Dooley Is Dead Page 3

  “I can’t believe Daddy saved that old bear,” Ginny said, letting her guard down.

  In the short time Diana had known her, she’d discovered Ginny usually called Matthew “Trout.” But now she had made an emotional slip-up and called him “Daddy.” She was not as tough as she pretended. In fact, newly showered and dressed in an oversized Hard Rock Café tee shirt, Ginny looked barely old enough to be Lissa’s mother. Without mascara streaming down her eyes, Ginny appeared guardedly innocent. The silver nose stud still threw Diana, though.

  “How old are you, Lissa?” Diana asked.

  The child held up five fingers. “But I’ll be six tomorrow. Grandpa says he’ll take me fishing for my birthday.”

  Taking kids fishing was Matthew’s specialty. “You’ll love it,” Diana told her.

  “Trout taught me everything about fishing,” Ginny bragged. “I was the elementary school bass champion. I was famous.”

  “I won’t put any nasty old worms on the hook.” Lissa wrinkled her nose. “But I’m famous, too. Did you know Mommy named me for Melissa Etheridge, the rock star?”

  “No kidding?” As Ginny explained why she named Lissa after Etheridge, she also revealed her dream to play guitar in a band. Diana had heard something about this from Matthew a long time ago. When Diana had discovered Matthew’s secret talent for painting watercolor landscapes, he’d said his absent daughter had a passion for music. He also said both their ambitions were as useful as a paddle in the desert.

  “So you brought Lissa home to meet Matthew as a special birthday present?”

  Ginny shook her head and began shredding her paper napkin. “Nope, that’s just a coincidence. I came here because my girlfriend’s getting married.”

  Just then Matthew arrived with a tray of coffee and orange juice. “Darn it, Ginny, I thought you came home to see me?”

  Ginny avoided his eyes. Clearly she wasn’t about to give him any satisfaction. Eventually Matthew left, then returned with the food. He put out plates for everyone.

  “Okay, so you came home to attend one of your old girlfriend’s wedding. Who’s getting’ hitched?” he scowled. “Anyone I know?”

  “Nope.” Ginny loaded Lissa’s plate, then her own.

  Ginny’s behavior was confusing. Maybe Ginny wasn’t as tough as Diana had assumed last night, but she was tough enough to insult her dad. Clearly Matthew was hurt not to be the focus of their visit, and Ginny wasn’t about to open up about her girlfriend. Maybe this girlfriend was one of those bad kids Ginny used to hang with after Matthew’s wife died? But Diana was too hungry to speculate without fuel in her tank, so she gobbled two helpings of breakfast, including three homemade biscuits slathered with Matthew’s special marmalade.

  Ginny and Lissa ate well, too. Only Matthew picked at his food, which was most unusual.

  “Are you okay?” Diana asked him.

  His heavy brows were knit in a frown as he watched his daughter. He ignored Diana’s question and decided to bite right into the meat of the issue. He turned his dark eyes on Ginny. “By the way, where is Lissa’s daddy?”

  Ginny froze, set down a forkful of egg. Her smooth face wrinkled, her expression sagged, and suddenly she seemed much older than her twenty-four years. “Charley Harkin is long gone, so don’t ask me again.”

  Matthew glanced at Diana. “Seems like a reasonable question, don’t you think, Diana? Ginny shows up at my door after six long years with a kid in tow. Person might wonder what happened to the husband…?”

  “My daddy was an oil man in Galveston, Texas,” Lissa proudly interrupted. “I was born there, but then Daddy lost his job when I was only two. Hurricane Katrina came and washed everything away.”

  Diana thought Lissa’s explanation sounded more rehearsed than spontaneous. “So Charley Harkin worked on an oil rig?”

  But Matthew demanded a straight answer. “Are you saying your husband is dead?”

  “Not dead, just gone,” Ginny snapped. “And he’s not my husband. We were divorced soon after the hurricane.”

  “But Charley’s still my daddy.” Lissa crossed her skinny little arms in defiance.

  Matthew sadly shook his head. He tried to capture Ginny’s hand, but she pulled away.

  “Leave me alone, Trout. I don’t want to talk about this. Not now, not ever.”

  “Suit yourself.” He collected the empty plates and stomped towards the kitchen.

  For a few heartbeats, Diana was stunned silent. A flock of Canada geese flew honking across the lake and landed on the front lawn. Both Lissa and Ursie took notice.

  “Can I go outside with the dog?” the child squealed.

  “Yeah, sure, but don’t get wet.” Ginny laughed, breaking the tension. Then she smiled at Diana. “That’s what Trout always told me, don’t get wet. He’s a pain in the ass, you know?”

  Diana held up both hands in a gesture of peace. “Please don’t put me in the middle, but yes, sometimes Matthew’s a little stubborn.”

  “Not half as stubborn as his daughter.” Ginny pushed away from the table and stretched out on the couch. “It’s weird to be back, you know?”

  Diana paused to watch Lissa and Ursie scamper down the yard. The geese squawked in protest as girl and dog approached. At first the birds fast-walked towards the shallow water, but as the attack advanced, they reluctantly spread their wings and took off.

  “Yes, I can imagine it’s strange to be home after all those years.” Diana rose from the table and sat across from Ginny in Matthew’s recliner. “So you’ve been living in Galveston the whole time?”

  Ginny snorted derisively. “No way. Soon as I dumped the old man, I took Lissa and we moved to Las Vegas.”

  “You’ve had a hard life.” In Diana’s experience, a little heart-felt commiseration yielded a wealth of information. Sure enough, after Diana offered a few grunts of sympathy, Ginny began to open up.

  “My husband was an old fart,” she said without ceremony.

  “Was Charley that much older than you?”

  “I was eighteen, he was thirty-eight when we got married. By now the old geezer’s forty-four, if he’s still kickin’.”

  Diana could point out that she was one year older than Ginny’s “geezer” ex, but she decided it wasn’t the right time for sensitivity training. Instead she listened to Ginny describe Charley as a redneck who’d already been married twice before they met. He was a heavy drinker, and so was Ginny until she got pregnant and gave up alcohol. Reading between the lines, Diana gathered Charley was rough, if not downright abusive.

  “I’m divorced, too,” Diana confided. “I left my husband one fine day when he used his fists instead of angry words.” She had confessed this fact to very few people. Even Matthew didn’t know. But somehow, Diana wanted Ginny to trust her, and it worked. Because while Matthew washed dishes, while the women watched Lissa and Ursie tossing stones off the end of the dock, Ginny told more of her story.

  “So you moved to Las Vegas hoping to hook up with a band, but ended up waiting tables?” Diana prompted.

  “Classic, isn’t it?” Ginny responded wryly. “Most everything I’ve done turned out wrong, except for giving birth to Lissa. She is my life.”

  Diana understood. Too bad Ginny hadn’t swallowed her pride and come home sooner. She went by her maiden name, Troutman, instead of her married name, so Ginny must still love her father at some level. Hopefully it wasn’t too late for them to mend their differences.

  “So you’re planning to stay in North Carolina?”

  “God, no!” Ginny sat bolt upright on the couch. “I lease a terrific high rise apartment near the casino where I work. I’m a croupier now, so I make good money, you know? I earn more in one week than I could make all year in this shit hole.”

  Okay, Diana got it, but why was Ginny so angry? “So you only came home to attend your girlfriend’s wedding?”

  “What else?”

  But Ginny wouldn’t look Diana in the eye. The girl was lying, but before Diana co
uld dig deeper, Matthew entered the room with a dishcloth in his hand.

  “Aren’t you gals done gabbing?” Matthew hurled the dishcloth at his daughter and moved out to the front porch. “Hey, you know Lissa’s playing in the lake?”

  Both Ginny and Diana rushed outside to join him.

  “Lissa, get your butt up here!” Ginny yelled.

  The child and Ursie were leaping through the waves near the shore. Lissa was still tossing pebbles, while Urise dove to snatch them up before they touched bottom. When the girl and the dog reached the porch, Ursie shook, splattering everyone, and Lissa’s pajamas dripped on the deck.

  “Didn’t I tell you not to get wet?” Ginny snapped the dishcloth at her daughter’s bottom.

  “C’mon, Ginny, you know it’s impossible to stay dry at the lake. Especially when you’re a kid.” Matthew intervened.

  Ginny grunted, then turned to Matthew. “If you think it’s okay for Lissa to play in the water against my direct orders, then you can wash the sand off her feet and put her jammies in the dryer.”

  “Why can’t you do it?”

  “Because I’m driving Diana home,” Ginny countered unexpectedly. “And we’re taking your truck.”

  “Why?” Matthew gasped, questioning Diana with his eyes.

  Diana was shocked. She and Ginny had discussed no such plans, but clearly Ginny wanted her out of the house---the sooner the better--- just when Diana thought they were getting along so famously. Okay, so be it. Diana had already decided moving in now was a mistake. But Ginny sure as hell owed her an explanation.

  “Yes, Ginny, please remind me. Why are we leaving?”

  Matthew’s daughter fidgeted. She fixed Diana with her dark eyes, silently begging her to play along. “You have work to do at the office, remember? And we’re taking Trout’s truck because my car’s packed to the gills with junk, not enough room for two adults. And because you live in Davidson…”

  “So what if she lives in Davidson?” Matthew interrupted.

  “So, my girlfriend who’s getting married lives nearby, and I want to deliver my wedding gift to her house. Then I’ll buy Lissa’s birthday cake on the way home.”

  Diana gaped. Clearly Ginny Troutman was not only a quick thinker, but also a take-charge kind of girl.

  “But what about Lissa?” Matthew asked.

  Ginny rolled her eyes. “Give me a break, Trout. You raised me all those years, so you know how to entertain a little girl. Take her fishing a day early, for god sake…. ready to go, Diana?”

  Since she could find no legitimate excuse to stay, since Matthew wasn’t about to stop her, Diana grabbed her purse. Ginny grabbed hers. She led Diana to the back door and easily located the truck keys hidden on a hook behind the breadbox.

  “Bye, Mommy.” Lissa shyly took hold of Matthew’s hand.

  “Bye, Punkin. Be a good girl and do what Pop-Pop says.”

  As Ginny dragged Diana outside, Matthew and Diana kissed each other goodbye with their eyes.

  FIVE

  An interesting twist…

  Before leaving, Diana trailed Ginny down to Matthew’s boathouse where Ginny’s forest green Subaru wagon was parked. The vehicle was filthy with road dust and streaked by the recent downpour, but when she opened the rear hatch to remove a large wrapped wedding present, Diana noticed the auto was an expensive late model with all the bells and whistles.

  “Nice ride,” she commented. “Those casino tips must be good.”

  Ginny shrugged and slammed the hatch so hard the Nevada license plate rattled. “Let’s keep moving, Diana. Otherwise I’ll miss my girlfriend.”

  “You’re really going to her house?”

  “Yeah, where else?”

  Ginny gave Diana a look that implied she was the most clueless woman Ginny had met in this century. But hey, why should Diana know the agenda? Clearly Ginny had been in touch with the bride-to-be and was familiar with her schedule. None of this was Diana’s business, was it?

  “I’ll drive.” Ginny said when they reached Matthew’s old truck. She hurriedly tucked her present in the boot behind the driver’s seat, then hopped inside. “Let’s get moving, Diana.”

  Diana scrambled into the passenger seat as Ginny cranked the engine. Gravel flew up from under the rear tires as Ginny peeled backwards out of the driveway. “I gather we’re in a hurry?”

  “Fasten your seatbelt, Diana.”

  When Diana glanced back at the house, she saw Matthew framed in the doorway, arms folded across his chest in parental disapproval.

  Ginny chuckled. “He hates the way I drive. Daddy didn’t have the patience to teach me, so I went to driving school to learn.”

  Her words time warped Diana backwards through time to her own kids’ driver’s training. Their daddy had no patience, either, so the lessons were Diana’s responsibility. Oddly, her son, Robby, was cautious, timid, and respectful behind the wheel, while her teenaged Mandy was determined to drive Diana crazy, no pun intended. Diana sometimes believed her hair started turning white during that ordeal.

  Ginny turned east onto River Highway and gasped in disbelief. “Jeez, I don’t recognize anything. When I used to travel this road, there was nothing but fields, woods, and Daddy’s store. Now it looks like every other commercial street in America.”

  They sped past shopping centers and strip malls, auto stores and fast food joints. Even two years ago these so-called amenities did not exist. Today they had Best Buy, Target, Super Wal-Mart, and countless other chain stores replicating like cancer cells as far as the eye could see. The effect must have been downright disorienting to Ginny.

  “Your father hates the growth,” Diana muttered.

  “So do I,” Ginny said. “These developers took something fresh and beautiful, then fucked it beyond recognition.”

  Ginny’s vulgarity startled her, but the sentiment was not surprising. Most longtime natives abhorred and resented the fact that their culture had been homogenized. With the massive influx of northerners, indeed new citizens from all over the country, this little corner of the North Carolina Piedmont now looked, smelled, and tasted like pretty much everywhere else.

  “I’ve only lived here a few years,” Diana told the girl. “But even I hardly recognize the place.”

  “Well, you’re part of the problem, Diana. Realtors encourage development, right? All this progress improves your bottom line, right?”

  Diana swallowed the sharp retort at the tip of her tongue because Ginny was right… and wrong. True, until this recent economic downturn in the housing market, Diana’s business had been booming. On the other hand, she was once a country girl, long ago in Pennsylvania, and her emotional response to the rape of this virgin land was very much like Ginny’s.

  “How come you moved here anyway, Diana?”

  Diana supposed she could admit she’d come here to start a new life, and left to escape an old one. Likely they both had motives too complex and private to explain. Instead she told the girl, “Slow up, we’re coming to a speed trap. There’s always a state trooper hiding in that pull-off.”

  Ginny nodded and eased up on the accelerator, dropping to forty-five miles per hour just in time to avoid arrest by the cop who was indeed lurking.

  “Hey, thanks, Diana. You don’t wanna know how many speeding tickets I’ve gotten.” She pulled onto Interstate 77 at exit 36 and headed south towards Charlotte. She sped up to seventy, but kept watching both sides of the highway, taking in the changes and muttering obscenities under her breath. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come home?”

  “Thomas Wolfe wrote you can never go home again,” Diana said. “Maybe he was right?”

  Ginny fingered the silver stud in her nose and studied Diana from the corner of her eye. “I sure came home at the wrong time for you, didn’t I, Diana?”

  Diana blinked. “What do you mean?”

  Ginny cocked her black punk cut head towards Diana’s suitcases in the truck bed. “That’s your shit back there, isn’t it?”

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  “Look, it’s plain as flies on a cow’s tail. You were fixin’ to shack up with Trout, weren’t you?”

  No comment.

  “You guys are sleeping together. I can tell by the way you look at one another.”

  “Mind your own business, Ginny.” Heat crawled up Diana’s neck.

  Ginny’s deep, guttural laugh sounded so much like Matthew’s. She laid five black polished fingernails on Diana’s arm. “Don’t get me wrong, I think sex is great. I haven’t seen my old man this happy since my mom died. I’m just sorry I screwed it up for you two.”

  Much as Diana appreciated the vote of confidence, she was embarrassed speechless.

  “Sorry my timing was off,” Ginny continued. “If we hadn’t shown up at exactly the wrong moment, you’d be living with Trout right now, done deal.”

  Diana gulped down the last remnants of her pride. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “I’m serious, Diana. After I drop the gift at my girlfriend’s, we’ll head back to the lake, you’ll move in with Trout, and Lissa and me will get lost. We’ll move into a motel… or something.”

  “No way. Not happening. Of course, you must stay with your father. Matthew and I will revisit our situation at some later date.”

  Ginny howls. “Revisit? Gimme a break, woman. You know you’re hot for him right now, and you’re ready to make this commitment. If it works for you, then Lissa and me will stay with you guys.”

  Diana glanced pointedly at her watch, desperate to change the subject. “Listen, we’re wasting time with all this silliness. We must hurry to catch your girlfriend.”

  “Now you want me to speed up?” Ginny playfully tapped the accelerator.

  “No, I want you to shut up. You’re as bad as your father. He loves to tease me, too. I mean, what about this friend of yours who’s getting married? You two must be very close, for you to drive all the way from Las Vegas…?”

  “Okay, I get it. We’re changing the subject.” Ginny abruptly removed her hand from Diana’s arm, gripped the wheel, and stared straight ahead. “No, as a matter of fact, I’m not close to my girlfriend at all. Lori Fowler is a selfish little princess who figures the sun rises and sets up her precious ass.”