The False Exit Read online

  “Grandma Mary’s house, this is Liz speaking. Oh, hi Uncle Carl. Wow that’s weird—we were just talking about you.”

  “No wonder my ears were buzzing,” he teased from the other end of the line. “Is this my favorite niece?” he asked.

  Liz pulled the phone away from her mouth and smiled at her Grandmother, “It’s Uncle Carl!” She pulled the phone back and giggled, “It’s your one and only niece.”

  “I guess that makes you my favorite,” he teased.

  “Tell him I’ll call him back. I’ve got my hands full right now. I have to get this cake iced while it’s still hot.”

  “Can she call you back? Gammy is really busy right now. She is getting ready for a date,” she said. “Yes, she is still dating that Captain guy!”

  Mary dropped her hands to her side. “It’s not a date, we’re just visiting, and he’s not a captain!”

  “Gammy says it’s not a date! But, I don’t know Uncle Carl, she’s icing a milk cake for him.” Liz held her hand over the receiver and whispered to her grandmother in a stern voice, “If you’re not willing to admit that you’re dating the man, you have no business preparing desert for him!” She removed her hand from the receiver. “Yup, that’s right! Actually, Grandma and I are having a double dinner date tonight. My boyfriend is coming over and so is Grandma’s!”

  Mary wiped her hands on a towel and tossed it aside, “Give me that phone!” She grabbed the phone. “Hello Carl!” She watched Liz walk over to the icing and dip her finger in the bowl. “No, he’s not! I have a nice friend who calls on me occasionally.” Mary swatted at Liz as she reached in the icing a second time. “No, he’s not a captain! That’s just what we call him,” she paused, “I don’t know! Elsie started the whole thing. He bought us all a round of rum and cokes the first time we met, so Elsie nicknamed him Captain Morgan. Now everybody just calls him, Captain.”

  Liz leaned against the counter and licked the spatula that Mary used to mix the icing. Her grandmother nervously wrung the telephone cord around her hand as she continued to speak to her brother.

  “No, he’s not! It has nothing to do with the military. He’s a retired police officer, Carl.”

  Liz had no idea what her uncle said but she enjoyed watching her grandmother’s skin redden.

  “Carl! I said a POLICE officer and he’s retired. Get your danged hearing checked!” She glanced back at Liz in time to catch her with another finger in the bowl. “I have to go before Liz eats all my icing!” She hung up quickly.

  “Go on! You get out of that!”

  “But it’s so good!” Liz whined.

  Mary dipped her finger in it. “Oh Lord! You and Carl distracted me and now it’s all salty!”

  “No, it’s not! It’s perfect.” She dipped her finger in for another try and her grandmother pushed her out of the kitchen.

  “Stop it! I’m going to need every bit of this icing to fill in the crater in the middle of this cake.” She tested the icing again. “It’s flopped and salty!” She stepped back from the counter and took it all in. “The whole thing is a disaster!”

  Liz stopped in the doorframe. “What do you care? He’s not your boyfriend!” She smugly headed up the steps and hollered back into the kitchen, “Shame on you! You’re making dessert for him and you can’t even admit he’s your boyfriend! He’s going to get the wrong idea, Gammy!” She giggled the rest of the way up the stairs until Mary shouted back at her.

  “You’re absolutely right! This whole thing is going in the garbage!”

  “No! Gammy!” Liz charged back into the kitchen just in time to save the cake. “It doesn’t have to look perfect. It’s going to be delicious!” She threw herself in front of the cake. “Promise me you’re not going to throw this cake out!”

  “Oh, alright! Alright,” Mary said. “Go get your bath!”

  3

  Just as Bill clicked on the ghost light in the middle of the stage, a blast of thunder shook through the theatre. The light flickered in his hand until the power went out.

  “Okay, this is a little creepy,” he said out loud. The night after Anna Marie’s husband died in the theatre lobby, Bill honored the tradition of setting out a ghost light in the center of the stage before he left each evening. He’d found a vintage living room lamp post in the prop room, removed shade and replaced the bulb to create the perfect traditional theatre ghost light.

  Feeling satisfied that the bulb would light up once the power returned, he left with the switch on. The light on his cell phone would have to suffice to guide him through the backstage and darkened halls.

  It was unusual for him to be locking up the theatre in the early evening hours. It had been an unusually slow day and there would be no rehearsals or events scheduled for the night. Taking the day off to help Anna Marie begin the process of removing her late husband’s things from her house was his original plan. She’d insisted that she needed to take on the project alone and he understood why.

  As he locked the theatre doors, the thought of how much he missed working with her overwhelmed him. Operating as the head technician was a challenging job at a theatre as large as the Star Bright. Since Anna Marie had left her position as the artistic director, he was exhausted with doing his work and most of hers. Diane, the new artistic director, lacked experience. She was finding it difficult to fill Anna Marie’s shoes and the rest of the staff was finding her efforts to be nothing more than disappointing.

  During the twenty years she’d worked there, Anna Marie was responsible for the overall success that the theatre had acquired. After she left, Bill tried to convince an unwavering board of directors that they needed to create two new positions to replace her. He explained that Anna Marie had no children and a wandering husband. Functioning above and beyond reasonable expectations had become an ordinary part of her work life.

  Bill had been no different. Although Anna Marie was married and he was single; they both were married to their jobs. Now that Anna Marie was gone, the extra hours only served as a painful reminder of how much he missed working with her.

  After the night her husband was shot in the theatre lobby, Anna Marie couldn’t bring herself to return to work. Every time she passed through the foyer, Bill knew she would relive the incident. He was struggling with his own issues from the event. He’d lost the passion that drove him in the past and recognized that his overall disposition was changing. He was beginning to live in the fear of his younger self. He’d always worried that he might become a miserable grumpy old man that shouted orders from the lighting booth in the back of a theatre. He’d come across many technical directors that worked like that in his long career, and he always swore he wouldn’t allow himself to sink into that role.

  His windshield wipers hummed a monotonous rhythm as he headed toward the attorney’s office. He grinned at his thoughts as he peered through the wipers. Perhaps he was having a midlife crisis with the job he’d married. Maybe a new sports car would help, he laughed out loud. He pulled into a parking space and looked at the clock on his dashboard. He was early. He relaxed his hands on the steering wheel and stared into the rain. He still had a good five minutes before he would have to run up to the building. Perhaps it would calm down. He listened to the mesmerizing tempo of the rain and began to dream himself into a brand-new Lotus Evora 400. He even pictured his dog, Motley, jumping up into the seat next to him. It was a good dream. Yes, he thought, I’m having a midlife crisis! The old blue sedan squeaked and moaned in pain as he pushed open the door. He shook his head with disappointment, climbed out into the unyielding rain and slammed the door shut.

  Bill was trying to help Anna Marie pull her late husband’s child out of the foster care system. His neighbor, Clifford, had set up an appointment for him with an attorney named Jim Cranston at C.C. and Sons law firm. Clifford and Bill had been neighbors and friends for over fifteen years. Clifford was involved in the incident in the lobby the night that Kevin was killed, and he was anxious to offer his support.

&nbs
p; As a retired officer, Clifford was well connected to the community. Bill often joked that he was ‘that guy that always knows a guy’. The little girl’s mother, Darci, was facing at least ten years in prison. She didn’t want her seven-year-old daughter growing up in foster care, and she trusted in the fact that Anna Marie had found a place in her heart for the child. The girl’s mother agreed to sign a release to allow Anna Marie temporary parental rights.

  Unfortunately, Anna Marie’s current financial statement was creating a road block in the process. After leaving her job at the theatre, she had no current proof of income. Bill was hopeful he would get some answers or at least some ideas of how to proceed from the lawyer. He shook the rain off of his clothes and he entered the building. His wet shoes squeaked on the heavily waxed floor as he approached the receptionist.

  4

  The throbbing pain from the split in her chin was overwhelming. She’d applied pressure to stop the bleeding and dressed the wound with a bandage. It’d been a long time since Anna Marie had an opportunity to dress up and enjoy an evening out. Taking the time to primp, dress up and prepare for a relaxing dinner with Bill was something she’d been looking forward to. She looked in the mirror and laughed at herself. The double wide Band-Aid was certainly a distraction from her anticipation of creating a striking appearance. After counting the money several times, and safely tucking it back away in the closet, she’d managed to pull herself together and get busy. Kevin’s clothes and shoes were packed into the tubs. She shuffled through her dresses and pulled her favorite black gown from her side of the closet. The empty rack on Kevin’s side gave way to the realization that she no longer had a side. It was all hers. She felt surprisingly empowered and somewhat liberated as she spread her clothes evenly throughout the entire closet. For the first time in her life, her clothes hung with enough space to see each garment and maneuver through them with ease. The uncertainty of whether she could bear to continue to live in the house that she’d shared with Kevin loomed in the background of all of her decisions. The incident with the thunder nearly made her change her mind again. If the fall hadn’t stunned her to an immovable pause, she might have run out of the closet and all the way to Florida. Her sister had insisted that she move in with her to begin the process of rebuilding her life. She knew better. Living with her sister in Florida wasn’t at all what her second chance at life was directing her to do.

  Kansas City was where she belonged. In the span of only a few short days, her unadulterated world had completely changed and spiraled into deep confusion. Her need for clarity would never be satisfied if she shrouded herself in the sanctuary of her sister’s home. The potential of her new life was undeniably wrapped in the results of everything that had spun out of control. Exploring her relationship and attraction to her lifelong friend, Bill, and her desire to retrieve Kevin’s little girl from the foster care system was her only hope at surviving the past.

  Kevin’s daughter had left her with the most agonizing confusion. The child was called, Annie, but her full name was, Anna Marie. Why had Kevin given the girl her name? Was he trying to honor her through his betrayal? Was it part of his plan to fool his other wife? Bill warned her not to spend any energy trying to understand Kevin’s motivations. He insisted that she would only make herself crazy trying to decipher questions that had no sane answers. She knew he was probably right, but it was difficult not to allow the confusion to consistently disrupt her thoughts.

  The little girl was introduced to her only moments before Kevin was killed in the lobby. She had little to no information about what the child knew. The girl simply said, ‘you are the pretty lady that my daddy named me after’. It was an ambiguous and fleeting introduction, but Anna Marie was left with a deep impression.

  Nightmares of the child calling to her immediately began to haunt and disturb her sleep. Was the little girl wondering where the “pretty lady” was and when would she come to rescue her? Anna Marie’s world had been rocked, but nothing could compare to the abandonment and separation she knew the child had to be dealing with. Determined to face her own adversities and fear she set out to rescue the girl. She could clean out the house, stay in Kansas City and do whatever it took to save Kevin and Darci’s daughter from the loneliness and uncertainty of a future in foster care.

  She slipped on the dress and stared at the money bag that she’d carefully placed back on the empty tie rack. She predicted the stash was likely Kevin’s gambling money. He must have won big. How was it that the simple man that she thought she knew and loved had lived such a mysterious and complicated life? She reached in and collected some extra cash for her handbag. She would be buying tonight!

  The old fashion clock beside the bed clicked with an agonizing announcement of every second that passed through the silence. She’d been tempted all day to remove the battery, but for some reason, the same haunting ticking sound that heightened her anxiety gave her the push she needed to move forward and into the daunting task of each new moment. She squeezed her foot into one of her tight black pumps and then the other. Bill would be expecting her in ten minutes. It was not like her to be running late.

  She paused as she snatched her keys from the counter and pondered her previous thought; it wasn’t like her to be running late. What was it like to be her? Everything would now be defined by the life she lived before she found out about Kevin’s second wife and everything that would proceed after. Could this new life be any better than she’d ever known or expected her life to be? Was it possible? It had to be! She couldn’t let this be the beginning of less. It was going to have to be the beginning of something more.

  She rushed into her car, took a deep breath and tried to ignore the small waves of pain that were still radiating from her chin. She smiled at the absurdity and realization that life had literally knocked her down and smacked her in the face. But I’m up and I’m still running, she thought as she turned the key to start the engine.

  5

  Liz plopped onto the couch and turned on the TV. She was searching for the news when her grandmother descended down the stairs. “Gammy, you look amazing!”

  “You don’t have to flatter me. I have a mirror. I have accepted my fate.”

  “Are you kidding me? I hope to God that I look like you when I am your age!”

  “Why in heaven’s name would you ever want to look like an old bull dog?”

  “Gammy!”

  “Seriously, I hope you do better. I’ve got great big bags under my eyes, my jaw line is starting to get folds in it and look at these saggy old arms.”

  “You are actually in great shape, Grandma,” Liz said.

  “Look at this,” she said as she pulled on the loose skin under her arms, “I was thinking about working out. I was going to do some jumping jacks the other day, but I was afraid that if I start flapping my arms, I might fly away!”

  Liz chuckled, “Shame on you Grandma! You shouldn’t talk like that! I remember when I was in middle school and you told me to stop looking at what was wrong. You insisted that I stop looking at my pimples so that I could see the pretty face I was blessed with.”

  “You’ve always been a beauty, even in those awkward middle school days.”

  “You’re the same! You’re still a beauty! When I look at you, I don’t see wrinkles and sags. I see a beautiful woman who has been blessed by the years. There are a lot of women who would be happy to look half as good as you do now and most of them are half of your age! You should be grateful instead of complaining about what is wrong!”

  “Goodness, Liz. How did I get to be so lucky as to have you in my life? Little Ms. Wisdom!”

  “I am only repeating what you taught me. I mean it though! I want to be as beautiful as you are. You look like a movie star.”

  “Come here and give this old movie star a hug!” She wrapped her arms around Liz. “You are right. I need to practice what I preach.” She let go of her with a kiss on the forehead and looked at the clock. “That’s odd. They’re late.” />
  “No they’re not. It is only a quarter to seven.”

  Mary didn’t acknowledge Liz’s reply. “I wonder what is keeping them. I don’t want that roast to dry out. It’s bad enough that my milk cake is sunk!”

  Liz continued to flip through the TV channels while her grandmother paced about the kitchen until the doorbell rang. “I got it.” She jumped up and shut off the TV. “Hello, Mr. Clifford,” she said as she let him in and closed the door behind him.

  “Liz! Don’t you look nice?” He looked passed her and into the kitchen where Mary was. He absent mindedly handed Liz one of the two packages of flowers.

  “Thank you,” Liz said as she watched him rush to Mary and hand her the second bouquet.

  “Hello Mary! Wow, look at you. You look like a movie star!”

  Mary received the flowers and shot Liz a raised eyebrow. “Why thank you, Cliff. How nice of you to bring flowers! They’re lovely.”

  Liz took the flowers and said, “I’ll put these in a vase for you, Ms. Movie Star.” She grinned at her grandmother and headed for the kitchen.

  “If you don’t mind my saying; you look a little pale, Cliff. Are you feeling okay?” Mary asked.

  “Oh yes. I’m fine. I’m just feeling a little tired,” he sighed. “I probably need to get out and about a little more. I need to get a little more exercise to get my energy back.”

  “That’s funny, Liz and I were just talking about that!”

  “I’ve been thinking about joining an exercise group. I need to get this old blood to pump a little faster.”

  “An exercise group? You mean one of those yogi classes?”

  “Yoga, Grandma!” Liz hollered from the kitchen.

  “No, no, that is not for me. I’m thinking maybe a swim class, or I don’t know; I guess I could ride a bike. I have to do something.”

  “I was just telling Liz that I needed to do some exercises. I started to do some jumping jacks the other day but—”