End of the Road (Ghost Stories Trilogy #1) (7 page)

Chapter Twelve

Faye is six months along
and getting huge. I’m a little disgusted by her, to be honest. She is puffy and
has really bad breath. Her cooking has gone downhill too, not that she was all
that great of a cook to begin with. Tonight I came home to find a burnt grilled
cheese sandwich on the stove, still in the pan, resting in a puddle of half
congealed butter.

I walk into the bedroom
to find her asleep next to a pile of dress shirts, yet to be starched and ironed.
Her mouth is open and she is lightly snoring. Had I known pregnancy would turn
her into this slovenly creature, I’d have bought a lifetime’s supply of
diaphragms for her. I’m hungry and not for what’s in the kitchen.

Without waking Faye, I
snatch the keys to the Bel Air and drive back toward the dealership. A couple
of the guys had gone for some beers and billiards at the bar across the street
and I am glad to see their cars are still in the lot.

“Frankie!” Sam yells when
he sees me enter the dimly lit bar. I raise my hand in acknowledgement and stop
to order a beer before making my way to their pool table.

With a pint in hand and a
burger and fries ordered, I am feeling better. Sam claps me on the back,
causing beer to slosh over the sides of my glass. His cheeks are red and the
burst blood vessels across his nose are extra visible.

“I’m glad you changed your
mind, Frankie. Bill is cheating, I’m convinced of it!” He winks across the
table to Bill, also a salesman at Valley Sun Chevrolet.

“Thought you were heading
home, Frank,” Bill says.

“Yeah, well Faye wasn’t
feeling up to cooking tonight and a man has to eat, right?”

“Amen to that!” Sam
hoists his whiskey on the rocks and taps it against my glass. “Dolores and I
have been married so long she’s glad to have me out of the house.”

“Where’s Tom?” I ask.

“He hardly comes out
after work anymore. His son had a basketball game,” Bill replies.

“Family and kids will do
that I guess,” I take a bite of my burger and chew before continuing.
“Although, I’m going to try to get as much guy time in…especially once my
mother-in-law shows up to help Faye.”

“Oh boy, when’s that?”

“In two months.”

“Well, if you need a getaway,
you can use my camp outside of Flagstaff,” Sam says. “I hardly get up there
anymore so if you can get some use out of it…”

“Thanks Sam, I might take
you up on that.”

It’s close to midnight
when I get home. Faye is sitting at the dinette table when I walk into the
kitchen. She has been crying, her eyes are swollen and rimmed with red.

“Where have you been?”

“Out with the guys, I
grabbed some dinner.” I pull a pack of smokes out of my shirt pocket.

“But, I made you dinner.”
She gestures to the grilled cheese sandwich on the table in front of her. It
has been worked over and picked to pieces like a bunch of birds have attacked
it. “Besides, you could have woken me up or left a note. I was worried sick!”
She crosses her arms across her growing stomach and glares at me, resembling
more my mother-in-law than wife.

I pause to light up a
smoke before responding. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t in the mood for grilled cheese
and you looked tired, I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Did you ever think maybe
I’d like to go out sometime, Frank?  I’m stuck in this house all day doing
laundry, ironing your clothes, making you breakfast and cooking you dinner.
It’s all about you isn’t it?” She’s standing at this point and yelling at me.
Her face an unhealthy shade of red and her hands clenched into tight fists at
her sides.

“Calm down, Faye. Don’t
be histrionic.” I turn and grab a beer out of the refrigerator.

“Fuck you Frank!” She
storms out of the room leaving me stunned in her wake. In all the years we’ve
been together this is the first time I’ve heard Faye swear.

I shake my head and take
another drag before sitting down at the chair Faye recently vacated. The kitchen
is clean; the chrome on the refrigerator and around the dinette table gleams in
the soft light. As I sip on my beer, Faye’s sobs drift down the hall from our
bedroom. I drop my cigarette butt in the almost empty bottle and it hisses when
it hits the liquid.

Faye and I promised each
other when we got married that we wouldn’t go to sleep mad and I needed to
stick to my word. I get up and make my way to our bedroom. Faye doesn’t acknowledge
my presence except by sniffing loudly and rolling over so her back is facing
me. My clean shirts are in a heap on the floor, most likely thrown there in her
rage. I undress and change into pajamas before brushing my teeth in the master
bathroom. I notice that Faye isn’t the only one whose waistline is expanding. I
turn sideways, the beginnings of a paunch isn’t a welcome sight.

Faye’s sobs have died
down by the time I climb into bed next her. She rolls away from me again, but I
spoon up alongside and put my arm around her.

“Faye, honey, you can’t
ignore me forever,” I whisper into her hair. The light brown curls are loose
and wild, spilling down her back. Curls she usually has pinned up in a twist. She
grunts in response and tries to shrug my arm off.

I cup one of her breasts
over her nightgown, it’s plump and juicy. I can’t help but grow aroused by how
ripe she is.

“Frank, I’m not in the
mood,” she hisses.

“See, I knew you couldn’t
ignore me.” I nuzzle her neck and she relaxes a little against me.

“Even if I wanted to, we
can’t. It will hurt the baby.”

I groan and flip over
onto my back. This has been her excuse for the past month. I guess this means
we’re going to actually have to talk.

“Faye, why did you get so
upset?”

“I didn’t mean to fly off
the handle like that, but I’ve been feeling…” Her voice cracks and she takes a
deep, shuddering breath.

“What?”

“Lonely.” Faye rolls
over. Her face is drained of color except for the redness surrounding her eyes.
I pull her closer so her head rests on my chest. She nestles in.

“I’ve been working a lot
to save up money. Babies are expensive.”

“I know and I don’t go
out and talk to the neighbors. All my girlfriends are busy with their own
lives. I just feel trapped…not to mention I’m a fat cow.” She rests her hand on
her belly. Her nightgown stretches tight across and her bellybutton sticks out.

“Let’s invite Dan and
Carol over for dinner. I’ll grill up some steaks so you don’t have to do all of
the cooking. What do you say?”

Faye smiles, “I’d like
that, except they’ll have to bring the baby.”

“They can bring it. We
need to get used to having one around.”

“Him, not it. They had a
boy, his name is Richard. Richie for short.”

“Right,” I agree and kiss Faye’s
forehead. We drift asleep, no longer mad at each other.

Chapter Thirteen

Even though it’s
Saturday, one of the busiest days at the dealership, I have the day off to help
Faye. She is in her last trimester and has resorted to walking with a strange
waddle. Dan and Carol are expected to arrive any minute so I fire up the grill
and help Faye get glasses down from the top shelf in the cabinet. The effort of
setting the patio table outside has left her panting and flushed.

I pour her a glass of
water and she eases into a chair. She takes a sip and sets the glass on the
table. A smile slowly spreads and lights up her face. She grabs my hand and
places it on her belly. I wait patiently for a few seconds until I feel the
ripple of movement underneath my fingertips.

“Junior is active today,”
I remark.

“I think he… or she,”
Faye looks at me pointedly, “Is excited to party tonight.”

The last month has passed
without much turbulence. I put an effort into trying to be more involved. It
hasn’t been easy, but I haven’t come home to any more burnt sandwiches. Feeling
our baby kick for the first time caused my admiration for Faye to grow tenfold.
She isn’t letting herself go; she actually has a person growing inside of her.

The doorbell rings and
Faye gets up to let Dan and Carol in. Carol is Faye’s friend from high school.
She is the only other from their group of friends who moved from Tucson to
Phoenix. I actually met Faye at Dan and Carol’s wedding. I was finishing up
classes at ASU and working for a catering company on the weekends to help pay
the bills. Faye was in the bridal party and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.
Before the end of the night, and after refilling her champagne glass more than
a few times, we had a date.

Faye and I haven’t seen
Dan and Carol since Richie’s christening and I almost don’t recognize them when
Faye leads them into the kitchen. Carol is dressed nice and her hair is styled,
but the dark bags under her eyes dominate her face. Dan’s black hair has begun
to gray at the temples and he appears to be just as exhausted as is wife.

I recover from my shock
enough to ask Dan if he wants a drink, which he readily accepts. Carol sets
Richie down and the moment his butt hits the high chair seat he starts wailing.

“Oh no, Richie, not
again!” Carol cries. She lifts him out of the chair and walks away into the
living room. I notice Faye massage her belly as if soothing Junior.

Dan watches his wife in
silence and chugs his whiskey. “Can I have some more?” he asks. Faye takes his
glass and refills it.

Carol returns with Richie
in her arms and he is kicking and screaming. He has a fistful of her blonde
hair and she winces with every yank. “Sorry, he didn’t nap this afternoon. We
hardly go out anymore. Little Richie can be such a handful.” As if to emphasize
this statement, Richie lands a solid kick into his mother’s abdomen.

“See what you have to
look forward to?” Dan adds and hands me his empty glass for yet another refill.

“Let me show you the
nursery,” Faye suggests and steers Carol clear of the china cabinet, which is
dangerously close to Richie’s flailing limbs.

Dan follows me out to the
patio, grabbing the bottle of Jim Beam on his way while I grab the platter of
steaks.

The meat hisses when it
makes contact with the grill and I’m silent as I stare into the flames. This
certainly isn’t turning out to be the relaxing evening I imagined it to be.

“So, any advice for a
soon-to-be-dad?” I ask Dan.

“Run,” he says with a
lopsided grin. “I love Richie, don’t get me wrong, but I had no idea how much
work being a parent is. I thought with Carol being home that at the end of the
day, I’d return from the office, kiss Richie on the cheek and off to bed he’d
go. We’re lucky if he sleeps longer than 3 hours.”

“Really?”

Dan nods and takes
another gulp. “Another thing,” he points at me, swaying a bit on his feet. “I
wouldn’t wish colic upon my worst enemy.”

“What’s that?”

“Gas or something, but
the doctor can’t do anything for it. Richie has screamed pretty much his entire
first four months.”

“My God.” Now it’s my
turn to drink.

“Your life’s going to
change in a big way. Good luck, my friend.” Dan taps his glass to my beer.

“I’ve been thinking about
getting away before Junior arrives. You know Sam, down at the dealership?” Dan
nods. “Well, he offered me use of his cabin up by Flagstaff. I’m thinking next
month, when Faye’s mother arrives, is a good time to go. Are you interested?”

“Can I move there
permanently?” he asks and laughs. “Yes, count me in.”

We’re interrupted when
Faye and Carol walk out. Richie is relatively calmer and he regards me with big
blue eyes. I smile at him and his face scrunches up before he buries it into
Carol’s neck.

“Oh, now he’s shy!” Carol
laughs. She sits him down in the high chair, which was an early present from my
parents. Halfway through dinner Richie falls asleep. Carol and Dan visibly
relax after this and we enjoy a peaceful, adult dinner.

“Faye, Frank, thank you
so much. We needed this!” Carol slurs and hugs us.

“This was fun. We’ll have
to do it again!” Faye calls after them as they’re walking to their car.

Dan has Richie slung over
his shoulder and he weaves a little bit in place when he turns and winks at me.
“Let me know about that weekend, Frank.”

“Will do.”

“What weekend?” Faye
asks.

“I’ll tell you later,” I
mumble and wave at our departing guests.

Chapter Fourteen

Faye is glaring at me
with her eyes narrowed to slits and her arms crossed. “When were you planning
on telling me?”

“It had only been a
thought and I just mentioned it to Dan.”

“You’re going to leave me
in my last month of pregnancy?”

“Just for a long weekend
and your mother will be here.”

“There you go again;
leaving me housebound while you go off to do God knows what.”

“It will be my last
weekend of fun for a long time.”

“Oh, what, I’m not fun?
Your child isn’t going to be fun?”

“I didn’t mean it like
that.”

Faye doesn’t say
anything, she just walks way. “Faye, I’m going. I make the money around here
and it’s my choice.” She disappears into our bedroom. “Besides, I can’t stand
your mother,” I mutter after I think she’s out of ear shot.

“I heard that!”

****

Dan calls me at the
office the day we’re supposed to leave. Richie is running a fever and he can’t go.
“Come on, Dan. Carol can handle it. That’s her job.”

“I’m not happy. Trust me,
I’ve been looking forward to this weekend, but I can’t leave Richie.”

“Fine,” I snap and hang
up the phone.

At least my two friends
from college are still up for the weekend and we’re planning on meeting at the
Museum Club on Route 66 later that night.

I leave the dealership
early, stop to fuel up the Bel Air and pick up a six-pack of Schlitz for the
road. Faye and her mother are playing cards at the dinette table when I get
home. My mother-in-law gives me a disapproving glare over her horned rimmed
glasses which rest at the end of her large nose.

“Are you still going?”
Faye asks without glancing up from her handful of cards

“Yes, but Dan isn’t.”

“You’re driving alone?”

“I’ll be fine.” I bend
over and kiss the top of her head before retrieving my bag from our bedroom.
Faye had packed for me while I was at work.

I change into travel
clothes, a pair of loose khaki pants and my favorite bowling shirt, and return
to the kitchen to say goodbye. I kiss Faye’s belly and then her cheek. I lean
over to kiss my mother-in-law’s cheek, but she turns her head away.

“Go, have your fun,
Frank. Don’t worry about your wife who is carrying your child.”

“Hey, this gives you a
chance to catch up and talk about me behind my back,” I force a smile.

“Hmm,” she says with her
lips pursed into a thin line.

Faye walks me out to the
car and I hug her before getting in. Even though it’s early May, the late day
sun has heated the seats and the warmth burns through the thin fabric of my
bowling shirt. The convertible top is down and Faye carefully bends over, her
swollen belly barely brushes against the door when she rests her arms on the
doorframe.

“When are you trading
this in again?”

“After I get back - promise.”

She gives me a faint
smile and I catch a glimpse of sadness in her eyes. “Don’t do anything stupid,
especially if Jake dares you. You’re not in college anymore.”

“I’ll be fine.” There’s an
edge to my voice because she sounds like a mother sending her child off to
school. Her mother’s influence is already rubbing off. Going away is a
brilliant idea.