Chapter 13
Darren
I woke up that next morning expecting to see either a stunning woman or a happy dog. I sat up quickly once I saw that neither was there to greet me.
What I did wake up to was something that I hadn’t in quite some time: Music.
More specifically, I heard the keyboard in my living room being played. It was a melody that I’d never heard before, but I was quickly transported to another place and time as the piece on the keyboard continued.
I threw on a shirt and a pair of shorts, and I went into the living room to face the music.
If I hadn’t been afraid of being called a creep, I would have taken Bailey’s picture at that moment. She was wearing one of my T-shirts with no underwear on. The shirt was long enough that it went down to her knees, which were folded together. Her hair was curly and looked as though she’d worked on it that morning. Whether she had or not was irrelevant. What was important was the music being made on my instrument that I’d become uninterested in using after Bailey left me.
I loved listening to her play. Hearing her unique style reminded me of her skills I’d seen years before. She and I used to make beautiful music together, but she never needed me. Her flame carried an undying heat that would go on for her entire life.
I stood behind her, listening to her and enjoying her original pieces. She never turned around or wondered if I was behind her. This allowed her to play unfiltered, which was a rare treat that I loved.
However, eventually, I was ratted out by Bo, who came trotting in to sit down beside Bailey but stared at me. This prompted her to finally turn around to see what Bo was looking at, startled to see me standing there.
“Sorry.” I chuckled.
“No worries,” she replied. “How long were you standing there for?”
I shrugged. “A while. You sound spectacular.”
“I have better stuff than that,” she said anxiously. “You should hear what I composed while I was vacationing in Greece!”
I knew that was her second-guessing her own abilities again. She used to downplay her skills often whenever we’d play original material we’d just made up. I never knew if that was her being a perfectionist or being nervous about what I’d think of it.
“I see you’ve made a friend,” I said eyeing Bo.
“Yeah, he’s been hanging with me ever since I woke up,” she said. She looked down at Bo, petting him behind his ears.
“You going to keep playing?” I asked.
“How about you play with me?”
“I’d rather not.”
“That’s really a shame,” she said. “All I kept thinking about was us playing together after you woke up.”
“I’m pretty rusty,” I admitted.
“I am too,” she said.
“Bailey, you’ve been playing all morning, and you probably only missed, what, a few days of practice? You haven’t played in a few days? I haven’t played in a few years.”
“Please?” she said making a pouty face.
“No,” I said shaking my head.
“Come on. Don’t be like this,” she said. “Or, you just play.”
I snorted. “That’s worse. I’d rather hear you!”
“You heard me,” she retorted. “You’ve been hearing so much you’re probably sick of hearing my voice.”
I shook my head again. “Impossible.”
“Well, either way,” she continued, “I’m bored with listening to myself. Please play with me.”
“Bailey, no,” I repeated. “I can’t afford to embarrass myself like that.”
“It’s me. You don’t have to be afraid of anything.”
“I think that the best thing for us to do right now is have a nice breakfast, and then I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”
She spun around in her chair, considering my words, pondering where all she wanted to go. Truthfully, I’d have been okay with taking us to the edge of the world.
“I guess I should finish up things at my father’s house,” said Bailey. “I have some other things I need to put in boxes. I’m mailing a lot of stuff to my place in Memphis. That’ll probably take me all day.”
I walked into the kitchen and poured myself a bowl of cereal while she stayed seated by the keyboard, randomly hitting keys.
“So, what’re you going to do today?” she asked me.
“I have no earthly idea. Got any ideas?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “What other cereals do you have?”
After breakfast, I drove Bailey back to Wayne’s house. I parked on the street alongside the driveway, expecting that she would depart, and I’d be on my way.
She took her time, slowly unbuckling her seatbelt and looking down at her phone at a blank screen.
“Do you—do you think maybe you could help me pack some of this stuff up?” she asked. “You don’t have to do anything complicated, just like moving heavy boxes or reaching things that I can’t.”
“Sure, I’d love to hang out with you,” I replied.
She was pleased. We got out of the car and proceeded to go into the house where we spent the majority of our Saturday.
We packed at a leisurely pace, recounting more stories from years’ past. Our day was filled with “Remember when” and “Remember that time.” Each room we were in contained numerous memories, most of them good and happy. I was glad that most of the Wright family’s things would be living on through Bailey after this home’s doors closed to them for the final time.
“It’s weird,” I said at one point. “This place is only memories now.”
“All the more reason I’ll be glad to get back to Memphis,” she said.
“It’s also weird, because well, you know,” I said. “I spent every other day here for ages growing up. I never thought I was going to be back here again. It was always peculiar—your dad would invite me over a whole bunch after you moved, but it wasn’t the same.”
I trailed off. She gave an empathetic smile.
“Now, here we are,” I continued. “We’ve been talking all day, chilling all day like no time passed, and I’m back to thinking about where we left things before you moved away.”
“Darren,” she said.
“I told you, I’m not asking you for anything,” I assured her. “I just thought you should know how I feel. You do with it what you will.”
She finished taping a box and got to her feet. There was a lot on her mind.
“Every time we have a moment like the old days, it feels bittersweet,” said Bailey. “Today has been so much fun. And, you’re the reason that I’ve stayed longer.”
“It’s intoxicating,” I blurted out. “Getting closer to you again, and being together the way we did for years. I—Bailey, I never thought I’d see you again. That’s the truth.”
“You really thought that?”
“I hoped we’d meet again someday,” I said. “But, I didn’t expect anything.”
“I knew we’d meet again,” said Bailey. “But, I didn’t think it’d be like this.”
Once I’d gotten the last big box moved out by her front door, I began putting my shoes back on, checking my phone.
“Leaving?” she asked while I tied my shoes.
“Unless I can do anything else for you.”
“I guess I was just wondering why you were rushing to get out,” she said. “Do you have somewhere you need to be?”
“Not at all,” I said. “I just figured I would go.”
“Oh.”
I bit my lip, choosing honesty. “I’m afraid I’m going to fall back in love with you, okay? It’s not that I want to leave. Quite the opposite, in fact. I want nothing more than to spend every day with you like the past few days we’ve had together.”
She played with her hair, not looking directly at me.
“Okay,” she said. “I get it. You can go. I understand.”
Although her understanding seemed sincere, the tears that began to well in her eyes also appeared genuine, as well. I knelt beside her, lifting her head so that her sweet eyes would meet mine.
“I don’t have to go anywhere,” I said.
“That’s not—you don’t have to do that,” she said through tears. “It’s not just you. It’s everything. My dad’s life, and all of my memories as a child. They’re all in these boxes. I’m not as good at goodbyes as you might think I am. This is really hard for me.”
I wiped a tear from her face, wanting my touch to somehow heal her sadness.
“I know I’m going to have to go back soon,” she said. “And, all this stuff will be waiting for me. But, it’s not about the stuff. I’d trade it all in if I could just have my dad back. I wish I’d come back once or twice. I should have visited him more.”
“Bailey, come on,” I urged her. “You can’t go down that path again. Don’t blame yourself for things that aren’t your fault. And, hey, your dad knew how busy you were. It’s not like he held it against you that you didn’t come back.”
“He asked me so many times to come visit for Thanksgiving, his birthday. It’s not like I couldn’t afford to do it. I’m making money now! I could’ve come to see him. I could’ve called him more than twice a week! He’s my dad, and I only called and texted him like two or three times a week.”
The tears continued to stain her cheeks. After a while, I stopped fighting them and let them happen. Her crying nearly got my own eyes to water.
“I shouldn’t have rushed through our last conversation,” she said. “I can’t believe I never told him how proud I was of him. He was always telling me how proud he was of me. I always said ‘I love you,’ but I never really told him exactly how I felt. I can’t believe I never told him how much he meant to me.”
“Your dad knew how much you loved him,” I said.
“I can’t believe I rushed him off the phone,” she said. “The last time I spoke with him, we didn’t even talk about anything important. I rushed through talking to him so I could go to the studio. That was the last memory I made with my father.”
I knew that no matter how many times I could’ve told her, or how many stories or conversations I could cite to back me up, nothing would put her at ease. I felt useless.
Then, I thought back to when Bailey first moved away. I thought about all the times Wayne and I would meet up together in the city and drink. We usually met up at a place called Chris’ Grill & Saloon, and we typically just watched the game or played some pool. There were times when one of us would bring up Bailey, and every time we spoke about her, there was only unconditional love and compassion emanating from her father.
There was a lot of love for Bailey at Chris’ Saloon. I felt inspired.
“Hey, why don’t we get out of the house for a bit?” I said. “Come on. I’d like to show you something.”