Chapter 4

Wednesday, May 3^rd, 2023

11:45 PM

The day had been incredible. Marcia kept fingering the ring she wore on her ring finger of her left hand. It was beautiful, and she was so happy Darryl had bought it. Briefly, she had wondered how he afforded it, but then she realized that he had saved a lot of money over the last couple of years.

The surprises had only begun with Darryl’s proposal. When Mike asked for the bill, the server brought a slip of paper. There was no sign of the normal credit card tray. Instead, there was a note. Mike read it, teared up, and then handed it to Gloria. He didn’t speak, and in fact, it appeared as though he couldn’t.

As Gloria read it, tears came to her eyes as well.

“What is it?” Liz asked.

Wordlessly, Gloria handed the note to her friend.

Colonel and Mrs. Chatham, Liz read aloud. Our daughter told us that you were here celebrating your own daughter’s birthday. We would both like to thank you for what you did that day, saving the people on that flight.

My wife and I were returning from our thirtieth anniversary trip to Honolulu, and without your actions, it would have undoubtedly been our last.

Chelsea and I are the owners here, and we feel that we owe you a debt beyond words, and as a small token, your dinner is on the house. Raven, our daughter, told us that you were quite humble in regards to your actions, saying that you didn’t deserve the praise.

Since that is your feeling, and we disagree with you, I would like to offer a compromise.

Happy birthday to Marcia, the daughter of the most incredible, heroic people I’ve ever encountered! Please accept our birthday wishes in giving you all this meal!

Thursday, May 4^th, 2023

6 AM

Marcia had spent a couple of hours thinking over the day, and while she’d turned off her alarm, she came fully awake at six anyway. She vaguely remembered rolling over and cancelling her alarm, although she wanted to help Bruce. Especially as he’d give her Tigger.

Tigger! She hurried and got dressed. She almost didn’t even bother with makeup, but her normal routine won out, and so, she put on her normal, minimal day to day amount. Very minimal!

Hurrying to the kitchen, she grabbed an apple and paring knife, then ran out to the barn. Belatedly, she realized it wasn’t a good idea to run with a knife in her hand, but she was already at the door. She hurried in, and to, Tigger’s stall. She slipped the knife into her jacket pocket and threw her arms around the horse.

“I hope you like him,” came Bruce’s voice from behind her.

She turned and beamed at him. “Very much, as you well know.”

The man laughed and stepped closer. “He’s a gentleman when you ride him. He can fly like the wind, but only if you want him to.” He reached up and patted Tigger’s neck. “Yeah, you’re a good lad, aren’t ya, young man?”

“But why give him to me?”

“Because you want him. And I can see you’ll take good care of him.”

“But..” Marcia started.

“That’s why, Lass.”

She decided not to push further. Maybe later.

-=#=-

Once she returned to the kitchen, Marcia started working on breakfast for everyone. For her, unlike yesterday, this day was not a good one. Three years ago, this day after her fourteenth birthday, her biological mother had been t-boned in her car. The impact was on the left side, and she was fatally injured. Marcia didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye.

So on this day, Marcia was hoping to keep herself busy. She was getting an oven omelette ready for everyone, but the tears were beginning to flow.

She glanced up as Chet entered, but she could barely see him through the tears. A moment later, he turned and left. Marcia hurried over to the breakfast nook, grabbed a napkin and dabbed at her eyes. She was thankful that she had used very little makeup that morning, but was afraid what little she had on would probably be filled with tracks where the tears were flowing.

Chet entered his bedroom where Mage was getting dressed. “Marcia’s making breakfast.”

“How’s she doing?” Mage asked, concerned for her sister-in-law, and best friend.

Chet sat down on the edge of the bed and told his wife, “Not well. I’m really surprised she can see enough to cook.” Mage glanced sharply at Chet, but quickly realized he wasn’t joking.

“You want to call your mom?”

“I’d think Dad would be the one to come and see her.”

“Chet, do you really think Dad would be the best person to drive today?”

Chet considered. “You know, Dad always seems to do better than Marcia on the anniversary of Shelly’s death.”

Mage sat down beside Chet and put her arm around him. “It’s got to be hard for Marcia, the excitement of yesterday and then what today signifies to her. I mean, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that she bonded like crazy with Mom, but shortly after she showed the world her true self, and was able to do all the mother/daughter things with Shelly, she lost her.”

Chet turned his head and frowned at Mage. “I can’t even begin to imagine what she’s going through.”

“I can imagine,” Mage told him, “and it’s not pleasant.”

Chet nodded after a moment, then took his phone from his belt and dialed a number. “I’ll call Mom.”

-=#=-

Marcia was sitting on the couch, leaning on Darryl’s shoulder. She’d stopped crying now, but replaced it with looking blankly at the floor. Most of the time, the absence of Shelly was bearable. She dearly loved Gloria, and considered her to be her mom in every way. The problem was, every year, she felt guilty on this day. Especially after the joys of her birthday, the day before.

This year’s, however, was even worse. She had gotten engaged the night before, to this wonderful man who was holding her while she wept. He was perfect, as far as she was concerned. Her birthday had been perfect. She wished her mother had been there to see what she’d become.

Gloria entered the room, and knelt down in front of the two. “Honey, is there anything I can do?”

Marcia didn’t move for a moment, but finally focused on her mom. “I.. I’m okay. I think.”

Gloria nodded, then Marcia asked, “How’s Dad and Amber?”

Gloria smiled. “Amber is okay, but your Dad always has a rough time of it.”

“Are you trying to give me something to keep me occupied?” Marcia asked suspiciously.

It wasn’t any good to try to pull one over on this girl, Gloria thought to herself, so she simply said, “Yes.”

Marcia slowly sat up, then turned to face Darryl. “I wish you could come with me today, but I think this is something that only Dad and I have in common.”

Darryl gave a sad smile, then a kiss. “I know, Foxy. I’ll see ya tonight, okay?

-=#=-

Mike and Gloria had gotten a motel room for their stay in the Anchorage area, and a little ways down the parking lot, in the same establishment, Bob and Liz also had a room.

Gloria slipped her card into the door, then let Marcia in. Mike was watching a cartoon on Nickelodeon with Amber on his lap, and she was telling her dad all about each person (animal) on the screen.

“Hey, Sweetheart,” he said to Marcia when she entered the room. “Amber has been telling me all about Pippa…”

“Peppa!” Amber corrected.

“Sorry. Peppa Pig. Wanna join us?”

Marcia smiled. “Sure,” she laughed. “I’d love to!”

She pulled out a chair and sat down beside her dad and little sister. A moment later, she leaned her head onto her dad’s shoulder.

Gloria watched for a moment, then touched Mike’s other shoulder. He glanced up and she mouthed, “I’ll see you all later.” Mike smiled, and she quietly exited the room.

Mike understood. This was something that was just for the three of them. Many had been the time that Shelly, Marcia, and him had watched movies together. When Amber came along, the tradition was continued.

Of course, Gloria and Chet had joined in the movies when they became part of the family, but this was a special time, just for the three of them, and he was grateful for it.

-=#=-

11AM

Gloria knocked on the door to the Johnsons’ room. A moment later, Liz opened it and invited her in.

“Mike got the girls?” Bob asked.

Gloria nodded. She could be upset that Mike still carried a torch for Shelly, but why? Shelly and Mike had a wonderful relationship, and she and Mike had their own, wonderful and unique relationship. The two couldn’t really be compared.

Add to that, the fact that she saw how deeply Mike loved his family. She didn’t see any need to be jealous.

“Well, we contacted Adam with Century 21, and he’s able to meet with us,” Bob said.

“Are you sure Mike won’t be upset?” Liz asked.

“He wanted this time with the girls. We think Marcia still feels guilty having a wonderful time on her birthday, then the next day having… Well, you know.”

“That does make sense,” Liz nodded.

They went out to Bob and Liz’s rental and got in. She would have loved to drive herself, but she was a bit uneasy in a strange place. She had only been driving for a year. Mike was adamant that she was doing great, but she didn’t feel it necessary to press her luck.

They drove south, eventually coming to a Tesoro station where they met up with the Realtor. He seemed a bit forward toward Gloria, and when he asked if she’d like to ride with him, she politely declined.

He seemed a bit deflated, but led them to Upper Fire Lake, where there was a house on the north shore that was for sale. It seemed a bit small, and Bob wasn’t sure he wanted to try to land a Beechcraft Bonanza on the smaller lake.

There were a few more places on Lower Fire Lake that were more to their liking, and the group of three decided that there were three they wanted Mike to see the next day.

Once more, Adam invited Gloria to ride with him, which struck her as strange as his office was south of where they were, so she commented that she really wanted to talk to her husband about the houses.

When he continued, Bob stepped forward to where he was standing toe to toe with the Realtor and said, “I believe Mrs. Chatham has made it clear that she’s not interested in being alone with you. You appear to be hitting on her while her husband isn’t able to make it to this meeting. I believe you have crossed a line here, and I will be calling your office and speaking to your superior.

For some reason, Adam thought this wasn’t a good idea, and started to raise his hand in a threatening manner. “You do realize that I’m a Colonel in the Air Force, and I’ve been trained in hand to hand combat, right?” Bob said it in a very quiet voice, but something in his demeanor conveyed a supreme confidence in his ability to hold his own against the much younger man.

The hand that started to raise stopped, then lowered. Adam turned to Gloria and said, “I apologize for my behavior, Ma’am.” He then got into his car and sped out of the parking lot.

Bob was a man of his word. He calmly called the agency and reported the harassment that had been given to Gloria. The call was immediately transferred to the head of the office, where the information was repeated and recorded.

“Would you be willing to sign this statement, Sir?” the woman on the other end asked Bob.

“I hate to have to, but yes.”

“Thank you. This has happened before with Mr. Gregory, and I feel it’s time we separate from him. I apologize for what has happened, and I will personally handle your needs from here on out, Colonel Johnson.”

“Won’t the contract we signed with him prevent that? He’ll still get a commission at least, won’t he?”

“Not without his license, no.”

Bob nodded as he responded. “So this was his last chance?”

“Not you specifically, but he’d been given one more chance. Unfortunately, he blew it with Mrs. Chatham.”

“Will a digital signature do, or do I need to sign personally?”

“Electronic for now, and I’ll bring a copy when we next meet. When is that, by the way?”

“Well we were going to meet with Mr. Gregory tomorrow, but if that doesn’t fit in your schedule…”

“If it doesn’t, Colonel, I’ll change my schedule. You are my priority. Honestly, I shouldn’t have trusted Mr. Gregory again.”

“Thank you, uh… I’m sorry. I didn’t get your name?”

“It’s Wanda Gregory, Colonel.”

“Oh!” was all Bob could think of to say.