CHAPTER SIX
Back To The Real World
The real world greeted Madison as she fumbled her way to a seat on the train. It took her full concentration to keep her bags from spilling their contents at each stop and throttled take off the train made. But that was a good thing. She didn't want to daydream anymore.
Enzo was standing out front of the building when she came down the street. He rushed to met her and insisted on carrying her bags to her apartment. She usually would have discouraged him, but she was cold because of her soaked coat being packed away and tired from the day, simply unwilling to argue at that point.
Madison rummaged through the bags and extracted Dafne's items. It didn't take long to deliver them, the older woman wanting to get back to her favorite game show.
After putting away her own purchases, she flopped down on her couch and peered out the window. Victor curled up on her lap and started his purring. Madison mindlessly stroked his sleek coat and closed her eyes. She laid her head down and easily dozed in the coziness of her apartment.
She didn't know how long she had slept when the phone rang and woke her. She let it ring and held her place on the couch. The machine would get it and they would leave a message if they really wanted to speak to her.
"It's me," came Skyler's voice. "I was just wondering if you had gotten home yet. I wanted to let you know that it was really nice to see you again. I'm sorry it was a crummy day. That was unfortunate. I'm looking forward to Friday and I hope you are too. If you want to throw me a bone here and give me some hints as to where we're going, just call me back."
The machine sounded its final beep. Madison let out a laugh. "You didn't leave me your number!" She smiled to herself and got up.
She had the ritual of making most of the week's worth of meals on one night. That was so if she came home after an unexpected double shift, she wouldn't cave and pick up some take out and dent her allowance. If she knew she already had one prepared she wouldn't fall back in the habit of dining out.
The cooking took up the rest of her evening. She didn't mind. The memorized recipes were followed effortlessly as she thought of Skyler. Their history played out like a slideshow in her head. Starting at the beginning, it rolled on unhindered.
It began on what started out as beautiful day. But beautiful days don't always last, and this one in particular brought the two together through a tragedy. She was seven when she met the half-drowned little boy who would become her best friend. His family's yacht had caught fire and sunk. It was only a short distance from the spot where Madison's father loved to fish. They were the first on the scene.
She remembered holding the hand of the boy she had just met and watching her father go back into the water to find his parents. His words replayed again and again in her head while she waited in silence for him to return. "She's afraid of the water," he said to Skyler as he clasped their much smaller hands together within his, "I need you to be brave for me and look after her until I get back. She's my whole world and I need to know she is safe. Could you do that for me?"
"I promise," the little boy answered. She remembered him shivering even though it was a warm day, and that she wondered if he was cold. His hand wasn't cold.
Orphaned by boating accident. That is what a note on their files said as they waited in a quiet room at the police station. Everyone who came in and spoke to them seemed so kind. One of the officers even gave Skyler his coat, wrapping it around the trembling little boy as he still held tight to Madison's hand.
It had always been just her and her father, she had no one else. She was to go into the foster program. But Skyler had an aunt and uncle on their way to get him.
He didn't say much. That was until his aunt and uncle came to take him home. He refused to let go of her. He wasn't easy to dissuade. Skyler argued that he had made a promise to her father to look after her until he got back. He even suggested that she could come with him and stay. It took his aunt and uncle promising to let them visit whenever they wanted to convince him to let go.
They kept in touch from the very beginning. The most time to pass between letters or calls was three weeks. When she had to change homes, he somehow kept up.
Skyler stayed with his aunt and uncle just long enough for them to exhaust his inheritance. He ended up in the foster program as well. They had the same agent, so it was easier to keep track of one another. Madison went through a total of six homes. He had eight, nine including his aunt and uncle.
Both of their last homes were in Miami and they finished high school together. They stuck together when they were finally out on their own. Staying in Miami, they started from scratch. She waited tables at a diner and he was the delivery-boy for the pizzeria next door. Their apartments were ten minutes apart and they each regularly dropped by the other's place. Not a day passed without them seeing one another.
When Madison met Morgan, nothing changed. He was a newer patron at her diner when he locked himself out of his car one morning. She opened it for him, and according to him, saved him from yet another embarrassing call to his employers for help. To show his appreciation, he took her and Skyler out during their break. That was the start to their fast-paced friendship.
In getting to know Morgan, she learned of his line of work. He was a con artist. His job was to forcefully reclaim investments lost in Ponzi-type schemes. He didn't like what he did but had gotten in too deep and wasn't able to walk away. With Madison and Skyler's help, he was growing closer to quitting the dangerous trade.
The three were an efficient team. Each member knew their duties and could be counted on to carry them out. If a problem arose, it was handled with composure and they would then move on without missing a beat. They were unrivaled.
Madison eventually moved in with Morgan and they were soon engaged. It didn't take them long to convince Skyler to move in as well.
Outside of work, they kept busy together. Morgan and Skyler had their regular games of pool. They often went twice a week to their favorite bar and would discuss any upcoming jobs over the table until one would concede or closing time forced an end to their game. Madison would accompany them for a short while but generally headed home before the two were even close to calling a game.
Madison and Skyler held to their usual night at the movies every Friday. At least once a week they would sit on a certain beach, which he dubbed 'Madi Cove', and watch the world pass by. They spent entire nights there when Morgan was out of town on business, either talking or sitting in the quiet, content with being still.
The reminiscing brought a bittersweet smile to her face as she put the last of the meals into the fridge. She knew she could never have that life back, but finding Skyler again made her think she might at least find comfort.
Going over to the answering machine, she played back his message. Her smile heartened and she wished he had left his number. She wanted to call him, to hear his voice and laugh like old times. She tried not to think of the gloomy shadow that hung over them at the coffee house. But she knew they couldn't ignore it. They would have to face it sooner or later, and she hoped it would be later.
Sunday took Madison back to work. It was a slow day at Lake View. The facility was closed, as it was every Sunday, but the guards worked nonetheless. They were short staffed that day because of two guards calling in sick. Madison and another guard had the place to themselves. That was not their usual standard, but none of the other employees could come in to fill the openings.
The rest of the week was a good bit busier, which she was grateful for. It made the days go by easier. A staff meeting was held early in the week to announce that the security systems would be updated Friday night. Since Madison wasn't scheduled to work that day, she only half listened to the announcements. She caught that the systems would be taken down for five minutes and it would be up to those on duty to double up their patrols. Bradley was on for that night. She took a moment to tease hi
m about the less than ideal shift. He muttered a bit under his breath but wasn't too worried about it.
Friday finally made its appearance. Madison woke that morning with a new eagerness. She did well not to think too much of her planned night out with Skyler, outside of deciding on a restaurant. She was excited, yet a part of her was nervous, reluctant. As much as she wanted to believe the voice in her head that swore finding him again was the best thing to happen to her, another voice whispered of his self destructive métier.
The phone remained idle for the bulk of the day. It was snowing once again, and much colder than it had been in awhile. This kept Madison in her apartment, half watching the mute telephone. She wondered if he would forget, or back out, maybe even stand her up. Or was he as anxious as she was?
Early in the evening, Enzo stopped by and invited her to his place for dinner. He was having several friends over to watch the game and feast on wings and pizza. She asked for a raincheck, reasoning she already had plans. He wouldn't take no for an answer so she explained that she was going out for dinner with another friend. The dismayed neighbor accepted her decree, wishing her a wonderful time with her hot date.
Three outfits later, Madison unofficially settled on the night's attire. Dark slacks and a pink, button down sweater seemed appropriate. She didn't want to overdress and come off as desperate, neither did she want to look like a bum. Still, she stood staring blankly at the contents of her closet for some time after the decision.
When the phone finally rang, she nearly sprinted through her apartment to get it. Stalling with her hand hovering over the handset, she cleared her throat, brushed her hair back, and put on a smile. She answered as casually as she could.
"Hey, Madison, it's me ... Skyler." He sounded tired.
"So," she started with a little more cheer in attempts to perk him up, "are you ready for the best meal in all of Chicago?" There was an uncomfortably long lull. Her heart sunk.
"I'm so sorry to do this. I can't even begin to tell you how bad I feel about it. I'm going to have to reschedule."
"That's all right. I understand," she said at his hesitation.
"No, it's not all right. I told you I would have dinner with you tonight and I like to stand by what I say. This project is taking a little more time than we had planned and I'm having to work all night in order to meet the deadline." His tone told of his frustration. Whatever he was working on was draining him.
Madison sat in the tall chair at her counter. "Really, Skyler, it's fine. Don't worry about it. We can do this another time."
"Tomorrow," he voiced. "How about tomorrow? I have to work in the morning, but the evening is cleared."
She shook her head disheartened, "I work tomorrow. Evening shift, three to eleven." He didn't make a reply. She pictured him pinching the bridge of his nose as he did when he was perturbed. "I've got an idea," she began at the lingering silence. "Call me Sunday. I'll check my schedule tomorrow and will be a little better prepared to make some plans."
"All right," he at long last spoke. "I'll call you Sunday. Don't give up on me. I'll make this work."
A twinge of concern tugged at her heart. "I wouldn't give up on you, you know that."
"Have a good night, Madison."
"You too. Don't work too hard."
She gazed at the phone after she hung up the handset. A sigh escaped her lips without her intention. She was let down about the failed plans. Even still, she was more worried for Skyler. She wondered if something was wrong, if he was in trouble. After thinking over their conversation, she figured it was simply his work that had him flustered since he was willing to reschedule as soon as the next day.
Madison eventually got to her feet and meandered into the kitchen. "Looks like it's just you and me," she posed to the cat sitting expectantly atop the counter. She popped open the new can of cat food and spooned a portion of it into his dish. A brief study of the goodies within the fridge resulted in chicken salad as her dinner.
With too much time spent on flipping through the void of channels, she contemplated an early bedtime. That was until the phone rang. She wasn't expecting any other calls.
She peered at it for a moment before answering. The clock showed it was nine-thirty as she finally picked up the phone.
It was Bradley. He sounded frantic. He gushed with apologies and eventually made it around to the point of his late call. "It was the kids' mother's turn to have them this weekend. She hasn't shown up yet to get them and I can't get ahold of her. Jeremy is sick and I can't find a babysitter. I'm supposed to work tonight and I'm running out of options."
"You're in luck," she said lightly as he took a breath. "My plans for tonight fell flat and I am absolutely bored. How about I take your shift and you take care of that darling boy?"
"I hate to ask that of you. I'll call around to the others if you don't want to go in."
"I've got it. Work actually sounds good right about now," she mused, gaining a fraction of a chuckle from him.
"I owe you big time for this one. You're a lifesaver."
"Give the kids a hug for me, that's all I ask in payment."
"Consider it done," he said.