Another Saturday Night and I Ain't Got No Body (A Page Turners Novel) (37 page)

“Dead?” Walter remained where he was. “I’m not dead. In fact, I’ve never felt better. I’ve been traveling and seeing the world, and I’ve spent the last month with my new wife.”

“Oh, no, you married her,” Jake said with a sigh.

Walter turned to the voice. His mouth fell open, and his eyes brimmed with tears as he quietly asked, “Jake, is that you?”

Jake moved to stand before his grandfather, his face a mix of longing and reserve.

“Yeah, it’s me,” he said, the chip almost visible upon his shoulder. “Your grandson.”

“Oh, my boy.” Walter stepped forward and clasped Jake to his chest. The two men were close to the same height, and Jake’s arms hung limp at his sides as the older man clung to him. Jake’s hands moved up to clap him on the back as Walter’s shoulders began to shake with silent sobs.

Walter pulled back and clasped Jake’s face between his hands as he searched his eyes. “You have your mother’s face.”  The tears coursed down Walter’s cheeks, and his voice broke as he said, “And your grandmother’s eyes.”

He pulled Jake back into another embrace. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’m so sorry I’ve missed so much of your life. I’m so sorry.”

The group silently watched the tearful reunion until a small sound broke the spell, and Sunny turned to see Cassie blowing her nose into a napkin.

“What?” she asked, her eyes red from crying. “I’m just so happy to see Walter, and it’s like an Oprah reunion show right here in your backyard.”

Several people laughed, and Walter released Jake, giving his shoulder one last hearty shake.

“I’ve been staying in your house,” Jake said.

“That’s fine. I’m glad you made yourself at home. I had no idea you would be here so soon or that anyone would even be missing me.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone you were leaving?” Edna asked.

“I did. I left a message on your answering machine the night I left. I told you I was going on a roadtrip and asked you to keep an eye on my house.”

“You’re kidding?” Edna said. “That damn answering machine hasn’t worked in years.”

“Why don’t you tell us where you’ve been and what’s been going on.” Jake took a few steps back and sat on the edge of one of the lounge chairs. Sunny sat beside him, and he looped his arm under hers and clasped her hand. Sunny felt a slight tremble in his hand, and she clasped it tightly between both of hers. She squeezed his hand, offering him her silent support.

Walter took a seat on the closest lawn chair, and Cassie poured him a glass of lemonade and set it on the table in front of him. He gestured for them all to sit down as he took a clean white handkerchief from his back pocket and drew it across both his cheeks before opening it and blowing his nose loudly into the fold.

He took a sip of his lemonade and looked into the faces of his friends and neighbors. The group had settled on various lawn chairs and patches of grass, all anxious to hear Walter’s story.

“I’m awfully sorry I frightened you all. That was not my intention. I had been so lonely since I lost Betty, and I felt like my life was in a rut. A couple of the guys down at the lodge were nagging me to get back out into the world and convinced me to try this online dating thing. As you can imagine, there’s not a lot of interest in a broken down old man who likes to garden and tinker in his garage.” 

He turned and looked sadly at the pile of ash and rubble that stood where his garage once sat, the burnt-out shell of his tool cabinet standing tall like a sentinel in the wreckage.

He took another sip of lemonade. “But I did meet one woman. She seemed interested in the same things I did, and we met for coffee, then dinner, then walks and rounds of golf. She seemed so young, and she was beautiful, and I got sucked into the allure of a gorgeous women’s attention. Things were moving quickly, and when she asked me to accompany her on a spur-of-the-moment road-trip to California, I threw caution to the wind and packed my bags. I just wanted an adventure.”

“But why did you leave your wedding ring and your favorite belt buckle?” Edna asked.

“And your pocket knife from Betty?” Sunny added.

Walter turned to Edna, a stunned look on his face. “How did you know…?”

“We found the ring, the pocket knife, and your belt buckle amongst the ashes of the fire,” Jake explained. “That’s why we had at first thought you died in the explosion. But we figured something must have happened to you to cause you to leave your most valued treasures behind.”

Walter clasped his face in his hands and shook his head back and forth. He looked back up at Edna. “I’m so sorry I worried you. Before I left, I went out to my workshop and spent some time just talking with Betty. Well, her spirit, I guess. You know how I do that. I explained to her I was trying to move on with my life. I took off my ring and left my knife and belt buckle all in a cigar box on my workbench as a symbol of starting a new chapter in my life.”

He looked around at the faces in the group, and again hung his head in shame. “I was a selfish old man. I didn’t mean to worry anyone. I don’t have any pets to care for, I barely get any mail, and my lawn is set on a sprinkler system. I got caught up in a romance, and when she offered up the idea of this trip, I jumped right in. I was thinking of the adventure of it all, and I just left. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking of anyone but myself and this gorgeous red-head named Mona who made me feel young and alive.”

He looked at Matt as if for moral support. “She lured me in with talk of sunbathing and margaritas by the pool. She had a bikini, for goodness sakes.” 

Matt chuckled and nodded at the older man in the universal man-code of understanding that sometimes it all comes down to the allure of the boobs.

“So I get all that,” Jake said, drawing Walter’s attention. “But why did you have to marry her?”

Walter looked shocked. “Marry her
?
For heaven’s sake, I didn’t marry
her
. I would never have been able to keep up with her. Besides, I always felt like there was just something a little bit off with that one. I’m not sure, but I think she may have only been interested in me for my money. Don’t get me wrong. We had quite an adventure. We spent a week in Vegas and had some fun gambling and laying by the pool. But that one was sneaky, always workin’ an angle, tryin’ to get me to buy her this or that. Nah, I tried to hang in there for the whole trip. But after spending another week with her in California, I said ‘
adios
’ and ditched her faster than a cowboy uses an outhouse in January. Yes sir, that woman was trouble with a capitol T.”

A loud noise erupted from the chair next to Walters, where Edna sat. The sound was a half-laugh, half-sob and came out as a high pitched snort. “Oh, you are a wonderful man, Walter. I am so glad you are not dead.”

He chuckled as he covered his old friend’s hand with his. “I am too, dear. I am too.”

“I’m confused. If they were traipsing around the country buying gas and staying in hotels, why couldn’t you track Walter’s credit cards and figure out where he was?” Maggie asked Jake.

“We tried,” Jake said. “But he never used any.”

“That’s because I don’t have any of those fool things,” Walter explained. “I have lived my life believing that if you didn’t have the money, you didn’t buy it. I had a stash of rainy day money that I kept in the garage, and I just took that with me. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway, ‘cause the darnedest thing happened while we were in Vegas. I was playing the blackjack tables one night and someone stole my wallet. I was lucky that I had left most of my cash in the safe in my room, but I lost my driver’s license and my AARP card.”

“Oh, those are a pain to get again,” Edna said. “Why didn’t you report it to the police?”   

“I told the casino security about it,” Walter explained. “But at that time, I was still having fun and playing things loose, so I just let it go and figured I’d have plenty of time to worry about getting that stuff replaced when I got home.”

“Now wait, if you ditched Mona in California, then who did you marry?” Cassie asked, still stuck on his earlier statement, which started a chain of reactive questions.

“Yeah, who?”

“Where is she?”

“Are you really married?”

Walter held up his hand. “One at a time. Yes, I really did get married. To a lovely woman named Helen. She just dropped me off. She wanted to stop at her apartment for a few things before she came back over. She should be here anytime.”

As if on cue, a dark blue Chrysler pulled into Walter’s driveway, and he got up and hurried toward the car.

A tall, thin woman emerged from the vehicle wearing denim capris, walking sandals, and a mint green t-shirt covered by a patchwork quilt vest. She had a short cap of curly white hair, a small nose, and bright, intelligent eyes. She had a beatific smile that she presented to Walter as if bestowing him with a gift as she squeezed his hand. She was close to his height and looked to be in her mid-seventies. They were a handsome couple as they made their way into Sunny’s yard where the rest of the party waited.

Walter beamed proudly as he introduced her. “This is my beautiful new wife, Helen.”

He moved her through the yard, and Helen shook hands and made comments as he introduced each family in turn. “This is Matt and Cassie Bennett and their children, Tiffany and Tyler.”

“Nice to meet you. How cute.”

“This
i
s
my dear friend, Edna Allen.
She has been a neighbor and good friend to Betty and me for many years.”

“I’m delighted to meet you,” Helen said. “Walter has mentioned you often.”

Edna introduced Roy who removed his hat and charmingly kissed Helen’s hand. Walter raised an eyebrow to Edna who laughed and waved him off. “He’s a harmless old coot. Flirts with anything female and breathing.”

Helen removed her hand, smiled at Roy, and moved on to where Maggie stood with Jeremy.

“This is my lawyer, Maggie Hayes. She and Cassie are good friends of my other neighbor, Sunny.”

Maggie shook hands with Helen, then turned to introduce Jeremy. He stepped forward to shake the hands of Walter and Helen. “Pleased to meet you.” 

“You as well,” Walter said, giving Maggie a questioning look, which she ignored. He nodded across the yard. “Those two strapping young dark-haired boys kicking the soccer ball around over there are her sons, Drew and Dylan.”

“Hey,” Drew called, and he and Piper came across the yard to greet Helen.

Walter absently looked at the smiling, happy blonde teenage girl, and then a slow recognition crossed his face. He brought Piper to him in a clumsy embrace as he leaned down and said, “You look lovely, my dear. Just lovely.”

He pulled back to look at her once again, then turned to Helen. “This beautiful girl is Piper. She’s Cassie’s niece, the one I told you about, who helped me with my flowers this spring. She’s become quite a gardener.”

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Piper said, in a rare moment of affection. “You scared me.”

“Sorry about that. I am okay though.”

“I see that.” Piper looked approvingly at Helen.

“It looks like you’re doing okay too,” he said.

“Yeah, I’m okay too.”

The two generations looked fondly at each other, both sending up silent prayers of thanks that the other one was going to be okay.

A pitiful whine broke the moment, and Walter looked down to see Beau standing patiently by his side. He bent to ruffle the dog’s neck.

“And this is Beau,” Sunny said, as she and Jake, still hand in hand, approached Helen.

“Oh, I love dogs. I have one of my own. He is just a gorgeous fella, isn’t he?” Helen bent to stroke his back, and Beau shook with excitement at all the adoration he was receiving.

“I’m Sunny, Walter’s west-side neighbor. This group is our weekly get-together for our book-club, the Pleasant Valley Page Turners.”

“Oh, how wonderful. I love to read,” Helen said. “I was a high school English teacher for thirty years.”

“I’m a teacher as well. I teach second graders,” Sunny said.

“What a fun age.”

Walter ignored Beau as he continued to nudge his hand in an effort to get him to resume his head-petting. “And this young man is my grandson, Jake,” Walter said proudly, grasping Jake by the shoulder.

“I’m so glad to meet you,” Helen said warmly. “Your grandfather has told me so much about you, and how excited he is to have you in his life.” 

“Thank you. It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” Jake nodded and took a step back, obviously a little shy about gushy, family reunions.

“Everyone, please sit down,” Sunny directed. “Have you folks eaten? There’s plenty of food. Can I get you something to drink, Helen
?
Iced tea or lemonade?”

“Or a shot of brandy?” Edna added. “I think that’s what I’m having. What a day.”

“Iced tea would be lovely, dear,” Helen answered. “I’ll keep my options open on the brandy though,” she added and winked at Edna, earning a mischievous grin in return.

“Walter was just going to tell us about how you two met.” Sunny poured the amber liquid over a pile of ice cubes and handed Helen a red Solo cup.