Home Again

Chapter 4 Reintroduced

“Good morning!!! I have some totally terrific news.” Richard bounded into the room bringing the sun with him. “What time is it?”

“It late already seven am. Much too much to do to stay in bed”

“Seven in the morning, what is possibly that important?”

“Your interview with the morning news station that is taking place downstairs in the lobby in precisely 1 hour.”

“Fantastic.” She grumbled.

“Wakey wakey lemon bakey” Faith came carrying donuts and coffee. She waited for the door to close then pulled the small bottle from her jacket. “The coffee is weak, but this should perk it up.”

“Faith!” She squealed, “You are unbelievable!”

“So, what was that Brad something’s last name again?”

“I don’t want to talk about him anymore that is a part of my past. Which is my past and nothing more so let’s just be done with it.” She stretched putting her feet on the floor and opening the closet.

“Ok?”

“Ok, fine Bradley Wayne Singleton, Why?”

“Does he have children, a wife or anything?” “Why Faith?” She

turned around horrified.

“I don… you never mentioned it”

“I don’t know... I hope... well... I hadn’t thought about him being still married with a family.” “Knock Knock”

“Come in!” they said in unison.

Richard came in carrying two large cases one intended for makeup and the other intended for hair styling. “We have a new stylist her name is Dena Singleton Caldwell, due to Tina’s pregnancy, she couldn’t travel.”

Dena? Could it be? Melanie wondered it had been ten years would she remember her. She saw her coming toward the door awkwardly The moment of truth, She thought.

“Come in” Richard called “We are behind schedule enough as it is. Please, Do not doddle. Mel, I shall lay you’re out your outfit for you on the bed. I think jeans and t shirts are in order. Perhaps your high school Tee to show town support, besides I have heard you often say it’s your most comfortable”

“Yes! Yes! Richard that’s fine will you please stop fussing?” She flopped down into the chair facing the mirror, As Richard turned to leave both women could hear Faith humming to herself. “For Pete’s sake Faith Just sleep with the man already.”

“Well, aren’t you cranky, how can you not look at those delicious cinnamon buns and not think about it.” She cleared her throat, “Okie dokie the itinerary for the interview...” Faith began watching Dena brush out her hair.

Dena thought how to start, “Hi, do you remember me, I was only the annoying child who use to idolize you while you were dating my big brother, No Dena that sounds pathetic.”

“They will be asking you about the meeting with the winners from the drawing, try to remember the names. Annie Jane Singleton and Jessica Lee Caldwell...”

“Really” Dena interrupted. Faith looked at her weirdly, “Sorry my daughter is Jessica.” She almost whispered. Melanie turned, “So that means that Annie is...?” She had tears welling up in her already sleep swollen eyes.

“Yeah, Bradley’s daughter.” Dena Smiled, “So you do remember me?”

“Yes, of course I’m just trying to keep it together. I just didn’t think This week was gonna be this hard. So, he is happily married, and it was a daughter.” She took off toward the bathroom, “Excuse me”

Dena and Faith stood staring in her wake. “Okay” Faith paced, “This interview may not happen this morning.” She got her phone out to text Richard.

“What did she mean by happily married? Brad isn’t married, not anymore. And his marriage was really not that great.”

“That’s wonderful,” Faith smiled

Dena looked exasperated “No, his wife passed away years ago in a car crash”

“That’s sad… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean...”

“No, I understand what you meant Mel still loves him.” They walked to the door of the bathroom where they could hear her sobbing. “Mel, listen it’s not what you’re thinking.”

“This could take a while I think I will go have Richard Stall the press as long as possible.”

Bradley

The two girls sat Indian style on the floor surrounded by blankets and pillows. The announcer was giving the weather “Looks like snow early this October find out what those chances are and then two lucky winners of the meet Melanie competition coming up right after sports.”

“Melanie” He thought grabbing up his high school yearbook off the shelf.

“What’s that dad?”

“My yearbook,” He flipped through the pages.

“OH MY GOD!!! DAD!!! YOU TOOK MELANIE to PROM!!!” They squealed and The two girls stole the book right off his lap, and he laughed “Yeah I guess I did,” of course he wasn’t really answering them he was too busy remembering that night. He could smell the murky old carpet as if he were living It all over again…

Prom Night

It was the first time in the six years they had been together that he’d ever been in the house. He stood kind of nervous in the short doorway looking at the small surrounding. The trailer was extremely little with wood paneled walls and an old TV that gave him a severe case of claustrophobia. The old floor model television maybe from the 1970’s took up most all the room and the small love seat had a rustic scene of a windmill and a water fall on it encased by wooden handles, was currently taken up by a stringy haired scrawny boy; her younger brother and his cat.

“Dillion James,” Her mother which he’d known for a while was no stranger yelled from a few feet away on the other side of

the old counter, “You get a move on and let Bradley sit down. He is our guest, Mind your manners boy,” Her tone suddenly softened “Here Bradley dear.” She raked the cushion free from Cheetos and cat hair. “There now” She patted his cheek. “Don’t you look handsome in your...”

“Monkey suit...” Her father barked from the kitchen, “Always hated those things. Wore one once myself to my prom, only what a few months before we got married. Come on in here boy,” He growled, “I think its high time we had a few words,” Her father that he had only met once before sat cleaning an unusually large rifle; just like Melanie warned he would be. Sometimes he thought the man didn’t really like him very much. The crease in his brow and the cigarette hanging from his lips made the broad-shouldered man even more intimidating. The smoke swirled around the bill of his hat that covered his eyes in a criminal type a way.

“Yes sir,” he stood with his sweaty palms in his pockets.

“You hunt?”

“Sometimes sir”

“What do yah hunt?”

“Rabbit, Squirrel, turkey and deer on occasion.” Brad thought that this was great; their finding common ground.

“Hmm, so you fancy yourself a hunter do yah? You Know much about guns?”

“I think so, sir, the basics at least, this is the end that points away from you.” He chuckled, but her dad didn’t and effectively ended the humor awkwardly.

“What do ye call this?”

“That’s the handle or the end of the gun, sir.”

“No, son it’s the butt, or between us let call it the butt kisser. See if I catch you thinking about anything, I find unfit round my little girl you’re gonna get to know it personally, you understand me son?”

“Yes sir, I promise sir, you don’t have to worry about M....”

“What about this” He stroked the shiny piece on top of the large gun.

“The scope sir”

“Is that right, well I always think of it as her paw can see you at 500 yards and you won’t even know he is there. The question then to ask yourself boy is which body part+6 you lose first.” He didn’t give him time to even gulp before he asked, “What about this part?”

“The trigger” he gulped

“Your kind of stupid aren’t yah, this is what I call it the avenger. if I see or find out you been using your barrel son Im gonna get the opportunity to squeeze it. What about this?” he wiped a smudge off the barrel but before he could answer he watched the rather cranky old man raise the gun and look through scope high toward the microwave or at least he hoped it was the microwave which was up on the counter beside him.

He tried to appear unscathed, after all Mr. Michael wouldn’t actually shoot him, right? “The barrel sir.”

“Let’s call it the equalizer, see son this is the part were the bullet comes out and can really mess up ye up life. If I catch you

playing with your barrel, you’re gonna be lookin’ straight at it and I promise son it won’t be shootin’ blanks.”

The expression he made must have been a sight because her little brother Dillion bellowed from the back room drawing his composure back to normal.

“So, what do you say son? Do we have a understadin’?”

“Yes sir, I think we do.” He started to extend his hand as the man lowered his weapon but thought better of it and slipped his hand thru his hair instead.

“Bradley?” He was very relieved to hear her voice. Her voice was always the best sound in the world but considering the current conversation it was sweeter than ever before. She was in a beautiful pink dress that shimmered in the pale light from the window. Her long brown hair in curls around her neck draping and dragging his eyes to her sun kissed cleavage; as if her father knew his thoughts, he felt a sharp elbow hit him in the side.

Not caring he took a step forward grasping her hands “You look stunning”

“Really,” She beamed, “You don’t look to bad yourself.” she looked down.

“I got these for you.” He pulled up a small box from his jacket “It’s a corsage”

“It’s so pretty.”

“I know that pink roses are your favorite.”

“They are,” He tied it with a light pink satin ribbon around her small wrist.

“That is for prom and this is for marking our six years

together.”

She almost cried when he handed her a dozen pink and white roses “Oh, Bradley there gorgeous, you remembered.”

“How could I forget?” He smiled. “The day my life finally made sense.”

She leaned up and touched his face. “Oh Brad”

He started to wrap his arms around her but heard the grumble from behind and took a step back.

She bent down and grabbed a box from behind the

Television. “This is for you.”

The box was about medium sized, and he sat down “Melanie, how did you?”

“Do you like them? Are they the right ones?”

“Yes, right size and all. The nicest pair of spurs I own.” He didn’t care that her dad was there he slipped his arms around her waist, hugged and kissed her anyway. He heard him go to move but also her mother who stopped him. The flashes from the camera drawled their attention.

“Momma no!” Melanie was horrified The clicking from the disposable camera sounded through her head and the grinding of her mother flipping it to the next picture made her turn red with embarrassment, “Momma please not the disposable camera.” She had asked them not to do this. This man was Bradley Wayne Singleton his family didn’t go to the dollar store and buy disposable cameras. It was bad enough she could not talk him out of picking her up here. She had wanted to have her father bring her to his house instead.

“What mister high and mighty got something against that?” Her father growled.

“Hang on now, no sir, there is nothing wrong with that. Mel your parents just want to remember this moment; just like I do and who wouldn’t you’re absolutely stunning.” He stared down at her and pulled her a little closer. They posed for pictures inside and outside until the cameras were out photos. It could have been an hour, but it didn’t matter he had her on his arm...

The memories faded from him as the weatherman came back on…

“So, Martha, if you need bread or milk better get it in the next two days, we are expecting 75% chances in the next couple days and we could see some major accumulation.”

“Thank you, Mark, now we are going live to lavish loving inn here in town where Melvin dates is standing by with the Man responsible for picking our two lucky winners for the meet Melanie Extreme fan experience.”

“Thank you, Martha, I am here at Lavish loving’s inn here in town with Richard Fleming. How are you Mr. Fleming?”

“Richard please”

“Okay Richard Everyone is dying to find out about this fan experience.”

“Well, it was Melanie’s idea, to have one or two which as you know we will be picking two fans, to be able to meet and spend time with her and the band. However, Melanie wanted to do more so we decided that these fans would get autographs, a week filled with living the style of fame and fashion. They will get to help with an album, help write a song, and get to take photos

with her for posters and get to go on stage in roughly one week from today weather permitting in Louisville for a show.”

“Wow that is generous”

“We like to think so, Melanie loves kids and she loves her fans”

“So, when will this fan experience begin”

“Well with us announcing it tonight we want our winners here in the lobby of the inn tomorrow at 2 to 3pm.”

“Again, that’s tomorrow about 2 to 3pm here at the lavish loving’s inn in town. So, Richard who are our lucky winners.”

“Please pick us please pick us” the two girls chanted.

“Our winners are Annie Jane Singleton and Jessica Caldwell both of Pikeville, KY”

The television was then drowned out by a crew of scream kids...