Wings of Love

by Jeanette Skutinik

  “Don’t forget the roaster,” Amy said as Adam pushed her through the door.

  “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

  Joey and Amy stood next to each other with looks of surprise on their faces.

  Amy looked around the room to see familiar faces of friends and family. Before the shock wore off and either of them could say a word, Adam and Angie both came out of the kitchen. They each carried a cake with twenty three lit candles upon them. Everyone broke into Happy Birthday as they stood waiting for them to blow the candles out.

  “Make a wish,” Adam told them both as he smiled.

  “Did you have any idea?” Joey asked Amy. “Because I had no clue.”

  “You never have a clue,” Angie laughed up at Joey.

  “I had no idea,” Amy answered. “Especially since our birthdays are tomorrow.”

  Angie cut the cake and Mrs. Makowski scooped ice cream on each piece as she passed it around for all who wanted some.

  Adam quickly set up card tables and chairs in the living room. “Who wants a cold one?” He ran into the kitchen a few times to grab a handful of beers, passing them out among everybody.

  “Who wants to play some Euchre tonight?” Bob asked as he shuffled the cards.

  “I’ll be your partner, if you need one.” Crystal stood by the chair in front of him as she waited for him to answer.

  “Sure,” Bob smiled as Crystal sat down. “Who like to take on me and Crystal?”

  Amy saw Sandy, her friend from work, and her husband take on the challenge as they sat down and joined them. She walked over to Adam putting her arm around his waist.

  “Happy Birthday babe.” Adam gave her a kiss.

  “Does this mean we are not going to the movies?” Amy’s eyes sparkled as she looked up at him.

  “Yeah, and I was looking so forward to it.” Adam laughed as he rolled his eyes pulling out a chair for her then sat down to play a game of euchre with Joey and Angie.

  ***

  Adam drove up and down every road he thought Amy might have taken home from work. It finally dawned on him that she’d volunteered at the center this Friday. She still should have been home hours ago. He figured he drive by the house once more to see if she was there yet. When he seen her car was not in the driveway he decided to take the route to the center.

  “Damn.” Adam swore as he drove through the heavy downpour. His wipers were on high and visibility was at a minimum. The lightning flashes helped to see the road but the thunder cracking loudly made him jump every time it struck. A tornado warning had been issued for Sanilac County. Adam notice the sky looked greenish black toward the northwest and the clouds were moving in a rotating pattern.

  “Dear Lord, help me find Amy.” No sooner had Adam spoke the words, lightning flashed and he seen a figure walking on the side of the road.

  Adam beeped his horn and flashed his lights pulling up besides Amy. He jumped out of the truck and removed her sopping wet coat throwing it into the bed of the truck. “Here take mine.” He slipped his Carhartt jacket on her and helped her into the truck as it started pouring again. “I was so worried about you babe. What happened?”

  “The road was washed out.” Amy started crying. “I got laid off today Adam. We received a call that Tonya’s mother overdosed. And then the car slid off the road into the ditch.”

  “Amy,” Adam placed his hand under her chin staring into her eyes. “I am truly sorry for all that happened to you today. Do you know how worried I was when I heard there was a tornado spotted?”

  “I was so scared Adam. I was in the car when it went over.” Amy continued to weep. “I know I should have stayed in the car but the ditch was filling up with water. That’s why I started walking home. I didn’t know what else to do.”

  “No wonder you are all shook up.” He took her in his arms and rocked her as he gently massaged her back. “Everything will be okay babe, I promise.”

  “I just want to go home Adam.” Amy caught her breathe as her shoulders shook. “I thank God that he led you to me. And I thank you for believing you could find me.”

  “Let’s get you home babe.” Adam drove as fast as he could to get them home to safety.

  Adam kissed Amy on the forehead as he reached over her to turn the lamp out on the nightstand. She had taken a warm bubble bath and fallen asleep while he was in the shower. Adam felt terrible for all she had endured today. He was relieved she was warm and safe next to him in bed tonight. He never seen Amy break down crying like that before and it had broken his heart. He would make sure he would do his best to be the man she needed to put a smile back on her beautiful face tomorrow.

  “Wake up babe.” Adam walked into the bedroom carrying a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. “I let you sleep in.”

  “Thank you,” she blinked as Adam opened the blinds letting the sunlight into the room. “What time is it?”

  “Almost noon sleeping beauty.” He sat down next to her on the bed handing her the plate. “I went over to my dad’s this morning to get the old Oliver tractor and I pulled the car out of the ditch. “Luckily nothing was damaged and it started right up.”

  “You should have woken me up.” Amy looked embarrassed. “I would have gone with you. I am so sorry for blubbering like a baby yesterday.”

  “After the day you had yesterday, no apologies are needed.” Adam touched her cheek softly with his index finger. “I’m just glad nothing worse happened. We can get through all the small stuff together Amy.”

  “Even with one less paycheck?” She quietly asked.

  “Yeah, we’ll be okay,” he reassured her with the confidence she needed to hear. “I was thinking of working up that last section of land that we have. That will help out.”

  “Adam you always think of everything,” she hugged him as she handed him the empty plate.

  “One more thing,” Adam said as he held up some tickets. “I know it won’t replace Tonya’s mother, but maybe we could take her and her sister to the circus next week to help cheer them up.”

  “Oh Adam.” Amy held him close loving this man more with every day that passed. “You are the kindest, smartest, compassionate man I have ever known.”

  “There’s only one problem.” Adam held her away as he looked seriously into her eyes. “I’ll be right back.”

  “What?” Amy worried as she seen him leave the room.

  “I left the house yesterday and forgot about the casserole you asked me to put in the oven after work.” He stood there like a child who gotten caught snitching a cookie before dinner holding up the remnants of a burnt pan.

  “You are the also funniest man I know.” Amy bounced off the bed and stumbled into his arms. “I love you, even if you burnt dinner.”

  “I promise I’ll leave the cooking to you from now on.” Adam was pleased to see that he had succeeded in putting a smile back on her face.

  “Let’s see if we can cook something up right now,” Amy tossed the pan aside pushing him onto the bed. She crawled in next to him forgetting about all of yesterdays’ problems.

  ***

  Amy was down the road from Shoemakers farm helping in the kitchen with many of the other neighborhood women. They prepared a meal for all the men who volunteered to put a new roof on Cal and Dorothy’s farmhouse which had been torn off by the tornado. The weather had cooperated so it looked like they would get the job finished today.

  Amy added the homemade dressing to the giant bowl of garden salad and tossed it. She looked up when she heard the gravel crunching in the driveway to see a convoy of pickup trucks pull up next to the barn. Her heart melted when she saw Adam walking to the barn with his dad and all the other men that helped out today. They took a seat at one of the many picnic tables that were brought over earlier today.

  “Hi babe.” Adam came up behind her as she was stirring the roaster of Swedish meatballs her and Angie had made last night. “Could you put some over my noodles?”

  “Here you go,” she filled his plate with a half dozen mea
tballs and sauce. “Are we still going to your folks after this?”

  “Yeah, dad is persistent about getting that field plowed and disked today.” Adam took a spoonful of mostaccioli as Amy followed behind him with her plate. “I think we can get it done before sundown but we’ll have to leave as soon as we finish eating.”

  “Okay, it looks like he is a little tired. I could help drive one of the tractors if you want.” Amy noticed his dad stumbled a little when he got up from the picnic table.

  “Thanks for the offer babe, but he won’t even let my mom help him. He is too proud.” Adam sat down with Amy at the table he’d originally been at. “He was complaining he had a headache earlier. That is unlike dad to admit he is not feeling well.”

  When Amy and Adam finished dinner they left with his father as well as a lot of the other farmers. Daylight was burning and their fields had to be tended to since they had good weather today and the threat of more rain was in the forecast for tomorrow.

  Amy was sitting on the front porch with Laurel cleaning peas when she saw Adam coming down the road at the fastest speed the tractor would allow. He was holding his father in his lap with one arm and driving with the other. The bowl of peas spilled on the ground as Amy and Laurel dropped what they were doing and ran towards the tractor.

  “Laurel, go get mom.” Adam managed to hold onto his father as he climbed down off the tractor. He ran with him cradled in his arms toward the family car. “Amy, open the door.”

  Amy could see his father’s right side of his mouth was drooping a bit when Adam laid him down in the back seat. Amy crawled in the back trying to comfort him by holding his hand and talking softly. She felt that his right hand was cool. “We’re going to get you to a hospital. Everything is going be fine.” He tried to speak to her but Amy couldn’t make out what he was trying to say.

  Adam backed the car up stopping briefly for his mother to get into the front seat.

  “We’ll call you,” Adam shouted out the window to Laurel as he took off out of the driveway and floored it down the road to the main highway. “”I’ll get him there as fast as I can mom.”

  Adam’s mom sat in the front seat with her rosary in her hand silently praying the whole way to the hospital. Amy held his father’s hand trying to remain calm so he would be at ease. She felt as he squeezed her hand noticing the look of fear in his eyes which was something Amy had never seen there before. “We’re almost there,” Amy said soothing even though she felt nauseous.

  Adam pulled into the emergency entrance of Bad Axe General Hospital. He ran in as the doors slid open and came back out quickly with medical assistance. Amy stood with Adam in the background and watched as they placed his father on the hospital gurney rolling him into the emergency room with his mother following closely behind him.

  “Oh my god,” Amy said as she rushed to the garbage can sitting next to a bench.

  “Babe, are you okay?” Adam held her hair back for her as she lost all her dinner.

  “I’m fine now.” Amy reassured him. “I think I just was upset and it was warm in the back seat.”

  “I’ll get you some water.” He held her hand and ran inside with her. “Come on babe.”

  Adam walked with Amy to the desk at the entrance of the emergency room area. “Excuse me. My wife had a queasy stomach, could we please have a glass of water?”

  The lady at the desk smiled as she got up and walked into the back room. “Here honey. I hope you feel better.” She handed her a small can of ginger ale and a couple packages of crackers.”

  “Could I go back and see my father now?” Adam pleaded. “Mr. Alex LaPointe.”

  “Did he just come in?” She asked politely.

  “Yeah, I brought him here less than five minutes ago.”

  “Follow me.” She walked from behind the desk and led them to where Mr. LaPointe had been taken and his mother stood beside him listening to the doctor’s prognosis.

  “This is my son and his wife.” Mrs. LaPointe explained to the doctor.

  “I was just telling your mother,” continued the doctor. “We’ve given him an intravenous for fluids because he was dehydrated. He also will be on oxygen to be sure that his brain is getting the maximal amount.”

  “What’s wrong with him?” Adam tensed as he asked the question of most importance.

  “It appears your father has had a stroke. It’s a good thing you got him here when you did. Time was of the most important factor.”

  “What can we do for him now?” Adam’s jaw clenched as he waited for the answer to his father’s fate.

  “We are going to admit him to the hospital for monitoring and further testing to figure out the cause of the stroke and ways to prevent further strokes.”

  “Thank -you doctor.” Adam shook his hand before he left the room. “You hear that dad? You’re going to be just fine.”

  Amy walked over next to Adam and caressed his back softly. She could see he was doing his best to be the strongest man possible at this very moment for all of them. Knowing Adam as well as she did, Amy was certain this was tearing him up inside. She was determined to be his rock should he need her strength if he faltered.

  Chapter 18

  Amy stared out the window as they drove to pick up the girls for the circus this afternoon. Her thoughts lingered over the past week and the many different occurrences that changed their lives. Adam’s father was now home from the hospital with a long road of recovery ahead of him. The stroke paralyzed the right side of his body leaving him unable to do even the simplest of tasks. The adjustment had taken its toll on the whole family, especially Adam who stepped up to take over the chores of the farm. A thought dawned on Amy as she processed all the changes in the last six months.

  “You made the right choice Adam.” Amy shared her revelation with him. “I wasn’t certain at the time, but I am now.”

  “What choice?” Adam looked at her puzzled.

  “The day you made the decision to give up your dreams of playing pro hockey to come back home.”

  “I know I made the right choice babe. And I didn’t give up my dreams, I have you.” Adam spoke honestly. “I assumed you felt the same way.”

  “Oh, I do Adam. What I meant is, if you wouldn’t have been here,” she paused. “You’re father might not be with us today.”

  “Wow.” Adam stared ahead at the road as the realization sunk in. “I never thought about it like that.”

  “You’ve been so busy you don’t even have time to think.” Amy patted his leg. “You are a good man Adam.”

  “You know what they say,” Adam smiled at her. “Behind every good man is a great woman.”

  “I’m not great. I am just a woman in love.” Amy lightly punched Adam on the arm. “Could we stop at the drugstore before we pick up the girls?” Amy asked as they turned into town. “I need to pick up some shampoo. I ran out this morning.”

  “Sure, I’ll just pull up front and you can run in.” Adam signaled before he took a spot.

  “Do you need anything?” Amy asked before shutting the door.

  “No thanks babe.” Adam smiled as he watched her walk away.

  “Who is brave enough to go on the elephant ride with me?” Adam made a trunk with his arm in front of his nose and a sound like a trumpet.

  “I am!” Tanisha and Tonya jumped up and down clapping their hands together.

  Amy was overjoyed to see the idea to cheer up the girls was working as he planned. They squealed with delight as Adam lifted them upon the elephant. Before Jumbo sauntered away she snapped a photo of the three smiling faces.

  “I’m can’t wait to see the circus.” Tonya ran over to where Amy waited with some cotton candy and an elephant snow cone mug for each girl.

  “We better get to our seats,” Amy heard the music begin as Adam and Tanisha joined them.

  Amy enjoyed watching Tonya and Tanisha’s faces as the clowns came out to perform their antics for the crowd. She could see the laughter reach their eyes as a clown ra
n up to them and threw a bucket of confetti on them.

  “I thought we were going to get wet!” Adam laughed with the girls as he winked at Amy.

  “When I grow up I want to be a clown,” nodded Tanisha taking a handful of cotton candy.

  “When I was a little girl I dreamed of being the lady flying through the air,” Amy said in awe as the trapeze artist in her sparkling scanty costume did a double somersault. “Isn’t that awesome?”

  “Did you dream of that often?” Adam whispered in her ear playfully. “I’m all up for role playing.”

  “Adam LaPointe,” Amy slipped her arm through his, laughing at his suggestion. “I just might take you up on that.”

  The girls sat wide eyed as the performers which included unicycles, jugglers, plate spinners and tightrope walkers kept their undivided attention focused at the center ring.

  The act they loved the most was the trained circus dogs. Tanisha crawled up on Adam’s lap to watch in wonder. She clapped for the conga line of poodles walking on hind legs with their forepaws on the back of one another.

  “I wish my dog could do that,” Tonya watched as a little dog did back flips and jumped on his hind legs. The act finished with a larger poodle jumping threw a hoop.

  “I did teach my dog a trick once.” Adam told the girls as he handed them some popcorn. “I would point at a tree and do you know what I taught him to say?”

  The girls shook their head at him waiting to hear what fabulous word Adam had taught his dog.

  “Bark! Bark!” Adam’s eyes sparkled at the girls as they giggled hysterically at his joke.

  Amy caught herself laughing, not so much at the joke, but that Adam seemed to be having just as much fun as the girls. By the end of the night he made two new best friends. The four of them applauded all the acts as they paraded around the ring at the end of the show. When the lights came back on in the arena, Adam stood up stretching while Amy helped the girls with their jackets. She gathered all trappings of the evening in her arms signaling it was time to leave.