The Final Lesson Plan (13 page)

As we were walking to my car, Rick stopped and asked, "Did you get us a free weekend?"

"Yep, in August. Book Vegas," she said high-fiving him.

"Vegas? I wanna go!" I exclaimed.

"Sorry kid, you've got four kids now," Rick said, taking the watermelon from me, and placing it in the back of my small SUV. "Jozzie, I'll go get the other watermelon out now."

"Other watermelon?" I asked, looking between the two of them.

"Oh yeah, didn't I tell you? I made two. We're gonna have a lot of guests today," she said giggling, as she put her arm around Rick.

"You guys are fuckers, you know that?" I bitched, getting into my car.

"Fuckers who are going to Vegas," Rick said, kissing Jocelyn's cheek.

"You're welcome for the fruit salad," Jocelyn yelled as I backed out of the drive.

"Bonsai!" I screamed, flipping her off as I did so.

"Miss Garrity, it's so nice to see you again," Leo's dad said, as I got out of the car.

"You too, Mr. Cling," I said, shaking is hand, "but please, call me 'Janelle.' Thank you for having me today."

"Lonnie, and it's certainly our pleasure," he said, taking the watermelon from me. "Well, look at this. Beautiful and talented. You're a keeper."

I followed Leo's dad around to the back of their house, a little disappointed that we couldn't go through the house. It was magnificent. I knew Leo's grandma, Lonnie's mom, passed away and left them a lot of money, but apparently money wasn't tight anywhere in the Cling household. The house was huge; the lawn was perfectly manicured. I wondered if they hired a professional or if Leo did this lawn too. Surely, he didn't have time to maintain both yards, work full time at the accounting firm, and woo me in his spare time. Maybe that was what last night was all about. Leo was possibly spreading himself too thin, and I was the priority that mattered the least to him. Unacceptable.

When Lonnie opened the gate, I gasped at the view before me. The Clings had the most beautiful backyard I'd ever seen. There were flowers and plants everywhere with a quaint gazebo in the back corner, covered in ivy and some type of stunning white flower that I'd never seen in bloom in Ohio before. Their back deck traveled the length of the house but was created in soft curves, no straight-lined angles. The deck didn't have rails and unsightly spindles, but was surrounded by steps that gradually made their way down to a gorgeous copper-colored stamped patio. There was a fire pit with cozy chairs in the middle of the patio, where everyone sat talking, unaware of our arrival.

Two little kids were whacking a ball around through the rings on a croquet game, while Leo sat with his family, talking and laughing. Leo was telling a story animatedly, making everyone laugh. I recognized his mom. His other grandmother's wheelchair and back was toward us, and another man, presumably his brother-in-law was laughing while texting at the same time. I didn't see his sister, Megan.

I was the most nervous about meeting her. I knew how much Leo valued her opinion and looked up to her. He'd written about her in his hero paper his senior year. He was awed by the fact that she'd gotten her college degree in three years and moved to Arizona to fulfill her dream of being a pharmacist. I knew it was important for Megan to give me her seal of approval.

"Look who I found," Lonnie announced as all heads and eyes turned to us. Leo jumped up immediately and came over to us. He kissed me on the cheek and grabbed the watermelon from his dad's hands.

Walking over to meet them, my stomach flipped; I hadn't realized how truly nervous I was. My mouth dried up, and I had to move my tongue around to get some moisture in my mouth. Otherwise, I was going to sound like a garble-mouthed moron. Something that I doubted the Clings would find very favorable.

"Hey everyone, his is Janelle; Janelle, this is everyone," he said, excitedly. His happiness caught me off guard. I wanted to be pissed at him for yesterday, but he was so genuinely joyful to introduce me to his family that I decided we'd only fight a little bit.

His mom got up and walked over to me, "Miss Garrity, it's so good to see you again," she said and hugged me. I was shocked by the embrace, but went with it. What could I do, smack her away?

"Hi Mrs. Cling, your house is amazing," I complimented.

"Call me 'Maeve,' and thank you; we unfortunately just put a lot of work into it. Leo'll show you around later," she said. Unfortunately? I made a mental note to ask Leo about that later.

His brother-in-law walked over to me, offered his hand and said, "Cliff, good to meet you," and went back to his phone. Charming guy.

I walked around to the front of the wheelchair and said, "You must be Leo's—"

"Sister," Megan said, glaring up at me. I looked at Leo, eyes wide; he averted my gaze. Megan's small body was under a thick blanket; her head was covered in a pale yellow scarf.

"Megan, this is Janelle; Janelle, this is my big sister, Megan," Leo stated.

"Hi teach, by the look on your face, my little brother didn't tell you that I'm dying, did he?"

"Megan!" yelled four voices (Leo, Lonnie, Maeve, and Cliff) from all around.

"Well I am; it's no big secret here," she said matter-of-factly.

But it was. Leo had never said one word to me about his sister being sick. Actually, he hadn't said anything about her this past month at all, other than she was in Arizona still. However, every time his niece and nephew came up, he did get a faraway, saddened look on his face. Wow. I couldn't believe he'd been dealing with all of this and never mentioned it to me. I felt like a total shit. Oh fuck, I'd tried to get him to stay with me yesterday when he could've been here with her, spending precious time with his only sibling. I was going to rot in Hell for sure.

"Apparently you didn't do your homework, Miss Garrity. Or is my brother just an extra-curricular activity for you?" she said, with venom in her voice.

"Megan!" came all four of the voices again.

"I swear to God sis, I am gonna wheel you into a closet and leave you there if you keep this up," Leo warned.

"I can use my arms, you asshole; I'd wheel myself back out," she said, looking at Leo.

"Not if I tie them to your chair. Stop being a bitch or I'm telling Avery and Austin that you're taking them to Disney tomorrow and let you deal with the disappointment when they find out you're not," he teased.

"You wouldn't!" she said, smiling.

"Try me. Hey Avery, Austin, I've got great news—"

"Okay, okay. You win. I'll play nice…for now," she said, eyeing me up and down.

The kids came bounding over, armed with croquet sticks. "Hey guys, meet my friend, Janelle," Leo said, kneeling down to meet them. Avery was around 7 was my guess and Austin about 5. I hated myself for never bothering to ask him. Austin looked a lot like Leo and Megan; he had their dimples. Avery was a dark contrast to Austin, looking much like Cliff with her dark hair and eyes.

"She's pretty U-Lo," Avery said.

"Thank you," I smiled.

"Yes, she is, " Leo agreed. "She calls me 'U-lo,' because she couldn't say "Uncle Leo" when she was little," he explained.

"I can say 'Uncle Leo,' now though," she said. "See."

I laughed, nodding, "Yes, perfectly. You have beautiful hair, Avery."

"Thanks," she said as she ran back to the croquet game.

"Wanna see my penis?" Austin asked.

"Austin!" came the voices again.

"What? I just asked," he said, shrugging and following his sister.

Chuckling, Megan said, "Can't blame a kid for trying. Ya never know how young Janelle here is willing to go," she said sardonically.

"Megan!" came the voices again.

Holy mother fucking son of a cock sucking shit. How was I going to get through this? Megan already hated me. It wasn't like I could stick up for myself. I'm sure that there was an extra hot and fiery place in Hell for someone who argued with a dying Cancer patient. But man, she was brutal. How was I expected to win her favor if she hated me on the spot?

Just then, the cutest, tiniest little woman came bee-bopping out of the French doors onto the deck, carrying flutes of champion on a tray. She made walking seem effortless, like she was gliding through the air. This woman looked ancient, but was so full of vitality and life. She had to be Leo's grandmother; this was exactly how he'd described her. I couldn't believe that I misjudged before and thought that she was the woman in the wheelchair, as if I hadn't been listening to him this past month. Well one thing was for sure; he certainly hadn't said one word about Megan being sick. Leo had definitely not been honest and forthcoming with me.

"Ahhhh, you must be the beautiful Janelle Garrity," she said, handing me a glass of champagne. "You're even more lovely than Leon described," she smiled at me. I could not get used to this "Leon" business. I kept going back to that dude on
Roseanne
that she owned that loose meat sandwich shop with Jackie and Roseanne. Hot, sexy, men were certainly not named "Leon." That would not be a name I could scream in the throes of passion.

"Yes Mimi, this is Janelle," Leo said, coming up beside me. "Janelle, this is my Mimi, Sofia Rose." Leo took the tray from her and handed out the rest of the flutes to his family.

"It is so nice to meet you, Mrs.—" I started.

"No darling, you call me 'Mimi' or 'Sofia.' I haven't been a 'Mrs.' in ages," she explained. "I had a dog of a husband too—that prick had way too many places to bury his bone and forgot which one of those places filled his bowl."

"Mimi!" came all the voices around me.

"Don't 'Mimi" me; Leon's told me all about her dog. I can share my woes too," she said, putting her little arm around me. "Right honey?"

I downed my champagne in one long chug-a-lug, and nodded my consent.

"Mimi, let's let Janelle sit down before we bombard her with anything more," Leo said, directing me to the empty chair, farthest away from Megan. "She just got here, and I feel like she hasn't had one second to breathe." Leo handed me his glass and nodded for me to take it. "I'm so sorry," he whispered under his breath. I downed that glass in seconds too, hoping he was the only one who noticed.

"I want to propose a toast," Mimi announced. "Lonnie, fill Leon and Janelle's glasses, so it's a proper toast." Apparently, I wasn't quite so discreet. We all waited as Leo's dad ran back into the kitchen to grab another bottle of champagne. I glanced at my watch, realizing that I had only been there for 18 minutes. Holy Mary Mother of God, it was going to be one long-ass afternoon.

After all the glasses were filled back up, Leo's grandmother began to speak, "I'm an old lady, but I know love when I see it. Cliff, thank you for taking care of my granddaughter when she needed someone to hold her and protect her. You love her more than I ever thought you could," she said, taking a breath and wiping her eyes. "To be honest, I thought you were a self-centered donkey's ass—"

"Mimi!" came all the voices again.

"Hear me out, but what I've witnessed with you and Megan and how you've taken care of her these past two years, reminded me that even an ass can be judged wrong. You're a good guy. Meg's lucky to have you," she explained. She looked around and then continued, "Megan, baby girl, death is making you bitchy, but I also think that's what's keeping you so strong. You amaze me little one. You're a fighter. Thank God you're a fighter, because our lives are so much better with you in it," she said, as tears streamed down her cheek. "Look around at all the love we have here…all of it centers around you, Honey. You keep fighting." She paused for a moment, seeming to weigh her words. "But fight the right fight. Look at your brother, he loves you, but he so obviously loves someone else too. So shut your chemo-crap talking mouth and love what he loves, welcome what he loves. We're all in this together," she said, raising her glass. "To the good fight!"

And that was really all it took. Mimi was the matriarch of that family and when she spoke, everyone listened as if the good Lord himself came down and gave a command to each and every one of those crazy Cling-a-lings. The afternoon went rather smoothly after the ice-breaking, brutally honest toast.

All of us played a pretty intense game of croquet, girls against the boys. I was a little leery about being on a team with Megan, but she pretty much kept away from me and didn't say anything rude or belittling. I sucked at the game. My knowledge of croquet didn't go much beyond the movie
Heathers
. I was worried that Megan was going to pull a "Heather" and just knock my ball right down my throat at some point in the game. Therefore, I just kept my ball as far from hers as I could. We lost to the boys, which meant we had to carry all the dishes in from the patio. Megan loaded dishes onto her lap, so I offered to wheel her inside. The glare I received after my offer told me quite clearly that I would be wheeling her nowhere.