The Second Heart Read online

  Chapter 2

  Meredith turned back into her room and retrieved the cell phone that had been charging next to the bed. She had two missed calls, one from her parents and one from Miguel. She suddenly felt very tired, as the prospect of recounting the morning’s events to either her parents or Miguel was overwhelming.

  Instead, she quickly stripped off her pajamas and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. She turned on the light, grateful that the fire next door hadn’t deprived them of power. Then she felt a flash of guilt as she realized that Josh had lost so much, and all she was worrying about was whether the power was still on.

  She examined the hand that she had used to pound on Josh’s door. The heel of her fist was a little red, and it stung. She ran it under the cold tap, enjoying the feel of the water running over her skin. Inspired, she turned the shower on and stood under the cool stream. A Phoenix native, Meredith had always enjoyed taking cold showers in the summer, feeling that taking a hot shower in August was something akin to bathing in one’s own sweat. Though it was October, and a little late in the year for cold showers, the idea of a hot shower after being so close to a fire was unappealing.

  The water was refreshing and invigorating, and Meredith felt her muscles relax as she allowed the water to pour over her upturned face. She leisurely washed and conditioned her long hair, relishing the feel of the cool water running through the silky strands. After a while, she started to feel a chill and turned off the water. She toweled off, looking at herself again in the mirror. She still looked like roadkill, but at least she was clean roadkill.

  “Boys, please form an orderly queue to the left,” she teased herself. Shrugging, she wrapped the towel around herself and walked into her closet to get dressed. The smell of smoke was stronger in here, and Meredith supposed it was probably closer to the fire than her bedroom had been.

  Methodically she began yanking clothing off of the hangers to throw into the washing machine. She imagined that every scrap of linen in the house would likely need to be washed. Meredith snickered as she pictured Vi’s closet, which was bulging with masses of halter tops, bustiers, mini skirts, and fashionably distressed denim.

  Still in her towel, Meredith carried an armload of jeans and tee shirts down the hall to the laundry closet. Just as she started the load, her stomach rumbled loudly. Realizing the last thing she had eaten was the cereal hours before, she soon found herself standing in front of the pantry looking in. Both Meredith and Vi were sporadic shoppers at best, leaving Meredith staring at a can of tomato paste, some uncooked rice, a few cans of tuna, and the box of cereal. The pickings in the fridge weren’t much better: milk, ketchup, pickles, and Vi’s three-day-old Chinese takeout.

  Closing the fridge, Meredith trotted back to her room, and threw on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed as she pulled on socks and tennis shoes. Listening the ringing on the other end, Meredith grabbed her purse from the hook on the back of her bedroom door and rummaged around inside for her keys.

  “Hello?”

  When Meredith heard her mother’s voice, she smiled. “Hey, Mom!”

  “Oh! Hi, honey. I read about the fire at the university in the paper and I wanted to check on you.” Amelia Carpenter’s voice sounded concerned as she asked, “You weren’t on campus, were you?”

  “No. Believe it or not, I don’t actually sleep there.” As Meredith talked, she left her apartment and locked the door, heading for her car.

  “Well, good.”

  After a brief pause, Meredith said, “Are you home? I was thinking about coming over for lunch since my classes are cancelled.”

  “I have a life, you know,” Amelia protested jokingly. Meredith’s parents were retired, and they lived about ten minutes from Meredith. Though they traveled frequently, they were often available during the day when Meredith decided to drop by between classes for some free food.

  “So...? Are you home?” Meredith persisted.

  Amelia sighed audibly, though Meredith knew she was smiling. “Yes.”

  Meredith laughed. “Great! I’ll see you in a few!”

  Amelia chuckled and said, “Drive safely.”

  As Meredith drove she had to pull over twice to allow emergency vehicles to pass. It reminded her that things were definitely not normal in the world. “What the hell is going on?” she asked herself out loud as she pulled over for the second fire truck. She waited for it to pass and then pulled back out into the street. Traffic was lighter than usual; it seemed as if the entire city, aside from rescue workers, had been shut down.

  The sky had taken on an unusual brownish hue that Meredith assumed was a result of all the fires that were plaguing the city. That, combined with the emptier streets, gave the atmosphere an eerie feel that made Meredith feel anxious to get to her parents’ house. Fortunately, her trip passed without further incident, and she was soon pulling into the Carpenters’ driveway.

  The Carpenters lived in a ranch style four bedroom on the side of one of the few hills in Phoenix. It had a stucco exterior and a red tile roof, just like all the other houses on the block. Unlike their neighbors, however, the Carpenters had a lush garden, full of orange, purple, and yellow flowers, a mesquite tree, and a few cacti and succulents. The garden was Amelia’s pride and joy. The bright colors cheered Meredith as she locked her car and walked around the garage to the front door.

  Amelia immediately gave her daughter a big hug. Then, “Oh my God! Sweetie! You smell like smoke.”

  Meredith quickly explained what had happened that morning.

  “Thank God no one was seriously hurt,” Amelia said, drawing Meredith into the house. “Why don’t you sleep here tonight, baby? I’ll wash your clothes and we can watch a movie. What do you say?”

  It sounded absolutely wonderful. “Can Vi come, too?”

  Amelia smiled. “Of course! Now go find some clothes to wear so I can wash what you’ve got on. You reek!”

  Meredith walked through the living room toward the bedrooms. The first bedroom on the left was set up as an office, and Meredith poked her head in. “Hey, Dad.”

  Robert Carpenter turned from the computer screen while pulling off his reading glasses. He was in his early sixties, with thinning strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore an unbuttoned plaid flannel shirt over a white tee and jeans, which was a uniform that he’d been wearing every day since he retired. In the summer the plaid was short sleeved and light cotton, but it was still there. “Hey there, brat,” he greeted her. “Whatcha up to?”

  Meredith smiled at her father. “Oh you know, this and that. Saving men from burning buildings--the usual.”

  Before Rob had a chance to respond, Meredith continued down the hallway to the master bedroom. She headed straight for her father’s chest of drawers; at 5’8”, Meredith had several inches and several pounds on her mother’s petite frame. She found some navy blue basketball shorts and one of Rob’s trusty white tee shirts and put them on. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the smell of her father’s cologne on the shirt. Then, she wadded her clothes into a ball and carried them and her shoes back down the hallway.

  Rob had come out of the office and was standing in the kitchen talking with Amelia. When he saw Meredith, he rushed over and enveloped her in a crushing hug. Amelia stood next to the sink, looking distraught.

  Her voice muffled, Meredith said, “I take it Mom filled you in.”

  Rob kissed the top of her head and relaxed his embrace. “Your neighbor’s lucky you were there,” he remarked.

  “Just goes to show you, lava lamps are never a good design choice.” Meredith smiled and stepped back. “What’s for lunch, folks? I can’t eat adoration, you know.”

  Amelia gathered herself with a deep breath. “Well, we can have chicken salad sandwiches or there is some leftover roast from last night.”

  “Mmmm, definitely the roast.” Meredith’s mouth practically watered in anticipation.

  While Amelia prepared thei
r lunch, Meredith called Vi to check on Josh and to invite her to stay the night with Meredith’s parents. Vi’s own parents had moved to northern California three years earlier, when the company Vi’s father worked for had decided to consolidate its operations. As a result, Vi spent most holidays with Meredith’s family, and they often joked that Vi was their adopted daughter.

  “Hey, Mere.” Vi answered on the third ring.

  “How’s Josh?”

  “We’re still waiting. The ER is packed, and he isn’t exactly a top priority since he’s not bleeding or screaming from unbearable pain.” Vi sounded slightly irritated.

  “Maybe he should start,” Meredith suggested helpfully.

  “Bleeding or screaming?”

  “Your choice.”

  Meredith and Vi both chuckled, and then on the other end, Vi said to Josh, “I’m going to go to the ladies’ room.” Once she was out of earshot, Vi came back on the phone. “Okay, I seriously want to leave. Can I leave him here? Or is that rude?”

  “Trouble in paradise?”

  “Oh shut up. Turns out Josh has a girlfriend that he neglected to mention all morning. Which left me wondering, why am I here? Where is she? Which I then, of course, asked him.”

  “What’d he say?”

  Vi scoffed. “That they’d gotten in a fight and he doesn’t want to call her yet. So basically he flirted with me up one side and down the other to apply a nice soothing balm to his own bruised, self-involved ego. I’m kinda speechless.”

  “Ouch. Sorry, Vi,” Meredith sympathized. Hearing about Josh’s girlfriend reminded her that she still hadn’t returned Miguel’s call. She briefly felt guilty and then figured she’d call him after lunch.

  “So can I?” Vi asked again.

  “Can you what?”

  “Leave.” Vi sounded exasperated.

  Meredith considered. “Well now that romance is off the table, would you stay for a friend?”

  Vi grumbled, “I have plenty of friends,” but her tone indicated that she knew she should probably stay with Josh.

  Meredith grinned. “Just remember, I did offer to come with you.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I guess I’ll see you later.”

  “Wait!” Meredith issued the invitation to come stay with her parents. “You really should consider it. Our apartment smells like something died.”

  “Okay, tell ‘em thanks for me. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way there.”

  Meredith ended the call and joined her parents at the dining table for lunch. The food was delicious, as always. Afterward, Meredith helped her mother with the dishes, and then they sat down in the living room to watch a movie. They chose Sleepless in Seattle, which was one of Amelia’s favorites. While Meredith was growing up, Amelia had often lamented half-jokingly that the way she’d met Rob was so mundane. They had met in college, gone on a date, liked each other, and that was it. Love, marriage, and babies had all followed, and they were still blissfully happy together.

  While the movie played, Meredith absentmindedly sat on the floor stretching. She liked the way it felt to see how far she could bend her body, enjoying the loose, almost achy feeling afterward. After a little while, Amelia got down and joined her.

  “Watching you made me feel guilty,” she explained.

  Meredith smiled and enjoyed the companionable moment with her mother. Though Meredith had gotten her coloring from her father, her features closely resembled Amelia’s. They both had a straight, bold nose and wide set eyes above a full mouth and square jaw. However, where Amelia’s shoulder length hair was wavy and the color of chestnuts, Meredith’s was long and pin straight strawberry blonde.

  Finishing her stretches, Meredith relaxed on the floor with her back up against the couch. Amelia sat behind her watching the movie and doing a crossword. Meredith tried to remember the last time that she had just hung out with her mom like this, and she couldn’t. As she resolved to try to make more time for her family, her phone started to ring.

  Glancing down, Meredith saw that it was Miguel. She silenced the call without answering it.

  “Who was that?” Amelia asked.

  “Oh, just Miguel. I’ll call him back after the movie.”

  Amelia was silent for a moment. “You two getting serious?”

  “I don’t know, we might. We’re a good fit for each other. He understands how busy I am with school, which is nice.”

  “Wow, high praise,” Amelia laughed.

  “You know what I mean.”

  “The sad part is, I think I do.” Amelia reached over and patted Meredith on the arm gently.

  “What?” Meredith turned and frowned at her mother.

  “Let me put it this way, sweetheart. If that were your father calling me, I wouldn’t be ignoring it to watch a twenty-year-old movie that I’ve seen a dozen times before.” She smiled wistfully. “When your dad used to call me, I would drop everything to talk to him.”

  Meredith shifted uncomfortably. The thing she liked about her non-relationship with Miguel was that it was easy, and it fit in with her other goals in life. It didn’t get in the way. Meredith didn’t really expect that dating Miguel would blossom into a full-fledged romance, but mostly because she had never really thought about it seriously. Finally she said, “He’s happy, I’m happy. This works for us. Besides, things are different from how it was for you with Dad.” Smiling provokingly, she added, “I have a life.”

  Amelia laughed and threw a pillow at her. Meredith caught it and stuffed it behind her head, making a show of reclining against it. “Thanks,” Meredith teased.

  “Oh shut up and watch the movie.”

  They watched the rest of the movie in silence, and when the credits began to scroll on the screen, Meredith dragged her phone out of her pocket and dialed Miguel’s number. He answered on the first ring.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey Miguel.” Out of the corner of her eye, Meredith noticed that Amelia perked up to eavesdrop. Meredith glanced over at her accusingly. Amelia stared down at her crossword with a little too much intensity, which confirmed Meredith’s suspicions that her mother was listening with all her might.

  “Where’ve you been, girl? I’ve been trying to call you,” Miguel said.

  “I know--it’s been a crazy day.” For the second time, Meredith recounted the events of the morning. She concluded, “And now I’m at my parents’ house. I am going to stay here tonight.”

  “You could come stay with me, instead,” Miguel suggested with a smile in his voice.

  Meredith’s eyes slid over to her mother, who sat completely still. Feeling Meredith’s gaze, Amelia looked up and said with a grin, “Don’t mind me.”

  Rolling her eyes, Meredith stood and walked down the hall and into the guest room, shutting the door. She flopped down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. This room had been her brother’s when they were growing up, and the ceiling still had constellations of glow-in-the-dark stars glued to it. In the late afternoon sun, they looked pale yellowish-green against the white ceiling. To Miguel, she said, “Vi is going to stay here, too. It would be weird if she were here and I wasn’t.”

  Miguel was silent for a long moment. “So when will I see you, then?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe tomorrow? Have you checked your email? Have they reopened the university yet?”

  “Damn it, Meredith. I’m not talking about school!” Miguel’s frustration was palpable.

  Surprised at his outburst, it was Meredith’s turn to be quiet. Perhaps Miguel wasn’t as content with their casual arrangement as Meredith had thought. Finally, she said, “What do you want me to say?”

  Meredith could practically hear Miguel gritting his teeth. “If I have to tell you, then it doesn’t matter.”

  “Look, I want to see you, okay? Today has been totally weird, and I don’t even know what tomorrow’s gonna be like. Would you rather I made promises that I’m not sure I can even keep?”

  “Well at least making promises would show me tha
t I’m more than a back-up plan to you,” Miguel retorted.

  Flustered, Meredith blurted, “Fine, I promise you’re not a back-up plan.”

  Miguel laughed, dispelling the tension between them. “Did you really just say that?”

  Meredith let out a long sigh. “Miguel, I really like you, and I like spending time with you. But finishing school is really important to me, and that’s where my focus is right now.”

  “Are you afraid that I want you to quit school and become my ‘little woman’? ‘Cause trust me, if I wanted that, my mom’s got about nine girls from back home lined up.” Miguel’s parents were Mexican immigrants who currently lived in Los Angeles. Miguel had moved to Phoenix to attend school.

  Meredith chuckled. She didn’t doubt that Mrs. Alvarez was sorely disappointed that Miguel hadn’t provided her with eight or nine grandchildren yet. The woman loved babies, and had made a career out of taking care of them. She had nannied for several different well-to-do families in L.A. over the years.

  In stark contrast was Miguel’s father, who burst with pride at his well-educated son. Miguel was the first of his family to go to college, let alone get a professional degree. Mr. Alvarez was the one who had pushed Miguel to come out to Arizona for vet school, working long nights to help Miguel pay the tuition. For that reason alone, Meredith knew that Miguel wouldn’t allow himself to be distracted from his studies, either.

  Miguel spoke again. “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? Let’s get some dinner. My treat.”

  Meredith smiled. “That sounds good. I’ll wear my fancy shoes.”

  Ending the call, Meredith gazed at the ceiling, noticing that the fan needed to be dusted. She realized that she was quite tired as her eyelids started to droop. The excitement of the day, combined with her upcoming cold, must have worn her down. Her eyelids became heavy, and she drifted off to sleep.