Roads Not Taken, page 15
Savali waited until the hall was clear and then opened the door and peeked inside. “The sheet’s pulled over her head,” she said.
“Well, a family member will have to be here soon, then,” Finn added.
“At least Nick got to see her before she died,” Malcolm asserted.
“But she didn’t know,” Savali sighed.
“They know, even when they’re in a coma,” Malcolm answered. He and Finn glanced at each other, somehow knowing that the other person had been in that situation before with a loved one.
They congregated back at the van, all three of them getting in the back, leaving the door open. Finn and Savali sat on the futon while Malcolm sat on the floor. “What now?”
Finn asked.
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“We should wait and see if Nick comes back,” Savali answered.
“Does a member of the family have to come and identify the body?” Malcolm asked.
“The woman died here. Why do they need someone to identify the body? They already know who she was.” Savali snapped.
“Maybe not, but they have to come and get the woman’s belongings,” Finn said.
Malcolm crawled out of the van. “I think we need to talk to someone and find out what’s going on.”
“Fine, but who do we talk to?” Savali asked as she followed him out. Finn was close behind.
“Let’ see what we can find out.” The three walked back to the hospital and back to the hallway outside Francesca’s room.
Malcolm walked down the hall, peeking into rooms until he finally found an orderly inside one of them. He returned momentarily and shrugged. “We’ve been waiting for nothing.
“You were right. No one needs to identify the body. They’ll be sending it to a funeral home as soon as they find out which one. That’s where we need to go.”
“Well, doesn’t someone need to come and get her things?” asked Savali.
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“And what would a dying woman have in her room?” snorted Finn. “A tiara and a ball gown?”
Malcolm ignored him. “Maybe they just send them on to the funeral home.”
“So how do we find out which funeral home?”
“The person I talked to said we can’t get that information unless we’re family.”
“Shit. So who can we ask?”
“Maybe the nurse who Nick had talked to. Do you remember his name?” Malcolm asked.
“Was it Todd? No, wait. It ended in D; that I remember. Chad? No, that wasn’t it. Let me think.” Savali stared at the floor. “Lloyd!”
“Yeah,” Malcolm agreed. “That was it.
Let’s see if he’s here.” The three traipsed off to the nurse’s station and found out that Lloyd would be coming to work at three.
“Well, we can have lunch then,” Finn said. “A real lunch in a real restaurant, preferably one that serves liquor.” They found a place a couple of blocks away. When they sat down and ordered their food, Savali and Malcolm were finally able to relax enough to realize that they were exhausted. Finn had slept last night, but neither Savali nor Malcolm had 228
shut their eyes at all. They were barely able to stay awake during the meal, but they were also hungry. “You two go to the van and take a nap.
I’ll stay here and wake you up at three.”
“Great idea,” Malcolm said as he threw some cash onto the table. He and Savali walked back to the van, and he was so tired that he didn’t even question the fact that they would be sleeping next to each other on a full-size futon.
Their bodies touched, but it felt natural and comfortable, even when Savali nestled into Malcolm’s outstretched arm. They were deep in slumber before either of them considered anything other than sleep.
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26
MALCOLM AND SAVALI WOKE WITH A
START WHEN THEY HEARD FINN
POUNDING ON THE BACK DOOR TO
THE VAN. “It’s almost four,” Finn yelled.
“Oh crap!” Savali said as she jumped off the futon.
“Lloyd’s not going anywhere,” Malcolm mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. “His shift just started an hour ago.”
“Yeah, I guess. Jeez, I could sure use a bathroom!” Savali fumbled through a box and found a toothbrush and toothpaste. “Do you need a toothbrush?”
“I have one.” Malcolm produced one from his pants pocket.
“You certainly are resourceful.” She winked.
Finn opened the door. “Sure hope you two are decent.” Savali laughed. Malcolm looked mortified. “Just joking, Malcolm.”
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The three traipsed back inside the hospital, looking for restrooms. “Now you have a taste of what it’s like living in a van,” Savali said darkly.
“You mean always looking for the closest bathroom?” Malcolm responded.
“Yeah, and trying to fall asleep midst slamming car doors as you suffocate from gas vapors. Not to mention the fights and the drunks.”
“I guess there’s something to be said for your own bed in your own house.”
“Beats a cardboard box, anyway.” When they got outside the doors leading to the restrooms, Malcolm paused, wanting to see which one Savali chose. She stopped outside the women’s and smiled at Malcolm. “I’ll use this one today. I think I’m dressed for the occasion.”
They got to the nurse’s station and asked for Lloyd. He was with a patient, so they stood there and waited. The unit clerk asked them to go to the atrium, but they ignored her.
He finally appeared and Savali went up to him before he reached the station. “How ya doin’, Lloyd. We were wondering if you could help us.”
“What do you need?” Lloyd asked.
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“Where
they
brought
Francesca
Balducci’s body. I mean, what funeral home.”
“Can’t you just ask at the mortuary downstairs?”
“They wouldn’t tell us. We’re not family.”
“They’ll have it in the obituary won’t they? So people can come to the funeral?”
“C’mon, Lloyd. Just find out for us, will you? We aren’t planning to steal the body. We can’t go to the funeral. We need to leave and get back to Los Angeles.”
“I don’t know . . . I don’t want to get into trouble . . .”
“We’re not going to tell anyone. Hold on.” She went back to Malcolm. “You got a twenty on you?”
“Twenty? How about ten?” Malcolm reached into his wallet and handed Savali a ten.
She rolled her eyes but took it and turned to hand it to Lloyd. “Okay?” Lloyd grimaced but went back to the unit desk and got on the phone. He returned and silently handed Savali a piece of paper. “Thanks,” she said, but he turned abruptly and walked down the hall without saying a word.
The three filed out of the hospital for the last time. They took their seats in the van, 232
Malcolm driving, Savali navigating, and Finn trying to stay upright on the futon in the back.
“Where am I going?” Malcolm asked.
“Back toward Jed’s. The funeral home is on Geary, but not downtown. Go toward the ocean.”
“Has anyone figured out what exactly we’re going to do once we get there?” Finn called from the back. Savali and Malcolm looked to each other for an answer. Neither spoke, however. The silence was interrupted by Finn’s sigh. “That’s what I thought.”
They drove down Geary, lost in their own thoughts. “What number on Geary?”
Malcolm finally said.
“I don’t know. It’s coming up, though.
It’s near Arguello. There it is.” Savali pointed to a nondescript cement building. Malcolm parked in the lot. They piled out of the van and went inside. The lobby had lots of red velvet on the walls, lit by a myriad of crystal chandeliers.
There was a Victorian settee and chairs, and an ornate coffee table, covered with bound catalogs extolling the virtues of various coffins and urns.
“Good afternoon. May I help you?” A young man who didn’t look old enough to vote, 233
approached them. He was dressed in a black suit that was too big for his skinny frame.
“We’re here for Francesca Balducci,”
Savali interjected before Malcolm had a chance to open his mouth.
“Yes, I believe she was just brought in this morning.” He looked at them, one at a time. “Are you, um, the family?”
Again Savali answered quickly, “Yes.”
The young man’s expression turned from bright and compassionate to quizzical and doubting. Finn, meanwhile, broke out in loud guffaws. “Sure we are. Don’t we three look like Italian stallions! I’d say it’s more like the Village People!”
Malcolm tried to suppress his own laughter as he looked at the man with the white mane and Irish brogue, the brown-skinned South Pacific Islander and his own black skin.
“We are close friends. We need to speak with her sons and we were hoping we’d catch them here,” Malcolm managed to say with a straight face.
“I see. Well, no family member has come yet.”
“Have they called? Do you know when
they’re coming?” Savali asked.
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“Not as yet. They don’t usually call.
They just come.” The young man was starting to soften, so Savali figured she’d use her feminine wiles. “Maybe we should call them,”
she said airily. Then she focused a coquettish smile on the young man. “I’ve left their number at home. It’s been so long since I talked to them. Do you have it?”
It worked. Nothing like a young man’s libido getting stroked. And Savali was so good at it. “Sure. Just a minute and I’ll get it.” He grinned foolishly at her and went into the office.
“Your skills remain undiminished,”
murmured Finn.
“Thanks, Finn.” Savali looked over at Malcolm for further compliments, but he just beamed at her.
The young man returned with a scrap of paper and handed it to Savali. “Would you like to use the office phone?” he said.
“Oh that’s sweet of you, but we’ll call from the car. What’s your name?” Savali batted her eyelashes.
Malcolm and Finn groaned softly in unison, but the young man didn’t catch on at all. “Wayne.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
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“What a nice name. Maybe I’ll see you later,” she said as she brushed her hand over his. Finn and Malcolm faked somber expressions lest they burst out laughing until they all exited the funeral parlor cum bordello.
“Good lord, Savali,” Finn snorted when they got outside. “That poor boy is going to be glued to his shorts after that display.”
“Hey, it got us what we wanted. If you got it, flaunt it.” She had posed studiously over the slip of paper in her hand as she spoke and now started dialing.
“Hold it,” Malcolm said. “What are you going to say when they answer?”
“I’m going to ask for Anthony. And then ask him where Nick is. It’s pretty straightforward. Did you have another idea?”
“Nope.” Malcolm watched Savali dial.
Finn, meanwhile, started playing solitaire with a deck of cards.
“Hello? Is Anthony there? Oh. Do you have his number? This is a friend from Los Angeles. I’d rather not. Well, what about Dominick? Is he there?” She looked at Malcolm and shrugged. “Oh. Okay. Do you know when they’ll be at the funeral home? Okay, okay. I get it. Fine. Thanks for nothing.” She hung up.
“Fucking asshole.”
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“Savali. These are drug dealers. Did you really think they were going to give out information to someone who wasn’t even willing to say her name?”
“Well, I am a little more persuasive in person.”
Malcolm just shook his head. “You’re too much. At any rate, what’s next? We need to get back to Venice, you know. We have jobs.”
“We can’t just leave Nick here, wherever the hell he is.”
“Did it ever dawn on you that maybe Nick chose not to call?” Finn suggested.
“Maybe he wanted to disappear on his own?”
Savali and Malcolm looked at each other. “We didn’t even think of that,” Malcolm said.
“I guess that’s possible, but he left with Anthony, remember?” Savali replied.
“It’s more than possible,” Finn said.
“It’s probable.”
“Let’s just get out of here before rush hour gets unbearable,” Malcolm added.
“Too late for that, but okay.” Malcolm started the van and pulled away from the curb as Savali put her phone away and Finn settled in for another nap.
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They pulled up in front of Finn’s daughter’s apartment building in Westwood a bit after one in the morning. They had stopped twice: once for dinner and once more for gas and a pit stop. Finn scampered out of the van quickly. He had not wanted to ask them to stop one more time. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.
Kate and her husband are going to help me move some stuff in.”
“Cool. I’d like to see them again.”
“Yeah, she’s looking forward to seeing you too. Did you know she was in the Peace Corps these last two years?”
“No, I didn’t. Wow. Where was she?”
“Can we have this little discussion tomorrow? I, uh, need to get upstairs.”
Savali laughed. “Needed another pit stop did you?”
“Oh shut up.”
Savali got out and opened the back door for Finn and then opened the door to the driver’s side. “Scoot over. I’ll drive now and drop you off at your house.”
Malcolm got into the passenger seat, but debated about how to respond. Did she expect him to offer to have her stay with him? Did he want her to? Well, she could sleep in Nick’s room since he wasn’t there. Then there 238
wouldn’t be much weird stuff to worry about.
He really needed to figure this whole situation out. “Why don’t you stay at my house? You could sleep in Nick’s room.”
She didn’t say anything until she stopped at a red light, and then presented herself by turning her whole body toward him.
“Sure. I’d like to stay at your house.” She took a breath, but before she could say anymore, the light turned green and the car behind her honked. She shifted her body in defeat and popped the clutch. They didn’t speak the entire way to Malcolm’s. She parked and they got out, still without saying a word.
Malcolm took out his key and opened the door. He turned on a light in the living room. “I’m exhausted. Do you need anything?”
he asked.
Savali looked him over and sighed. “Not right now.”
Malcolm shivered but turned away from his desire. “Good night.”
Savali watched him walk down the hall.
When he was finished in the bathroom, she went in, found herself a towel, and took a long, hot shower. After drying off, she studied herself in the mirror. She ran a hand down her cheek, over her jaw and down her neck, checking for 239
stubble. Satisfied with her inspection, she wrapped the towel around herself and started down the hall. She hesitated at Malcolm’s door, adjusting the towel into an alluring fashion. And then she sighed again and went on to Nick’s room.
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27
MALCOLM WOKE UP AND CHECKED
HIS PHONE. It was only eight, plenty of time to get to work. He threw on a pair of basketball shorts and went to the bathroom to shower. He stopped at the door to Nick’s room and listened, wondering if Savali was awake. She usually got to work earlier than him and liked to go to Muscle Beach or the gym first. He didn’t hear anything but decided to shower before waking her. He continued down the hall to the bathroom but found that door closed. Hmm, there were advantages to living alone in a one-bathroom house. He went on to the kitchen to start the coffee pot instead. He was trying to decide if he should just go pee outside in the back yard when Savali appeared in workout clothes.
“Good morning.” Malcolm half danced.
“I’ll be right back!” He scurried off to the bathroom. When he returned, Savali was not there. He peeked out the living room window 241
and the van was also gone. This was not the kind of weirdness he had expected. He distracted himself by showering, dressing, pouring a cup of coffee and taking it to his computer.
He spent the next half hour Googling the San Francisco newspapers, looking for Francesca’s obituary. He had thought that maybe they should go back for the funeral so they could talk to Anthony. He couldn’t imagine that Nick’s own family would have hurt him. Maybe Finn was right and Nick left on his own. But then, if he had been hiding, he obviously wouldn’t go to his mother’s funeral.
And if Anthony had kidnapped him, he certainly wasn’t going to tell Malcolm where he was. He was just going to have to leave this alone and hope that Nick would contact them.
He got to Moss House and searched for Savali in the office, but she wasn’t there. He went back to the community room to set up for Writer’s Workshop and found George and Homer sitting on the sofa, reading the paper.
“Good Morning,” Malcolm said as he entered.
“Hey, Malcolm. How was your trip?”
Homer asked.
“Good, thanks. Quick. How was
everything here? Did the classes go well?”
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“Yeah. Jose and I did the Music on Tuesday and George gave us some boxing instruction instead of Savali’s Yoga and Pilates.”
Malcolm grinned at George. “You did?”
