Chapter 11 The ’Rents

BRIAN and Meredith Montgomery had lived a comfortable life in northern Carroll County for nineteen years. After moving there from Baltimore when Benjamin was almost five, Brian Montgomery had known that it would be a better place to raise their three children once Meredith gave birth to their third. Ellis was only one at the time and didn’t remember moving, but Benjamin remembered gunshots echoing down the street and was thankful his parents had moved someplace quieter.

After Sara was born, Meredith had her hands full and never found two minutes for herself until Ellis and Sara were both in elementary school. But just because her children were successfully occupied for more than eight hours a day, every day of the week, it still was not adequate to assume that Meredith had time to do the things she wanted. Her life was consumed with driving everywhere under the sun, and laundry, and food preparation, and oh, more dirty laundry! Perhaps she had an hour or two after the kids got on the bus, but how much could actually be done in an hour?

Meredith was an aspiring author. She tried to write about characters on other worlds, but no story ever had an ending. Her books started off well, but fizzled out when the plot lacked details and the antagonist’s sinister dealings had no evidence of support. Plus, when on vacation one year in the Outer Banks, a random vacationer had asked what she was typing away at. She’d answered, “I’m writing a book.” The person then commented, “Oh, just like every other housewife in America.” Needless to say, Meredith felt discouraged and hadn’t written a thing in years.

Nothing came to mind, anyway. How did one create a whole other world? She loved R. A. Salvatore and David Eddings, but she knew her writing was far below those amazing science fiction and fantasy authors. She needed inspiration, and until it happened along, Meredith decided to be the perfect stay-at-home mom. She tried her hand at selling Pampered Chef, but she wasn’t ambitious enough to make it a lucrative endeavor. She was up every morning by five, so by eight thirty at night, Meredith was ready to hit the hay.

Life continued in a state of repetitive redundancy until Sara graduated from high school.

Sara was a life-giver in and of herself. She was perky and sweet, and Meredith treasured her daughter—and youngest child— with all her heart. Even after she came out to the family that she was in love with her best friend Lori, Meredith never loved her less. In fact, she found Sara’s strength of conviction in the face of possible ridicule and condemnation admirable. Besides, Lori was a wonderful girl, and it was obvious that she loved Sara more than anything else on the planet.

Meredith could only wish all her children could be so happy.

Benjamin had married young due to his girlfriend’s pregnancy. Rachel was sixteen and Ben was nineteen at the time, and Meredith was mostly glad no one had pressed charges or accused Ben of raping such a young girl. No one knew about the relationship, which had started in the workplace, until she was six months pregnant. It was a rocky beginning, but Benjamin had stood by Rachel even when things between them were not congenial. He refused to leave like so many other teenage fathers, and his perseverance had paid off. Now, after five years, going on six, Ben and Rachel had a pleasant life with their son Brice. They both worked, and Meredith looked after Brice whenever they asked. (More time taken away from her “free time,” so to speak.)

And then there was Ellis!

Ellis Walter Montgomery. The middle child. He wasn’t her “baby” because all that doting went to sweet little Sara. Ellis was also not her trying older son, who had so many challenges it boggled her mind how they survived them all. Ellis was the one stuck in between, who never got enough attention and had been pushed aside one hundred times too many. He was smart, she’d give him that, but he was also quiet, reserved, and often in his own little world. (Much like her.) Ellis was the conundrum. He was the one she felt was most like her, yet the one who never came to her with any sort of need. This was probably because she’d never had time for him when he was younger. (She deduced.) She’d pushed him aside so often that when he grew up, there was nothing between them to talk about.

She thought that once he was an English major, they would find things to chat about. But so far—no. She wasn’t good with grammar. Her punctuation was random. And her vocabulary was severely lacking. What English major would want to talk about writing with her? Ellis also read all the time. She didn’t. She heard a writer was supposed to read constantly in the genre of their chosen field. And although she’d loved sci-fi novels years ago, now they felt dry. Her love had dissolved with each passing year as a housewife and mother of three. One day she’d take it up again, but when?

Ellis wasn’t around anymore.

He’d started college and made some really great friends. He spent all his time with Rob and Russell. Meredith felt like she didn’t know her son at all. He was much more outgoing than she remembered. He was talkative and funny. She’d hoped that since he was unable, financially, to afford campus housing, he’d spend more time at home with his friends and she’d get to know Ellis vicariously through them. But it didn’t happen that way. Ellis sold the car he’d spent four years saving for and paid for an apartment on campus.

Her usefulness as a mother was waning.

THEN one night she got that fateful call. The soccer coach said that Ellis had broken his leg playing soccer, and he needed her. Her son needed her! She packed up her cell phone and insurance cards, called her husband, texted Sara, and then off she went to the hospital.

Russell Davenport, Ellis’s friend, was even kind enough to meet her outside. Brian arrived five minutes after her, but in that time, she was able to find the nurse and give her Ellis’s insurance information and fill out his medical history. She had purpose.

“Are you sure he’s going to be fine?” she asked Russell as they walked back to Ellis’s room.

“Yes, Ms. M, the doctor said it’s broken, but he’s not going to die. Ellis is in pain and they gave him morphine, but I’m sure he’ll feel much better when you get there.”

Russell was such a nice boy. He was close to his mother and Meredith suspected it was his influence that encouraged Ellis to call her at least once a week. “I’m glad. Do you know if he’ll be able to play soccer again?” She felt bad about the broken leg because she knew how much he enjoyed soccer.

“I think so, but we were just hanging out with Ellis; it’s not like we were his parents. I’m sure the doc will fill you in on more details than he gave us. I mean, he was talking to Ellis, but I’m not sure he was giving him all the information. And he has a lame bedside manner, if you ask me. You should have seen the way he grabbed his ankle and moved it around; I was pretty sure Cole was going to punch him for being so insensitive.”

“Oh dear,” she said, feeling sorry for Ellis, covering her mouth with her hand.

 

“Who’s Cole?” Brian Montgomery asked from behind the two of them.

 

“El’s roommate,” Russell answered, glancing back at him. “He’s a nice guy, once you get to know him.”

 

“Is he a soccer player too?” Sara asked, walking arm in arm with her dad.

 

“No,” Russell replied. “He’s like Bill Nye the Science Guy or something. Only with better hair.”

 

“Oh,” Sara said.

 

As soon as they entered the room, Ellis’s eyes met Meredith’s. Her heart fluttered.

“Mommy,” he called to her weakly, reaching out like he did when he was eight. She took his hand and didn’t bother to notice who else was in the room. She was with her boy, and he needed her. WHEN they arrived home, she made sure to give him a spot in the living room to sleep so he wouldn’t have to walk up the steps to his room. Luckily, Brian didn’t protest and was very understanding. She gathered his favorite pillow and blanket, while Brian helped Ellis into the house. Sara was even kind enough to get the prescription filled on her way home. Everyone was working together, and Ellis was safely sleeping on the sofa in no time.

Rob and Russell hung out for a few hours, but left early enough to get some sleep before class the next morning.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Meredith greeted her son as he opened his eyes for the first time. He’d slept for thirteen hours, and she was beginning to worry.

“Hi, Mom,” he said quietly.

“Are you in pain?” she asked, kneeling down and feeling his forehead for a temperature. She couldn’t always tell with a touch to the forehead, like other moms—Meredith often had to reach her hand down the back of her children’s shirts to feel their skin to ascertain their temperature. Ellis was lying on his back and she didn’t think he’d appreciate it if she reached up the front. He was twenty, after all, and she wasn’t completely daft. He felt okay, so she let it go.

“Yes,” he said with a nod.
“I’ll go get you some Percocet. Are you hungry?”
“No.”

“You need to eat something soon. You have to keep up your strength.”

 

“Later,” he whispered, closing his eyes again and tilting his head away from her voice.

Meredith adjusted the blankets up around his chin and hustled off to retrieve his pain meds. She also got a thermal bag and filled it with ice for his leg. The doctor had recommended keeping it iced, even through the soft cast, so that the swelling would go down faster. Ellis had to have surgery in a few days to fix the break, and until then he was to remain off the leg as much as possible and keep it iced.

Ellis opened his eyes and sat up only enough to take the pills with some water and then he went to sleep again. The phone rang. “Hello?” she answered.

 

“Hey, Ms. M, it’s Rob. How is Ellis doing?” Rob’s chipper voice always made her smile.

 

“He’s fine, Rob. Sleeping a lot.” There wasn’t much else to tell.

 

“Do you think I could come over?”

“There isn’t much point. Ellis is asleep and the pain medicine should make him loopy when he’s awake.” She gave it to him straight. Meredith didn’t want to give Rob hope of talking or playing Xbox as they normally would when Ellis would probably sleep the rest of the day.

“I don’t mind if he’s asleep. I just want to be there for him. I can bring my guitar and my homework to keep myself busy. Plus, I got some papers for you to sign so he can be excused from a few assignments while he’s out.”

Meredith smiled. These were the kinds of friends Ellis had! Rob would be willing to sit by his side even when he was sleeping? It made her happy. “Of course you can come by. Is Russ coming over too?” She asked because they were together often.

“Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow.”
“Okay. As long as you explain to Russ not to get too loud.” “Gotcha, Ms. M. I’ll be by in about forty minutes.”

Rob came by and did as promised. He sat in the chair across the room and played soft music on his guitar. Ellis woke up for ten minutes and said hello, but was asleep again quickly.

“You think I could text him later?” Rob asked as he walked to the door.

“You can, but I took his phone,” she said. “I think he needs his rest, and if I don’t take the phone, he’ll be playing those silly soccer games and commenting on Facebook. I think he’ll live without it for a while.”

Rob looked shocked but didn’t question her further. Meredith liked the fact that he didn’t challenge her authority in her own house.

ROB also came by the surgery center and waited in the room with her and Brian while Ellis was in surgery. He was the most faithful friend she’d ever seen and often envied the relationship they shared. Russell also visited just after they called Ellis’s name to go in the back.

“Good luck, man!” Russell said, squeezing Ellis’s hand and then thumping him on the back.

Rob added, “Yeah, El, see you when you get out.” “Is Cole coming?” Ellis asked, his countenance hopeful. “Nah, man. Sorry. Cole is MIA lately,” Russell answered.

A shadow passed over Ellis’s face. One that left Meredith wondering what he was thinking. And who was Cole that Ellis should want him here so much? Her thoughts were fleeting, though, as the nurse prompted her to escort them into the surgical prep room.

It was nothing more than a gurney separated from others by a curtain. This was not a hospital, it was a surgical center, and the orthopedic surgeon did dozens of surgeries in a day. They line them up like sheep, she thought.

“Are you nervous, honey?” she asked her son.

 

“Of course he’s not nervous, Mere. The boy’s twenty years old.”

 

“It’s just a question, Brian.”

 

“I’m fine, Mom.” He smiled, but something about him wasn’t right. He looked sad. “You didn’t bring my phone, did you, Mom?”

“No, dear. I told you a few days without it wouldn’t hurt. Give it a break. Your friends have come by every day. I’m not sure what else can be accomplished by having that phone in your hand.”

“Just in case someone texts, Mom. Like Geoff or Kevin… or Cole.”

“Your soccer buddies have all been by the house.” The thought occurred to her that Ellis hadn’t seemed encouraged by their company. Instead of laughing with them like usual, he pitifully stared out the window every time they visited.

“Cole doesn’t play soccer, Mom,” Ellis said with an edge to his voice.

 

“And who is Cole again?”

“Um, he’s my… roommate. He was at the hospital when I broke my leg.”
“Oh, I don’t remember meeting him. I’m sure if he wanted to come he would have hitched a ride with Rob or Russ.” Why not, right? They were all Ellis’s friends.

“But what if he texted me, Mom, and didn’t come because he thought I didn’t want him here? All because you took my phone.” Ellis was now agitated and Meredith found it disturbing.

“Ellis! You don’t need to speak to me like that,” she chastised him with a glare.

 

Ellis immediately backed down. “I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just tired. And my leg hurts.”

 

“Okay.”

“Ellis Montgomery?” the nurse asked as she popped around the corner of the curtain. “It’s time to go back.”
Meredith kissed her son’s forehead. “I’ll be right here when you get out.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

THE surgery went well and Ellis was released to go home later that day. His mother worried because before he could leave his blood pressure had to be stable, yet every time she walked over to his bedside, it shot up! Luckily it only took forty-five minutes to calm down and stay down, so he was able to leave the center.

The first few days repeated the same scenario as the day he broke it: lots of sleep. Rob and Russell stopped by, and so did Mike and Geoff and countless soccer players whose names she lost track of. They brought him presents and some schoolwork he’d missed. They were great friends, but so far she was sure no one named Cole had graced their house.

Ellis took less and less Percocet and eventually switched to ibuprofen to sleep comfortably. He wasn’t eating. He wasn’t reading. And he didn’t seem to want to watch television. He slept sometimes, but more times than she could count, Meredith found him staring out the window over the back of the couch.

“Are you okay, honey? You haven’t eaten anything. Can I make another batch of bread pudding?”

 

He smiled weakly. “No, Mom. Thanks. I’m good.” And then he went back to looking out the window.

What was he hoping to see? It was cold and gray, and not even many birds visited the front yard. It seemed boring to look out there for hours on end without talking or anything.

“Sweetheart, do you want to talk about something?” she asked, hoping to get a favorable response.

Ellis shook his head. “No. I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine. You look… down.”

“I broke my leg, Mom. I’ve been cooped up on the couch for days. I just want to go back to school.”

He didn’t say it very kindly, but he wasn’t mean about it either. Ellis seemed… edgy. “Oh. Well, I don’t think it’s a great idea.”

“But, Mom… Rob can only bring me my work so often. If I was there on campus, he could bring it by my place every day. I could do it while I rested, and he could hand it back in right away.” His eyes and voice pleaded this time.
“Hmm. I’ll think about it.”

“Can I have my phone back yet?” he asked as she was about to leave the room.

Meredith turned on her heel. “Ellis, I’ll give it back in another day or two. I just want to make sure you’ve had enough rest and that you aren’t playing on the phone the whole time.”

“Mom, I’m not a kid!”

“No. But you are in my house, and you do need to rest, according to the doctor’s orders. If I have your phone, at least I know you aren’t staying up all night texting. If you want to talk to someone so bad, call them the old-fashioned way.”

“Mooom,” Ellis whined, punching the back of the couch. “I just want to check it! I don’t know the numbers. I push speed-dial and text. Can’t I just see it?”

Meredith hadn’t seen him so distressed in years. He was normally passive and quiet. Something was going on with him and not having his phone was only a small part of it. She was tempted to turn it on and check to see who might be texting. Maybe it was a girl? He hadn’t brought anyone around in high school or college, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t someone special. Ben hadn’t brought Rachel by until she was pregnant. She hoped to God Ellis was smart enough not to get a girl pregnant! She was tempted to check the phone, but didn’t. Ellis deserved his privacy. “Fine.” She went upstairs to retrieve it.

On the way back down, she tripped over the corner of the area rug and the phone went flying from her grasp. It hit the wall and crashed to the floor.

“Mom!” Ellis yelled. He rolled off the couch and crawled over to his phone like it was a wounded animal. “You cracked the screen! Mom! What am I supposed to do now? I can’t read it!”

She felt bad, really, but there was nothing to be done. “I can take it to the store in the morning. I’m sure they can fix the screen or transfer the content to a new one.”

“But I wanted it now!” Ellis thumped his hand on the floor in anger and then threw the phone at the other wall.

“Ellis Walter Montgomery! You change that attitude right now, mister, or I won’t allow your friends to see you the next time they visit!” She’d had enough. Meredith wasn’t sure what was wrong with Ellis, but this aggression was going to end!

He sulked with his arms crossed over his chest. “Fine. I’m sorry.”

He didn’t sound sorry. “I’ll talk to your father about getting you another phone, but you remember your manners or there won’t be another phone.”

“Yes, Mother,” he grumbled with slightly less edge to his voice.

 

Meredith picked up his broken phone and left Ellis to calm down.

NOT too many days after Ellis threw a tizzy over not having his phone, there was a knock on the back door. Only friends used the back door. Meredith wondered who might be dropping by, and hoped it was someone she wanted to see. She had friends, but often they seemed vapid, and entertaining the thought of meaningless banter for the sake of appearances seemed empty. None of her friends really knew her. They driveled on about the PTA or ballet lessons their kids were in, but no one really wanted to know about her children.

Sara was a lesbian. Meredith thought that people were terribly quick to judge and afraid of something they didn’t understand. If only they saw how happy Sara was! But no, they got stuck on the “L” word. And Ben was forever dubbed the “teenage dad,” no matter how old he got! Sometimes they would ask about Ellis, but she had nothing to say since he didn’t share his life with her.

Having friends was tiresome.

Thankfully, it was Rob and a friend. The friend looked familiar yet hung behind Rob, looking down at his feet. “Hello, Rob. It’s nice to see you. Come in.” She ushered them in by stepping aside in the doorway. “And you brought a friend, how nice.”

“Yes. This is Cole Reid. He’s Ellis’s roommate.”
“Oh. How nice to finally meet you. Ellis has mentioned you a few times. I guess college life is busy and that’s why you haven’t popped by before.” It came out colder than she intended, but she wasn’t about to rephrase it, even after his dark eyes darted away from her face and he bit his lip. Not socializing was affecting her personality. (And politeness.)

“Ah, yeah, I guess,” Cole said, uncomfortably, pushing his glasses up the ridge of his nose.

“Can I get you boys some lemonade?” she chirped, feeling all hostess-like all of a sudden. It was fun to have guests to spoil. Maybe they would like some homemade chicken soup? She had some simmering in the Crock-Pot for Ellis.

“That would be great!” Rob said happily. “I’m just gonna show Cole into the living room and then I’ll come back in here and help. Okay?”

“All right,” she answered, watching him scoot out the door.

Wanting to know more about Ellis, and needing to figure out who Cole was, prompted her to listen by the door. Just this once. No one would know. She cracked it to get a clearer sound.

Ellis’s surprised voice was hard to miss. “Cole! What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you,” Cole answered, sounding as nervous as he’d looked when she was rude to him in the kitchen. Did she make him that nervous, or was he nervous talking to Ellis? Meredith couldn’t tell from the sound. She wished she were in the room.

Rob cleared his throat and said, “Well, I’m just gonna… go. I’ll see if your mom needs any help with that lemonade.” Why did he sound uncomfortable?

Meredith jumped back from the door and hurriedly snatched the pitcher from the cabinet. She had the lemonade mix in hand as Rob entered the room. “Is Ellis happy to see you?” She asked as if nothing were amiss.

“Yeah.”

 

“And Cole too? I wasn’t aware of their friendship.” She added the water to the pitcher.

Rob strolled over next to her. “Well… they’re roommates.” “That doesn’t mean they’re friends. I roomed with a girl in college—the one year I went—and we couldn’t stand each other,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, I guess that happens. Cole and Ellis didn’t exactly hit it off right away, but they’re fine now. Cole is less cynical around him, I think, and Ellis smiles more.”

“Oh? Is he funny, like a class clown or something? He looked kind of nerdy to me.” Why am I acting like this? Rob’s going to think something crawled up my butt! Meredith was feeling combative for some reason. Who was this “Cole” and why did Ellis smile more around him? Rob was the most pleasant friend Ellis had, so for Rob to say Ellis smiled more around Cole gave Meredith a queasy stomach.

“Cole’s sarcastic but harmless. If you look past the ‘dour’ he’s actually a great guy. He went camping with us in September, and even though it rained practically the entire time, I didn’t hear him complain once!” Rob smiled and added the powdered lemonade mix to the water and kept talking. “And he’s real smart too; a physics major.”

“Wow.” She was genuinely impressed. Ellis normally made friends with the jock crowd. It was truly unusual for him to bond with someone intellectual. Not that jocks weren’t intellectual, but often times—in her experience—they had less brain and more brawn. Maybe college life was changing Ellis? Maybe he’d found he could make friends with anyone there? Maybe he would go back and forget her once she was not taking care of him? Maybe he would move away and never look back?

“Ms. M? Are you okay?” Rob looked serious.

Meredith shook her head to clear away the speculatory nonsense. “Uh, yeah. I’m fine,” she said. But she wasn’t, not really. It was hard not to imagine the worst case of abandonment scenarios when she’d dreaded the onset of “empty nest syndrome” for years. True, they hadn’t all left the nest yet, but she knew it would be soon. Sara was with Lori, Ben was with Rachel, and Ellis… Ellis was with…? Hmm, she didn’t know. Why worry about some random friendship? Ellis was still her boy.

“Can you get the tray from the cabinet over there?” she asked and directed him with a gesture. In a minute, the glasses and pitcher were arranged and they were walking back into the living room.

As soon as she entered the room, it felt different. Ellis’s countenance was no longer glum but radiant. Why wasn’t he radiant for her? It was difficult to ward off the jealous tendencies and remember he was older now. He wasn’t a little kid who ran to Mommy when he scraped his knee. He was practically a grown-up, and his friends where a huge part of his life. It was their presence that buoyed him, not hers.

“Well, I see someone is looking happier today,” Meredith said with a smile as she set the tray on the coffee table. Cole had moved out of the way and stood next to the couch near Ellis. Out of the corner of her eye, she could have sworn she saw Cole touch his hair, but as soon as she turned his way, his hand was at his side. Curious. She smiled, masking the awkward quiver in her stomach.

“Yeah.” Ellis grinned uncomfortably and looked away.

Either he was lying or having her in the room was causing the silence to reproduce. No matter what, this was the first time in a long while that Meredith felt like she had a third eye or a growth on her back that no one wanted to mention in polite conversation. She was the third wheel in a room of four people and didn’t belong among them. Ellis was sinking away from her and she was helpless to stop it. Just when things were growing impossibly tight, Rob coughed. It was obvious he was trying for a sound, any sound.

“Mom,” Ellis said quietly, peering up at her with his sad blue eyes, “I really miss my friends.”

“I know, honey.” She tried to console him, patting his shoulder. “They can come by as much as they like.” She turned to Rob. “Perhaps you could have a movie night? Invite some of Ellis’s friends from school?” She turned to Cole, who looked about ready to hide behind the sofa. “You could come too, if you want.” She meant for it to be sincere but worried it came off as flippant.

“That’s not what I mean, Mom. I want to stay there.”

She looked him in the eyes. They pleaded in inaudible ways that pained her. Why was he looking like that? Was her care really that horrible? “I don’t know, dear. How will you get around?” She tried not to allow her quivers to sound in her voice.

“Rob can help me, and Cole. I can use my crutches to get to class and take the elevators to the lecture rooms. It will be fine, Mom. Really.”

“And the doctor’s appointments?” She was trying to think of all the reasons he should stay without asking what he’d do without her?

“Well… I could… take him,” Cole muttered sheepishly.

Is he always so namby-pamby? Meredith thought. She could not see why he was here at all. First he hadn’t come around for weeks, and then when he did he looked paralyzed by fear. Why would he dare to suggest he drive Ellis around? She paused. Her internal criticism against a person she’d just met opened her eyes to the truth. He’s afraid of me! Why? This Cole person was afraid of what she’d say, of what she’d do, and perhaps that was the whole reason Ellis wasn’t talking to her about the girlfriend he had on campus! She wasn’t approachable. She’d walled him off for too many years, and she’d lost her chance! Ellis was gone already. She swallowed her tears. “I guess I could think about it,” she said, straight-faced.

Ellis didn’t let it go. He begged, “Can I please go back to living on campus? Pleeease, Mommy?”

 

He used the “Mommy” card. It got her every time.

SHE allowed him to go, not realizing it meant immediate evacuation. In twenty minutes, they were up and out of the house with all of his belongings and medication. The house felt like a graveyard. Meredith fell asleep on the couch, smelling his sweat on the pillow and pondering how her son’s life had slipped through her fingers, and only then did she realize she didn’t know him at all.