No Sensible People Chapter Eighteen (part 3)

It was a few hours later when felt the bed shake and heard in my half-conscious mind Jennie urging Denny to wake up. He let go of me gently as he whispered to Jennie that they should let me sleep.

Denny scribbled a note on the back of one of Jennie's sketches, and I heard him say something about breakfast and the convenience store. They were back within a half hour. I had awoken the rest of the way and decided to
get up.

"Stay put," Denny told me. "I used to dream about serving you breakfast in bed. This might be my only chance."

I smiled and Jennie scolded me for letting Denny sleep when he wasn't supposed to.

"Give her a break, Jen," Denny told her. "I was running on fumes," he told me. "I needed at least a little sleep. Besides, the cops probably wanted to keep me up to punish me even after they had me out of their clutches. They get bored, you know."

Jennie grabbed a cup of juice and a donut and climbed up on the double bed. Denny climbed up on the other side of me and handed me a donut.

"Donuts in the bed. The management is going to love us," I said.

"I didn't know how late you'd sleep so I didn't get you coffee,"

Denny explained. "But I can share," he said as he handed me his cup. I took a sip and breathed deeply.

"Thank you," I said. "This is nice. The three of us, sitting here like this. I almost think I could stay here."

"But you can't, you know," Denny told me. "I have Aaron's number in Iowa, where Susie is. You want to call her?"

"In a bit," I said. "I should see if I can touch base with Stuart first, check on my classes, see how Frank's doing."

Denny jumped up and announced he was going to get himself shaved and showered.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Denny shrugged. "I'm a tad jealous," he admitted, "and I know I have no right to be. You do what you have to do, and I'll go make myself beautiful."

He disappeared into the bathroom and I picked up the phone to call Stuart collect. I was going to ask him to notify the dance school, tell them I'd be out for a couple days due to an emergency. He could take over whatever classes he wanted, and cancel the rest. I wanted to be as brief as possible, since it was long distance, but Stuart interrupted me.

"Frank's here," he said. "He wants to talk to you."

I pulled the phone to the foot of the bed and sat down. "Frank's there?" I said. "Sure, I'll talk to him."

I held the phone to my ear and let Frank vent. He was angry that I had left, that I hadn't called, that I'd let him worry. I tried my best not to respond to anything. Denny and I had promised Jennie there would be no more fighting, and at least for a day I wanted to keep it.

"We're both fine," I told him. We all stayed in a hotel."

"You all?" Frank asked. "So Denny's still with you, I suppose?"

"Yes, Denny too.... He got into some kind of a tiff over a girl. He'll be okay; but needed someone to stay with him for a bit."

"I'll bet," Frank said. "When are you going to get it? That man is up to no good."

"For God Sakes Frank, Jennie was in the same room," I told him. "Besides, you told me I couldn't come back. I could've done whatever I wanted."

"Is that what you plan to do now?" Frank said. "Stay with Denny Ferguson? Live out your schoolgirl fantasy?"

"No, we're not staying with Denny." I said.

"I can't share you Lucy," he told me. "Not like that. I can't."

"You meant what you said, Frank. I knew that. I understand, really. But I can't play the games. I can't keep making up rules of when or how or if I can spend time with a friend who has been very good to my family since I can
remember. I can't do it Frank, I'm sorry."

The line was quiet for almost a minute, but I knew Frank was still there.

"What are you going to do, then?" he finally said.

I don't know yet. I guess Susie's getting married and needs someone to take over her apartment. I'm going to look into that."

"That's good," Frank told me. "You know I painted that room for Jennie. I know she wasn't ours, and she's your niece, but if you want, if you let me, I can help sometimes."

I walked back over to the hotel dresser, reached for one of the complimentary tissues, and dabbed the corners of my eyes.

"Of course, Frank," I told him. "Jennie loves you."

"Thanks, Lucy," he said. "It means a lot."

"Thank you for being so good to her," I told him. I turned around and Denny was back in the room. He whispered in my other ear and asked if I was okay and I nodded.

"Look Frank, we're running up Stuart's phone bill, and I need to call Susie. I'll be back in Minneapolis by tomorrow, we can talk then."

I didn't even say goodbye. I hung up the phone and cried. I turned around and wept on Denny's shoulder. I cried for Frank, and my friendship with Stuart that would never be the same. I cried for Denny's mother, who had treated me as much like a daughter as she did her own children. I cried for my own mother who had closed off her own heart to the will of my father. I cried for my father who could never bring himself to love another human being the way he loved his heritage and his whiskey. I cried for Nate and for everything he had gained and lost in order to love my sister. I cried for Molly, who had tucked away her own spirit in an attempt to protect mine, and for her daughter, who had had way too much to deal with in only ten years.

Jennie reached up and touched my shoulder. "What did he say?" she asked. "Did Uncle Frank make you cry again?" I dried my eyes enough to see. "Oh no, Sweetie," I said. "It's nothing like that this time. It's not his fault. He just wants you to visit him sometimes. Is that okay?"

Jennie looked over at Denny as if to gain some kind of approval. He smiled, and I noticed he had been crying a little himself.

"Hey," he told her. "Didn't we tell you everybody loves you, Jennie?"

I blew my nose one last time took a deep breath to pull myself together.

"Look at me," I said jokingly to Denny. "My eyes are almost as puffy as yours. You'd think a linebacker got a hold of me."

"Very funny," Denny said, and I announced that it was my turn to make myself beautiful.

"Let me know when you're almost done," he said. "I'll see if I can reach Susie."

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