by A. E. Radley
“I see now where you get it.”
“Get what?”
“Apologizing and thanking people constantly. It runs in the family.”
“You should be thanked for what you’ve done, you know?” Emmie was a little indignant.
Cass dipped her head. “All in a day’s work, ma’am.”
They reached her truck, but she was in no hurry to climb in just then. “Your folks are good people.”
Emmie nodded.
“They love you and that boy.”
“Yes.”
“Is…is his father in the picture?”
“He, uh, he died a little over a year ago, but he never really was in the picture.”
“You were married.”
“Yes; in name…to give Seth a name. His father died in an accident on an oil platform out in the Gulf. When he wasn’t out there, he spent most of his time pub crawling his way around Galveston.”
On hearing that, Cass couldn’t help herself. “You know, there’s plenty of Texas countryside out here to live in and let live. You could get a piece of land close enough to here to keep Seth’s grandparents happy and to be free to be yourself.”
“It’s not that simple. I can’t teach grade school, or middle school in Texas as a lesbian. I’d be lynched. I don’t want to teach at that level forever anyway, but that’s all there is for me here in Sweetwater.”
“What about Abilene?”
“Sure, I could probably find something there and live my private life out here…until Seth’s classmates find out that his mommy is gay. Kids are cruel! What then?”
“Okay, I get it. You’re scared.”
“You’re damn right I’m scared.”
Cass blew out a breath. “Now I should apologize. I shouldn’t be pressing you. Hell, we barely know each other.” Even though I feel like I’ve known her all my life.
She opened her door and climbed up into the cab but then she threw caution to the wind. “I’m going to live the way I want to, finally. There’s a little ranch, just outside of Merkel that I’m buying. My offer for it was accepted this morning. I’ll have my own, private little spread and I’ll still be close enough to Gran to run the wind farm.” Her eyes bored into Emmie’s. “Maybe you could come out and visit some time…”
CHAPTER 9
Tuesday Evening, October 4th
Emmie walked into the administration office and made a beeline for the copier. She didn’t often find it empty, and with only ten minutes until class, she expected a line of students to wait behind. She fed her survey forms into the machine, set the number of copies, then stood back to wait. She nodded at the student manning the desk but didn’t bother with small talk.
A man’s voice called out from one of the offices beyond the counter, “Cassandra Prater? I can see you now.” He stepped out into the open and looked toward Emmie, but she didn’t see his questioning glance. Her head shot around, looking for Cass.
The student spoke up, “She stepped out to take a call. I’ll go and get…” Before he could finish his offer, the door opened, and Cass walked in.
Emmie tried not to look at the other woman as she willed the copier to finish the print job quickly.
“Cassandra, I presume?” the counselor asked.
“Cass. Just Cass.”
Emmie grinned. She couldn’t help herself.
He waved toward the opening at the end of the counter. “Let’s go back to my office.”
“I have class in a few minutes. I just need you to look into something for me,” Cass said, as she stepped up to the counter instead. “I received a notice that I’m not enrolled for an English course this semester and that I also need to take some other core courses as my wind energy program progresses.”
“Yes, that’s correct,” he said nodding. “But, I’m afraid you’re already late enrolling for the English this semester. That’s why we sent the notice. You’re going to have to double up on common core next semester if you want to keep pace with your current class.”
Emmie bristled but didn’t turn. Cass doesn’t need those classes if she has the degree she says she does.
“I already have a bachelor’s degree. I don’t need the core curriculum classes. My transcripts should be in your files.”
“Hmm. That’s odd.”
Emmie gave up all pretenses of disinterest and watched as the student aide left the counter, went to a desk and leaned over a keyboard. Cass glanced at her but then focused right back on the much younger student.
“P - R - A - T - E -R, right?” He spelled out.
“Yes.”
He shook his head as he looked back at her. “It doesn’t show here. Did you give us a transcript?”
Cass blew out an exasperated breath. “With my initial application. On paper.”
The younger man shrugged. “Should of been scanned in.”
Cass looked back at the career counselor still standing there, offering nothing in the way of help. “Don’t you people keep anything on paper?”
“No need to. Files just take up space. The database is all we have now.” He held his hands up in mock surrender.
“So, I have to submit everything again?”
“If you’ve got it…” he started to say. His tone was skeptical.
Cass didn’t miss the implication of his words. “I’m telling you, I have a full transcript and a diploma. I walked in the graduation ceremony. I’ve got the degree. You admitted me here based on transcripts I submitted. I can’t help it that you don’t have them in your little computer over there, but it doesn’t mean I need I need to prove myself or take common core classes all over again, for Pete’s sake. Just call admin at McMurray or at Texas Tech. They’ll get my paperwork over here to you and get this all straightened out.”
Emmie stepped up to the counter and touched Cass’s forearm, drawing her ire away from the two men on the other side of the counter. “I know Sue Levitt in admissions at Texas Tech. I can call her and see if she can speed things up for you.”
“Thanks for your help back there.” Cass suppressed a shudder as she walked down the hallway, next to Emmie. “I was ready to strangle that guy…his smug look. He didn’t believe a word I said.”
Emmie glanced at Cass and then looked away. “I didn’t want to say anything in there but…I’ve been auditing some of the classes that are a little further along in the program. They admit twenty to twenty-five new students here every semester. There’s a lot of drop off when a group gets a couple or three semesters in. I didn’t want to see you become one of their dumb statistics over a mix up in records.”
“What do you mean, drop off? People quit?”
Emmie bobbed her head and then stepped through the classroom door, with Cass following right behind. “A lot of the older students - almost all of them men - get frustrated with the core classes and then they start to fall behind in the technical curriculum,” she continued, her voice lower.
“Is that all part of your thesis research?”
Emmie answered with a tight-lipped nod.
Cass dipped her head toward the shorter woman. “I wouldn’t want to be one of your statistics either.” With that, she turned and sauntered toward her usual seat at the front of the room.
CHAPTER 10
Friday Evening, October 28th
Sweetwater Mustang Bowl
“Cass! Up here!” Dusty Oakes called to the tall cowgirl scanning the crowded stands for a vacant seat. “He waved an arm at her then sat back down next to his daughters when the brunette waved a hand back in acknowledgment and mounted the first step.
Emmie’s eyes grew wide from her seat just off the end of the aisle, as Cass headed for them.
“You two move in a little,” Dusty commanded from his own seat in the middle of the row, when Cass got close. Let the woman take a load off.” He watched as Emmie and Cora did his bidding then smiled at Cass when she stopped alongside their position on the top row. “Have a seat there next to Emmie, if you like. How you been? Roped any more crazed m
ares lately?”
With a puzzled expression on her face, Cora looked back and forth between her father and the woman now sitting beside her sister.
“No sir. Not lately,” she replied as she smiled and sketched a wave at him. Turning her attention to Emmie, she said, “Hi there. Full house for the last game, eh?”
“I’ll say,” Emmie nodded.
Cora butted in, her curiosity spilling over, “You’re Rogan’s mother, right? I’m Cora, Ty’s mother.” She leaned out around Emmie and offered a hand to Cass.
Cass laughed. “Not hardly,” she said as she shook Cora’s hand. “Jimmy’s my nephew. He stays with me though. His mama…my sister, is in Abilene. My niece fell ill, so they couldn’t make it tonight.”
“Sorry to hear that. The crud is going around, I guess. That’s why my mom isn’t here. She stayed home with Emmie’s boy. He’s got it.” Cora jerked a finger at her sister then changed the subject. “Should be a good game, but the boys are playoff bound no matter what.”
“Undefeated too, thank heaven. That was quite a scare for Ty last month. I was glad to see him come back, strong as ever.”
“Sh! Don’t jinx us,” Cora said, as she put a finger to her lips.
Cass ignored Cora’s superstitious barb. Instead she looked at Emmie and leaned back a little. “Sorry, Em’. I didn’t mean to be rude.”
Emmie raised an eyebrow at Cass calling her ‘Em’, something her family sometimes did but no one outside of the Oakes’ name. She tried to play it cool and just shrug at the woman now sitting awfully close to her. So close, she could feel the heat of her all the way up her right side, from ankle to shoulder.
“Okay, so how does everyone already know each other here?” Cora asked. “First dad and now, ‘Em’, here.” She looked at her sister and waited for an explanation.
“I, uh, met her over at the college,” Emmie said. “She ran me home the night Ty got hurt. When we got to the ranch, Dad and the boys were trying to settle a mare that was kicking up a fuss and she, uh, she pitched in to help.” Emmie mentally kicked herself for being thrown so off guard by Cass.
Seemingly satisfied with the answer and not noticing her sister’s discomfort, Cora turned to her father and pointed down to the field. The team started to emerge from the locker room, led by Ty and his co-captain.
Cass bent her head to Emmie’s ear to say something when the game announcer came over the loudspeaker and called the crowd to their feet to cheer on the team. Emmie didn’t catch what she said, but the feel of Cass’s breath in her ear had her shivering despite the warm evening air.
“This is a real nail biter,” Cora offered to her sister at half time.
“Emmie looked at her hands and then at her sister. “Yeah…me too. Literally. We’re only down by five though.”
Cass stood. “I’m headed to the concession stand. This one’s got me a little parched.” She looked down at Emmie and asked, “Wanna come along?”
Emmie shook her head. “No thanks. I’m good.”
“Cora? Dusty?” She held out a hand.
Dusty Oakes rose. “Might as well stretch the old legs, walk around and see what the scuttlebutt is.”
Emmie let her father out of the row and then resumed her seat. She watched the retreating back of Cass until she stepped off the bottom riser and turned right toward the concessions area with Dusty right beside her.
“Earth to Emmie!” Cora called out. When Emmie half turned toward her, she gave her sister an odd look and asked, “Are you all right? You’re awfully quiet tonight.”
“Sorry. I…I’m fine. Just a lot on my mind, is all. I…Cass being here reminded me how much work I have to do on my thesis. I probably should have stayed home.”
“And missed the last game?”
“They’re going to the playoffs.”
“That’s not the point.” Cora looked away for a second and let out a heavy breath. She turned back and picked up her sister’s hand and waited until Emmie looked her in the eyes. “Is that all that’s bothering you? I just…I sense there’s something else going on. Anything you want to talk about?”
“Tight game, tight game, eh Cora?” Lou Hatton called from his seat two rows down, where he stood stretching his arms as he looked up at them.
Emmie breathed an internal sigh of relief when Cora dropped her hand and called back to Hatton.
“Tough loss last night,” Emmie said to Cora, when she found her sister coming up the porch stairs from the driveway. “How are Ty and Fred taking it?”
“Not as bad as me, apparently. They’re in the den watching college ball and talking about the playoffs during the commercials. I had to get out of there. Where you headed?”
“Right here.” Emmie pointed to a rocker a couple of feet away. “It’s hot in the house but there’s a breeze out here.”
“Mind if I join you?”
She waved a hand at the other chair. “Be my guest. Mom’s in the back, picking the last remnants of the garden but I suspect she’ll give up and be around soon. Seth is helping.”
“Ugh!” Cora laughed. “Yeah, we know how that goes.”
They sat in companionable silence for several minutes. Cora stole the occasional glance at Emmie who sat, eyes closed, rocking gently.
Emmie opened her eyes and looked at Cora. “What? I can feel your stare.”
“I wasn’t staring!”
“Cora, I’ve known you all my life. What’s on your mind?” Emmie was sure she was going to pick up where they’d left off the night before. She closed her eyes again and suppressed a shudder.
“Look at me, please,” Cora demanded.
Emmie opened her eyes and rolled them for full effect.
Her older sister wagged a finger at her. “Don’t even start with me!” She paused and then jumped in, “What happened last night?”
“I told you what was going on. My thesis, remember? It’s what I’ve been working on all day…until now, anyway.”
“Yeah, yeah. I get that, but that’s not it. You were fine until that woman…until Cass showed up. I picked up a lot of tension there.”
Emmie shook her head no.
“Don’t say no. I did. I know these things. I know you, just like you know me. What’s going on? Have you had some sort of disagreement or something with her?”
Emily stopped rocking and gave her sister a long look. After taking a deep breath she began, “It’s nothing like that. It’s…it’s comp…”
Trudy Oakes came around the corner of the house, to the porch with a Seth in tow. “Take him in the house and dump him in the tub,” she directed at Emmie. “He’s been digging up grubs with his bare hands, again!”
CHAPTER 11
Early Saturday Afternoon, November 5th
Emmie twisted her key in the lock and opened the little door to peer inside. The box was stuffed with mail. She started pulling it out a couple of pieces at a time as she chided herself for not stopping to collect it more often.
She took the pile over to the writing table and began to sift through it. The catalogs she dropped straight into the trash bin. Most of the bulk mail followed those but she stopped cold and forgot all about getting rid of everything she considered junk when she found a letter in the remaining stack that was addressed to her from Texas Tech.
Hands shaking, expecting rejection, she tore an end off the long, thin envelope. After scanning the two pages enclosed, she stuffed them back into the envelope, put that in the pocket of her windbreaker and left, carrying everything else she’d collected and hadn’t tossed away to her car.
Her decision was made even before she started the engine. Rather than head northwest out of town, she worked her way south and east and onto the I-20 expressway. She passed through Trent and kept going. Just before she hit the city limits of Merkel, she jumped off the highway onto the frontage road, avoiding continuing onto the bypass around the sleepy little town. It had been a while since she’d bothered going into Merkel. It was faster to just go around it on t
he way to Abilene.
She remembered the address by heart, but she wasn’t sure how to get there. A local florist was happy to provide a potted cactus and turn by turn instructions, getting her back on her way in less than five minutes.
At the pile of stone rubble she’d been advised to watch out for, she slowed and looked for the driveway. She found it fifty yards later. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slow then shuddered a little wondering if she was being too presumptuous.
Fifty yards and a large measure of courage down a tree lined driveway later, she drove into an open area and stopped. Ahead on the right was an old but well-kept, two-story farmhouse. To her left, Jimmy Rogan stood working, not missing a beat with the post hole diggers he was using, as he watched her roll to a stop.
She leaned over to the passenger seat and picked up the cactus then patted her pocket to make sure the letter was still tucked away then she breathed in deep again and got out of the car.
“Ma’am,” Rogan raised a hand almost to the brim of his hat as he acknowledged her presence.
She headed toward him. “Nice season Jimmy. You played hard. You all did.”
He nodded but kept digging as he spoke. “Just hope we can keep it up through the playoffs, now. That first game’s already gonna’ be a tough one.”
“I’m surprised the line coach hasn’t got you in watching tape today.”
“Actually, we’re due in at 2:00. Was given’ us a little break this morning for winning out last night, is how he put it.”
Emmie chuckled. “You’re not getting much of a break, digging post holes like that. You know they make a machine that does that right?”
“Yeah, about that…I, uh, broke it. It won’t turn. That’s why I’m doin’ it this way.”
“I see.”
“If you’re looking for Aunt Cass, she’s off over there in the tool shed, trying to figure out what’s wrong with it.” He swung an arm behind him to his right but then went right back to his task.
“Good luck next week,” Emmie told him as she started to walk away only to see Cass step out of the shed and come toward her carrying a gas-powered digger.