The Only One For Me. Bridget Anderson

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       Chapter 2

      Seven years ago, Chris sold his first business and purchased his parents a modest home on Mitchellsburg Road. The ranch-style home sat on four acres, and was big enough for family barbecues, yet small enough for his mother to get around without much help.

      Chris pulled his Cadillac CT6 all the way up to the garage door and killed the engine. Since his return to Danville two weeks ago he’d only visited his parents once, and hadn’t seen his little sister, Pamela, at all. All of that was about to change. Pamela’s car was parked next to his.

      Chris climbed out of the car and walked around to the front door. He rang the bell and waited for his father to answer. Instead, Pamela threw the door open.

      “Hey, big bro, it’s good to see you.” Pamela stood on her tiptoes to greet Chris with a hug.

      Chris squeezed her so hard he lifted her off the ground.

      “Chris.” She hit him on the back. “Put me down.”

      After a quick kiss on the cheek he planted her feet back on the floor and released her. “Damn, you are skinnier than you were the last time I saw you. What you trying to do, waste away?”

      She stepped back and stuck a pose. “I’m not skinny, I’m trim.”

      “Oh, yeah. Looks like you’re headed toward an eating disorder to me. You’re not throwing your food up, are you?”

      She whacked him good on the arm. “That’s not funny. Eating disorders are a disease.”

      “I know. I’m sorry. Come here and give me another hug.”

      This time he left her feet on the ground. “I think you felt a little heavier that time,” he said when he released her.

      “Boy.” Pamela shoved him and turned away. “Mama’s in the den and Daddy’s out in the garage working on something.”

      Chris followed Pamela back into the house. His mother sat on her favorite massage lounger with a throw over her legs, looking as regal as ever. To the naked eye Dakota Williams looked fine. Since Chris was a little boy, pain had been her constant companion. Her invisible illness hadn’t been easy to explain to anyone outside the family. But, after years of suffering, the final diagnosis was fibromyalgia.

      “Hey Mom, how you doing?” He bent over and kissed his mother on the forehead before giving her one of his bear hugs. His heart swelled every time he saw his mother.

      “I’m fine, baby. And happy to see you.”

      “How’s the pain today?” he asked.

      “Oh, it’s about a six. That’s why I’m sitting down here watching all these talk shows with Pamela.” She glanced up at Chris. “You know personally I’d rather read a book.”

      Pamela crossed her arms. “I thought you wanted to watch The View?”

      “I do, honey. The View or whatever that other show was you had me watching a few minutes ago. I tell you, I don’t see how those women have the energy to keep trying to outtalk each other every day.”

      Chris chuckled and planted himself on the edge of his mother’s lounger. “If your pain gets up to an eight, you have Pamela help you to bed.”

      “Honey, I’m okay. I swear, you worry about me more than I stress about myself.”

      “I just want to make sure you’re comfortable is all.”

      “I couldn’t be more comfortable than in this massager. Thank you again for the chair, it helps so much.”

      “I’m glad. The minute I saw it I thought about you.” Chris looked at Pamela who was so engrossed in her talk show he doubted she remembered he was in the room.

      “I’m going out to the garage and see what Daddy’s up to.” He gave his mother another kiss on the forehead.

      “I hope he’s not working on another table out there. We’ve got enough already.”

      Chris walked down the hall lined with family pictures from his childhood to the present. He opened the door to the garage and could hear his father’s radio playing quietly in the corner while he tinkered with another creation. When Chris closed the door, his father turned around.

      “How’s everything, Chris? Glad you stopped by. Let me get your opinion on something.”

      “Sure, what you up to?” Chris walked over to see what his father was taking apart now. Before Nathaniel Williams’s former employer up and left Danville, he had a very stressful career. Between work and taking care of his wife he needed an outlet, so he took up woodworking. Now Chris’s dad was one of the most sought-after table designers and furniture repairmen in the county. His original and custom pieces had been commissioned from as far away as the Caribbean Islands.

      When Chris was young he used to help his dad build things for work, and remodel their home. Once he started playing football, he spent his summers working in construction for extra money. Between the two of them, they could build a house. And that’s exactly what Chris planned on doing.

      Chris placed his hand on his father’s shoulder and observed the handcrafted cigar box he worked on. His father was an inch shorter than Chris’s six-two frame, and thinner too.

      “Which СКАЧАТЬ