Diane Amos - A Long Walk Home

He’d fallen asleep shortly afterward, his arm wrapped around me, my head against his chest. I couldn’t stop thinking how fortunate I was.

My life was nearly perfect.

I’d dozed off and was awakened around three by the phone. Two rings and the answering machine picked up. Since I’d never gotten around to having a jack installed in this room, I hurried into the living room.

“Annie, it’s Mom.”

I grabbed the receiver, dropped it on the floor and scrambled to pick it up. “What’s wrong?”

I saw Tony coming toward me, clad only in a pair of dark boxers. He placed his hands over my shoulders, and I instantly felt stronger. Thank goodness he was here with me now.

“It’s your sister,” Mom said, between sobs. “They found her unconscious in a sleazy apartment complex in Los Angeles. She was rushed to the hospital. According to the doctor I spoke to a few minutes ago on the phone, Dana’s lucky to be alive.”

“What happened to her?”

“The doctor thinks it was a cocaine overdose, but he won’t know for sure until the blood tests are in.”

I’d never fainted in my life, yet suddenly I felt dizzy. I closed my eyes and reached for the back of the chair for support. Tony must have noticed because he stepped closer and pulled me tight against him.

“Who’s taking care of Summer?” I asked, concerned about my thirteen-year-old niece’s safety. I hoped she hadn’t seen her mother in that condition.

“The poor kid has been taking care of herself. I plan to catch a flight in a few hours, but I need to be close to Dana. Would you mind if Summer stayed with you for a while. A few days or a week?”

I hadn’t seen my niece in years, but I remembered her childish giggle, her freckled face and her pixie haircut. “Wouldn’t it be easier if I flew to L.A. and took care of Summer at her home?”

“I’m told your sister lives in a rough neighborhood with questionable roommates. I want my granddaughter far away from Dana’s so-called friends.”

“Sure, Summer can stay here until Dana feels better.”

“Good, I’ll call you as soon as I know more about your sister’s condition and when to expect Summer’s flight.”

“Tell Dana not to worry. Summer can stay with me as long as she needs to.”

A fter two failed attempts to put the receiver back in its cradle, Tony took the phone from my trembling fingers and set it down. I told him what little I knew about my sister and my niece. Without warning, I burst into tears. He gathered me in his arms and rocked me against his solid chest.

Then he poured me a brandy and insisted I sit on the couch with my head against his shoulder. As I sipped the drink, his fingers traced slow lazy circles along my scalp, helping me to relax and finally doze off.

I awoke with a start to find the sun streaming through the slits in the closed blinds. “How long have I been asleep?”

“It’s almost six.” Tony yawned, freed his arm from beneath my head and stretched. “Will you be all right, or should I cancel going into work this morning?”

I appreciated his generous offer, but I knew how important the mall project was to his business. If he and his partner didn’t crunch numbers this weekend, their bid wouldn’t be ready by Monday. And as much as I’d have liked to have Tony with me, there was no need.

“No, I’ll be fine.”

He pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth. “Are you sure? Earlier on the phone you looked ready to pass out.”

“I don’t know what came over me, but I’m back to my old self-reliant, tough-as-nails self.”

He hugged me tight against him. “That’s my Annie.”

I stood and grabbed a pad of paper from the desk and started making a list: chips and dip, drinks and teen magazines.

“What will I say to her? I won’t know what to do with a teenager.” I drew a large exclamation point behind the word magazines.

“She’ll only be here for a few days. Buy lots of pizza and plenty of junk food, set your television to MTV and don’t be surprised when your phone becomes an extension of her ear,” Tony said with a grin.

“She can talk on the phone all she wants… I’m sure she’ll need to stay in close contact with her mom. She’s my only niece, and this is my chance to help get through this difficult time. Knowing her mother’s a drug addict has to be rough. I want Summer to know I’m here for her, no matter what.”

To my list, I added pink bath towels for her bathroom. I suspected pretty things wouldn’t lessen Summer’s anguish, but I wanted to make her stay here as pleasant as possible. “I think I’ll go shopping and buy a new bedspread. She can take it home with her when she leaves. Maybe I should purchase a few CDs and how about a Nintendo?”

Starting toward the bathroom, Tony threw me a teasing look over his shoulder. “There’s an unwritten rule amongst teenagers to hate everything adults buy them. Why not get her a small gift for when she steps off the plane. Then make plans to go shopping together after she arrives. That way she can pick out exactly what she wants. There’s another unwritten rule so you’d best be prepared—all teenagers are experts at maxing out credit cards. So be warned.”

“In that case I’ll bring along lots of extra cash and hire a Brink’s truck to take us to the mall.”

“I like the way you think,” he said, disappearing into the bathroom, then poking out his head. “Depending on how long Summer stays, maybe I can persuade my daughter to show your niece around.”

His daughter, Chelsea, was fourteen and very popular. Most girls would love to be part of her crowd. “That would be great. Do you think she’d be willing to do that?”

He shrugged and uttered a deep laugh. “Only if she thinks it’s her idea.”

I’d called Vi earlier and explained that I needed to go shopping for my niece’s visit. She suggested we have lunch at the food court at the mall.

Vi slipped into the passenger seat of my Volvo. She leaned over and kissed my cheek. “I’m sorry to hear about your sister.”

“Me, too, but maybe this’ll make her realize she needs to make some drastic changes. I spoke to my mom this morning, and Dana is much better. My mother hopes to persuade her to go into rehab, if not for herself then for her daughter’s sake.”

“I’ll ask Father Thompson to keep your sister in his prayers.”

“If only that were all it took to turn Dana’s life around.”

“People change, dear,” Vi reminded me.

“I hope so.”

Dana had been through rehab two other times; once as a teenager, and three years ago. She’d refused to give up her friends, and within weeks of her discharge she was back to her old ways. “I’m glad you’ve come along because I’m going to need your help to pick out some truly special gifts for my niece. I was thinking of buying a few accessories for the bedroom she’ll be using, something frilly and girlish.”

“A visit with you is what that poor child needs.”

As I steered my vehicle into the mall parking lot twenty minutes later, I noticed Vi’s lips were pursed and her eyes filled with doubt. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know if I dare say, dear.”

I parked the car and dropped my keys into my purse. “There’s nothing you can’t discuss with me.” Except for Tony. Let’s not ruin what little progress we’ve made.

Vi glanced down, toyed with the strap of her handbag.

“Your niece needs to be in a stable home with an adult she can emulate.”

Her worried gray eyes met mine. “Thirteen is such an impressionable age, and up until now, she hasn’t had a strong role model.”

I sucked in my lower lip. What was she getting at? “I plan to help Summer any way I can. I still have a few vacation days left, and Monday I’m going to call my supervisor and explain I have a family emergency and need to take a few days off.”