Page 55 of As a Last Resort
“Of course.”I wondered what the hell I just agreed to.
“Mom apparently passed out at some house.A man called me from her phone and since I didn’t recognize the address, I figured backup couldn’t hurt.Wouldn’t want to voluntarily walk into a kidnapping situation.”
“There’s a lot of those around here.”
She gave me a shrug and a small smile.“I can’t lift her by myself when she’s completely passed out like this.”
Something in her voice gutted my soul.
During the rest of the drive, she kept her eyes on anything but me.To think she dealt with these little bombs all throughout high school made my stomach twist.Every family has their shit but mine didn’t include picking my drunk mother up from strangers’ houses after my father died.
We pulled into a small quiet neighborhood with tiny shell lawns and colored shutters.She parked and waited for me to walk her to the door.A man was waiting in the shadow of the front alcove.
“Mr.Johnson?”she asked.Her voice climbed an octave as she walked up to the open door that was waiting for us after we pulled up.It was our old high school principal.“God, what is with her and this teacher fetish?”she said under her breath to me.Laterwas all I got when I gave her a questioning look.
“Well, I’ll be damned.Good to see you, Marcs.”He reached for my hand.“I’ve been following the Mariners.You know, I had my money on you taking over the helm but Rex is doing a fantastic job.”I stood there awkwardly not quite sure of the best route to take.
“You remember Samantha Leigh?”I put my hand on the small of her back.
“How could I forget.”His voice was sincere, but laced with pity.She flinched under my fingertips.“It’s a miracle to see you up and walking.I retired a few years ago.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” she replied.
Cue the awkward silence.
“So, Sam’s mom?”I asked.
“Ah yes, right there on the couch in the living room.Good and passed out.”
We walked into the living room where Sam’s mom was face down on the couch, a drool stain puddled on the fabric near the corner of her mouth.There was a blanket draped over her, tucked in at her sides.
“Don’t worry about that, it’ll disappear in a few minutes,” Mr.Johnson said from behind me, like this was a normal weekly occurrence.“So,” he directed his attention back to Sam, “your mom told me you’re in New York City.Not a surprise there, youwere always such a great student.Landed on your own two feet.Like when you throw a cat.”
She looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole and die.Mr.Johnson was a good guy, just lacked a bit of social intelligence.“I’m doing well.Thanks.Yeah, I landed in New York City.”
“Big city corporation or something like that, trying to take over the world?How do you like it?”he asked as I picked up Sam’s mom like a baby with her head resting on my chest.She snored loudly on my shoulder.She was definitely drooling on my shirt.
“Umm, so sorry about this.”Sam awkwardly turned toward the door.“I don’t think this is really the best time to catch up fully, but thank you for calling about her.”
“Oh, of course, you should get her home, but don’t worry, she’ll be fine in the morning.It was nice seeing you!”he called out as we walked down the driveway back to her car.“Go Mariners!”
“Isn’t he married?”she asked me as she opened the back seat door.
“Divorced a few years ago,” I answered.“And unofficially voted most eligible bachelor on the island last year.He’s a bit of an awkward dude but he means well.”
“This obsession with my former teachers issoweird.”She pulled out of the driveway with her mother fast asleep lying across the back seat.
It was after 1:00 a.m.before I laid her mom down in her own bed.Sam led me back out to the living room.
“Here, you take these,” she said, handing me her car keys.“I’m going to stay here on the couch just in case she needs anything.And you know, doesn’t randomly stop breathing on me.”
She kept looking at the floor like she wanted to pull up the carpet and burrow underneath.I could see water pooling in the corner of her eyes but she kept blinking it back.“Thank you, by the way.I didn’t know who else to call who would actually be able to carry her.”
Her laugh was small.She looked like such a kid in her oversized sweatshirt.This was the first time she felt familiar to me, this shy awkward girl unsure of herself.I wanted to shelter her from this, take away whatever was making her shrink into herself.
“Are you saying you think I’m buff?”Her laugh was just a breath of air.I kicked myself for trying to lighten the mood a little.Now is not the time.“Seriously, it’s no problem.”
Her keys weighed down my hand like they were made of lead.I walked to the fireplace, where a row of pictures lined the mantel.There was one of Sam and her mom at her high school graduation.Sam was still in a wheelchair but her mom was hugging her, squishing her face to the side.There was one of a little blond girl in pigtails on the beach, rosy cheeks and nose, squinting into the camera lens holding a shell out.
