Jaiden Chapter 182
Gregory Patrick
10/04/2022
Jaiden – Chapter 182
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Greg Patrick
"Jaiden, I saw Stephanie Myers today; we had a nice conversation and caught up on a few things." "How's she doing, Peyton?" "She appeared to be doing well and completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in Erie. She's lost a lot of weight and is gorgeous. She asked about you and the children, so I caught her up on everything. She said she'll be glad to see you next Wednesday night." "What do you mean she'll be glad to see me next Wednesday night?" "Uh, you have an appointment at seven that evening." "I what? I didn't make an appointment to see her." "You didn't? Hm, then it must have been me that made the appointment for you."
"Peyton, you will get yourself in trouble with me for doing things like that; I can make my appointments when I think I need to, not when anybody else thinks I do." "Let me tell you something, Jaiden; you haven't been worth a continental damn the last few weeks because you have been so stressed out. You lost your composure at least twice last month; in the last episode, we had to slip you a mickey to get you calmed down, and I don't want to see a repeat of that this month. And while I am on my rant in response to yours, your mother knows about the last episode because I told her, and I am sure that is part of why she decided to take the week off and come for a visit."
"One thing I'm sure of is that your mom will broach the subject of you getting depressed and sad. If you don't get a grip on your depression, you'll have to deal with her here, especially if she sees it manifest. She will get insistent on the counseling, you will get mad, and an argument will ensue; I don't want to see that happen, and I don't want the children to hear and see the angst and argument between the two of you and me. I certainly don't want the boys to see you and me get into it, do you?" "No, I don't."
"That's what I thought, Jaiden. And think about this: do you want your mother to become so concerned about you that she retires or relocates to Erie to practice medicine?" "Sweetheart, what time did you say my appointment is Wednesday night?" "Seven, and I think you are making the right decision to see Stephanie."
"I know; it's just that I have always worked through things my way in my own time, but maybe it would have been better had I worked through some issues in therapy." "You think! You've needed to do this for a while, babe, and you'll have my support in tackling the feelings causing your anxiety and depression." "I didn't look at it in terms of being anxiety and depression; I am so sorry if I have put you through unneeded worry or concern." "Worry and concern would be the way to describe my feelings about how the last three weeks have been; I love you too much to let you cause yourself misery the way you have."
"Peyton, if you, Dale, and Charley could see that, I am sure our boys could too; the question now is how do I make things right with them?" "The children in this house are too young to add 2 and 2 and come up with 4, so you can't make anything `right' with them; they couldn't understand that either. But, they will understand seeing their dad and uncle being genuinely happy – and that in and of itself is the only way to set things right with the kids – if there is a need to set things right; I'm not sure that need is present."
"Lord knows, babe, I hope not. If I upset them by showing my emotions in front of them, that would unbelievably hurt my heart." "And that is precisely what I want to help you avoid, Jaiden – as do Dale, Charley, Richard, and Peter; we've all been concerned about you. Even Geoff has said he thinks it is time for therapy, and that pretty much says it all, doesn't it?"
"Yes, it does, and getting my feelings off my chest with a disinterested party may be what I need. I'm going to make some coffee and get Dale and Charley to join you and me on the deck." "Uh, Jaiden, you know it is so cold outside that if you have to pee, you won't be able to find your jolly roger." "I can revive it, Peyton; I'll slip a chocolate donut around it and then dip it in coffee. Not only will it awaken, but you'll also get a treat I know you enjoy." "Ooh, that sounds like fun to me, and it'll probably turn Charley on as well." "If it does, Mr. Peyton Riley-Reynolds, I'm sure Dale won't mind."
"Dale, Charley, I made a pot of coffee; would you two join Peyton and me on the deck? There are some things I want to discuss with you that I don't want to take a chance on the children hearing." "Charley, that means we won't be making love tonight after coming in off the deck; we won't be able to find our little dickies for at least a day!" "Damn, that ain't no fun!" "You're right, but think, making up for lost time this weekend will more than make up for any abstinence." "Guys, remember my mom is coming Friday night to spend a week with Peyton's mom spoiling Andrew."
"Jaiden, if your mother hasn't already heard us having `fun,' she won't hear us this weekend either." "Charley, you're probably right." "And I agree with what Greg's grandad said down in Pensacola, "anytime I can get above the knees, I go to having fun." "Charley, Greg's grandad also said, "it is better to let it out and take the shame than to hold it in and keep the pain; whom do you think it was who taught Greg to eat spicy Mexican Japones and then lock his car windows and fart while riding down the interstate?" "Yeah, he did that to Paul at the beach off I-95 and almost got a floorboard full of puke. Damn, it would have been funny to see Greg have to clean a floorboard full of puke out of his truck."
"You know Greg and Paul called off a 40-year friendship when Paul started brutally cussing him on the telephone. Charley, that was the day Greg realized Paul was a gaslighting narcissist whom he needed to take out of his life. He has been happier and hasn't had a panic attack since." "You know, Jaiden, come to think of it, Greg hasn't had a panic attack. He loves being a homebody sitting in his den watching movies that mirror his son's life and give him fodder for the stories he rights." "To see how well you know Greg, what is the one thing he loves at home that most people hate and don't do anymore?" "Heck, that's easy: he loves to cook more than Dale does."
"Jaiden, I bet you a dollar and a donut that he is sitting in his den looking out the door at the smoke coming out of his smoker and wondering when the pork roast and ribs will be done." "Probably. I wonder if he will try the ribs marinated in light brown sugar and the menagerie of spices he likes to use." "I bet he does, and he holds to making the ribs so spicy that hot Thai curry doesn't hold cotton to his ribs." "Thinking about Greg's ribs has made me hungry." "Same here, Charley."
Dale, and Charley, while we are on the deck and the right thoughts are in my head, I need to apologize to both of you for letting myself get so stressed and upset when she died." "Jaiden, do you mean Queen Elizabeth?" "Yes, but I will observe Jewish custom and not mention the name of the dead." "I've never dealt with the feelings that dad's death caused. I haven't even discussed my feelings with mom."
"Perhaps I should have done that a long time ago, but there are some things she will listen to, and then she will look at you, smile, and leave the room and make herself scarce." "Jaiden, your mom probably has the same thoughts, dreams, and hurts you have – and, to be blunt, hers are probably leagues above yours. Your mom loved your dad without reservation, and even more importantly, she respected him. Had she not, you probably wouldn't be where you are today – and quite frankly, Dale and I wouldn't be either." "I never thought of that, Charley, but I can see where it's probably truer than not."
"What will you do when your mom gets here early Friday evening?" "I haven't thought about that, but I am inclined to trace her flight's route, and when it gets within thirty minutes of Erie, I am going to turn west and run like hell!" "Too funny! That reminds me of what Greg's grandfather told him in the church's narthex the day he and Marti got married: "Son, if you've ever had the inclination to run, now is the time to run and run like hell. Greg said he's wished a hundred times that he'd taken his grandfather's advice."
"Charley, you know Greg's grandfather was married three times – and he never divorced the last wife before marrying the newest wife." "Are you kidding me!" "Nope, his grandfather's sister, Ollie, asked him when he married Greg's grandmother, "Brother, don't you think you should divorce your wife before you get married again? He didn't answer his sister's question, and he never told his new wife that he was still married to his old wife. He never told Greg's grandmother that he had been married before."
"That's wild, Jaiden." "No, it's adultery, Charley – twice! He didn't divorce his first wife to marry Greg's grandmother, and he didn't divorce Greg's grandmother before he married his third wife, raised in orthodox Judaism in Columbia." "Is that why Greg is interested in and wants to convert to Judaism?" "Exactly, Charley."
"I still laugh about the story of Greg's grandfather being confronted by two of his great-uncles and a cousin who was an Army drill Sergeant. They gave Greg's grandfather the choice of disappearing permanently or leaving the town where he lived. The last time anybody saw him, he was wearing his customary white suit, holding his white hat on his head, and shagging ass down the roadway headed back to the army base. They must have scared the shit out of him because he ultimately left the United States for Central America and didn't come back stateside for nearly 30 years." "Why did they run him out of town?" "They say Greg's grandmother was pregnant with their second child, and he took a coat hanger and aborted the fetus."
"Greg's grandad sounds like he was a character." "He was, and he was the world's most confirmed racist; he hated blacks with a passion. He hit a black man's Cadillac because the man cut him off and made him mad – and he didn't stop when he hit the man. Greg and the woman who gave birth to him were in the car at the time, and while they were upset his granddad hit the man and was leaving the scene, they about died laughing because the elderly, bow-legged man was running down the boulevard chasing Greg's grandad on foot." "That is hilarious, Jaiden."
"I agree that must have been hilarious at the time, but it isn't the funniest thing that happened over the wreck. In Florida, the State Patrol investigates all wrecks, and when the trooper arrived to do the paperwork on the wreck, Greg's grandfather said, "Oh, shit! My ass is cooked."
"The trooper was a black man, and when he started getting out of his patrol car, he kept standing and standing and standing. He was almost seven feet tall. Greg and his step-grandmother did all they could to stifle a gut-wrenching laugh over his grandfather getting instant karma. His grandad talked his way out of a ticket for leaving the scene, but he did get two other tickets from the state trooper."
"And then, to top everything off, the young man who went to Greg's grandfather's home to pick up his Cadillac and repair it was a young man he had severely chastised for stealing green Panamanian persimmons from a tree in his yard. He asked the boy why he was stealing the green persimmons, and when the boy said to eat them, Greg's grandfather made the boy bite, chew, and swallow several bites of one of the extraordinarily large green persimmons. When Greg's grandfather finished the lecture on stealing that he gave the boy, he walked back into the woodshop laughing and said, `shortly, that little son-of-a-bitch is going to have one hell of a belly ache.' That boy didn't get past the front of the house before he turned flour white and became incredibly nauseated."
"His grandfather said, that'll teach that little bastard not to steal green persimmons out of someone's yard. When the boy got to Greg's grandfather's house to pick up his car for repairs, he reminded Greg's grandfather of who he was. That had to be hilarious. What I wouldn't give to have been there to see his grandfather's face when the boy showed up at his house." "Jaiden, I bet his grandfather wondered what would be wrong with his car when he got it back from the dealer's repair shop." "I'm sure he did, Charley, and it would have been funny if he had things in the car to affect a car part other than the part the switch was supposed to control. As sad as Greg's life was as he grew up, his family had to be interesting." "Don't you know it, Jaiden?"
"Getting back to what I was saying, I am so sorry that I might have caused you undue concern and worry; I might have made each of you miserable in your own home. I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me."
"Jaiden, there was - and is - no need for forgiveness. We understood how badly you were hurting, so we didn't take offense to anything and don't hold a grudge about or over anything; we're family, and this family loves and forgives without being asked. But, if you ever get that depressed again, please talk to us and let us help you. Can you promise to do that?" "I promise, guys. I love you to Mars and back." "We love you the same, Jaiden."
"Jaiden, this is Mom; can you retrieve me from the airport?" "Mom, we forgot you were coming. We're at the airport in Abingdon, and our luggage has just come down the carousel." "Jaiden, you better be shooting me a line of pontificated bovine fecal matter, as you say." "No, Mom, we are in Abingdon." "That's OK, I'll have the movers bring my things to Erie, and I'll go to work at the hospital in emergency medicine. You won't have to travel to see me then; we can see each other and have lunch daily." "Mom, hold on a second; I have a call coming in."
"OK, boys, there's Grandma; go get'er - run." "Jaiden's mom was furious, thinking Jaiden and his family were in Abingdon. She was spitting nails; she was so angry. When her grandsons tackled her and held onto her legs, her face lit up like a Christmas tree, even though there is no doubt she is Jewish. She knelt on her knees, hugged and kissed her grandchildren, and fussed over them. However, the look she gave Jaiden was a different story; he said, "I don't think I like the taste in my mouth, and whatever it is, my mom's eyes insinuated I should eat it– that ain't gonna happen!"
"Hello, son, Peyton. I have good news; the big house near yours that has been for sale, I bought it this morning, and I will move in on the first of next month. Then I can see my grandbabies every day. Jaiden suggested he and Peyton retrieve his mother's luggage from the carousel. Grandma would stay with her grandsons while Peyton and Jaiden completed their task. While walking to the carousel, Jaiden said, "Peyton, on the way home, look at the realty sign in the yard of that house and see if it says sold. Let me know what the sign indicates when we get home." "OK, babe, I'll do that, but in the meantime, we need to daven that the sign still says for sale."
When they got home, the children ran inside with their grandma, who was doing her best to spoil them. Peyton and Jaiden were getting her luggage out of the car when Peyton told Jaiden that the sign said sold. "Shit! I mean, Snap; I was hoping that mom was kidding. We won't know if she bought the house unless we can get away for a little while tomorrow and call the realtor." "Babe, you and I will get up at 8:00 and head to the hospital for rounds. Then, since the weekend staff is handling the patients, we'll go parking on the ridge and call the realtor." "Good idea, love. Hopefully, mom didn't buy the house."
"Schlagle Realty, this is Lauren Lewandowski; how may I help you." "Lauren, this is Jaiden Riley-Reynolds; did the house down the street from Rabbi Kravitz sell?" "It did, Jaiden. Dr. Peggy Reynolds, who is relocating to Erie from Virginia, purchased the home. We close on the sale this coming Monday." "Dang, Peyton and I wanted to purchase the house for an investment property; thanks anyway." "Yes, sir, Jaiden; you and Peyton have a great weekend." "I wish we could, Lauren; I truly wish we could."
"Jaiden, was the house sold?" "Yep, it was!" "To your mother?" "Yep, it was." "So, will we close the practice here and move back to Memphis?" "Yep, we will! Or at least Mom is going to think so." "Babe, are you planning to be devious about this?" "Does a monkey have a butt?" "I can't wait to see what you do." "Well, love, I can assure you of one thing: it will be perfect. I know that mom set up this ordeal to throw me off balance, not that I am balanced right now."
"Mom, we're home!" "OK. The children and I have been having a wonderful time. We put their Ford Jumpsuits on, and they went wild, having fun in the backyard. Rabbi Kravitz came outside and told me to watch for a bear, that you all have seen one in the field behind the house."
"That we have, mom, and he runs off when I throw a couple of M-80s into the yard. The Momma bear has come over the fence a couple of times, and about a week ago, the cub came up and looked over the fence. He didn't like the sound of M-80 firecrackers because when they went off, he was hilarious trying to get his legs to run faster than they already were. So we've been hypervigilant over the children since the bears started appearing."
Jaiden's cell phone rang, and he told his mother it was St. Jude's calling from Memphis, and he would take the call on the deck. So Jaiden stepped outside, closed the door to the deck, and said, "OK, Charley, make sure your bedroom door is closed so Mom can't hear you." "Dude, it is closed and locked, and I have the sound machine cut up to medium."
"Awesome, Charley. Mom thinks I am speaking with someone from St. Jude's; she may pull a prank on Peyton and me, but she has forgotten I am the King of Getting Even. We've been on the phone long enough, so I am going back inside and make my spiel; so, open your door and enjoy what you are about to hear – just don't laugh too hard." "Don't worry, Jaiden, Dale, and I won't make a sound your mom will hear."
"Peyton, that was Devon calling; they want us back in Memphis, and as a draw-bonus, they are willing to deed the house there to us. They've also arranged for Dale and Charley to relocate to their company's office. Several large construction projects could use Dale's and Charley's help." "What did you tell him, Jaiden?" "I told him you and I discussed the proposition and that we would accept with our salary there being the same as it is here; they agreed. So, we'll be moving back to Memphis in two months. They will also let us bring our office staff here with us, and they will pay their relocation expenses as well as ours."
"What about Leon's classes here? He only has about eight months left and will have his doctorate since he got his masters in Brevard. They've arranged for him to complete his doctorate with help from Vanderbilt working with Penn State." "Then I guess it is a go. We know the Memphis area well, we like the weather there as long as it isn't tornadic, and the children have things there that they enjoy. The only thing left is to inform Dale and Charley we've accepted the transfer back to Memphis, and their firm has guaranteed their employment."
"Dale, Charley, can you come downstairs for a minute?" "On the way, Jaiden."
"We've accepted the arrangements St. Jude's offered to us in Memphis. Your firm guarantees your employment and already has projects on which they need you two to work.
So, we load up and move back to Memphis in two months."
"Awesome, guys; Dale and I can't wait to return; we loved it there. The Riverboat dining, B. B. King's restaurant, the little park by the Mississippi...it's going to be so much fun to get back to Memphis. Maybe Leon can also work at the counseling center as well as with you and Peyton. He is familiar with the people there, they like him, and it shouldn't be too hard to work out an arrangement to work a few nights per week conducting group therapy." "That's a thought, Charley; Leon would enjoy doing that in addition to working as a psychologist at St. Jude's, and Peter will be the chief of the emergency intake department."
"Jaiden, hold on a minute. I am not retiring or moving my practice to Erie, and I didn't buy the house next door. I cooked that up with Lauren last week. I wanted to see what you would do if you thought I was moving here, and you were readable in that regard. "
"Mom, since you aren't closing your practice and moving here, and you didn't purchase the house two doors down, we aren't moving back to Memphis, and we are not going back to work for St. Jude's – and neither is anybody else. So we are staying right here in Erie. We love this city. We love this city's people and the children, and we, love the beach and walking the mountain trails."
"So, you cooked all this up when I said I bought that house and that I was moving to Erie." "Yes, mam, I did!" "I've got to hand it to you, son; you had me going for a change. Was the stress problem they said you had a mock event as well?"
"No, mam, it wasn't. I broke down when the Queen died, which made me realize how much I missed Dad. And just so you know, Peyton made me an appointment for counseling, and I agreed to go. I have finally realized that doctors, like psychologists and other health professionals, need someone to talk with to hash out problems and relieve stress and anxiety."
"You know, that makes me truly proud of my son-in-law. I know I can trust Peyton, Richard, and Andrew to ensure you are OK when you get upset. And just so you know, you know that late afternoon I have once a month?" "Yes, mam." "I am not working late; I have been going to group therapy once a month for years. Like you, even though your dad died years ago, I miss him horribly, and I sometimes have difficulty dealing with the loneliness. I've tried to find someone I could love, but nobody measures up to your dad, and I will not develop a relationship with anybody who doesn't measure up to Abe; I refuse."
"Mom, I understand. I wish you could find someone you could enjoy life with; I do; you deserve that happiness." "Maybe I do, son, but if they don't measure up to your dad and you, they won't have a place in my life." "What do you mean if they don't measure up to me?"
"Jaiden, if I have told you once, I have told you a hundred times, you are the spitting image of your dad in every facet of life, and when I am with you and Peyton, I am with your dad; that's why I try to come to Erie as often as I do. One weekend, one week, or one month is time I give to myself to feel close to my Abe."
Jaiden didn't say a word; he just got up and walked outside onto the deck where he stood at the railing, his head hung low. His mom started to go out with him, but Peyton stopped her; Jaiden was his husband, and it was his place to help his babe with his depressive reactions, and he would - make no mistake about that.
"Jaiden, are you OK?" "I am, sweetheart; what Mom said got to me. I never realized why she wanted to come to Erie so much. I wouldn't move anywhere for any reason if she moved to Erie. Damn, how could I have been so clueless; how?"
"Jaiden, you both are fighting the same loneliness, the same evil, and that is perhaps why you didn't see you two were hurting for the same reason. That your mom feels that close to your dad by being around you, me, and our children amazes me. We need to take a few long weekends here and there and go to Abingdon to spend some time with her. I miss how she takes a sip of coffee, smiles with her eyes, and then disappears. She gave and gives us time to be together, so let's start giving her time to be with us, with the children – in Abingdon."
"Peyton, you have never been more right about anything – except having a house full of children to love who love us back. So Monday, I will have Ashley make a schedule where we take a long weekend once a month. Either we go to Abingdon, or we bring Mom here."
"Sweetheart, I would like that very much, and so will the children and your mom." Jaiden wrapped his arms around Peyton as they stood looking over the horizon, over the mountains. Peyton had suggested a way Jaiden and his mother could effectively deal with their sporadic depression and anxiety.
Jaiden discussed his and Peyton's plans with Richard, who thought it was a good idea. But Richard took it one step further: when Peyton and Jaiden went to see Jaiden's mom, he and Sally would stay at the house with their children and watch over and play with Jaiden's and Peyton's boys. For his sanity, Jaiden needed some time alone with his mother, and she needed the same with him – and they couldn't get that quiet time with five children tagging behind them.
Jaiden agreed to allow Richard and Sally to do that, but there was one stipulation his brother-in-law and sister-in-law must agree with: Once a month, they had to let Jaiden and Peyton keep their three children and go somewhere and spend some alone time together. Richard said he thought that was a good idea. He and Sally would love to spend a few days alone together walking in the mountains, sitting by the waterfalls, walking barefoot on the beach - if it wasn't freezing, or sitting in the back, quiet corner of their favorite bistro having a romantic dinner.
Mom, I have a counseling appointment Wednesday at seven; why don't you come with me; I think it would help both of us." "Son, I would love to do that. But, first, I need to apologize to you for shorting you on the spectrum of intelligence; you are incredibly wiser than I gave you credit for."