Blessed Tragedy(22)
“Dammit, why can't people in this town mind their own damn business?” I said to no one in particular since I was sitting alone in the kitchen.
Well, I didn't mean to say it to anyone but my dad chose that moment to come downstairs. There was definitely something going on with him if I was waking up before he was, I just hadn't found the right time to broach the subject. I needed to get on that since I told the guys I'd be gone ten days, tops and I was already on day three.
“What's going on, Moo?” I tried to ignore the bags under Dad's still dull eyes and the hollow cheeks. He didn't look good at all this morning.
“Apparently, I can't leave the house in this forsaken town. Some * took a picture of me yesterday morning.” I flinched at my curse, expecting Dad to say something but he simply sat across from me listening to me rant. “Seriously, why is it that big a deal if I get a powdered doughnut? It's not like I'm Hannah-freaking-Montana or something. I'm the lead singer of a decent band that hasn't even headlined yet.” I slumped back in my chair with a puff, trying to get the ruby red bangs out of my eyes. This getting up in the morning thing didn't seem to be going so well for me.
“Can I point out the obvious?” Dad cupped his coffee in both hands and I saw a slight tremor as he raised the mug to his lips. “When you walk around a town this size looking the way you do, you're going to attract attention. And that hair is like a neon sign saying 'Look at me, I'm Rain Maxwell'.”
He was right, of course, but I had never been a fan of disguises. To me, the thought of throwing on a baseball cap and sunglasses screamed “Look at me, I'm somebody trying to make sure you don't know who I am!”
That was what led me on an adventure that was sure to piss off Tanya, our well-meaning and overbearing manager. Of course, being home, I wasn't living in Rain Maxwell mode, I was simply Maddie Neumann, the almost twenty-five year old daughter of Thomas Neumann of Lexington. That wasn't a good thing because I wasn't thinking about needing to consult with anyone before acting on my impulses, doing things like drastically changing my appearance.
Eight hours after grabbing the Mazda keys off the hooks inside the front door, I replaced them feeling amazing, liberated and perhaps just a bit paranoid of the fallout. The ruby red curls that had become my signature were gone. I felt good about the new razor cut, nearly black 'do with a bright blue undertone. With a little – okay, a lot – of help from a flat iron, even my dad admitted that it looked good. Yes, my conservative dad who I'd avoided for so long was now complimenting me on the bright blue in my hair. On top of that, I'd made the decision to ditch the green contacts in favor of my natural eye color, even going so far as to pick up a pair of funky glasses for daily wear. With the hair, my light brown eyes resembled the color of steeped tea. It was a seriously killer look. I just had to hope it was different enough to throw the locals off my trail long enough to take care of business and get the hell out of dodge.
Having the day to myself, with no one demanding anything of me, was just what I needed to refocus my mind. I'd been avoiding talking to my dad about what was going on but there was no denying something wasn't right with him. After dropping my bags in my bedroom, I bounded down the stairs to the rec room.
“Hey stranger! Dad spilled the beans you were here but I figured he was losing it.” Mike pulled himself off the couch and lifted me off the ground in a tight hug. “Keep this up and we're going to expect you home for the holidays.”
I glared at Mike, not wanting to get into the reasons for my trip home with Dad sitting on the sectional watching baseball. Knowing I was going to be heading back to Florida soon, I decided I'd start by talking to my brother, see if he knew anything. If nothing else, he could keep an eye on things while I was gone and let me know if anything happened.
“Is Dad sick?” I blurted once I had dragged him to the back patio.
“Not that I know of. Why?”
“Why?” That question worried me far more than it should have. “Have you looked at him? He looks like shit; he's barely eating and he's been sleeping until after nine every morning.”
Mike sighed. “Moo, you can't expect him to get right back to living. It hasn't even been a month since Mom--”
I cut him off, not letting him say the dreaded word. Yes, she was gone, but I hadn't once been able to verbalize that fact since coming home.
“It's not that. Seriously, Mike, do you think I'd be home if I thought it was grieving?” It was actually somewhat surprising to me that Mike hadn't questioned why I was home but that was beside the point.
“I think you're in hyper-vigilant mode after what happened with Mom. I love you, you know that, but don't you think we'd know if something was going on? Matt and I are over here all the time and he hasn't said anything.”
Through the French doors from the house to the patio, I saw Dad was, once again, sound asleep. He'd managed to stay up for nine hours before having to sleep this time; and that's if he didn't nap while I was gone. Maybe things seemed normal to Mike but they definitely weren't and it was obvious to me that I needed to at least get confirmation on the what within the next week so I could get my brothers on board with taking care of him once I had to leave.
“Have you thought about the fact that with everything going on with Mom he wouldn't say anything? You know him better than I do, and unless something's changed, he wouldn't have wanted anyone paying attention to him when they should have been paying attention to her. Admit it.”
Mike focused on his feet as he kicked stones off the patio. “Yeah, you're right about that. And, I suppose, if something is wrong, you would be the one to see a drastic change.” My brother was actually conceding defeat. He was agreeing with me. If there really is a Hell, I'm pretty sure it froze over in that moment. “So, what do you suggest we do, oh wise baby sister?”
“You might not like my answer.”
“No, I might not. And I might surprise you and love it. Tell me.” I'd never been close to Mike, but tonight felt like we'd had this relationship our entire lives. It was nice to feel so normal for once.
“Call Matt, tell him to meet us down at the bar. I don't want to talk about this around Dad just yet, and if Matt shows up, he's going to suspect something.”
From the outside looking in, I'm sure the Neumann family looked just like any other family. What no one could know is I'm just as much a stranger to them as they are to me. That's why it surprised me when he was on board with my idea, picking up his phone before I could finish explaining.
“You gonna call Mark to let him know what you're thinking?” Mike asked while he waited for Matt to pick up. I knew what he was getting at; that I had been upset when I wasn't kept in the loop and therefore he expected me to let Mark know. I had no intention of doing that. Not yet. The way I saw it, there was no point in worrying him until we knew there was something to worry about. And knowing Mark, he'd do nothing but freak out as soon as he knew anything.
“Nah, let's keep it the three of us until we know if there's a problem. But then, we are going to call him. And if something happens after I go back, I want you to promise me here and now that you will not keep me out of the loop again.”
Matt agreed to meet us at the bar an hour later, so I left Mike to keep Dad company while I found something to wear. Had I realized I'd be back so soon, I would have left the suitcase I'd brought home for the funeral in the closet. Instead, I was forced to find something that didn't make me look like I was either trying to hang onto my teen years or I was a fashion reject who didn't realize times had changed.
Never one to shy away from going out, I felt apprehensive as I finished putting on a pair of short denim shorts with a plain black t-shirt and flip flops. Knowing at least one person in town was making their way to being best friends with the gossip sites, I worried about what people would think if pictures of me dressed like this got out. Then I realized the bigger issue would be if Tanya saw pictures of me out on the town and it had nothing to do with my clothes. In an effort to give the guys a heads up, just in case, I snapped a quick picture of myself on my phone, complete with the most incredible duck lips I could manage because duck lips make everything fun, and sent it off to Colton. After that, I reminded myself that I'd spent years not giving a damn what others thought and tonight was not the time to do so.
Matt was sitting at one of the high tables along the front wall when we got there. Luckily, he was prepared and had the first pitcher of beer ordered.
“Hey Moo, found your way back home?” He asked with a smirk. Apparently, after spending so much time avoiding everyone, this was going to be my punishment for a while. In the long run, I figure it's a small price to pay to get things back to how they should be with my brothers.
“Something like that,” I said dryly. “But don't worry, I'll be out of your hair again soon enough.”