Cascade (10 page)

“
Good morning,” Jill kissed Katy’s
cheeks. “I’m your Mommy. Are you my Katy?”

“
I’m Katy!” The little girl beamed
at Jill. “You might not recognize me because I’m FOUR.”

“
I wasn’t quite sure it was you.
May I introduce you to your Daddy?”

Jacob kneeled by the bed. His fingertips
caressed Katy’s soft face.

“
I’m your Daddy. Are you my
Katy?”

“
I’m Katy! It’s my birthday,
Daddy. Did you know?”

“
I’m so sorry I’ve missed so many
birthdays, Katy. I’m glad to be here for this one.”

“
I’m happy you’re
here!”

Katy bounced out of her bed. She threw herself
at Jill and Jacob.

“
Happy Birthday to you! Happy
birthday to you!”

Jill and Jacob started. Katy blushed as if
she’d never heard the song before.

“
I’m so glad you were born!” Jacob
exclaimed.

Jacob lifted her from the bed. With Jill
following behind, he carried Katy out to the dining room table.
Katy squealed when she caught sight of the table. Jacob had filled
the table with Katy’s favorite treats, balloons and
presents.

“
Mommy! Mommy!
Loooooook!”

“
Happy Birthday, Katy!” Jill
laughed.

Jacob set Katy down so she could run to the
table. She touched every present and ogled every goodie. Turning,
she walked back to her parents. Clasping her hands in front of her,
she asked:

“
Is
this for
me
?”

“
Of course,” Jacob and Jill
laughed.

“
Can I have a cupy cake? A
chocolaty cupy cake??”

“
Of course,” Jill said. “The
birthday day girl gets to choose.”

“
Really
!?”

Katy ate her cupcake in one big bite. A knock
on the door revealed Valerie and Mike. On Jill’s instruction, they
introduced themselves to the newly minted four year old. Delphie
and Sam joined them followed by MJ with Honey on his back. Everyone
was treated to a brand new Katy.

Leaving for their conference call, Jacob,
Valerie and Sam let Megan, Tim, their kids and Jill’s mother,
Anjelika Kathleen, into the loft. Steve, Leslie, Candy and Jazmyne
arrived with more cake, more presents and more introductions. Katy
passed out treats, kisses and introductions with the grace of a
queen.

Or a minor princess.

Enjoying the attention, Katy spun in circles
for hours. When Jacob, Valerie and Sam returned for breakfast, the
birthday girl was sound asleep in Jill’s lap.

~~~~~~~~

Monday mid-day — 12:47
P.M.

“
Sandy?”

“
Aden, I’m right in the middle of
a color, can I call you back in about ten minutes?”

“
Sorry to interrupt. I know you’re
busy,” Aden said. “Nash’s school called. There was a fight at lunch
and Nash is gone. You haven’t seen him?”

“
No,” Sandy said.

“
I need to check around. I called
you first,” Aden chuckled. “Just an excuse to hear your voice I
guess.”

Sandy smiled.

“
I’ll call you later when I know
something. Will you call me if he shows up?”

“
Of course.” Setting down her cell
phone, Sandy said, “I don’t feel good lying to your
Dad.”

Nash looked up at Sandy through purple,
swollen eyes. When he moved his head, MJ told him to
stop.

“
Give me one more minute, buddy. I
know it’s hard to wait, but you don’t want some mondo scar,” MJ
said. “What will the ladies think?”

“
What ladies?” Nash
grumbled.

“
Give it a few years, Nash. You’ll
be a lady killer. Trust me.”

“
I wouldn’t mind surviving seventh
grade,” Nash said.

Sandy hugged Nash the moment MJ was done. She
left them to get some more ice for Nash’s face.

“
Those guys must be bigger than
you.”

“
There were five,” Nash said.
“Yeah, they’re bigger.”

“
You keep practicing with Colin
and those boys won’t bother you any more,” MJ nodded. “But five
boys… Why did they come after you?”

“
You wouldn’t understand,” Nash
said.

“
Try me,” MJ said. “I wasn’t very
cool in Junior High School. Fluorescent red haired military brat
and all. My Dad was gone all the time and my Mom was bat shit
crazy.”

“
You’re from the land of the
fucked up too?” Nash asked.

“
I’m a Mayor in the land of the
fucked up.” MJ laughed.

Nash’s eyes evaluated MJ. He knew MJ had lost
his foot and calf in Iraq. In fact, MJ had showed him all of his
different fake legs. He also knew MJ was married to Honey. Honey’s
family was more fucked up than Nash’s family.

At least Nash had his Dad and Noelle. And they
loved him. Nash nodded.

“
I always had just Dad,” Nash
said. “Dad’s amazing but he’s a Dad. He just worked and took care
of us. Miss Celia used to help but she died when I was three.
Noelle doesn’t even remember her. Dad fell really hard for Sandy…
like five years ago or something.”

Returning from the ice machine, Sandy heard
her name. Nash had been upset for months. She knew Nash needed to
talk. Not wanting to interrupt, Sandy waited in the
doorway.

“
He stopped dating and… waited,
went to school, took care of us, you know,” Nash said. “When he
started dating Sandy? In June? It’s the happiest Dad’s ever been.
Ever. Us too. Noelle wants to be everything like Sandy. And, I… I
love Sandy.”

“
What’s not to love?” MJ smiled.
“She’s pretty, kind, loving…”

“
I want her to be my mom,” Nash
said. “But…”

“
But?”

“
These kids at school say all this
stuff about her,” Nash’s voice dropped to almost a whisper. “They
say she’s a hooker or a whore. One guy says he had a video with her
doing all kinds of…”

Her horror flooded her very being. Nash’s
voice was lost in a soft hum. Sandy’s mind began to come
undone.

“
Hey Sandy, your next client is
here,” the receptionist said.

Sandy nodded toward the sound.

“
Are you Ok, hon?” The
receptionist asked.

Sandy nodded.

“
Should I tell your client you’ll
be a few minutes?”

Finding her voice, Sandy said, “Just a
few.”

Sandy smiled to reassure the receptionist. Her
mind clicked into gear. She’d spent decades of her life pretending.
Certainly she could get through this day. She let out a
breath.

“
Nash, honey, do you want to stay
here or go to the Castle with MJ?” Sandy asked. “I should call your
Dad either way.”

She gave him the towel full of ice. He held it
over his bruised and cut face.

“
I can stay for a while, Sandy,”
MJ said. “At least until he’s feeling a little better.”

“
Am I expelled?”

“
Probably suspended for a few
days,” MJ said. “We won’t know until we talk to your Dad. Would you
like Sandy to call?”

Nash nodded. Sandy bent down to kiss his
cheek. Flooded with guilt that her life had caught up with this
precious boy, she hugged him tight. Nash wept against her shoulder.
She sighed.

“
I have to go sweetie,” Sandy
said. “Love you Nash.”

“
Can I stay here with you?” Nash
asked.

“
If I call your Dad,” Sandy
said.

Nash nodded. Sandy dialed Aden.

“
Oh, thank God,” Aden said. “He’s
there.”

“
He didn’t want me to tell you,”
Sandy said. “MJ was here with Honey. I was doing her hair when Nash
arrived. MJ stitched up Nash’s eye. He says Nash’ll be all right.
No broken bones. MJ gave him something for pain and infection but
he needs a doctor for more meds.”

“
The fight was bad?”

“
He says five bigger boys,” Sandy
said. “He’s banged up but nothing awful.”

“
He’s suspended from school the
next three days,” Aden said.

“
We figured,” Sandy said. “Listen,
I have a client waiting for me…”

“
Should I come and get
him?”

“
Nash is fine here. Come when you
can,” Sandy looked over to Nash. “I bet he’ll be asleep in a few
minutes.”

“
Thanks Sandy,” Aden said. “Just…
thanks.”

“
Don’t worry.”

Sandy hung up the phone. Digging in her purse,
she gave Nash her iPOD.

“
Thanks Sandy,” Nash
said.

“
I’ll stay until he’s asleep,” MJ
said.

“
Thanks MJ!”

MJ hugged Sandy.

“
You’re a really great person,
Sandy,” MJ said. “Thanks.”

Embarrassed, Sandy turned to her routine. Her
troubled mind drifted as her client rambled about what to get her
boyfriend for Christmas. By the time Aden arrived, Sandy had almost
forgotten Nash knew about her past. Waking Nash, Sandy saw the poor
boy’s love for her. Promising to call later, she returned to her
clients and her day. After work, she walked home.

Locking the door to her condo, she made a
small pile of Aden’s and the kids stuff. They’d basically lived at
both houses for the last few months. When she was done, she placed
a call to Aden. Luckily, she got his voicemail.

She was sorry. She couldn’t see him any more.
His kids needed him one hundred percent now. She was a distraction.
That was how it had to be. She wouldn’t change her mind.

Turning off her phone, Sandy picked up her
present, the cake she’d made, and left for Katy’s birthday
party.

~~~~~~~~

Monday evening — 6:25
P.M.

“
You sure you feel up to going?”
Heather asked Blane. “I can go by myself.”

“
To Katy’s birthday party? I
wouldn’t miss it,” Blane said. “Do you always introduce yourself to
the new Katy?”

“
Every year,” Heather
said.

“
That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever
heard of.”

He held the door for her and they walked to
his cherry red Mustang. He opened her door, helped her into the car
and went around to his side.

“
You’ve barely said a word since
you got home from the clinic.”

“
I haven’t?” Blane seemed
surprised. “I’m sorry Heather. I don’t mean to worry
you.”

Blane pulled out of their driveway. They drove
in silence to the Castle. Rather than going in the gate, he stopped
at the curb.

“
I want to thank you,” Blane
said.

“
Me? What’s going on
Blane?”

“
Enrique showed up at the smoking
clinic,” Blane said.

Gasping, Heather grabbed his hand. Her eyes
reflected her concern for him.

“
I didn’t think it bugged me but…
You’re right. I’ve been quiet.”

“
How was it?” Heather
asked.

“
It was… Today’s my day to run the
clinic,” Blane said. “I was running from room to room. I didn’t
notice he was there until a student asked me to approve the
treatment. I went in… and there he was…”

“
What did you do?”

“
I sent the student out.” Blane’s
eyes were vague. He smiled and looked at Heather. “That’s why I
wanted to thank you.”

“
What happened?”

“
Asked him why he was there,”
Blane said. “He said he wanted to beg my forgiveness. He started
and I raised my hand for him to stop. Automatically. I didn’t care
about his tiny excuses and apologies. I said, ‘I’m not the little
orphan you knew. I have a family who loves me, a wife and a child
who depend on me, a career I’m good at and a job I adore. I’m not
that throw-away kid you can jerk around with your excuses and lies.
I’m a part of a large community of people who love and respect
me.’”

Blane let out a breath.

“
It just came out.”

“
Wow,” Heather said.

“
Yeah wow,” Blane said. “When we
first talked about you moving in… I didn’t realize how much it
meant to me. You’ve made me feel important. Valuable.”

“
Well Jake too,” Heather said.
“That’s who you meant by family. Right?”

“
Jake? It was like he was standing
next to me,” Blane said. “He tells me how valuable I am. Almost
every day. But, you? The baby? You make me feel important.
Thanks.”

“
You make me feel important.
Valuable,” Heather said. “Not some dumb heifer who got pregnant and
dumped. But a real lady.”

Blane kissed her hand.

“
How did you leave it?”

“
I walked out,” Blane said. “I
approved his treatment then went back to running around. I didn’t
give him another thought until I was in the car driving home. I
guess that’s why I was quiet. I’m a little… stunned.”