I Swear

by Sable Hunter

  “I don’t think we need to go anywhere. We’ll just be homebodies today.”

  “After I go get my star.”

  Delaney patted him on the shoulder. “Right. After that.”

  “Well, I’ve got a heavy schedule today. I won’t be able to come in for lunch.”

  Delaney was disappointed. “Oh. Okay. I’ll fix something extra special for supper.”

  “Deal.” He pushed the bacon near her. “Eat some more. You need to keep up your strength.”

  “Whatever for?” She returned his mischievous grin as she slipped a bite of bacon to the dog and cat waiting patiently at her feet.

  “Good times,” he answered, loving the byplay between them. Jonah couldn’t help but compare his life now with the way it was a few weeks ago – before Delaney came into their world.

  She raised her cup of coffee. “As they say in Louisiana, ‘laissez bon temp rouler’.”

  “Let the good times roll!” John’s correct interpretation caused them all to laugh. At the moment, life was good.

  * * *

  Knowing she wouldn’t see Jonah until the evening caused the hours to drag. At least she made good use of the time, cleaning and cooking. As she’d explained to Jonah, Delaney decided to modify John’s diet to eliminate most of the dairy. To make things easier, she intended for them all to abide by the rule. The menu for the evening would be filling and nutritious, she didn’t think anyone would even notice.

  After a quick lunch, she and John went out into the yard to enjoy the afternoon sun. The October air was crisp and clean. “If you’ll bring me the trowel, I’ll plant these marigolds in the front bed.”

  “Sure thing.”

  Kneeling on the ground, she watched Jonah’s father make his way to the shed. The more time she spent with him, the more she could imagine the man he used to be. How sad.

  When he returned, he gave her the trowel, then knelt to help her plant them. “Six plants isn’t very many.”

  “They’ll grow and be beautiful. A bright spot in the yard.”

  “Yep.” John glanced around. “There hasn’t been too many bright spots in this place over the years. Not like it used to be.”

  As she dug some shallow holes to hold the plants, Delaney caught John looking toward the mechanic shop. “Aren’t you glad to have your son home?”

  “Yea, of course I am. I just hate it took me losing my mind to bring him home.”

  This upset Delaney. “What you just said proves you haven’t lost your mind. You have moments when you get confused, but so do I.” She knew he was ill, that fact was undeniable. She just needed him to feel better. “If you’ll pull the water hose around we’ll give these babies a drink when I’m finished.”

  As he got up to fulfill her request, a noise from the shop drew Delaney’s attention. Jonah was busy with a customer. She couldn’t tell who it was, but she thought it might be someone from Tebow.

  “Here you go.”

  Entranced at the sight of Jonah, she didn’t respond right away. All she could think about was what it felt like to be loved by him.

  Suddenly, a spray of water hit her in the face. “John!”

  “Quit mooning around over my boy. You’re all google eyed.”

  Delaney huffed and wiped the dampness from her face. “I’m all wet, you scoundrel!” This made the older man laugh. “Oh, so you think it’s funny?” She grabbed the hose out of his hand and turned it on him. “How do you like that?”

  …Across the way, Jonah stopped to look toward the house to see what all the commotion was about. When he saw Delaney and his dad laughing together, he couldn’t help but stare and smile. The sight made him happier than he’d been in a long time.

  “Hey, bud. Did you hear what I said?”

  Jonah shook his head, coming out of the trance. “Sure, Jacob. I’ll bring my best game. Tebow will win the competition if I have anything to do with it.”

  “That’s what I like to hear.”

  As he walked the big McCoy to his truck, he couldn’t help but steal glances at Delaney. He couldn’t wait for the day to be over.

  …Out of breath, Delaney conceded the water fight. “Okay, you win. I think I’ve eaten too many cookies in the last few days.”

  “You still need to water those plants,” John reminded her.

  “I do and I will. Just sit on the porch and wait for me. As soon as I finish, we’ll have some cider.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Turning to her task, Delaney sprayed the newly planted marigolds. As she faced the afternoon sun, she had to squint to see. The rainbow reflection on the water droplets was almost blinding. Shielding her eyes, she caught a glimpse of something strange. Someone was standing a few feet away. “Who’s there?”

  There was no answer.

  Lowering the hose, she looked to the same spot. No one was standing there. “Gee, I could swear I saw a woman.”

  With a shrug of her shoulders, she lifted the hose to continue the task. Again, she caught sight of a woman standing just a few feet away. With a gasp of disbelief, she lowered the hose to find the spot empty again. Seconds later, she raised it and the figure reappeared. “Oh, how weird.” Focusing on the vision before her, Delaney took note of the way she looked. Shoulder length blonde hair, sharp features, and a not so happy look on her face. “What do you want? Who are you?”

  “Who are you talking to?”

  Jonah’s question startled her as much as the woman in the rainbow. Whirling around, she hit him full in the face with the water. “Oh, sorry!” His surprised expression hit Delaney as funny. She started giggling, dodging him as he reached for her. “No!”

  “No?” Wrapping his arms around her, he picked Delaney up – his front to her back – swinging her in a circle. “You don’t want to be in my arms?”

  “I do! I do!” She could barely talk for laughing. About that time, the water quit spraying. “John must’ve disarmed me.”

  “He did.” Jonah nodded toward his dad who was making his way to the porch. “So, were you talking to yourself?”

  “No.” She hesitated to explain, not wanting him to think she was losing it. “I…”

  “You what?” He rolled up the hose. “Were you talking to the marigolds?”

  “No.” What the heck, this was just one more strange thing to add to the rest. “I saw a woman.”

  “Where?” Jonah looked all around. “What woman?”

  “I could only see her in the spray. When I’d lower the hose, she’d disappear.”

  “Right.” Jonah nodded, a tiny smirk on his face. “If the weather wasn’t so mild, I’d say you’d been out in the sun too long.”

  “No, I’m serious. I could see her. She had blonde hair and a sour expression. I think she was unhappy about the flowers.”

  “Well, where is she?” Jonah looked around.

  “I don’t know.” Delaney put a hand on her hip. “Maybe I…was just imagining things.”

  “Huh, well I look forward to being the recipient of your creative imagination. Should make for some interesting role playing games.”

  For a moment, she didn’t realize what he was saying – and then it hit her. “You mean in the bedroom?”

  Jonah threw his head back and laughed. “I suggest we play doctor. How does that sound?”

  “Intriguing, actually.” Delaney steadied herself by holding onto the rockhard muscles of his upper arms. “We’ll have to put that on our to-do list.”

  “We have a list?”

  The way he asked the question struck Delaney as hilarious. “No.”

  “Well, we should. I have several things to put on there myself.”

  “I bet you do.”

  He gave her a wink, then let his gaze slide from her eyes southward. “I think you got a little water on yourself, hotshot.”

  Glancing down, Delaney folded her arms over her chest with a gasp. “Don’t look!”

  “Are you ki
dding?” He took hold of her wrists and pulled her hands down. “That’s like asking a starving man not to eat when he’s seated at a banquet table filled with food.” Licking his lips, he gave her a wicked smile. “Look how beautiful you are. Remember last night? Remember me touching you? Kissing you?”

  Delaney moaned softly. “How could I forget?”

  “I won’t give you time to forget. As soon as the sun goes down you belong to me.”

  “Well, as soon as your Dad is in bed…maybe.”

  Seeing her playful smile, he pulled her close. “Don’t tease me, baby. I can’t take much more. You’ve got me wound tighter than a spring.”

  “I’m not teasing. I’m just learning as I go along.”

  Jonah heard the uncertainty in her voice. “I know.” He touched her cheek. “You’re such a contradiction. Innocent. Seductive. You’ve got me tied in knots.”

  “Good, then you won’t get away from me too easily.”

  “Who’s trying?” Jonah gave her a quick kiss as a vehicle pulled in front of the shop. “Gotta go. Work calls. Later?”

  “Later. I’ll be waiting.”

  “I’ll make the wait worth your while,” he promised with a heated glance. As he walked off, she heard him mutter… “Hotdamn.”

  His intensity made her shiver as a secret smile played on her lips. She was having a blast. For the moment, the woman in the spray was forgotten.

  * * *

  Delaney wasn’t a happy camper. Jonah was late. Supper was cold. And John was on a tear.

  “I need that script, Delaney. How can I learn my lines without the script?”

  She held up her arms. “Okay, where do I look?” How could she find something that didn’t exist?

  “I don’t know. Everywhere. The bookcases. Under the couch.”

  “All right. I’ll look.” Knowing her mission was futile, she set out to search for his make-believe movie script. First, she looked under the couch. “I found a cat toy. No script.”

  “Keep looking.”

  She gave the toy to Tommy who was crawling on the floor trying to catch Delaney’s hair as she scooted across the floor. “It’s not down here.”

  “Check the bookcases.”

  “Arg!” She got up and went to do as he asked. “Books. Books.” A smile came to her face as she recalled the conversation she’d shared with Jonah. “There’s some interesting volumes here.”

  “My first wife read all those. She loved books.”

  “Jonah told me,” she murmured as she moved slowly around the room. “She sounds like someone I would’ve enjoyed knowing.”

  “Yea, she was great. Fun. Sweet. Now, my second wife…”

  Bam! Several volume fell off the top shelf at John’s feet.

  “Dang…” John jumped with shock. “How did that happen?”

  Delaney’s eyes widened. “Maybe they were sitting on the edge. I might’ve jarred them loose tromping around the room.”

  “Oh, yea. You’re such a heavyweight.” He bent to pick up a couple of the books. One larger than the others caught his eye. “Oh, look. Our old photo album.”

  Glad to see him thinking of something other than the nonexistent script, she moved to see what he held so carefully. “Really? Let me see.” Besides, she was very curious to see if there were pictures of a younger Jonah.

  “See what?”

  Jonah’s voice made Delaney’s heart leap. “You’re late,” she told him before she could stop the flow of words.

  “Good of you to notice, sweet cheeks.” He came near enough to give her a tender kiss. “So, what’s going on?”

  “Oh…we were looking for John’s lost movie script and we found this photo album instead.” She sat down on the couch and opened it to find a baby picture of a darling chubby cheeked boy. “Is this you?”

  “Yep, that’s me. Wasn’t I cute?”

  “You were.”

  “And this is your mom?” She reverently touched a photo of a smiling dark haired woman. “She’s beautiful.”

  “She certainly is,” John commented looking over her shoulder.

  The two men observed as she turned the pages, her heart expanding with each glimpse into Jonah’s past. “So many beautiful memories.” She found photos of Jonah as he grew up, doing the things young boys do. “I wish I could’ve known all of you then.” Delaney knew she was getting emotionally involved, but she couln’t help herself.

  “I would’ve liked that,” Jonah admitted. “Good friends were hard to come by, especially beautiful girlfriends.”

  Delaney cut her eyes at him playfull as she turned another page. When she looked down, she gasped. “Who is this?” Even as she asked the question, Delaney had a sneaky suspicion.

  “Oh, that’s Claudette. My second wife.”

  Delaney stared at the familiar face. “This is who I saw in the garden.”

  “What?” Jonah came to kneel by her where she sat on the couch. “What do you mean?”

  “I told you I saw a woman through the water spray. She would disappear when I’d lower the hose.” She tapped the page. “This is the woman I saw.”

  “You’re kidding.” Jonah didn’t know what to think.

  Delaney made eye contact with Jonah. “I think John’s right. I think Claudette is behind all of the strange things that have been happening – the bangs, the dishes breaking, the stuff falling all over the place.” When he just stared at her, she stated the only conclusion she could come up with. “I think your house is haunted by your dad’s second wife.”

  * * *

  “Don’t give me a hard time, Jonah. You need to live up to your heritage, Mr. Freethinker. I know what I saw.”

  “You saw Claudette,” he uttered the words with a tone of skepticism. At her glare, he held up his hands. “Okay, I believe you.”

  “No, you don’t. You’re patronizing me.”

  “No, I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt.” He came near to nuzzle her neck. “Cause you’re cute.”

  She grasped his forearms to hold him away an inch or two. “You’re cute too, but I am serious. When I was growing up, I had an experience that I’ll never forget.”

  “What kind?” Now, she had his attention.

  She tossed a dishtowel at him. “If you’re going to stand in here and question me, you might as well make yourself useful.”

  He caught the towel deftly. “I’m here because I’m waiting for you to finish up in the kitchen. Dad is asleep in the recliner and I thought we could…talk. Among other things.” Edging near her, he stole a kiss.

  “Dry the dishes.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Jonah was surprised at how much he enjoyed doing these mundane tasks with her. “Now, tell me about your experience.”

  Delaney pulled the stopper to let the dishwater out of the sink. “All right. Here goes. My grandmother appeared to me after she passed.”

  “She did? Tell me about it.”

  She shook the bubbles off her hands, then grabbed another dishtowel to dry them. “Well, she died about six o’clock in the evening. My grandfather called the EMT’s to be there when he pronounced her, since he was her husband and all. They took her away to the mortuary and he went along to speak with the funeral director.” She pushed her hair over her shoulder, thinking what an odd conversation this turned out to be. “They were old friends, so they didn’t stand on ceremony too much. I was left at home with my mother and my baby brother. The hour grew late and my mom and Haden went to bed. I stayed up waiting for my granddad. A storm had blown in and rain was falling in dense sheets. I wasn’t only worried about his safety, I was worried about his state of mind.”

  “Well, of course. I’m sure they were married for a long time. It had to be hard.”

  “Yes, Grandmother was sick for over five years. Her death had to be a relief on some level. Yet, this didn’t negate the grief he felt for her.”

  “Well, of course not,” he agreed as he put up the d
ishes he’d dried. “I’ve given this a lot of thought. How it will be. Especially after Dad deteriorates further. The mourning comes in phases. You grieve over losing the person you love twice – once mentally and once physically.”

  “You’re right. I think maybe my grandfather was dealing with guilt as well as grief. Anyway, he didn’t come home when I thought he should. I tried calling him, but he didn’t answer his cell. The funeral home could only tell me that he’d left a couple of hours before. I was worried sick.”

  “What happened?”

  “I heard something in the house. For a moment, I thought he’d come home and I’d missed him somehow. I hurried down the hall, calling his name. When he didn’t answer, I stopped – listening. My mind went straight to a burglar, the possibility of a break-in. I was just about to phone 9-1-1 when I heard my name called.”

  “Your mother?”

  “No, I knew the voice. It was my grandmother.” She didn’t pause for effect, she paused remembering how she’d felt at that moment. “I couldn’t ignore it. Even though I was unnerved, I went to her bedroom.”

  “What did you find?”

  Delaney could hear the hint of excitement in his voice. “I found my grandmother. My heart almost stopped when I saw her.”

  “What did she look like?”

  “Well, you have to imagine how she was the last time I’d seen her. Unable to feed herself. No recognition in her eyes. Now, here she sat looking the way she did before she got sick. Only…she wasn’t happy.”

  “She was angry?”

  “No. Worried. She didn’t give me time to ask questions. She told me my grandfather was in trouble. In fact, her exact words were…Your granddad has run off the road. His truck is in the creek. Get someone there quick or he’s going to drown.”

  “Oh, Lord, what did you do?”

  “I called 9-1-1 and I raced to the scene myself. I knew right where she was talking about. There was a low spot in the road. Maybe he didn’t see how the water was rushing – or maybe he was too distraught to care.” She backed up to the counter and held her head in her hands. “Jonah, we got to him in time. Barely. She saved his life. Yet, I can’t tell you how much I regret not being able to talk to her more than I did. I couldn’t take the time. She was there – right there. In her right mind for the first time in years. And I ran out of the room without even saying thank you or goodbye.”