Page 103 of Heartsick & Lipsticks
NICK
“I wantto thank our guests, Joanna Garrett and Tom Burke for, joining us today on Duel!” Selena enthused as the canned applause played, and she and I both clapped.
Today’s guests were two people I felt honored to know. Joanna, or Mrs. G, had been Alex’s foster mom before he was placed in the group home. They’d stayed in touch, and when he lost his wife and son, she moved across the country to help him with Lexi. Alex met Sadie five years later. In a twist of fate, her father, Mr. Burke, was Mrs. G’s former flame. The two of them had dated forty years earlier, when she was a waitress at the Playboy Club and he was a Chippendales dancer, but had lost touch since then.
I had a front-row seat to their unexpected reunion when Alex proposed. I counted myself lucky to have witnessed the sparks flying when they saw each other for the first time after decades apart. That moment was seared into my brain. It was the first time I really believed in the idea of soul mates.
Once the format of Duel shifted to having guests, I asked them to come on the podcast. I thought, between their age and life experience, they would add a lot to the show. I’d been right. The callers loved their story and their dynamic.
“Before we go, we always ask our guests, what’s the best piece of advice that you’ve ever been given?” I looked at the couple, who looked at each other.
Tom answered first. “Well, from over forty years in law enforcement, I can tell you it’s a lot easier tostayout of trouble than it is togetout of trouble.”
Mrs. G beamed up at her first love before responding. “I would say that, when things aren’t going how I want them to, or if life just seems like it’s too much, I always remember something my mama told us. She said seconds turn into minutes, minutes turn into hours, hours turn into days, days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, and months turn into years. Pretty soon, you look back, and it might not all have been good, but at least it’s all behind you.”
“Wow, those were amazing! Thank you both again for joining us, and remember, Duelers, there are always two sides to every story!” Selena closed out the show with our signoff.
The applause track and outro music played, and Ariel gave the sign from the booth that the cameras were dark and the audio was shut off.
Normally, an intern escorted the guests out of the building after the show, but since Mr. Burke and Mrs. G were personal guests of mine, I did the honors. After saying our goodbyes to Ariel and Selena, we made our way down the hall toward the elevator.
“Thank you for having us.” Tom’s baritone voice was made for radio. I really thought he’d missed his calling as a cop.
“I never thought I’d be on the radio!” Mrs. G’s rosy cheeks lifted as she smiled from ear to ear. “That was so fun.”
I could see from Mr. Burke’s expression that he did not share his fiancée’s enthusiasm for the experience, but it was clear he loved seeing her happy.
As we stepped onto the elevator, Mrs. G asked, “Is there any way to follow up with any of the calls?”
“Sometimes they call back in and speak to our producer, Ariel. And a lot of times, they leave comments on YouTube updating their situation.
She nodded. “Well, Ireallyhope that Destiny thinks everything through before walking down the aisle, for her sake and the baby’s. You have to believe people when they show you who they are. It doesn’t matter what they say.”
Destiny called into the show, saying that she’d been in a relationship for two years with Greg. They have a one-year-old baby, and she’s caught him cheating on her four times. One of those times was when she was giving birth to their son. Greg was having sex with a nurse in one of the bathrooms in the hospital. She said that he promises every time he won’t do it again, and after the last time she found out, he asked her to marry him. His reasoning was that he wouldnevercheat on his wife.
For once, everyone in the studio, including Selena and me, agreed that getting married wouldn’t change him. I told her that putting a ring on it wouldn’t suddenly make him keep it in his pants. The others basically said the same thing, just a little more delicately.
“I’ll make sure to let you know if we get any updates on them,” I assured her as the doors opened to the parking garage, where Kurt was waiting to drive them back.
We stepped out, and Mrs. G turned to me. “How is your mother doing?”
“She gets tired easily, but I think she’s doing the best she can under the circumstances.” I felt so helpless watching her as her health deteriorated. Since our talk the morning of the birthday party, we’ve had several more one-on-ones. It was bittersweet getting to know my mother, knowing that I wouldn’t have much longer with her. I was trying to be grateful for the time we did have, but it just felt so unfair that it was running out.
“And how areyoudoing?” Mrs. G’s expression was filled with concern.
“I’m good. A little tired.” That wasn’t a lie. I was exhausted. I hadn’t been able to sleep for the past three nights since Skye moved out. I’d just laid in bed staring at the ceiling, wondering when I’d become addicted to her and how in the hell I was going to get over her.
“Well, you let us know if you need anything.”
“I will,” I assured her, and I waited as they got into the SUV and drove away. When I stepped back onto the elevator, I checked my watch. It was four fifteen. Only three hours and forty-five minutes until Skye arrived for her shift. I was going crazy without her.
It wasn’t just the nights that had been restless this weekend. The days had dragged on. The house felt so empty since she, Lola, and Callie had moved out. It didn’t have the same energy or joy. Over the weekend, I’d picked up my phone so many times to call Skye. To ask them all to come over. But I hadn’t.
She’d made it clear thatwecouldn’t happen. Part of me wanted to argue with her. I wanted to tell her that we could happen. But what if I did and then it didn’t work out?
Maybe Skye was right. It wasn’t just what we wanted. We had Bella and Callie to think about. As much as I wanted to believe that I could step up and be the man that Skye deserves and the father figure that Callie did, what if I wasn’t enough?
What if I worked too much?
