Page 86 of Save the Drama for your Mama
“Good morning,” Cooper and I said together.
“Taking a pleasant morning walk, I see,” Alfredo said, winking at me. “It’s a beautiful day for it.”
We chatted for a few minutes about the sunny weather and the peaceful morning. Eventually, Alfredo turned his full attention to Cooper.
“How’s the writing coming along?” he asked. “Are you making progress?”
Cooper’s face lit up. “It’s going well. I feel inspired.” He glanced over at me with a twinkle in his eye.
Alfredo looked back and forth between us. “Inspired, eh? Oh, I see. Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”
Cooper told Alfredo about the mysterious typewritten notes he had found on his mom’s old typewriter in the library.
Alfredo raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Well now, that is something. Can’t say I’m shocked, though.”
“Why is that?” I asked. “Do you think there’s a ghost in the house?”
Alfredo laughed. “If there is, her name is Sandra. Last Christmas, she said she was going to have some fun in the afterlife. Well, something tells me she’s just getting started.” Alfredo had an amused smile on his face.
Cooper pursed his lips. “Yeah? And how do you think she’ll feel about me finding out that James is my real father?”
Alfredo’s eyes opened wider. “I had a feeling you’d figure it out, eventually.”
Cooper nodded and then told Alfredo about the newspaper article, the gallery name on the back of the photos, and then about the big discovery in the diary entry on the one-year anniversary of Craig’s passing. I let them do all the talking while enjoying the wonderful aroma of the flowers.
Alfredo listened, looking almost relieved, before saying, “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you outright. But I’m glad you two found each other.”
The two men embraced warmly.
After they separated, Cooper said, “Makes me wonder what other secrets might be hiding up in that attic. Hopefully, I don’t find out that my mom is not my real mom. Or that maybe I’m an alien and don’t know it.”
Alfredo chuckled. “She’s got a lot of things up there, that’s for sure. ”
Cooper nodded. “At some point, I guess I’ll need to do an inventory of everything, then share it with Chad. We need to decide what to keep versus what to donate or sell.”
Alfredo nodded. “Well, I suppose that’s fair, but it seems your brother isn’t too keen on keeping any of it, so I guess there’s no rush.”
“True, and good thing, because I don’t have the time to focus on that right now,” Cooper said.
“I’ll do it!” The words were out of my mouth in a microsecond.
Whoops, maybe I was a little too eager there.
Cooper and Alfredo turned to look at me in surprise.
“I mean, if you’d like the help,” I added, reaching out and squeezing Cooper’s arm. “I don’t mind going through everything, making some notes about what’s there. I can even let you know the value of some things to help you decide what you’re going to do with them. Hey, I have the day off, so I can at least get a start on it since it’s a big project. It would be a great way to pass the time. You know me and my love of history. And I just happen to be a whiz with inventory.”
Cooper was still looking at me, and I couldn’t get a good read on him, so I kept babbling in case he was on the fence about it.
“I know the attic is off limits, but—”
“Sure—go for it,” he said.
I blinked. “What? Really?”
I couldn’t believe it.
Cooper was letting me go up into the forbidden attic alone? This was huge! Our relationship had come so far from when we first met, there was no doubt about it. I wanted to jump for joy, but kept my reaction to a serene smile.
