Maria turned and handed her spade to James. Anna brought hers to Brad; he took it and pulled her into a quick hug.
Abigail tugged at Maria’s maternity blouse, so she picked her up and carried her to the pile.
Anna helped Noah scoop some soil with a small garden trowel and drop it into the grave.
Maria did the same with Abi and then they stepped out of the way for James and Brad to do most of the heavy lifting. Abi no longer seemed ill, just resigned. The moments of bright flashes that had been a constant occurrence with Abi before she got sick had become rare. Maria hoped she’d grow out of it, but it least she was alive.
After a bit, Grandpa and Holly spelled them. Brad trotted off toward the garage. Maria wondered at her father’s old best friend. They hadn’t been close in years. He wasn’t showing a lot of response to her father’s death, but for that matter, neither was she.
James came over and wrapped her in his arms, pulling her close. He was hot and sweaty even in the winter cold, but she appreciated the closeness and warmth of his chest.
Brad returned with a rake. He handed it off to Holly in exchange for the spade, digging into what remained of the pile of dirt. It would be all filled in soon. The cross was simple and rustic. Recycled wood from the old barn. Her father would have liked that.
“Ria?” James’ soft voice rumbled near her ear. “Can we walk down by the crick?”
“The crick?” she teased.
The hint of a gentle smile played across his lips.
“Sure. I’ll go let Anna know.” She let go of James’ warmth, but he held onto her hand and walked with her.
Anna held Grace in her arms while the two bigger ones, sat solemnly on either side of her. Odd to see them all so still. They probably had no idea what was wrong, but that something definitely was.
Anna looked up from Grace with a sad half smile on her face. She looked passed Anna to James and the smile grew slightly. Maria glanced over at James who had a similar smile. “We’re going to head down to the creek, okay? Unless there’s something we can do for you?”
“No. We’ll be fine. Thank you both for all you’ve done.”
“You’re welcome.” Maria’s heart longed to reach out to her, but she didn’t know how. “We’ll be back soon.”
“Take your time.”
Maria would need to find away to reach out. “Come on, Ria.”
She let James guide her as her thoughts collided. On top of the birthing exhaustion, Anna had lost her husband. Maria had lost a father, but it hadn’t really hit her yet. And she’d already lost her mom. At least Anna had Grace and the kids. And me, Maria thought, without the usual surge of tension that thinking about Anna caused.
“Come back to me?”
“Sorry.”
“No need to be sorry. We’re all sorry enough, don’t you think?”
Maria nodded. That was certainly true. She followed him out onto the split log bridge. When she was a child, it had a guardrail, but now the only safety was keeping your own balance. She held onto James hand as he led her confidently across. “Where are you taking me?”
“A ways past the creek. There’s a cool tree over here. Your grandfather calls it the old oak. Says there used to be a fire pit where they had family picnics.”
A memory of a picnic with a bonfire took her back once again. She remembered s’mores and her father cooking two at a time, one almost perfect and one blackened. She’d gotten the golden brown one while he took the one that had caught fire.
“I want you to close your eyes for a minute.”
“Not on the bridge.”
“Now, we’re across the bridge.” He turned around in front of her and opened his arms.
She moved back into the warmth of his arms. “Okay.” She let her eyes close and let herself feel her breath.
“Picture the fire pit as you remember it. Now picture us, our baby playing with Grace. All of us sitting around, watching the sparks flow up into the dark sky. Can you see it?”
“Hhhhmmmm….” She could. Grandpa and Holly. Anna and the older kids. Brad and James.
“I’m there with my wife.”
“Yes.”
“Maria, marry me.”
She pushed him away, opening her eyes as she teetered back toward the non-existent hand rail of the bridge. The water burbled by underneath the mossy log. She collapsed into a cross legged sit, not caring about the moisture soaking through the seat of her pants. “No. I told you no.”
James knelt down in the moss and duff off under the trees. “Please.”
Maria turned away, hoping that if she didn’t look at him, she wouldn’t cry again. No luck. Tears were welling up in her eyes. “Why? You’re going to die. Or I am. Or we’re just going to hate each other like most of the married couples I know. Then we’ll have to get a divorce and there are no courts out here and then what do we do?”
“Ria. Honey.”
“No. If we become a real family… Shit happens. My father. Your father. My mother...”
“Yeah.” James reached for her hands; she let him take them, holding them in his big, warm hands. “That could happen. But it can happen even if we don’t get married. I’ll screw things up. So will you. But I want to be your husband. I want you to be my wife. Then when shit happens, we can forgive each other. Say we’re sorry. Talk it out. Just like we’re talking now. We don’t have to shut each other out like so many couples do.”
“But what if we do?”
“I will still love you.” He pulled her hands to his lips and kissed them. “No matter what. I won’t play favorites with our kids.”
“Our kids,” Maria sputtered, snot and tears and laughter all at once. “You going to have the rest of them?”
“I would if I could,” James said.
His voice was so earnest, she believed he would. “I don’t know if I want to have any more.”
“Well, then playing favorites won’t be a problem.”
“It’s not that freaking simple.”
“What if it is? What if I say I love you, you say you love me, and we get married? Then we figure out how to make it work? Trust me, please. Marry me.”
Maria swiped her sweatshirt sleeve across her dripping nose. “Okay.
“Yes.”
“Yes, you’ll marry me?”
“Yes, James, I’ll marry you. I want to. I think I figured it out when Grandpa pointed the gun at you. Just took me a while to accept it.”
~
So instead of Christmas, they had a wedding. Maria stood with James’ arms wrapped his hands to smile at them benevolently. Behind him the fire blazed. Anna stood nursing Grace next to Maria. Brad stood next to James. For once Noah stayed still, holding Abi’s hand. Holly’s grip on his shoulder might have added to his stillness. She smiled at Maria and nodded. Together they made a circle.
Abi stood solemn, her basket mostly empty of the fake leaves cut from Grandma’s collection of Sunday comics. She had lit up momentarily when she had strewn them in the procession.
The ceremony had been simple. Stripped down for Maria, with enough of the churchy stuff to keep James happy. Made Anna happier, too. The only missing piece was the father walking her down the aisle. Maria let the tears fall; brides were supposed to cry. Her heart was full. Her father would always be with her. James had agreed to name the baby Sam whether boy or girl.
“By the traditions of humankind, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss each other.” His smile broke into a grin.
Maria raised her face to James and he bent slightly to kiss her, pulling her up onto her tip-toes. Their lips met. Inside her belly, their baby kicked him.
The End
Please, leave an honest review; direct links to review pages are here. Reviews are the best way to help an author find their audience.
MORE TO COME
The story for these characters will be continued with a 15-year gap in the lives of the characters. At that point it will connect with folks from ALL IS SILE
NCE. I’m aiming to write that novel in 2018. Who do you think will appear from Lizzie’s story? If you haven’t read Lizzie’s story, head to http://desertedlands.com.
If you want to find out about new releases, author appearances, and special offers, please sign up for the newsletter here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robert L. Slater is an indie science fiction and young adult author born in the Pacific Northwest. He’s worked for over 17 years with students who were dealt a challenging hand, and created Lizzie, the anti-hero of the Deserted Lands series, to give them a voice.
His first novel, All is Silence, received 1st place in the Cygnus Science Fiction Dystopian category. Like some of his characters, he has a propensity for speaking in lines from 80s movies, drinking Mountain Dew and eating pizza. He loves music as a listener, a zealous fan, a guitar player, and a singer/songwriter.
Robert can also be found on various social media:
Twitter - @robertlslater
Wattpad - @robertlslater
Facebook - Robert L. Slater
Instagram - RobertLSlater1
And many more…
OTHER WORKS
IN A FUTURE THAT COULD be ours, Lizzie, a suicidal teen-age girl, barely navigates her own life. Then everything falls apart. In an apocalyptic land deserted by disease, she lacks reasons to live until a shocking turn of events reveals a phone number. Her call pulls her dangerously cross-country to meet a stranger she thought was dead.
Like All is Silence, this is one of those teen books that’s equally rewarding for adults. Lizzie’s new world is brutally well-imagined and well-presented; she and her friends are compelling, interesting characters that the reader
cares about. Slater leaves readers wanting more. Fortunately, Crazy Lizzie’s adventures will continue into another volume. ~ Don Sakers - ANALOG
The forthcoming novel NO MAN’S LAND will conclude Lizzie Goodin-Guerrero’s story as a teenager.
How will she find a place where “The Man” doesn’t control her life or the lives of her chosen family? Available late 2017.
OUTWARD BOUND is a collection of Sci Fi and poetry. A writer takes a retreat to get away and write apocalyptic fiction about a pandemic wiping out civilization. Shut up inside typing away on his old fashioned typewriter, there is a knock on the door… Beginnings, kicks it off.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
More to Come
About the Author
Other Works
Deserted Lands (Novel): Toils and Snares Page 15