Vanish (3 page)

“Yeah,” Helen chuckled. “Maybe a Depends ad or Geritol.”

Rex laughed and gave her a hug.

Helen got into her Tahoe and waited until Rex was around the corner. Then she let her tears come.

Twenty-five minutes and a good cry later, she pulled into the parking garage of her apartment building off Lake Shore Drive. She rode the elevator alone to the thirty-seventh floor, let herself into her apartment, closed the door…

And gasped.

A tall figure stepped out of the shadows of the dining room. It was a man in his twenties, holding a pink carnation.

“Happy birthday, Mom.”

Helen stepped back, her mouth open. “Kyle… what’re you doing here?”

“You didn’t think I’d forget your birthday, did you?” He grinned and kissed her cheek.

Helen recovered and laughed. “You just scared a few years out of me.”

“Come here.” Kyle led her to the dining room, where a candlelit table had been set and a few decorations taped up. “Ta-daaa.”

“Sweetheart,” Helen said, “you’re the best thing in my life.”

“Yeah, I know.” Kyle poured some wine. “I ordered in Chinese, and I even bought a cake.” He peered at her closely and his smile faded. “You’ve been crying.”

Helen waved the comment off. “I’m all right.…”

Kyle frowned. “No one remembered your birthday, did they? Not even Rex?”

Helen shrugged. “It’s okay. When you’re my age, you don’t
want
anyone to remember.”

Kyle pulled out her chair. “Why don’t you fire that knucklehead? Least he could do is give you a card.”

Helen sat down. “Because we go way… Because we’re friends.”

Kyle brought out two steaming plates. “Well, forget about him. We’ll have a nice dinner by ourselves.”

Helen traced her son’s face with her eyes. She knew every inch. He looked so much like his father: strong jawline, deep brown eyes, and thick, Italian eyebrows. His dark hair was nearly shoulder length but neatly groomed. After college he’d begun working at an ad agency in the northern suburbs. She had a tough time when he moved to his own apartment, but they still saw each other regularly. He really was the best thing in her life.

They chatted over supper, and soon Helen had forgotten about Rex and losing the modeling gig. She nearly laughed herself out of her chair at a few of Kyle’s jokes and dead-on celebrity impressions. He was always trying out new material on her. His not-so-secret ambition was to be a stand-up comic. She had often encouraged him to go to the open-mic night at one of the local comedy clubs, but Kyle could never seem to muster the courage. She had even asked Rex once if he’d consider representing her son or at least help him find an agent. But Rex only gave her a strange look and steadfastly maintained that he didn’t
do
show business, nor did he have any contacts, which she found hard to believe.

She stared at the cake in front of her. Two slices had been carved out. One sat uneaten on her plate, and all that remained of the other were a few crumbs on the plate across from her.

Kyle was clearing the dishes, rinsing and stacking them in the dishwasher. He came out of the kitchen and stood over her, frowning at the uneaten slice.

Helen shrugged. “I wasn’t very hungry.”

“You barely touched your supper, too.”

“I ate some of it.…”

“You’re not on one of those weird diets again, are you?”

Helen sighed. “No. It’s just…”

“What is it? Work?”

She shook her head. “No. It’s this day. I’ve been dreading it.”

Kyle kissed her on the forehead. “Y’know, it’s just fifty.”

Helen grunted. “Say that when
you
turn fifty.”

“But you’re healthy. Beautiful. You have a good job.” Kyle gestured around him. “You’ve got a great apartment here—I mean, look at that view.” He went over to the balcony door and pulled the drape aside. “You can see Navy Pier from here, watch the sunrise over the lake.”

He turned back to her and shrugged. “You could be fat and lonely and living on welfare in a trailer park. So, y’know… look on the bright side.”

Helen smiled. “Even if I was a fat welfare queen, as long as you were my son, I’d be happy. You mean more to me than all this.”

Kyle was silent for a moment; then his gaze fell. Helen glimpsed him bite his lip. He always did that when he had something on his mind. Something he had to get off his chest. Bad news was coming.

“You know, Mom, I—”

“Did I tell you your father called?” Helen said quickly. She scooped up the remaining plates and brought them into the kitchen. “Yeah, he called this morning to wish me a happy birthday. We actually had a nice chat. He seems to be doing well.”

Kyle followed her. “Mom…”

“I know you put him up to it.” She started rinsing the plates, keeping her back toward him. “Not that… not that I’m not grateful.”

“Mom, I have something to tell you.”

Helen shut off the water and stared at the sink. She took a breath, forced a smile, and turned around. “What is it, Son?”

Kyle avoided her eyes. “I… uh, I got a job offer.”

Helen’s smile faded. “Where?”

“At Baker and Associates,” he said. “It… it’s in New York.”

Helen steadied herself against the sink and put a hand to her chest. “New York?”

“It’s a great offer,” he said. “Creative director. I… I couldn’t pass it up.”

Helen took a breath. “Creative director—that’s great.…” She was suddenly at a loss. “When do you start?”

“I’m moving on Thursday. They found me an apartment, and they wanted me to start as soon as possible.”

“
Thursday
? You’re leaving Thursday?”

Kyle’s shoulders slumped. “I… I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“So you thought you’d wait to spring it on me now?” Helen turned around. “Is this your idea of a birthday present?”

“I’m sorry, Mom. I thought maybe this would soften the blow. I know it’s gonna be rough on you, but it… it’s a great opportunity for me. Can’t you see that?” He drew up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “I can’t stay here forever. You gotta let me go sometime.”

Helen felt her heart racing. She tried to calm herself. “It’s just that you really are the best thing in my life. I don’t… I don’t know what I’m going to do with you so far away.”

“It’s not so far—just a couple-hour flight. I’ll fly out every few months. I promise.”

Helen went to the balcony and looked out over Lake Shore Drive. A cool breeze had picked up. Thunder rumbled in the distance and lightning flashed over the lake.

“You know, when your father left, I thought I was going to die. I hadn’t realized how much I had come to depend on him. The only thing that kept me sane during those years was you. Knowing I still had you.

“I don’t think you’ll ever know how much I love you. How much love a parent can have for their child. It’s not like anything else you ever experience. No other relationship is like it. Nothing can prepare you for it. And from the day you were born, I knew… I knew you’d have to leave someday and go out on your own. I just kept thinking that day would never come. Sometimes you want to stop time and keep your children with you. Keep that love you feel.”

Kyle stood in the doorway of the balcony. “Mom, are you all right?”

She shook her head. “You really are the best…”

Helen glimpsed the storm front moving toward shore. The low rumble of thunder grew louder as it approached. Thick clouds rolled westward like a giant wave washing across the sky. Prolonged flashes of lightning blazed inside the billows—red, blue, and amber. Her frown deepened.

She had never seen a storm like this before.…

“DUDE, YOU’RE NOT gonna make it in time.”

Mitch Kent glanced at his watch and then down at the pieces of the motorcycle engine splayed on the garage floor. “D’ya think?”

Stan crammed another fistful of cheese curls into his mouth. “She gets off in like a half hour.”

“I know when she gets off work.” Mitch shot a glance over his shoulder. “Instead of stuffing your face, why don’t you give me a hand?”

“I didn’t have no supper. Why don’t you just take my car?”

Mitch sighed. “Linda never thought I’d get it running and I want to surprise her, okay? It’s probably the most important night of my life, and I’m
not
gonna pick her up in your car.”

“All right, don’t go spastic on me.” Stan dumped the last of the cheese curls into his mouth and wiped his hands on his pants. “So, where’re you gonna ask her?”

Mitch took off his baseball cap and swiped his long, sandy hair back across his scalp. “I found a nice, quiet spot down by the lake. I bought a bottle of Merlot, and we’re going to sit on the rocks.”

“You couldn’t spring for some champagne?”

“Linda likes that cheap blackberry Merlot, so get off my case.”

“Dude, you’re so romantic.”

“Shut up.”

After a few minutes, Stan spoke up again. “Rizzo says he’s moving to Arizona next year.”

“That’s his plan.”

“You still gonna buy this place?”

“That’s
my
plan.”

“So… like, are you gonna fire me when you take over?”

“You kidding? I need someone to just sit around all day and eat. I’d make way too much money otherwise.”

Stan chuckled. “You gonna get one of them slushy-drink machines?”

“If that’s what it takes to keep you on.”

Mitch tightened the last of the spark plugs and connected the battery. Then he held his breath and thumbed the ignition switch. The engine turned, sputtered, and finally roared to life.

Stan nodded and shouted over the din. “She’s gonna love it.”

Mitch gunned the throttle a few times and let it idle while he ran upstairs to his apartment over the garage to wash up. He changed his shirt, put on a clean pair of jeans, and snatched a small, velvet box from the dresser. He opened it and inspected its contents. It was only cubic zirconia, but it was the best he could do. He’d bought it a week ago from a friend of a friend who sold them out of his car. Maybe in a couple years, after he bought the garage, he’d be able to afford a real diamond.

He was headed out the door when the phone rang.

Mitch hesitated and checked his watch. It might be Linda.

He picked up. “Hello?”

For a moment, there was silence on the other end.

“Mitch? Mitch… it’s… it’s your father.”

Mitch froze as a wave of emotions washed over him. His eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ve been trying to get in touch with you all week. But you haven’t returned any of my messages.”

Mitch had gotten the messages. And deleted them. “Yeah, well… I’ve been kinda busy lately.”

“I understand. I just… I was hoping we could get together to talk.”

“Talk?” Mitch could sense the hesitation on the other end. If this really was his father, it wasn’t the man he remembered. “What’s there to talk about?”

“It’s a little complicated. I just want to try to resolve whatever issues we’ve got between us. I can’t… I don’t want to let it go any longer.”

“And you think you can do that with a phone call?”

“No, no. But I thought maybe we could get together for a bit. Can we do that?”

“Yeah, well…” Mitch sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Y’know, I really don’t have a lot to talk about.”

“Son, I just want you to know I don’t have any… I’m not… I’m not angry with you. I know I said things. Terrible things. We both did. And I wanted to apologize.”

“Apologize?” Mitch stifled a laugh. This had to be some kind of prank. Maybe the guy was drunk or had finally gone off the deep end. He glanced at his watch. “Look, I’m glad you feel like you gotta get stuff off your chest and all, but I really don’t have time to—”

“Son, I’m dying.”

The words hit Mitch like a slap in the face. He stood with his mouth open, unable to think of a response. He stammered, “You… you’re… what?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to tell you like that. Over the phone. I wanted to tell you in person.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I found out a couple weeks ago. I’ve been trying to think of how to tell you. It’s cancer. It was in my liver. But now it’s spread.”

Mitch closed his eyes. “How… how long do you… ?”

His father chuckled on the other end. “You know, they never tell you that exactly. But my doctor said probably a matter of months.”

“Months?”

“So, I was thinking… I was hoping we could get together. Maybe tomorrow? Would you be willing to come over?”

Go back? Back home? “Uh…”

His father went on. “I know how you feel about me, Mitch. I know I wasn’t the best father… or the best example of my faith. And ever since you left, I knew I needed to get in touch with you and get our relationship back. But I just kept putting it off. I couldn’t get past… I just couldn’t forgive you. But God has a way of… well, of getting our attention.”

Mitch felt his jaw tighten. This whole conversation was surreal. He shook his head. He couldn’t listen to any more. He had to get off the phone. He had to get going. Linda was waiting. “You know… I don’t know what you want from me. If you’re calling to ease your conscience, then fine. But I don’t want anything from you. I don’t need anything from you.”

His father’s voice softened. “Look, Son, I know this is a lot to dump on you all at once. But I just don’t want us to be enemies anymore. I…”

There was a pause.

“I love you, Mitch.”

Mitch blinked. Had he just heard what he thought he’d heard? “I… uh… Look, I’m just on my way out to pick up my girlfriend from work. She gets off in a few minutes, and I don’t want her waiting outside. Why don’t I call you tomorrow? Okay?”

“Okay. Tomorrow. Good-bye, Son.”

Mitch hung up and stared at the phone. He had just spoken to his father for the first time in more than five years—only to discover that the man he had hated for so long was now dying. His head was spinning as he returned to the garage. Stan was back on his stool with his feet up on the worktable, eating a candy bar.

Mitch walked up, shaking his head. “You want to hear something really bizarre? My dad just called.”