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CHAPTER 41 - SURVIVING, DRIVING AND THRIVING


ALLEGHANY COURTHOUSE - A WEEK LATER


COURT ROOM 2


LINDSAY


I am in a daze. This is not happening! “Stand up!” My court appointed and wholly unsympathetic attorney, Blythe Winters orders.


“Ms Peterson, I have reviewed the case and I can find nothing in your defence to excuse or justify your behaviour. You come across as a woman that is far too used to getting her own way and any apology you have given has always been disingenuous. And even if it was genuine, it would be grudgingly given. While this is your first offence and...do not interrupt me, Ms Peterson...it is very serious one and your flagrant disregard gives me no other option but to impose a custodial sentence. I, Judge Thomasina Slater, therefore, sentence you to two years in prison for the battery assault in the case of Effy Fukowski and six months in the case of harassment of Noman Fukowski.”


“I didn’t harass him! I merely wanted him to do as I told him.”


“Remove her to county. Court is dismissed!”


“All rise!”


As I am led out, I look over my shoulder and see my ex-family and friends not looking at me in sympathy, nor relief. In fact, they don’t even look in my direction!


NORMAN AND EFFY’S HOUSE - AN HOUR LATER


LOUNGE


GUS


“So what happens after she serves her sentence? Can she come back here?”


“No, Sonny Boy. By the time she comes out of prison, she will be divorced and penniless as the IRS will have taken her store. How do you guys feel about that?”


“She got what she deserved.” I say firmly and then look across at the princess that is Effy as she’s been very quiet and I clear my throat to get her attention. “Effy, you okay?”


“Yes. I thought for a minute that she would...but the judge was right...she wasn’t sorry. But even if she was, she wouldn’t have liked the fact that she had to apologise. I am sad, don’t think me callous, please; after all, she’s still my Mom. But she stopped being that in the fullest sense of the word a long time ago and that’s what makes me sad. And…” She sniffs. “...Daddy…” She sniffs again and he is immediately by her side.


“Oh my little princess.” He soothes and rocks her gently as she sobs. “I’m gonna be Mom and Daddio for you. I’m certainly butterball enough and don’t you ever forget that. Your Mom just lost sight of what was important and…”


“Needs a head cracking slap to reset that dumbshit brain of hers!” Gilda snaps before lowering herself gently to the floor. “Effy, come here, sweetheart.” She sits gently in her lap. “You are a gorgeous and beautiful girl with a great heart and a great soul...but you’re flawed…” There are gasps, but she holds up her hand. “And that’s what makes you perfect. You are going to grow up to be the best and most beautiful geek in the world...and that’s what the world needs right now. A beautifully imperfect princess and you must promise me never to change. You promise?” She nods. “Good. Now dry those eyes of yours and help me off my damn ass!”


Effy giggles and gets up and between the pair of us, we get Grandma Gilda off the floor and back on the sofa.


“So food!” I announce and head to the kitchen. I start to take the plates down for the take out and hear the door being gently closed.


“Sonny Boy…” is all it takes for me to turn, sobbing into his arms. “...we didn’t forget about how much you are hurting, but…”


“She hurt Effy more.” I sniff. “I will never forgive her, Dad. Never!”


“That is how you are feeling right now but…”


“Did you forgive your parents?” I look up at him and he slowly shakes his head. “So why should I forgive her?”


“Because you have a better heart than me. And…”


“Don’t you ever let me hear you say that shit again!” We are startled by Brandon in the doorway and the fury in his voice. “You have a good heart, Brian. Ben didn’t tell me anything, he wouldn’t. But I can see the pain of the abuse in your eyes, sometimes. Let me finish...it’s only when you are by yourself and you look across at Justin sometimes. It’s like you still can’t believe it. Well, believe it! He loves you; we all love you! The other shoe, hammer or whatever the fuck you are imaging is not going to fall. You have made it despite them, and so will Effy and so will you, Gus. Despite Lindsay, because like you had and have Ben...they have you. Now I want a promise you won’t say that again...a Kinney promise, because that is unbreakable!”


“You have a Kinney promise.” He replies and I slip out of his arms and go to get Justin.


“What’s happened?” Justin asks as he comes in and wraps himself around Dad, who doesn’t answer. “It’s okay, guys. I’ve got him, just give us a few minutes. You want to go outside?” Dad just nods.


BEN


As I watch them walk out the back, I ache to follow. But it’s not my place, not anymore. I take a breath and wait for Brandon to sit back down. “I love you.” I whisper to him.


“I know and I love you too.” He whispers back with a grin.


LOUNGE - TWENTY MINUTES LATER


DEBS


We decided to eat as the food was getting cold. I breathe easy when the back door finally opens and they come back in. He actually looks okay. I give him the look and he nods and smiles and again I breathe.


“So what about this drive thing? How is that going?”


“All set.” Annalise replies. “Town Hall, the great and good, it will be rammed to the rooftops!”


“So who is going to make the speech?” Brian asks, eyeing Gilda carefully as he reaches for the plate of wings. She smiles and waves them away.


“The only person that should. You, Debs.” Ems replies. “Think about it. He’s always banging on about legacy blah-blah-blah. So you could be passing on the metaphorical baton. He would preen and cream, well once the blisters and pustules have cleared up... how is that going, by the way?”


“I’ll skip the slaw thanks.” Carl grumbles and then glares at an almost contrite looking Ems.


“So when is this happening?” Gilda asks, raising her cane.


“This coming Saturday.” Annalise smirks as Gilda is distracted by Nikita so that Gus can take that last wing.


“Damn children and their cat have no respect for their growns and betters!” She mutters. “Give me the damn slaw!”


OLD CHURCH HOUSE - TWO HOURS LATER


NOOK II


BRIAN


I test the water and smile before getting in. He sits behind me on a chair that had to be bought and sets the pitcher down. “Now, according to this, I have to leave it on your hair for twenty minutes. No bitching and no arguing. Twenty minutes.”


“I will never bitch or argue when it comes to looking after myself. And by the way, what happened to the toffee shower gel?” I look up at him and watch a pink tinge douse his face. I keep looking at him as he goes redder and redder.


“But there’s more of you than me and the order doesn’t arrive until next week.” He protests and I just stare at him. “On Friday, next week on Friday.” He tries to argue. “Fine, I’ll get it!”


I chuckle as his ass bounces down the stairs in a state of high dudgeon! He comes back up with a full bottle of the gel. “How much of me do you think there is?!” I laugh as he measures...actually measures in a cup...some out.


“Well there are large parts of you that I want to taste of toffee…” He grins and then pulls another bottle from by his feet. “Guess what I found. Okay Albert found it, but guess.”


“The oil that goes with it?” I ask as I rest my head against the bath.


“How did…”


“I know you. Now enough of this sitting behind me on a chair, get in!”


“Such a bossy boots!” He grumbles as he pulls off his clothes.


Prada bossy boots, if you please. Now get that high rise bubble butt in here!”


LIBERTY AVENUE HOTEL - SATURDAY MID-MORNING


MICHAEL’S ROOM


MICHAEL


I double check myself. Okay, so I am not looking the greatest, but my eye has gone down as have the lumps down there! I could kill Albert as I ended up having a colonoscopy a few days later followed by a flush, which stung like hell, but that was needed to get rid of everything apparently. Doctors know what they are doing, I guess. But sitting down on the toilet for hours on end was not fun, especially since the bathroom window doesn’t open that wide.


The reason I could kill Albert instead of should kill Albert is because he donated the money to them in my name and I am getting an accolade from the city for it. So here is the start of my legacy. The door knocking surprises me as I am not expecting anyone. When I open it, the manager is outside with an envelope. “Hi. I’m about to go out and…”


“Here is your bill, Mr Novotny.” He interrupts.


“Right, thanks. I’ll settle it when I…”


“Please check it and settle it now.” He interrupts again and I take it from him then open it and frown. “For such a donation, I couldn’t possibly charge you. It has been an honour and a privilege to have you stay at my establishment.”


I nod and smile. “You’ve got to help when you can. I just thought it was the right thing to do.”


“And the Avenue knows this.” He replies. “Well I will see you later, Mr Novotny.”


“Yes and thanks. And when we do meet up, we need to discuss moving rooms. Obviously at the same rate as you have charged me now.”


“Obviously.” He replies with a smile.


RECEPTION ROOM, TOWN HALL - AN HOUR LATER


DEBS


I shake my head at his continued arrogance. “What’s wrong, Debs?” Albert comes up frowning. “Let me rephrase that... what’s he done now?”


“Requested an upgrade to the room he’s in at the Liberty Avenue hotel.”


“And…”


“Joel, the manager, gave him the last two weeks free of charge and he’s asked, no demanded, the same rate for his next room.”


“Like I said, a scrounger.” He sighs and then heads back to help with the set up. With a resigned nod, I follow him.


Twenty minutes later, the room is set up to welcome the Avenue’s bountiful benefactor. The door opens and the crowds come in all smiling as the sense of anticipation builds.


“I sent a car for him. It’s only proper for a person of his prestige…” Brian laughs. “...be here in about 5 minutes.”


“How is he thinking that he is not being shafted here? I mean yes, there is stupidity but this level…”


“He’s here!” Effy rushes in. “Where’s Daddio?” She asks, looking around and both Brian and I grin. “Oh he’s making up for lost time, is he? Melinda!” She shouts heading for the office, which is the last place we saw them. “Unlip my Daddio and you two get out here where I can see you!”


Two minutes later, an embarrassed, but happy looking Norm and Melinda come out.


“Ready to rock and roll people!” Brian calls out and we take out seats. The door opens and everyone claps almost enthusiastically as he makes his way to the stage and the mayor stands.


“Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen! We are here today to honour the generosity of spirit that is Michael Novotny…”


He grows bigger and bigger the more the Mayor speaks and he looks around with such a smug look that it takes a firm look from Gilda and Carl to keep my hands at my side!


“...and now it is with great pleasure that we present our thank you to Michael Novotny and the only person who could do that, of course, is Debbie Horvath. Mrs Horvath…”


“To say that my son doing this was a surprise was an understatement…” I begin, having rehearsed the speech Brian wrote to perfection. “...and it is with great pleasure that I hand over this to Michael. Michael, please stand.” He does so. “Take this and read it, son.”


“Thank you. As you all know, this is Mrs Novotny, the Mother of Liberty Avenue and I…”


“For fuck sake, can we get this over with?! Enough allfuckingready!” Someone shouts out and I couldn’t agree more.


MICHAEL


“Excuse me! I am being honoured for…”


“You are being kicked out of the Avenue!” Ma snaps.


“What?”


“The entire Avenue wants you gone and we’re paying you to do so.”


“Paying me to leave?! What does that even mean?!”


“Open that and see how much the Avenue raised and then we will explain.” She tells me.


I open the envelope and see the amount. “This is a quarter of a million dollars!”


“It would’ve been more, but I don’t like you!” Albert shouts at me.


“Okay, can you explain it to him please?!” Ma shouts at someone and Annalise, Leda and a very large guy comes on stage and the room goes quiet.


“What is going…”


“Quiet!” Ma snaps at me and pushes me back to sit down.


“So Michael, you are a grasping, lazy little boy and this is our solution that gets you what you want and us what we need.” Annalise begins. “This money is yours, but you have to leave the Avenue for two years and go to the Cape of our choosing and work for a charitable organisation that Leda runs. You will get the money when you return and not before. You also need to sign this to say you will not discuss anything that we agree here.”


I skim read the document and snap my fingers twice for the pen. They think they have bested me, but they haven’t. I can come back anytime I want; it’s not as if they can guard the roads! I start to sign, but Ma stops me as I knew she would because I don’t actually want to leave.


“Sign as Michael Novotny, not as anyone else!” She orders and when I look into her eyes, I see nothing but annoyance.


“Fine! You will miss me when I’m gone…” I sign it quickly and she checks it before nodding. “...but Cape Cod is going to be…”


“Good Hope.” Annalise interrupts.


“What now?” I sigh. “Give me my money!”


“You truly are an idiot!” Gilda sneers. “You have to do the charitable work first and then you get the money!” My jaw drops. “And to save you looking on your phone, because I’m sure you want to save your WiFi to watch on the plane, Good Hope is in Africa…”


“Africa? WiFi? What are you talking about, you old bat?!”


“You will be working in the Cape of Good Hope off the coast of Africa for the next two years and I shall explain the highlights of the agreement for you. If you don’t go to Africa and stay there for 2 years, you will forfeit the money. If you don’t do as they say, you will forfeit the money. If you talk about this to anyone, you will forfeit the money...do you see a theme? So can I have it? I mean since you signed it over.”


“Signed it over?” I frown at her.


“Your Captain Astro figurine that you paid Albert for.”


“I don’t have it with me and where was that in the agreement?! I would never have signed that if…”


“Here you go, Annalise!” The all too familiar voice of Joel, the manager of the hotel drawls. “I will let you open the case and hand it over, Mr Novotny!”


My heart races and my stomach roils as I hand over the figurine and all my fears are realised when she puts it on the floor and stamps on it, shattering it to pieces!


“Now let me introduce you to your travelling companion, this is Emem Folami.”


“Why are you…”


“Now.” He interrupts. “We are leaving now. When we get on the plane, we will discuss your role and what I expect and will get from you. And let me explain my name to you. Emem means person of peace but if you don’t give me as Folami, which means one who demands respect, I will show you exactly how that makes me feel. A little tip...not good. Now let’s go!”


I look around the room and sneer at them. “I will be back to collect! And the interest on that had better mount up!”


“How is that going to happen?” Emem demands. “The ticket is one way. You need to work to earn the money to afford a ticket...an economy ticket takes 3 years to earn. Now we are wasting time, follow me!”


“No! No, I am not going to do that!” I scream.


“Then you forfeit the money.” He sneers at me. “But as per the agreement, I take you to the Cape of Good Hope anyway, but you have to make your own way back…”


“So Michael, you have two choices: either go now per the contract and have something to show for it later, or be forced to go now and have nothing to show at all. Seems like this should be an easy option but well… if it thinks like a jackass, and brays like a jackass, it must me a…” the Bitch-bat that is Gilda says. I swear she makes me want to trip her and take away her cane!


I pick up my case again and slowly start to follow him out, looking reproachfully behind me after a few minutes, but nobody is looking my way. “Get in front of me. There’s nothing back there for you now! I am not missing my flight because you are a baby jackass!”


PITTSBURGH AIRPORT - AN HOUR LATER


CHECK IN DESK


“Wait a second!” I order as I look at my ticket. “It says economy class here, but she said you are flying first!”


“Yes. That is correct. I am the head of operations and that entitles me some perks. You are at the bottom of the ladder, so are in economy. Besides, if you fly first class, you will be here longer and we don’t have enough fire ants to teach you another lesson! But on the plus side, we do have Pepperhead extract. I understand you like to shower with it. You collect toys, like to shower in pepper extract and are a Mamma’s boy, I suggest you keep very quiet about all of that, they will think you strange. We have enough problems without catering to your oddities. Now I will see you in Africa…”


“Wait. What?” I gape as he turns left.


“First class lounge. You go right...oh the irony if you had done right you wouldn’t have to go right.”


CITY HALL - TWO HOURS LATER


BRIAN


I look across the room and see Liberty Avenue patrons happy. Happy and free and then realise I am too. Justin said something to me in the garden that I hadn’t realised until Michael left. He’s still a bad memory for you. And he was right. Everytime we’d meet up there’d be a dig or a boast about my prowess, about how Debs was for me, about my parents and as I watched him walk away, my past finally walked away with him.


“Hey, Uncle Brian!” Effy barrels up grinning. “You need to go and see Uncle Justin!”


“Why?” I ask, picking her up and grinning across at Ted as he and Amy chat at 90 mph. Bucky has been incredible with us and the ASL, so no more notebooks!


“He and Albert are talking about truffle massage oil...so Uncle Buck sent me over!”


“Truffle as in chocolate or truffle as in truffle?” I sign over to Bucky.


“Truffle as in truffle.” He signs back and then checks over his shoulder. “He so loves you!” He grins.


“I know!” I sign back and lower Effy to the ground and she scampers to Melinda and I head to find my partner. “Absolutely not!” I growl in his ear.


“Oh for god sake!” He gripes then glares at Ben before turning back and pouting. “Please, just the one bottle.”


“One you promise? A Taylor promise that can’t be broken?”


“Albert!” He shouts and Albert looks up from his screen. “Just the one bottle!”


“You so love me!” I croon in his ear.


“And you so love me...enough to…”


“Okay two bottles and that’s it.”


“Yay!” He cries and give me a kiss before rushing to Albert’s side and I wonder where we are going to put the other stuff that my Kitten has bought.


“So…” Bucky grabs my buckle. “Wanna dance?”


“Absolutely.”


As we sway to the music, we both look across at our favourite blondes and grin at each other.


EPILOGUE - THREE YEARS LATER


HERO


We’re at the park, our favourite place as usual. As I sit by our bench, I look around and wag my tail at our slightly bigger family. My daddies are getting me and Moon our cream and while we wait Moon helps Sawyer over the sandbox with his snout, as she’s still so little. I still can’t believe he was the same size as her once, my little Lieutenant as I call him when we are on point has grown into his paws and is, as I knew he would be, a top dog.  


The Together Project: Siberian <b>Husky</b> Love



He is, like me, the therapy dog for my OD but we didn’t know it then. Everyone is happy, even the big-big street we walk down people are happy. Shiitake’s daddy’s sister has visited lots and always brings us some new things. The dwarf is never coming back according to Star, who works at the school with Blade and Rhino...who calls a dog Rhino...on security. He is huge now! Apparently when he left the last time he had to do something to get what he wanted but he didn’t and tried to come back here, but was taken to another place for stowing away. We tried to find out what that meant, but our daddies were too busy doing happy daddy things to answer our questions...they do that a lot, even after all this time.


Moon did find out that he went to a place like little Mommy Effy’s shouty pinched lady but in another part of the country.  And speaking of Sawyer’s little Mommy Effy, she is so much happier because the shouty pinched lady has gone for good now. She came back for a minute, but Effy’s Mommy Melinda sent her away again. When Sawyer repeated what she said I had to tell her not to say those words again, no matter what. We’re still trying to work out why she called her a fridged itch but then again mommies and daddies say strange things!


“Hero! Moon! Come!” My OD calls and we race towards them and we do our usual thing, I take it from OD and he takes it from Daddy, it taste better that way. When we finish OD clips on the leash and Moon waits for Daddy to do the same. “You ready?” OD asks and Daddy nods. “Guys! We’re heading back! See you at eight and not a minute before, Honeycutt!”


“Don’t call me Honeycutt. It’s Honeycutt-Boyd, thank you very much!”


I bark OD’s instructions to Daisy, who wags her tail in understanding and with a yip to Moon, we lead our Daddies home.

 

Chapter End Notes:

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