by Joy Redmond
Suddenly, to her surprise, a feeling of peace came over her as she realized she’d finally taken the first step toward moving on.
Tori walked back into the kitchen and found Grammy standing by the window, looking out at the Morgan family cemetery. Grammy seemed to be in a trance as she whispered, “I know. I know.”
“What do you know, Grammy?” Tori asked.
Grammy jumped when she heard Tori and dropped the mug she was holding, sending it crashing to the floor. “Tori, why are you always sneaking up on me? You’ve done it since you were a little girl. Someday you’re going to give me a heart attack!” Grammy shook her head and looked down at the broken mug.
“Sorry, Grammy. I’ll clean up the glass. You just sit down.” Tori hurried to the pantry to get a broom and dustpan. After she had cleaned up the glass, she helped Grammy fix lunch, which they had ready when Poppy came in from the field.
They ate on the front porch, Grammy and Tori on the swing and Poppy in his metal rocking chair. When they finished, Poppy kissed Tori’s forehead, and headed back to the fields. Grammy was a bit chilly, so they went back inside, and she managed to get a fire started in the fireplace. “Oh, how I loved to gaze at that beautiful masterpiece with logs burning in it,” Tori said.
She took the plates into the kitchen, and then returned to the living room and sat beside Grammy on the sofa. They talked about Tori’s childhood and laughed at the antics that Tori and Jill had pulled during their grade school days, which drove the teachers crazy.
Tori glanced at her watch. “It’s four-thirty. I hate to see this wonderful day end, but I guess I need to get going. Momma and Daddy will be home soon, and so will Jill. I need to spend some time with them, too.”
Grammy hugged Tori. “Yes, your parents have been through a lot. I’d like to have you stay, but that would be selfish, and there’ll be other times.”
“Thanks, Grammy,” Tori said, giving Grammy a kiss, and rising from the sofa. “I’ll be back soon. I promise. Love you.”
Grammy didn’t get up and walk Tori to the car as she used to. She merely squeezed Tori’s hand. “Love you too. sweet.”
When Tori reached the door, Grammy called out, “See you later, alligator!”
“After while, crocodile!” Tori laughed as she shut the door behind her.
When Tori arrived home, her parents and Jill were already there. Momma had supper on the stove, and they were sitting at the kitchen table. Tori walked through the side kitchen door, and they all stood and hugged her at the same time.
They shared a wonderful meal, just as they’d done hundreds of times before – but to Tori it all seemed new and even more wonderful than ever before.
After dessert, Tori and Jill helped her mother clean the kitchen while Tori’s father retired to his recliner to read the evening newspaper. Just like old times, Tori thought, and her heart filled with joy.
At ten o’clock, Jill went home, and shortly after Tori’s parents went to bed.
Tori tried to watch television, but she couldn’t concentrate on the program, so she decided to call it a day, too. She made her way upstairs, shut her bedroom door, undressed, slipped into pajamas, and crawled into bed. She curled into the fetal position, tucked the goose down pillow under her ear, and smiled. All the comforts of home. She closed her eyes and thanked God for bringing her home.
She was just drifting off when she thought she heard the faint squeak of her bedroom door hinges opening. She opened her eyes and strained to see by the dim light of her bedroom window. Cody Baxter’s silhouette stood in the doorway, and he was holding a knife.
She opened her mouth and tried to scream, but her throat was paralyzed and she couldn’t make a sound. As she watched in horror, he lumbered closer to the edge of her bed. She leaped up, darted around him, and managed to avoid the blade as he swung it viciously at her head.
She raced down the stairs, taking them two at a time, but before she could reach the bottom, she felt his powerful hand on her shoulder and saw him raise the knife to sink it into her back. He was foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog.
Suddenly, Tori bolted upright in bed and flipped on the light on her nightstand. Sweat ran in rivulets from under her breast as she realized it had been a terrible nightmare.
Tori mopped her brow on her pajama sleeve, quaking in fear. As she lay in bed wide-awake, she thought about her first two days back in Madison. She was filled with a wide range of emotions, from sheer joy to abject terror. Cody Baxter had proven that he still had a hold on her – even in death.
She wondered if it would ever be over. In the stillness of the night she could feel Cody’s evil eyes burning the flesh off her bones.
Anna’s Note
September17, 1976
I thought the day Tori was born was the happiest day of my life with the exception of the day I gave birth to my own daughter. Today, I think this is the happiest day of my life. My sweet Tori is home. My sweet granddaughter will be close to me for the rest of my days. Maybe the past three months, as horrible as they were, have taught her some valuable lessons. Lessons she had to learn on her own. She has truly been through the school of hard knocks. Thank you God!
Anna West- Morgan
Chapter Sixteen
Many nights Tori lay in bed remembering her return to Madison. Her memories were both sweet and sad. She had escaped Atlanta with her life, but she’d been home for three months and still hadn’t heard a word from Wes.
Although she’d accepted the fact that he was out of her life, her heart still yearned for a letter or phone call. However, even amid that sadness, the days and months following her homecoming had also been some of the happiest of her life.
Time seemed to pass quickly now that she was older, and it was hard to believe it had been a year and a half since she graduated.
A month after she returned to Madison, she was hired by the Madison County Hospital to work in the records department. Her new job kept her mind occupied and it seemed to help her not to obsess about Wes.
One Friday afternoon as Christmas approached, she was lying on her bed at ten minutes to five, waiting for Jill. The weekends Billy came to visit Jill were hard on Tori, because she figured that Wes was also in town.
Tori spent every day doing her best to set aside the known shackles of the past for the untested waters of the future, but she was still having trouble letting go. “Wes is an old love turned memory,” she said, and sighed.
When she heard the second step crack like thunder, she knew that Jill was coming up the stairs. Even though Tori had always hated that sound, she had to admit that the second step made a great alarm.
Jill hurried into the bedroom, rubbing her hands together, and then stuck them on Tori’s stomach, saying, “It’s cold enough to freeze the nose off a brass monkey out there!”
Tori squealed as she fended off Jill’s cold hands. “Hey, stop!” Tori said grabbing Jill’s arm and pulling her onto the bed. “Help me make a Christmas list. I’ve been saving my money so I can buy some nice gifts. I just don’t know what to get for everybody. You’ve always been good at that sort of thing.”
“I’m pretty good with getting things that fit people’s personalities, if I do say so myself,” Jill said, taking the pen and twirling it in her fingers like a baton. “I think I can come up with some good ideas.”
Tori handed Jill the tablet. “Well, let’s get started then.”
Tori giggled as Jill wrote down several gag gifts for each person on Tori’s list – things that fit their personalities but no one in their right mind would really want.
“Come on, get serious,” Tori said. “Christmas isn’t that far away!”
“Okay, give me some time to think.” Jill sat back on the bed and chewed on the pen. A moment later, she looked at Tori and said, “You know something? With all the excitement of you being home and all the rejoicing we’ve been doing I forgot about that tin box that we took from Cody’s place. I think we need to find a way to pry it open. W
here did you put it?”
“I’ve already pried it open–”
“What was in it?” Jill asked, her eyes wide. “Have you told Grammy about – of course you have? Was it the right box?”
Tori laughed. “Hold on, girl, and I’ll tell you everything, but you have to keep it a secret. Do you promise?”
“Of course I promise!” Jill said, looking a little hurt that Tori would even imply that she’d ever betray her trust. “Didn’t I risk my own life to go and get you? Now stop stalling and tell me all about it.”
“Well, to start with, I found a marriage license for Cody and some woman in Texas, but I didn’t find any divorce papers, which means I was never legally married to him.”
Jill threw her hands in the air and said, “Hallelujah – but that’s no big surprise. He was such a weasel that he wouldn’t have thought twice about being a bigamist. That would have been the least of his sins.”
Jill seemed to be satisfied, so Tori let it go at that. She told Jill about the list of foster homes, but she carefully avoided everything else.
“Well, that explains a lot,” Jill said, nodding her head. “I guess Grammy’s vision was to set your mind at ease about being married to Cody. It was important news, after all.”
“The best!” Tori exclaimed. “And it really was a relief to find that out, but can we please get back to my Christmas list?”
They spent the next two hours talking, writing, and giggling, and before they knew it, seven o’clock had rolled around.
“Is Billy coming in this weekend?” Tori asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
“Yeah, but he said he wouldn’t be in until about noon tomorrow, so if you want, we can have a sleepover tonight.”
“Oh, that would be great!” Tori said. “We can watch the Friday night movie together. We haven’t done that in a long time!” Tori slid off the bed. “Come on, let’s see if we can find some Jiffy Pop downstairs. You, me, and popcorn. Who could ask for anything more?”
When they were in the kitchen, Tori opened the pantry, scanned the shelves, and found a pan of Jiffy Pop. “Just like ole times. To heck with Billy! To heck with any man!” she said, and laughed.
“You’ve got that right!” Jill turned on the gas burner. “You know, I’d like to go with you to Grammy’s tomorrow, but I need to stay home and wait for Billy – I guess.”
“Yeah, I wish you could come, but I know you should wait for him,” Tori said with a sigh.
They watched the tin foil rise magically as the popcorn inside began to expand, and when it had stopped popping, Tori dumped the popcorn into a bowl. Then they grabbed two sodas from the fridge and headed for the living room.
They watched the movie, ate the popcorn, laughed and talked so much, they had no idea what the movie was all about. They finally went back upstairs a little past midnight, where they talked about Christmas until Jill fell asleep in mid-sentence.
But Tori couldn’t go to sleep. Since Jill had mentioned the box, Tori couldn’t stop thinking about the black book she had found in it. What should she do with it? She thought about it for a long time – until she had an idea.
She slipped out of bed, tiptoed downstairs, went into her father’s study, and sat in front of the typewriter. Her plan was to send the book to the FBI anonymously. That way they might be able to arrest a number of people – without knowing she had ever been involved.
She finally decided it would be best to mail the book to Madison’s chief of police with a note explaining what it was and suggesting that he pass it on to the FBI.
Every click of the keys sounder like thunder in the stillness of the den, but no one came down to investigate the noise, so she kept typing until the letter was complete.
She went back upstairs, eased open the bottom drawer of her dresser where she had hidden the black book, and tucked the letter inside. She’d mail it on Monday. With that plan in mind, she went back to bed, sighed with relief, and fell asleep.
* * * *
Tori and Jill were up early the next morning even though it was Saturday and they could have slept in. As they dressed, Tori told Jill, “I’m not going to bother about breakfast this morning. Grammy will have bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy ready when I get there.”
“Fine,” Jill said sarcastically. “You just go ahead and have a great breakfast and a fabulous visit with Grammy while I gnaw on a piece of dry toast and wait for Billy to come whenever he feels like showing up.”
“Hey, you made the choice.” Tori ducked a pillow Jill had sent sailing her way.
In the kitchen, Tori grabbed Mother’s car keys off the pegboard by the back door and Jill and she walked out of the house together.
“See you later, alligator,” Tori said.
“After while, crocodile.” Jill headed for her house.
Happiness filled Tori’s soul as she drove to the Morgan farm. When she walked into the house she instantly smelled the wonderful aroma of freshly baked pineapple upside-down cake and fresh brewed coffee. The old familiar smell of Grammy’s kitchen filled her heart with joy.
Tori stuck her head through the kitchen door. “Good morning, Grammy.”
Grammy was sitting at the table, in deep thought, and jumped when she saw Tori. “Child, when are you going to learn? You’ll be sorry someday – when I drop dead of a heart attack!”
“I tried to make some noise as I came through the house. I even let the screen door slam,” Tori kissed Grammy on the forehead. Then she saw the cake on the counter and reached out to stick a finger through one of the pineapple rings.
Grammy quickly pushed herself out of the chair and swatted Tori’s hand. “Get your fingers off that! If you want a piece of cake, cut one,” Then her tone softened. “On second thought, sit down. I’ll cut you a piece.”
A few moments later, Grammy set the plate in front of Tori and she stuck a bite into her mouth. She was enjoying the sensation of the cake melting in her mouth when she heard a knock on the front door. Tori jumped up. “That’ll be Jill. She just couldn’t stand the thought of me being here without her!”
“Well, tell her to come into the kitchen. I’ll cut her a piece of cake, too,” Grammy said.
Tori opened the door. She gasped and fell against the door jamb, clinging, waiting for air to return to her lungs. The sight she was beholding had knocked the breath out of her. She gazed upon the broad smile, the two strong arms reaching for her, then the deep voice saying, “Come to me Tori. My darling Tori. I’ll never let you go. You are my life.”
Tori let out a bloodcurdling scream as she fell into the arms of Wesley Asner, who held her tightly as she screamed and laughed and cried at the same time.
Patting Tori on the back gently, Wes choked through his tears, “It’s okay, Tori. I’m here, and I’m never going to leave you again.”
Grammy stepped out onto the porch. “What’s going on out here?” Then she said, “Well, I’ll be!”
Tori didn’t turn around to see the expression on Grammy’s face, she just listened to the tone of her voice.
“Well, you’re not Jill, but it sure looks like you’ll do,” said Grammy with a chuckle.
“He’ll do just fine.” Tori looked up at Wes and then kissed him deeply.
She could tell that Wes was thoroughly confused, but after they had finished their kiss, he looked up at Grammy and said, “I’m not sure who you were expecting, but it it’s okay with you, I’ve come to reclaim my girl.”
“Well, if you two can tear yourselves away from your happy reunion, I’ve got some cake and coffee ready in the kitchen,” Grammy said, smiling broadly.
“That sounds perfect.” Wes gave Tori a playful squeeze. Hand-in-hand, Wes and Tori followed Grammy back inside.
Once seated at the kitchen table, Tori and Wes pulled their chairs close so they could lean on each other as they ate. It was the happiest moment of Tori’s life.
“This cake is amazing,” said Wes. “You don’t know how much I’ve missed your cooking, Grammy.”<
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“Well, we’ve kind of been missing you around here, too.” Grammy winked at Tori. “I’m guessing that Tori probably won’t be spending the night here like we had planned.”
“Well,” Wes said, looking somewhat shy. “I’d like to take your granddaughter out somewhere tonight, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t know,” Grammy said coyly. “What do you think, granddaughter?”
“I think I’d love to go just about anywhere with this character.” Tori playfully nudged Wes with her body.
“Well, all right,” said Grammy, milking the situation for all it was worth. “I suppose we can change our plans just this once, given the circumstances.”
“Thanks, Grammy.” Tori jumped up and gave Grammy a hug. “There will be other chances. I promise!”
“Now you two get out of here. But I want a full report later, you hear?”
“That’s a promise,” Wes said as he stood and kissed Grammy’s cheek. “We’ll call you tomorrow.”
Then he took Tori’s hand and they hurried out of the kitchen, but before walking through the door, Tori looked back and saw Grammy wiping away her happy tears with a dishtowel.
Tori followed in her mother’s car until they reached the Madison City Limit sign. Then Tori waved as Wes turned right and she turned left.
She headed down Maple Street, her heart racing as she pictured Jill’s face when she told her the wonderful news. As Tori pulled into the driveway she noticed that Billy’s car wasn’t in the Moss’ driveway. Her high spirits wilted. Jill had already left with Billy for the day.
She parked and stepped out of the car but before she could was all the way out she heard Jill’s sweet voice.
“Come here and give me a big hug. I’m so happy for you and Wes.” Jill grabbed Tori, and they started doing one of their pee dances.
Tori hugged Jill tightly for a few moments, and then she pushed back and asked, “How did you know? Did Grammy call–”
“No, Grammy didn’t call and tell me. Billy and I were in on the surprise. That’s why I didn’t go with you this morning. I’ve just about peed in my panties waiting for you to come home,” Jill said, and they hugged and danced up and down again.