by ID Johnson
Melody felt tears in her eyes threatening to run down her cheeks. She willed them away. Shaking her head, she said, “I can’t imagine….”
“She called frequently at first, even made arrangements to visit off and on for the first two years. But then she met some rich television producer and moved to California, hoping to make it as an actress, I guess. She stopped calling then. And one day I dialed her number and someone else answered. I knew then that she was gone for good. She hasn’t called since.”
“How could she do that?” Melody asked, angry for Michael.
“I have no idea,” he replied, clearly meaning it. “I’ve had the same cell phone number since college, so it’s not like she couldn’t call if she wanted to. I’m not going to try and force her to be a mother.”
“It’s no wonder Michael feels the way he does about her,” Melody said, slowly.
“I know he’s confused. He blames himself sometimes, I think. I hate that more than anything. It’s like nothing I say can convince him that this wasn’t his fault. How do you explain such grown up problems to little minds who shouldn’t ever have to worry about things like that?”
“I don’t know,” Melody replied, meeting his eyes. “That’s why I didn’t know what to say when he brought it up the other day. I hope my answer didn’t confuse him.”
“No, your answer was great,” he assured her, managing a smile. “He hasn’t said another word about her since.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Melody replied, “I mean, that you think my answer was okay.”
“It was. He really cares a lot about you, Melody. I know I’ve said it before, but thank you so much for taking time to get to know him. I’ve had women sort of attempt to warm up to him before in a failed attempt to get my attention, but I knew from the very beginning things were definitely different with you. Clearly, Michael knew that, too.”
Unfortunately, Melody could imagine there would be women with the tenacity to do that. “Knowing Michael has definitely made me a better—happier—person,” she said.
“Me, too,” he nodded. “I don’t know what I’d do without that kid. And… Michael knowing you has made me a happier person, too. Better—maybe not…. But definitely happier.”
Melody smiled so brightly, she was sure she rivaled the Christmas lights. “You know, when Michael bribed me into going along with this, I was skeptical at first. But I guess you’re okay. At least I’ll get some candy out of the deal.”
He laughed, and Melody was proud of herself for catching him off guard. “That boy would not trade candy for anything in the world—except for maybe more time spent with you. Even if you are only here due to bribery, thank you for coming.”
With no further explanation necessary, Melody said, “Thank you for inviting me.”
“Do you think we should go rescue your mom?” he asked, coat in hand.
“I think we better go rescue you--middle-of-the-night you. She’s probably sugaring him up so that he’s bouncing off of the ceiling.”
“We’d better hurry then,” Reid said. “Middle-of-the-night me is not someone to be trifled with.”
It was about a quarter of a mile to his truck, and as they walked amidst the Christmas lights, the softly playing carols, and the laughter of families and friends enjoying themselves off in the distance, a light snow began to fall. Melody wrapped her coat more tightly around her and stood for a moment, looking up at the sky, littered with stars, snowflakes cascading around her, the cool night air lifting her spirits. She wondered if her father was up there, smiling down at her. Reid took her hand and they walked along in silence each of them finding solace in the gentle touch of the other.
Once inside the truck, Melody remembered the last time she’d sat here in the passenger seat, and as he made his way to her house, she rested her left hand on the seat between them. When he slipped his fingers between hers, she distinctly remembered asking herself if she would ever sit here like this, holding his hand. Now, here it was only a week later, and holding his hand seemed as natural as breathing.
Reid pulled into the driveway, and remembering what her mother had said in the shop earlier that day, Melody pushed the door open and hopped out, not giving Reid the opportunity to even contemplate breaking her mother’s rule. Seeing the lights out, except for the soft glow of the Christmas tree in the window, Melody opened the door cautiously, Reid right behind her, and she entered the living room to see her mother sitting in her favorite chair next to a roaring fire, Michael snuggled up under a blanket on her lap. Melody couldn’t remember ever seeing her mother look so contented—not in the last two years anyway—and she stood and gazed at them for a moment, encasing the sweet scene in her memory.
Michael was awake, but his voice was quiet and groggy. “Hi, Dad,” he said. “Hi, Miss Melody.”
“Hey, there, buddy,” Reid said quietly, stepping around Melody. “Are you sleepy?”
“Yeah,” Michael said, rubbing his eye with his fist.
“He has started to doze off a few times but hasn’t quite gotten to sleep yet,” Sarah explained, smiling down at him. She lifted Michael up, and Reid scooped him into his arms.
“Ready to go home?” Reid whispered into his ear.
With his eyes already closed on his father’s shoulder, Michael only nodded.
Sarah stood, placing the blanket on the chair. “We had such a good time.”
“I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you so much,” Reid replied, both arms wrapped tightly around his precious package.
“Anytime,” Sarah said, smiling.
Melody followed Reid to the door so she could get it for him, both of them walking as softly as possible so as not to jar the sleeping child. When they reached the front door, Melody took Michael’s coat from the hook and slipped it around him. She asked, “Do you want me to get the door to the truck?”
“No, it’s okay. I can manage,” he assured her.
“Night Miss Melody,” Michael said groggily, not really lifting his head or fully opening his eyes.
“Good night, sweet boy,” Melody said, rubbing his back and stroking his cheek.
“I’ll call you in the morning,” Reid said, leaning in toward her ear. The feel of his breath on her skin made her knees weak, and she placed her hand on his arm to steady herself. When she felt his lips softly brush her cheek, she was glad she’d taken precautions. The reaction was enough to make her fully understand the Southern term “swoon,” and she could only imagine what it must be like to feel those lips against her own. “Good night, Mel.”
“Good night,” she managed as he carefully guided Michael out onto the porch. Melody pushed the door closed and leaned back against it, thankful for the support. Her face felt flushed, but she could still vividly feel the imprint of his lips where they’d graced her cheek.
“Did you have a nice time?” Sarah asked, flipping on a lamp and straightening up a few things Michael had apparently strewn around the room.
On weak legs, Melody made her way back into the living room and dropped onto the sofa. “Yes,” she said, knowing she was still starry eyed.
“Take your coat off and stay a while,” her mother said.
The phrase was something her father would have said, and it jarred Melody back around a bit. She had forgotten she was still wearing her coat, so she began to unbutton it.
Sarah folded the throw blanket up and sat it on the back of her chair and then sat down to face her daughter. “He seems like an awfully nice young man, Melody.”
Her coat on the sofa beside her now, Melody agreed. “He is, Mom.”
“And Michael is a doll.”
“I know. There’s just something about that kid. I love him to pieces.”
Sarah let out a soft sigh in a way only a mother can do. “I know you do. That must put Reid’s mind at ease. It’s not easy wading back into the dating pool when you have children to think about.”
“No, I wouldn’t think so,” Melody replied. “He said he hasn’t dated
since his divorce.”
“Really?” Sarah asked. “Well, then, he is overly-cautious.”
“Yes, he said he’s afraid that Michael will get too attached, and then things won’t work out.”
“I guess he doesn’t have to worry about dating you then. Michael was already attached since before the two of you even admitted you were attracted to each other.”
Though Melody found the wording a little strange, she understood what her mother was saying, and it was true. “Thank you for taking Michael. It gave us a chance to talk.”
“About serious topics?” Sarah asked, leaning back in her chair, likely in an attempt not to seem too nosey.
“Yes,” Melody answered quickly. “I still don’t know why it is he won’t go to church. I need to figure that out. But we talked about his wife, what happened, and… other things.”
“Did you talk about music, Melody?” Sarah asked, crossing her wrists over her knee.
“We did,” Melody admitted, a lump forming in her throat. “Anyway, I’m going to go with them tomorrow to meet Santa at the library.”
“That sounds like a lot of fun,” Sarah said.
“Do you want to come?” Melody asked, partially just being polite, but then she was sure Michael would love to see her mom again.
Sarah seemed hesitant. “Actually, no,” she said. “Melody, I’m going to have lunch with a friend tomorrow.”
“Oh, okay,” Melody replied, smoothing out her sweater. She looked up to see her mother’s eyes watching her carefully, and Melody realized there was more. “Who?” she asked, cautiously.
Clearing her throat, Sarah said, “Curtis Haywood.”
Melody’s forehead crinkled. Of course, she knew who Mr. Haywood was now, thanks to Reid, but she could tell by her mother’s tone that she was missing something. “Why are you having lunch with Mr. Haywood?”
“Because he asked me to. And I like him,” Sarah said with a shrug.
Suddenly, Melody realized what her mother was implying, and a knot began to grow in her stomach. “Mom, is it a … date?”
“Yes, darling,” Sarah said.
Melody felt like she might be sick. Her eyes were wide and she realized her mouth was gaping open so she snapped it closed. So many questions flooded her mind.
Before she could ask any of them, her mother began to explain. “I know this might be difficult for you to understand, Melody, but Curtis and I have known each other a long time. He’s a good man. A gentleman…
“What? Mom! What about Dad?” Melody asked, scooting to the edge of the seat.
“Melody,” Sarah continued, her voice even, “of course I’ve thought about your father. I can’t stop thinking about your father. And that’s part of the reason for this. Tim always told me, if anything should ever happen to him, he’d want me to go on with my life, to try and be happy. I didn’t think that was even possible at first. Even a year ago, I would have said it was out of the question. But one thing time has taught me is that we can continue living our lives and be happy without dishonoring your father’s memory.”
Melody heard her words, but she didn’t know what to say in response. She never would have imagined her mother would even consider dating again. With tears in her eyes, Melody said, “I think I should go to bed now, Mom. I… I really don’t know what to say.”
“I understand, Melody,” Sarah said, exhaling loudly.
Without bothering to say anything more or even hang up her coat, Melody made her way up the stairs and threw herself down on her bed, the tears finally coming. How could her mother be dating again? How could she just go on with her life without her father? As she began to sob, Melody prayed that God would help her understand and accept her mother’s decision, to help her see how the rest of the world could manage to keep on turning when her dad was no longer in it.
Chapter 13
The snow from the night before crunched under her feet as Melody carefully climbed the steps to the library, Michael’s hand in hers. Reid was on the other side of him, and even though it wasn’t slippery, the idea of tumbling down the steep flight of stairs did not sound appealing, particularly since there was quite a crowd of people around.
Ever since Reid had picked her up about thirty minutes ago, Michael had not stopped talking, and he continued to chatter all the way to the door. Melody had always loved this building. She wasn’t certain, but she believed it was colonial revival. It crossed her mind that Reid would know for sure, but asking would mean interrupting Michael. He was in the middle of a soliloquy about how Santa takes care of his reindeer, and Melody felt it might be rude to interrupt.
Once they entered, Michael was finally quiet as he gasped in awe. The wide open space where the children usually gathered for story time had been transformed into the North Pole, complete with Christmas trees, polar bears, and dancing penguins. There was even a reindeer—though it wasn’t real—and Michael hopped up and down in excitement.
“Welcome to the North Pole!” one of Santa’s elves said, ushering them toward the line. Santa was sitting on a throne off in the distance, his white beard and red velvety suit looking genuine and his cheeks glistening in the Christmas lights that hung like snowflakes from the ceiling. The elves guiding the children through the process were all wearing green costumes with red tights, their pointy shoes and hats with bells on them. Everywhere she looked, she saw smiling, excited faces, and she couldn’t help but let it lift her spirits.
“Dad! There’s Hailey!” Michael shouted, pointing across the room to where children sat on white beanbag chairs meant to look like giant snowballs. There were several Christmas books on a table, and an elf was reading to them. “Can I go over there?”
The elf that had welcome them said, “If your little one would like to go listen to a story, you can stand in line, and he can join you when you reach the front.”
Reid surveyed the length of the line and said, “Sure. Just pay attention and come back when we get close to the front. Without a word, Michael shot off in Hailey’s direction, and Reid shook his head, joining the line. Melody made her way over also as more people continued to file in the door.
“I think this is one of those amusement park lines, where it winds around, and you really have no idea how long it is,” Reid said as Melody came up behind him.
Laughing, she said, “It can’t be too long. This library isn’t that big.”
“True,” he admitted. “Unless there’s a secret passage, and we have to go into the museum next door and come back.”
“Nah, I don’t think so. And it’s moving,” she said, nudging him forward.
“And I thought I was impatient,” he commented scooting up.
“I’m not impatient. I just like progress, that’s all.”
The path that led to Santa was red with tall peppermint guideposts on either side, a thin line of silver tinsel running between them, and Melody felt slightly trapped, though she knew she could knock the flimsy barricade over if she needed to. As she stood contemplating the setup, Reid brushed her hair back over her shoulder. “Is everything okay, Mel?” he asked.
She’d been trying to hide it ever since she’d spoken to him on the phone earlier that morning, but now that she was standing in front of him, she remembered she didn’t have a good poker face. “It’s my mom,” she mumbled, her hands buried deep in her coat pockets.
“What’s going on?” he asked, sliding up the line a bit.
Melody let out a sigh. They were going into a curve now, and it wouldn’t be as easy to see Michael, so she turned to face Reid instead. “She’s going to lunch with Curtis Haywood today.”
“Curtis Haywood? Are you certain?” he asked. “I mean, I’m not sure you could pick Curtis Haywood out of a line up.”
Melody took her hand out of her coat only long enough to punch him playfully in the arm. “Stop,” she said. “I’m very upset about this.”
He stifled a chuckle and asked, “Why? It’s just a date.”
“Just a date?
” she repeated, trying to keep her voice down. “Reid, she’s going out with another man. I mean, how can she do that?”
He placed his hands on her arms just beneath her shoulders. “Mel, I’m sure it is upsetting to think of her moving on. But your father has been gone for two years. Much of that time she spent by herself. She’s probably lonely. Can you really blame her for wanting to share her life with someone again?”
Melody stared at him for a long moment before he had to let go of her to move forward in the line. “It took you forever to date again after….” She just stopped talking, sure he’d get where she was headed.
“That’s true,” Reid said. “But I had a small child to think of. And while I’m sure your mother is considering your feelings, ultimately you’re both adults, and it’s her decision. Did you think she’d spend the rest of her life alone?”
“Yes,” Melody answered quickly. “I mean… I don’t think I ever even thought about it. I just assumed she would.”
“Melody, give it some time, and see how your mom feels about it. If she likes this guy, and he’s good to her, then maybe you’ll start to see things from her perspective. Or who knows—she might go out with him just once. He might turn out to be a jerk, and she’ll never want to see him again.”
Shaking her head, Melody said, “He’s not a jerk. I remember him now. His wife died of breast cancer around the same time as my dad’s car accident. I think my mom even mentioned going through a support group with him. He has a couple of grown children, maybe a grandkid or two. He’s a nice guy.”
“Then… what’s the problem?”
“I don’t know,” Melody admitted, and when she listened to him reason through it, she realized that it really wasn’t her business. Her mother was an adult, and if she felt it was time to date again, then who was Melody to hold her back? She did deserve to be happy. Melody felt a little silly for spending so much time the night before being upset about her mother when she should’ve been happily reflecting on her first date with Reid.
“Come on,” he said, reaching out and taking her hand. “We’re almost to the first penguin. I think this is a landmark.”