Living in the Middle

Chapter 2: Homecoming

HomecomingThe driver jumped out as soon as he pulled up to the posh Fifth Avenue home. “I’ll be just a minute, young man. Let me put your trunk by the front door before we settle up.”

Jimmy Montgomery ignored the instruction and got out. “Let me help,” he offered, as he snatched the trunk from the roof of the taxi and placed it on the sidewalk. “Don’t worry”—Jimmy winked as he stuffed a generous tip in the man’s pocket—“I’ll take it from here.”

James Montgomery III bolted through the doors to make his grand announcement. “It’s all over. High school is history—no more boarding school. The Montgomerys have a college man in the house now!” Benjy, the family’s longtime servant, came rushing out of the back hallway and pulled the boy into the kitchen. “Your mother and father are fighting upstairs. Nothing been right since your grandpa passed last month. It’ll be best if you stay with me until things calm down.”

Jimmy couldn’t remember any fights of consequence between his mother and father and always considered their relationship to be polite and cordial—just what you would expect from a married couple that came from old New York money.

The voices carried from the upstairs bedroom. “Get the hell out and take that oversized mongrel with you. Let’s see how you manage without Van Kleve money. You’re nothing but a bankrupt fool. My father took pity on you. Now he’s gone and you’ve lost your protection. Leave, I tell you. This is my house. Not yours.”

Jimmy didn’t understand and Benjy provided no clarification. Instead, the servant walked to the stove and started tinkering with some pans. A loud crash from above sprung Jimmy into action and he bounded up the stairs two at a time to find his father crumpled on the floor. His mother sat on the bed, gazing out the window with her hands folded on her lap.

Jimmy looked up from his kneeling position on the floor. “Mom, what happened? What happened?” There was no response. “Dad, are you okay? Dad, Dad . . .” He shook his father and received no reaction. “Mom, what should I do? Tell me what to do.”

Dorothy Montgomery continued to stare out onto Fifth Avenue and provided no acknowledgement or communication of any kind. Jimmy stopped asking questions and scooped up his father like a baby. Benjy ran out of the house to flag down a taxi. Seconds later, Jimmy carefully arranged his dad in the back seat. “Take us to Mount Sinai Hospital.”

“I’ll meet you there,” Benjy called out.

Once the medical staff determined James Montgomery II was a substantial patron of the facility, the attention devoted to him increased exponentially. One of the nurses motioned toward Jimmy while whispering to a colleague. “The boy over there is James Montgomery III—the son. Too bad we’re meeting him under these circumstances—he’s a good catch for either one of us!” she joked.

Her coworker responded, “You think someone like that would date a lowly nurse? I don’t think so!”

They both walked over and assured Jimmy they’d keep him up to date with the status of his father.

Thoughts raced through Jimmy’s head. Why were Mom and Dad fighting like that? Why was she kicking him out? How had Grandpa somehow been protection for Dad? Am I the oversized mongrel? None of it made any sense. He wanted answers, but first he needed his father to survive. He focused on the clock, and the second hand seemed stuck in place. Jimmy bent his head in prayer.

About fifteen minutes later, the nurses returned with the doctor. They consoled him after delivering the news and excused themselves when Benjy arrived.

“I heard about your father. I’ve known him for many years. I worked for your grandfather when your daddy was young and then your father rehired me as soon as you were born. I’ll miss him, but it’s time to go, Jimmy. Your mother will take care of the arrangements.”

“What am I going to do without my father? He was only fifty-six. I don’t even think he was sick. How does something like this happen?”

“Your father had a bad heart and wasn’t supposed to get so excited. I can’t tell you why this happened, but I do need to explain a bunch of things to you. Do you think you can trust me and do what I say?”

“Of course I can trust you, but why are you being so mysterious? What do you have to tell me that’s more important than grieving my father?”

“I’ll explain everything to you, but not here. You can’t go home either, for reasons you’ll soon understand. Your daddy planned to explain this summer. Now the job falls to me. Come to my place in Harlem and we’ll figure things out. Time to go.”

Chapter 3