’s ashes. Yes, she died soon after you left the last time you were here insulting her, Selena. Maybe two hours after actually. But, your coffees, they’re getting cold,” I said.

The two women were stunned. I just sat across from them sipping my coffee.

“John, is there anything I, we, can do?” said Victoria.

“Well, yes, there is one thing, actually two,” I said. The both of them leaned forward as if to be able to hear better.

“One, never come around here again. And two, forget me and my woman. You never wanted us to be part of your lives. So, take this opportunity to achieve your goal. I never want to see or hear from or about any of you ever again. But, do finish your coffees, please. Coffee cost money. And, I don’t have it, money, to waste; well, you understand,” I said.

“John, you do have money: ten million dollars. Please,” said Victoria.

“No, you have me confused with yourselves. I’m just a minimum wage dishwasher, a proud dishwasher, and sometime waiter; but just a minimum wage one. Still, I don’t have any debts, so it’s enough for me. I get by. It’s enough for me,” I said, repeating myself.

Selena did pick up her cup and sipped the elixir of life. I smiled my appreciation.

“Daddy...” she started.

“Ex-daddy,” I said correcting her. She broke up and stormed out of the apartment.

“John, I am so damn sorry. So damn fucking sorry!” sobbed my ex-wife.

“Too late,” I said.

She tendered me a small look of sympathy and left. She hadn’t touched her coffee, and for some reason that pissed me off. I really did hate wasting things, especially food and drink. Well, they cost money.

“Yes, I made the call,” said Nathan. “Her brother is stunned. And, so am I. This is the worst. And, you say he kicked you out.” Victoria Grimes shrugged.

“Yes, well, sort of. He didn’t exactly kick us out, but he did tell us to never bother him again. And before it occurs to you to ask, he spit on the ten million dollars,” she said “claims his minimum wage job at The Drover is all he needs or wants.” The man nodded, sadly nodded his understanding.

“Jesus, this is bad. I was ready for anything, but this is beyond anything. Way beyond it,” said Nathan. “At some point I will be going to him to see what I might be able to do. But, at this point, well, I just don’t know.”