Changing Her Heart (14 page)

“Did you forget about the stuff I gave you at the park for your allergies?”

“Of course not, but no one has ever seen me when I'm down with a migraine and I want to keep it that way.” He especially didn't want Lacey to ever see him like that. Over the years he'd spent too many hours lying on the bathroom floor with the dry heaves, feeling like his head was going to explode. That was why he spent the extra money on a very luxurious plush mat for the bathroom.

“Randy?”

“Oops. Sorry. I was thinking about something else.”

“You're acting really strange.”

“I'm feeling kind of strange, too. But I'm still handsome in this monkey suit.”

“You're getting worse. Maybe you should go lie down. Or better yet, everything's almost over. You should go home.”

“But I have to help clean up.”

“In your condition, I think you'd be more a hazard than a help. Go home.”

“I don't want to go home.”

“Randy…”

As Randy looked at his friend, his vision blurred briefly. He concentrated to refocus. “I don't want to go home without Lacey. I have to find her before midnight, before I turn into a pumpkin.”

Adrian grabbed his arm. “That does it.” Adrian turned to the side. “Paul, can you come here for a minute?”

“What?”

“We've got to find someone to take Randy home.”

“Okay. Fine,” Randy grumbled. He reached into his breast pocket for his keys, but they weren't there. He reached into one pants' pocket, then the other before he finally found them. He saluted, and valiantly handed his keys to Adrian. “See. I'm smart enough to know I shouldn't be driving. It says so right on the bottle. I always read the labels, even though I'm not allergic to peanuts.”

Adrian returned the keys. “That's fine to not drive, but how do you think you're going to get into your apartment without your keys?”

“Oops. I never thought of that.”

Adrian sighed. “You're not thinking much about anything right now.” Adrian turned to Paul. “I
changed my mind. I don't think it's a good idea to let him go home alone. I think I'll take him to my place, and he can camp out on my couch for the night.”

“Good idea,” Paul said.

“But I have to see Lacey! I can't let the sun go down on her anger.”

“You shouldn't let the sun go down on
your
anger.”

“But I'm not angry. Lacey's angry.”

“We don't know for sure that she's angry. But we do know that you should go lie down. Why don't you go sit over there? Everyone's starting to leave. Then we'll clean up and you come home with me.”

“No. I have to go to talk to Lacey.” Randy shook his head; except when he stopped shaking his head, the movement didn't stop. His vision blurred even worse than the first time. He started to lose his balance, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He felt himself going down, out of control, just like at the duck pond. The landing had been soft then, because he'd landed in the water. Randy didn't want to drown today, either, so he held his breath.

Adrian and Paul held him, each hanging on to one arm to steady him until he could stand on his own.

“Thanks. You guys saved my life. Did you feel that earthquake?”

“Next he's going to say the sky is falling,” Paul grumbled.

Randy looked up. “Then I have to find Lacey really fast, before she gets hurt.”

“You're not going anywhere,” Adrian said. “By the way, have you got fifty dollars I can borrow?”

Randy patted all his pockets. “Nope. I don't have any money. I didn't bring my wallet.”

“You brought a toothbrush, but you didn't bring your wallet?”

“Toothbrush?” Paul asked. “That's different. Even for you.”

“All I needed was my driver's license. The toothbrush pack and my wallet made a big lump in my pocket, and I needed the toothbrush more than I needed the money. I'm sorry. I can't even write you a check.”

Paul turned to Adrian and reached for his own wallet. “I don't think I have that much on me. What do you need it for?”

“I don't need it. I just wanted to make sure Randy didn't have any money on him, so he couldn't sneak off and take a cab home.” Adrian guided Randy to a chair. “Stay here until I come and get you. Better yet, put your head down and have a nap.”

Randy did as he was told, but the second Adrian and Paul weren't looking, Randy took off and ran out the door, this time being very careful and putting both hands on the door frame as he passed through the center.

He ran through the parking lot, straight for his car.

Randy knew he was in no shape to drive, but he had something in his car that he didn't have in his pocket.

He couldn't take a cab with no money, but he had an ashtray full of coins that would be more than enough to take the bus.

Even though he hadn't taken a bus for years, today he had to take the chance that he'd be okay, and that he'd make it all the way to Lacey's apartment. Before the sun went down on her anger, he had to tell her how much he loved her.

L
acey stood on the balcony, looking in the direction of Randy's church, where Bob's wedding had been.

It was a wonderful group of people, but she would never go back there again.

She didn't know why she'd done it, but after she'd cried herself out, she couldn't stop herself from going into the living room and studying the picture grouping containing twelve frames in sequence selected from the video of Randy falling into the water at the duck pond.

He'd given it to her as a gag gift, along with a beautiful framed and matted picture of the male and female ducks, whom Randy claimed were happily mated, until death do them part.

They'd laughed so much about him falling into the water; at least they had the next day. Randy claimed
that it was a sign from God that he was to buy the printer he had his eye on, because every frame he printed came out with the quality of a real photograph.

Not that she didn't believe in signs, but she knew it was just an excuse to buy the printer, and told him so. All he'd done was laugh and buy the printer anyway.

Even though the play-by-play starting with Randy trying to feed the ducks, ending with him landing in the water, complete with one photo of just the splash, was only meant as a joke, she'd hung it right alongside the professionally framed picture of the pair of ducks.

Randy was a man who could fall down, get up, come out smiling and move forward.

The world needed more people like Randy.

Except, this time, he'd fallen and she couldn't bring herself to go help pick him up. The same thing had devastated her mother for as long as she could remember, and she'd been through it too many times with Eric and Susan. She wouldn't open herself up to being hurt like that. She refused to be a victim like her mother, and like Susan.

Lacey watched from above as a bus slowed and came to a halt at the bus stop in front of her apartment building's main entrance.

Her heart nearly stopped when a man dressed in a tuxedo stepped out, and the bus continued on its way.

She stared from above, but he didn't look up. Just like in a scene from a B-grade movie, he staggered
to the lamppost and hung on to it with both arms, hugging it as he leaned, the whole time keeping his head hanging low.

Even from the height of six stories, she saw his body lurch as one hand left the pole and he pressed it to his mouth. Suddenly he pushed himself away, ran to the bushes on the property line, bent at the waist and began to throw up.

Just watching him made Lacey feel sick.

She stepped back inside, but the mental picture haunted her.

She didn't want to get involved. She couldn't go through that.

But she couldn't leave him out there. Self-inflicted by the evils of alcohol or not, Randy was sick and he needed someone, and the only someone who was going to help him was her.

She made her way down the elevator partly wishing it would stop, and partly wishing it would go faster.

When she joined Randy, he was hunched over with his palms pressed onto his knees, gasping for breath.

“Randy? It's me. Lacey. Are you going to be okay?”

“Go away. I didn't want you to see me like this.”

A strange reaction. Eric always demanded that Susan help him, and most especially, clean up after him.

“I'm not leaving you out here. Come inside. I mean it.”

He stood, and his pained expression told her how awful he was feeling. They walked slowly to the elevator, but when Lacey raised her hand to push the button, Randy's hand enveloped hers.

“Wait. I don't know if I can take the motion of the elevator yet. Not after the bus. I'm so sorry.” He closed his eyes and leaned his back against the wall, his breathing labored.

She waited until he stood on his own, then pressed the button. At the first lurching movement of the elevator, Randy's face paled, and he staggered slightly. He clenched his teeth and fell back against the wall, then grappled with the bar that went around the three solid walls of the interior as if he were hanging on for dear life.

“I don't feel very good….”

Lacey feared for the worst, but at that moment the movement stopped and the door swooshed open. Randy drew in a deep breath and stepped out, almost swooning.

As drunk as she'd seen Eric, he'd never been as bad as Randy was now.

The second she opened her apartment door, Randy stepped inside, kicked off his shoes and ran for the washroom. The door slammed closed, and she didn't want to, but some demented part of her made her approach it. The question if he was going to be okay almost came out, but instead of the sound of wretch
ing, which was what she'd expected, came the sounds of what seemed to be Randy brushing his teeth.

She cringed, thinking about him using her toothbrush. She should have been angry, but she couldn't be. Despite his condition, he'd seemed embarrassed outside. She couldn't begrudge him her toothbrush.

The door opened. Randy held up a toothbrush she didn't recognize. “Don't worry. I brought my own. See? I got it at the sidewalk sale.”

“What are you doing carrying around a toothbrush?”

“It's a long story.” He folded it up, slipped it inside a small plastic case, tucked the case in the pocket of his tuxedo jacket and stepped toward her. “But now I can be closer to you and not have to worry about being disgusting. I think God really does have a sense of humor.”

Lacey backed up a step, but didn't comment.

“Lacey, we need to talk. I need to know why you ran away from me.”

“You're drunk,” she croaked out.

“No. I'm…” Randy shook his head a couple of times while he spoke, but his words trailed off. He stopped moving his head, swayed and his eyes widened and became glazed.

He bumped into the wall, continuing to lean on it for support. “No. I'm not.”

“You could have fooled me.”

“It's not what it looks like. I didn't want to get sick.”

“You're sick all right, but I don't feel sorry for you when it's self-inflicted.”

“No.” He reached forward, toward her hands. “Not like that. I've always gotten sick on the bus. I meant—”

“Don't you dare touch me,” Lacey ground out from between clenched teeth. “Don't forget, I've heard it all and seen it all from Eric, and from my father. I may have only been a kid, but I saw a lot more than they thought I did. I wouldn't want any child to have to live with those kinds of memories. Especially not a child of mine.”

“But—”

“It's not open for discussion.”

“I—” Again, Randy reached for her hands and stepped forward, but Lacey sidestepped him. When his hand moved forward into the empty spot, his whole body leaned forward with his hand and kept moving.

Randy fell flat on his face.

“I've fallen and I can't get up,” he said not moving from his prone position with his face pressed against the carpet. “Can I stay here? I promise I'll be good. I'm housebroken. I really am. I'm cute, too.”

Since he wasn't moving, Lacey didn't know if he meant stay on the floor, or stay at her apartment. She wanted to send him home, but she didn't think he'd be safe going alone in his present condition. But if
he couldn't take the movement of the elevator, she certainly wasn't going to risk taking him home in her car. To his credit, at least he had been responsible enough to take the bus and not drive his car in his present condition.

She stood above him and looked down. He turned his head to the side so his nose wasn't pressed into the carpet, but he didn't get up. Instead he closed his eyes and the corner of his mouth turned up into what seemed like a lazy half smile. “Your carpet is nice and soft. Like lying on a cloud. Just like that commercial. Except there's no angels. Did you know that all the angels in the Bible were really men, none were women? Although they did kinda wear dresses. I don't wear dresses, but I'm wearing a nice tuxedo. Do you like it?”

He'd looked very handsome in the tuxedo…when he was upright. But she wasn't going to tell him that. “Are you going to get up?”

She continued to watch him, but he didn't move. Except the longer she waited, the more his body relaxed.

After a few minutes, Lacey gave up waiting for him to respond. “I guess you can stay, but…”

A soft snore interrupted her words.

“I don't believe this,” she muttered.

From across the room, Lacey's cell phone rang inside her purse. She jogged across the room and answered it.

“Hi, Lacey. This is Adrian. We lost Randy. Is he there?”

She looked at Randy, who hadn't moved, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. “Yes. He's here.”

Adrian breathed a sigh of relief. “I'm glad, because that means he made it safely. I guess you can see that he's not in very good shape.”

“You can say that again.”

“Don't tell him I called, but I'll be right there to come and get him. I just need your address.”

Because she didn't want to take Randy home in her own car in case he was sick again, she didn't think that was a good idea to take the same risk with Adrian's car.

Randy snored again.

“I think he's settled down, so it's probably best to leave him where he is.”

“As long as you're sure.”

She wasn't sure, but she didn't know what else to do.

“We'll be fine.”

“Thanks, Lacey. I owe you. Bye.”

Lacey sighed and returned to Randy's prone body. She lowered herself to kneel beside him and lightly shook one shoulder. “Wake up. You can stay here tonight, but I think you'll be better off on the couch. Randy?”

His eyes fluttered open, so Lacey held on to one
arm and tugged, in order to help him up. With her help, he pushed himself to his knees, but again he swayed, tipped and fell into her. On impact he wrapped his arms around her.

Leaving them facing each other kneeling, almost nose to nose, wrapped in each other's arms.

Randy grinned. “Just one kiss. Make me see fireworks.”

“That does it. You're on your own.” She pushed him away, and this time he fell onto his side.

Lacey stood. “You can stay, but I'm leaving. Just remember, by the time I get back to get ready for church you'd better be gone, both from my home and from my life.”

She left quickly, not bothering to grab her sweater.

Just in case he somehow managed to get to his feet and try to follow her, Lacey ran for the stairwell. She walked down a flight of stairs, then got into the elevator from the fifth floor to go into the underground parking.

The only place she could think of to go was Susan's house, although she didn't know what she could say.

She knocked softly on Susan's door, almost wishing that Susan would send her home.

“Lacey? What are you doing here? Wasn't tonight Randy's friend's wedding?”

“Yes, but it's all over now.” In more ways than one.

“Have you been crying? Come in!”

Before she realized what she was dong, Lacey spilled the whole sordid tale to her sister, including the part about falling in love with a man whom she knew would hurt her time and time again.

“I can't believe what you're telling me. Something just doesn't seem right. You should hear the things Eric has been saying about Randy. His dedication, his strong faith. His strength and determination. I can't believe he fell away. Are you sure about this?”

“I didn't want to believe it. But I saw him put the glass down, and I picked it up right away. It was wine. And he's so out of it. You know how he jumps quickly from topic to topic when he gets started on something. He's ten times worse that usual.”

“Usually that's a sign of high intelligence.”

“Or insanity.”

“You know what I mean. I'll let you stay here under one condition.”

“Name it.”

“That you don't go back to our old church in the morning, that you go one more time to Randy's church and talk to his friends. Something's really bugging me about this, but I can't put my finger on it. But right or wrong, you should really take a hard look at what you're throwing away. Sometimes God wants us to take the bad with the good, because ul
timately, God can use it for a purpose. We just can't see it right away. Sometimes we never will, until after we're dead and in His presence.”

Lacey had been taught that concept in Sunday school, but she'd never had to actually apply it to anything in her life. It was a very difficult lesson.

“I'm waiting for your answer, Lacey.”

“Since when did you become so assertive? You always used to back down in any confrontation, even if you weren't the one who was wrong.”

“It's something Randy taught me, and he's right. I'll go get you a blanket and a pillow. It's time to get to bed, and I'll be seeing you in church in the morning.”

 

Bob Delanio had just tucked the crash cymbal into its tote when a woman's voice sounded behind him.

“Bob? What are you doing here? Isn't this supposed to be your honeymoon?”

He stood and turned around. “Hi, Lacey. We're not leaving until tonight. George's mother is in town just for the weekend, so when we booked our flight, we took that into consideration.”

“Oh, that's good. Listen, I hate to do this to you, but did you hear about what happened last night?”

“A little bit. Why?”

“I know you've been good friends with Randy since you were little kids. I wanted to ask you a few questions, if that's okay.”

“I won't betray something told to me in confidence, but I'll do my best to answer anything else.”

“Do you know why he has a drinking problem? Did he have a bad childhood, or was he affected by some tragedy?”

He looked up to the sound room, where he could see Randy turning everything off. He'd noticed that Lacey hadn't been up there with him during the service. “I think this is something you should be speaking about to Randy, not me.”