Midnight in Suburbia

NaNoWriMo Day 24: Chapter 24 - Black Friday

Chapter 24: Black Friday

"Ralph," Daniella called as she came down the hall from her mother's bedroom. "I need a ladder and larger flashlight." When he did not answer, she turned right and stopped in the foyer. Glancing into the living room she noticed that the lights were now on, so she turned around and went back to the bedroom. She switched on the light and pulled a chair to the closet. Opening the closet door she, climbed onto the chair.

"What are you doing," ask George coming into the bedroom.

"I'm getting Mom's suitcases down so that I can pack her clothes."

"Get down off the chair, Daniella, I'll get the ladder from the garage and pull those suitcases down for you."

"Is here electricity in the kitchen?"

"No, I only turned the breakers on to the bedrooms, bathroom, and living room. I didn't think it was safe to turn then on to the kitchen and dining room." He turned and lift, while Daniella went into her mother bathroom and turned on the light. Opening the drawers to the vanity, she removed Amity's make-up and face cream, which she carried to the bedroom and sit on the night stand.

"Do you want all the suitcases down," George ask coming back into the room carrying a ladder.

"Yes," she sighed. "I'm thinking about taking Mom back to Vegas with me, but I don't know how long Ethan can stay in the house."

"How long will Aunt Amity be in Las Vegas," he opened the ladder next to the closet, climbed up, and removed a suitcase from the shelf.

"I don't know," she took the suitcase, sit next to the bed, and then waited for the next one.

"Why don't you have Ethan pack up the house, ship what he can to Las Vegas, and put the rest into storage," he handed her a make-up case. "It's going to be months before the kitchen is redone and your Mom can live in the house."

"What do you mean?" She opened the make-up case and then went back to the closet.

"From what I saw, Daniella," he handed her another piece of luggage. "The kitchen will have to be rewired, brought up to code, and the hot water tank moved to the garage."

"Wonderful," she glared at the suitcase he handed her and then sit it on the bed. "I s that all the luggage?"

"Yes, but there's a few other thing up here."

"What?" She went back to the closet just as he pulled a silver serving tray from the back of the shelf. "You may as well bring everything down," she shook her head as he handed her a box of recipes and then pulled out some quilts. After pulling a fur coat out, he tossed it on the bed and climbed down the ladder.

"You know, George," she said picking up the fur coat and trying it on. "If Mom does come back here, she's going to have to have someone stay with her."

"She isn't going to like that," he took the ladder down and leaned it against the wall.

"I know, but after the fire she can't be left alone in the house."

"Do you have her power of attorney?"

"Yes."

"How'd you convince her to sign the documents?"

"It wasn't my idea," she laughed. "The lawyer suggest it after Papa Larry died and he's kept it and Mom's will up to date since."

"Who's her lawyer," he began removing clothes from the closet and laying them on the bed.

"Joe Marlow," she frowned. "I think he's Aunt Emily lawyer as well."

"He's good," he said before going into the closet and pulling out boxes. "I wish my mother had sense enough to hire him, but..."

"George," Ralph came into the room followed by a police office. "Officer Jacobs it here for Frank."

"Finally," George wiped the dust off his hands and shook Officer Jacobs' hand. "What do you need for your report?"

"I interviewed Mr. Ralf Shupe, since he was the one who caught your brother in the kitchen. All I need from you folks are some phone numbers, cellphones are fine if you don't have a house phone." George pulled a business card from his vest pocket and handed it to the officer. Then Daniella removed her business card holder from her purse and gave it to Office Jacobs. "Thank you," he said placing the card in his notebook and putting it in his shirt pocket. "I think that'll be all for today," he shook hands with everyone and left.

Taking off the fur coat, Daniella laid it on the bed and began to pack the open suitcase. She carefully folded her mother's dresses and blouses before placing them neatly in each suitcase. George picked up the ladder and carried it out of the room. After a couple of seconds, Ralph followed him and they went into the kitchen where they began removing items from the refrigerator and putting them into trash bags.

"Do you want a warm soda," as Ralph as he removed a cherry Dr. Pepper from the refrigerator.

"Sure, Cousin," he laughed. He took the soda and opened it.

"You seem to have changed a lot over the past few years, George."

"Growing up will do that to a person," he laughed. "Someone in the family had to act like an adult, especially since Mom seems to think that Frank can do no wrong."

"How long did he spend in prison?"

"All together thirty years," George sighed. "He keeps getting caught for little stuff. The last time was breaking and entering into his mother-in-laws apartment."

"Is he still married?"

"No, Ralph, Mari devoriced him after he stole her mother's diamond engagement ring and some other family pieces." George shook his head, "He took them to a to a jewelry store here in town and tried to sell them."

"That wasn't..."

"He isn't too bright, sometimes," he sighed. "Mom enables him by paying his fines and hiring lawyers she can't afford to get him off."

"How many of them get him off?"

"None," he laughed. "They always take plea deals, which is probably the best that he can hope for, but this time he's going to have problems because he was on parole."

"Then why'd you call the copes on him."

"Because I'm tired of giving Mom money after she bails him out. She spends her pension on his lawyers and bail; then she calls me because she needs money to pay her bills." He finished the soda and smashed the cans, "put the soda cans seperately because Mom sells them for extra money."

"What does she use the money for?"

"Gas usually or sometimes food," he put the soda can in a separate trash bag. "I think I'm going to have to see a lawyer about becoming her guardian."

"That's a drastic step," Ralph opened the freezer. "Are you sure it's necessary?"

"It is if Franks going to live with her because she thinks he can do no wrong and..."

"He's her youngest isn't he?"

"Yes, but what has that got to do with her giving him money."

"Maybe she feels guilty about something concerning him."

"That could be," George frowned. "He was born about eight or nine month's after Pop died." Then his eyes lit up, "Oh, my God!"

"What is it?"

"I don't think Frank's Pop's son."

"Does that surprise you?"

"No, but I was born about six months after their wedding." He laughed, "So it didn't surprise me when I learned that Pop wasn't my biological father."

"How come?"

"Because something Pop said one Christmas," he took another trash bag out of the box and handed it to Ralph. "I was about eight or nine at the time, it was few months before Pop got sick. He said that he wished he had a son, I thought he was drunk at the time and just rambling, but when Mom told him she was expecting, he tried to change his will and leave everything to Frank."

"I gather he didn't get the will changed, George."

"No."

Daniella came into the kitchen, "Do you fellas need any help?"

"No, but we could use some coffee," Ralph removed a coffee canister from the refrigerator and handed it to Daniella. "The coffee maker is in the living room, but I think the carafe might need rinsing out."

"I'll take care of the coffee, while you two finish cleaning the refrigerator." She started into the other room, "Where's Uncle Rodger?"

"He went into one of the spare bedrooms," said Ralph.

"Which one?"

"Hum," Ralph frowned. "I don't know. He said something about looking for Grandpa Joe's old watch, he said the last time he saw it it was lying on Ethan's dresser."

"I'll make the coffee and then check on him."

Daniella took the coffee canister into the living room and sit it on the coffee table. Going to the desk by the window, she plugged in the coffee maker, set the clock, and then took the carafe into the bathroom and rinsed it out. Returning to the living room, she removed the old coffee grounds from the basket and put them into the trashcan bay the desk. Next she took a coffee filter from the container sitting by the coffee maker and put it in the basket. Carefully she counted out five scoops of fresh coffee grounds into the basket of the coffee maker. Then she poured the water into the tank and turned the coffee maker on.

Going into the hall, she stopped at the first door on the right and knocked. "Come in," called Rodger.

"What you doing, Uncle." she said as she sat down on the bed next to him.

"I was just looking at Grandpa Joe's watched," he laughed.

"I remember him telling me that he got it in Paris when he was there during World War I."

"I didn't know that," she smiled. "May I look at the watch?"

"Sure," he handed it to her.

"There's an inscription in it," a tear ran down her cheek. "Would you like me to read it?"

"Please," He smiled. "My eyes are getting a bit old to see that small of writing."

"To Joe, with all my love, Leha," she closed the watch and handed it back to Rodger.

"Did he ever say who Leha was."

"Not that I can remember," he place the watch on the bedside stand and then picked up a book lying on the bed. "I think you might want to take a look at this." He handed the book to Daniella, who opened it.

"Love poem," she laughed. "Is is Mom's or Papa Larry's?"

"I don't know, but there is a note in it with a phone number and a name."

She leafed through the book until she found the note. "Jimmy," she smiled. "That's a Las Vegas number. I'll check it out when Mom and I get back to Vegas." She closed the book, "Did you find anything else interesting?"

"Only some items I suspect Amity hid from Dolly." He got up, went to the dresser, and opened the top drawer.

"What else is she hiding?"

"Jewelry!"