Accidents Happen - 7. Chapter 7 - Barbara Makes Her Presence Known

Chapter 7 – Barbara Makes Her Presence Known

Thursday and Friday passed in a blur for Charlie. He moved through the days on automatic, rising each day, going about his daily tasks, smiling, talking, and none of it really penetrating beyond the surface. It was only when he was in front of his students that Charlie came to life. For them he worked, joked, and was fully attentive. However, the moment the last one climbed on the school bus and it pulled away, the life drained away from Charlie.

Both nights he returned home from work, poured a glass of water, and sat looking out the apartment window till it was time for bed. Then he rose, showered, and stiffly spread himself across the bed. Another damn day is over with. I wonder what tomorrow will bring for me – locust, a rain of frogs, or hell maybe- this time a Mack Truck with my name on it. His thoughts kept getting darker, and he would sleep only after he cried himself out.

While he sank deeper and deeper into his depression, a part of his brain rebelled against the darkness. After crying for an hour or so, Charlie began to almost argue with himself. Just you wait. Tomorrow it will hurt a bit less. Charlie almost laughed out loud when that thought crossed his mind. Laugh all you want, his inner voice said rather sarcastically. Eventually, you will move on, but you have to grieve for what you lost first.

Charlie had been uncomfortable with that final thought. He instead pulled the covers tightly around himself. Sleep quickly overtook him and he was soon fast asleep.

Charlie would have stayed in bed, and slept the weekend away, if it wasn’t for his mother. He often swore that she was a physic. She always seemed to call when he needed it most. The phone rang until his answering machine finally picked up.

“Charlie … enough with the screening of your calls. Charlie pick up the phone. It is after nine in the morning.” Charlie stared at the phone and tried hard to ignore her. However, when next she spoke she was in full mother mode.

“Charles Robert Wagner, get your ass out of that bed and answer this phone now!”

Charlie nearly fell out of bed as he rushed to the phone.

“Mom…”

“Don’t Mom me! I will be there by noon. Get yourself showered and cleaned up. You and I are going to talk.”

“But, Mom”

“No buts Charlie. I will be there by noon.”

Before Charlie could utter another word, the sharp click of his mother hanging up the phone came down the line. Just how the hell did she know he had broken up with Tina? He hadn’t told anyone yet. And she was on her way here. Well what did you expect of your mother? Charlie sighed. Even that sarcastic voice in his head was against him.

Charlie pulled out an outfit he knew his mother wouldn’t complain about, and carried it into the bathroom so he could shower. He stood under the hot water and felt the tension in his body release a bit. He knew if his mother was coming she would be pushing him to be honest. He just never knew what approach she was going to use on him. The room was heavy with steam when he stepped out. He dried off and walked over to the sink. He took a swipe at the mirror with a piece of paper towel. The dark circles were still there under his eyes. He shook his head and began to shave.

I hope Mom isn’t going to give me a hard time. He chuckled for moment. What am I thinking? Of course she is going to. Not about the breakup of course, but about me wallowing in it. Damn, sometime I am going to have to figure out how she knows things about us all even before we do. Charlie was clean, shaved, and ready to face the world.

He put on the clothes he had brought in, tossed his towel over the towel rack, and headed out to the kitchen to put on the coffee pot. Knowing his mother would be able to tell if he had eaten anything today, he went ahead and made some toast. It wasn’t much, but Charlie figured it would be better to get something in his stomach. He buttered the toast while he waited for the coffee to finish.

It was ten to twelve when the knock came on the door. Charlie knew his mother had a key to his place, but she wouldn’t use it unless she deemed it necessary. Charlie took a deep breath and opened the door.

Barbara Wagner stood with a smile on her face. Her silver gray hair was cut short and stylishly. His mother might be in her seventies, but she looked like she was in her fifties. Tiny lines around her eyes were the only true sign of age for her. Her green eyes swept over him before she reached out and hugged him.

“Much better, Charlie. I was afraid I was going to be coming over and dragging you out of bed.”

“Mom, please.”

“Oh give me a break. You know I won’t allow you to do that to yourself.”

Charlie looked at her. From anyone else he would have thought it was all talk but from his mother he knew it wasn’t. She would have literally dragged his ass out of bed, and forced him moving if she thought he was in trouble. How the hell did she know anyway? I haven’t told a soul.

“Charlie, to me you are an open book.” She looked him straight in the eye and then smiled a sad sort of smile. “Of course it helps that I called Tina to ask if you were both coming to the twins’ party tomorrow, and she told me.”

Charlie took a seat. He was in shock. His mother had talked to Tina, and she had told her everything. Snap out of it. You know your mother would find out, but she is here to see you so you know something else is going on here.

“You are coming to the party, Charlie. I won’t take no for an answer,” Barbara stated calmly. She put her pocketbook on the counter, and then sat down opposite Charlie at the table. The light tan outfit showed off the thin chain around her neck where she had the cameo. Inside, the cameo was a family picture that she insisted being taken every year. Charlie remembered her saying it was a way to keep her family always with her.

“Yes, mom.”

“Gee, Charlie, you make it sound like I’m making you play in a pool full of sharks. I want you to come over for a party.” She laughed, and placed her hand gently over Charlie’s. “Now, do you want to tell me about it?”

Uh oh. Lord, she didn’t waste much time. Charlie sat and stared numbly at his mother’s hand.

“Charlie?”

“Mom, it was …,” he began, and then stopped. “I screwed up again, Mom. I always seem to don’t I?”

“No, you keep thinking you are superhuman when the reality is you are only human, Charlie. You can’t know everything, or fix everything, Hun. I love you, but I know you. You think the whole world’s problems are your own.”

“No, I don’t.”

Charlie looked up, and was caught by his mother’s eyes. The look was so intense Charlie felt like he had been stripped, laid out naked before her. What is she doing?

“Charlie, you have tried harder than anyone else I know to do what is right.” Barbara’s voice was soft but laced with a steel conviction. “Sometimes I think you are trying so hard to be perfect for everyone else you forget to be you.”

Charlie looked at his mother and shivered. How does she know that?

“Charlie, I love you like no other woman will ever do. I’m your mother, but I know you, you give yourself over to make others happy at the cost of your own happiness sometimes. I know this experience is hurting you. What you need to understand though, Charlie, is this is the first time I can say I am happy you thought of yourself.”

“Mom, that’s the problem, I was only thinking of myself,” he said as the tears nearly overwhelmed him.

“No, Charlie, you didn’t. Usually you put everyone else’s concerns above your own. You do it all the time. But this time, Charlie, this time- you put yourself first. Tina isn’t what makes you happy, and you let her go. It isn’t easy, but you did. Now you have to find someone who will make you happy. Do you understand me?”

“No.”

“Think about it.” She gently patted Charlie’s hand.

Charlie sat there. The tears flowed freely, and while he was embarrassed to cry before his mother he also knew she didn’t care. Eventually, the tears slowed and he began to sniffle. His mother got up, and went to the living room coming back with some tissues. He wiped his nose, and dried his face.

“Feel better?”

Charlie nodded.

“Good. I need a favor from you. The party is at two tomorrow afternoon. I dropped off a painting for each of the girls to be framed at that store on Main Street. I am leaving you the ticket to pick it up for me. They said that the pictures will be ready by noon.”

“I’ll grab it. I have to find something for them anyway so I’ll get up early and try to do some shopping.”

“Good. Don’t dwell on this Charlie. Trust me, in the long run you probably took the first step to making yourself truly happy.”

Charlie stared at his mother. I wonder if I will ever figure her out.

Barbara leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “Don’t worry, you will figure me out when you figure yourself out, Charlie.” She handed him the ticket for the frames. “Don’t forget my gifts, or you will be in deep trouble,” she laughed as she said it, and winked at him. Then, Barbara gave him a hug, and was out the door. You could barely hear the sound of her heels as she left.

Charlie felt like he had been through the mill. He was tired, but even more he was hungry like he hadn’t been in days. Feeling out of it, he walked into the kitchen, pulled out the number for the delivery place, and ordered up some real food.