Chapter 3

Looking at her cell phone, Nikki could see that Dennis had texted her while she was taking a bath. "Be home soon, just finishing up the last of the paperwork and speaking to the funeral director."

The time on the text was 6:45 pm, so any minute he would be pulling into the garage. Getting a mug from the cupboard, Nikki poured hot water from the kettle on the stove over a bag of chamomile and vanilla tea. Stirring it slowly, she gazed out the kitchen window. The evening fog had already begun blanketing over them. The nights were becoming colder, and soon they would be receiving their first snow.

Walking out into the living room, Nikki grabbed up the morning newspaper she had not read and sat down in one of the recliners. Stretching out, she opened it to the used RV section. She knew Dennis frowned on ever getting anything used, but she really wanted to travel, and he had told her many times it was not in their budget. If he would not buy one for them, she would buy her own. As a young child growing up in Redding California, she remembered all the trips her parents and siblings had taken. There were trips to the Pacific Ocean, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore and so many other places. The longing for adventure was ingrained in her.

Glancing over at the clock, she frowned; it would be two more hours before her parents would even be home to call. Nikki had never fully gotten used to the east coast, west coast times difference. Her mother was a fifty five year old nurse, and her father was sixty-seven retired. Most likely, her mother was not off work yet, and her father was probably on the golf course with her Uncle Bill.

Heaving a long sigh, she began thinking of how warm it still was there. It had truly been one of the biggest changes of Nikki's life to move clear over on the other side of the country. Many times, she had wondered what had made her give in. It did not take her long to rack her memory though. She knew it had been because she had been head over heels in love with Dennis. After getting married, they had moved to Burlington Vermont. Soon after that, he had shipped his mother up to a rest home closer to them, and then the honeymoon was over. She often thought about what might have happened if Dennis's Aunt Mage had taken care of his mother. The bigger question however, had been why all the responsibility for his mother landed on his plate.

Nikki jumped upon hearing the back door creak, but she knew that it was Dennis getting in.

"Man, the fog is terrible tonight, but it always is at this time of year." Nikki stood up and walked to the kitchen to greet him. "Come sit down. I'll get us both some of Miranda's stew. She was nice enough to put us on some food while we were out this afternoon."

"I haven't been hungry most of the day, but it smells amazing." Dennis grabbed Nikki up into an all-encompassing hug, "This has been the worst day of my life, hands down."

"Well, why don't you go start a fire and I will bring us our bowls of stew. We can eat on TV Trays."

He kissed her on the cheek, "That doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. I have so much to tell you."

Nikki poured the stew into two bowls and took it out to the living room along with some crackers.

Setting them both up side by side in their matching recliners. Once they were both sitting, Nikki broached the subject about his day. "So what all happened today? I kind of felt a little guilty after I left you this afternoon."

"No, I needed to have some alone time with mother. I hadn't dreamed it was going to go as fast as it did though. After she crossed, I sat there so numb. Mom has been my whole world."

Their eyes caught and Nikki nodded, "I know." A wave of guilt hit Dennis, "I'm sorry Nikole, I know this hasn't exactly been what you expected would happen after marrying me. You kind of got in over your head, but I have been thankful for your understanding."

"Doctor Brekker came in. and called the time of death, then the staff actually called the funeral home for me" "I followed them down because there were things I needed to look at" "I picked Mother's Casket out, liner & pillow. I picked a rose satin because, well, it felt like Mother. I spent four thousand dollars purchasing a grave plot for mother, as she did not have any arrangement's made. Nikki, my mind is blown. I don't even know where my mind was today. I have felt like I have been on autopilot."

Looking up at him she asked the biggest question that had been on her mind. "So, when did you call your father," her eyebrow raised ever so slightly.

"Honestly, it was when I heard how much everything was going to cost. I freaked out."

"Well, he has always been dependable when it has come to money, that's for sure," Nikki said as she picked up their empty bowls and took them into the kitchen to be washed.

Dennis followed her and sat at the kitchen counter watching her as she rinsed the dishes before putting them into the dishwasher. "I seriously don't know what I'm going to do when he gets here. While he sends Christmas cards, and calls once in a blue moon, it's not like we really even know one another anymore."

"You don't have to stay up waiting for him. I can do that for you. I've got some crocheting I can do while I wait up, besides the fire is really nice."

Dennis snickered, "You know I couldn't believe it when you picked up crocheting after we were married. I had always associated knitting and crocheting with old people."

She shook her head. "Go up, take a shower, and get some sleep sweetie. You've had such a long day."

"I'll go get a shower, then come down and check on the fire. I'm tired, but sleeping just doesn't feel like something I can do yet."

"Okay," she said. "There are clean towels on the rack. Maybe sleeping on the hide-a-bed tonight in the front room wouldn't be a bad idea, at least until your father gets in. Miranda already has the guest room ready for him."

Nikki watched as Dennis ascended the staircase. Getting another mug of tea, she grabbed up her crocheting by her chair. She was already halfway through with her fourth blanket. This one was for their bed. It was a soft terracotta and it would be such a warm edition come winter. In the beginning, she remembered she had gone so slow, learning how to get everything perfect, and now her hook went relatively fast.

Nikki noticed two small gold eyes peering at her from behind the couch. "Charlotte," she called to their beautiful cat. She watched as Charlotte came bounding up and into her lap, she was the craziest cat. Nikki smoothed Charlotte's calico coat as she began to purr. One thing that Nikki had always been thankful for was the fact that they had cats. It made the house seem less quiet, and gave a homier feel. She was twenty-five, and her siblings all had children, her friends were having babies, but at least she had cat. Stopping crocheting, Nikki concentrated on Charlotte's need for love and attention.

Soon, Nikki could hear Dennis in the kitchen. "What are you doing," she called out, not moving from her seat.

"I'm making some coffee. I figure we have awhile to wait for Father and this will help."

It was not long before the aroma of the coffee was filling the house. "Isn't that a divine scent," he asked coming around the corner holding a mug for Nikki. She shook her head. 'Divine' she thought, 'how many men even use that word? It had to have been his Mother's influence, as she had been born in England.' Dennis looked down at the Calico cat in her lap. "I see you've become a pillow for Char. She always did favor you over me."

Nikki smiled, "So did you see Whiskers and Smudge upstairs?"

"Actually they are both on the bed," he replied. "You know as well as I do how they love their beauty sleep."

She smiled, "That they do. So what time is your father due in?"

"Well, he said he was going to try to take the red eye up. It's possible he got an earlier flight, I don't know."

"So what you're saying is he could be here any time now." Nikki lifted the coffee mug up to her lips, "So are you ready for all of this?"

Scratching his head, Dennis shook his head. "Actually I don't really know Nikki," he sighed. "I still feel like I'm on autopilot. I haven't seen Father since that one award ceremony seven months ago, and as we both know, he had to leave right away after seeing me receive my honors and ribbons. However, he has been supporting me and helping me always. Shit Nik, he even helped me pay for mums funereal. I couldn't do it, and mum never had any extra money of her own."

Nikki could see the troubled look in her husband's eyes. "Babe, you did what you had to do. I don't understand why he had to stay with us, but he did buy this house, and there is guilt there too he has put us under."

"The nice thing I suppose, is once he gets here we can show him to the guest room, let him know where the bathroom is, tell him there is food if he gets hungry, and we can exit stage left to our room. I'm sure after everything that has happened, he hardly expects us to stay up any later."

Nikki tapped her finger on her tray table, "Wow, umm Hun, you and I have phone calls we need to make. My Mom and Dad have probably just gotten dinner on the table."

Dennis rolled his eyes, "Great-aunt Mage is going to kill me for not calling sooner." Nikki threw their address book at him, "Darlin, it hasn't been that long. Yes, she will wonder why she wasn't called first, and I am certain she will have less than kind words if you tell her that your father was called first."

She paused as she picked Charlotte up, setting her back into the chair with her unfinished blanket. She walked over to Dennis, laying a hand gently against his face. "Babe, she was your Mother, and this is your show now my sweet, so don't allow anyone to make you feel bad for any choices that you have made and are continuing to make."

Dennis pulled Nikki into a tight embrace. Then his tears began to flow freely, and she could hear him crying against her shoulder. Softly he whispered through the flooding of tears. "She's gone, she is really gone now Nikole."

"I know," she said, squeezing him extra tight. "We'll be okay Dennis, we always are, and you know she is watching over."

They broke their embrace. "I'm gonna go in the den to call Auntie Mage, its 1:30 am there. I'm just gonna pray she isn't in too deep of a sleep."

Watching Dennis go into the den, Nikki curled up on the couch. Taking her cell phone off the charger, she swiped the names until she came to her parents.

Tapping on their number, it began to ring. "Hello June bug," came her father's familiar voice.

"Hi Daddy, am I catching you and mom at a bad time?"

"What exactly is a bad time when your little girl is calling from clear across the country," he questioned.

Nikki laughed, "Dad, I'm 25, hardly little ... but I have some bad news. I need both you and Mother on the phone."

Nikki listened to her father calling her mother. The speaker phone came on.

"Nikole," her mother questioned, "Are you all right? What's going on sweet heart?"

"I'm fine, but Dennis's mother passed away this afternoon."

She could hear her mother gasp, "She was younger than your father, wasn't she?"

"Not by much, but I wanted you both to know what was happening."