Richie’s Day Without End - Part 1
Richie came into his room at Millie’s after his night in Coffs with Libby. He smiled removing his jacket, she was a sweet kid and a lot of fun in bed too. Speaking of bed, he looked longingly at his, he hadn’t slept much last night, he wasn’t quite ready to examine the reason for that but it was coming up about 5:30 that evening when he was to meet Nonnie in the Tavern. He checked his watch, just after 9:30 in the morning and he thought he might ride out and have a look at that house he was interested in by himself before the real estate agent got there.
He changed his clothes and picked up his keys from the dresser and his cell phone rang, he didn’t recognize the number. “Roberts.” He answered.
“Richie…Richie I can’t deal with this anymore…I just wanted to thank you…”
“Rosemary?” her voice sounded strange and slurred.
“Jus wanna thank you for being there…you’re a good bloke.”
“Where are you, Rosemary what’s wrong?”
“I’m nowhere Richie…everythin’s gone to hell…I’m gonna say goodbye.”
She sounded drunk or drugged, “Listen to me, I’m on my way, are you in your room?”
“I’m here but not for long…not long.”
“Wait for me Rosemary…wait for me, okay.” It sounded like her phone hit the floor or something. Richie ran down the stairs and out to his vehicle. Once again he was on his way to Coffs.
He ran up the stairs to Rosemary’s room and knocked but got no reply he tried the knob and looked up and down the hallway. He put his shoulder into it and the door came open.
Rosemary was laying across her bed in a flimsy robe, he went over to her, “Rosemary…” he shook her a little, she was breathing turning his head he saw an empty bottle of liquor no pill bottles, he went quickly to the bathroom and checked there, no pill bottles, nothing in the trash bins.
He went back to her and tried to rouse her but she was out cold. He still wasn’t sure she hadn’t taken something along with that booze. He hesitated a moment and then called the emergency number and waited for the paramedics to arrive. While he waited he walked around her room and to the other side of the bed where he stepped on something and reached down to pick up the framed photo of a young man in fatigues.
At first he thought it was Andy but closer examination of the picture told him it couldn’t be as far as he knew Andy had never been in the military. He took it out of the frame and looked at the back of it, ‘Love ya, Dom,’ was scrawled across the back. Dom…Dom Maloney? He put the picture back in its frame and placed it on the bedside table.
Once the medics were there Richie hung back and let them work, he followed the ambulance to the hospital where he was questioned about her condition. He told them what he could and waited around while they pumped her stomach. He called the real estate agent and cancelled the house tour. Finally he was able to get back to talk to her.
“Hey kid,”
“Richie, why didn’t you just let me go?”
“Oh I dunno, maybe I thought you were worth saving.”
“You were wrong, I’m not worth anything.”
“What’s Dom Maloney to you?”
Rosemary looked up quickly, “nothing…he’s nothing, I’m nothing.”
“Cut the crap Rosemary, I saw the photo.”
“I thought he was dead, he was missing presumed DEAD!”
“Well he isn’t dead he works at Colin’s Garage…so what’s he to you?”
“He’s not anything to me…nothing.”
“He signed the photo with love.”
She shrugged, “so…that was a long time ago. He didn’t send the photo to me anyway, he sent it to his sister and I stole it.”
“Have you talked to him is that what brought this binge on?”
“No, I saw him at Millie’s…on the steps talking to…my old friend…I thought he was dead…you know, I saw a ghost and I got upset.”
“Why didn’t you call me instead of taking sleeping pills and booze?”
“I tried but I got your answering service, your phone was off I guess. If you’re hanging around for me to say thank you for saving my life, forget it.”
He’d turned his phone off last night in the motel with Libby, “I don’t need any thanks. So seeing Dom upset you so much you tried to cop out is that what happened? Do I need to call him?”
“NO…no…don’t…he doesn’t know anything about me…he doesn’t know. I don’t want him to know.”
“Is it his kid?”
Rosemary looked up and met his eyes and he had his answer.
