by Ward, Vivian
“We’ll start with the basics. First, you’ll need to learn the alphabet. It’ll come in handy later on, I promise.”
Jeff and I practiced the beginning of the alphabet. He was a quick learner, but it was memorizing everything that would take time. After working on it for an hour and a half, he was ready for a break—and I was, too. When we learned the alphabet when she was much smaller, we had a professional teacher that the church helped us find. She was amazing and taught our entire family how to sign. The instructor also taught some of the church member’s basic sign language so they would know when Nat needed to use the restroom or ask for a drink.
“Want some coffee?” I asked.
“I’d love some. Can you pump it straight into my veins?” he joked. “I’m so tired.”
“Long day?”
“Yeah, super long.”
We made some small talk for a little while, until we realized it was almost midnight. No wonder we were so tired!
“I better head out of here so I make it home in one piece,” he announced as he stood up and stretched.
“Okay, be careful driving. Are you coming back over tomorrow evening?”
“Actually, if it’s all right with you, I can join you two for dinner and we can work on more sign language after she goes to bed.”
“It’s a date,” I grinned at him.
I stood in the front door as I watched him hop into his truck and drive off. This man has more cars than I do underwear. He drives something new or different almost every time he shows up. It’s been nice having him around, though. He’s good company and he’s really trying to work on his relationship with Natalie. Why do I feel so guilty about seeing him? Thomas has only been gone for five months. I shouldn’t be dating—that’s probably why I feel so guilty. But on the other hand, the last five months have been so lonely. Without Nat in my life, I would’ve gone mad by now.
Turning off the lights as I went through the house, I stopped in the kitchen to shut off the coffee pot before I went to bed. As exhausted as I was, I couldn’t fall asleep—probably due to all the caffeine. My mind kept going back and forth between Thomas and Jeff. Sleep had finally won its battle after a while. I was out like a light until the kitchen phone started ringing. My eyes barely opened enough to read the clock as I slipped on my robe and headed for the kitchen. It was 3:30 AM. Who would be calling at this time of night? I rubbed my eyes as I picked up the receiver.
“Hello?” my voice croaked. Man, I sound rough.
I heard a man breathing heavily into the phone. I said hello once more. Suddenly, my eyes popped open as I realized this was the same kind of phone call Jeff had told me he’d received.
“You bitch,” he hissed, “You need to stick with your own kind.”
“Who is this?” I demanded as I listened to the man huffed into the phone.
“Someone who knows you don’t mix races, and someone who knows where you live. You better get out of town before we getch’ya."
Before I could utter a word, the phone went silent. I stood in the kitchen dumbfounded and panicked. Who is this? And are they watching me? Glad that I’d left all the lights off, I tiptoed from window to window peering outside. Even though I didn’t see anyone, I was still unnerved. I went back to bed, but I didn’t sleep well. It must’ve taken me at least an hour to fall back asleep. As I tossed and turned in bed, I wondered if it was the same person who’d called Jeff. It had to be, but what did they want? Apparently, they were trying to shake us.
The next day I was a complete wreck. Anytime the phone rang or saw someone approaching the house, I jumped. Luckily, it was only the ladies of the church calling and the mailman dropping off the mail. Jeff called around lunchtime to check in, making sure our plans were still on for him to come over that evening.
“Jeff, I got a phone call last night. It was just like the one you got,” I confided in him.
“What did they say?”
“They basically told me that I needed to stick to my own kind and get out of here.”
“I’m so sorry Judy. I don’t even know what to say.”
“It’s not your fault. It’s this damn town.”
“Listen, I’ve got to run but I’ll see you tonight.”
“Okay. If you want to come over for dinner, I’m making a ham with mashed potatoes and homemade bread.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said before he hung up.
Dinner was excellent. Natalie wasn’t as rude as she had been, but she wasn’t exactly friendly with him either. I guess she was getting used to the idea of him being around; although, she wasn’t comfortable with it. After dinner, she retreated back to her room, which was typical these days.
“Judy, you know the vote’s going through within the next few weeks,” Jeff began as I cleared the dinner table.
“I know,” I sighed.
“I didn’t just come over here tonight to have dinner and learn more sign language.”
I turned to face him. Oh, God, what’s he trying to say. “Oh?”
“Before we get started on that, I want to make you a new offer on the house and property.”
“Jeff, don’t…”
“No, Judy. Hear me out,” he stopped me mid-sentence. “I want to offer you two-hundred thousand. It’s as high as I can go.”
Wow! I was taken aback. Speechless, I stared at him in shock.
“I know that all of this is worth much more to you,” he waved his hand as he glanced around the house and out the window. “But it’s more than it’s really worth, and you’re not going to get more for it any other way.”
“Why are you doing this? You never offered this much, not even when Thomas was alive.”
“When an investor comes into a town like this to set up eminent domain, they always low-ball everyone right off the bat. Let’s be honest, nobody wants to pay the full worth of something. And I’m guilty of that, but I want you and Natalie to buy a decent house and better transportation. This amount should cover that and still leave you a little room to wiggle for your daily living expenses until you can get on your feet.”
“I appreciate what you’re trying to do here, but it’s not just the money. This is Thomas’s legacy. Our family history is on this land. Investor or not, I don’t think that’s something that you’ll ever understand.”
“I can accept that. But I wish you would see what it is that I’m trying to do for you. I only ask that you think about it, but you’ll need to accept my offer before it gets voted through. Once the vote passes, you’ll be forced to take the bottom dollar.”
“I’m well aware. Mayor Goodwin paid me a visit recently and informed me of all this already.”
“He did? When did he do that?”
“Not too long ago. He stopped by one day out of the blue while Nat and I were hanging out in the front yard.”
“Hmm,” Jeff seemed to be in deep thought. “Well, are we going to get crackin’ on that sign language? You know I live to impress,” he flashed his brilliant white smile at me.
“Follow me,” I said as I finished wiping down the table. “We’ll finish the rest of the alphabet before I teach you basic signs like hello and goodbye.”
While we worked on sign language, Jeff seemed to be distant. It was like his mind was preoccupied. We didn’t make it through learning typical signs like I wanted to, but we did finish going over the rest of the alphabet. I could hardly wait for Nat to see how hard he’d worked to communicate with her.
§
I’d been thinking a lot about Jeff’s latest offer on the house. The meeting to pass the development was only two weeks away, and I was running out of time. I know I should accept it. I’d be a fool not to. But every time I thought about saying yes to his offer, I felt like I was betraying Thomas more than I already had. Things would be a lot easier if this development plan fell through, but I knew that would never happen. A shopping mall and new apartments in Nevada? The town would never vote that down unless it were a cold day in hel
l. Our community had been wanting something like this for years. The closest drive to having anything like that was an hour away in Joplin.
Jeff called and said he was on his way over. He seemed excited, but wouldn’t tell me why. Natalie and I had been at his house that afternoon tending to our vegetable garden; he acted normal then so I couldn’t imagine what his new excitement was about. I was making dinner when I heard him pull into the driveway. A few moments later, he was coming through the front door calling my name.
“In here,” I said as I washed my hands.
He came through the door bearing a grin that was plastered on his face as he held his arms behind his back.
“What do you have back there?” I asked as I tried to peek around him.
“A surprise for Nat. Where is she?”
“Out back, I’ll get her.”
When we returned to the kitchen, Jeff hadn’t moved a muscle. She unenthusiastically looked at him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“She didn’t want to come in. She was sitting in the grass sketching a bird’s nest that she spotted.”
“Maybe this will make her happy!” he held out an overstuffed gift bag with tissue paper flowing over the top.
Natalie’s face lit up as she took the bag from him. Her eyes danced as she ripped through the bag.
“Is that a professional art set?” I asked him in disbelief.
“Yes, it is,” he wore a proud smile. “You probably didn’t realize this, but I’ve been sneaking peeks at her artwork, and this girl has some amazing talents! I wanted her to use them to the best of her ability.”
“Thank you!” she signed as she hugged her new art supplies. “They’re very nice.”
I told him what she said and he stunned her when he signed back to her, “You’re welcome.”
She spun on her heel, turning to face me and asked, “He learned how to sign?”
I nodded my head as I repeated her words to Jeff. “Yes, he wanted to be able to talk to you. He’s been working very hard to learn, and we’re still working on it.”
My eyes watched in amazement as she leapt into his arms and squeezed him tightly. “Can I take these outside?” she asked.
“Yes, but be careful not to lose them,” I warned her.
She dashed out the back door and ran back to where she’d been sitting. We watched her through the window as she tore off her old sketch and started a new one with all the different shading pencils and colors that she’d just opened.
“That was nice,” I turned and smiled at Jeff. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know, but I wanted to. You have no idea how much you and that girl mean to me.”
I did something I never thought I’d do and wrapped my arms around him. Normally he was the one always making the moves, but not this time. I was so proud of him. We held each other for what seemed like an eternity. The boiling water bubbled over on the stove as he embraced me, but I didn’t care. Everything was falling into place. Oh my God! I think I’m falling in love with this man!
“You mean a great deal to us too, you know?”
He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “I think you might need to stir that,” he pointed over to the stove.
“Yeah, I think so.”
That night at dinner, Natalie was eager to know what Jeff had learned. She laughed at him when he mis-signed a few words, but she still knew what he meant. They were finally starting to get to know each other, and she seemed at ease with him. Maybe that’s what she needed. Him taking the time to learn how to communicate with her to prove to her that he was a good man. I watched as the two of them tried to communicate with each other. It was odd watching her laugh with him as he spelled out almost every word, but it felt so good. Natalie told me that she wanted to help teach him more words so he would get better.
“I think I’d like that,” Jeff said as he tried to sign it to her.
For the first time in ages, she didn’t retreat to her room that night. Instead, she helped me clear the table and wash the dishes as the three of us hung out in the kitchen. When the chores were done, she sat back down at the table and started signing to Jeff, but he didn’t know what she was saying.
“She said she’s going to draw a sketch of you,” I explained her movements to him.
“Tell her to make sure she gets my good side,” he teased.
I signed what he said to Natalie, but said out loud to him, “Every side of you is a good side.”
It was near ten o’clock before Natalie was exhausted. Sitting at the table rubbing her eyes, I told her that she should probably get to bed.
“Wait,” Jeff stopped her from leaving. “I was wondering if you two could do me a favor.”
Nat and I stared at him, wondering what we could do for him.
“Could you two give me a ride home tonight?”
I cocked my head to the side as my eyebrows raised, “What are you talking about? You drove yourself here, remember?”
“Yes, I did. I drove myself here in your car.”
“What? My car’s been parked out front all day.”
“Your old one has.”
My old one? What the… “Oh, my God, Jeff! Did you buy me a new car?” I walked over to the living room window to look outside.
“Yes, I did. I want you and Natalie to have a nice, reliable car. That old Buick of yours sounds like it’s about on its last leg.”
I looked outside in awe. Nobody I’d ever known has bought a brand new car!
“So, are you going to give me a ride home?” he persisted.
Natalie jumped up and down. Suddenly her energy was back, and she was ready to go for a spin. She hopped from one foot to the other as she pleaded to go for a ride.
“I can’t believe you did this,” I was still flabbergasted.
“Judy, I want the best things in life for you and Natalie.”
Tears of happiness ran down my cheeks as I thanked him. “Jeff, I…I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll drive me home,” he joked.
“Oh, right. Let me put on my shoes.”
Chapter 8
Ever since Jeff bought us that new car, Natalie’s been on a mission to go places. She loved riding up front looking at all the latest gadgets the car had to offer. I must admit, I admired the car right along with her. With no reason to keep the Buick, I sold it to a family from my church who desperately needed a second vehicle. Everything was going well until I had to go outside one morning when we were baking. Natalie and I had been in the kitchen kneading dough to make fresh bread when I took a break to check the mail.
As I made my way to the front door, I glanced out the window and saw that someone had keyed my car. When I opened the front door and walked out to look at it, I was shaken. Someone had etched the words ‘Welfare Monkey’ on all sides of the car. Shocked and embarrassed, I slumped down on the porch and started to cry. Not only was it hateful, but it hurt me in more ways than I could count. That was a beautiful, brand new gift from a man who appreciated me; one who wanted us to have nicer things in life. I’d also never been on any public assistance in my entire existence. As I broke down on the porch, I realized that Nat might come looking for me. I stood up, wiped the tears from my eyes and went back inside after I put on my best poker face. Despite my efforts, she knew something was wrong.
“What’s wrong mommy?” she asked as I walked back into the kitchen.
“Oh, I stubbed my toe and it hurt.”
“Are you okay?” she signed back to me.
“Yes, I'm okay but I don’t think I’ll be able to drive today.” Yeah, that should work.
She frowned at me, “Maybe in a little bit? I want to go to our garden.”
“I don’t know Nat, we’ll have to see how it feels later.”
I hated lying to her—again! This was getting ridiculous. These events were quickly escalating as the weeks went by. I called Jeff on his lunch break to tell him what had happened.
“Wh
at?” he shouted. “Who’s doing this!?”
“I don’t know, but whoever it is, their acts of vandalism are becoming increasingly aggressive. I’m scared, Jeff.”
“Do you want me to put in a surveillance system? I can have that contractor come back over to do it. I’m sure he’ll know how, and I’ll pay for everything.”