Unbroken
Carrie Ryan & K. Darblyne
ryan_n_darblyne@yahoo.com
"... I feel as if I'm floating… Not aware or in control of what I am..."
The sound of brakes
screeching to a stop caused the dark-haired woman’s head to snap upright and
her pulse to quicken. Through a barely
opened, raw, reddened eyeball she surveyed the area outside the bus. The dim light of early morning did little for
the few buildings scattered along the street.
Older and on the verge of dilapidation, it could have been any one of a
number of mid western towns they had already passed through. Sighing, she looked over her shoulder to see
the only illuminated area. It was a
small sign proclaiming a vacancy outside the single story motel.
“We’re here,”
the bus driver proclaimed, opening the door of the vehicle.
Brooke
scrubbed her face with a hand, trying to wipe away the remaining haze of sleep
that threatened to haunt her the rest of her
life. Wearily she cast her other
half-opened eye out the window looking for some sort of recognizable
landmark. Seeing none, she turned her
attention back to the front of the bus.
“And that would be?”
“Calvin’s Creek
or at least what I think is Calvin’s Creek,” he rubbed his forehead. “Hey, I followed the directions you gave me
lady. This is your show.”
“My
show?” Brooke grimaced. “Don’t remind me.” She straightened up,
trying to get the kink out of her back, then exited the bus, heading toward the
motel’s office door. A few moments later
Brooke returned. The only sound
emanating louder than the bus’ engine was that of staggered snoring resounding
off the walls surrounding her.
Raising her
hand over her head, she slammed it repeatedly into the sheet metal of the bus
causing a loud ruckus. “Alright you
hoodlums, time to get up. We’re at the
next stop on your tour.”
One
bleary-eyed musician struggled to come to his senses. “Already?” His whining voice sounded more like a woman
than a bad ass rocker. “Man, we just got
to sleep.”
“Yeah,
already.” Brooke smirked, realizing just how tired the
members of Line of Fire were. She’d come
down hard on the band when she’d taken over their tour and now she had proof
that her plan was working. The hint of a
smile came to her face. She remembered
the shock they all had exhibited when she’d informed the band their road crew
had been cut from the budget.
“Do we have to
unload the equipment now? I just got to
fucking sleep,” another delirious musician voiced his opinion without opening
his eyes.
“Yeah,
me too!” A voice croaked from the rear of the tour
bus. “I’m going to look like a freakin’ trog on stage tonight
without my beauty sleep.”
Brooke hesitated,
working the muscles in her neck as she rolled her head from side to side. “Well, at least this way I know you’re too
damn tired to be destructive.”
“Come on,
you’ve been a slave driver since you joined us on tour, Brooke. The least you can do is let us have a little
time off for good behavior…for sleep,” the man pleaded from underneath his
blanket.
“Right.
How can you expect us to perform if we don’t get our rest?” The rocker gathered his favorite pillow under
his arm and stood up. “Think of our fans. What will they say when we fall asleep in the
middle of our first set?”
“In this
town…” the driver surveyed the predawn view of the sleepy little mid-western
town, “I don’t think they’d even notice.”
A dark eyebrow
arched high on Brooke’s forehead as she mulled over the comment. “True,” she agreed before turning her
attention inward. “Speaking of sleep, I
could use some myself.” Brooke
sighed. “Alright,
enough about me, everybody out of the bus. We’ve got rooms number four through
seven.” She turned to face the bus
driver. “Joe, you’ve got four.” She tossed the man his room key. “I’ll take seven.” Brooke pocketed her own key, then turned to face the musicians. “The rest of you can pair up how ever you
choose and take rooms five and six.” She
moved into the seat and reached for her bag.
“And remember, we’re here to spread the sound of your music, not the
sound of you causing havoc and destruction.”
“We got the
message, loud and clear.” The first
rocker moved passed her, accepting the key handed to him, then headed toward
the door.
“Man, don’t
cause any more trouble.” The musician
following nudged his band mate.
“I’m going,
Andy. You don’t have to shove.”
“Sorry,” Andy
mumbled. “I just want to go back to
sleep.”
“Me too,”
piped up a voice from the rear. “Come
on, Jess, I’ll bunk in with you.” He
called ahead to the third man in line.
“Fine
with me, Frederico.
I’m too tired to care whom I’m sleeping with.” He held out his hand toward Brooke, an
invitation obviously twinkling in his eyes.
“Not a chance,
buddy,” Brooke sneered, bypassing him and handing the room key to the last band
member walking down the aisle. “You’re
not even close to my type.”
“I could
change,” Jess offered, lingering at the door of the bus.
“I doubt
it.” Frederico
gave his band mate a push out the door.
“You never change.”
“Yes I
do. My underwear,” Jess threw back over
his shoulder and laughed, “weekly.”
Once the bus
was emptied, Brooke dropped to her seat.
She followed the band members with her gaze until the last one had
vanished through their respective room doors.
Only then did she close her eyes and take in a deep breath.
“God, you know
you’re getting old when the latest rockers on the scene act like thirteen year
olds.” Brooke shuddered at the thought
before glancing down at her watch.
“Four in the
morning,” she mused, calculating the time difference between where she was now
and her home in
“H-hello?”
The dark
haired woman sucked in a breath. Hearing
the sleepy voice of her lover a smile finally came to her face. “Morning Darlin’.”
“Morning
already?”
“Yeah.
Time to rise and shine.”
“But I was
dreaming about you, Brooke.”
“You were?”
“Of course, I
was. Who else would I dream of?”
The sound of Sam’s
gentle chuckle warmed Brooke’s heart.
“How you
feeling, baby?”
After a pause
Sam replied softly, “Lonely. I miss
you.”
“I miss you
too, Darlin’.” Brooke stopped short
before her voice gave her away. “Soon, Sam. I’ll be
home soon.”
“God, I hope
so.” The sound of Sam sucking in a
breath, then letting it go came floating over the phone. “I’ve got a phone meeting with your
replacement today.” Sam’s voice faltered
for a moment. “Well, I hope he’s your
replacement.”
“I have faith
in you, Sam. You’ll close the deal.”
“I’m going to
try.” The voice on the other end
paused. “Well, I better get my day
started. Thanks for waking me up,
Brooke. I love hearing your voice first
thing every morning even if you can’t be right here next to me.”
“Me
too, Darlin’. Me too.”
“I love you.”
“And you know
I love you.” The words rolled off
Brooke’s lips as the ache in her being intensified. All she wanted to do was reach out and hold
the woman she loved in her arms, close to her, never letting her go. A lump caught in the woman’s throat. “I ah…I better let you go or you’re going to
be late for work.”
“What are you
up to now?”
“Sleep,
Darlin’. Nothing but sleep.”
“What time are
you due into the venue?”
“Too
soon for my liking. We have to set up the sound system and get
all the equipment unloaded by five.”
Brooke glanced down to her watch.
“If I get to sleep in the next few minutes, I just might get eight
hours.”
“Then you get
to sleep and I’ll talk to you later, Hon. ‘Night.”
“Goodnight
Sam.” Brooke slowly pulled the phone
away from her ear, savoring her lover’s voice as it ran through her head.
{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}
The sound of
the elevator doors opening drew the office manager’s attention away from the
stack of papers clutched tightly in her hands.
Her eyes met with the only passenger, a determined looking blonde.
“Morning,
Sam.”
“Morning,
Ida.” Sam never broke her stride as she
headed toward her office door. “Hold all
my calls this morning. I’ll be working
out some delicate negotiations and I don’t want to be disturbed. Give me five minutes, then
get me the tour manager Peter contacted the other day on the phone.”
“Sure thing,
Sam but… ” Ida hesitated biting her lip.
Sam paused at
her office door, turning to look back at the office manager. “But what, Ida?”
“He’s on the
West Coast.”
“And your
point is?” A blonde eyebrow rose in
question.
“It’s a three
hour time difference, Sam.” She glanced down
at the clock on her desk. “It’s barely
five in the morning for him out there.”
“Good,” Sam
smirked. “The negotiations will be in
our favor then.” She turned to enter her
office. “West Coast, huh?” The executive glanced over her shoulder to see
Ida mutely nod. “Great, that will make
him all the more closer to releasing my girl,” Sam muttered under her breath as
she disappeared behind the closed door.
Ida stood
there stunned for a moment. Slowly a
gloating smile surfaced on the woman’s face.
“Now I see why Brooke was attracted to you. You’re a matched set.”
{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}
Sam spun
around in her chair and tossed the cordless phone onto her desk. “I can’t believe he can function on that
level after being roused out of a dead sleep.
No wonder Brooke suggested him.
The man’s worse than my mother when I was growing up,” she muttered,
running her hand through short golden locks, then sighed as she reached for her
calendar. Taking out a red marker from
her desk drawer, Sam quickly found the agreed upon date and circled it. The anger buried deep in her stomach made her
more determined than ever to never revisit the losing side of a negotiation
again. Her heart wouldn’t be able to
take it, not when losing time with Brooke was a major part of it. The young woman sat there transfixed to the
date until the knocking on her door drew her attention.
“Yes?” Sam’s gaze rose from the calendar and settled
on the door as it slowly opened.
“I was going
for some coffee. Would you like me to
get you… ” Ida stopped short, trying to decipher the
strained look on the woman’s face. “Is
something wrong, Sam? Did I miss
something?” She glanced into the
hallway, then back again.
Sam was
pensive for a moment, deliberating her own shortcomings. She took in a breath and let it out. “You didn’t miss anything, Ida. I’m just a little miffed at my own
negotiating skills.”
Ida scooted
inside the office and quickly closed the door.
“He’s not taking the offer?”
She got up
from the chair and stood in front of the window, letting the ocean fill her
view. “Oh he’s taking the offer
alright,” Sam said in a mindless trance.
“He’s just not rushing to it.”
She turned and cast her gaze to the floor. “I… ” Sam bit her lip. “I couldn’t get him to break his
contract. He said it would be…”
“In
his best interest to complete the tour.” Ida finished the
sentence for her.
Disbelieving
eyes rose to meet the spoken words.
“Yes.”
“That’s why
he’s so good, Sam. He takes his job
seriously.” Ida crossed her arms over
her chest and began to tap her foot as she thought. “So how long until his
contract is up?”
“A week, ten
days,” Sam mumbled under her breath.
“Something like that.”
“Well, that’s not
too bad.”
“For
you maybe.” Sam sniffed, fighting back the tears that
threatened to fall. “I was counting on
getting Brooke home sooner.” Her
shoulders shrugged slightly. “I guess
I’ll just have to wait,” she whispered.
Ida looked around
the room trying to come up with any kind of encouragement she could. “Things happen, Sam. This business is crazy like that. Don’t let it get you down. You gave it your best shot. That’s all that matters.”
“You sound
like Brooke.”
“Yeah,” Ida smirked. “Don’t I now. She rubs off on you the more you’re around
her.” Ida tried as best she could but
the eyebrow wouldn’t budge. “Well, some
parts of her do.” The woman’s grimace
gave way seeing the slow smile changing Sam’s scowl.
“Thanks,
Ida. I needed that.”
{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}
The pungent
smell of stale cigarettes lingered in the air, irritating Brooke’s nose worse
than the rough cotton sheets that made her every move under the covers a
constant reminder that she was not at home.
Another night, or day rather, she had not experienced a restful sleep
and it was beginning to show. Quick
tempered to put an end to the torture, Brooke grasped the covers in her hand
and threw them off her. She sat on the
edge of the bed, staring at the god-awful wallpaper and threadbare drapes that
did little to keep the light out of the room.
“God!
It’s as bright in here as it is in the middle of the day.” Brooke glanced over to the tiny alarm clock
on the battered nightstand. “It is the
middle of the day,” she mumbled, raking her hands through her long, dark
hair. “I can’t believe this is what we
dreamed success was all about. God, I
was so immature then.” She shook her
head, coughing as she tried to clear her lungs of the repugnant air. Brooke took the material of her tank top and
wiped her mouth. She sniffed and
immediately her face twisted into a very unpleasant look. “Damn!
I’m never going to get rid of this smell.” With that said, she
pushed herself up off the bed and headed for the shower, depositing her boxers
and top along the way.
The lyrical
sound of her cellphone going off made her stop
short. “Sam,” she muttered, a smile
coming to her face as she swiftly turned around and dove for the phone in the
middle of the bed. Cool and collected,
Brooke flipped the phone open and with her sexiest voice greeted her
caller. “Now that’s what I call perfect
timing, Darlin’. I’m naked and
ready. How about you?”
“I…well…sure.” The voice on the other end stammered. “It is kind of hot out but don’t you think
having lunch in our birthday suits will be a little too…revealing? I mean, hell Brooke, I think it would be a
dead giveaway for the restaurant staff that we were celebrating our birthday,
don’t you?”
The question
hung in the air like a load of bricks.
Brooke pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at the number
displayed. “Shit! I’ve got to remember to change your
ring.” She closed her eyes and repeated
the explicit word several more times under her breath before bringing the cellphone back to her ear.
“Ah…sorry about that, Janet. I thought you were…”
“Oh, so that’s
how you talk to my best student,” Janet ribbed her life long friend.
“My wife,”
Brooke stated. “Remember, I married
her.” A satisfied smile settled on her
face. “Besides if I wanted to meet you
for lunch in my birthday suit, Sam would trust me.”
“Sure she
would,” Janet’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
“It’s just the rest of the population minus your family that would have
to worry about a certain blonde’s wrath.”
Brooke thought
about it, then nodded.
“You’ve got a point there.”
“I know I do,”
Janet said smugly. “So is that your
excuse for standing me up? You’re not
dressed for the occasion.”
“Standing you
up?” A look of confusion crossed
Brooke’s face. “Janet, what are you
talking about?”
“Our
birthday ritual, Brooke.” Janet paused.
“Tell me you don’t remember we have a standing date every June third at
the Ice Cream Emporium?”
“June third? It’s not June third.” Brooke’s eyes shifted around the room as she
searched for her watch. “It’s June… ”
Finding it, she drew the watch into her eyesight and stared amazingly at the
date. “Third?”
“That’s what I
said. Happy Birthday,
Brooke.” Her words were met with
dead silence. “You know, the polite
thing would be to say ‘Thank you’ and return the greeting.”
“Damn! I’m sorry.
Forgive me, Janet. I didn’t mean
to be rude. I’ve…I’ve just lost all
track of time being out on the road.”
“Well, thanks
for letting me know. I mean, if I hadn’t
called, you never would have come.”
Janet’s voice turned teasing in nature.
“You do that, don’t you? Come.”
“Oh, I come,
Janet. I come.” Brooke sighed. “Just not lately,” she muttered under her
breath.
“Thank the
gods. At least you haven’t forgotten
that.” The hint of laughter came through
in Janet’s voice. “I was afraid the
Alzheimer’s was setting in already.”
“Janet?”
“Yes?”
“Remind me
again why you’re my friend.”
Brooke’s droll
tone was countered with nothing but laughter for several seconds.
“Why,
Brooke! I’m your best friend. I always have been since we were
little.”
“And younger,”
Brooke countered.
“That too,”
Janet sighed.
“If I remember
correctly, I turned your Midge doll into a G. I. Jane.”
“I still don’t
forgive you for it. Although,
Midge and Barbie did make a cute couple after that.”
“Yeah,
that they did.” Brooke chuckled. “That’s why I kept you for a friend.”
“And if it
wasn’t for my teaching prowess, you would have never met your soul mate.”
Brooke
considered the statement carefully. “I
see…payback.”
“You could
call it that.”
“Sure it was,”
Brooke smirked. “Oh,
and Janet?”
“Yes.”
“You’re
right,” Brooke smirked. “You are my best
friend. Thanks.”
“You’re
welcome, Brooke, but it’s still not going to get you off the hook for standing
me up on our birthday.”
“Guess
not. I’m sorry, Janet. I’ll make it up to you as soon as I get
home.” Brooke cleared her throat having
a second thought. “Well, maybe not as
soon as I get home,” she teased, “But I will make it up to you. How about my treat for lunch any day you
pick, birthday suits notwithstanding?”
“Sounds
good to me. Happy birthday, Brooke.”
“Happy
birthday, Janet.”
As she
terminated the call a melancholy mood came over her. “Yeah, right! Happy birthday to me,” Brooke muttered as she
gazed around the pitiful excuse for a motel room. “This was supposed to be the year you
celebrated with your wife.”
She rubbed her
forehead with her fingers trying to massage the headache away that was starting
behind her eyes. “Ideas, Loran. You need to be using your time to think of
ideas, not feeling sorry for yourself.”
Hell bent on making things happen, she flipped open her phone.
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Dragging his
feet, Peter lingered in the hall gathering as much information as he dared
before pushing open Sam’s door and poking his head inside her office. “Hey boss lady, got a few minutes for me?”
Green eyes
rose to meet the hesitant man at her door.
“Sure, why not. My day’s ruined
already.” She tossed the papers in her
hand down onto the desk. “Come on
in.” She watched as Peter paused for a
moment, then glanced back over his shoulder before
stepping into her office. “Something on your mind, Peter?”
The man
scratched his chin in an effort of serious thought. “Is Ida dating anyone?”
Taken aback by
the question, Sam fumbled with an answer.
“I…well…I’m not sure, why? Isn’t
she a little old for you?”
“ME?” His eyes grew rounder at the
implication. “Yes!”
“Then why did
you ask?”
“Something I
overheard her saying.” Peter shrugged,
“It just got me to thinking. It sounded
like she was setting up a little rendezvous over the phone just now. You know…like a secret trip or something like
that.”
“Ida?” Sam queried.
Peter
nodded. “Yeah, she was hushed and
secretive-like on the phone when I came down the hall.”
“Well,
whatever it was about, I’m sure she has everything well in hand,” Sam
sighed. “Unlike some
of us.” She stared blankly at the
papers scattered across her desk.
“Yeah,” Peter
studied the young woman for a long moment before venturing his next
question. “So, how’s it going, Sam. Is there any news as to when our fearless
leader will return?”
“It’s going,
Peter. Unfortunately I can’t say when
Brooke’s coming back. Seems
there was a little hold up with our new tour manager getting to Line of Fire’s
next gig.”
“Geez!” Peter smacked himself in the forehead and
stumbled farther into the room. “That
sucks.” Peter collected his composure
and stood next to Sam. “So,” he peered
out of the window with her. “What are
you going to do for her birthday?”
“I…I don’t
know.”
Peter nodded,
unsure of what to say. Finally Peter
broke the long silence. “You could have
something delivered.”
“Hmm…that’s a
good idea.” Sam turned back to her desk
and shuffled through some papers before coming up with the tour schedule. “Let’s see…” she drew her finger down the
list of cities and dates that Line of Fire would be playing. “So what do you think my chances are in
Calvin’s Creek,
Peter turned
to see her questioning face and met it with one of his own. “How should I know?”
“You toured
didn’t you?” Green eyes become intense.
“Well, yeah
but Sam… we never made it to,” he grabbed the list from her hand and looked for
the date. “Calvin’s
Creek.” He handed it back to her
and scratched his head. “Who the hell is
Calvin anyway?”
Sam rolled her
eyes. “Peter, you’re not helping me.”
“What can I
say Sam?” The man put on his most
apologetic face. “Sorry.”
Sam opened her
mouth to speak but was stopped short by an urgent knock at the door.
Without waiting
for permission to enter, the door opened and Ida stuck her head into the
office. “Sam, you better pick up line
two.”
“Great! Now what?
Is something wrong?”
“Don’t know,”
Ida shrugged. “Depends on how you look
at it.” She pointed to the flashing phone
on the desk. “Well, I’m off on my
vacation. See you in a week or so.”
“Whoa!” Sam swiftly turned her attention from the
phone back to Ida. “You have a
vacation? Who approved that?”
Ida
smiled. “Why Brooke,
of course.”
“W-w-when?”
Sam’s voice faltered.
“A
while ago.” Ida stated matter-of-factly. “I’ve got all the paper work on file. You want to see it?”
“No. I believe you.” Sam sighed, looking over to Peter.
“Hey, have a
good one.” Peter
quirked a grin. “Take lots of pictures
wherever it is you’re going.”
“Thanks, I
will.” Ida pointed back to the phone and
waved. “Don’t worry, Sam. You’ll do just fine without me. I’m sure of it.” A second later she was gone, leaving them
staring at the flashing phone line.
Slowly, both
individuals’ gaze rose to the other and held.
Caving in first in the stare down, Peter tossed up his hands. “Hey, it’s your phone. I’m not going to answer it,” Peter gave the
desk a wide berth as he walked around it.
“Chicken
shit!” Sam sneered at the man, then pressed the speakerphone button. “Brownstone Records, Samantha Gordon
speaking. How may I help you?”
“Hello,
Beautiful. What are you doing?” Brooke’s vibrant tones filled the office and
brought a smile to Sam’s face.
“Talking
about you.” Sam’s smile threatened to overtake her
face. “Say, what’s there to do in…” she
took the paper off her desk and quickly perused it. “Calvin’s Creek on a
Thursday night?”
Peter nodded
eagerly. “Good idea, Sam,” he
whispered. “Ask her where they’re eating
tonight. Maybe you can send her a bottle
of wine or something.”
“Not much of
anything to do here, other than wait that is.
Hold on, Honey, there’s a plane flying over head.”
“What
plane?” Sam’s brow furrowed. “Is there even an airport in
“Calvin’s
Creek, Sam.” Peter stage whispered.
“I knew
that.” Sam hushed her co-worker with a
swipe of her hands. She cleared her
throat. “I mean Calvin’s Creek.”
“Well…I
wouldn’t exactly call it an airport.”
Brooke paused. “It’s more like a
landing strip. A
grassy landing strip for that matter.”
“Jesus Christ,
Brooke.” Sam’s eyes grew more
intense. “Tell me Line of Fire isn’t
flying in drugs now, are they?”
“No
Baby.” Brooke chuckled. “I’m waiting on Jonnie. She’s supposed to be
here in about ten minutes.”
“Does that
mean you’re pulling the plug on the tour?”
“No, I’m out
of here.” Brooke cleared her
throat. “I’m coming home, Darlin’.”
“You’re coming
home?” Sam gulped. “Tonight? But I thought you had to keep a close eye
on…”
Brooke
interrupted her wife. “Yeah,
yeah. I know.” she sighed. “I’ve got that all covered. They’ll have eyes watching them like a hawk.”
“But I…” confused, Sam looked to Peter. “Never mind. You’re the boss.”
“You’re right,
Sam, I’m one of them.” Brooke
chuckled. “Anyway, I should be home in a
little over four hours.”
“Four
hours?” Sam gasped. “So soon?”
“Don’t sound
so excited, Sam. I’ve only been gone
three weeks, four days, seventeen hours and,” there was a small pause,
“twenty-seven minutes.”
“Thirty-two
seconds,” Sam added looking down at her watch.
“What?”
“I said
thirty-two. No, make that
forty-three seconds now. That’s how long
it’s been since you’ve stepped foot on that plane.”
“Aw, Darlin’, I
take it you missed me?”
“Like a
chocoholic on her period with no candy bars in sight,” Sam confided. “Yes, I missed you.”
“Was that a
good miss,” Brooke teased, “Or a bad miss?”
“Missing you
is never good,” Sam sighed. “Hurry home,
baby. I’ve got a present waiting for
you.”
“Present,
huh? What kind of present?”
A coy smirk
settled on Sam’s face. “The kind that will put a smile on your face.
“Darlin’
everything you do puts a smile on my face.
Care to give me a hint?
“Well,” Sam
turned away from Peter’s gaze. “It’s the
kind that starts out small and just keeps growing.”
“Hmm…” Brooke
purred sexily. “I like that kind.”
“I knew you
would.” Sam paused to savor the moment.
“Hey,
Sam?”
“Yeah?”
“I can’t talk
much longer, it looks like Jonnie’s
making an approach on the runway.” The
sound of a jet engine grew louder with each second until it almost drowned out
the voice on the other end. “I’ll see
you soon. Love ya,
Darlin’.”
“Love ya! Be
careful.” Sam rushed to add her sentiments
before the room went quiet. Hesitantly
she terminated the sound of dead air with the touch of a button.
“So, what’s up
with the present?” Peter asked.
“Don’t worry
about the present. We’re on condition
red.”
“Condition
red?” The man was more confused than ever. “What’s condition red?”
“Move your ass
and start calling everybody you can think of.
We’ve got a party to plan.” Sam
started rummaging through desk drawers.
“In
Calvin’s Creek?” Peter’s voice cracked.
“No.” Sam slammed a drawer shut and reached for
another one. “Here. Didn’t you hear her? Brooke’s coming home.” Sam’s smile beamed brighter than a
billion-watt bulb. “We’ve got four hours
to pull this soiree together.”
“Soiree?”
The man scratched his head. “What
the hell’s a soiree?”
“Party,
Peter. Party.” Sam’s exasperated state was evident. “We’re throwing Brooke a surprise party
tonight.”
“Oh.” He looked relieved. “Why didn’t you say so?”
“I just
did.” Sam’s expression changed as she
found what she was looking for. “Ah,
there you are.” She tossed a passing
glance in Peter’s direction as she settled down into her chair. “So, why are you still standing here? You’re in charge of inviting everyone. Go invite.
You better hurry. You’ve only got
three hours and fifty-seven minutes before she walks in the door.”
“You’re
serious?”
“As ever,” Sam
said, making her determination more than evident. She looked up from her list she was making to
see Peter scurrying towards the door.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“To call
people,” Peter looked over his shoulder without breaking his stride. “Isn’t that what you just asked me to do?”
“Yes! Just remember to pack the house.” Sam tapped her pen nervously on her
desk. “My house. I mean,” she cleared her throat, “Our
house. Brooke will never expect that.”
“Gottcha!” He turned on his heels and saluted, then
quickly exited the office.
“Well, that
will keep him busy the rest of the afternoon,” Sam muttered as she got back to
her list. “Okay, now where was I? Cake, beverages, snacks, decorations…”
No sooner had
the door closed Sam’s cellphone began to ring. “Now who?” She sighed and reached for the phone. “Hello.”
“Hey
sweetheart, it’s Daddy. Mother and I are
just in the area and we were wondering if we could take you out to dinner?”
“Any other
night and I’d love it, Dad.
Unfortunately Brooke’s birthday is today.”
“Say no
more. We understand.”
“No, you
don’t. I’m throwing a kind of impromptu
surprise party for her. Why don’t you
and mother stop by around seven tonight?
Sarah too, if she’s able to come.”
“I thought you
told us that Brooke was out of town?”
“She is, but
in three hours and fifty-four minutes she won’t be.” Again a smile lit up the young woman’s
face. “I just found out she’s coming
home a few minutes ago.”
“Wow! That’s impromptu.”
Sam could
barely make out a muffled exchange of words before her father’s voice sounded
loud and clear again. “Do you need any
help getting ready?”
“I’ve got
guests to invite, food to supply, and gifts to buy, not to mention trying to
find a cake big enough for everyone to enjoy.”
“Okay. So, what can your mother and I do?”
“Daddy, you’re
a lifesaver.” Sam was quick to make her
decision. “You could decorate for
me. There’s a store close to the house
that has everything you’d need. Call me
after you leave the store and I’ll give you the code to the front door. I’ve got a little shopping to do myself for
Brooke’s gift.”
“Shouldn’t we
get her something, too?”
“Leave the
gift to me, Daddy. I’ve already got it
covered,” a coy smile graced Sam’s face.
“Sammie, are
you sure this is going to be alright? I mean with us being in your house while
neither one of you are home?” Her father
paused. “What about Mario?”
“He knows you
Dad. Don’t worry. Just talk to him, he’s just a big baby.” Sam tried to calm his fears. “Besides, Mario just loved Sarah when she
stayed with us at the house.”
“Well, if you
say so.”
“I do. See you soon, Daddy. Mother, too.
Bye.”
“Bye.”
Sam turned her
attention once more to her list and promptly drew a line through
decorations. “Okay, one down many more
to go. She’ll come through for me,” Sam
muttered as she punched in a number on her speed dial then waited.
“Sam, you know
I use this line for job interviews. Make
it short or hire me.”
“Sorry C.C.
but this is an emergency.” Sam
apologized half-heartedly.
“What kind of
emergency?”
“A
good kind. Brooke’s coming home. She’ll be here in three hours and we’re
throwing her a surprise party for her birthday.”
“O-o-o-o-o-h!
I like parties.” C.C.
squealed. “Dancing and
food.”
“Speaking of
food C.C., I’ve got a little job for you.”
Sam took in a breath and slowly let it out. “I need a cake. A big cake.”
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“Do you think
Aunt Brooke will be expecting a surprise?”
David tugged at his mother’s arm.
“Not sure,
honey.” Randi
turned to the woman standing next to her.
“What do you think Janet? Are we going
to surprise her?”
“I think
so. She didn’t even remember what day it
was until I called her this afternoon.”
Janet looked over at Sam who was nervously peaking out the window. “I think Brooke thought it was Sam calling
her. I got the most intimate of
greetings when she answered the phone.”
A dark eyebrow
rose in question on Terri’s forehead. “Oh really?” She
leaned in toward Janet. “I’ll pay you
fifty bucks to repeat it to me.”
“David, why
don’t you go find Julie for mommy?” Randi gave her son
a warm smile and a push. “Go ahead. I’ll be right here getting the scoop on Aunt
Brooke.” She turned her gaze to Janet.
“What? And have Brooke chase me down to my dying
day? You’ve got to be kidding me. I know what you and your sisters would do with
that information.”
“Who?”
Randi said as innocently as a first time
offender.
“Us?”
Terri clutched her hand to her chest and feigned a shocked look. “Never.”
“Yeah,
you two. It would be the opening fodder for the next
round of Gordon family table etiquette.”
Janet cleared her throat. “I’ve
been to a few of those dinners.”
“You always
were her friend,” Randi shot back disgustedly.
“And
a good one at that.” The smugness of Janet’s smile was evident as
she winked at Randi.
“Speaking of
birthday girls,” Terri’s gaze turned toward Sam a few feet away from their
group, “shouldn’t Brooke be arriving soon?”
Randi glanced down at her watch. “The nerve of her being
late for her own party.”
“Don’t look now but I think she’s coming.” Janet giggled seeing Sam’s frenzied peeks
through the curtains so as not to be seen.
“Oh
boy!” Sam drew back from the curtain. “I think she’s here. Everybody hide.”
Immediately
the room fell silent as people froze where they stood. The only noise came from the sound of
footsteps pounding up to the porch. A
second later, the door flew open and C.C. rushed inside.
“Hurry,” the
out of breath woman gasped, her brown eyes looking desperately about the room
as she pushed the door closed with her foot.
“She’s coming up the driveway. I
cut her off at the light and hauled ass to get here.”
“Cjersti, give me the cake before you drop it.” Mable stood up from
her chair.
“No time,
Mom.” C.C. took off for the
kitchen. “Out of my
way. Coming
through. Excuse me.” She shifted from side to side with every
stride trying not to lose hold of the huge cake box in her hands. “I hope you all appreciate what I’m going
through.” She rounded a group of guests
and let out a startled scream. “AWK! Hey! No free feels.”
Sam glanced
over to see Eddie and Sarah both whistling nonchalantly and staring up at the
ceiling. “Enough you
two.”
“Sarah!” Elaine chastised her youngest daughter.
“Elaine, it’s
all in fun,” Samuel scuffed at his wife.
“C.C.’s a big girl,” Henry spoke up in Sarah’s defense. “She can take a little ribbing.”
“I don’t think
a little ribbing was what C.C. got,”
“Oh
my!” Aunt Sandy blushed.
“I swear
they’re all children,” Sam muttered, rolling her eyes before turning to address
the roomful of guests. “We can talk
about this later. Right now it’s show
time.” Without a second’s hesitation she
flipped the light switch, sending the living room into total darkness. “Now find a place and hide.”
The sound of
scurrying feet soon gave way to muted laughter and soft giggles as everyone
attempted to find a place to hide.
“Hey, I was
here first.” A male voice whispered out
from behind the sofa.
“Sorry,” Peter
apologized and turned, falling over an arm of a chair.
“Oh
no you don’t.” Terri pushed him away. “This chair’s already taken, by two of
us.” She wrapped one arm around her
abdomen and used the other to guide Peter along.
“Damn!” Peter grunted as the noise of movement around
him began to settle down. “All the good
spots are gone.”
“Phsssst! Peter,” Eddie whispered loudly trying to get
his attention. “Over here.”
“Huh?” Disoriented by the darkness, Peter turned
from one corner of the room to another in search of the voice. “Where?”
“Here.” Eddie answered.
Peter moved
toward one corner.
“The
other here, Peter.”
“Oh
yeah.” He turned to the opposite corner, hastening
his steps. “That here.”
“Hurry,
Peter. She’s almost at the door.” Sam whispered sharply. “Ready with the camera,
Rick?”
“Yep.
I’m ready.”
“I’m ready
too, Sam. She’ll never know it’s me,”
Peter giggled, placing a lampshade on his head.
“Yeah,
right!” Kevin blurted out from behind a full-length
curtain.
“Kevin!” Randi and Brian
simultaneously corrected their son from opposite sides of the room.
“Sorry,” the
scolded child offered to no one in particular.
Sam sucked in
a breath and let go with her final warning.
“Sh! I
can hear her coming up the steps.” Miraculously,
all noise ceased and a satisfied smile came to Sam’s face. It’s amazing what fifty people can do when
they put their minds to it. She slid
back into the shadows and waited.
It seemed like
an eternity until the door finally opened and a tall form filled the
doorway. Dropping her suitcase into the
corner of the foyer, Brooke walked over to the hall table and deposited her
briefcase. “Honey, I’m home.” She turned toward the living room where a
blinding light startled her.
“SURPRISE!”
A chorus of unrehearsed voices set Mario howling.
“AUGH!”
Brooke’s arms flew up into the air.
“Who?
What?” Huge blue eyes bugged out
like sunny side-up egg yolks and she grabbed her chest as she sank down to the
floor.
“Good
God! We killed her,” Mable
gasped.
Brooke let a
smile grow broadly across her face as she pointed at her mother and
yelled. “Gotcha!”
“Oh
you!” Mable chastised her
daughter.
“Sorry,”
Brooke winked as she got up off the floor.
“Nice party hat, Peter.” She
joined in the group”s laughter “Hi, everyone. Mom, Dad,” Brooke greeted them with a nod of
her head and smiled. “You didn’t have to
do this for me.”
“We didn’t,”
Henry chuckled. “Sam did. Happy birthday, Brooke.”
“Happy
birthday, baby.” Mable gave her
daughter a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Your father’s right. Sam’s to
blame for all of this.”
Brooke gazed
around the room for the mastermind of the surprise. Having made eye contact with her wife, a sly
smile slowly lit up Brooke’s face.
“Darlin’, all this and you taught the dog how to say surprise, too. How sweet!”
“Actually, he
did that himself.” Sam walked over and
wrapped her arms around Brooke’s neck.
“Happy Birthday, Honey. Welcome
home.”
Their gazes
held and the distance between them shortened until they were wrapped up in the
other’s arms. Lips pressed tenderly
together in a welcoming kiss, each one letting the other know exactly how much
they were missed. The insistent sound of
catcalls and whistles kept Brooke from letting the kiss go beyond the point of
no return. Slowly the two pairs of lips
parted.
“Thank you,”
Brooke whispered. “I’ve missed you,
Sam.” She tightened her embrace for a
moment, then held her wife out at arm’s length. “So, how’s my girl?”
“We’re doing
fine,” Sam tried not to blush, “Considering.”
“Oh
yeah?” Blue eyes twinkled in delight. “What are we considering?”
“Well…” Sam
smiled coyly. She opened her mouth to
speak but was beat to the punch.
“Is it safe to
come out now?” Peter asked with the lampshade
still on his head.
Brooke
restrained her laughter. “It’s been safe
around me for a long time, Peter. Is
there something you’re trying to tell us?”
The man took
the lampshade off his head. “You mean
other than happy birthday?” Peter
giggled. “Dream on.”
“Good answer,
Peter.” Brooke winked at her
friend. “I’m not sure
“Damn
right! I wouldn’t have.” Over the course of several seconds,
“Yeah,
Darlin’,” Brooke nuzzled her wife’s ear as she wrapped her arms around Sam’s
waist. “What did you get me?” Blue eyes teasingly glanced around the room.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it right here with me.” Sam smiled and laid her hands over Brooke’s
arms. “I’ll give you a few hints.”
“Hints?”
Brooke’s face lit up. “What kind
of hints?”
“Well…” Sam
paused as she thought. “Hints like,” Sam
looked around the room at the gathered crowd.
“What do three of the Gordon sisters have in common?”
Randi flashed a smile. “That’s easy.
Good looks.”
“Good jobs,”
Terri spoke up.
“They’re all
incredibly sexy.” Peter spoke without
thinking. The silly grin on his face was
soon dismissed by the slap to the back of his head. “OW!”
“We’ll talk
about it later, Peter.”
“Well, three of
us are married,” Brooke glanced from Randi to Terri
and smiled.
“That’s part
of it,” Sam hedged, biting her lip.
“What’s part
of it?” C.C. rounded the corner of the
kitchen, blowing a lock of stray hair off her face. “Did I miss something?”
“Only the
boat,” Randi mumbled.
“Sh!” Mabel shushed
her eldest daughter. “Is that
nice?”
“Only if
you’re not C.C.,” Brian whispered.
“Yeah, and
that’s why only three of them are married,” Rick leaned in toward Terri and
kissed her check.
“HEY!” C.C. crossed her arms over her chest in a
defiant manner. “I’m not married because
Mr. Right hasn’t swept me off my feet yet.”
Eddie leaned
toward Peter. “No, but I’ve heard that
Mr. Wrong, Mr. Broke, Mr. Slimeball, and Mr. Jobless
have.” The two men failed to stifle
their laughter.
C.C. swung
around to face them. “But it’s only
keeping me in practice.”
“Practice,”
Eddie smirked. “So that’s what you call
it.”
“I’d call it a
load of sh…” Peter’s word was stopped short.
“Please!” Sam was quick to intervene. “Watch your language. We have young, impressionable ears present.”
“Darlin’,
since when does it bother you what people say in our house?” Brooke queried her wife.
“It’s not just
in this house but everywhere.” Sam looked
up, locking her wife’s gaze with her own.
“Trust me, Brooke, I’m finding that there are impressionable ears
everywhere I go.”
“What are you
talking about?” Brooke’s stare grew more
intense.
“Yes, Sam,”
Samuel looked at his daughter. “By all
means, what are you talking about?”
Silence swept over the room. One
by one he looked around to his fellow guests until his eyes met Elaine’s. “Does anyone have a clue?”
C.C.’s hand shot up into the air. “Pick me.
Pick me,” she waved her hand excitedly back and forth. “Oh, please pick me.”
Green eyes
glared a warning. “C.C., shouldn’t you
be getting the cake ready right about now?”
“Damn!” C.C. sounded dejected. “You’d think I’m still a kid getting sent out
of the room when the good stuff is about to happen.”
“No you’re
not,” Brooke teased her youngest sister.
“If you were still a kid, I’d have no coffee table.”
The sound of
sisterly laughter lit up the room.
“Girls!”
Mable warned.
“Yes,
Mother.” A unified chorus of Gordon
sisters answered without skipping a beat.
C.C. pouted,
looking around the room. “Well that’ll
explain a lot of things. Excuse me while
I go set the cake ablaze.” She turned to
gloat at Brooke. “You know, some of us
aren’t getting any younger.” The
insolent woman stuck out her tongue, then hastened her departure with long
determined strides.
Brooke worked
hard to subdue a grin. “So, Sam.” She turned
her attention back to her wife. “Where’s
my present?” She leaned closer to Sam
and whispered in her ear. “You can show
it to me here, can’t you?”
Their eyes met
and Sam was further enticed by a pair of wiggling eyebrows. Slowly she looked around the room, then back
to Brooke. “You really want to see it
right now?”
“Sure, I
do.” Brooke nodded.
Sam sighed, then looked down to see her fingers toying with the hem of
her camp shirt. Seconds seemed like
minutes before the woman worked up the courage to continue. Slowly she took hold of the material of her
shirt and looked up into Brooke’s eyes.
“Happy…”
C.C. took the
cue and ran with it as she carried the flaming cake into the living room.
“Happy birthday to you,” Hearing no one joining in, C.C. started again. “Happy birthday to you. Come on, sing,” she directed weaving her way
through the crowd.
“Happy Birthday
to you,” the guests added their voices to the song. All eyes turned to the cake as C.C. placed it
on the table behind the couch. “Happy
Birthday dear, Mavis.”
“Mavis?”
Peter shouted out stopping the reverie.
“Who in the hell is Mavis? I
thought it was Brooke’s birthday.”
All eyes
slowly turned to C.C.
“What do you
expect?” C.C.’s
voice took on a defensive tone. “It
wasn’t like I had time to order it or anything like that. All the bakeries were closing and it was the
only one left.” C.C. looked over to her
mother. “Can’t you just rearrange the
writing with a toothpick or something?”
“Cjersti Chase, what am I going to do with you?” Mable shook her
head.
Sam closed her
eyes and sighed. “God,” she whispered
under her breath. “I’d like to rearrange
your as…” Realizing what she was about to say, Sam
didn’t finish her thought. “Oh,
whatever,” she mumbled in disgust.
“Auntie
Sam?” Julie tugged on Sam’s leg.
“Yes,
Julie?” Sam looked down at the child.
“Aunt Bwooke get pwesents?”
Eyes filled
with hope led Sam back to her goal. “She
sure will if I ever get a chance.”
Renewed with
determination, Sam pulled all her courage together for one last attempt. “Okay, everyone, freeze,” Sam raised her
voice to be heard. “Not another word.” She looked directly at C.C., then to Peter,
and lastly the two remaining Gordon sisters.
“Not another question from any of you until I give Brooke her gift.”
“Baby?”
The tone of
Brooke’s voice sent a chill through Sam’s soul.
Dumbfounded, Sam looked over to C.C. in an accusing manner.
“Hey!” C.C. held up her hands feigning any wrong
doings. “I didn’t say a word.”
Confused by
her wife’s actions, Brooke sought out the cause. “Well somebody better say one.” She turned to Sam and grasped her shoulders. “Sam?”
Leaning down, she stared her wife in the eyes. “Are you alright, Darlin’?”
“I’m…peighanit.” Sam mumbled quietly.
“What?” A dark brow quirked high on
Brooke’s forehead. “What did you
say?”
Blonde brows
furrowed, and Sam let out a breath. “We’re
pregnant, Brooke.”
“YES!” Eddie made a fist and pumped his hand down to
his side. “Alright!” A triumphant smile beamed from his face.
Blue eyes
glazed over as tears of joy threatened to roll down Brooke’s face. “We…w-we did it?” She asked, glancing down to Sam’s abdomen.
“We did it,”
Sam confirmed with an all out smile.
Taken by
surprise by the intimate moment, shock filled the room.
“Oh
Lord!” Elaine gasped as her world went
spinning wildly in front of her.
“Elaine!” Samuel reached for his wife. Before he could lay a hand on the woman, her
knees gave way and she sank to the ground with a dull thump.
“Lordy! There she
goes again,”
“You got that
right, Crystal.” Rick said, coming up
behind her. “You stay sitting,
Terri. We got this one.”
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Song
Lyrics from this week's installment by Sahaj Ticotin.
Buh-Bye!!!!