Groomless - Part 2

Groomless

Part 2

By

Sierra Rose

Copyright © 2015 by Sierra Rose

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

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Chapter 1

After work, I chilled out by reading a book and drinking a glass of wine. It calmed my nerves and was a whole lot cheaper than going to a therapist. Kate had finally gotten her paycheck and paid me back; she bought the bottle of merlot for me as a payback for tiding her over with rent and bills for a while.

“Hey, Julia, guess what I read online?” she said as she plopped down next to me on the couch and started painting her toenails some horrendous hue of the hottest of pinks.

“What?” I asked, scrunching up my nose at the stench of her nail polish.

“Apparently, if we are ever to achieve inner peace, we must finish things we start,” Kate said.

“Really? And how’s that going for you, Confucius?”

She grinned. “Well, today I finished a bag of potato chips, Doritos, and a chocolate cake. Thank you for asking.”

I laughed. “Didn’t you say you’re on a diet?”

“I am, but it’s just a matter of calories in, calories out, right? I’ll just have to work out for two hours tonight.”

“You know what I read on the Internet once?” I asked.

“What?” she asked as she slathered another coat on the big toe of her left foot.

“To burn off about thirteen ounces of Doritos, you have to bicycle for over two hours.”

She sighed. “Damn. There goes my inner peace. I guess I’m a glutton for punishment, huh? Anyway, how was your visit with your dad?”

I lowered my book. “Great. He’s in good spirits. He gets to check out of that place in a couple weeks.” 

“I bet he loves that.”

“Definitely, but he almost seems to…calm, if you ask me. If I knew I was dying, I’d be freaking out. He seldom says anything about it.”

Kate shrugged. “I guess he’s come to terms with his diagnosis. When I talked to him on the phone yesterday, he told me he’s seen and done everything and that he’s ready to go. He said he wishes things were different, but since he can’t change fate, he just has to accept it. Your dad’s a pretty wise guy.”

I sighed. “I wish I could accept it like he does, but I can’t. I really don’t know how I’ll live without him. I already lost Mom, and I have no siblings or close family. When he goes, I won’t have anyone.”

“Not true, girl. You’ll always have me.”

“Thanks, Kate. That’s so sweet. I’m glad to have such a great friend. You’re so supportive, and you always keep me from falling apart.”

The phone rang, and Kate hopped over to it, trying not to ruin her wet toenails.

I couldn’t help but laugh at her wobbly commute. “I would’ve gotten that.”

She smiled. “It might be Mark.” She answered the phone, then looked at me. “Not Mark. It’s for you.”

I reached for the phone. “Hello?”

“Hi. I’m Brenda Walking, a reporter. I’m not sure if you’re aware or not, but your story has created quite a buzz on the Internet, and it’s trending all over the place.”

“My story?”

“Yes. I am so sorry to hear about your father and his terminal diagnosis. Of course both of you are in our thoughts and prayers, but we were ecstatic and touched to hear about his wonderful daughter wanting to grant him a very unique dying wish.”

“Really? I knew some friends had posted a bit about it on Facebook and Twitter, but I had no idea—”

“It’s such a heart-wrenching and heart-touching story all at once, and it’s going viral. It’s a real…human interest piece, and everyone is talking about it. In fact, I’d love to feature it in our paper.”

“I don’t really think it’s newspaper material. I’m sure nobody really cares.”

“I beg to differ. It’s an emotional, touching story that I’m sure our readers would love to hear about. Your father is an adventurer who conquered the world through travel, and now he only wishes for a wedding reception dance with his little girl. You have no fiancé, yet you love your daddy so much that you are willing to carry on with a faux reception, with video footage that you can play at your real wedding someday. How is that not a great story? My heart is swelling just thinking about it. Really. It just makes me want to cry.”

“The reception really won’t be a big deal, nothing fancy. We’re just planning a backyard barbecue for friends and family, in August. It will basically be a big picnic, except I’ll be in a bridal gown, and Dad will wear a tux. We’ll have a bridal party, and there will be dancing, but it’s not a huge party or anything.”

“Human interest stories are great for our paper. It helps to take the sting off all the bad news we have to print. Somewhere among all those school shootings and traffic accidents, people need to hear about happy moments too. We’d love to run it. What day are you available for an interview?”

“Are you sure this is interesting enough? I mean, we’re really just normal people, not celebrities or anything.”

“Are you kidding me? Your father reached the three most extreme points of the Earth, completed the Three Poles Challenge. He walked all the way to the North and South Poles and summitted Mt. Everest, all in one and a half years. That was his first Guinness World record. Then he set those other records for the Arctic and crossed the entire Arabian Desert by camel. He has taught us all that life is a daring adventure. If he isn’t a celebrity, I don’t know who is! This story is going to be amazing. How about we meet tomorrow? I know it’s Saturday, but I’m excited to get together and get this amazing story in print.”

“That’ll be fine, I guess.”

“Great!” said Brenda. “Just let me know when and where, and I’ll be there.”

Chapter 2

I talked to my father, and he was fine with the newspaper story. In fact, he seemed a bit flattered and excited about it. We decided to schedule the interview at the nursing home so Brenda could talk to both of us.

She greeted me with a big smile and introduced herself. “Thanks again for this,” she said. “I am sure our readers will love this unique story.”

We settled in to do the interview, and it was a whole lot easier than I thought it was going to be. Ms. Walking was very friendly and asked plenty of questions, and she put my nerves at ease. Even my father seemed to enjoy it, but he had always loved telling stories about his adventures, and it took his mind to happier times in the past, when he was still young and virile and healthy enough to do all the things he loved.

Brenda turned to my dad. “What made you become an adventurer?”

“I wanted to be brave, to find…courage. That kind of comes in handy right now, I suppose.”

She sighed deeply. “That’s so inspiring. Do you remember your first true adventure?”

“Hmm. Well, when I was a kid, I climbed up to the top of the monkey bars and looked down. It seemed so high, and I panicked. My heart began to race, and I started to cry. My teacher had to climb up and rescue me, and of course all the other boys had a good laugh. I vowed to myself then and there that I was not going to ever again let fear stop me from trying things. So, many years later, when I became a man, without a second thought, I started parachuting, rappelling off cliffs, swimming with sharks, and jumping off bridges.”

“So you were determined to conquer your childhood fears?”

“Yes. I had to prove to myself and to others that I could.”

She smiled. “I’d say you did that…and then some.”

“He wanted to experience it all,” I said. “He’d wrestle crocs before breakfast and jump off a waterfall after dinner.”

“What was your favorite thing to do?” Brenda asked, smiling.

“Hmm. That’s a hard one. Bungee cords, airplanes, sharks, eating scorpions, climbing mountains, sailing to the South Pole, or swimming naked among the icebergs? You name it, I’ve probably done it, and I loved every minute of it too. I lived for anything that would force me outta my comfort zone and push me beyond my normal limits.”

“Do you think you were ever too adventurous?” she asked.

“No, not at all. I’m glad I can look back at my life now and say, ‘Wow! I can’t believe I did that!’ That’s a whole lot better than having to say, ‘I wish I woulda.’”

“I suppose you’re right. It’s better to live without regrets and missed opportunities. May I ask what your wife thought about it all? Did she ever have a problem with you being such a…risk-taker?”