I’m not surprised by his statement, and I don’t doubt they’ll love and care for their child no matter the severity of the problem. I just hope the test is wrong.
Momma says as she holds Pops’ hand. “You’re right, Mia and Levi. It doesn’t matter and we’ll all love the baby, no matter what.”
The rest of the meal goes by with us talking about the baby and the pregnancy. Momma and Pops have a way of making everything seem all right. I know this diagnosis could be a problem, but if they aren’t concerned, who am I to dwell on it.
I do know that later on that night, I’ll research Down syndrome.
Savannah Mae
When Abel Lee asked me to go out with him on New Year’s Eve, I got butterflies in my belly. The good, excited kind of butterflies. I don’t want to get my hopes up because I know that childcare will be a problem. Not many people stay home on New Year’s Eve, and if they do, they are already babysittin’ their grandbabies or for someone they know. He said he’ll be in touch. I hope so.
While I work, Ethan, Samantha Marie, and my parents keep Sawyer Jackson for me. Childcare has never been a problem for me. I’m grateful for that. I spoke to Ethan and asked him if he could start pickin’ up and droppin’ off Sawyer Jackson at my house. I don’t want to have to see Heather Sue if I don’t have to. I know one day I won’t have a choice, but today, I do.
I work today and I pray for a busy shift, although I know it’s not likely. Everyone is catchin’ up on their bills from Christmas. I have a few regulars come in and I’m working with Mia. A winnin’ combination, although she’s been gettin’ sick and spendin’ a lot of time in the bathroom.
“Why don’t you go home?”
“It’s just mornin’ sickness. It should pass soon,” she says as she holds up one finger and runs into the bathroom.
We aren’t busy, but business is steady. After an hour, Mia is feelin’ better. I forgot how quickly mornin’ sickness comes and goes. We talk about her pregnancy, and she seems reserved. I wonder why, but I don’t ask. If it’s something important and she wants me to know, she’ll tell me. I share with her some things about a pregnancy, but I don’t tell her everything. The pain, she’ll have to experience that on her own.
Abel Lee, Nelly, and Bud come in for lunch. I hug Nelly and Bud like I always do. I want to hug Abel Lee, but I don’t. I leave and let Mia attend to her table. I have a few customers and I’m glad for the distraction. Abel Lee said that he’ll be in touch. He hasn’t, so I’m assumin’ he couldn’t find childcare.
I glance over at their table a few times and I catch him watchin’ me. He doesn’t look away like most guys, he holds my look. I smile but quickly look away. My cheeks warm, and I hope he can’t see the blush on them. There’s something about him and the way he looks at me. I like it. I’ve missed the feelin’ of attraction.
I’m standin’ at the register cashin’ out a customer when Abel Lee and his family stand to leave. Abel Lee walks up to me and asks, “What time should I pick you up?”
“For what?”
“For our date on New Year’s Eve.
“Did you find a sitter?”
He stands tall and puffs his chest out. “I did,” he says, proudly.
I can’t help but smile. “Who did you find on such short notice?” He looks behind him and my eyes follow in that direction. Mia is standing at the coffee pots. “Mia? Mia is your babysitter?”
He looks back at me. “What time should I pick you up?”
We talk it over and decide on a time. They leave and I’m still smilin’. Mia rushes over and hugs me. “You’re datin’ my brother-in-law.” She squeals, “One day, we could be sisters-in-law.”
“Stop it. We are not getting’ married.”
“No, but you are datin’.”
“Mia, it’s one date.” I want her to understand that one date does not mean marriage. Throughout the day, we talk about what I should wear. Mia is the fashionable one out of the two of us. She tells me that she’ll be over to help me find something unforgettable to wear.
Abel Lee
Pops, Momma, and I leave the restaurant and head to the farm. I’m excited about my upcoming date with Savannah Mae. It won’t be like other New Year’s Eve celebrations I’ve attended over the last decade, then again, Savannah Mae isn’t like the other women I’ve dated.
It’ll be nice not wearing a tuxedo and spending a few thousand dollars in one evening. I’ll need to find out what the dress code is for the American Legion.
Mia and Levi haven’t told anyone about her test that came back abnormal. They are both going about their lives as excited expectant parents. I was reluctant to ask Mia about babysitting Sawyer Jackson on New Year’s Eve, but when I mentioned it, she was excited and eager to keep him. I’m not sure if it’s because she likes Sawyer Jackson, or she likes the idea of me dating Savannah Mae. Maybe it’s both.
Momma makes a pot of coffee and we all sit down at the table. We discuss the meeting with the township over the Rose Farm School. The school was actually up for sale with no interested buyers. I put a cash bid in and they accepted it fairly quickly.
“So, Abel, what are your plans for the school?” Pops asks.
“I’m not sure, to be honest. I want to do something to benefit everyone in the township.” I look at Momma. “I want to put in a playground and some benches, for sure.
“There’s a lot you could do with it to benefit the community. A park and playground would be enjoyable for everyone. I’m sure you’ll decide on something wonderful,” Momma says.
“I’ll need to return home for a while. I’d like to get my condo on the market.”
“You still plannin’ on startin’ to work on it this Spring?” Pops pushes aside his empty coffee cup.
“Yes, as soon as the weather breaks.”
I get a rental truck to get through the next week. I have a date with Savannah Mae and I definitely need my own vehicle for that. I’ll also need a vehicle to get me to the airport. I have a truck in New York, and as soon as the condo sells, I’ll load the truck up with some of my personal belongings and drive it home.
It’s New Year’s Eve and Momma and Pops left early to help the American Legion set up for tonight. I’m beginning to wonder if there isn’t anything that Momma and Pops aren’t involved in. I decided to wear a pair of jeans, brown boots, a white button-up shirt, with a brown winter blazer. A little cologne and I’m ready to pick up Savannah Mae.
I leave a little early to allow time for us to drop off Sawyer Jackson at Mia and Levi’s house. I’m surprised to be feeling this excited about seeing Savannah Mae. When I knock on her door, she yells for me to come in. I stand at the door and wait.
“Abel Lee, I’ll be just another minute. Grab a beer from the fridge if you want, and have a seat,” she yells from the other room.
I wish that with the killer still loose, she would be more careful about inviting strangers into her home. “How did you know it’s me?” I stand by the door, not sure if I should make myself at home.
“I saw you pull up. Who else would be knockin’ on my door on New Year’s Eve? You’re early,” she adds, still from the other room.
“I wanted to allow enough time to drop off Sawyer Jackson.” I look around the room and decide to pass on the beer and have a seat on the couch facing the hallway. I want to see her when she enters the room.
“Mia picked him up a couple hours ago.” Her voice fades deeper into the next room.
“I didn’t expect Mia to pick him up.” I stand and walk closer to the hallway, but I still stay in the living room. If we’re going to have a conversation, I think I should be closer to her. There’s just something about yelling from room to room that doesn’t seem right.
I hear footsteps and I move away from the hallway. Savannah Mae walks into the living room, adjusting her belt. She’s wearing a pair of skinny jeans with a white button-up blouse, a brown belt, and a pair of brown cowboy boots. She looks hot. When she sees me, she begins to laugh.
She looks at me and then she looks down at herself.
“Should I go change?” she asks, still laughing.
“You look beautiful. Why would you go change?”
She laughs again. “We’re dressed just alike.” I look at her and then I look down at myself again. We sure are. White shirt, jeans, brown boots. I smile. It looks like we’re a couple who color coordinated our outfits.
“Are you wearing that jacket?” I nod toward the blue jean jacket she’s holding in her hands.
“I am.”
“Then we don’t match.” I think I like the idea of us matching. I’m not sure why. I look at her again and her belt buckle is larger than I expected. I look closer and she laughs. Her silver, overly large belt buckle reads, “Catch and Release.” My mind drifts to the several meanings the belt buckle could mean. I remember her saying she held the Perry Country blue ribbon for catching the largest fish and releasing it. Maybe that’s what it means. I don’t say anything. I’m not going there on our first date. I nod to her jean jacket. “You might get cold.”
She looks out the window and asks, “Is your truck warm?”
“It is.”
“Then I won’t get cold. You ready?”
I hold the door open and wave my hand for her to go first. “After you.”
We pull up at the American Legion in Roseville; the parking lot is full. I decide to park at Shriver’s Pharmacy along with several other patrons. As I pull into the parking lot, I see Savannah Mae’s ex-husband walking in with a girl. Savannah Mae also watches. After I park the truck, I ask, “Are you all right?”
Her eyes glisten. “My ex-husband is here with his fiancé.”
“Do you want to leave? We could always go somewhere else.” I have no idea where. It’s New Year’s Eve. It’ll be impossible to get in anywhere without a dinner reservation.
“Abel Lee, can you dance?”
“I can.”
“Are you any good?” I see a hint of a smile on her beautiful face.
“I am. Won the ‘Perry County Line Dancing Contest’ three years in a row.” I smile, brightly.
“Did not,” she says, sternly, still smiling.
“C’mon, I’ll prove it.” I get out of the truck and walk over to her side and open her door for her.
Savannah Mae
Abel Lee and I walk into the American Legion hand in hand. After I watched Ethan and Heather Sue walkin’ in, I wanted to go home. Abel Lee tried to take my mind off it by sayin’ he won the “Perry County Line Dancin’ Contest.” I never heard of such an event. It worked. All I can think about now is Abel Lee boot scootin’ boogiein’ across the dance floor.
Abel Lee and I walk straight over to where his momma and daddy are. Lucky for us, they came early and saved us a table in the corner of the room. I wanna look around the room to see where Ethan is, but then again, I don’t wanna see Ethan or Heather Sue.
We greet his family before takin’ our seats.
“What would you like to drink?” he asks.
“Budweiser in a bottle unopened, no glass, please.” I know from the way he’s lookin’ at me, he thought I was gonna order a girly drink.
I look at him, and he smiles and says, “Not a wine or champagne kind of girl?”
Can’t usually afford wine or champagne, but I don’t say that. “Nope, always been a Budweiser girl. You got a problem with that, Abel Lee?”
He smiles, but his smile doesn’t reveal his single dimple.
“Nope, not at all, Savannah Mae.”
He leaves and when he returns, he opens my beer and hands it to me.
“Do you always order your drinks unopened?”
“I do. Don’t laugh, but I have this fear of someone puttin’ something in my drink.”
He pauses for a moment and says, “That’s smart thinking, Savannah Mae. It would be nice if everyone were that vigilant.”
“I wasn’t always like that.” He sits down in the seat next to me. “There was at a party once, and this girl went crazy. She got really mean and violent. They had to call her parents and they took her to the hospital. Later they found out she had drugs in her system. She didn’t even do drugs.”
“Was she a friend of yours?”
I look at him and I can see his concern. “She’s my sister. It was at the end of her senior year of high school and a bunch of kids went out to celebrate their graduating. They had a party with food and drinks at someone’s house. My sister’s friend was there and noticed Samantha Marie was acting strangely. She wanted to take her home, but some of the guys thought it was funny and were trying to get my sister into one of the bedrooms to ‘help calm her down.’”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thank you. I’m just glad her friend called my parents. She’s better, and now we always order our drinks in a can or a bottle, unopened.”
“I’m glad everything worked out for her.”
“Me, too.”
We order a cheeseburger and French fries for dinner and we both have another beer. I can see Ethan and Heather Sue out of the corner of my eye, but I try to ignore them. Abel Lee makes it easy to think only of him. He sits close and puts an arm on the back of my chair. He’s very protective and it feels good. I feel someone watchin’ me, but I don’t look to see who it is. I don’t care.
When the music starts, I excuse myself from the table to go to the little girl’s room. When I walk in, Heather Sue is standin’ at the sink warshin’ her hands. I stay in the bathroom stall longer than needed, because I want to make sure she’s gone. Of course, she’s still standin’ there when I open the stall door. I look at her and use the sink next to her. I don’t say anything, I have nothin’ to say.
“Ethan said that he told you about the weddin’.”
“Congratulations,” I say sarcastically as I continue to warsh my hands.
She smiles and rubs her hands over her belly, “He failed to mention the baby.” I hold onto the sink for support. I blink a few times and I wonder did I hear her right. “We were goin’ to get married anyway, but the baby kinda put a rush on the weddin’,” she says, smilin’.
I stand a little taller and grab a few paper towels to dry my hands on. Instead of crumblin’ over like I want to, I say, “Who’s the baby’s daddy?”
She looks shocked. “Ethan, of course.”
“Rushin’ the weddin’, huh? Wouldn’t want the good people in the community thinkin’ you were a home-wreckin’ whore now, would we?” I watch her and when her mouth falls open, I leave.
I see my date sittin’ at the table, watchin’ me. I smile, and when I reach the table I pull him by the arm. “C’mon, Abel Lee, it’s time to show me some of those dance moves.”
“I thought you would never ask.” He follows me to the dance floor, takin’ the lead. We dance and laugh through every song. He is light on his feet and is a very graceful dancer. We dance fast, and then we dance to a few slow songs. After several songs, we sit down and have another drink, but this time we both have ice water.
After a few moments of silence, he asks, “Did something happen in the bathroom with you and Heather Sue?”
“How did you know Heather Sue was in the bathroom?”
“I watched her go in before you. I’m not a creeper, but I try to be aware of my surroundings.” He leans in closer to the table and says, “Did something happen?”
“Can we go?” I ask.
He walks up to the bartender and I watch as he settles up the bill. He takes my hand and leads me out of the buildin’. As we walk towards the car, I say, “She’s pregnant.”
He doesn’t falter in his step. He opens the door for me and I get in. He doesn’t say anything as he closes my door for me. I wonder if he heard me. I don’t want to have to repeat those words. My stomach clenches at the thought. Abel Lee gets into the truck and pulls off without sayin’ anything.
“Are you all right?” he finally asks.
“I am. I have no idea why this bothers me so much. It’s not like I didn’t kn
ow he was seein’ her all along. As soon as we separated, I used to see them ridin’ around town together. After the divorce, Heather Sue even called me to tell me some personal details of their relationship. Like I cared what she and Ethan were doin’. I did care and it hurt, but I wasn’t about to admit that, not to her or to anyone else. I should be thankful that she didn’t get pregnant while we were still married.”
“I’m sorry,” he says as he drives in the direction of my house.
I look over at him and say, “I’m the one who should be sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin your evenin’.”
He looks over at me. He doesn’t smile and he doesn’t say anything. I remain quiet the rest of the way home. I blew it. I blew my one and only chance with the only man I’ve been interested in since my divorce. I fold my hands, place them on my lap, and remain quiet the rest of the drive home.
We almost make it home before Abel Lee pulls over into an empty parking lot. I look over at him and he watches the clock in the truck. “Something wrong with your truck?”
He looks over at me and says, “No, my truck’s okay.” Of course it is, it’s a brand-new rental. “I want to kiss my date at midnight.” My belly does a flip and my breath hitches. I slowly look away from him and then I look at the clock on the dashboard. It’s 11:59 p.m. Abel Lee lightly touches my chin and turns my head slowly to face him. I stare at him as he leans in and kisses me. It’s a sweet, soft kiss. He slowly backs away from me but is still close enough for me to smell his cologne. I lean into him and he does the same. This time, the kiss is more intimate. I wrap my arm around his neck and pull him in for more. He cups my cheek with his hands and he kisses me aggressively. I feel like I could kiss him forever. Not only is Abel Lee smooth on his feet, but he is also an excellent kisser. He slowly stops and I release my hold on him. I keep my eyes closed as he rubs his thumb over my bottom lip. “It’s just as good as I imagined,” he says. I open my eyes and he is just inches from my face. He smiles that dimpled smile and leans in and kisses me quickly, before releasing his hold on me. “Happy New Year, Savannah Mae,” he says, still watchin’ me closely.
The clock on the dashboard now reads 12:01 a.m. I whisper, “Happy New Year, Abel Lee.”
Rose Farm Trilogy Boxset Page 11