Chapter Forty-Six
Tony helped Bobbie with the clean-up, drying dishes and stacking them in the tall white wood and leaded glass cabinets of the brownstone kitchen. After he retrieved a fresh red and white striped towel from the linen drawer that he knew by heart, he sneaked up behind Bobbie and wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling her neck and placing a kiss on her fragrant cheek. When she turned around, he stroked her hair and looked at her with loving and gentle eyes.
"Thank you for the best dinner that I've ever had," he said happily. "You're a great cook, among your many talents." Tony leaned in closer and drew Bobbie into a passionate kiss. As the two pressed and caressed for minutes, it seemed like the room was spinning out from under them, and they were the only two people in the whole beautiful universe.
Lucas was spying on his parents from his hiding place behind the adjoining dining room wall. Every few seconds, he eased his face along the wall until his two eyes saw into the kitchen, then he'd whip his head back out of sight. To him, kissing was funny, an amusing activity. He was so happy tonight with his mom and dad living in the same house, and his cousin Lucky was an enormous bonus. Lucas covered his mouth with his hand, desperately trying to stifle his laughter and maintain his snooping privileges. Unfortunately for him, he was ambushed as Lucky crept up behind him and gently dragged him away with a hand over his mouth.
Lucky raised his index finger to his lips. "SHHHH," he commanded with twinkling eyes "Your mom and dad need some time to be alone," Lucky whispered. "Let's go play a game and give them some privacy."
Lucas got excited and jumped up and down. "Can we put my train track together?" he asked breathlessly. "Oh boy, I want to surprise dad and run the train tonight. It was my birthday present this year. I'm nine years old," he said proudly, puffing his chest out and pulling himself to his full height.
"Only nine," said Lucky incredulously. "I thought you were much older than that. Are you sure you're not in junior high?"
"No," replied Lucas. "I'm in the third grade. Come ON, let's go." Lucas grabbed Lucky's hand and tugged on it hard while he raced down the hall in front of his older cousin.
~*~*~*~
"There," said Lucky decisively. "The track is down." Lucas' eyes lit up, and he jumped down from the stool he'd been sitting on and fell to his knees beside Lucky. "Cooool," he said. "We can surprise mom and dad. They're gonna love it!"
Lucky sat back on his haunches and admired his handiwork. "I think you're right, Lucas, they are going to be surprised."
"I like surprises," Lucas grinned. "Hey, Lucky, I'm going to grow my hair long just like yours," he announced. "Only yours is too messy." Lucas rolled his eyes. "I'm going to brush mine -- a lot."
Lucky laughed and lightly pushed Lucas on the shoulder. "Oh, and what will you do if I snatch your hair off your head. You'll be the bald third grader, like an old man. All the kids will call you Old Man Lucas." Lucky growled lightly and menaced Lucas with his hands raised and hooked liked claws. "The monster wants your hair.".
Lucas shrieked and ran across the room, taking refuge behind the sofa. Lucky followed him haltingly like the hunchback monster, searching endlessly for new victims to scalp and eat. Lucky caught up with Lucas and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him lightly. "GRRRR…give me your hair," the Lucky monster threatened. Lucas began shrieking and giggling at the same time when Lucky tickled him.
Tony and Bobbie stuck their heads out of the kitchen at the sound of Lucas' shrieking. They looked at each other and laughed. "Lucas hasn't had this much fun in a long time. Lucky is great with him," Bobbie said appreciatively. Tony nodded. "He's great with kids in general. I remember he used to spoil Lulu terribly, and she loved every minute of it."
Lucas saw his mom and dad and yelled, "Mom, dad, don't look! We've got a surprise. Go back into the kitchen until we tell you to come out!"
~*~*~*~
Tony and Bobbie chatted in the kitchen while they waited for Lucky and Lucas to unveil their special surprise.
Tony brought up the subject of their nephew. "Did you notice that Lucky hardly touched his dinner?"
"Yes," said Bobbie quietly. "Lasagna was always his favorite meal. He used to wolf it down. That's why I made it. I thought he'd like it."
"I don't think it's a matter of want as much as a symptom of depression," said Tony.
~*~*~*~
Tony and Bobbie stood in the middle of the living room with their hands covering their eyes. Bobbie complained, "Lucas, we almost killed ourselves walking out here with our eyes closed, now when can we open them and see your surprise?"
Lucas nodded at Lucky who plugged in the extension cord. "NOW!" Lucas shouted gleefully.
Mom and dad opened their eyes to the sight of a Christmas wonderland. The lights on the tree blinked brightly as a toy train track ran the around the various Christmas decorations positioned on the floor. Lucky had taped a small, stuffed Santa Claus to the top of the train, and the train wound around angels, sleighs and wrapped presents, blowing its whistle repeatedly. Tony hugged Lucas, who grinned endlessly. "That's quite an impressive setup, Lucas. I'm so proud of you, son!" said Tony.
Bobbie ran a hand over Lucas' hair and lifted his chin with a cupped hand. "That's a wonderful surprise, honey. Thank you very much." Lucas stepped back and pointed at Lucky. "Lucky helped," he admitted. Tony looked over at Lucky and winked. Lucky made a tiny salute in Tony's direction. Lucas excitedly pulled his parents over to the track and pointed out all the details.
Lucky sat down on the floor and ran a hand through his long, untidy hair. He leaned his forehead onto the palm of his right hand. Bobbie noticed Lucky's fatigue and stepped in. "Lucas, it's an hour past your bedtime. Why don't we read a new story from that book I bought you yesterday and head to bed?"
"Oh, Mom," Lucas protested. He looked over at Tony who gave him a "dad" look. "Okay…" he consented, walking behind Bobbie to his bedroom.
Lucky rose from the floor and grabbed his coat. "I'm going out to my car. I'll be back in a few minutes," he said, heading for the door.
~*~*~*~
Lucky unlocked the door to his red, 1991 Mustang that was parked on the street in front of the Brownstone. He slid into the driver's seat and slammed the door. He started the car, adjusted the heater to a comfortable level and turned on the radio to an alternative music station. The interior of the car was immaculate, shined and buffed with a nearly new look. Lucky bent over and pulled a package from under the front seat. He opened the brown bag and grabbed the carton of cigarettes, opening the flap and removing a new pack. After wrestling with the plastic wrapper, Lucky selected a cigarette and placed it in his mouth. He lit up with the car lighter, took a deep drag and laid his head back on the headrest, blowing the smoke out slowly and closing his eyes. His right hand betrayed a tremor when he gripped the cigarette between his thumb and two fingers.
Lucky's stomach itched, and he reached under his sweatshirt and scratched. His fingernails ripped slightly at the healing scab that covered the knife wound crossing his abdomen. He absentmindedly scratched but stopped when he felt a sticky fluid on his fingertips. Lucky looked down and saw smeared blood covering his fingertips and the place where he inadvertently tore his scab.
Lucky shook his head, wiped his hand on his jeans, and lit up another cigarette. He smoked cigarette after cigarette until he'd finished almost half a pack. His stomach felt queasy from the sudden rush of nicotine into his bloodstream, and his head felt dizzy. Lucky opened his window a few inches to allow some oxygen to enter his car, but the windows continued to fog up. He leaned his face onto the cold window glass and breathed in the cold, fresh air, frosty with the promise of more snow. His mind swayed and dipped and his brain waves altered as he subconsciously followed the guitar riffs of the song marathon on the radio. He felt completely numb and apart from the world. He started crying, but he didn't feel sad; he felt nothing at all. His body shook violently as he sobbed, and his mind watched in detachment. A brief desire for alcohol whipped through him, but he steeled himself and said "No," out loud.
Lucky lit another cigarette and puffed on it repeatedly as he blanked his mind. The music on the radio faded until he no longer registered the insistent beat and whine of FM radio. His head lolled on his shoulders, his staring eyes stopped blinking, and he hunched down with his head between the seat and the door. Lucky's sweatshirt was raised a few inches from his jeans, and his bare stomach cooled with its exposure to the fresh air that wafted in through the driver's window.
Lucky took the cigarette in his hand and applied the lit end to the flesh of his stomach area, holding it with a steady pressure. His body convulsed with a violent, searing shock that exploded through him like the hot lava of an orgasm. His eyes stared straight ahead at nothing while his body broke out into a sweat and his breath panted through his aching lungs. Pure physical survival instinct took over from some primitive part of his brain, and his hand released the cigarette involuntarily. The cigarette tumbled, dropping to the carpet of the car floor and burning a hole in the red nylon fibers.
~*~*~*~
Bobbie came back into the living room and draped herself over the sofa, wrapping her arms around Tony's shoulders. "I could get used to this family life," she said. Tony reached a hand behind him to grasp Bobbie's arm. Bobbie walked to the front of the sofa and seated herself in Tony's lap. She ran her hand over his face and chest, and murmured, "Can I tell Santa what I want for Christmas?" Tony nodded and smiled, and she whispered into his ear. Tony's eyes widened. "Are you trying to melt the North Pole, young lady?" Bobbie smiled and kissed him silly.
The mood shifted and turned serious. Tony looked into Bobbie's eyes, and said quietly, "Why don't we make this permanent?" Bobbie's eyes lit up, and she raised her eyebrows questioningly.
"Bobbie, would you marry me - again?" asked Tony. His eyes glistened with unshed tears and so did Bobbie's. "Yes," she said. "Let's get married - again." They both laughed and hugged each other tightly.
After a few minutes, Tony looked at his watch and said, "Lucky's been out there for almost half an hour. I'd better go check on him. We've got lots to talk about, you and I, but I suppose it will wait until morning."
Bobbie rose from his lap and said, "You two have a good night. I know who I'll be dreaming of tonight, Teddy." Tony laughed. "Teddy will be dreaming, too."
~*~*~*~
Tony walked up to Lucky's Mustang. The windows were all fogged up, and he knocked hard on the passenger window. "Hey, Lucky," he called. "Open up, I'm freezing out here." When nothing happened, Tony walked over to the driver's door and pulled on the handle. The door opened, and Tony made a face and waved his hand in front of his nose. "What the hell are you doing in there?" he asked in a disgusted tone of voice. "Since when have you been a smoker? You've made a mess in your car."
Lucky was leaned toward the right with his head on the passenger seat headrest. His eyes were blank. Tony pulled on his left arm and said, "Come on, let's go back inside the house." Lucky jumped and violently jerked his arm away. His eyes switched from their blank stare to showing some signs of recognition. "What?" he said.
"We're going into the house, Lucky," Tony ordered. Lucky turned off the radio and ignition, and scooted out of the front seat. He stood shakily outside of his car, rolled up the car window and slammed the door shut. He followed Tony silently into the house, his arms wrapped around his middle as the bitter wind cut through his jacket. He flinched when his hand rested on a sore spot on his right side.
~*~*~*~
"You reek," Tony complained as he and Lucky entered the Brownstone door. "You'd better leave your clothes in the basement. Bobbie will kill you if you muck up her guestroom." Lucky remained silent and stood hesitantly in the kitchen with a slumped body posture. Tony's eyes narrowed as he tried to guess what seemed different about Lucky. "I'll get you a clean teeshirt. You wait here." Tony returned and handed Lucky his shirt. Lucky wordlessly turned and walked down the basement stairs. He threw off his clothes and shoes into a heap on the cold concrete floor and pulled the teeshirt over his head.
Lucky came back upstairs and stood in the middle of the kitchen with his eyes to the floor. He started shivering, and Tony said, "Let's get you to bed so you don't freeze yourself." Lucky followed Tony to the guest bedroom. Lucky stood indecisively in the doorway of the bedroom as Tony turned down the covers on one of the two twin beds in the room. Tony raised the top of the little blue suitcase, reached in and handed Lucky his toiletry kit. "Go wash your face and brush your teeth," he suggested.
Lucky obediently went to the bathroom. He cleaned himself up, and placed the toothbrush back into his kit. His hand brushed the paring knife that he'd placed in the kit earlier that day. He pulled it out and held it up to the light, turning it around as he inspected it. He placed it back in and zipped up the kit.
Lucky returned to the bedroom and sank into the clean sheets of the guest bed. Tony took his turn in the bathroom, still excited by the events of the evening and oblivious to the fact that he'd forgotten to remind Lucky to take his medications.