Chapter 13

Wednesday morning Charlie woke up as Jean Marie got out of bed. He laid there, listening to her turn on the shower spout, humming to herself like she normally did. He called out to her from the bed.

“Jeanie! I told you that Terry was coming over today, right?”

She poked her head from around the corner of the bathroom wall. “Yes, you remembered to tell me. That’s why I’m up this early, you fool.”

“What? What time is it?”

Jean Marie pointed at the bed side table, and Charlie turned to look at the alarm clock on it. “Six forty five! Jesus! I haven’t been up this early in ages.” He threw his head back into the pillows out of disgust.

“Too bad!” Jean Marie shouted from the bathroom. “Now you can get up and help me clean the house before your buddy gets here.”

Charlie thought about this for a few seconds, and waited for her to get comfortably lathered up in the shower. He got out of bed and snuck into the bathroom and ran his fingers on the shower door, to make them look like a spider.

“I’m going to get you, my pretty!”

“Ah! Charlie! Don’t scare me!”

He opened the door and entered the shower with her. “Now I can make sure that my back gets properly scrubbed, madam!”

Charlie called Terry’s house when he was dry and dressed from the shower. Only after several rings did he realize that he was calling them at 7:15 in the morning. Happily, Lana answered, assured him that he did not wake them up from a sound sleep, and told him to expect them around 11:30.

Charlie reported this news to Jean Marie, who was starting to make the bed.

“Here, let me get my side,” he said, walking over to the opposite side from her.

“Thank you. Well, since we have several hours, maybe we should go out to breakfast then?”

“Sounds like a splendid idea to me.”

They finished putting away various clothes from their room, and Charlie opened a window to air out the bathroom. Then they hopped into the car and drove off to a friendly diner.

The diner, Kelly’s Place, was practically empty of any other customers when they arrived. The only other people in the dining room were two old men, eating at the bar, and a woman with her two young children, a boy and a girl, both with bright red curly hair. The waitress quickly walked up to Charlie and Jean Marie, holding a pot of coffee at her hip like it were a gun, and asked them how many people were in their party.

“Just two,” Jean Marie answered.

“Great,” the waitress said, grabbing two menus before swiftly turning around and marching up to a booth table. She slapped the menus down on the place settings, asked “Coffee?” to both of them. Charlie raised his hand, and Jean Marie turned her mug over.

While they looked at their menus, Jean Marie said, “I was thinking about the studio this morning.”

“At least one of us can think straight before 9 am,” Charlie said from behind his menu.

“Oh, stop whining. Anyway, I was thinking that you and Terry should hang out in there for a while, and I can talk to his girlfriend. Maybe she and I can go out shopping for some maternity clothes while you boys work?”

“That’s funny – that was exactly what I thought you could do, too.” Charlie said this innocently enough, but it struck a nerve in Jean Marie.

“What is that supposed to mean?” She put her menu down and looked at him.

“Huh?” He looked over the menu to see that she was staring directly at him, and he put it down as well. “What’s the matter?” He leaned over to her, across the table.

“What is that supposed to mean, ‘that’s what I thought you could do’? You think you can plan my day out for me just because you’re having a friend over?”

Charlie was confused. “Jeanie? What’s wrong? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Yeah, right. You think you can just have someone over and forget about me? Or do you think you need to plan my day out for me, because I just stay at home all day and pick up after you? I need to have someone to play with, too?” She turned her head towards the window, but Charlie could see that she was crying.

The waitress came back to their table and had her tablet and a pen ready. “Are you ready to order?”

Jean Marie was silent, unmoving. Charlie looked at the waitress and said, “I think I’ll just have two eggs and some toast. Honey?”

Without turning her head, she said, “I’ll have some oatmeal and toast.”

The waitress was either playing ignorant to the drama at the table, or didn’t even care to notice what they were doing. She simply responded with “What kind of toast? White, wheat, rye, sour?”

“White,” Jean Marie answered.

“Me, too.”

“Back in a flash,” she said, turning and marching up to the kitchen counter.

“Now, are you going to look at me or just stare at the window all morning?”

“You can’t make me look at you,” she said under her breath.

“Jean Marie,” Charlie said this with a louder voice, trying to sound stern with her.

“Knock this off right now. I don’t know if you’re feeling hormonal or what, but this needs to stop.”

She turned to face him and her eyes were wide and red. Shaking her head, she said, “You can walk home!” She stood up from her seat and left the table. She started to run out of the diner, and left so quickly Charlie couldn’t chase after her in time. He followed her to the door of the restaurant, and watched her get in the car and drive off.

“Wonderful!” He shouted at her, inside the diner. The few people in there turned to look at him. He went back to his table and sat down. Immediately the eggs, oatmeal and toast were brought to him. He said to the waitress, “Can you put the oatmeal and her toast in a box, please? And I’ll take the check.” She swept up the extra food and took it back to her counter.

“Well, I’m eating my breakfast,” he said to himself. Putting a fork full of eggs into his mouth, he looked up and caught the glaring eyes of the red headed children. He bugged his eyes at them, and they quickly turned away.

The box of food and the check was plopped in front of him, and he finished his meal. He tossed some cash on the bill, and walked up to the kitchen counter.
“Do you have a phone book, please?”

The waitress tossed the phone book out on the counter, and said “Pay phone’s around the back.”

Charlie found the number of a taxi cab company and arranged for a ride home.

As the cab eased into the driveway, Charlie was relieved to see the car parked neatly in its place in front of the garage. He paid the fare and walked up to the front door. He stopped for a moment, to brace himself for possible warfare, and opened the door.

“One obstacle down,” he thought, having worried that she would have locked him out in her rage.

He decided against shouting her name, for fear of either making her want to hide or scream back at him. He couldn’t decide which would be worse, so scratched the idea altogether.

Instead, he took off his shoes and quietly made his way through the house. He walked past the dining room, and into the living room. There was no sign that she had been there. In an instant of panic, he ran to the back door to look into the pool. He checked and didn’t see any sign of her in there either. He did notice that the studio door was opened. He walked out to the patio, trying to be quiet so that he could hear if she made a noise.

Entering the studio, he saw her. She was lying face down on the floor, beside the sound booth.

“Darling,” he said, getting down on his knees and crawling beside her.

“Leave me alone!” Her shouts were muffled by the carpet and her crossed arms.

“Shh, shh, come on now,” he moved her hair away, and peered into the darkness where she was hiding her face. “It’s alright now, you can be mad at me. It’s ok.”

“I’m not mad at you, anymore.” Moving to her side, she wiped the tears off of her cheek. “Do you know why I’m so upset?”

“Is this a loaded question? I can just move out of the house if you want me to.”

He made her laugh, but she quickly stopped. “No, I mean it. Do you know why I’m mad?”
Charlie shook his head. “I don’t have anything anymore, except you and this baby!” She broke down into sobs again, and buried her face into her hands.

“Oh, stop. Come on, that’s not true, Jeanie.”

“Yes it is! Don’t patronize me!”

“Ok, sorry.” He sat on his heels and put his hands into his lap. “Tell me why you say that you have nothing.”

“I just,” she wiped her eyes, “I just feel like ever since we got serious, my career got wiped out and took a back seat to yours. And now that I’m pregnant, I just think that this is it for me. I’m gonna be a mom to the baby and a wife to you.”
Charlie was quiet. Knowing better than to interrupt her, he simply nodded along to show that he was listening.

“You know? I don’t have to help you out anymore with your recuperation, thank god. But I don’t have any other clients I’m seeing, and the gym is gone so I can’t bring anyone here.”

“Do you want to have the gym back?”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Charlie. I know how much you love this studio. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“No, if it made you feel bad, then I don’t want the studio at all. It shouldn’t stay if it makes you upset.”

“Thank you,” she reached out and patted his hand. “But that’s not going to work, cause then I’ll feel guilty for pushing you out.”

Silently Charlie breathed a sigh of relief. “What would help you, then?”

“I think maybe I should get a job working at a gym, someplace. Or maybe in a physical therapist’s office. I don’t want to drive out to people’s houses anymore.”

“That would be a good idea, to get a job somewhere.” He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it. But when you said to me that you thought I would just be all girlie with Terry’s girlfriend today, it just pissed me off.”

“I know, I shouldn’t have said it.”

“I’m just feeling stifled, you know?”

He nodded to her, and moved closer to her side, putting his arm around her shoulders. She laid down and put her head into his lap.

“Maybe you should take a nap. You don’t need to clean up the house anymore. I can put some crackers and cheese out for you and Lana, and Terry and I can just stay in the studio for a while. Or do you want me to cancel with him?”

“No. They can still come over. Maybe just a quick nap.”

He stood up and helped her on to her feet. “Are you feeling the weight of the baby now?”

“Well, I should be soon. It will be three months come Friday, and I can already see a little bump on my tummy.” Lifting up her shirt, she patted the tiniest hint of a belly to show Charlie.

“Well, there it is!” He patted it, too. “How neat!”

“I love it,” she said, looking down at her belly and at Charlie’s hand.

Terry and Lana arrived a little after 11:30. Lana carried a guitar case in each hand, and Terry had a portfolio tucked under his arm. Charlie answered the door.

“There you are!”

“Hey!” Terry said. He led Lana inside, and Charlie took the cases from her hands.

“I brought one for you and one for me, Charlie.”

“Oh, I have guitars, Terry. I hope it wasn’t any trouble for you.”

“Please, no trouble!” Lana patted Charlie’s shoulder. “I love to see him play.”

“Well, why don’t you follow me and we’ll find Jean Marie and give you both a quick tour.”

Jean Marie was waking up from her nap when she heard the doorbell. She walked down the stairs and saw Lana and Terry in the entryway. “Hello, down there!”

They both looked up and simultaneously said, “Hello!”

“Everyone, this is Jean Marie.”

Continuing down the stairs, she said, “I was getting some beauty sleep.”

“Not that you need it,” Charlie whispered to her.

Lana reached out and shook Jean Marie’s hand. “I’m Lana. It’s great to meet you.”

“Thank you. And you’re the infamous Terry Friedland, I presume?”

“Infamous? That would be fitting.” He walked up and gave Jean Marie a hug. “I’m here to occupy this fellow for a few hours, give you a break.”

“Sounds good to me. Lana, I thought we would just sort of hang around the house, maybe watch TV or a movie. Is that alright?”

“Sure, that’d be great.”

Charlie set down the cases, and said “I’ve got snacks, everyone!” He put his arm around Jean Marie’s shoulders and walked into the living room. “It’s just some crackers, and some cheddar and brie. But, help yourselves.”

Jean Marie offered drinks to the group, and they sat for several minutes on the sofa, making small talk. Finally, Charlie said, “I think it’s time we set off to work. What do you say, Terry?”

“Yes, capital plan Charlie.” He rose up from the couch and kissed Lana on the cheek.

“Let us know if you plan on skinny dipping in the pool later on with us, ok girls?”

“Terry, don’t scare them!” Charlie said. “I told you it would be a secret!”

Lana and Jean Marie laughed, and the two made their way out to the studio, Charlie holding the guitars and Terry with his portfolio.

“What do you have in there anyways, man? Looks like a book!”

“It’s some stuff I’ve been working on. Things get boring, sitting in chemo waiting for the bottle to empty out into you. So I started bringing in some paper, and wrote out some songs.”

“Like 500 songs?”

“Well, more or less,” he winked at Charlie.

“Here it is.” Opening the doors, Charlie let Terry walk in first.

“Wow, it’s like permanent night time in here, man.” Terry took off his sunglasses and let his eyes adjust before walking further in.

“I know – I had the windows darkened so I wouldn’t be tempted to leave my work unfinished. The pool can be really tempting, you know.”

“I bet. Wow, look at this place. This is great!” He walked into the sound booth and looked at all the equipment and instruments. “Oh, we’re going to have fun in here, man.”

“I hope so. Let me see what you have in these things.”

Terry took one of the cases from Charlie, and they both opened them up. In Charlie’s was the Les Paul Standard he had seen Terry play yesterday. In the case Terry opened was a Martin 12-string acoustic guitar. The top was midnight blue, and the fret markers were mother of pearl. “Hello gorgeous,” Terry said to it.

“Wow, you brought the big guns, huh?”

“I thought it would be fun to hear what kind of sound we’d get out of both of these. You got something to play with?” He smiled, seeing Charlie shoot him a dirty look.

“We can share, don’t worry.”

“Well, it is my house…”