by Joy Redmond
Amos waited for all the children to leave the kitchen, then with a wishful voice he said, “I don’t guess I could talk you out of leaving, could I? I’d give my last breath if you’d stay in Missouri. I love you more than I have words. Jillian adores you and Kati. We’ve been a family for over a year. I guess I—”
Amos’s voice shut off.
Mandy wiped his tears. “I bought a house, a moving date has been set, and I’m going. I don’t want to hurt you or Jillian. You have no idea how much I wish you two would go with us. You both own a piece of my heart and you always will. Maybe we can visit each other from time to time.”
“Maybe,” he meekly answered. “Just spend as much time with me as you can before you go.”
“I promise I will. You come by every day after work and I’ll rustle us up some grub. We’ll make the best of what time we have left.”
On July 7th they had another birthday party for Abbie and she was overjoyed; she thought she had turned seven twice.
Amos and Jillian came by and stayed until bedtime every day for the next three weeks. Amos didn’t try to talk Mandy out of leaving. It was as if he had accepted it.
Jillian and Kati clung to each other as if they were magnets. Amos shook hands with Tony and told him he would always be his son in his heart. He hoisted Abbie into his arms, kissed her cheek, and told her she was the sweetest little girl he had ever known. Then he gave Mandy a quick hug and a peck on the lips and hurried out the door.
Mandy hugged Jillian one more time, feeling as if she would be leaving one of her own behind. By the time Amos and Jillian drove off, the whole household was in tears and Mandy felt her heart crack again.
Bekins was there at 7 o’clock the next morning.
Mandy watched the moving van pull away from the house. She had packed all they would need for the trip in the station wagon and the excitement was beginning to tug at her. She told the children to go to the car, buckle up, and she’d be there in a minute. She made one more sweep through all the rooms, savored the memories they had made, and privately told the house goodbye. “It’s been the happiest two years and two months of my life,” she whispered.
She opened the front door and glanced over her shoulder at the beautiful fireplace. She looked at the large mirror that still hung above it and her breath caught in her throat. The image of Mama’s face was in the center of the mirror, wearing a beautiful smile. “I’m doing the right thing, huh, Mama? Thanks.” Tears welled as she watched Mama’s image fade away.
She stood in the doorway and a bright smile spread across her face as she sensed that Mama was telling her everything was good. She turned the lock on the front door and hurried to the car. She slid under the steering wheel, took a deep breath, and jubilation filled her soul, but she didn’t mention Mama’s visit to the children. She buckled up and backed out of the driveway.
Chapter Sixteen
As soon as they were on the freeway, Mandy said, “We’ve got a long way to go, kids. I won’t try to drive it straight through. I don’t think any of us can stand being in this car for fifteen hours. I’ll stop when we reach Valdosta, Georgia. I know where there’s a good-enough motel, and a great restaurant is close by.”
Ten hours later, Kati had talked non-stop, Tony had cracked jokes, Abbie had slept off and on, and Mandy had lost her religion with road rage, twice. She pulled up in front of the motel and stepped out of the car with cramps in her right leg and toes. “We’ve got the longest leg of the trip behind us. Get out and stretch and I’ll go register for a room. We’re gonna be a little cramped in one room, but I’ve got to save all the money I can.”
Mandy got a room on the ground floor, then she and the children lugged in the suitcases. “I know you’re all hungry, so we’ll walk across the street and up two blocks for the best home-cooking you’ve ever tasted. Right next to mine.”
After they had eaten, they walked around and enjoyed the beauty of the place and were captivated by the trees with hanging moss. When the mosquitoes starting eating on them, they went back to the motel room, watched TV, and fell asleep.
Mandy was awake by seven the next morning, her heart fluttering with excitement and eagerness to get on the road. “Rise and shine, kids,” she called out as she pulled back the drapes and bright sunlight danced across the room. “Get dressed and we’ll eat breakfast just a little piece up the road when we cross over the Georgia-Florida line. The Waffle House has the best waffles you’ve ever tasted.”
Five hours later, Mandy was driving across Tampa Bay. The kids oohed and aahed and they squealed with glee at the sight of the water and the smell of the salt air.
“Is this the ocean?” Tony asked.
“It’s a part of it. But you just hold on. As soon as I cross Highway Nineteen, I’ll take Gulf to Bay, which will take us across the causeway to the beach. There, you’ll see the Gulf of Mexico. It’s the most beautiful sight you’ll ever see. Until the sun sets. I can’t describe that sight, but we’ll see it.”
Mandy was in awe, again, as she drove across the causeway. The children were pointing in different directions at the same time, all saying, “Do you see that, Mama?” as they called out what they were pointing to.
“I saw it when I came down last month. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of looking at the beauty. It’s a brand new world, kids.”
“Mama, do you see those yachts docked behind those mansions?” Kati said.
“They aren’t yachts, honey. Just big boats,” Mandy answered.
“Well, I bet they cost a yacht of money,” Tony said.
Mandy was laughing so hard she could barely answer, “I’m sure they did, son.”
“It is a brand new world, Mommy,” Abbie said, as she climbed over into the front seat. “I had to take my seatbelt off. I couldn’t climb with it on me.”
“That’s fine. Just sit back in the seat. We’ll be at the beach in just a minute.” Mandy parked the car and stared at the Gulf and it took her breath away. “Kick off your shoes. We’ll go stick our toes in the water. Now, this is the ocean, Tony. As far as the eye can see.”
Soon giggles were heard as they raced through the warm sand, anxious to reach the water. Once they were on the shoreline, Mandy and Abbie waded and Tony and Kati headed out toward the waves. Mandy yelled, “Don’t go past waist deep. If one of those waves hits you, they’ll knock you down and carry you out to sea. This isn’t like a pond or swimming pool.”
They played in the warm water and dug their toes in the sand for an hour. “Kids, we aren’t used to this kind of sun. I think we need to find some shade before we get sunburned. Are you hungry? We can get something to eat at the concession stand, then sit under the awning while we eat and cool off. But guard your food. The seagulls will swoop down and steal your food.”
Mandy bought hamburgers, hotdogs, fries, and Cokes. They found a small table and bench under the awning and got out of the hot sun. “Eating outside just makes food taste better for some odd reason. After we eat, we need to go get a motel for the night. I wish I could afford to get us a place on the beach, but that’s way out of my small budget.”
Tony stuck the end of a fry in his mouth, walked from under the awning, and waited for a seagull. Within a minute, one swooped down and took it out of his mouth. They all laughed until their sides hurt. Mandy’s heart couldn’t hold any more love and happiness, seeing her children so happy and having so much fun.
Mandy headed back to the car, three children in tow, and she wondered if life could get any better. I wonder how many, if any spirits came with us. I once read that spirits didn’t cross water. We’ll see. I do believe the spirits fly, not swim.
Mandy drove back to the same motel where she had stayed when she came down the first time. She pulled into the parking lot. “Hey, look. There’s a Waffle House just across the lot,” Tony said. “Can we eat waffles every morning?”
“I’m tired of waffles, Mama. Can’t we eat somewhere else?” Kati said, looking around.
“They have other things, Kati. You’ll find something on the menu. It’s a cheap place to eat, it’s good food, and I have to spend carefully.”
“Mommy, can we afford to get waffles with whipped cream and strawberries on top like I saw in the picture?” Abbie asked.
“I think I can afford that, sweetie. Let me get registered, then we’ll clean up and go eat. You kids stay by the car until I come back with a room key. Kati, watch Abbie.”
Mandy got a room on the ground floor, but she could only afford a room with one queen size bed.
She came back to the car. “Room six. One big bed. We’ll all squeeze in. And don’t start fussing. It’s all I can—”
“It’s all you can afford. Jeez!” Kati said. “We know! We know! I hate being poor. Someday I’m going to marry me a rich man and I’m going to have a mansion and a yacht and eat anything I want.” She crossed her arms across her chest and stomped off.
“I hope you do, honey. I once thought the same thing.” And you see where that thought got me. Poor as a church mouse; a single mother struggling to keep a roof over my children’s head and food in their stomachs. But I thank God for what I have. Especially my children. There’s no price tag to put on them. I’m filthy rich, the way I see it, she thought, as she opened the back of the station wagon and started dragging out suitcases. I’ve got nothing, yet I’ve got it all.
After they had settled into the room, cleaned up and ate, the children wanted to see where they would live. “I can drive by and show you the house but we can’t go inside. The lady that lives there is sweet and she probably wouldn’t mind, but I think that would be rude. Just three more days and it’ll be ours. In the meantime, we can enjoy the beach.”
“And suffer in a cramped motel room,” Kati said. “I’m not sleeping in the same bed with three other people. I’ll sleep in the chair.”
“Don’t start, Kati. When I was little and we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa, six of us slept on a big feather bed. It was fun.”
“It doesn’t sound like fun to me. I might just sleep on the beach,” Kati answered.
“You won’t be sleeping on the beach. But you’re welcome to wad up in the chair. End of conversation. Now, let’s get in the car and we’ll drive over to Coachman Road. I’ll show you the house and I’ll show you the schools you’ll be attending. Then we can drive around Clearwater and familiarize ourselves with it. It’s easy to find your way around.”
Mandy wanted to pull into the driveway, but she just slowed down and said, “That’s our new home.” She eased the car up road. “That’s our neighbor, Vickie. She’ll be taking you to school, Abbie, and picking you up and keeping you until I get off from work. Hopefully, I’ll have work soon.” She eased the car up the road a little more. “This is our neighbor, Wanda. She has a little girl, Debbie, who is your age, Abbie. And she has a son who is your age, Tony.”
“What about me?” Kati asked. “Is there anybody my age in this neighborhood?”
“That I don’t know, but I’m sure you’ll make friends when school starts, Kati.”
“I’m not going back to school. I’m almost seventeen and you can’t make me go to school.”
“So, you’re gonna be a high school dropout? That’ll get you far in life. And we’re not going to have this conversation now.” That girl will be the death of me yet, Mandy thought, and drove on up the road.
“We’ll drive around for a while, then we’ll head back to the beach. You’ve never seen anything like the sunset over the ocean. Tomorrow, I’ll buy a big bottle of sunscreen and we’ll spend the day on the beach.”
The children were enthralled at the sunset and the beautiful crayon colors that weaved across the horizon. They stayed and watched in quiet reverence until the sun disappeared.
Early the next morning, they got up, ate at the Waffle House, then they headed to the beach. Just as they stepped out of the car, the sky opened up, rain came down, the wind blew, and the sand flew.
“We’ll wait in the car for a while. Maybe the rain storm will pass,” Mandy said.
And hour later and the rain was pouring down so hard, they couldn’t even see through the car windows. “Okay. We’ll go back to the motel and wait it out. Sorry, kids.”
They went back to the motel and were all drenched by the time they had made a mad dash for room six. Once inside, they changed into dry clothes, and turned on the TV. Then the fights began over what program they were going to watch. Mandy sprawled across the bed, covered her head with a pillow, and let them go at it. As long as no blows were thrown, they could argue all day. She was exhausted from being a referee.
The rain didn’t let up and they were confined to the motel room for the rest of the day. Hunger drove them to make a few runs for the Waffle House, and they were soaked each time.
The next morning it was still raining but Mandy had to be at the lawyer’s office for the closing. “Kids, stay in the room, behave, and I’ll be back as soon as possible. Surely the rain will let up by this afternoon and we’ll hit the beach. I’m off to finalize things, and tomorrow we’ll claim our new home.”
An hour later, Mandy returned to the motel room, swinging the house keys in her hand. “It’s a done deal. We’re now officially Floridians.” The rest of the day it poured rain and they all were acting insane by bedtime.
The next morning, when Mandy opened the curtains, a ray of bright sunshine kissed the room and it was a perfect day for the beach, but they had to go to the house and wait for the moving van. Thankfully, the van pulled in the driveway ten minutes after they arrived.
Finally, the van was unloaded. Mandy shut the doors and windows, turned on the air-conditioning, and fixed them glasses of ice water. The children were hungry, so she told them to sit tight and she’d make a run to Taco Bell.
The children were in the TV room, still trying to cool down when she came back with the tacos. They sat on the floor because the table was piled with boxes. They all had their mouths full when suddenly the smell of rotten eggs surrounded them.
They just looked at each other, smiled and in unison said, “Phantom Farter!”
“Yep, he came with us,” Mandy said, “But we’re eating, not playing Monopoly.” Within a minute or so, the smell disappeared.
Mandy wasn’t sure what to think about the smell. They had laughed about Spooky Purse, they had enjoyed Fairy Dust, but why did Phantom Farter come with them?
Chapter Seventeen
A few weeks later, Mandy was pulling weeds out of the bed of poinsettias when Wanda came running across the yard, yelling, “Mandy, Dr. Barrow wants to interview you tomorrow. He seemed impressed with your resume, and I really think you’ve got the job in the bag.”
“I hope I’ve got it in the bag. I hope my personal appearance impresses him more than my resume. I hope I don’t get nervous and say something stupid.”
“You’ll be fine. He has a great sense of humor, so just joke with him and be your charming self. He’ll be glad when he hires an assistant so his wife can stay home. She’s been helping out in the office. And she’ll be glad when she doesn’t have to come in. Those two are characters. They love each other, but they have a lot of disagreements on procedures. She’s an RN, but Dr. Barrow says she thinks she’s a doctor and knows more than he does. They’re a comedy act, I tell ya. Anyway, be at the office by eight o’clock. He starts seeing patients by nine.”
“I’ll be there. Thank you so much, Wanda. If I get the job, it’ll be because of you. But don’t expect a reward. I’ve got hungry mouths, you know.” Mandy laughed.
Wanda hugged Mandy. “I think I told you the same thing not that long ago. I’m just glad I could help. And that’s if I did. It takes more than a good resume. Tomorrow, it’s on you. Knock him dead, girl. Gotta go. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“See you,” Mandy called out and she felt tingles run down her spine. I still can’t believe how things are just falling into my lap. God really is smiling on me, she thought, then headed inside to
tell the children.
The next morning, the proverbial butterflies in the stomach were flying and Mandy’s guts were in knots as she drove to Dr. Barrow’s office. Once there, Wanda helped put her at ease. “I was just taking him a cup of coffee. Follow me.”
Wanda opened the door to Dr. Barrow’s office, walked over and sat the cup of coffee on his desk. “A cup of coffee and a pretty lady to start your day. This is Mandy.” Wanda left the room and closed the door behind her, right after giving Mandy a wink.
A short, fat man with a bald head, beady brown eyes and a pug nose, rose and extended his pudgy hand toward Mandy. They shook hands. “Nice to meet you, Mandy. Have a seat.”
Mandy sat down, twisted her skirt. Her throat was dry as cotton. She thought, you sure are ugly, and wanted to giggle, but she held her composure.
Dr. Barrow sat down, smiled broadly, and Mandy began to relax. “I must say I’m impressed with your resume, but I need to ask you a few questions. I can’t hire a person just by paperwork.” He shuffled through the resume, then said, “So, you went through two years of nursing school. Why didn’t you finish?”
“Life intervened. I got pregnant. After the baby was born, I got a divorce. Then I had to work to support my three children, and so far there’s been no way for me to go back and finish.”
“That’s a shittin’ shame!” Dr. Barrows said, shaking his head. “I hope someday you can. Anyway, I need to ask you a few questions.”
Mandy did giggle when he said, “shittin’ shame” and knew they’d get along fine. If I pass his oral exam, she thought, and felt herself tensing up.
“As you know, most of my procedures are done at the hospital. But I do procedures that can be performed with a local anesthetic in the office. There’s where you come in.” He proceeded by asking Mandy questions about sterile techniques, how to properly sterilize surgical instruments by using an autoclave, and how to properly remove stitches.