Free Fairplay, Denver Cereal Volume 6 by Claudia Hall Christian

Seth said into the
phone. “Yeah, it’s Seth. Listen, I’m not feeling well. Seems like
you’ve got this under control.”
    There was a long pause. Maresol sat down on
the side of his bed.
    “ Got it,” Seth said.
“Probably tomorrow. Or Wednesday? I’ll let you know Tuesday
night.”
    There was another long pause. Maresol set
the puppy on her lap and pet her.
    “ Great,” Seth said. “I’ll
be there if I can. I’ll ask Sandy when I see her. Yes, I’d like it
if you didn’t bother her again.”
    Seth laughed. He listened for a moment.
    “ Talk to you then,” Seth
said.
    “ And the voice mail!”
Maresol demanded.
    “ Yes ma’am,” Seth punched
a few buttons then said, “You’ve reached O’Malley. I’m out until
Tuesday. Leave a message and I’ll call you then.”
    “ You done?” Maresol
asked.
    “ Done,” Seth held out the
phone. Maresol tucked it into the pocket of her apron.
    “ Ready?” Bumpy
asked.
    “ Give me a
second.”
    Seth closed his eyes and took a few deep
breaths. For all his bravado and insistence on working, he was in
tremendous pain. The journey from his room to the pool was going to
be horrible. He gave a slight nod. Maresol set Clara on the floor.
Bumpy carried more than helped Seth out of bed. Maresol helped him
change into swim trunks.
    With Bumpy on one side, and Maresol on the
other, his two most beloved friends helped him move. After a few
steps, automatic tears fell. But as they’d always done when things
were impossibly hard, Bumpy and Maresol part dragged, part badgered
and mostly supported Seth through another painful life journey.
    They stopped at the sliding glass door to
the back for Seth to catch his breath. Clara gave a yip of
encouragement and they continued forward. One painful step at a
time, Seth moved toward Ava. As if crossing the entire Sahara
desert in the blistering heat, Seth felt like he was making a
spiritual journey that would change his life forever. And somehow,
with Bumpy and Maresol’s support, he made it to the pool house.
    Wearing a bikini, Ava sat in the hot tub
waiting for him. Dale supported him step by step into the hot
tub.
    “ He’s very ill,” Maresol
said.
    Ava nodded.
    “ Thirty minutes,” Bumpy
said. “No excuses. You’ll have to be tough.”
    “ I think we’re in this
together,” Ava nodded.
    “ Amelie and I… We need to
detox from…” Dale nodded the words he couldn’t say. He looked down
to tie the string on the swim trunks he’d borrowed from
Seth.
    “ Yes you do, son,” Bumpy
said. “Old Seth will always take you where you need to
go.”
    “ I’ll be here all day,”
Maresol said. “I’ll bring food, water, towels, tissues… whatever
you need you ask. There are journals and pens for you to
write.”
    “ But you should talk if
you can,” Bumpy said.
    “ You’ll be a lot closer
when this is over,” Maresol said. “If you get sick, I’ll call the
doctor. Otherwise, you get the poison out of you.”
    “ If I don’t hear from
Maresol, I’ll check in after you’ve completed 5 rounds,” Bumpy
said. “Let it happen. Cry, yell, talk, write, and draw. Even though
it’s toxic, your bodies and minds want to hold onto this garbage
because it’s normal, comfortable and safe. You will fight yourself
at times. Don’t give up. If you need to rest, sleep or meditate,
take a swim in the pool or a walk in the yard. But come right back.
You will want to quit the most just before you let go of the deep
and toxic.”
    Ava and Dale nodded. Seth groaned. Bumpy put
his arm around Maresol and picked up the puppy. Although they were
worried, they knew better than to display anything other than
complete confidence in Seth, Ava and Dean. At the sliding door,
Maresol gave one last worried glance.
    “ Here we go,” Ava rotated
an old fashioned egg timer.
    “ Here we go,” Dale
said.
    Bravely, Seth and his two young companions
began a journey of release.
    ~~~~~~~~
    Sunday afternoon –4:25 P.M.
Undisclosed