ch.9
lee
cont. from page 19.
lee thought to himself i just need some balance to my life , maybe ann could help him . he rushed out to her , a late model 4 wd. suv with all the bells and whistles , including an automatic ass wiper for those moments in ohio when you are driving down the road and hit that black ice and start to feel yourself lose control, start into an uncontrolled slide where all you just want to stick your head between your legs and kiss your butt goodbye, but fear you may crap yourself first. that is what the automatic ass wiper is for. although i did know a woman who used it on her drunk husband who kept smacking her. never heard from him again. well if they actually had such a feature ann would have it. ann hated driving in the snow and muck but she did tonight as lee was a bit distraught over losing his dog . it was going to be a listening night for her at best. lee helped her with her overnight bag and they hurried into the house.
she could smell food starting to cook as she entered the house, with lee following with her overnight bag in one hand with the other . lee dragged her back outside the door first and pulled her up close to him and gave her a long kiss with a darting tongue , followed by smaller pecks on her pursed lips, and they stood there in the cold winter air breathless , not saying a word but exchanging glances that said everything and nothing at the same time. just pure love . lee started first.
" sorry dear , i just needed that as i have missed you and wanted to see you so much today."
" dont ever be sorry for wanting to tell me you care for me silly, just do it. " ann laughed shyly.
deep inside she longed for his touch and that kiss herself . she coyly thought to herself if he plays his cards right , he may still end up getting lucky at that rate. she came here to comfort him not to seduce him . she thought to herself as she looked into his eyes. yet he has a strange way of acting out his grief.
she finally broke the silence and asked', how is your dad doing. is it going to be a god day or bad day?'
lee replied " cant tell so far with him , he said crude and rude things to me earlier but what else would i expect of him as that was the way he was all his life. sometimes i think when you label them alzheimers they believe it is all right to be an asshole cause you are screwed anyhow. might as well say or think what is on your mind. even if it is gutter talk. anything goes. "
is there anything i can do to help you.? " asked ann .
' no pretty much have a simple dinner planned , baked chicken , fried potatoes and some frozen fried green tomatoes and frozen corn on the cob. the veggies all out of the garden. but you can stay in here in the kitchen if you like . i would enjoy the company.we will take your bags to my room and we can cook , then eat . an we will let him watch tv., and we can go out to the sunroom and and sit till bedtime if you like." the free gas from the farm lit a gas flame in the cast ion fireplace stove in the sun room casting an orange glow on the room . fake wood logs made it appear as if it was real , only without the mess and fuss of the real wood stove. no ashes , no cleaning. lee had windows on three sides of the room and french doors leading out on to a deck and it was placed on the west side of the house so that you could watch the sun set. in the winter the glow of the sun and the ambiance of the fireplace was all ann needed to forget about everything. except maybe the collection of spices that lee threw on the fire to enhance the aromas of the room . it worked as she became instantly aroused smelling the aromatic smells as they soothed her soul . what an aphrodisiac she thought. the smells lingered throughout he house chasing away the other smell she thought. the one of old men .
she walked to the living room and asked how carl was doing.
"Hmmph - oh yeah, im ok , who are you?" asked carl.
carl new who she was but was playing the sympathy card of i have alzheimers , what other reaction did ann expect. ann knew he knew her and he was being an ass as he didn't like her to much. he depended on carl to do everything for him and really didn't know what he would do with out him . ann was a threat with all her money. she would take lee away and he would end up in a nursing facility. carl couldn't imagine being shoved into one of those ever. he would rather go out in the field on the tractor, climb off and shoot himself before going to a rest home as they called it. he could remember going to visit lee's mom dora as she lay there being ate up with cancer. the scream and the grunts and noises running up and down the halls coming from rooms occupied by people in real pain. unable to cope , screaming out for more meds, or relief of any kind. carl didnt want any part of being hooked to a machine and watching hi life slip away. a little crazy is ok but a lot puts you in there, and then its all over, shotgun sounds better.
lee knew this about his dad and he figured he would do it if gave a chance. or worse yet , decide lee must go with him. so he removed all the guns ammo and knives were locked up. a necklace carl wore alerted lee that his dad had left the house and was on the run. carl could never figure why lee made him where the the necklace. lee told him it was to help with him forgetting things . it improved his dads memory. the only thing that carl remembered was that every time he left the house lee was there. strangest thing.
lee installed locks on the cellar door and on the inside of his bedroom dor. he told an to never try and go through the door in case fo fire but instead he had a chair by the bedroom window . she just needed to pick it up and throw it through the window and escape if lee wasn't with her. she hoped it would never come to that as she lay on the couch in the sun room smelling supper cooking as lee was a good cook who enjoyed shwing ann his worth. she already knew his worth. it showed in his heart.
ann returned to the kitchen and began setting the table for lee an her. lee was finishing up supper and had dished his dad out a plate and took it to him. carl slobbered over the plate wiping the chicken grease on the sleeve of his pajamas .
" wheres my milk " he yelled at no one in particular but meant for lee as he had his hands full just bring ing the plate and the silver ware to his dad. lee returned t the kitchen and instantly he had the milk in his dds hand. he trembled as his frail hand held the milk to his lips and he drank. not even a thank you thought lee , atypical dad response. lee had sat hi dads meal up on a tray that spread across the arms of his easy chair. food stains and wet rings of unimaginable size and origin adorned his chair. lee thought as he looked at the chair before returning to ann in the kitchen , the first thing i am going to do with that chair is burn it when hes gone. sorry no sentimental mucky muck for lee when it came to that chair. it was a goner. lee returned to the kitchen and ann was patiently waiting for him. the food was getting cold. lee asked,
"why didn't you eat ann? "
" was waiting for you."she said as she smiled
"silly woman."(to be cont).
19.
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