Chapter 16

He hadn’t actually lied to his wife. And, he hadn’t tipped his brother that he knew anything about his dicklessness or HIV either. As per the man’s dicklessness situation, apart for himself and Jacob Paskin, no one knew anything who was not part of the prison scene, a scene that was now hopefully in the review mirror, and that for everyone concerned.

Blake Willis knew that his brother would never be completely over what had happened to him. How could he be. There was no way.

They hadn’t gotten to the subject of money in the meet up with his brother. He knew that the man had doubtless read his letter offering him ten million dollars and a house and a couple of cars—his choice as to models—but Julian had clearly not been tempted by the offer even as generous as it did seem to himself and to Ava.

He heard his wife coming in through the main patio sliding door.

“Done watering your pet plant?” said Blake. She snickered.

“Yes, in this weather it’s important to see that it gets the proper care,” said Ava.

“Hmm. Yes, and that goes for certain individuals, who shall remain nameless, as well,” he said.

“Yes. I cannot believe that he wouldn’t even let us bring up the subject of helping him, especially financially,” she said

“His bitterness is going to take a long time to fade. I’m sure of that,” said Blake.

“There’s still the one wild card left in the deck,” she said. “It might be time to consider playing it.”

“Maybe, but I’m not sure we could get him to even sit down with us long enough to hear us out,” he said.

“There has to be a way. How about getting Bea to try and run interference for us again?” said Ava.

“A possibility, but I don’t want to burden her too much about all of this even if she is willing,” he said.

“Still, the children, and I do mean all of them, might be the way to go. And Candace being the wild card that could put us over the top with the man,” she said.

“Yes, and we will play that card down the line; but I do not want to burn it without it being a sure thing, or pretty damn close to being a sure thing. The situation has to be right. And she will have to be in the know about pretty much everything if and when we do decide to go that way. I mean introduce the two of them.

“No, we gotta think this thing through, and I mean in depth, before we do anything, anticipate his reaction to the announcement and be able to control things to the extent possible,” he said.

“Okay, I agree.

“Do we have anything more on his health and such? I mean since Jacob laid what he laid on us?” she said.

“No, nothing new. But it is something we need to keep in mind when approaching him; I mean when we do,” he said. His look was something, she thought, but she could not have said what at that moment.

Ava Willis was feeling good, but she did have three children and she was female and she did have a doctor’s appointment, at the Hereford Health Clinic in downtown Phoenix, and she had it today.

The traffic wasn’t too bad. She had thought it might be, and her husband had all but forbidden her to drive all the way down to Phoenix alone. But, in the end he had relented.

The doctor’s appointment, the usual once per year physical that Blake insisted on, and that she did not object to, was at the least a chance to go down to the big city and do a few other things that she had determined on, and would in fact do.

Today’s trip had a somewhat more urgent motive than on most other trips south. She would be trying to check up on the man who was not interested in being checked up on, not now, not ever; or so he had said. But the clinic first.

Checking into the clinic, she knew she had been prioritized; she always was; it was nice to be ultra-rich. She had been led immediately into the exam room and all of the usual measurements taken and the numbers and details recorded.

The medical checkup went well in the sense that Ava Willis was, well, well.

She rolled up in front of the old homestead where her used-to-be-man had allowed her to stay back in the day. The days back when they had graduated from high school and she was about to be on her own. She’d been afraid then, but Julian had come to her rescue, and for that matter so had Blake in his way as well. She had a key; she went inside.

Going from room to room, she noted that the place was indeed orderly and clean and stocked as it should have been were any of the family to need a place to hang their hats at some point. She wondered if her Julian, and he was still that, regardless of what he thought, had thought of staying there after he’d gotten out of prison. She had to think that maybe he had. Yes, he must’ve, she said aloud, but to herself. The grounds were also kept up as well; the gardeners came by weekly to do their thing as well as the housekeepers.

The family homestead was in good shape. And now to see if the quarter pounders were as good as they used to be.

McDonald’s on 24th was busy. She ordered and took a booth seat against the window on the sunny side of the foodery. She had decided to see if any of the old crowd might show up; well, it was lunch time. The crew from Rock and Sand always used to hang out at Mac’s at lunch and sometimes after work. Well, it was only three blocks from the shop. She chewed her sandwich slowly and sipped her early afternoon coffee while keeping an eye on the door the whole time.