Gene's Story or How I Gained a Cousin A novel by Karen Lockhart Copyright 2016

CHAPTER 61

After coffee, I got busy making phone calls to our sub-contractors. The first call was to the concrete foundation company. I asked if they would be coming out to pour the floor slabs this year. The owner didn't hold out much hope. All his grade points were buried or knocked over when Steve pushed snow around. He was worried the air temperature wouldn't rise enough to thaw the surface frost, and he didn't bid for the job with building a house around the slab and heating it around the clock for a week. He suggested calling him in two weeks in case the weather broke. I thanked him, promising to call again if the temperatures rose enough.

That call pretty much made the others redundant. I called the steel fabricators to check on our rebar delivery date. I was told, even with the snow, they would deliver the steel on schedule. They required someone to be on site to sign for the delivery, so I said I'd call the day before to confirm delivery.

The next call was the framing contractor. He had a good sense of humor, singing “See you in the Summer.”

I jumped on that, growling, “I better see you sooner than that!”

He promised to check in with me in two weeks. His problem was he had committed to another project in the first week of January, thinking his part in this job would be finished.

Well, this was nothing I didn't expect since I knew this storm finished us for the year. Steve and I had better figure March before any more work would be done out here!

Well that worked out for Ginny's scheduled surgery and rehabilitation. She would have the month of February to recover at home. I would be able to check on her and take her to any doctors' appointments.

All the time I was making phone calls, Ginny was in the other room, on her laptop, checking on recipes and food deliveries. She was actually worried I would go hungry while she couldn't cook. I hoped she liked pizza and Chinese food every other day, because this girl wasn't cooking.

She gave me a Mona Lisa smile and said that Peapod would deliver healthy food to the door, and she would oversee me in the kitchen. She promised easy meals that even I could fix. Also one of the take-out places had fresh garden salads and very good pasta dishes.

After going out for lunch at the nearest fast-food place, I checked my calendar for Ginny's appointments. She had a 4pm appointment with the physiologist, Doctor Braun on Friday and a 3.30pm appointment with Doctor Singh on Monday.

She was excited about the timing of these, “I can have them write my letters of recommendation for the surgeon in Montreal while I'm there.”

“Ginny, what would happen if the doctors changed their minds, and felt you should wait a few months longer?”

“I don't think that will happen; both doctors felt I was ready to have the surgery, and I wouldn't have any regrets with the GRS.”

“I'm looking at the worst case possible, would you lose your deposit at the clinic?”

“It's possible, but not probable. I would still have my surgery there, and they are the ones that had an earlier cancellation, that allowed me to slide into an end of January date.”

I rubbed her shoulders, “I just don't want to see you get hurt, just for a few weeks difference in time. The results will last for a long time. You're only twenty-four, just a kid!”

With that the water works started, she started weeping, and blowing her nose. ”You really care about me, don't you? It's no act is it? I walked into your life six months ago from nowhere, and you care about me!”

Now I was choking up; you know girls, once one starts crying, it's contagious. She stood up and hugged me. Wow, she was still strong, I felt my bones creak. The ringing of Ginny's phone saved me a trip to the chiropractor.

Ginny looked at the caller ID, “It's Tina, I hope nothing's wrong.”

She talked for five minutes, listened for twice that, and hung up,saying “We'll see you about 3.30 at the condo.”

I looked at her expectantly, she shrugged and said, “Something's happened, but she really didn't want to talk about it over the cell phone.”

“Then what was that fifteen minute call about, the weather?”

Ginny shrugged again, “She rehashed what we already knew, asked my opinion on whether to stay at the apartment or return to Andover. She really wasn't making a lot of sense. I think she was drinking.”

“That's great, really just great. See why I wasn't comfortable telling her about Gene and your trip to Montreal for surgery? I was afraid something like this would happen. For your safety, even Kevin knowing makes me nervous.”

Ginny gave me an old fashioned look, “I kind of think Kevin would have noticed something different with my body the three or four times we had sex. “

“Three or four times!” I puffed. “You don't know how many times? Should I call Kevin to see if he can remember how many times?”

Ginny started to get excited, took a look at me laughing at her, and started to laugh also. “You were just winding me up weren't you? Well, you got me you witch, you got me. Should I call Kevin and ask him how many?'”

I put on my parka, “Come on, let's go home. We have Tina to deal with, don't forget.”

We weren't home ten minutes before Ginny's phone rang.

“Sure, anytime.” she said, “I'll put on the kettle for tea.”

She looked at me, “She said she was on the way. She sounded okay, Ellen, no crying.”

Ginny was watching for her and opened the door before Tina could knock. “Come in, let me have your coat.”

She came in and sat beside me on the sofa.

“Tina, what's going on that got you calling Ginny at work, any news on your father?”

“That Captain Smith called again, the blood they found in the car wasn't my father's, but the Escalade's interior had no finger prints, it was wiped clean. He said he was now sure what ever happened to Dad wasn't an accident.”

Ginny arrived with tea for us, “We figured that out ourselves. You knew he wasn't crazy enough to head out to sea in a Northeaster on a thirty foot boat.”

Tina took a sip or two before answering, “This means he's dead, him and his friend, they're both dead.”

“Wait a sec, his friend? The friend from Revere? Has anybody seen him, do you know his name, Tina?”

Once I started down this route, the more I wanted to ask questions about the friend. Was that blood the friend's? Are two men missing or just one? Holy Cow, why am I asking questions like this? The best thing for Ginny and me is for Vinnie to be dead. That way there would be zero chance somebody might slip around Tina and give Ginny away. I know the mystery bothered Ginny also, and she was as torn as I was over Vincent Morales' fate.

“I wonder if Captain Smith knows the identity of dad's friend? I certainly can't help him. I never knew any of my father's friends. I guess I was afraid to know them. The only one I met was the guy that owned a trucking business in Newburyport. I think it was Newburyport.”

With that, Ginny and I exchanged looks, and changed the subject quickly.

“Look Tina, you're here now, why don't you stay for supper? Ellen and I were thinking of ordering Chinese food from that place in the mall. They deliver here, so we don't have to go out again.”

“Ginny, you talked me into it, do you have a menu I could look at?”

To be continued.