by Lexi Wilson
Truth be told, I liked living with him. I told myself that I’d give it another week or two and then I’d start looking for places to stay, but the idea of living alone frightened me. Even though Bill had no idea where I was, I felt safe having Jaxon there with me. And I knew that Allie felt the same. Allie had always been a somewhat reserved person because Bill had always gotten upset with her when she made too much noise. Slowly though, I was seeing a shift in her behavior that made me so happy. She seemed more like a child now. All I had ever wanted for her was to be carefree. No child should ever have to live in fear.
That morning, I woke up tired. Allie tended to spread out in bed, and she moved constantly. I’d almost fallen off the bed once. When I came to the kitchen I was still yawning.
“Morning,” I said to Jaxon. “I’ll make the coffee. I need a lot this morning.”
“Good morning. What’s wrong? Didn’t sleep well?”
“I barely slept at all.”
“Is the bed uncomfortable?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No, it’s not that at all. It’s Allie. She tossed and turned all night. She was fast asleep, though. She doesn’t have trouble sleeping, but she’s always been like that. She spreads out and gives me very little space. I slept on the floor for most of the night.”
Allie came down then, skipping to the kitchen without a care in the world. “Hello,” she said brightly.
I laughed. “Hello, munchkin.”
“Allie, I have an idea,” Jaxon said. “Do you want your own bedroom?”
“My own?”
“Yes, you know there’s a room that is attached to the room you are staying in now? It has a door in between.”
“Yes,” she said.
“Well, why don’t you take that one, and then your mom can stay in the one you’re in now. That way you each get your own room, but you’re also right by each other if you want to say hello.”
“I’ve never had my own room,” she said. “Mommy, can I have it?”
I looked at Jaxon in surprise. He had a way with kids that I had never seen anyone have before. He was so good with Allie. “Are you sure?” I said to him.
“Of course. Nobody is using that room now.”
I looked at Allie, who was looking at me with wide and excited eyes. “Of course you can, my darling. Say thank you to Jaxon.”
“Thank you, Jaxon. I’m so excited. Let me tell Toby,” she said, and ran off to find the dog.
I smiled. “Wow, my own bed. I can’t remember the last time I had that. Thank you.”
“It’s a pleasure,” he said. “And at least she’ll be close if she gets frightened.”
“The funny thing is that she probably won’t be the one that gets frightened. She’s a tough cookie, that one. Sometimes she surprises me with how strong she is.” I was probably going to be the one that battled going to sleep without her, but I didn’t tell Jaxon that.
After breakfast we headed to the school. Allie and I now always went with Jaxon to school rather than take my car. The man who had tried to mug me had never come back, and I was now even more sure that he wasn’t out to get me specifically. If he was, I probably would’ve seen him again. The whole thing had just been an unfortunate coincidence. Still, I preferred driving in with Jaxon anyway. I figured it was better to be safe than sorry, and it made sense to take one car.
I was now feeling very confident of my role at the school. I was so grateful that my mother had forced those lessons on me once upon a time. I was still not able to teach the advanced class, but I had a feeling I would get there with a bit more practice. The music also had a soothing effect on me, and I always left for the day feeling even better than I had felt when I went in the morning. I had no idea that I’d enjoy teaching the kids so much, too. That was the part that I’d been the most worried about, but I was a lot better at it than I thought. Perhaps I had finally found my calling in life. It was good to know that I was helping the lives of other people, and that I was doing good. With every day that went by I was finally starting to understand the meaning of serendipity, and I was actually starting to believe it. Perhaps I’d stumbled across this town for a reason.
I was sitting with one of my students now, helping her through some of the more difficult parts of the song. There was something about this girl that I liked, and I couldn’t pinpoint what it was about her that I liked so much. She was a sweet girl who never spoke out of turn, but she had a determination in her that was unmistakable. She reminded me a lot of myself at her age, and maybe that was why I felt such a strong connection to her. I didn’t want her to turn out like me, running away from a man who had taken over my life. I didn’t want her to ever experience the things that I had been through. Perhaps I was being a little ridiculous, but I felt almost responsible for her, and I wanted her to succeed.
“That’s excellent, Angela,” I said to her and smiled.
She looked up at me, her bright blue eyes shining. “I did it,” she said with excitement. “I didn’t think I’d ever get it. I practiced the whole weekend and couldn’t get it right.”
“It’s a great feeling, isn’t it? Sometimes you can practice and practice and practice and feel like you’re never going to get it right. Then one day something just happens and everything falls into place. You’ve definitely got a talent for this.”“I do?”
“You do,” I said with a smile. “You’ve also got something a lot of people don’t have. You’ve got determination. Trust me, Angela, that’s going to get you far in life. Now, how about we all get silly?” I said as I turned to the other students.
They all laughed. “Yes!”
I had no idea where I even came up with this from, but once a day, I lead through what I liked to call our ‘silly session.’ Here we could play anything we wanted whether we were good at it or not. We came up with new songs, and the sillier they were the better. I found it was a great way to get the kids to loosen up, and it always put them in a good mood. After our silly sessions, they always seemed a lot more focused and a whole lot less stressed. I wanted them to see music as something that they could turn to no matter what they were going through in life. I led them through the session, all of us laughing so hard we cried. After, when I looked up, I noticed Jaxon standing by the doorway watching us. It wasn’t the first time that I’d seen him do that, and I always felt the urge to blush at the sight of him. This was the first time he’d caught me in the middle of one of these sessions and I wished he hadn’t seen it. I smiled and waved at him anyway.
Later, as we were packing up, he came and asked me what I had been doing. I thought he was coming to reprimand me, and I felt nervous.
“I’m sorry,” I said to him. “You came at a bad time. I’m not usually doing things like that with them. I really do teach them, and I do go through your schedule. Just once a day we have a silly session when I let them all have some fun. I found it brings out a nice atmosphere in the class. I don’t want them to take things too seriously.”
“Why are you saying sorry?” he asked.
“Uh, I thought you were coming to tell me not to do that again.”
He laughed. “Are you kidding me? I wanted to know why your kids were always laughing, and now I know why. I think it’s wonderful. I like your teaching style.”
I beamed. “You do? Oh, thank goodness. I thought I might be fired. Is Allie still with your mother?” I asked. She’d left about half an hour ago to spend time with Jaxon’s mother and hadn’t yet come back.
“She is. She’s looking at the guitars. She’s fascinated with them.”
I nodded. “I know. She seems to have no interest in the piano. Which is a pity because I wanted to teach her.”
“Well, how about I teach her how to play the guitar, then?”
I looked at him in surprise. “You will?”
“Sure. She’s very young, but I can just teach her the basics. If she shows an interest in it now, then imagine how good she’ll be when she’s older.”
“That
would be great. Thank you, Jaxon. If she is keen to learn then I would love that.”
We told Allie on the way home, and she was very excited. I was just as happy about it too. I had always promised myself that I would never force Allie to do anything that she didn’t want to do, but the thought of her investing time in her future made me happy. I wanted nothing more in the world than to see her succeed. It was the only thing I really cared about these days. As we got home, Jaxon turned to us and grinned.
“I have a surprise for you,” he said to Allie. “Why don’t you both follow me?”
We followed him to the bedroom, and when we opened the door we gasped. He’d transformed the other bedroom for her with a few toys and some new bedding. It looked like a proper little girl’s room now. She was so excited that she ran to the bed and jumped on it. Then she looked around in shock at all her new toys. She came running up to Jaxon and gave him a big hug.
“Oh, Jaxon,” I said. “This is so nice of you. You shouldn’t have done this though. We’re…we’re not going to stay for much longer. You’ve already done so much for us. This is too much.”
He shook his head. “This is stuff you can take with you no matter where you go, so it doesn’t matter. Anyway, this room hasn’t been used in a long time. I thought it would be nice for Allie to have some of her own stuff. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Are you kidding me? Of course I don’t mind. This is so nice of you. When did you do this?”
“Oh, I went out at lunchtime and got it set up. It’s not a big deal.”
I gulped. “Thank you, Jaxon.” Jaxon had no idea what a big deal this really was for me. Nobody had ever done so much for Allie before, and the fact that Jaxon barely knew us said a lot about his character. I made a promise to myself that I would one day repay him for everything that he had done for us. I would never forget his generosity.
“Mommy, Mommy, look at this,” Allie said as she held up a truck. “It’s so cool. Let’s play. We can all play together, it will be fun.”
I sat down with her, and smiled when Jaxon sat down too. This really was the best town in the world.
Chapter 13
Jaxon
I enjoyed sharing my home with Kaylee and Allie. They brought life to the place, and it was what had been missing all along. Allie was growing more and more comfortable with me, and every day I heard her giggles resonating through the house. It was incredibly endearing. Kaylee seemed to smile more too, but she also seemed to shift between moments of deep introspection. Sometimes I just found her sitting and staring into space with a sad look on her face. I tried not to bother her during those times, as I knew that she still didn’t want to talk about anything. Every day I hoped that she would tell me something more about herself, but other than her favorite foods and movies, I barely knew anything. All I knew was that I had an overwhelming urge to make her happy. When Kaylee laughed, she turned from pretty to beautiful. I was sure that she had no idea how beautiful she really was, though. She wore the same outfits most days, which she washed and rewore over again. Allie had more clothes than her, and I figured that she spent all her spare money on Allie rather than herself. I once considered taking her shopping, but I didn’t want her to think I was insulting her. I needed to speak to my mother about it. Maybe she would have some advice. I didn’t care what Kaylee wore, but it would be nice for her to treat herself. Then again, perhaps I should just leave her alone. She probably didn’t want me to interfere with her life more than I already was.
It was Sunday today, and it was tradition that I went to church. I wasn’t hugely religious, but it was something that I had always done with my mother growing up, and I enjoyed it. Most of the people in town went to church. It was just something that we all did as a community. Also, I now played the piano, so there was no way I could not go. If I didn’t go then my mother had to play, and I knew that she preferred sitting with the rest of the congregation.
I made my way to the kitchen and found Kaylee reading her book while sipping on coffee. Allie was playing with Toby in the garden. I could hear her giggling, and it made me laugh too.
“Morning,” I said to Kaylee. “Allie has a lot of energy in the morning.”
“She does,” Kaylee agreed. “I wish I could be like that, but I need some liquid energy to get me going,” she said as she held up her mug. “She loves that dog so much. I’m going to have to get her one, otherwise she’s never going to let me hear the end of it.”
I laughed. “Oh yeah. You’ll have to get her a dog. I think Toby likes her more than he likes me now. She plays with him all the time. I guess I’ve forgotten to do that. Kids can teach you a lot about life, don’t you think?”
Kaylee nodded and handed me a cup of coffee. “They sure can.”
“Thanks for this,” I said. “So, I’m going to church this morning and I wanted to know if you wanted to come with.”
“You’re going to church?” she asked in surprise.
“You seem surprised. Do I not seem like the churchgoing type? My mom won’t be pleased about that.”
“Oh, it’s not that. It’s…I guess I’m just not used to that, that’s all. I used to go…but…uh…look, I hope you don’t mind but I think I’m going to give it a pass.”
“Sure, no problem. You don’t have to come. But if you change your mind, you’re welcome to join. I actually play the piano there.”
“You do? That’s cool.”
I nodded. “Yeah, it’s nice. Well, I’m going to get ready. I’ll be leaving in about half an hour, so you’re still welcome to come if you have a change of heart.”
“No, I think we’ll stay here. Thanks, Jaxon.”
Kaylee had immediately stiffened up at the mention of joining me for church, and I wondered what was going on. Perhaps the church had something to do with her problems. I had no idea. I was hoping she would join me, and I had been sure that she was going to say yes. Once again though, it showed how little I knew about her. I got ready, then said goodbye and headed out. Kaylee’s demeanor had changed. She’d looked happy and peaceful when I said good morning to her, but now she seemed distant and troubled. I sighed. Perhaps one day she’d feel comfortable enough to tell me what was going on.
I got to church and headed straight to the piano. I liked to play while everyone was making their way inside. It added a nice feel to the morning, and it also gave me something to do. If I didn’t play then, I was left making small talk with a bunch of people I didn’t particularly want to talk to. Most people in the town were incredibly friendly and kind, but there were some that I preferred to avoid. There were some that just liked gossip too much, and I already knew that Kaylee would be a topic of conversation. They didn’t yet know she was staying with me, but they knew she worked with me, so I’d be the first person they would come to to try and find out more.
Once the morning was over, I sat and played while everyone walked out. My mom came up to me to say hello.
“Are you avoiding people by playing?” she asked.
I laughed. “You got me.”
She chuckled. “I don’t blame you. I got cornered into a conversation with Megan and I couldn’t get out of it. Eventually I told her I had to come and see you.”
I groaned. “What was she talking about?”
“Her husband. You know what she’s like. The poor man would be mortified it he knew how much she told me about him. Where’s Kaylee? I thought she would want to come with you.”
“Yeah, me too. She didn’t seem too keen, though. In fact, she looked a little frightened at the prospect. I didn’t ask why, though. She’s still not telling me anything. Not that I’m asking, but I thought by now I would know a bit more about why she’s here.”
“Poor girl. I feel so bad for her. I can sense that something really bad had happened in her life. Sometimes she looks so frightened. But I’m glad she’s with you. She needs to see that there are good people out there. Be patient with her.”
I nodded. “I will. I was thinking of t
aking them to the creek for the day. Do you want to join us? We can pack a picnic or something.”
“That’s lovely of you to offer, but I’m going out with Mindy now. We’re going to catch a movie and then get a late lunch. I better go save her, actually. I left her with Megan. Bye, darling,” she said as she gave me a hug.
I waited until I was sure people had gone before leaving. I headed first to the store to stock up on a few things, and then I headed home. Even though Kaylee’s car was in the garage, I suddenly felt panicked when I stepped into the house and didn’t hear them. Had they run away? Or, even worse, had someone come into the house to take them? I breathed a sigh of relief when I found them sitting out in the garden.
“Oh, hey Jaxon, how was church?” Kaylee asked.
“It was nice. Do you have plans today?”
She laughed. “No. We have no plans. Why?”
“Well, I was thinking that maybe I could take you to the creek? It’s pretty close by, so we can take the dog and maybe have a picnic. I got some stuff from the store on the way home. Just some bread rolls and cheese, that sort of thing. If you want, of course…” I added so that I didn’t sound too presumptuous.
“That sounds wonderful. Thanks Jaxon, I’d loved that.”
We decided to walk to the creek instead of using the car, and we all chuckled as Toby pulled on the lead. It looked more like he was walking Allie rather than the other way around. It was a beautiful day to be outside, and after a walk around we found a nice, shady spot to put our picnic blanket down. We sat on the blanket while Allie played in the water with Toby. She collected stones and created a little bundle of them to take back with her.
“She’s a good kid,” I said to Kaylee as we watched Allie play.
Kaylee nodded. “Yeah. I’m very lucky. She has a wild imagination, too. She is definitely not the sort of kid that needs other kids around. I mean, I’m sure she’d like to have more friends, but she gets along well by herself. Although, maybe I’m just saying that to make myself feel better about the whole thing. Maybe she does need more friends. She’s going to be 4 in a few months. What if I’m messing up her whole life?” She stopped talking and looked at me with wide eyes. “Sorry, I don’t know why I’m talking like this today. So depressing. You don’t need to hear all of this.”