Ride to Restoration (Ride Series Book 2) (16 page)

I’ll
never figure out how to pee in a bag so stop worrying about it. Just have fun,
make the best of whatever situation you find yourself in. Girl, you learned
that lesson a long time ago.
“Hey, D, ready for me to wash your back? I’m
through deep thinking and working my way back to glowing.”

“
Come on in. I
’
m done. Beard is clean and
so
’
s
the rest of me, no thanks to you. I smell like ... nothing. We
’
re supposed to use the
unscented soap.
”
Like
I have to remind her!

Like he has to remind me. I
’
m glad he did,
because I forgot already.
“
Now why am I doing this?
”

Stepping
from the warm shower onto the cold floor, I ushered her in my stead, less one
back washing.
“
So you won
’
t smell like you or more recently me, smelling like you.
”
That confused even me.
“
I
’
ll be upstairs when you
’
re done. I
’
m gonna call the kennel and
check on the dog. If I know Debra, she
’
ll have breakfast waiting on
us. So be quick, quick, quick, girlfriend.
”

“
I won
’
t be that long.
”
And that
’
s the truth, no make-up, scent free sweats, just plain me.
Wait a minute
…
Did he just
blow me off
—
twice?
Girl, you are imagining things?

Chapter
28

W
alking outside
into the crisp morning air, I rummaged through my daypack before finding the phone
of the week. Dialing the kennel, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a real
voice answer for a change.

“
Good morning, Gloria speaking. How may I assist you today?
”

Morning
Glory, get it? It
’
s too early for humor.
“
Hi, Gloria. This is D, Major
’
s dad. I
’
m running behind schedule on
my trip. Kinda got held up. How is he doing?
”

“
Yes, sir. We got your message earlier. Major is fine.
Especially since he received that box of treats yesterday.
”

“
Treats? What treats? I didn
’
t send him any treats.
”

“
Your friend, Marcy dropped them by. She brought two tennis
balls, a box of milk bones, a bag of rawhide chews and some candy treats from
PetSmart. Said you asked her to since you
’
d been held up. That
’
s funny. Sounds like you
didn
’
t
make it back because you were robbed. Mr. D, you did not send her by to see
Major? His treats you left ran out a few days back so I figured you did.
”

I haven
’
t talked to
Marcy. How did she find him? I never told anyone where he was boarding. Then
again, it
’
s
a kind gesture that Major I
’
m
sure appreciates. But why?
“
My mind is fried sometimes, Gloria. I might have told her
to run by and check on him. I guess I forgot.
”

“
That
’
s OK. You
’
re on your bike. Right? I
’
d forget too, if I were
going cross-country on a bike. My boyfriend has a crotch rocket. He makes me
ride with him, but we never go far. Well, not on the bike anyway. His hurts my
butt.
”

That
’
s nice. Join
the crowd. I don
’
t
care. I want to talk about Marcy.
“
Did she happen to say anything or leave a message for me?
”

“
Let me see. Found it! Yes, sir, she did leave a message.
What kind of bike do you ride? Is your girlfriend riding with you? If not,
maybe when you get back you can ride me.
”

Really, you don
’
t even know
me. Silly, precocious girls. Boys, look out for this one!
“
Gloria, the message, please.
... What was the message?
”

“
Oh, I
’
m sorry. Call Gio ... somebody ASAP. She left a number, but
it has way too many
—”

“
Numbers, I got it. Giovanna is from Milan, Italy.
”

“
Italy, I
’
ve always wanted to go there. Have you been? Duh! I
’
m sure you have, otherwise
how would you know him?
”

“
Gloria, I hate to interrupt you, but give me the number and
I
’
ll
see if it
’
s different from the one I have for him.
”
Reading off the numbers, including the country code, I saw
it was the same number I had stored in my old phone
–
the one I turned off and tossed in the bag the day Candi
left me standing on the tarmac.
“
Thank you, Gloria. And thanks for taking such good care of
Major. I
’
ll be back by the end of the week. I
’
ve got to run. Bye now.
”
Click, push end, whatever. Enough!

Question after question,
rolled around in my head. Call Giovanni. What
’
s up with that? Is he trying
to warn about goings on in the Family? Does it have something to do with his
health? Did Candi put Marcy up to locating the dog to get that message to me?
Why is it that all these recent memories I managed to bury under a boulder over
the last few days are surfacing in real time? Three times already this morning
I
’
ve
caught myself daydreaming about Candi, while in Vic
’
s embrace. Now
this. As Vic likes to say, big boy, you are so screwed!

I
heard the front door open and turned to find Vic standing before me in sweats,
her hair in a pony tail, her fair skinned makeup-free face two shades up from
pale.

“
There you are. I
’
ve been looking for you. Debra
has breakfast ready.
”

“
I
’
ve been on the phone with the kennel. Major had an
unexpected visitor who left me a message to call Giovanna.
”

“
Gio visited Major in Tennessee?
”

“
No, Candi
’
s friend, Marcy did and left a message for me to call Gio,
ASAP.
”

“
What
’
s up with that? You think there
’
s some kind of trouble
brewing with the family or with Candi for that matter?
”

“
I don
’
t know. That
’
s where my mind was going before you bounced out the door.
”

“
If you want, I
’
ll call Giovanni from my
phone and find out what news he wants to share.
”

“
Thanks, but this one is on me. If someone went to the
trouble to find the dog just to get a message to me, it must be important.
”

Damn right it must be
important. D has stirred up one hell of a hornet
’
s nest with his theft and subsequent
generosity on behalf of others.
“
Might
I remind you, Miss Debra has breakfast on the table. Can we talk about this
later? I
’
m hungry.
”

“
Me, too. Let
’
s eat,
”
hoping
that a pleasant meal among friends would put all these goings-on in my head in
the proper perspective. Before us, spread across the table, were blueberry
scones, corned beef hash, eggs over easy, sausage links and thick country
bacon.

I
’
m going to ask this time,
before I eat any of this meat
. Whispering to D,
“
Is any of this wild that you
know of?
”

Laughing,
I shouted to Debra who had disappeared in to the kitchen.
“
Debra, Vic wants to know how
many wild animals are on the table this morning.
”

“
Shush! I could have asked her myself.
”
Boys!

Debra
appeared, wiping her hands on a dishtowel.
“
Victoria, everything on the
table is from the market in Tisdale. There
’
s nothing wild on the table,
well, except maybe your boyfriend sitting over there.
”

D
smiled. I blushed.
“
He
’
s not my boyfriend. We
’
re just friends.
”

“
Of course you are,
”
countered Debra with a wink,
“
and the bear in our woods
aren
’
t
wild either.
”

I
blushed again.

It
seemed like an appropriate time to change the subject.
“
Speaking of wild, where
’
s Greg this morning?
”

“
Last I saw him, he was loading up the four wheelers for
your trip. You should have a few hours before you leave. Is there anything you
’
d like to do until then?
”

“
If possible, I
’
d like to visit the little
girl, Missy. Wouldn
’
t you, D?
”

“
I would. Debra would you attempt to arrange that?
”

“
Gladly. Eat up and I
’
ll make the call.
”
Appearing in the doorway, Debra happily announced,
“
We can go when you
’
re done with breakfast.
Missy is having a good day, today. She loves company.
”

Chapter
29

T
hinking
long term during the two-block walk to Missy’s house, I wasn’t sure how we were
going to play this and still remain anonymous. Before discussing it with Vic, I
decided to involve both Greg and Candi, without them knowing it.
Hey, what
are friends for?

Debra led us to a little two-bedroom cottage, nestled in the
trees on a lane with a white picket fence out front. Perfect place to raise a
family — healthy ones. Warmly welcomed by Mrs. Bryan, we were introduced
to Missy, a beautiful, but frail, blond haired, green eyed little girl, lying
in a hospital bed in a room, wonderfully adorned in pink frills and ruffles.
Pictures of happier times adorned the walls, while stuffed animals and dolls
filled the corners. “Hi, Missy, I’m D. This is Vic. We’re on a motorcycle ride
across Canada. We stopped by to visit Greg and Debra and they told us about you.
We want to help.”

“I’m sick. The doctor said I can get better, but I have to
go to Florida first.”

“Missy, have you ever been to Florida?” I asked.

“Nope.
Soon ... I hope.”

Jumping into the conversation with both feet, “Don’t say, I
hope so, say I know so. And when you get better you’re going to Disney World,
along with all your family. How would you like that?”

Missy laid back on the bed, closed her eyes and breathed in
the oxygen that was making her comfortable. “More than anything. Can I be a
Princess? Can I see Mickey and Minnie and Pluto?”

“Close your eyes, Missy. Make this wish with me: when I get
better, I wish I could go to Disney World. Wishes come true, especially for
precious little girls like you. You just have to believe. Do you believe, Missy?”

“Oh, I do, I do. I believe with all my heart. Mommy did you
hear, we’re going to Disney World?”

Ah, through the innocent eyes of a child, therein is our
hope
. Looking around the room, there was her mother, Debra, Victoria and
me. “You see all these people here? And all your dolls and animals, we’re
wishing with you. Big wishes aren’t so hard when you’re loved by many.” Knowing
by her actions the excitement had taken its toll, Vic and I took turns giving
her a hug and kissing her forehead, before saying good-bye.

Pulling Missy’s mother aside, “there’s light at the end of
the tunnel. I have a friend, Candice Parker, who will see to it that Missy
makes it to All Children’s Hospital in St. Pete, shortly. And Victoria, whom
you just met, will see to it that your family has a wonderful holiday at Disney
World before you return home. Sadly, I don’t have a crystal ball. Neither you,
nor I know for certain if the procedure will be successful. Only God above
grants that wish. That being said, Disney World is a magic place for kids and a
healing place for parents. Honor Missy’s wish for me please, no matter what
happens.”

Holding her hands in mine, she cried, I choked. “Wishes come
true for big people, too. We just have to believe with all our heart like
Missy.” With that, I was gone, walking quickly out the door, wiping the water
from my eyes before Vic and Debra saw my tear stained cheeks.

What’s this? D's been crying
. “What did you tell her
Mom?”

“I told her that Candice Parker will help make the trip to
All Children’s possible—”

“Really D, Candice? Won’t she be surprised?”

“And that you would send them to Disney World with or
without Missy.”

“Of course, I’d be honored to do that. But, why did you tell
her with or without her daughter?”

“All we can do is provide the opportunity. Only God decides
if the procedure will work. Let Disney World be the dream they all aspire to.
Let it be a trip to rejoice in the healing or to heal through the suffering. It
just needs to happen, regardless of the outcome. I made her mom promise me that
she would go. If I’m not around will you see to it, Vic?”

“I’ll see to it. Why would you say if you’re not around?”
What
am I thinking? D is being pragmatic and for once, I’m the dreamer.
“Never
mind, I just answered my own question without you opening your mouth.”

“Good girl.”

Debra, overhearing the important aspects of our
conversation, spoke up. “Jon David, you made Missy’s eyes glow when you
promised her Disney World. I’ve never seen her that happy in a long time.
Excuse me for eavesdropping, but did I overhear you correctly, you or someone
you know will make her trip to All Children’s possible? Can you really do
that?”

I’d better interject for D before he gets put on the spot
and says something he can’t take back.
“Debra, D or Jon David, as you call
him, has many valuable connections. If he says he can make it happen it will
happen. Don’t ask me how, just know that it will, sooner, rather than later.”

“I don’t know what to say to either of you. It’s a miracle
that you happened to ride through here and stay with us. What’s even more
miraculous is that diamond story that’s flooding all the news channels right
now making instant millionaires to so many people. Had that not been on my
mind, I don’t think I would have ever troubled you with Missy’s story. It’s a
miracle, that’s what it is...”

Looking at D, his bloodshot brown eyes reluctantly meeting
mine, “It really is a miracle, Debra. Much more than you could possibly ever
fathom or imagine at this very moment. A miracle that is both up close and
personal to all of us.”

Enough Victoria, I breathed silently
. “Come on guys,
I’m sure Greg is waiting for us. Debra, thank you for sharing Missy’s crisis.
We’re fortunate to have friends in high places who have the wherewithal to make
any mountain, surmountable.”

Clasping D’s hand, I lifted it high into the sky as we
walked, and I felt myself glowing again. “We certainly are, D. We certainly
are.”