Reverse Metamorphosis book one of the Irrevocable Change trilogy (44 page)

“Walter has gained quite a bit of weight over
the last couple of years; this could be a heart attack.” Clay
offered.

“Yes, I'm afraid it could be.” Margaret
agreed.

“At least he was conscience and didn’t pass
out or go into a coma. That’s a good sign,” added Lizzy.

They were interrupted by a young doctor who
introduced himself and then spoke directly to Margaret. “The EKG
test indicates your husband has had a series of mild heart attacks.
He’s stabilized now, but we would like to keep him here overnight.
Tomorrow we’ll run additional tests and discuss dietary changes he
needs to consider. At his age, and with the sedentary life style he
indicated he leads, he’s sure to have additional heart problems if
he doesn’t get his weight down and begin an exercise regimen. But
those issues can be discussed at length after we review the results
of the additional test. Do you have any questions?”

Margaret said she had no questions and
thanked the doctor for treating Walt. After the doctor left them
Lizzy excused herself, saying she needed to be at work early the
next morning and she would call Margaret later the following
afternoon to learn Walt’s status. Margaret stood to leave and asked
Clay if he would stop by the house for a cup of coffee. Sensing his
mother needed company after the scare Walt had given them, he
agreed to follow her home.

While loading coffee grounds and water into
the stainless steel percolator, Margaret confided in Clay, “I was
frightened this evening when Walt was having what I was sure were
heart attack symptoms. I don’t know what I’d do if anything
happened to him.”

“He’s going to be alright, Mom. He just needs
to follow the doctor’s advice and lose weight and be more
active.”

“I know, but we’ve been together so long I’d
be lost without him. I’m not ready to lose him and be alone. It’s
scary.”

“I understand Mom, but I’m sure Walt will be
alright. He is going to need you to help him stay on a diet. And
I’m sure you’ll have to encourage him to exercise.”

“Everything used to be so predictable and
calm, now it seems like there’s something different to deal with
daily. Learning Elizabeth is homosexual was very difficult to deal
with, for both of us; and your being kicked out of the union and
being unemployed for so long. Then there was the F.B.I.
investigating your relationship with those Gilianos and coming
around asking questions. They made it sound like you were the worst
kind of gangster. And now, Walter is in the hospital with a heart
attack. I just don’t know what to do anymore. Everything is so
complicated and things keep changing so fast.”

“Mom, it’s just how life is. You’ve got to
accept the changes and deal with the unexpected.”

“Well I just can’t. It scares me and I just
want to go away and hide until I feel safe again.”

Clay stayed and talked with Margaret until
after two in the morning, but didn’t feel like he had helped with
her problem.

Walter did recover, lost some weight and made
an effort to exercise more than he had before. Clay bought a family
membership at a health club near his parent’s house and presented
it to Walter and Margaret; but he sensed neither would take
advantage of it; both had established habits and would not change
their life styles easily; even if it killed them.

One evening during supper with Lizzy and
Irish he learned Margaret was experiencing additional symptoms of
depression and had been seeing a therapist. They decided the three
of them would try to get Margaret to discuss the problem and see if
they could provide support.

Clay called Adrianna one afternoon to arrange
to meet with her. Three minutes into the conversation they were
quarreling and he had lost his temper with her. “What the hell do
you mean you’re seeing another man?”

“Damn it Clay, you don’t own me. I’ve been
honest with you from the start about wanting a husband and
children; you’re the one who doesn’t want the responsibility of a
family.”

“But our relationship is good the way it is
for now. We’re young; we can get married later and have kids
then.”

With her voice rising loudly Adrianna yelled
at him, “No Clay, it’s time for you to come to terms with what I’ve
been telling you since we first started seeing each other. I want a
family; I wish it could be with you, but if you don’t want me for a
wife I’ll find someone who does!”

Clay stood holding the dead phone against his
ear until the reality of the phone slamming down sank in. In a few
weeks he would call her again and hope she was in a better mood.
Maybe she was having an especially bad menstrual period and would
be over it by then. And until then there were plenty of other
willing and available women who would be more than eager to go out
with a successful young businessman.

Over the next few months Clay dated many
women, some only once, some several times. All slept with him, but
none replaced the image burned into his mind of his first love,
Adrianna. Several times during the period he had called her, and on
several occasions they had managed to talk civilly. But she was
holding her ground and would not give him an inch. Marriage or
nothing was her constant ultimatum. During one of those
conversations he discovered his competition was a U.S. Senator from
New Hampshire. He investigated and learned the man’s name was
Marshall Worthington and he was a thirty four year old bachelor.
The man’s future could be in peril.

Clay managed to get through the 1976
Christmas season and had plunged into the task of finding stock to
re-supply the shop. After a buying trip through mid-Illinois and
Indiana he returned the week after New Years to unload his booty
and prepare for another run. His plans changed the night before he
intended to leave again when Lizzy called from the hospital. Walter
had suffered another heart attack. Margaret had called an ambulance
for him an hour earlier and the emergency room doctor’s prognosis
wasn’t encouraging. When he arrived at the hospital twenty minutes
later he learned Walter had died while Clay was on the phone
talking to Lizzy. A combined major heart attack and stroke had been
too much for him. Margaret was hysterical. The floor nurse finally
had to administer a sedative to calm her down. Even then it took
almost an hour for Clay, Lizzy and Irish to convince her to go
home. Walt Jr. and Hazel finally arrived, but were of little help.
Lizzy offered to stay the rest of the night with her and Clay
postponed his trip to stay with her during the day. It also fell to
him to make the funeral arrangements and sort through the financial
papers in Walter’s desk. Walt Jr. wanted to play a major role there
but Clay embarrassed him in front of the family and he backed off.
The next several days, after filtering through the trivial
paperwork filed along with the important papers, he and Lizzy
learned Walter had left Margaret in decent financial shape. She was
well provided for and would be able to maintain her home and
present life style. All of their assets were held jointly so no
transfers would be necessary.

Three days later Walter was buried; he was
two months shy of his fifty second birthday.

At the church service Clay saw Adrianna enter
with Tony and Anna. They had not spoken for weeks, but his spirit
lifted the second he saw her. God, he’d missed her.

He rode to the cemetery after the church
service in one of the limousines with all of his siblings. After
the burial ceremony he made his way over to where Tony’s family had
gathered. When Tony and Anna stepped away to chat with
acquaintances’ Clay said, “I’ve missed you and would like to see
you. If you’re staying over may I take you out to dinner tomorrow
night?” Adrianna hesitated, and then agreed to be picked up the
next evening.

Dinner was at an upscale steak house near
downtown Chicago. After the meal they lingered and talked over wine
for more than an hour before leaving. In the car Adrianna slid
across the seat to set close beside him. Without asking, Clay drove
to his house and pulled the car into the garage. Their lovemaking
was more controlled; but as passionate as it had ever been.
Adrianna spoke to him as they lay naked beside each other resting.
“Marshall is a good man. He’s caring, intelligent, and has a
position of power and importance; but he’s a dumb shit in bed; he
thinks the missionary position, in the dark of course, is the only
Christian way to screw. I still love you. I would stop seeing
Marshall immediately if you said you wanted to marry me.”

“And I love you too Adrianna. But there are
other issues in my life preventing me from marrying and having a
family. And it’s not other women. I’m sorry and wish our
relationship could have continued as it is.”

Adrianna leaned over to kiss him on the
forehead, and then turned to sit up with her legs over the edge of
the bed. With his left index finger Clay traced the curve of her
spine on the olive skin. “I’m sorry and wish it could continue too.
But I won’t go on being your private whore any longer. I just wish
I meant as much to you as your precious independence. Good bye
Clay.”

He protested, but knew in his heart it was
over.

A month later Tony saw Clay enter the back
door and motioned for him to grab a beer.

When they got upstairs to talk Tony said,
“I’ve got this job from a guy in Philly, but I know you aren’t
going to want it. First off, he tried to argue about the price;
then he insisted on knowing your name. My contact says the asshole
wants a guy he does business with knocked off because this guy has
been screwing his wife.” Can you imagine that! If somebody was
banging my Anna I’d be so pissed the S.O.B. would be dead before
sunrise. But this cheap bastard wants to argue about the
price.”

“You’re right; I don’t want any part of it.
So how are things going?”

“Everything is good. Oh, there is one piece
of news. Adrianna has been dating a Senator and last night she
announced there’s going to be a wedding in two months. A Sunday
wedding in April in New Hampshire; she and Anna stayed on the damn
phone last night for five hours talking about wedding arrangements.
Did you ever imagine me having a U.S. Senator for a
son-in-law?”

“It’s great. I wish her the best,” was all
Clay could stammer.

Tony didn’t notice his lackluster attitude
and continued, “I wanted it here in Chicago, but Adrianna said the
Senator was leery of having all my friends and acquaintances show
up; she said the press would crucify the guy and turn the wedding
into a circus. And she’s probably right. So the immediate family
and some of her friends are going to the East Coast. Don’t look so
down in the mouth, you’ll get an invitation too; I’m positive.”

“Fine, I’ll plan on attending. Well, I’d
better get back to the shop. Call me if a better job comes
along.”

Clay knew it was coming eventually, but was
still hit hard by the actual news of the wedding. And if he did in
fact receive an invitation he would be forced to attend. Tony and
Anna would think it very strange if he excused himself from
attending the wedding of their only daughter and his lifelong
friend. Neither must ever suspect he had been her lover, and more
importantly, they must not learn he had refused to marry her.

By August Clay had put Adrianna’s wedding
behind him and had fallen into a daily routine of working at the
shop; and learned he really enjoyed every minute of it. He was
dating frequently and having dinner with Lizzy and Irish weekly.
Visits with his mother several times a week were the most difficult
part of his life. She was constantly depressed and therapy
apparently wasn’t helping. His involvement in Little Theater and
scuba diving continued and he worked out regularly at the club.
Personal contacts he had formed had developed into friendships and
high class people frequented the shop and hung on every word he
spoke. In addition he and Tony were still getting together at least
twice a month out on the boat, at a ball game or for dinner. They
had developed a relationship closer than he had ever enjoyed with
any other person, including his mother. They could talk on any
subject, and usually agreed on everything.

As he sat in his office, on a Friday just
after the shop had opened, two uninvited guest opened the door and
entered; Coleman and Warren again.

“Good morning Clayton,” Coleman said as he
headed for a chair in front of Clay’s desk. Warren stood behind the
other oak courtroom chair as his partner slouched in the seat,
squirming to get comfortable.

“Don’t get too comfortable Coleman, you won’t
be staying long.” Clay didn’t smile as he stared pointedly at the
two detectives. “Tell me what you want and then leave.”

“My, aren’t you the contemptuous one?” Warren
threw the words back at him.

Coleman cut in again, “We’ve been working
with Mr. Mangiurea over at the FBI. We’ve been checking your tax
returns.”

“And?”

“Relax, Clayton they’re in perfect order. All
the Tees crossed and all the I's dotted. Done perfect, just like
the law requires. Your accountant even skipped several deducts that
normally trigger an IRS audit. Any reason you know of?”

Clay laughed, a genuine belly buster. “Let me
get this straight, you two clowns came down here just to tell me my
tax returns are correct and you didn’t find anything? You might as
well give up on me.” Standing up and leaning across the desk Clay
looked Coleman in the eyes, “You didn’t find anything because there
isn’t anything to find. Now get out and quit wasting my time with
this drivel.”

“He didn’t say we didn’t find anything,”
inserted Warren. “The feds agree the returns are too perfect. Like
the person filing them would pay extra not to be investigated.”