The Good Life

Chapter 45

 

”He mistook my anger as sadness and frustration that night. Ugh. I mean, he can’t fix everything by using his Mars charm.” Marla told her co-worker Isabel.

”Did you tell him you were really mad at him?” she asked.

”I didn’t have time to tell him. He was gone the next morning.” Marla answered with a heavy sigh. ”And I worry so much about her. She’s with my mom…and that’s fine..but I just want to be there watching her to make sure she’s okay.”

”I think every mother would want to do that, Marla.” Isabel answered.

”Yeah. I guess you’re right.” she answered turning into the driveway of the home they were visiting.

**

”Holy shit.” Bruno said looking down at his phone. ”15 missed calls. And..they’re all..oh..” he stopped seeing a missed phone call from his mother in law. He sat down contemplating calling her back not sure if she was calling to yell at him or there really was something wrong. She’s just calling to yell at me. He thought throwing the phone on the leather couch near the pile of coats that laid on the side.

”Come on, Brunz. Let’s get this…” Ari yelled at him while Phil looked at him with a concerned look.

”Who kept calling you?” he asked.

”Sylvia. She was calling to yell at me.” Bruno said taking a hold of the headset going into the room. The three lost themselves in music for nearly an hour until one of the studio assistants knocked on the door.

”I’m sorry to interrupt, but someone named Sylvia just called and asked that I tell Bruno to call her, it’s important.” the girl said closing the door.

Phil motioned for Bruno to come out of the recording area. ”Sylvia just called the front, bro. You should probably call her.”

”Ugh. I don’t know what is so important that my fucking mother in law has to call me.” he picked up the phone seeing 4 more missed calls from her. He walked out of the building leaning against the wall pulling out the cigarettes that his wife thought he had quit smoking lighting one up as he heard the phone ring.

”Bruno!” Sylvia exclaimed. ”I’ve been trying to get a hold of you. That girl at the studio was a sweetheart.”

”She is. What’s going on?” he asked her in an inpatient tone.

”Bruno…Marla’s in the hospital.” she told him bluntly.

”She what? Rosie’s appointment isn’t…”

”Isn’t until Thursday. She had a seizure at work.”

”Marla….” Bruno paused moving the phone away from his face coughing. ”She had visits today…she wasn’t driving was she?” he asked.

”No. She wasn’t driving…but she’s still asleep, Bruno. It was long. It was like 20 minutes…” she told him through her own broken tears.

”Did they give her….”

”They did, Bruno. She’s going to be okay. But I know she would want you here. I’m not going to yell at you and scold you. She told me not to do that when she dropped Rosie off this morning. So, I’m telling you and hoping you make the right decision.” Sylvia told him. Shit. Making the right decision. What a bitch. He thought to himself.

”When did this happen?” Bruno asked looking at the time on his phone. It was close to 2 in the morning.

”It happened at like 5:30…Bruno..I’ve been trying to call you. Travis called you the second he found out. ” she told him.