Page 15 of Mimosa (Murphy's Pub #2)

Chapter Fifteen

Having a project kept him busy. He and Abs went to a gallery that was only a few blocks from the pub and spoke at length to a manager only to be told they don’t take works they hadn’t asked for.

That didn’t stop Abs, of course. “You see, up and coming artists from our hometown would attract a lot of attention. And he’s been busy, working to live, to get any networking done, but as his friends and managers, well, we could show you some of the pieces, and if you like them, you can invite him to show them at a wonderful showing that we’ll cater, we’ll work and we’ll pay for. All you need to do is get the word out to your buyers, critics, whatever it is that you do.”

The manager was thin and pale as Abs, but much taller. He hunched over the desk, his blue eyes glared from Mims to Abs and back. “You’ll pay for the food and the wine?”

As Mims was about to speak, Abs set his hand on Mims’s and squeezed, then he said to the manager, “We said the food. You can supply the wine, and there is a local winery that will give you a discount, if you use them. There is where our networking for our portion of it.”

Mims knew Abs had a friend at the winery that lay just west on Interstate 70. They were just beginning but everyone loved their wine, and they’d won three awards five years after starting the vineyard.

The manager scowled at that, but he reluctantly agreed, “Fine. But I need to see the works first. If they’re not up to snuff, we won’t accept no matter your circle talking.”

“You’re going to love them. We’ll send you some samples via email, and we’ll write in the subject line, Attention Matthew Winston.”

“I’ll look out for it. Nice meeting you gentlemen.”

In the walk back to the pub, they stopped into a coffee shop and ordered two tall lattes and sat at an outdoor table, making more plans.

“The framers are ready for the paintings, but if we get them out of his room, he’s going to notice.”

“Why can’t we just leave one, one of the bigger ones? Set that in front of a stack of blank canvases?”

Abs nodded to him. “Good idea. If he sees them gone, he’s going to lose his shit. Okay, so we get them to the framers, and it’s going to take at least a month for them to get finished.”

“That’s perfect. We need the time to get the rest of this ironed out, and Winston said he didn’t have an opening for at least that long. We might actually do this, Abs.”

“We’re going to. All this other stuff going on, it’s nice to think about dreams and making them come true.”

“Like the family we’re helping after the fire.”

“We’re going to go with Murphy to the motel where they’re staying this week. I think it’s going to be…so nice.”

“You know we’re all gonna cry.”

“Even Cosmo and Goldie.”

Mims thought about Cosmo, how eager he was to help the little family, but how reticent he was at going to see them. “If he goes. Cosmo…he’s still weird about families. For good reason.”

“Yeah. Well, if you’d walked in and found yours all dead, you would too.”

“Exactly. I don’t even talk to mine, but I’d never want that. What if he doesn’t go? He’s the one that started us on this thing to up our favorability in the community.”

Abs shrugged. “Maybe it’s enough to know that you’ve helped to do something good.”

Mims thought the same. “Well, if he doesn’t go, we’ll let him know.”

“Sure.”

When they got back to the pub, Katie and Little Mick ran over to them. “Abs, Mick is getting into stuff and Hippy’s letting him!”

“What were you told about tattling, Katie?” he asked her.

“And he should get into things?”

Hippy came over and grabbed their hands, taking them back to the table where there were color books and crayons all over it. “Sit, both of you.”

“Babysitting? Where is everyone?” Mims asked Hippy.

“Off doing errands, and Murphy took Eazy out for lunch. What did that gallery say?”

They told him how it went and he smiled at the two of them. “You even threw the wine in there. That’s awesome.”

“That was all Abs. I would never have thought about it.”

“Well, good. Listen, can you two take the kids up to their apartment? If an inspector came in, we’d be up shit creek.”

“Sure,” Abs said and went to the table to pick up Mick into his arms. “Katie, let’s go.”

“Good. It smells of alcohol in here,” she said haughtily.

Mims winked at a haggard Hippy. “Just tell their folks where they’re at.”

“Ali?” he heard a female voice call, and the name was so familiar, he spun around to see his sister.

“Nadia!” he ran over to her and hugged her tightly. “What are you doing here?”

Nadia eyed Hippy before nodding at him. “Hello, Hippy.”

“Nadia. Would you like a Coke?”

“Gave up sugar. Water would be great though.”

They sat at a table far from the bar and Hippy brought over her water.

“I won’t let anyone interrupt you.”

“Thanks, Hippy,” Mims said and as soon as Hippy was gone back behind the bar, he asked his sister, “What’s wrong?”

“Ali, it’s…it’s dad. He’s really sick.”

Mims’s heart dropped to his stomach and ached there. “What’s wrong?”

“He’s old and stubborn, so he hadn’t been to a doctor in years. It’s cancer, honey. And it’s too late to do anything about it.”

Mims felt the tears welling long before they blurred his vision, but he swiped at them, placing the old tattered shield around his heart. “Well, I’m sorry. But…he wants nothing to do with me, Nadia.”

“Maybe that can change now. People tend to forget old grievances when they’re…well, when they’re sick like this.”

It was altogether possible that Mims knew their father better than his sister did. “On his deathbed, he’d spit on me, Nadia. I was his great disappointment in life. Death won’t change that.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do though. I don’t know what you want me to do with this information, Nadia. Listen, I’m glad you told me, but…”

She reached out and set her hand over Mims’s. “Please, just think about it. Please.”

That was the least he could do for the one family member that had any love for him. “Sure. I’ll think about it. Give mom a kiss for me.”

He didn’t run from the table, but that was because of sheer will. Hippy called after him, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t until he got to his room and slammed the door shut then collapsed on his bed, face first.

Crying with his entire soul, he sobbed into that blanket, wetting it with big streaks while his hands curled into fists filled with the blanket.

When he’d worn himself out by crying, he saw up on his bed and texted Sonny.

I know you’re busy with things, but I found out something terrible today. If you can text me or call me tonight, I’d really like that. If not, I understand.

The second after he sent it, his friends converged into the room, and he found himself crying all over again. They each hugged him and each asked what happened. He couldn’t voice it, so Hippy admitted to overhearing them, and Nadia spoke to him after Mims had left.

“His pops, he’s dying.”

Murphy and Eazy pushed the others from Mims and Eazy took his hand, pulling him from the bed. “Dinner. Come on.”

The whole group made it to Eazy and Murphy’s place and they gathered around the island, Murphy handing him a glass of whiskey. “That’ll fix you up.”

“You say that for everything, Paps.”

“Have I been wrong yet?”

Mims gave him a ghost of a smile before sipping the whiskey.

Hippy said, “Nadia wasn’t completely hopeful you’d come around and to be fair to her, she doesn’t blame you. She’s still fighting with your parents over things.”

“I know. She’s not…”

Abs hugged on him and said, “I’ll go see him and tell him a few things.”

“No, Abs. I don’t think I can see him, but I’m not him. I don’t have to be mean.”

“Not a mean bone in Mims’s body,” Eazy said. “But, Mims, you need to think about it. Seriously think. Not about him, this isn’t about him,” he said as he cut onions. “It’s about you, and how you will feel five years from now.”

“What do you mean?”

“Honey, guilt is a terrible thing to live with. If you think for a second that not seeing him before he dies will leave you a lot of guilt, then go just for your own peace of mind.”

Mims nodded and admitted, “I’ve thought about that. I already feel guilty for not seeing them so long.”

Hippy spat, “He’s not worth your guilt.”

“I’m never seeing my father again, if I can help it,” Cosmo said. “But…I don’t know, you had a different relationship with yours. I can’t tell you what to do. None of us can.”

The word kept going through his mind, cancer, cancer, cancer. How would it feel in five years, letting his father go without a word?

Haze was chewing his lip, like he had plenty to say but wouldn’t. “Haze, I’m not going to be mad at you for saying what you have on your mind.”

“Oh, baby, I’m not gonna call him out. I’ve done enough of that. I was just going to tell you, if you go, I’ll go with you.”

Mims had never thought anyone would want to do that. “You would?”

“You know I would!”

Murphy’s phone lit up and he looked at it, huffing, “Someone’s at the side door, knocking.”

“Who is it?” Eazy asked.

“He’s all covered in a hoodie. I’m gonna get the gun and go see who it is.”

Goldie said, “I’ll come with you.”

“Me too,” Haze said.

Eazy continued making dinner while they all left, and Abs and Cosmo stayed behind with them. “Mims, it’s not for any of us to say what you should do, but, we’ll all go along with you, if you need us.”

“Cosmo, that would be harder for you than it would even me.”

“I am settled with my past shit.”

Mims knew that was a lie, but he’d never let on that he knew that. “I love you, Cosmo.”

He blinked a few times, but mumbled, “You all are such simps.”

Abs said, “I can interpret that. It means he loves us too.”

“I know.”

Before they could say another word, Sonny came running into the kitchen, grabbing him off the stool and squeezing the air out of him. “Are you okay?”

His heart took off in a flutter of wings he couldn’t contain. “I’m okay.”

Finally letting him breathe, Sonny took his face into his hands and looked him over, like he didn’t believe it. “They told me about your dad. You’re not okay, but you will be.”

Eazy said, “I’ll set another place at the table.”