“You really like him, then?” Jennie smiled.
“Yes, ma’am.”
The clock struck nine.
“I’m really tired.” Christa yawned. “May I go on to bed?”
“Me too.” Alexis leaned her head back.
“So early?” Jennie guessed that neither child had seen her bed at nine o’clock in years.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What would you like to do tomorrow?”
Neither girl spoke.
“I thought that I might show you around. See Whitesburg, have lunch in Carrollton, drive by the stable. We’re having dinner at my sister’s house tomorrow night. You remember Sarah.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Does that sound good to you?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Alexis and Christa headed to their room, and Jennie cleaned up the kitchen. Pouring a cup of coffee, she sat in the living room. She turned off the lights and stared through the window at the street, illuminated only by the security light at the Williamston’s house. She heard nothing except the clock as it ticked off the seconds.
She began to cry. It was clear that they did not want to be here—the expressions on their faces, Christa’s stiff body when she had tried to hug her, their rush to be off to bed. She’d never heard so many two-word responses in her entire life. Jennie crossed her arms. If she heard them say yes, ma’am one more time, Jennie thought she would positively scream.
Jennie recalled the summer when she was ten years old. She had been sent to spend two weeks with her aunt in Alabama while her mother had surgery. She well remembered her fear for her mother’s safety, her anger at being sent away against her will, and the loneliness of whiling away the days without her pet dogs or her best friend who lived down the road. She treated her aunt just as Alexis and Christa were treating her.
I was not being cruel, she thought. Neither are they. They are just unhappy.
Her aunt had tried everything to cheer her up: ice cream at the dairy bar, movies, shopping in Birmingham. Nothing had helped.
“This is simply not going to work,” she whispered. It was all just a pipe dream, something she had wished for with no real possibility of getting. I won’t be happy unless they are, she thought, and I can do nothing to make them happy—except to disappear.
She sat for a few minutes and then walked down the hall, pausing at the girls’ room. Light shone beneath the door, so she knocked.
“Come in,” Alexis called in a soft voice.
The lamp beside Christa’s bed was off and she seemed to be almost asleep as she sat up. Alexis was dressed for bed and was reading.
Jennie took a deep breath. “Look, I know you don’t want to be here. I know you’re frightened…I am, too. I got sick twice today, I was so nervous.”
Neither girl spoke.
“I’ll make a deal with you. We’ll be together until noon on Sunday, just a day and a half. Can we try to have a good time, at least talk to each other? I honestly do want to know more about you, the things you enjoy, what you want to do when you’re grown and all…Anyway, if we could do that, then, if you don’t want to visit again…I won’t make you. I’ll tell the judge, and you’ll never see me again.”
Alexis and Christa looked at each other.
“Please say something. Anything except yes, ma’am.”
Christa looked puzzled, but she gave a quick nod.
“Deal,” Alexis said.
“Thank you.” Jennie realized she had been holding her breath and she let it out all at once. All three of them laughed.
“Good night, Jennie,” Alexis called as Jennie closed the door behind her.
***
Jennie was awake early the next morning. On Saturdays she generally began the day with a stroll around town. Today, she planned to take the girls with her, to show them Whitesburg. They might meet a few of her neighbors. Everyone in town had heard of her petition and many had told her they were rooting for her when she went to court. She would like for them to meet her daughters.
Next, they would drive to Carrollton and tour the university. She had no thought that Alexis would want to go to school in Carrollton, but Thomas had said they had been looking at schools and visiting colleges, so it sounded like a good idea. The city had a number of antique shops they might enjoy combing through, and they would have lunch on the square. Mr. Smyth’s stable was on the road to Douglasville. It would be open in the afternoon, she had called to check, and they would drive over there before eating dinner at Sarah’s house.
She sighed. Maybe she should have planned to take them shopping in Atlanta. The problem was that they had been to Atlanta before, probably many times. If they went shopping, she would buy clothes for them, she supposed, and she did not want to appear to be trying to buy their attention as well. Maybe next month—if they returned. She had been serious when she made the deal the night before. She desperately wanted to be a part of her daughters’ lives, but not at the price of making them miserable.
As she thought about her plans for the day, she retrieved her frying pan from its place under the counter and began frying bacon for breakfast
“Good morning.”
Jennie jumped when she heard Christa’s voice.
“I didn’t mean to frighten you.” Christa covered her mouth as she yawned. “Do I smell bacon?”
“I didn’t expect you to be up quite yet, and, yes, you smell bacon. Nothing smells better in the morning does it?”
Christa rubbed her eyes.
“Are you sure you’re awake?”
“Yes, ma’am…”
Jennie stiffened.
“I’m awake. I was tired last night though.”
A definite improvement. Jennie smiled. “Can you do me a favor? Can you call me Jennie?”
Christa hesitated. “Yes…Jennie.”
Jennie laughed. “Thanks. Pancakes okay for breakfast?”
“Yum.”
“Want to help?”
“Sure.” Christa glanced at the counter. “Where is the mix?”
“I don’t have any mix. We’ll make them from scratch.”
Christa didn’t move.
“Haven’t you made pancakes before?”
“Lots of times. With mix.”
“Okay.” Jennie chuckled. “Can you hand me the bag of flour?” She pointed toward one of the cabinets.
They made the batter and, as Jennie poured the first cakes, Alexis stumbled into the room. “Something smells good.” She plopped into a chair, laid her head on the table, and cradled it in her arms.
“Good morning. We were planning to eat without you.”
“Sounds like Christa’s idea,” she mumbled as she slowly sat up.
“What time did you get to sleep last night?”
Alexis opened her eyes slowly. “I turned off the light about one o’clock, I think.”
That was more like what Jennie had expected. “You were reading when I looked in. Good book?”
“The book? Homework.” She shrugged.
Jennie talked throughout breakfast, telling them about her family—their family—aunts, uncles, cousins. “And you met my parents,” she said. Both girls nodded.
“You have a big family.” Christa took another pancake and poured syrup in the middle.
“My father’s parents had six children, and Mom’s had five. Lots of cousins and most of them live around here.”
She told them what she had planned for the day. “Does that sound all right?”
Alexis glanced at Christa, who nodded.
“It’s fine,” Alexis said.
After breakfast they set out through town. “Don’t let me go too fast, this is my weekly exercise, so it’s not a leisurely stroll.”
“A weekly walk?” Alexis rolled her eyes. “We’ll be fine.”
Jennie waved to neighbors. They stopped several times so that Jennie could introduce her daughters. Each time both girls said hello, smiled, and shook hands, surprising Jennie, who had
expected them to be reluctant to speak with her friends.
“Well, that’s Whitesburg,” Jennie told them as they returned to her house. They had been gone for half an hour, including stops. “Small town. Everyone knows your business. Really different from Charleston, I’ll bet.”
Alexis nodded. “Charleston is bigger.”
They drove into Carrollton, toured the university and poked through a couple of antique stores on the town square. In one of the stores, Christa spied a sideboard.
“Alexis, look. It’s exactly like Emma’s dining room set. See the pattern on the trim? It’s just like on her chairs. Same finish too.”
Jennie bristled when she heard Emma’s name. She wanted to say this is my weekend, but she managed not to. She noted that Christa had not spoken at such length since her arrival.
Alexis studied the sideboard. “I think you’re right. She wants to use her furniture in the dining room after she and Dad are married, but her set isn’t complete. She told me that when she bought the table and chairs, she had to wait to buy the sideboard. When she went back a month later, it was gone. I’ll send her a photograph.” She pulled out her cell and took a picture. “On its way.” She turned and saw Jennie standing with her arms crossed. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Jennie snapped. “Are you finished?” Without waiting for Alexis to reply, she walked away, toward the door.
She saw their reflections in the window. Alexis and Christa looked at each other with puzzled expressions. Alexis mouthed something to Christa, and Christa giggled.
“Just a minute,” Alexis called. “I need to ask the price.” Christa joined Jennie and they waited outside while Alexis strolled across the store to talk with the owner. Then she texted.
“Emma thinks it matches, too,” she told Christa as she reached the sidewalk. “And the price is good. She said that if we come next month she may come with us to look at it.”
“That’s great.” Christa smiled.
Just terrific, Jennie thought.
The Rose and Crown Pub was next door, and they sat at the window so that they could watch the people on the square. It was not really a pub, though, in the way one might assume—Jennie was wary of making the wrong impression on the girls. The name simply signaled that British food dominated the menu, and the restaurant was decorated to resemble what Americans would imagine a British pub to be.
“When it is warm, I like to sit outside,” Jennie told them. “On Saturdays in the summer, there is a farmer’s market and it’s fun to watch all of the activity.”
As she finished her steak-and-ale pie, Jennie leaned back in her chair. “I’ve always wondered how authentic the food is here. I mean, it tastes really good, but would it taste the same in England?”
“My bangers and mash are exactly like what I’ve eaten in London,” Christa said.
“The Cornish pastries, too.” Alexis nodded.
“So you’ve both…been overseas.”
“Dad takes us on trips,” Christa replied. “We’re going to Greece in August.”
Jennie nodded. “On your Dad’s honeymoon.”
“Rather nontraditional.” Alexis laughed. “But how could we say no?”
Jennie swallowed hard. How in the world could she compete?
“Alexis and Tasha are going to short-sheet their bed the first night.”
“Not if you tell everyone.” Alexis tried to pop her, but Christa dodged.
After lunch, Jennie drove into the country, seeking out the stable. She searched for almost an hour, stopping to study her directions, making a number of turns, but always ending up back on the Douglasville road. Finally, she handed the paper with the directions to Alexis. “A lady on the phone gave these to me. Can you help me?”
“Why not use your GPS?”
“Not everyone has a GPS.”
“Okay.” Her tone of voice made Jennie feel really old and out of date. Alexis studied the directions. “Did we just cross the bridge over Wright’s Creek?”
“Yes.”
“Turn here.” She pointed to the right. “Lone Wolf Road.”
“Is it?” They spotted a sign as they turned. “West Georgia Equestrian Center.”
“It’s about a mile.” Alexis put the directions down and turned to look out the window.
I live in a different world, Jennie thought.
Christa’s eyes lit up as they reached the stable. Several horses were in the ring as they pulled to a stop. They watched for several minutes.
“Can I go inside, see the stable, talk to the owner, maybe?”
First time I’ve seen her excited, Jennie thought. “Surely. Want me to come?”
Christa hesitated. “If you want to…I’ll be fine, though.”
“I’ll wait here with Alexis.”
As Christa walked away, Jennie turned back to the ring, but her mind was not on the horses. Both girls had been more talkative than they had been the night before, especially Christa. They were always polite. They answered every question she asked. The answers were short, they seldom elaborated on what they said, but the dull stares from the previous night were gone.
It occurred to Jennie that while Alexis answered most of her questions, she frequently looked to Christa before she replied. It was easy to miss, but several times she had seen Christa either nod or shake her head, and Alexis’s response always mirrored Christa’s.
Strange, she thought. I wonder what that’s about.
After about thirty minutes, Christa left the stable and ran back toward the car. She was smiling and her eyes sparkled. “Really cool place. Totally modern,” she told Alexis. “Beautiful horses.” She held up a thick envelope. “Mr. Smyth gave me some information.”
“Maybe you can plan to ride next time you come.”
“Thanks for stopping.” Christa opened the envelope, removed a brochure, and began to read.
***
As the sun was setting, they drove slowly down what appeared to be a dirt path that wound through the woods toward a small lake.
“There is Sarah’s house.” Jennie pointed ahead to a long, rambling ranch house on the lake. “Sarah’s husband is Kevin Warren. He’s a counselor and coach at the high school. Their two sons are off at college. You’ll likely meet them when you are here this summer.”
Alexis and Christa exchanged a look, but didn’t reply.
Sarah came out on the front porch to meet them.
“You remember Sarah. You met her in Charleston.”
“Hi,” the girls spoke in unison.
They followed Sarah inside, and she introduced them to Kevin.
“We’ve just remodeled our house, would you girls like to see it? I’ll give you a tour.” Sarah and the girls left Jennie and Kevin in the kitchen.
Jennie poured herself a glass of tea and watched Kevin prepare the steaks for the grill.
“How’s it going, Jenn?”
Jennie forced a smile. “Okay, I guess. Last night was just awful though. Two-word answers when I asked questions. No expressions on their faces.” She threw her hands up in surrender. “I wanted to give up and call Thomas to take them home. I suppose he would have been thrilled.” She sipped her tea. “I finally made a deal with them. We would all try to have a good time, and if they didn’t want to visit again I wouldn’t force them.”
“Really? Did it work?”
“I suppose. They didn’t seem to be sleep-walking today. Christa laughs occasionally. She didn’t answer every question with yes, ma’am.”
Kevin laughed. “Sounds like progress.”
“Alexis on the other hand seems to be angry much of the time.”
“Remember that, while you are their mother, in reality you’re also a stranger who dropped in almost unannounced.”
“I know. I just wonder whether she’s angry at me, at the situation, or what. I really want to be friends with her. I recall when she was an infant, before I was really ill…we had so much fun together. I did, anyway. I guess you don’t know what a two
-year-old is feeling. Let me ask you something.” She looked over her shoulder to make sure they were alone. “Several times today when I’ve asked a question, I noticed that Alexis was always the one to answer.”
“She’s the oldest…”
“That just it. Before she answers, she glances at Christa. Christa will nod or shake her head, and then Alexis answers. The only time I did not see it was while we were at the university this morning. What do you think is going on?”
“No idea.” Kevin shrugged. “I’ll put on my counselor hat and see what I can find out. Kids generally will talk to me, whether they know me well or not.”
“How do you get them to do that?”
Kevin smiled. “It’s a gift.”
“Wish I had it.”
“The house is beautiful, Sarah,” Alexis said as the three of them returned to the kitchen.
Jennie sighed. I’ll bet she talked to Sarah during the entire tour. She just hates me.
“Thank you.” Sarah turned to Kevin. “Ready to start grilling?”
Kevin picked up the platter on which he had placed the steaks. “I’m heading out to the grill. I could use some help. Want to come, Alexis?”
Alexis hesitated. “Sure. Okay.”
***
Alexis held the door open and then followed Kevin out onto the patio. She had started to ask why me, but had decided that would be impolite. Besides, if she left the house, she left Jennie too. As she stepped onto the patio, she spied a barn set away from the house. “You have a barn. Do you have horses?”
“Not now. We did when the boys were at home.” Kevin held his hand over the coals. “Good and hot. Feels just about right…Does your father grill?”
“Yes, sir.”
“So you know how to check the temperature.”
“Sure.”
“Are we ready to grill?”
Alexis cocked her head to one side and smiled. “A test? How thick are the streaks?”
“How thick?”
“It makes a difference,” she said, exasperated.
“Uh…about an inch.”
“About an inch? For a steak that is one inch in thickness, heat the grill to four hundred degrees,” she recited.
“How do you measure?”
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