Under the Cypress Moon (23 page)

"Shylah, calm down, Baby.  He's alright.  He's gonna go get checked.  Anything the insurance doesn't pay, I'll take care of, either from plant accounts or personally.  He says he's not that hurt, but I just want him to find out that there's nothin' to worry about."  Mark was afraid of Shylah's further reaction.  She had a tendency to overreact, especially when it came to her family.

"Mark, I'm warnin' you.  If anything bad happens, like if this affects my brother's eyesight or anything, you're gonna have a problem on your hands.  I'll be the biggest pain in the ass you ever had."

"Hon, it's ok.  Alright?  Nobody's to blame here.  This stuff happens."

"How can you just act like that, Mark?!  'It happens.'  What is that?  It doesn't just happen!  How did this explosion happen?  What caused it?"

"It was a furnace explosion.  The furnaces are a little old.  They should have been changed out a long time ago.  And before you ask who's responsible for that, I'll just tell you.  My dad didn't wanna go to the expense.  Don Birchum's been tellin' him for years to change the furnaces out.  So yeah, I guess, in a way, you can say this is my dad's fault, but he's already got enough goin' on."  Mark felt as though all of his breath had just left him.  With a sigh of relief, he tried to regain his composure.

"Make it right, Mark!  You better make every little bit of this right with everybody!"

"Baby," Mark began, placing his hand on Shylah's and squeezing it gently, "Don't worry.  I already told Don to get workin' on it all.  I'm gonna go by as soon as we get my dad situated.  In fact, T.L. said he wanted to come over later.  I'm thinkin' I should take him with me and go visit the Donovan and Bedoe families.  This is all gonna be made right.  I promise.  You know my word is like gold.  If I don't have my word, I have nothin'!"

Shylah wanted so badly to not be mad at Mark, but she felt a need to be mad at someone for what had happened.  Finally, she convinced herself to take several deep breaths and focus on the immediately necessary task of getting the medical supplies.

"Let's go get this done.  I'm sorry for blowin' up, Baby."  As Shylah said this, she gulped, knowing that none of it was Mark's fault and that he had so many things going wrong lately that it was unfair to take her frustration out on him.  "I know you're not to blame.  I really am sorry, Mark.  I love you.  I love you so much."  Shylah placed her other hand atop Mark's, and raising them to her mouth, removed hers to give Mark's a gentle kiss.  "You're my everything, Baby.  It feels kinda funny sayin' all this so soon, but it is definitely how I feel.  This will work out.  I know it will.  We have each other, and we'll help each other through anything and everything.  We can do it all together."

"I know," Mark said, smiling.  "Let's go."

Part 2

Chapter 11

Things seemed to fall into place rather easily.  The medical supplies were ordered, and much to Mark's and Shylah's relief, were able to be delivered, instead of having to be picked up.  Thomas was brought home and put to bed, his nurse arriving and acquainting herself with the house and with Thomas' needs.  Even Dr. Alsedaa showed up to oversee things, though a little later than Mark would have liked.  Neither Mark or Shylah had taken time to eat anything since breakfast, and there was still so much to do with checking up on T.L. and making visits to the families affected by the furnace explosion at the plant.

Before Dr. Alsedaa had pulled his car very far from the front of the house, T.L. and Darius pulled up in the doctor's place.  Mark, upon hearing the slamming doors of the pickup truck, happily went out to meet the two men, embracing T.L. heartily. 

"What is up, my brotha from anotha motha," Mark asked enthusiastically, bumping shoulders with his friend after letting him go.

"Well, I'm good enough to drive," T.L. announced.  "The doc I saw is a little concerned.  He said there was some little bit that got the corner of my eye.  It kinda hurts, but it's affectin' my sight just a little, not enough to do much."

"Like I said before, man, any expenses the insurance does not cover, they come to me.  Got it?!"

"Got it.  Well, there might be some comin' soon.  I gave 'em my insurance card at the hospital, but who knows if they'll cover everything.  I hope it doesn't get real expensive."  T.L., even in his state, could not help but think of his friend and what heavy medical bills might do to him.

"T.L., you think I can't handle a few medical bills?  I got it, man.  Don't you worry for one second.  Your bills, anybody else's bills, the bills for Cyrus Donovan, the funeral costs for Tim Bedoe, money for his family, no worries.  Every penny gets paid by the plant, one way or another."  As he said these things, Mark looked directly into T.L.'s eyes and shook his hand.  "You know me.  My word is good."

"You know, Mark," chimed in Darius King.  "That's good.  I know you're a good man.  I guess maybe I see you two still as boys, but I'm glad.  No offense to you or yours, but I ain't so sure your daddy would do the same.  I'm proud of you for what you're doin'.  You're doin' right by your employees.  That's what makes a good boss.  I'm proud, real proud.  It means a lot to know that none of us are gonna lose out cuz of this mess."  Darius, as soon as T.L. pulled his hand away from Mark's, offered his own.

Mark happily took Darius' hand and pulled him closer for a hug.  "You got nothin' to worry about, Mr. King, not one thing.  Everybody gets their full wages, but we're gonna make sure everybody has a plant to come back to as soon as possible."

"How is your daddy by the way," Darius asked.

"Well, he's obviously been better, but we got him in his bed and got him a nurse.  The doctor just checked in on him.  That was him leavin' as you came up.  I know what you think of him, Mr. King, and I don't blame you a bit, but I gotta tell you somethin'.  He's not the same man since all this started.  Gettin' sick changed him." 

"I heard.  Hard to believe, but I guess the good Lord works miracles where He sees fit.  I wish it didn't take so long to work change in that man, but if he's a better man for it all, it is what it is.  It's good that no matter how long it took to change, he always had a son like you.  It always amazed me you turned out so good as you did.  I reckon that was a lot more your mama than your daddy."  Darius almost regretted his words from the moment that they began to spew from his mouth, hoping to not offend Mark, knowing that he had already caused enough trouble by interfering in Mark's and Shylah's relationship.

"I think you'd be correct, Sir.  It's a painful thought, but it is true.  My parents were as opposite as night and day.  Well, you wanna go in and say a word to him?  You don't have to, and he's probably asleep already, but you can if you want."

"Naw.  I might some other time.  I'm sure he needs to rest.  I just wanted to come by and say thank you for what you're doin' for all of us.  I was thinkin' of goin' over to see Tanya Donovan and her boys and if it ain't too soon, maybe go see Mary Jane Bedoe.  Somebody needs to."  Darius' eyes were plainly full of sadness and great remorse.  "T.L., let's get goin'.  Who knows how long all this'll have us out."

"Well, hey," Mark gladly boomed, "I was gonna do exactly that myself.  I just wanted my dad situated, and then I was gonna go.  If you two don't mind, I'll come along with you.  The Donovans and the Bedoes need to hear it straight from my mouth that they'll all be taken care of.  I want them to not have to wonder if it's just a rumor."

"I think that's a good idea," agreed T.L., seconded by Darius.  T.L. thought for a moment and then quickly added his worry, "Wait.  What about Shylah?"

"I probably should go at least tell her where I'm goin'," Mark stated, almost laughing.

"Yeah, I'd think so.  You know how she is.  She's likely to murder you if you don't.  I wouldn't wanna be on her bad side.  We'll wait for ya."  T.L. proposed.

In less than a minute, Mark emerged from the house, accompanied by Shylah. 

"I wanted to come say hi to you guys before you go," Shylah smilingly
professed, her arms outstretched to receive her male family members.

Darius was the first to give the woman a nearly backbreaking hug, followed by a kiss on the cheek from father to daughter.  "Love ya, girl!"

"I love you, too, Daddy!"

"It's good to hear you call me that again," Darius spoke, embracing his daughter once more.  "As mad as you've been at me, I didn't know if you'd ever call me Daddy again."

"I could never stay mad at you, Daddy.  You're the only daddy I have.  I'm sorry for how I treated you the other day.  It's been stressful, ya know?  I'm glad things are workin' out as they are, except I hate what happened at the plant and what has happened to Mr. Crady.  But oh well. That's life, I guess.  You two," Shylah added, pointing her fingers at her brother and her father, "better take good care of yourselves and take good care of this yahoo you got with you.  I better not hear that you guys stopped off at some strip club.  No carousin' with the ladies that take their clothes off for money!"

"I got your mama for that," Darius jokingly made public.

"Daddy!"

"What?  You think us old folks don't still enjoy ourselves?  We are happily married, and I still find yo mama fine as can be.  That woman gets my motor goin' like you wouldn't believe!"

"I agree with Shylah, Daddy," T.L. affirmed, standing on the running board of the driver's side of his truck.  "I don't wanna hear this stuff."

"Hey," Mark added, wanting to lighten the mood a bit, "we won't go to any titty clubs.  We might just find us some women at a regular bar.  No harm, no foul.  I'll be home no later than... what would you say, about four in the mornin'?"

"Yeah, sounds good.  Four or five.  Seven for sure."  T.L. and Mark both had smiles on their faces that even though they let Shylah know of their lack of seriousness, still did not make her feel much better about it.

"You have Mark home at seven or even at four, T.L., and I'll not only kill him.  I'll kill you for bein' there with him!  I'll hunt you down, skin you alive, and bury you out in the swamp.  And you know I can do it.  Remember that!  You don't wanna mess with ol' Shylah."  Shylah had a look on her face to counter the smiles of her brother and boyfriend that seemed to say that she might be a little bit serious about the threats.

"You think she's serious, man," Mark asked, leaning closer to T.L.

"I don't know.  The way she ripped the heads off all her Barbie dolls when she was little, I think she might just
do it.  She's mean, real mean."

"I heard that," Shylah shouted.

"I know, Sis.  I hoped you would," T.L. laughingly replied.

"I'm not as mean as you say I am," Shylah huffed.

"The hell you ain't," Darius announced from the other side of the truck.

"Daddy!"

"I'm playin', Honey.  You know your daddy don't mean nothin' by it.  Love you, Babydoll!"  Darius quickly turned to face his son who was still standing on the running board, his arms wrapped over the top of the truck.  "Boy, we gotta get goin'!  We got things to get done!  Get down and into this truck before I whoop you!"

"Comin'," came the resounding and enjoining reply of both T.L. and Mark.

No sooner than the two men were seated in the truck, Shylah came running up to the back of the cab.  "Mark, can I talk to you real quick?"

"Shylah, Baby," Darius shouted from the other side of the truck, "We gotta go. We don't got time."

"Just a couple of seconds, Daddy.  I need to talk to Mark."

Mark reluctantly climbed back out of the truck, causing T.L. and Darius to let out deep sighs of exasperated annoyance.

"What, Babe," Mark asked as he got within an inch of Shylah's face, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"We gotta talk about somethin' when you get back.  Oh, and I think we're gonna need to go get some groceries."

"That's all you needed?"

"No.  I just want you to know I love you and want you to please keep an eye on T.L., just in case he has any trouble drivin'.  Please watch out for him."

"I will, Baby," Mark agreed, planting a long, passionate kiss on Shylah's lips, then attempting to pull himself away.

"Baby?"

"Yes?  I gotta go, Honey."

"I know.  I know. I love you.  Just be safe.  And you two," Shylah added, "Stay out of trouble!  Give my best to Mrs. Donovan and Mrs. Bedoe.  I'll be prayin' for them and their families."

"Ok, Baby," Darius assured her.  "Will do.  Boys, let's go!"

Shylah watched as the truck pulled away, wishing that she had had the ability to tell Mark what she really wanted to.  She had news that could potentially change their lives forever but wasn't sure how to bring it up and also wanted to confirm her suspicion before causing any real alarm.

Shylah decided that she needed to get her mind free of worry and stress and focus on something else.  After seeing that Thomas' nurse had him well taken care of and that he was fast sleep, Shylah felt the overwhelming hunger in her stomach, growling, grumbling, overtaking all other feelings and thoughts.  Seeing that there was very little to eat in the house, Shylah satiated herself with a few chips and part of an apple. It was not much of a meal, and she really hoped that she would get to eat with Mark later.  Her hunger was still very much present but not nearly as intense as it had been.