Delayed

Too sad to think about it any more she grabbed her shampoo and went to work on her hair and tried to put it all out of her mind.

As she showered, Jason looked out the window and saw that the parking lot still hadn't been plowed. He turned on the local weather and got the impression that all major roads had been treated and plowed, most secondary roads were also done, and all other side streets, business parking lots, and housing developments would be taken care of as soon as possible.

He called his parents and they told him the road in front of their place had just been cleared then asked if he needed a ride.

"I don't know. I kind of have someone with me."

His mom got excited and asked if it was serious and why he hadn't mentioned it. His dad shushed her and said, "Maybe they just met," causing his mom to say, "Oh. OHH!"

"You're both right," Jason told them.

"Wait. We are?" his mom asked as though that made no sense.

"I did just meet her. At the airport in Seattle. It's a long story but she ended up staying with me last night."

Before he could explain his mom let out another, "OHH," only with the unmistakable sound of disappointment.

"No. Mom, it's not like that. She's...different. She's really special."

Afraid to ask how she was special she asked a different question.

"Have you been able to talk to your mother yet?"

"No. But if the roads are clear, I plan to stop by and see if she's home."

"You're a grown man, honey, but still...be careful and don't expect too much, okay?"

"I have no expectations, Mom. Maybe a small amount of hope, but I don't expect anything."

"Is your special friend going with you?" she asked rather tentatively.

"I'm not sure. I haven't really talked with about her plans. She came here for a job interview and her prospective boss turned out to have the same problem as my birth mother. He evidently tried to, you know, force himself on her."

"Oh, my Lord! I'm so sorry. That's awful. You keep looking after her then. She's going to need a friend."

"I agree," he told her. "Listen, I'll call you later and keep you informed."

Jason heard a 'goodbye' from his dad and his mom told him she loved him. He said the same then hung up. Just moments later Diana came out of the bathroom covered only be a towel around her body and another in her hair.

She saw him looking and smiled.

"Are you wearing that today?" Jason teased, trying to sound both funny and maybe hopeful.

"Ha! What's the temperature? Around 28?"

"About that. But still...."

She peeked around the partial wall that sort of separated where she was from the rest of the room and gave him a look that made him laugh.

"Okay, fine. Wear something else. See if I care."

When Diana laughed he felt emboldened to ask her if she'd like to spend the day with him.

"Well, it's not like I have any plans of my own, and there's no way I'm getting a flight anywhere."

"Wow. That's high praise," Jason replied as though he were hurt.

She looked around again and said, "If you can stand my company, I'd love to."

"I have to warn you my first stop is at my birth mother's house. That could be anything from bad to disastrous."

"I'm an RN, Jason. I work in a hospital in downtown Seattle, and I've dealt with people addicted to every drug on earth, so nothing will surprise me."

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you."

When she stepped into the main room, Jason told her she looked great, and he meant it.

"Better than the towel?" she asked with a slight laugh.

"Oh. Um, well, yeah. Actually that was very nice. But right now you just as amazing."

It was just a white turtleneck that was ribbed but it fit her nicely-toned body quite well, and her wet, tousled hair also got his motor running. The jeans that fit just right and a pair of boots over them completed a very flattering look, but it was nothing compared to how she looked a few minutes later after her hair was blow dried.

When he saw her after she finished with her locks of gold he said 'wow' again, but this one was different and was followed by a little wolf whistle.

"Stop! You're being ridiculous."

"I'll stop that if you'll stop being so smokin' hot."

She put her hands on her hips then said, "Hmmm. Maybe it might possibly be less than boring to spend the day with you."

When she smiled Jason felt something stir.

"Dang, gurl. You look good!"

"Why thank you, kind suh!" she said in a decent southern accent.

Jason, whose southern accent was excellent said, "I do de-clay-uh, I believe this one he-uh might just be a keep-uh!"

Diana feigned modesty and shock like a southern belle on the verge of swooning before letting him know she was ready whenever he was. He helped her with her coat then used his phone to find an Uber driver as they went to the lobby to wait.

"You hungry?" he asked, knowing she was.

"Starving."

Their first stop was at a pancake house where they ate, sipped coffee, talked and learned more about each other. Jason's heart went out to her when she explained how her late husband found out that his headaches were more than just stress. He felt her pain as she described the way he bravely fought until the end and how she was with him holding his hand when he left this world.

She, in turn, used her loss to understand, to the degree she could, what it would be like to live with a mother who chose addiction over her children. Even more so what it must have like to have strangers come and take you away from her, no matter how unfit she might be. Jason's life story made an impression on her, but his maturity and the way he looked at life made an even bigger one.

By the time they finished eating, both of them had a newfound respect for the other, and of course, a deeper understanding of the events that shaped their lives. Jason called for another Uber just before they finished their meal, and when it pulled up, Diana asked him if he was ready to see his mother.

"My expectations are virtually non-existent. If anything positive happens, that will be a pleasant surprise. If not, I won't be disappointed."

Diana believed him because she already knew he was an honest man. Still, she could only see things from her point of view, and were this her mother, she knew she would be hurt if she didn't want to see her daughter or even worse, told her to get out and never come back.

She was more than a little surprised to see the very decent house where his birth mother lived but not surprised to see the outside in shambles. It was obvious that no one took care of the lawn, the shrubs, or much of anything. The roof seemed in desperate need of repair, but the outside of the house itself wasn't bad.

As they walked to the door, she kept an eye on Jason who saw several notices taped to the front door and just shook his head. Diana glanced at them and knew they were from the city, and that she was probably very close to being evicted.

It was 9am and around 31 degrees. The wind was calm, but it seemed colder than it was as Jason banged on the door and waited. After a few seconds he banged again only harder.

"Hello? Anyone home?" he called out fairly loudly.

Diana saw him reach for the doorknob, and as he tried to turn it, it moved. Jason pushed the door open then called again.

"Hello? Mom? You here?"

He stepped inside, and at first Diana wouldn't go with him. Then she realized they weren't breaking and entering, and she also happened to be his biological mother, so she joined him inside, too. Maybe it was fear or maybe it was for moral support, but she put her arm under Jason's who looked at her with a warm, reassuring smile, then raised the arm so she could hook it.

"You okay?" she asked him as they slowly walked toward the kitchen.

"Mom? You here?" he called out loudly.

"Jason? Maybe we should go."

"Soon. Let me just check...."

"Who the hell are you?" they heard a woman say from behind them.

Diana squeezed Jason's arm as they slowly turned around. She felt sick to her stomach when she saw the woman who looked like she'd been hit by a freight train. Her hair was a disaster. Her eyes were glassy and lifeless. Her shirt was filthy and torn and the sweat pants she was wearing were threadbare and dirty. Her feet were also bare, and Diana saw the swollen ankles, the edema, that often accompanied a failing liver. She suspected the woman might have bruises all over her body; bruises caused by the slightest touch which was another such sign.

"Jason?" she said, revealing a set of teeth that looked like they hadn't been taken care of in years.

Heavy drinking dried the mouth. That, in turn, caused the enamel on the teeth to wear away. Hers looked awful, and Diana's heart went out for her.

"Hi, Mom."

"What do you want?" his mother nearly spat.

"I just wanted to see you. It's almost Christmas."

"Big fuckin' deal. Unless you brought me a bottle of vodka, I don't really give a damn."

"Can I at least bring you something to eat?" he asked so tenderly it made Diana tear up.

"Eat? I don't need no goddamn food! I need a fucking drink."

A drink was the last thing she needed, but if she was as far gone as Diana suspected, she might be close to suffering from delirium tremens or the DTs as they were called. People laughed when they heard about someone having DTs, but as an RN Diana knew they were deadly serious and accompanied by shaking, confusion, high blood pressure, fever, and hallucinations among other unpleasant symptoms.

Jason wasn't a doctor or a nurse, but he knew about the DTs, too. He'd brought a pint of vodka with him he bought at the duty free store in the event his mom was in desperate need. She really needed to detox and go through rehab, but he was all but certain she'd decided to choose alcohol over life itself, so he pulled it out of his coat pocket.

Diana didn't say anything. She understood.

"Well, Jesus fucking Christ. Merry fucking Christmas to me!" she said as she snatched the bottle, opened it, and drained a quarter of it in one long pull.

"You're all right," she told her son before asking him to have a seat.

They all sat at the kitchen table which was as disgusting as the rest of the house.

"You my boy's wife?" she asked before taking another long drink.

"No. We're just...."

She looked at Jason to finish her thought.

"Mom, this is Diana."

He realized he still didn't know her last name and asked.

"Quin. Diana Quin."

"Diana's someone very special to me...Mom."

"Is that right," she slurred before knocking back another long drink.

When liver failure was near a small amount of booze could make an alcoholic drunk as their body could no longer metabolize alcohol.

They stayed for another fifteen minutes or so, and as Jason tried to make his apologies to leave, his mother asked him point blank for money.

"Don't you have any left?" he asked without judgment.

"A little. But I can't get to a bank with all this goddamn snow and ice. So. You got any?"

He'd also brought some cash with him knowing she'd drink it all, but he'd already decided to let her have it, so he took the three, one-hundred dollar bills from his wallet and handed them to her.

"That's my baby," she said as she looked at Diana. "His piece of shit brother does't give a damn about me, but my baby does, don't ya?"

"I do, Mom. I'm sorry I haven't been...."

"Knock that shit off. We both know I'm worthless as a mother, and we both know I don't give a flyin' fuck, so let's not pretend I do, okay? Thanks for the booze and the money and you can show yourselves out."

Even though she'd prepared herself, Diana still felt terrible, mostly for Jason and for his mother, a woman whose name she still didn't know. She got up with him and watched him go around the table and give his mother a hug. She reeked of booze and dried vomit and probably hadn't showered in days, but her son still tried to hug her even though she didn't even raise a hand to touch his arm with. She just sat there staring into space until he stood up.

"Goodbye, Mom."

"Yeah, yeah," she said as she finished the bottle.

They went to leave when she called him back.

"Yes?"

"You got a phone?"

"Sure."

Jason handed it to her. The vodka had steadied her hands, and she was able to punch in a number she had memorized.

"Roy? Hey. It's me. I need a delivery. And before you ask I got money. My kid just stopped by."

He heard her tell the man she'd pay what she owed and that she needed the remainder in vodka.

"Okay. Thanks. Yeah, Merry whatever to you, too."

She gave the phone back then turned away and didn't say another word.

"You okay?" Diana asked as they got to the front door.

"That actually went better than I'd expected."

As they waited for an Uber, Roy showed up. His liquor store was just two blocks away, and he had an employee there to take care of things while he made the delivery.

"You Edna's boy?" he asked as he walked up with a small bag containing a 1.5-gallon jug of cheap vodka and another pint.

"I am."

"I try and look in on your mom when I can, but she's in really bad shape."

Jason fished out a business card and slipped in the guy's hand that was under the bag.

"Will you call me if she, you know."

"Yeah. Sure. I...it can't be much longer, I'm sorry to say, but yes, I'll let you know."

With that their ride pulled up and that was that.

"So where to now?" Diana asked.

"I hope it's not too soon, but I'd like you to meet my parents."

She laughed an honest, genuine laugh, and as she did she looked at Jason who was looking at her. The laugh stopped and their eyes darted with each other's for a moment before he leaned over and kissed her. A soft, short, delicious kiss neither of them would ever forget. She didn't flinch or pull away. She let him kiss her, and after a second, she kissed him back.

"I thought we should at least kiss before I tell them you're the woman I'm gonna marry."

Normally, Diana would have either laughed heartily or been disgusted. But neither of those things happened. She just put her arm through his, pulled herself close, then laid her head on his shoulder. Neither of them said another word until their driver told him they were there.

"Good thing I asked what your last name is, huh?" Jason told her as he got out and offered her his hand.

"Denison was my maiden name. I was born Diana Marie Denison."

"Diana Denison-Quin...Walker. That has a nice ring to it."

This time she laughed then said, "It does, and who knows? Maybe I could get used to that."

"Yeah?"

"Maybe," she said feigning sternness.

"I can live with that," he told her as his parents opened the door.

"I can't believe your home!" his mom said as she gave him a huge, long hug.

"Hi. I'm Andy," his father said as he gave Diana a small, friendly hug before his mom grabbed her and welcomed her.

"So this is the special girl you mentioned, huh?" she said, her eyes bright, a huge, warm smile on her face.

"It is. Her name is Diana, Mom, and she is very special to me."

"She certainly is pretty lil' thing, and if she's very special to you then she's very special to me, too," his mom announced as she took the younger woman's arm and asked her to tell her all about herself.

Diana had reservations about meeting his family for several reasons, but it only took a few minutes for her to realize she couldn't ever remember feeling so welcome anywhere in her entire life. And by the time they left three days later she felt like this was her home, too, and in her heart of hearts she knew she loved the handsome younger man who'd brought her there at a time when she'd never felt so all alone.

They'd held hands a bunch, kissed a few times, but mostly it was just good family fun, the thing Diana now knew she wanted more than anything else in her life. For now, at least, everything else could wait, because she was sure as sure could be that it would be worth the wait if it meant having a family of her own.

******

Two years later Diana Walker was reflecting on her trip to Dallas; a trip to start a new life, a new job, and all with a new man. In reality, it was the reason she had a new life, a new man, and a new baby boy she insisted be named after his father.

Jason Eric Walker and his handsome father were now the most important things in her life. She'd quit working in the hospital a month after they returned to Seattle, and she took a job in a doctor's office in Auburn that was just five minutes from their comfortable little 2-bedroom home.

When Jason, Jr., was born, Diana quit working for the next four years and drank in the joy of having the family she so desperately wanted every single day as she cared for her little boy. And by six o'clock the man she loved came home and kissed her and made her realize she truly had it all.

And there were many times she also realized it was all because that flight to Dallas had been delayed.