Ava Comes Home (16 page)

“Don't we all,” he grinned.

“I bet you're great in the sack, aren't you?” She kissed him before he could answer. Her breath smelled like garlic. He turned his head. She kissed his ear instead. “Come on, baby. Let's play.” She reached down and grabbed his crotch.

He pushed her hand away. “Hey, take it easy.”

“I don't wanna take it easy. I like it rough.” She pulled off her sweater. “Take off my bra with your teeth.”

At this, he burst out laughing. He suddenly sobered up a bit.

She looked put out. “What's the matter? Don't you like to talk dirty?”

“I don't know what I like lady, but I have a sneaking suspicion it's not you. Where's your phone?”

She jumped off his lap and held her sweater in front of her. “You're an asshole, did you know that?”

“Yep. Where's your phone?”

“It's in the kitchen, you jerk. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.” She stormed off to the bathroom. He stumbled out to the kitchen and sat on a chair, trying to stop his dizzy head. What the hell was he doing here? He must be losing his mind. All he thought of was Libby. All he wanted was Libby. Why wasn't she here? He pressed his fingers against his temple trying to get the pounding to stop.

“I know. I'll ask her,” he said to no one. “No harm in asking.” He got up, went over to the phone and dialed the number he knew by heart. It began to ring once, twice… “Hello?”

“Libby? Is that you? Please say that's you.”

“Seamus?”

“Yep.”

“What are you doing? Where are you? Are you all right?”

“No, I'm not all right. I haven't been all right in a long, long time.” “Oh god, Seamus. Stop.”

“Stop what?”

“You sound drunk.”

“I am drunk. Care to join me?” She didn't respond. He thought maybe she hung up. He whispered, “Libby, are you there?”

“I'm here.”

“Don't cry.”

“I can't help it.”

“Ah shit. I'm always fucking up.”

“No, no. It's not your fault. Don't ever think that.”

“I don't know what to do. I saw you the other day.”

“Yes, in the store.”

“No, not in the store. You were on the screen and someone was kissing you.”

“It's only make-believe.”

“It wasn't me kissing you. How come I can't kiss you anymore? I'm sorry for whatever I did to make you go away.”

“I have to hang up, Seamus. Go to sleep and I'll talk to you again, okay?”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

“Can I kiss you?”

There was a long pause. “Good night, Seamus.”

Seamus heard her hang up the phone. He replaced the receiver as his mind reeled. Needing desperately to escape the dingy apartment, he reached for the phone again and called Roger, telling him only that he was “somewhere in the Pier.” Then he let the phone drop and fumbled around until he found the apartment door. Staggering down a narrow flight of stairs, he tripped over the threshold and out into the street.

He walked, and kept walking until Roger drove up beside him, reaching over to open the side door and let Seamus in.

The next morning found him on the living room couch at home with a colossal headache. Panic set in because he couldn't remember how he got back. He prayed to God he didn't drive himself, but the memory of rolling out the passenger side door of Roger's car came back to him. Good old Roger picked him up off the ground and dragged him into the house.

Seamus managed to get up and make his way to the bathroom, where he stood under a cold shower for quite a while, to punish himself for being so stupid. While he shaved he found it difficult to look at himself in the mirror. In this state, he looked like his father and that made him sick. Seamus hated drunks.

He took a couple of Tylenol and opened the fridge in search of a Coke. He reached for the phone and suddenly stopped. Did he talk to Libby last night? Oh shit.

He looked at the cat, who sat by the garbage can. “Dexter, please tell me I didn't.” Dexter was no help. He looked up accusingly, not because of anything Seamus did but because it was past breakfast and nearly lunch. Seamus got up in search of a can of cat food. When he couldn't find any, he opened a can of tuna and placed it on the floor.

He called Roger.

“Ah, he's in the land of the living,” Roger laughed when he picked up the phone.

“I'm in rough shape. What the hell happened?”

“You had a lucky escape, my friend.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you were dragged off by the bride of Frankenstein. I hope all your parts are in good working order.”

“Oh Christ, why didn't you stop me?”

“I tried, but she almost broke a beer bottle and went at me. I like ya and everything, but not that much.”

“How did you find me, then?”

“You eventually called me and I drove around until I spied you wandering up Victoria Road.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“What?”

“Did I mention talking to Libby last night?”

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone. His heart sank.

“Look man, I feel badly for you, but yeah, you called her.”

Seamus rubbed his eyes to lessen the pain of this throbbing head. “I'm such a loser.”

“You were drunk. We all do stupid things when we drink.”

“Have you ever called up a famous actress and begged her to come back to you, because I have a feeling that's what I did.”

“Maybe she will.”

“Yeah, I'm sure she'd swap her digs in Hollywood and come live in Catalone with me. I mean, wouldn't you?”

“Don't know what to tell ya, buddy.”

“Well, thanks for last night. I owe ya one.”

“No prob. See ya Monday.”

“Yeah. See ya.”

Next, he phoned Colleen and told her he'd be over in a couple of hours to pick up the kids. She invited him for supper. Hoping he'd be able to stomach food by suppertime, he accepted. The rest of the morning was occupied with cleaning up, which was a lot easier to do when Jack wasn't riding the vacuum cleaner and Sarah wasn't on a chair in front of the sink helping him do the dishes. When he was finished, the place wasn't Martha Stewart clean, but the crushed potato chips were sucked up and even the bag in the garbage can was changed.

Stepping outside, the sunshine made him wince, so he went back in the house for his sunglasses and more Tylenol. “This is stupid. I'm never drinking again.” Blasé, Dexter blinked at him and looked out the window.

Colleen lived in Louisbourg, a ten-minute drive away. Naturally, the temperature when he got there was a lot cooler than at his house, because the fog lay heavy on the coast. The foghorn worked overtime.

“Ah, shit.” His father's car was in Colleen's driveway. He wished she'd knock off the Florence Nightingale routine. Some people couldn't be saved.

He got out of the car and walked into the house. Colleen was on her way downstairs with a load of laundry. “Hi.”

“Why didn't you tell me he'd be here?”

“Because you wouldn't have come and that's ridiculous. Act your age.” She continued down the stairs.

He took off his sunglasses and put them on the kitchen counter. “Hi, kids.”

Jack and Sarah shrieked from somewhere and then ran into the kitchen and hopped into his arms.

“Guess what?” Jack said.

“What?”

“I didn't go to bed until eleven.”

“You're kidding!”

He nodded proudly. “We watched Finding Nemo. It was good.”

Sarah grinned. “Yeah.”

He kissed them both and put them down. Their cousins Liam and Courtney came into the kitchen. “Hi, Uncle Seamus.”

He reached out and ruffled Liam's hair. “Hey, squirt.”

Liam reached up and pushed his hand away. “Stop it.”

Courtney hugged him. He cupped her face in his big hand. “Hiya, sweetheart. Thanks for looking after the kids for me.”

“That's okay.”

Jack was offended. “She didn't look after me. I'm big.”

Sarah nodded. “Yeah. Big.”

“You're right. Sorry.”

Jack ran out of the kitchen. “Come on, Liam. Let's play pirates.”

The four cousins zoomed out together. Seamus sat at the kitchen table and waited for Colleen to come upstairs. No truck in the driveway meant Dave wasn't home. His father cleared his throat in the living room. Damn Colleen. She was staying downstairs on purpose.

Seamus reluctantly walked into the living room. “Hi Dad.” He took in his father's ruddy cheeks and puffy face. He'd put on weight and it didn't suit him. In fact, it made him look about fifteen years older than he was.

His father got up from the couch and held out his hand. “Son.”

They shook hands, and then Kenny sat back on the couch. He had a glass of something on the end table. Seamus pointed to it.

“A little early in the day, isn't it?”

Kenny took a drink. “It's Pepsi.”

Seamus rubbed his hands down the front of his pants and looked out the window. He finally had no choice but to sit. His father looked about as comfortable as he felt. “So what's new?”

Kenny shook his head. “Not much. I've been fixin' up the shed. The roof just about tore off during the last blow we had.”

“Yeah, it was a bad one.” Seamus leaned forward in his chair and rubbed his hands together, itching to get up and walk out. “You're feeling well?”

“Aye. My hip gives out now and again, but ain't nothing worth worryin' about.”

“Good.”

He took another drink. “The kids are growin' I see. Jack's goin' to be a big fella someday. Bigger than you.”

Seamus knew he'd say that. “Yep. He'll be bigger then me. Smarter too, probably.”

“Aye. Sarah's got the look of her mother. Do you ever bring them over to Sally's people?”

“Of course, I do. They love to go.”

“Her folks see the kids more than I do then, I guess.”

“Yeah, Dad. No doubt.”

“Shame.”

Finally Seamus heard Colleen on the stairs. She entered the living room. “Well, this is nice. All of us together.” Neither her father nor her brother said anything. She kept smiling, walked over to the armchair and sat down. “Did you know, Seamus, that Dad's going to AA? Isn't that right, Dad?”

“Aye.”

“What's it been, now? Six weeks?”

Kenny took another drink. “About that.”

Colleen looked at him. “Isn't that great, Seamus?”

He nodded. “Hope it works.”

His father grunted and downed his drink. Shaking the ice cubes in his glass, he got up. “Think I'll have another.” He walked out and into the kitchen.

“You could give him a little encouragement, you know,” Colleen frowned. “It wouldn't kill you.”

“He's not going to do it; you know that, don't you?”

“You can't give up on people, Seamus.”

“No?”

“Oh, all right. Be as stubborn as he is.” She got up and started to leave. Seamus stood too and grabbed her arm. “I'm sorry, Colleen. I know how much you want this to happen. I hope for your sake it does.”

She had tears in her eyes. “I miss Mom and we have such a little family, Seamus. I want us to get along. Is that too much to ask?”

He gathered his big sister in his arms. “You're right. You've been wonderful to me and I don't make it easy. I promise I'll try to do better.”

“Thanks,” she sniffed.

He patted her back and then let her go. She started for the kitchen. “I have to stuff the salmon.”

“Can I help?”

“You can peel some potatoes.”

Dave finally came home from a trip to Central Supplies. Seamus helped him bring in four sheets of plywood. The visit got easier after that. Dave, who had an easy way about him, was quite the talker and he had everyone laughing before supper, teasing his father-in-law and giving Colleen's rear end a pinch every time she went by. She finally had to threaten him with a potato masher to get him to stop. Once the kids joined in the festivities at the table, Seamus began to enjoy himself. He and his father exchanged a few jokes. It was worth it for the big smile on Colleen's face.

Finally the kids drifted away to go back to the pirate cave of blankets and towels. The four adults sat at the table, drinking their tea and enjoying second helpings of Colleen's famous strawberry and rhubarb pie.

“God, this is good,” Seamus said with his mouth full.

“I'll give you the recipe,” she teased.

“You do that,” he smiled.

“Didn't know you could get strawberries in March,” her dad said. “I think they're from California. I got them at Sobey's.”

Dave obviously wasn't thinking when he blurted out, “Hey, a guy in the shop said he saw Ava Harris in Sobey's a couple of weeks ago.”

The silence was deafening. He backtracked. “Oh, shit. Sorry.”

Seamus pretended it didn't matter. “Don't be sorry on my account. I couldn't care less.” Colleen looked at him and bit her lip. He shook his fork at her. “Really, it's okay.”

His father growled at the other end of the table. “That bitch better not come near me.”

The hairs on the back of Seamus's neck stood at attention. He swallowed hard. “No need for name-calling.”

“She's a bitch and she always was.”

Seamus dropped his fork to his plate. He saw Colleen and Dave give him worried looks but he didn't care. “Don't call her that.”

“I can call her whatever I want,” his father scowled.

“It's none of your business.”

“Isn't it? She made your mother's life miserable for a long time, so I guess it is my business.”

“Leave her alone.”

His father threw his napkin on the table and pointed at him. “No. You leave her alone. If I hear of you going anywhere near her, I'll have your hide.”