Page 62 of Truth or More Truth
What about Bobby’s heart? Is it pitter-pattering? I want to ask Diego that, but I don’t. Regardless of what happened over the past few days or what Bobby said in his note, I’m afraid I’ve misinterpreted everything.
“And what about babies?” Diego asks. “You want little mini-Bobbybambinosrunning around, yes? You can tell Uncle Diego.” He places his hand on his chest in a dramatic manner. “I will not tell a soul.”
“I’m still not answering that.” I shake my head, yet I can’t help but imagine little dark-haired boys running around a yard while Bobby and I watch from a cushioned porch swing.
“So you will not tell me whether you want the babies,” he says slyly, “but what about themakingof the babies?”
My face heats at the thought, and I poke my passenger in the shoulder. “You’re a mess, Uncle Diego. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“Every day of my life.”
twenty-six
. . .
“Dad!” Kelli runs into my arms the second she spots me entering the hospital waiting room.
I wrap her in a tight hug. “You OK, baby? Any news yet?”
“Daa-ad, I’ve told you to stop calling me baby.” She pulls out of my embrace but then loops her arm through mine and pulls me over to a chair.
I glance over at Whitley’s mom, who holds a hand up in greeting.
“Sorry.” I’m not really sorry. I’ve been calling Kelli “baby” since the first moment I saw her, and I can’t see myself stopping anytime soon. She’ll always be my baby girl. “Now tell me about your mom.”
“She’s gonna be OK.” She sits next to me and leans her head against my shoulder. “We can go see her in a little while. They said she’ll be here for a few days and then can go home, but she has to rest for a few more weeks. Will Opal come stay with us again?”
“I need to call her, but I’m sure she will.”
Opal is a sixty-something retired nurse who I’ve hired to stay round-the-clock with Nanette before. She was with us for about nine months after the accident, while Nanette was recuperating and going through physical therapy to regain use of her legs. She also comes to stay sometimes when I’m out of town and Nanetteisn’t feeling her best, and she occasionally takes Kelli to and from school even when she’s not staying over. I don’t know what we’d have done without her these past few years since the accident. It helps that Nanette lives in the guest house on my property, but with my job taking me out of town so much, Opal has been a godsend. She always comes when we call.
Whitley’s mom gives me a more detailed report about what the doctor said, and then I thank her profusely and send her back home to spend the holiday with her family.
“How was the wedding?” Kelli asks, her head back on my shoulder. “Tell me about Leslie’s dress.”
I chuckle. “It was white. That’s about all I can tell you.”
“Of course it was, you silly man. But what kind of material was it? Were there beads or lace? Was it poofy? I want to know it all.”
“I guess it was poofy, as you say. The skirt part was pretty big. And I don’t know one material from another, so I can’t help you out there. Maybe I can ask Leslie to mail you a picture of it in a few weeks after they’re home from their honeymoon and settled into their new place.”
“Oooo! Where’d they go on their honeymoon?”
“Diego’s resort.”
Several years ago, my friend bought a run-down, struggling property near his hometown in the Dominican Republic. He fixed it up, hired and trained an entirely new staff, and ensures his workers are treated well and paid fairly. Diego is a very hands-on owner, because corruption runs rampant in his country. He’s doing everything he can to battle it.
Kelli sighs. “I love that place.”
“Me, too.” We’ve been there a few times. It’s a family-friendly resort, and Kelli loves all the activities they provide.
“Are you going to be home for a while now?” my daughter asks.
I kiss the top of her head. “I don’t know how long for sure, but definitely until your mom is stable and we have transportation lined up for you and all your activities when I’m gone. I doubt the doctor will clear her to drive again for a while.”
My chest tightens when I think about how I won’t be able to go back to Chicago to see Melissa for a couple weeks, if not more. Then again, I need to just end things with her. Not that there’s anything official to end. But there’s no way we can make a long-distance relationship work with everything I have to deal with on a daily basis with both work and family. And it’s not like I can move to Chicago, with Nanette and Kelli here. And Melissa moved back to Chicago to be closer to her parents, so I can’t imagine her moving to California for me. It’s a no-win situation, and I need to put an end to it before either of us get any more attached, but I’m determined to let her down gently.
“Bobby, you’ve done enough,” Nanette says, frustration evident in her voice. “You don’t need to come visit me every day, and you can’t keep upending your life for me. It makes me feel like a burden.”
