𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐈 ⎯ bradley bradshaw

09 | take me to bed or lose me forever

CHAPTER NINE
TAKE ME TO BED OR LOSE ME FOREVER
[09]

song: Lay All Your Love on Me by ABBA

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"I still don't know what you've done with me,
a grown up woman should never fall so easily."

During her original time at Top Gun, Celia stayed at her tante Penny's house.

"Celia, do you mind getting the groceries? My card and the list is on the kitchen counter." Penny asked her niece.

"Of course, Penny." Celia complied.

While she was at the grocery store, there was a woman carrying a basket. The woman seemed rather frail and weak, but only looked about 20 years older than Celia herself.

"Excuse me, do you need help carrying that?" Celia kindly asked.

The woman looked up at her with her blue eyes. "Yes please. That's very kind of you."

Celia helped her shop for her groceries and carried the woman's basket.

"I'm Carole. What is your name?" Carole asked.

She smiled at her. "My name is Celia."

"Celia..." She trailed off. "You seem to have a deep sadness in you. Are you lonely?"

Celia was taken aback by her bluntness. This was not what she expected when she decided to help the woman. "I suppose I am lonely..."

"You can always have a friend in me." Carole smiled. She could tell Carole was a kind lady, someone she would trust.

As they walked around the store, the two women made conversation. Celia found out she had cancer. Her new friend was going to leave too in the blink of an eye.

After they finished shopping, Celia helped her load the bags into her car.

"Let me give some sort of payment..." Carole reached into her purse to pull out her wallet but Celia stopped her.

"No of course not. It's just a good deed that anyone can do. Especially friends." Celia smiled.

Carole gave Celia her phone number and told her to call or visit anytime. She said she never really gets visitors beside two of her old friends and her son. Carole lived just down the road from the grocery store.

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Celia visited her a couple of times when she was in town, offering baked treats and such. Celia's had passed away when she was 12, but she got the same feeling when talking to Carole as she did with her own mother. Soon Carole became not just a friend, but like a second mother. When she visited Carole would tell stories of her epic love, her husband Nick and her son Bradley.

"Let me tell you a line that always works to get just what you want. 'Take me to bed or lose me forever.' It worked like a charm." Carole laughed, thinking back at the memory.

She told how he liked to play the piano at the Hard Deck, singing at the top of his lungs, how he pulled her into his lap.

"You'll find your epic love soon enough." Carole told her. "I think you'd be perfect with my son. You'd compliment his personality. You should meet him sometime."

Celia just laughed it off, not really believing her words. "I'll be waiting for the day."

That was the last time Celia saw her. Celia was stationed to a different state when Carole sadly passed. Although she wanted to, she couldn't attend the funeral.

From strangers to friends, they kept each other company.

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Celia told Rooster all about how she met his mom and how they became friends.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He asked simply.

"It wouldn't have changed the present."

They now sat on the piano bench again, just like all those years ago as Rooster played softly. "Take me to bed or lose me forever." Celia whispered in his ear.

"Show me the way home, honey."