A story
by
Ritch Christopher
Continued by Les Martin
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Chapter 19
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
His flight to Knoxville was uneventful, leaving Trent time to think, to feel, to probe his thoughts. He hadn't reached any conclusion beyond knowing he had to do all in his power to see that Granny Dee was healthy and back to her old self again. He hoped that Jody and Laurie had proved themselves to be as helpful and dependable as the phone calls he'd received indicated them to have been.
On deplaning at his destination, Trent saw Dean waiting for him, smiling. A big hug before they walked toward the car, each hoping he'd be able to find the> right thing to say to lighten the mood, to give the other some peace of mind.
After seating themselves in the spacious vehicle, Trent asked immediately how Dee was and Dean was happy to be able to tell him that Dee would probably be home from the hospital tomorrow, right as rain.
For the first time in days, some good news! Trent sat a bit straighter and tried to smile. His effort proved less than completely successful, but he at least made the effort.
Conversation between them was, initially, a bit stilted, formal and awkward, but the tension that Trent had felt eased a bit after he realized fully that Granny Dee was no longer in danger, that she really was going to be fine. However, the guilt that had engulfed him earlier remained. How could he be so callous as to think only of himself and Angio when his Granny had been in so much danger? If anything had happened to her, how could he have lived with the self-imposed curses?
Trent tried to immerse himself in the passing countryside, The trees and fields, the farms, all so familiar to him, but his doubts kept resurfacing, forcing their way to the forefront of his consciousness..
Mercifully, the drive from Knoxville to Weston was short and they soon found themselves pulling into the hospital parking lot.
Seeing Cyrus beside the front door, smoking as usual, Trent jumped out and ran to him, hugging him and feeling tears almost spilling over again as he> make physical contact with part of his earlier life.
Entering the hospital lobby, Trent almost ran over Jody who had been waiting for their arrival. Giving the boy a brief> hug, Trent asked Jody to lead him to Granny's room.
Trent was so immersed in thoughts of Granny Dee that he didn't notice that Jody's face became somewhat crestfallen after just a hug from Trent. He'd been hoping for something more-----for what? A kiss? No-- that'd be too much to hope for, Jody knew, but he could dream.
Shouldering the door to her room open, Trent saw his Granny seated beside the window, smiling at him. He rushed to her, knelt by her chair and covered her face with kisses mixed with tears of joy and relief.
Now she knew she'd be just fine. Here was her beloved grandson, home with her if only or a few days. Now her world had regained its former shape.
Watching the reunion from the doorway, Cyrus and Dean were able to draw from each other'snearness as they saw the fruits of their work. God, Trent was growing by leaps and bounds! He wasn't a boy any longer, but a young man, tall, handsome to an almost unbelievable degree----and one unashamed to show his feelings. As veterans of show business, they knew that would work strongly in his favor as an actor.
The thought of Trent and his potential future stirred another topic for Cyrus to broach. "Dean, while you were gone, I called Art in New York to report on Granny. He asked me, just in passing, how our new show was coming along. I dodged the question as well as I could, but I think he felt my unsureness."
Leaning more heavily on the doorframe, Dean sighed, "Did you tell him that we haven't been able to come up with any workable storyline for the show?"
"No, I didn't, Dean. He has enough on his plate just coping with the death and with Angio's departure. That's enough drama for anyone to swallow in one sitting." As he looked at his life-partner, he felt again the depth of the connection between them and thanked God for it "Have you had a chance to look through the memos and notes we kept from our earlier attempts at starting a new show?"
"Cyrus, I looked through all of them the other day and came up with nothing. Broadway now seems to favor more realism than we used to see in Broadway musicals. Maybe we need to look more at today's news, today's world for an idea for a storyline for the show. What do' you think?"
"Maybe you're right, Dean. At least we can try focusing in on that angle---maybe ask Trent if he has any feelings about subject matter."
"Well, he'll be here for a few days, I guess, and we can ask him what he would like to do."
That said, the two settled for watching Trent and his Granny as they chatted quietly.
"Granny Dee, are you sure you're gonna be OK? You're not covering something up, are you? Something you don't want me to know?"
"No, sweet. I never had an inkling that I had diabetes, but the doctors have explained a lot to me. They say they caught it early enough and now all have to do is watch what I eat to keep my blood-sugar stabilized. But while you're here, I'm gonna cook for you just like I always have---everything you like and as much as I can get you to eat. You're growing so fast, you can use a few pounds to fill you out some."
"Now I'll have none of that, Granny. You know what you can eat and what you can't---let's stick to that. If it's good for you, it should be good for me, too.."
"Trent, it's no problem to cook another dish for me while I feed you the way I want to. I promise that I'll watch my diet. No more problems like that for me, so you just rest easy, son."
"We'll see, Granny, we'll see. But tell me, how have Jody and Laurie been doin'? Are they helping you like they said they would?"
"Trent, you wouldn't believe how good they are, both of them. Laurie scolds me if I try to do too much and Jody? Bless him, he takes care of everything around the place. I thank the good Lord for sending them my way. But, you know, Trent, they both have such a drive to find their place in the world. Laurie sings all day, whatever she's doin', and, Trent, her voice is so beautiful. We have to find a way for her to use it to build a life of her own.. And Jody? Why, he has a pencil in hand every minute when he's not working around the place or doing homework for school. Lord, what that boy can bring to life on a piece of paper!"
"Well, we'll see, Granny. Maybe Dean and Cyrus can think of some way to help them along."
Just then, the nurse interrupted them, bringing Granny Dee a snack to help stabilize her blood-sugar.
"Trent', Granny said, "they're sending me home tomorrow, so could you see that Jody and Laurie know what I can eat and what I can't---they'll keep me on the right track, but for now, how about you heading home and getting back to being a proper Tennessean?"
Trent's face had brightened a bit more each minute since he had held his granny in his arms. :"Granny Dee, I'm gonna go home right now and start getting everything ready for you. I don't want you to worry about a thing. I'm here and I'm staying till I know you're OK."
"But, Trent, what about your schooling? You've been doin' so good in New York, you ought to be heading back and making your way there."
Trent's face clouded over a bit as he turned away briefly, but he turned back, saying, "We'll talk more about that when you're home. OK?"
She had always been able to feel what Trent was thinking and his attempt to avoid the subject of school was obvious to her, but she knew better than to make an issue of that right now. "You'll do what's right, son. I know that. So scoot along, boy. Dean and Cyrus are waiting for you."
He wrapped his arms around the woman who was the rock in his life, kissing her forehead. "Alright, Granny. but I'll be here in the morning to help you get home."
'No, you won't. Dean has already made arrangements to get me home in style, so I'll see you there. Don't you worry, Trent---I'm coming home in the morning and nothin's gonna stop me!"
Kissing her once more on the forehead, Trent stood and turned to Dean and Cyrus, both standing in the doorway, beaming at him, Jody behind them.
"OK, Trent, Let's head home.", Dean exclaimed with a smile, and leading the way to the parking lot. The smile on Trent's face, the peace in his eyes was all the two older men needed to lighten their mood. "How's school going for you, Trent?", Dean asked. He was surprised by the change this innocent question caused in Trent's demeanor. suddenly seemed to stiffen at the question.
"That's something I need to talk to you guys about, if you'll let me." He had already realized that advice from his two 'uncles' might well be needed. "Granny Dee asked me about school back there in her room and I kind of slid past the topic for now. My head is so messed up right now that I'm not sure what I want to do or what I should do. I know that you'll keep my confidence, won't you? And you, too, Jody?"
Cyrus pulled the car off the road and turned off the motor. Turning in his seat to look directly at Trent, he asked softly, "What's going on, Trent?"
"Uncle, Cyrus, Uncle Dean, Angio and his mom have left for France and....he won't be coming back, he's staying in France for good to help his mother, she needs him, and I'm ready to give New York up for good and come home. I didn't want to trouble Granny Dee with all this, but I have to talk about it, get it out of my gut and you two are family to me. Can we just talk it all out tonight or tomorrow?"
Dean turned in his seat to look at Trent. "Of course, Trent, whenever you want. Cyrus and I hare here for you any time you need us." He paused a moment and then, "Do you feel ready to talk tonight?"
Trent paused to think, to gauge how heavily his emotions were pressing on him. "Maybe we should all get a night's sleep and we can juggle this tomorrow---would that be OK?"
Cyrus touched the boy's shoulder gently and said quietly, "Trent, our time, and I guess our lives, are yours. If we can help in any way, just tell us how."
"Thank you both. Let's get home and get some rest then." Trent tried to blank his mind of the troublilng thoughts, but they closed in on him again. He knew his life's road had a fork in it and he didn't know which to take.
ADDENDUM:
Ritch passed away, but if any of his readers would like to comment, please contact me at follies71@att.net
Please support the Nifty Archive. They cannot host these stories without your help. http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html