Chapter 13

I awoke the next morning to find Maria lying in my bed staring at me. She smiled.

"Did you mean it?" she said.

"Mean what?"

"That you would have chosen me over the other girls."

I kissed the tip of her nose. "With all my heart."

Her smile grew. "Let's wash up and have breakfast. I'm starved."

Still damp from our showers, we walked to the kitchen with ours arms around each other's waist and our naked hips bumping. My mother peered over the coffee cup resting on her bottom lip when we entered.

"You think you're back on the island?" she said with a smirk.

"Huh?"

She pinched the sleeve of her nightgown and pulled it out, and then let it snap back.

"Oh. I guess I'm used to being naked."

"I don't care what you two do inside the house, but you better be careful."

"I don't have anything to wear," Maria said. "Just what that Navy guy gave me."

"I'll drive you to your apartment after the press conference," Mom said.

"Do I have to be at that? I don't want people to see me like this."

"Nah. Bobby and I will do it."

While Maria and I ate breakfast, Mom didn't say much. She stared into her coffee cup a lot.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

She looked at me and then glanced at Maria. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Just tired, I guess."

Maria and I chatted for a while and then I turned back to my mother. "This isn't like you. Why are you so quiet?"

She looked at me and then her eyes dropped. "I'm fine."

Mom left the table and made a telephone call. I heard the tail end of a scream when she pulled the handset away from her ear.

"Aunt Jenny's coming over," Mom said as she put the telephone down. "Get dressed."

I grabbed Maria's wrist and yanked her out of her chair. She stumbled behind me as I dragged her while running. Out of breath at the top of the stairs, she wrenched her hand free.

"What's gotten into you?" she asked.

"I know my aunt. She'll be over in a jiffy."

"Who's Aunt Jenny?"

My jaw dropped. "My dad's sister. Don't you remember?" Maria had a blank stare. "When my mother was in zombieland. Aunt Jenny. Remember?"

Maria's eyes got big. "Oh-my-god! That Aunt Jenny!"

"The one and the same. Hurry up. We have to get dressed."

The doorbell rang just as we finished. Maria grabbed my forearm. "Do you think they're gonna get it on?"

"Now? With us here? No way."

We took the stairs slower going down. The front door was open, my mother and aunt embraced in a tight hug. Then Aunt Jenny backed up.

"Where's John?" She looked around. Then yelled, "John, get over here."

I hurtled the last few steps and ran up to my aunt. Her face lit up when she saw me and soon my face was crushed between her breasts.

"Let me see you," she said, holding my shoulders at arm's length. "My god you've grown. And filled out. You're a man now."

I turned when I heard Mom's sniffles. Aunt Jenny looked at her. "Sally, what's the matter? This is a miracle."

My mother tried to speak. Her voice cracked. I took my aunt's hand. "It's because of Dad."

"Your father? Where is he?"

"He, he had an accident."

"When? Where is he?"

"On the island. He died."

Aunt Jenny's mouth opened. She paled. And then she collapsed to her knees and buried her face in her hands. Mom flew to the floor to hold my aunt. When their crying subsided, we went into the living room.

"Who's she?" Aunt Jenny said looking at Maria.

"That's Maria. She's—" The telephone rang. Mom jumped to her feet and said, "Bobby, tell Aunt Jenny what happened." She ran to answer the telephone.

I told my aunt about Maria and that we were married. Sort of. Aunt Jenny smothered Maria in a bear hug. All Maria could do was stand there with her arms pinned to her sides.

Mom returned. "The press conference will be at noon."

"What press conference?" Aunt Jenny asked.

The telephone rang again. Mom ran to it and answered. I heard her say something about waiting for the press conference. She hung up. It rang again. She said the same thing and hung up. It rang. Mom picked up the telephone, but didn't talk into it. She buried it under a sofa cushion without hanging up.

"That Navy guy was right," Mom said, "it's going to be a zoo."

We filled Aunt Jenny in on the secrecy of the island. When I told her that Dad saved the day, she smiled and tears welled up in her eyes. Never having married, he was her only living relative. Other than me.

A commotion outside caused me to peek through the drapes. Vans were parked everywhere and people scurried around setting up lights and cameras. Maria joined me and pressed the side of her face against mine so she could see. Then my mother pulled the curtain apart. Someone pointed at us and people charged. I snapped the drapes closed.

The doorbell rang. All of us looked towards the front door. We stayed where we were. It rang again. None of us moved until it rang several times in succession. Then my mother ran to the door.

"Go away!" she said.

Someone spoke from the other side. Mom opened the door and the Navy officer who had driven us home entered, slamming the door shut behind him. He looked around.

He pointed at Aunt Jenny. "Who's she?"

"My husband's sister."

His face softened. "Oh. I'm sorry for your loss."

Aunt Jenny nodded.

Turning back to my mother, he said, "Ready?"

"It's noon already?" She glanced at her watch. "My god, where'd the morning go?"

I walked up to my mother. "Let's get this over with."

The officer put a hand on the doorknob. He looked over his shoulder at Maria and Aunt Jenny still in the living room. "Are you coming?"

I don't know if he was talking to Maria or both, so I said, "It will only be me and Mom."

He shrugged, opened the door, and stepped outside. He waited for us to join him and then introduced us to the media. A barrage of questions started when he finished. He held up both hands, palms outward, until it quieted.

My mother stepped forward and said, "My name is Sally Walters. This is my son, Bobby. We are very happy to be home and grateful to the U.S. government for rescuing us. I will take a few questions."

"What happened to Mr. Walters?"

"He had an accident and died."

"Where were you?"

"I have no idea. It was an island somewhere."

"Which island?"

"As I said, I have no idea. I probably won't ever know. And I don't care to know. I want to forget it."

"Bobby, how about you? Was it lonely without friends and girls."

"I had—" Mom elbowed me and gave me a look. Not knowing who had asked the question, I said to the crowd, "There was plenty to do. It kept me busy."

Then the questions shouted out became more specific.

"I'm not going into any of the details," Mom said. "I won't get a publishing deal if I give you all the answers now."

A chorus of chuckles was followed by, "You're going to write a book?"

"Could be."

The questions didn't stop, not until they realized they weren't going to get an answer. Even then some of the news people asked the same questions over and over again.

My mother finally said, "That's all I have to say. It's been a trying experience and overwhelming. I ask you all one thing. Respect our privacy and let us move on with our lives. We have a lot of healing to do."

Mom turned to the Navy officer who nodded. She took my hand and we went back into the house. The officer was screaming at the shouting mob until it quieted down. Then there was a knock on the door. We let him into the house.

"You did fine," he said. "Do you need anything else?"

"No. Thanks for all your help."

He handed Mom a business card. "If you need anything, call." Then he left.

I looked at my mother. "You're going to write a book?"

"Never."

"But you said."

"To shut them up and stop the questions."

I turned to tell Maria what happened, but saw the outside of my house on the television. Aunt Jenny turned it off.

We visited with Aunt Jenny until the crowd outside left. Then my aunt went home and Maria and I piled into my mother's car. She drove to Maria's apartment and we crammed as much of her belongings as we could into Mom's car. When we returned home we realized she needed maternity clothes.

As soon as we could arrange it, Maria and I married. It was a small civil ceremony since it was only Mom and Aunt Jenny. Maria had no family, at least none she knew of. Something about crossing the border from Mexico and losing her family. I asked if she wanted to search for family in Mexico. She responded with a resounding no.

Now that I was old enough, I got my driver's license. While driving Maria back from a doctor's exam, I asked her, "Why so quiet?"

She continued to stare out the side window before turning my way. "Do you notice anything different about your mother?"

"What do you mean?"

Again she was silent before saying, "She doesn't look happy. She doesn't go out. I think she's depressed."

"She said she's fine."

"Bobby Walters! You're so thick."

"Should we talk to her?"

"I don't know. She's your mother."

"Okay. I'll find the right time."

I had noticed. Way back to the first morning we were home. At the kitchen table. I had asked her then, but she said she was okay. Maria was right. Something was wrong. Mom kept to herself so much I was afraid she would return to zombieland. She was shutting down.

When we returned home, Maria cupped the underside of her round belly and said, "I'm gonna lie down. Carrying this around is killing my back."

"Want me to keep you company?"

"I didn't say I was horny. My back hurts."

I held up my hands. "I'm sorry."

"Look, I know I haven't been in the mood lately. I can give you a blowjob if you want."

"You go lie down. That wasn't what I meant."

Maria gave me a peck on the lips. "I'm sorry. I guess it's mood swings. Sure you don't want a—"

"Maria, go lie down. Go rest."

I wandered around the house, alone, the quiet all around me. My mother's car was in the garage so I went looking for her. Might as well get the talk over with. The door to the master bedroom was closed. Pressing my ear to it, I listened. Nothing. Maybe she was sleeping. In the middle of the day? What if she had shut down?

My fingers circled the doorknob and tightened. I turned it a fraction before pulling my hand away. Making a loose fist, I tapped on the door with my knuckles and waited. Nothing.