Constant Surprises (Wrong Numbers Series) (2 page)

He had met Meredith at
the gate where the trip first began―O’Hare International
Airport in Chicago. She was going to
visit her daughter and grandkids for a month. They had talked off and on
throughout the flight. It made him feel good to talk about going home to his
family. He couldn’t wait to see them.

“Thank you, Roy, for helping me
especially with the connecting flights. It just seems impossible to get a
non-stop flight from Chicago
to Kansas.
All those gate changes from one side of the airport to the other is just too
much for me,” Meredith said.

“You’re welcome,
Meredith, now let’s head on out of here so we can meet our families. I know
your family will be happy to see you, especially those grandkids of yours.”

“Oh yes, they are
growing like weeds. My daughter sends me pictures and we Skype. I’ve been
meaning to head out here. But like I said before, my health has been up and
down. The doctor didn’t want me doing any sort of travel unless it was to see
him, especially since it is not so easy to fly from home to the Sunflower State. Thankfully I’ve gotten better,
and I don’t have to get the third degree about going on a plane. Heck, doesn’t
he know how old I am?”

A chuckle rose in Roy’s throat as they
proceeded through the plane’s narrow aisle. Meredith had been a true gem during
their trip. He was going to miss talking with her. She was just like his
grandmother who had passed away some years ago. Always with a story, from Chicago to the one hour
layover in Denver,
to when they finally touched down in Kansas.
Roy enjoyed
listening to the time she met Gregory Peck when he ate at the restaurant where
she once worked as a bartender. He equally loved the story of when she won a
grand playing the slot machines in Vegas. Meredith had a long and happy life,
he only hoped his life would be just as fulfilling.

“So what do you plan on
doing once you get home, Meredith?” Off the plane, the two walked down the
corridor side by side.

“I plan on resting my
legs. I can only hope my grandkids let me. I swear airplanes weren’t made for
old people, Roy.” She giggled. Roy
gave her an ear-to-ear grin as they made their way on down to the baggage
claim. Being the gentleman, Roy
was going to make sure he got Meredith to her family. He took it slow for he
knew she couldn’t be rushed, even though he was anxious to see his own family.
Finally, the baggage claim came into view.

“Grandma, Grandma!”
shouted a little boy and girl in unison as they ran to them with big smiles.

“Oh my babies, let me
look at you both. Why don’t you help the gentleman here with my bag?” The boy
grabbed the bag from Roy’s
hand. The young girl looked up at Roy,
then the floor. With the tip of his cowboy hat, Roy smiled and gave her a wink. He was
rewarded with her giggles. “Well, Meredith, I will leave you in your grandkids’
hands. It was really nice having you next to me on the flight.”

She gave him a hug and
whispered, “You take good care of yourself, dear.” He paused to watch her walk
away with her grandkids before turning heading to the baggage claim. He took a
few short steps and saw them―his mom and brother. He could already tell
she was on the verge of tears as he made a b-line straight to his mother’s open
arms.

“My son, my son is back
home!” She held him tightly in her arms as her eyes welled up with tears.

Despite the two years
that had passed since he last saw her, she still looked the same. The same
blonde hair that was turning grey, same big blue eyes like his and the same
warm smile that always welcomed him home, whether from school or a fishing
trip. He got out a handkerchief wiping her beautiful face. “Oh, Mom, don’t cry
I’m back home now, no more tears okay?”

“Hello, little brother,
it’s good to see you,” Steven said, giving his brother a bear hug.

“Same here, big bro.
Where’s Dad?”

“Oh, he’s back on the
farm. He had to tend to business he couldn’t get out of, but he can’t wait to
see you.” Agnes smiled as she wiped her eyes. “Well, we better be heading home.
I have all your favorites waiting. I even got some of those horseradish pickles
you like so much. Bet they don’t have those in Chicago.”

The ride to his
childhood home was a long one, but Roy
didn’t mind. He drank in the views of countryside. It was a welcomed sight—the
seemingly endless flat plains with grazing bison. Lord, he was happy to be at
home at last. Chicago
is fine as far as cities go, but the concrete walls and the hustle and bustle
of city life were getting to him. He missed the wide-open spaces and the bright
blue sky that seemed to go on forever.

When he was in Chicago, Roy routinely sent money home to his family
to help get his farm ready. Now, all he had to do was make sure he had enough
feed for the animals.

Before he knew it, they
were at his parents. Getting out of the car, Roy heard laughter seconds before
his twin nieces Mandy and Mona threw themselves around his legs screaming,
“Uncle Roy, Uncle Roy!”

“Girls!” He smiled as
he bent down to hug them only to end up falling down with the girls on top of
him laughing. “How are my lovely darlings doing? I have so missed you,” he
exclaimed, kissing the top of their heads.

Mandy said, “Uncle Roy,
we are so glad you are back. Now you can come play with us.”

“Of course. When I get
my farm settled, you both can come visit me as often as you want.” He got up
dusting off his backside. The twins grabbed his hands pulling him towards the
house, their curly red hair bouncing along in time with their feet. The front
door opened, walking out with light rapid steps was Sandy, Steven’s wife.

“Roy!” she shouted
running down the steps.

“Every time I saw some
redhead, I always thought about you girls. It’s really great seeing you at long
last,” Roy said enveloping Sandy in a hug.

“Hey now, don’t get too
comfy over there with my wife,” Steven joked carrying in Roy’s bags.

“Oh hush, Steven. Come
on in, the food is going to get cold.”

Roy finally felt he was
home when he walked through the threshold.

* * * *

“Welcome to the Cobalt
Blue Café, how many in your party?” asked the hostess to a group of people. The
place was jammed pack as it always was on Fridays.

One person was sitting
back in her corner taking it all in―the laughter, the talking, the
tinkling of glasses, the classic rock in the background. To owner Amie Brown it
wasn’t noise, but excitement. When Cobalt Blue opened on the corner of
Peachtree and Peachtree Battle roads, in Atlanta, she never in her wildest
dreams imagined it would end up being such a popular place. She received rave
reviews from the Atlanta Journal as well as Creative Loafing, thanks to the
cutting edge atmosphere, the impeccable service and the five-star cuisine.
Everything had to be the best, from the signature Cobalt Blue glass plates to
the wait staff’s classic black and white uniforms.

The cavernous space was
transformed to an eclectic dining experience that can only be described as
trendy, yet inviting. The hardwood floor is met with rustic stone columns
located throughout the space more as décor than a structural necessity. Wooden
beams crisscross the ceiling with solid brass stem hanging pendent lighting
illuminating the room.

The trendy open kitchen
located in the back as if a stage is behind a glass wall for health reasons but
still allows patrons to hear the chef barking out orders, the clacking of
plates, and view the flames rise from the sauté pans.

A large circular bar,
featuring only top shelf liquor, is the focal point of half the dining room,
while the wooden linen free tables are grouped on the other side. Surprisingly
comfortable wooden chairs surround the tables in pairs.

Local artists’
paintings are scattered on the walls in a pattern that almost appears random,
but is well thought out. A large fireplace takes up much of one wall, while a
domed window with wrought iron framing is featured on the opposite wall.

“Ms. Brown, I wanted to
come over to tell you how my family and I have enjoyed your food,” an older
gentleman said.

Amie smiled sweetly and
responded, “Well, I am very happy you enjoyed your visit to the Cobalt Blue. I
look forward to seeing you here again. Make sure you bring your friends.” It
seemed her comment made the older man blush before he walked away.

Amie got up from her
table with a smile on her face and slowly walking amongst the patrons. She
headed over to her office and grabbed her purse. She was going home early
tonight. She had a list of things to do.

“Heading on home,
Amie?”

Turning around, she saw
Becky, her assistant manager leaning against the doorway. “Yeah, I’ve still got
more packing to do, then I have calls to make. You sure you can handle
everything while I’m gone?”

“Now you know I can.
I’ve done it for you so many times before. Just go on back home. Enjoy the
reunion and your family. Tell your mom I said hello.”

With a nod, Amie gave
Becky a hug and went out the back door to her Chevy Tahoe. She started the car
and slowly turned north onto Peachtree Road to take the short ride to her
Buckhead
home.

All she wanted to do
was finish packing. She was anxious to get back to her childhood home in
Herington, Kansas. She missed her parents. They weren’t her biological parents,
but they were the ones she thought of as Mom and Dad. Amie Brown was adopted by
the Browns when she was three months old. As a preschooler, she started to
become aware she was different. She was the only person, much less child, of
color in a predominately white town. Her lineage was black and Japanese. While
she excelled in school, Amie was always an outsider even though she had grown
up with most of her fellow classmates. No one wanted to date her, for if you
went out with Amie Brown you would be ridiculed by the rest of the community.

Her only friend during
childhood was Sandy Williamson, now Sandy Fulton by marriage. The spunky red
headed spitfire was always by Amie’s side through thick and thin. They had
become fast friends when they ended up sharing a science lab table in middle
school. They would go camping, spend the night at each other’s homes, go to the
movies on Friday, and Saturday nights. They thought of themselves as long-lost
sisters regardless of their physical differences.

The chirping of her
cell phone brought her back to reality. She waited until she got to the stop
light before she answered it. “Hello?”

“Mistress, how are you
this evening?” said the male voice on the other end. It was Anton.

“Hello, Anton, what are
you doing calling me?”

“Mistress, I know you
asked me not to call until you got back into town, but I had to hear your
voice.”

Amie cussed under her
breath while pulling over into a Burger King parking lot. “Anton, you do not
want me to get angry do you?” Her voice was stern. “I want you on all fours,
Anton, with the door unlocked. I plan on having someone come punish you for
what you have done. Do you understand, Anton?”

At first she didn’t
hear a thing except for a soft sigh. Finally he said, “Yes, Mistress.”

Quickly she hung up.
Amie scrolled through her contacts until she found the one person who would put
Anton in his place. “Yes, Mistress,” said the deep male voice.

“Anton needs to be
punished. Go to his place he’ll be waiting for you.” With a click, she again
started up her car and headed home. Pressing the button on her radio, the
soothing sounds of Sade came through her speakers. She was not going to let a
phone call bother her, especially from a disobedient.

* * * *

The
phone rang. Steven answered, “Hello, the Fulton residence, Steven
speakin
’.”

“Why
hello there, Steven, it’s Amie. Can I speak to your lovely wife?”

Steven
chuckled bringing the phone to his wife. “It’s your sis calling.”

Sandy
was surprised Amie would call her on her in-laws phone. She grabbed the phone.
“Hey, sis, how are you doing? Everything okay?”

“I’m
fine. You? I can’t wait to see you and my goddaughters. I just wanted you to
know I will be in town tomorrow morning. Dad is going to be picking me up
around ten from the airport then I’ll be at home. So come by around one for
lunch.”

“That
sounds wonderful; we can’t wait to see you too. It’s been too long since you’ve
been here. How’s the restaurant going?” Sandy asked quietly excusing herself
walking to another room.

“Been
doing real good, had an article in the local paper. A food critic came. He
loved our food so much he came back the following night. He told me who he was,
which was hilarious. You see when a critic comes to your restaurant there is
supposed to be a bit of anonymity involved.”

Sandy
laughed out loud. Finally she said, “You remember Josh Clay? He works at the
local paper here. He did an article about you and your restaurant. Your mom was
so proud of you. She had everybody reading it over and over. Your dad had it
posted along with all of your other articles on a bulletin board at the feed
store.”