Riding the Thunder - Deborah MacGillivray [105]
“Delbert?” She knocked on the doorframe, trying to draw his attention. “Hey, Delbert. I’m looking for an escort to this big Halloween bash. I thought Obi-Wan might like to do the honors.”
His posture was so forlorn that her heart squeezed. He looked up at her, and she saw his cheeks were streaked with tears. Worried, Asha rushed to him, frightened something was very wrong. She reached out and gently touched his arm.
“What’s a matter? Are you all right?”
He sucked in a deep breath and gave a forced smile. “I’m fine. You look different with black hair, Asha. I always had a thing for Carolyn Jones. Used to watch that silly show each week just to see her in that black dress, those eyes flashing wickedly.”
Trying to lighten his mood, Asha imitated Morticia and did the Addams Family snap of the fingers. “And do I do her justice?”
“You are beautiful, girl. Inside and out. Not many people are. I’d like some pictures of you and your Jago for my album.”
“Certainly. All you want.”
His trembling fingers reached out and stroked the edge of a photo. “He reminds me of Tommy, you know, same curly black hair. Oh, he doesn’t really look like him. But the eyes . . . sometimes I stare at them and I recognize it’s Jago, but for a breathless moment I see Tommy.”
Asha’s heart dropped. “Tommy Grant?”Maybe you’d better ask those who know more about them. There’s one or two around. “You knew Tommy?”
“A handsome boy. He grew into a great young man. I was so proud of him.” Such sorrow filled Delbert’s eyes as he looked up at her. “I don’t think I ever told him . . . I can’t remember . . . but I don’t think I told him how proud I was to be his uncle.”
“Uncle?”
“His mother was my older sister. Margaret Seacrest. Maggie, we called her. She married David Grant. Damn, so many mistakes in my life, girl. Too late to change things. My life’s over. Just regrets now. Tommy’s father was killed, hit head-on by a drunk driver. Maggie didn’t have a way to support herself. You see, it wasn’t expected of women back then. They married and stayed home to take care of the kids. That was the way of things. Women didn’t have careers. Only, Maggie had a son to raise. I took over supporting them. I didn’t have that much to give. Did what I could. I was a struggling lawyer, you know. Hard to build a practice in Leesburg. Times were tough. I worked long and hard, and much to my shame, often I resented that I was caring for Maggie and Tommy, instead of a wife and son of my own. Wasn’t good of me. I shouldn’t have done that . . . thought those things.”
“Delbert, don’t be too hard on yourself. We’re only human. Sometimes we’re less than perfect, think or say things we really don’t mean. People who love us understand.”
“I bought him that Mustang. They died in that car. Maybe if I hadn’t bought it . . .”
Asha took his hand and clutched it tightly. “Sadly, bad things happen to good people. You buying a car had nothing to do with that.”
The old man’s hand trembled as he nodded. “But they were so young, Asha . . . had so much to live for. Would have gotten married in a year, had children. They . . . would’ve made a beautiful son. He’d be about the age of your Jago now.” Delbert looked down at the picture of Laura and Tommy. “I feel them here. As if they didn’t move on. My sister died by her own hand. Took pills one night. She couldn’t live with losing both Dave and Tommy in car accidents. I used to come here, eat at the restaurant, or go to the drive-in. Play their song. After a spell, when people figured I should stop grieving and get on with my life, they began giving me pitying looks. ‘Poor Delbert, not right in the head.’ I had a heart attack when I