The Country Duet(26)
Four stores later and smack dab in the middle of a Wal-Mart, I find a damn back scratcher. Rolling it over in my hand, I chuckle with the thought of seeking out the manager and asking for a deal on it. No doubt in my mind Dave would do it. My phone rings while checking out. A picture I took of Teale fills the frame. She was sleeping with the majority of her face covered by her long hair. Just the sight of it makes me smile.
“Gordon.”
“Princess Pete,” she spits right back.
“Good to hear your voice.”
“How’s Dave doing today?”
“Ornery and stubborn.”
“So, the same?”
“Pretty much. He has me on a wild goose chase for a damn back scratcher.”
She chuckles into the phone.
“Got busted for smuggling candy into him, but his spirits seem to be better.”
“Good to hear. How are your spirits?”
I shrug even though she can’t see me. “This shit is deep. Nurses and social workers asking me all kinds of questions that I have no clue about. It’s frustrating as hell. Have a test tomorrow that I need to brush up for.”
“Need me to come help you study?”
“That would be nice, but I think we both know how that would turn out.”
“Hasn’t stopped you from interrupting mine.”
“But we made good memories. Go to bed, babe. Going to sit with Dave until he falls asleep. Have to make sure no nurses strangle his ass.”
Chapter 11
Hunter
“To heal from the inside out is the key.” -Wynonna Judd
“You know I have my own metal business?”
“You’ve told me that about a hundred times, but I’m picky about my welds.” Dave leans forward, his natural coloring back in place after weeks of recovery.
I know beyond a shadow of a doubt those nurses threw a damn celebration after he left the nursing home. He should be counting his lucky stars that none of them snuffed him out in his sleep over the long stay. He demanded a bowl of ice cream every night before bed and refused to give up until one of the nurses would bring him one. It was brutal. All I could do was sit by his bed and shake my head in some apology.
I don't know how I managed, but I did. I went to school every day, visited Dave in the nursing home, worked at Frank’s, and managed to squeak in some Teale time. I couldn't ask for a better woman. She’s understanding, patient, and busy with her own life. I even came home late one night to find her in my apartment with homemade chicken noodle soup, thanks to the Instapot. It made me ecstatic to know she put her emergency key to proper use.
“One shot, Dave, just give me one shot. If you don’t approve of my weld, then I’ll never ask again.”
“You won’t know how to use my welder. It’s different than yours.”
“Seriously?”
“I like things done my way.”
“No shit. I’m asking to weld, not anything else.”
Dave grunts and groans then tosses me a piece of old scrap metal. “One chance and that’s just to shut you up. A ninety-degree bead then we are not talking about it again.”
“No, then I get to weld.”
I refuse to drop this topic. Welding is one of my passions I picked up at a young age, at the side of my dad. Dave has all the equipment and plenty of shit that could be welded. It would be much more satisfying than stacking labeled boxes and moving shit around for the fun of it. I know it would lift his spirits as well to see some of this machinery that he’s collected coming back to life. Our plans of restoring an old tractor were halted with his hospital and nursing home stay.
I slide on the thick leather gloves, pull on the welding helmet, flip the switch up on the welder, and begin my work. My hands are steadily laying out the perfect weld. I rise slowly and can’t help the smile, knowing I just created the best weld of my life. I let the metal cool down before handing it to Dave.
“Bullshit.”
His first words make me chuckle.
“There’s no way you did this. Bullshit.”
“Dave, you just sat here and watched me.”
“There’s just no way. This is bullshit.” Dave shakes his head while staring at the work.
“You approve?” I rub my hands together waiting for his response.
His eyes narrow, eyebrows crinkling up in disbelief. “Still don’t believe it. But sat here and watched you do this.”
“Then I weld.”
He nods his head. I don’t waste any time before jumping to work on an old tractor I’ve been eyeing for weeks now. All the parts are scattered around it just waiting to be put back together. Magic. Yes, magic happened in the last couple of hours. It's a turning point in Dave and my relationship, because all of the constant demands and him over my shoulder watching me work no longer exists.
After a long day of stress-free work, I pack Dave back into the house. It’s in somewhat of a manageable state since I did my best while he was in the hospital. He’s settled in his recliner with a protein shake while I make my way back to his room to empty piss bottles.
A trail of human shit is streaked across his carpet, ending at a couple of pairs of shitty underwear. It’s a sad day when shock doesn’t register. After washing out his underwear then tossing them in his ancient washer, I clean up the carpet. I decide it would be best not to bring this up to him since we had such a great day together.