Born To Be My Baby

Five years later:

Ellie was working at a retail store called Zayre’s and she was the department manager of the fabric department. She started there after a year of being home and in nine months of just being a part-time fabric clerk her manager and sales manager saw something in her that they thought she had the potential of being a department manager herself at such a young age. She had shown them that she knew how to put in the hard work, leader ship, works well with others and with the customers, new how to order and fill out the re-orders, just about anything to do with this job. Carol her manager was very proud of her. So she was transferred to the second largest store in Worcester. But on this day she had no idea what was about to happen to her.

Down at the snack bar she was having her break with her girlfriend Cyndi. “So are you coming over to my house this Saturday or not? It’s just a little get together.” Cyndi asked her excitedly.

“I don’t know are those two going to be there? Because if Bob is going to be then definitely no. Steve maybe yes.” She told her undecidedly.

“I didn’t ask Bob because he’d be either staring at me or you and I can’t have that. Besides didn’t you tell him you were seeing someone?” she asked her.

Laughing, “Yeah I did but I don’t think I can have David come with me Saturday.” She told her.

“Why not?” she asked intrigued.

“Because he doesn’t know were going out. That’s why. Dave’s my adopted brother, Chick’s best friend. He lives down the street from us. They’re glued at the hip, best friends anyway I use him for things like this. Chick’s the same for his family. I just haven’t told him yet. Besides I’d have to make other arrangements if you know what I mean.” She explained to her.

“Fine I understand but you need to get out more and have fun.” Cyndi told her when they heard this announcement over the intercom.

“WOULD SOMEONE FROM FABRICS PLEASE COME TO THE DEPARTMENT FOR CUSTOMER HELP.”

“What the hell! Shirley is down there for crying out loud. I can’t be gone for five freaking minutes.” Ellie exclaimed.

“Come on I’ll go with you I should be getting back to receiving anyway.” Cyndi said as they got up and started walking back.

Receiving was just behind the Fabric Department so Cyndi didn’t have far to go. Cyndi went back to work as Ellie saw Shirley working with some girl at the fabric table. She looked around and there was no one else in the department. Typical. Walking over to Shirley she asked, “Hey Shirl was there anyone here that was looking for help because we just got paged.” She asked her annoyed.

“Oh I’m sorry that was me and my associate’s. I didn’t see her at the time so we had her paged so I do apologize for that.” The young lady explained.

“Ok what can we do for you?” Ellie asked her.

“Are you the manager?” she asked Ellie.

“Yes I am.” Ellie told her hoping this wasn’t going to be one of those days.

“Oh well then what I need from you is your help. I’m a costume designer with a rock band and what I do is I design their costumes and repair and clean them. Well they want is some new looks for their upcoming tour and someone from the Centrum recommend coming here to check out your fabrics. Apparently they’ve been here before and have gotten really great deals and fabric from here and said the customer service was really outstanding so we thought we would give it a try.” She told Ellie.

“Well thank you we do try our best. So again what can we help you with?” Ellie wanted to know.

“Well I don’t know where my two guys went but they should be back in a minute but we can start. I was looking over at your satin fabric. Do you have any more of the white and black in stock because if you do I’ll take the whole bolts.” She told Ellie.

“Really? The whole bolts? That would be great. Actually I do have the white and the black if you wait right here I’ll get them for you.” Ellie told her and she went out back to fetch them.

In the meantime her two rock stars came back with a few items from the Health and Beauty Department as they were both almost in tears. “Hey Spanky can you put these items in your carriage for us” Richie asked her.

As Jon jumped in, “Yeah we don’t need anyone thinking that their ours.” He told her laughing his ass off.

“You two are like little children now I have someone getting the satin that I want. If there are any other colors you want other than black and white let me know now.” she told them annoyed at their antics.

“Oh come on Spanky now don’t be mad at us you know you love us.” Richie said to her as Jon was giggling along. Just then Ellie walked out with the satin bolts but didn’t see them as she walked over to the table to put them down.

“Ok here they are we can just take the measurements off of the bolts and charge you for them because they’re pretty accurate.” She told them as she lifted her head to become face to face with Jon. Jon was laughing as the girl came out of the office carrying the bolts but as she started to talk there was something familiar with her voice. When she looked up and he saw her face he was staring into the past as his heart skipped about a million beats. He couldn’t believe he was looking at his long lost love. They both stood there speechless. Spanky and Richie just looked at them and then each other.

“Ellie Hi. I um didn’t know you worked here.” Jon said surprised.

Coolly she replied, “Yeah I’ve worked here for years now. So what are you doing here?” she asked him just as surprised.

“Oh we have some shows we’re doing here for the next month.” He told her awkwardly.

“So you forgot that I lived here.” She said calmly.

“Yeah I…I guess I did.” He answered a little nervously.

Just then one of the security guards came out of the receiving doors into fabrics and got Ellie’s attention. “Um would you excuse me someone seems to need me at the moment.” She told him and walked off to him.

“Steve what the hell is wrong?” she wanted to know.

“Who the hell are they? I’ve been keeping my eye on them ever since they entered the store.” He told her. Steve was this young kid a year or two younger than her who had a complex on being a cop of sorts and kind of looked like Scott Baio. Also he thought he was the store heart throb. And it was bad enough she had attracted two of the security guards as it was. She liked Steve but Bob just pissed her of to know end. He was just icky in her own words.

“Look they’re ok they are just buying some fabric for a show they’re doing at the Centrum ok? They shouldn’t be much longer and besides they’re buying me out so shut the hell up will ya. Now go bother someone else.” She told him. He went off but didn’t like it. He didn’t trust these long hair dudes.

As Ellie was talking to this kid as Jon put it Richie asked him, “So you seem to know her I take it?”

“Yeah I did. Long time ago she was my girlfriend for a summer and I was crazy for her. We were supposed to stay in touch with each other but she never called or wrote me. So we lost touch. But now I’m sure as hell going to find out what the hell happened.” He told his best friend. A light bulb went off in Richie’s head.

Walking back over to them, “So did you all find what you’re looking for because Shirley seems busy with other people and she might need help.” Ellie told them.

Spanky spoke up. “Jon, Richie any other color you guys wanted?” she asked them as she was getting antsy with them.

“Yeah do you have any red?” Jon asked her.

“Yes I have a red, yellow, medium blue, kelly green and a pink in the back and that’s the last I have back there. As you can see we are almost out and I was going to put what I had out back and do re-wraps because we had a sale two weeks ago on our satin but as you can see we don’t sell a lot of it. But because it’s near the holidays we did so I just got a shipment in so you lucked out. So if you want any other colors I’ll take care of it. So?” she asked them.

“Can you give us a minute?” Jon asked. Jon took the two of them over to a corner and talked to them as Ellie was looking over the department. She so wanted to go over there and punch Jon in the nose for what he had done to her. It only took about a minute then he came back.

“Yeah we’ll take the medium blue and the red if that’s ok with you.” Jon asked her as he got as close to her as he could.

Ellie could have kicked him in the shins, or higher. “Fine just give me a few minutes to write it up for you.” She told him.

“Um you don’t deliver do you?” he asked her smiling.

She looked at him like he had two heads. She got as close to him as she could because she didn’t want the other customers to hear her. “Are you fucking kidding me Bongiovi. Does this store look like we deliver? You can wait just like everyone else.” She told him.  He stood there smugly as he knew he got to her. Richie just stood realizing that had to be the famous Ellie that he had heard so much of.

They had finished up getting what they needed and before they were ready to leave Richie looked at him and said, “Don't do it man. You’ll be sorry.”

“I know what I’m doing Rich, now I’ll be with you in a sec.” he told him as he walked over to the back room. Sticking his head in he made her jump a little. “Hey just wanted to say thanks and that it was good to see you again. You know I would really like to talk to you about what happened with us and why you never called or wrote to me like you promised.” He said to her finally needing to know why.

She turned around slowly looking at him like he lost his mind. “Are you kidding me?” she asked him.

“What would I be kidding you about?” he asked her like she was the one who was crazy.

“You need to get the hell out of here right now before I call security do you understand me?” she spat at him.

“Why what the hell did I say?” he asked not knowing why.

“Look John if you’re trying to put the damn blame on me for what happened well you have another thing coming. You fucking lied to me. You told me that you loved me and that we were going to be together well pal does it look it? I loved you more than anything on this earth and you spat in my face. And when I tried getting in touch with you all I got for my troubles was that I wasn’t good enough and that you were glad you figured it out before it was too late. And if I didn’t stop bothering you that you would get a restraining order on me. So now you stay the hell out of my life do you understand me because if you don’t my Dad and my brothers will beat the ever loving shit out of you. Bye!” Ellie said to him as he just slowly moved away and back to Richie.

“Hey are you ok Kidd? You don’t look so good.” Rich asked him concerned.

“No we…we got to get the hell out of here and I need to make a phone call and it’s not going to be good.” He told him.

Ellie was shaking like crazy after they left. She didn’t think that she would ever see him again. She couldn’t wait til five p.m. to get here so she could get home and fast. She so needed to talk to her parents.

*********************************************************************

When they got back to the hotel Jon was upset at seeing Ellie and what she said. Jon started pacing trying to figure his next move as Richie was watching him. “Jon? Jon? KIDD! What the hell is wrong?” he screamed at his friend.

Finally stopping in his tracks and turning to face him he said to him, “It was something Ellie said to me that’s bothering the crap out of me. All this time when she left we had a plan on what we were going to do. We exchanged phone numbers and address’s well I wrote her and she never wrote back to me. The first time I never thought anything about it you know maybe it got lost in the mail or something so I wrote her another one and again nothing. But then I tried calling and her telephone number was out of order. I mean what the hell right? She gave me not only a bad address but a bad phone number? Why? I just never understood it. My Mom thought maybe with everything that was going on that she just couldn’t handle being apart or the long distance thing. I don’t know. Or maybe she didn’t break it off with that guy in Massachusetts and knew when she was going back and wanted to try and go for it.” Jon explained to Richie.

Richie thought about it for a minute then added, “Ok but now don’t get pissed at me alright but like your Mom tells the truth right?” he carefully said to him.

Jon looked at him knowing that he could be right but she was being so great when they were separated that he can’t see why she would do that to him. “I don’t know Rich she was really being great to me back then she knew I was hurting and was going thru a hard time. I mean she was going above and beyond man she was even mailing my letters to her.” He told him.

That set off a red light to Richie. “Jon didn’t you say Mama B. didn’t like Ellie for the longest time?”

“Yeah it took her a while to warm up to her only because she was afraid of the thing happening that did which was Ellie leaving early and tearing us apart.” He told him.

“Exactly, and what other way to get you on her side than to start acting like she was on yours. Jon sometimes when it comes to your mom you’re blind as a bat. Look Mama B. doesn’t like any girl that you hook up with you know that. Especially since she thinks that you’re her golden child. And you told me the only one she ever liked is Dorothea for some reason who by the way is a pip!” Richie told him.

Jon just shook his head at him. “So what you’re telling me is that my Mom played me? You don’t think that went thru my mind. But she was just so helpful at the time it just never hit me that’s all. Then my parents got me in with my cousin at the Power Station and well I was working my ass off there and the living conditions sucked plus I wasn’t making enough to support two people never mind one. I guess I just well you know life went on you know?” Jon explained to him.

“Yeah I get it Kidd life goes on and I’m sure it did for her. What you have to do now thou is just go to her and explain what happened to her and get her side of it. You know suck it up and be a man. That is if you want to and if you want closure. Because man she was pissed at you. You two definitely got your wires crossed. Look go get her side of it then tell her yours then maybe the two of you can figure what happened and then maybe both of you can walk away friends.” Richie told him.

Jon seemed to like that only because he seemed to really need to know what did happen and why they never corresponded with one another. Jon called Rich Bozzett he worked with them as an assistant to their manager Doc McGhee. He called him to get Ellie’s home address and telephone number and gave him all the info he had so he could find what he needed. He had threw out what he did have seeing that at the time he was very angry with her when he didn’t get any answer from her after six months.

*********************************************************************

Five O’clock finally came around and Ellie just wanted to get the hell home. She was so glad that it was Friday. She told Cyndi that she wasn’t going tomorrow after who popped in today. She just couldn’t handle it. So she just got the hell home as fast as she could. She pulled into her driveway, got out and booked it into the house. Her Mom was just finishing up dinner and was getting it on the table when she was walking in the door.

“Well Hi Honey your home early don’t you usually go to the bank on your way home on Fridays?” her Mom asked her.

“Oh yeah huh I totally forgot. I had the day from hell actually. You’ll never in a million years guess who the hell came in my department today.” She was telling her Mom.

Her Mom just looked at her and for the life of her couldn’t imagine. “I’m sorry Honey I can’t imagine who but whomever it was got you all worked up.” Cecelia told her daughter.

“They sure did because I thought I would never see him again.” She told her.

“Him? By any chance was it Herbie?” she asked her.

“It wasn’t Herbie Mom but you’re getting warmer.” Ellie told her.

Cecelia thought about for a minute or two then it dawn on her. “Oh no it couldn’t be he doesn’t even live around here or even in this state.” She told her.

“Well apparently that doesn’t matter because he’s on tour now. He’s doing what he‘s wanted to do for a long time now. Anyway he came into the store and they were looking for some satin fabric I don’t know and SURPRISE! The funny part is he accused me of not getting in contacted with him. How funny is that? After his Mom told me everything he told her to tell me what he said to tell me? Whatever? He had some nerve Mom. I just told him to get out and not to bother me again.” She explained to her mother. “Plus I told him if he didn’t I’d sic Daddy and the boys on him.” She told her smiling evilly.

Cecelia felt bad for her knowing how much she was in love with him and what she went thru with him.  “Well Honey do me a favor and tell your Dad dinner’s ready. He’s downstairs with the kids.”Cecelia told her. Ellie went downstairs and got everyone upstairs to eat dinner. Chick came home around six when he was finished with his job as he worked with they’re cousin Paul who worked at the Parks department. But Chick’s allergies were really acting up so he didn’t know how much longer he was going to be able to work there. After dinner Cecelia was cleaning up as the others were in the den watching t.v. as she and Paul were in the kitchen. Paul was watching t.v. in there as this was his domain. He read his newspaper and watched television in there and everyone knew basically not to bother him. Like that never happens in this house. First of all the kitchen was the main entry way to get into the house and Ellie had the living room since she was eight when her migraines hit and as everyone would tease them she was the little Princess of the house.   

It was nearing eight p.m. and Ellie was getting someone ready for bed. Just as they were going in the kitchen to say goodnight there was a knock on the door. “Who could that be at this time of night?” Cecelia asked surprised.

“Probably one of Chickie’s girlfriend’s.” Ellie said laughing.

Cecelia just looked at her daughter and gave her a half smile. Reaching for the door knob she opened the kitchen door and there standing before her was the young man she had met some six years before. He was dressed in a nice long sleeved dress shirt in the color royal blue and a nice pair of blue jeans with a pair of black cowboy boots. Cecelia didn’t know what to do or say and she knew the shit was about to hit the fan.

“Hello Mrs. Anderson I was wondering if Ellie was home?” Jon asked her.

Ellie could hear every word that was being said because she was only five feet from the door. But unfortunately the little person she was putting to bed ran to the door to see who was there.

“Hi!” the little boy said.

“Well hi there and who are you?” Jon asked the little boy.

But before the little boy could answer Cecelia said, “Oh Honey come on you need to go to bed. Ellie I’ll do it, Paul do you want to come with us?” Cecelia asked her husband.

“Well I think I’ll stay down here…” Paul was saying until Cecelia jumped in.

“No I think you need to come with us, Now!” she demanded. Paul knew he was over ruled. He got up and helped his wife take the little boy upstairs to bed.

Ellie walked over to the door with her heart in her mouth. “What the hell are you doing here?” she asked him annoyed. 

“Well I came here to see you and to straighten out what happened. Ellie who’s that little boy?” Jon asked her as he tried to look inside the house.

“Why? What’s business is it of yours and you didn’t answer my question why are you here?” Ellie asked as she was trying to change the subject.

“Well first can I come in?” Jon asked her.

“No I told you I don’t want to see you and neither do my parents so just leave.” Ellie told him angrily.

“Look I’m not leaving until you talk to me and then you can tell me why that kid looks like me. Ellie is there something you want to tell?” Jon asked her.

Ellie just looked at him pissed. “Look Jon anything that I wanted to tell you was about five years ago and you didn’t want anything to do with me what so ever, so what you see here right now you lost that right.” She told him straight out.

“Look I told you I tried to get in touch with you. I wrote to you but you never wrote me back. Then when I tried calling you, you gave me a wrong number. Ellie was that summer just a joke to you? I thought you loved me?” he asked her sincerely.

“Are you freaking kidding me? I loved you more than anything John and for your information my Mom said nobody tried calling here and there were no letters addressed to me either. They would have given them to me only because I cried for a solid month and a half and I was driving them crazy. So if I had gotten something from you they would have welcomed it. Plus I was calling you and finally your mother told me that you went to your cousins to get away from me calling and that you were going to take out a restraining order out on me if I didn’t stop calling the house. You felt that a long distance relationship just wasn’t going to work and to leave you alone.” She explained to him.

Jon listened intently and then, “Well one of us isn’t telling the truth now so which one is it?” he asked.

“Well I say it’s you. Now I have things to do and you need to leave.” She told him as she grabbed his arm and escorted him to the door. “You know if you really want to know what happened I’d ask your mother. She may know exactly what happened because for some reason I don’t think you got my letters or phone messages. Did she ever tell you I called?” she asked him with a smug look on her face.

“No…no she didn’t.” Jon told her but wanted to know what was going on.  

“Well there you go.” She told him feeling like she wanted to tell him ‘I told you so.’

In the meantime Paul and Cecelia had gone into the living room and were trying to listen the best they could. When the little boy came running down the stairs.

“Mommy! Mommy! There’s something in the closet!” he was yelling as he finally hit the last stair and ran right to Ellie and clung to her.

Bending down to his level, “Hey little guy I told you there’s nobody in the closet. Remember Grandpa already checked it out with you. Besides they’re all afraid of him ok?” Ellie told her son.

Jon stood there in shock. Ellie stood up to look at John. “Ellie is that, I mean it that our…” Jon was stammering.

Picking him up, “John I want you to meet James Paul Anderson. Jimmy this your Daddy.” Ellie told them.