Ethan is quiet on the drive home and Sawyer Jackson sleeps. I know my son is still weak from his illness. Ethan stops by the pharmacy to get the medications the doctor ordered for Sawyer Jackson, before takin’ us home. When we pull up at the house, I see grocery bags sittin’ on the wooden chairs.
“Looks like someone brought you groceries.”
“I called Mom and asked her to go by the store for me.”
“They couldn’t take em in the house for ya?”
“Maybe they forgot the house key. I’m just glad to have the groceries.”
Ethan pulls into the driveway and says, “Looks like they brought you some firewood, too.”
I unbuckle Sawyer Jackson’s seatbelt, then look out the window. Cut firewood is neatly stacked along the shed. I look over at the old school and immediately notice the clearin’. I know Abel Lee did this. I don’t say anything. It makes my heart hurt just thinkin’ about Abel Lee. I lean in to get Sawyer Jackson and Ethan says, “I’ll get ‘im for ya. I don’t want you carryin’ ‘im.”
Once inside, I get Sawyer Jackson into a clean pair of pajamas and get ‘im settled to watch cartoons on the couch. Ethan carries in the groceries and starts to put them away for me. This is beginnin’ to feel like it used to when Ethan and I were married. I walk into the kitchen and finally ask, “What’s goin’ on with you and Heather Sue?”
He looks over at me and says, “I’ve made a terrible mistake.” Yeah, ya did, but I don’t say that. I stand there and listen. “She isn’t who I thought she was.” Ya don’t say? I don’t say that either. “She lied to you about bein’ pregnant, and she kept the messages from me about my son bein’ in the hospital.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Jealousy.”
“She’s jealous of our son?”
“Not of ‘im, of you.”
Good. I wanna smile, but I don’t. “She has nothin’…” The screen door opens and in walks Mom and Daddy.
“Sorry we’re late.” They walk into the kitchen carryin’ groceries. I look at Ethan and the groceries he’s puttin’ away, and then I look at Mom and Daddy and the groceries they’re carryin’.
“What’s this? You didn’t get enough the first time?”
Ethan takes the groceries from Mom, and Daddy sets his down on the floor before walking back outside. “What do you mean?” Mom asks as she starts to put the groceries away.
“Well if you didn’t buy these, who did?” I ask.
“It wasn’t us. The stores are crowded tonight. There’s no way I would go shoppin’ twice.”
I know that Abel Lee bought the groceries. I’m just not sure how he knew we needed them. My heart hurts again at the kindness of Abel Lee. Once the groceries are put away, Ethan, Daddy, and Mom leave. Ethan and I didn’t finish the conversation about Heather Sue before he left. I guess it’s for the best. I’m not the person he needs to be talkin’ to about his problems with his fiancé.
After dinner of chicken noodle soup, I put Sawyer Jackson to bed and I soak in a long, hot, bubble bath. When the water runs cold, I get out. After dressin’ for bed, I take my hot tea and sit outside on the porch. It’s cold out, but the air feels good. Lookin’ down the street, I see a dark figure runnin’ towards my house. I’m not scared, but I get butterflies low in my belly. The figure slows down and stops in front of my house. I just watch as he lowers his hoodie. My breath hitches when I see an unshaven, very handsome Abel Lee standin’ beneath the street light.
“Savannah Mae,” he says, breathless.
My heart hurts at the sound of his voice. “Abel Lee,” I reply more quietly than I intended.
“Sawyer Jackson get home tonight?”
“He did.”
“Good, I’m glad he’s feeling better.”
I smile slightly. “Thank you. You buy groceries and leave ‘em on the porch?”
“I did.” He shuffles his feet but doesn’t say anything else.
“Why?”
“Figured you’d need some food in the house when he got home.”
“Thank you.”
“Savannah Mae, you never need to thank me.”
“Is that you who cut and stacked the firewood near the shed?”
“Johnny and some of the other workers helped.”
“Thank you, Abel Lee.”
“It’s my pleasure, Savannah Mae.”
I want to say something. I want to invite ‘im up so we can talk, but before I get to say anything he says, “I need to get goin’. Have a good night, Savannah Mae.”
He puts his hood up and starts runnin’ down the street. I sit there with tears in my eyes, and my mouth wide open. He said he could explain the picture, I want to hear his explanation. I acted too hasty, I acted on impulse. I should have let him explain. I should have let him talk. When Abel Lee is out of view, I stand and walk into my lonely house.
Chapter Seven (Country Life)
Abel Lee
I leave Savannah Mae sitting on her front porch. I wanted to talk to her, but she has made her feelings very clear. “Get out!” she said to me at the hospital after seeing the picture of a contender I fought. I run fast, and I run hard. I try to forget the words we spoke in the hospital. It was an ugly and nasty ending to something so wonderful.
The next few days, we all work diligently on the old school. The windows and doors should be in next week. Pops and Mark, a member of the church, are making great progress with the electrical wiring. We decided to hurry things along and hire a plumber.
I reserved a table for Johnny at the Morgan County Flea Market. It’s still early in the year, but they said they’ve been having it indoors at the main building at the fairgrounds. The woman raved about the foot traffic they’ve been having.
When I pick up Johnny, I finally meet his mother. I told him that I would need to talk to her before we left for the flea market. Because he’s only 16, I needed to let her know he would be in good hands. I also wanted to make sure that everything he took, he would be allowed to sell. I arrive early and hand him a tote and some bubble wrap while his mother and I talk. I stand near the door and watch Johnny as he carefully wraps his craftwork. His mother thanks me for doing so much for Johnny. It’s not a big deal, and I feel awkward when she thanks me repeatedly.
“Seriously, you don’t need to thank me. Johnny’s a hard worker and a good boy. I like spending time with him.”
She smiles and I see the pride in her eyes. I say my goodbyes and carry the full tote out to the truck. I wait for Johnny as I stare at Savannah Mae’s house. I just want to see her, just a glimpse, so I know she’s all right. When Johnny gets into the truck, we leave.
Johnny and I register for the table and I help him set up his display. We talk about prices and he shows me the pricing chart his mother made for him. He displays it proudly. “You know how to make change?” I ask.
He laughs, “Yes.”
I look at him and realize that juniors in high school can count. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.” I look around the table at his display and I’m proud of him. It looks good. “You got money to make change with?” He pats his front pockets and looks embarrassed. “Here, I got it.” I hand him some fives and some one dollar bills. “This should be enough to get started.”
When people start coming in, I stand back and watch. People walk past and some look at his display and some don’t. I walk up to him and I pick up a wooden horse. I look at the horse and I look at the price chart. It seems reasonable. I hand him my money and he looks around the room.
“What are you doing?” he whispers.
“I’m trying to make a purchase.”
“Here, I’ll just give it to you.”
“Johnny, how can you make any money by giving your product away?” Before he can answer, an older man and woman walk up and start looking at his artwork. I hand him the money and he makes change and thanks me. Walking around the room, I keep a close distance so I can monitor the activity at Johnny’s table. He’s not busy, but traffi
c at his table is steady.
“He looks pretty good over there.”
I hear a familiar voice and look over. Mia and Levi are standing there watching Johnny.
“He does, doesn’t he?”
“I’m gonna go get a closer look,” Mia says as she walks towards Johnny’s table. Levi and I remain quiet and we just watch the interaction. He smiles and carefully wraps her purchase in newspapers and places it in a bag for her. She walks over to us, smiling.
“Find something?” Levi asks.
“I did.” She shows us the momma duck, and the two baby ducks she purchased. I remember seeing them earlier. I’m glad Mia is the one to buy them. We stay back and continue to watch Johnny. Momma and Pops come in and they also make a purchase. They don’t see us, and they continue to walk around pushing their personal shopping cart with them. I remember seeing older people pushing those same carts around the streets of New York. Never did I imagine my parents would be doing that.
I shop around and when I see a blind man behind a table, I stop. The sign reads “Rick Crooks, Salvaged Art.” I remember the last name Crooks from when I lived at home. I walk over and fight my way through a crowd of people. They are talking to him like they know him. I shop around and try not to eavesdrop, but I learn he’s a local artist from Crooksville. The items he makes for sale are made from salvaged metal: items you find in scrap metal sites or in your own kitchen or garage. The artworks range in size and vary in weight. I’m amazed, no, I’m impressed at his talent. When the crowd dies down, I’m able to talk to the artist himself. He’s very nice and easy to talk to. His wife is there with him and attends to the sales as we talk.
We talk and I learn that I know his family. He’s older than I am, but I can remember Momma and Pops talking about him. He’s a renowned artist. I wonder to myself if he doesn’t have some vision. I buy a few smaller garden items for Momma and leave. I get an idea and I put it to memory to talk to Pops about it.
At the end of the flea market, Johnny is bearing a huge smile. “What’s that smile about?”
“People liked my work.”
“That’s good.”
“Abel, people actually spent money and bought the stuff I made.”
“That’s really good.” I try to hold back my laugh. “I knew they would, and I’m not surprised.”
“I am. I almost sold everything I brought with me.”
“You planning on returning next month?”
“Can I?”
“You may. I don’t have anything better to do.”
“Good. I might be able to get me my driver’s license and a car sooner than I thought with the money I’m makin’ workin’ with you after school, and the money I’m makin’ here.”
“When can you get your driver’s permit?”
“When I’m sixteen and a half. Momma wants me to go to Triple A for my driver’s ed. classes. They have a scared-straight class she wants me to attend.”
“Is that the drug and alcohol class where they show the movies of what can happen if you drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol?” I remember Johnny saying that his daddy died from a car accident caused by a drunk driver.
“Yep, that’s the one.”
“Everyone should take that class.”
“Oh, before I forget, here’s the money I owe you for the rent on the table.”
I wasn’t planning on charging Johnny, but since he’s offering, I know I should take it. “Thank you. Are you hungry?” I ask as we begin to pack up the few items he has not sold.
“I’m starvin’.”
“How ‘bout lunch at Peaches Place? My treat.”
He looks at me and smiles. “I could go for some baked steak and mashed taters right about now.”
“Good, me, too.”
We arrive at Peaches and I secretly hope that Savannah Mae is working. I wanna see her, but I’m not sure why. I guess I just like to torture myself. I still have nothing to offer her and I refuse to drag her down with me. When I make something of myself other than a retired boxer, maybe then I will pursue her.
We walk into Peaches and are greeted sweetly by Mia. I quickly scan the room and see a blond-haired beauty standing at the pop machine with her back to us. I stare longer than I intended to.
“We gonna sit down and order, or you gonna stare at Savannah Mae all day?” Johnny asks.
I look at Johnny and then I look at Mia. “I’m just waiting to be seated.” I know this isn’t the kind of diner where the hostess seats you, but I didn’t know what else to say.
Mia smirks. “Follow me.” We follow Mia to a booth and she says, “Your waitress will be right with you.”
“You’re not going to wait on us?”
“Nope, not my rotation. Savannah Mae will be right with you.”
Johnny and I sit there. We don’t look at the menu, we don’t need to. We’re hooked on the baked steak. Savannah Mae approaches the table with two glasses of water.
“Hi, I’m surprised to see both here together today.”
“Just got done workin’ at the flea market,” Johnny says, proudly.
Savannah Mae looks at me and then at Johnny.
“Whatcha doin’ there?”
“Rented a table to sell some of my wooden figurines.”
“Good for you. How’d ya do?”
I interlock my fingers and place them on the table. I watch Johnny speak with excitement. I concentrate on Johnny and not on Savannah Mae, although I just want to sit and look at her. I have to keep my distance until I can prove to her that I’m worthy of her.
“Sold almost everything I took with me. Mia was there, she bought something, too.”
“Johnny, I am so proud of you. It looks like I’ma have to buy me one of your pieces before you make it big and I won’t be able to afford them.”
I can hear the excitement in her voice, and I can imagine the perfectly white smile on her lips. I wanna look at her, but I don’t. I look at Johnny with excitement. He had a great day, and I’m proud of him. Mia hears the excitement and joins us at the table. She tells Savannah Mae what she bought at the flea market. We chat back and forth before Johnny and I order. Savannah Mae seems surprised when I ordered the same thing Johnny did. I’ll just have to run a little longer tonight to burn off the extra calories.
The television is on low in the corner of the room. I turn my attention to the show that’s on, to keep me distracted from Savannah Mae. When breaking news comes on, I stand and walk closer to the television. It shows a picture of Megan Rose and the drunken guy in the bar the night she was killed. It says Jack Graham was a person of interest in the murder of Megan Rose, but since his alibi checked out, he is cleared of any wrongdoing. The guess the girl I saw him leave with was his alibi. The police are now asking for help from the community in solving her murder. They’re asking everyone who saw anything out of the ordinary that night at the bar to please come forward.
I sit down and replay that night over and over in my head. I wish I knew something. I wish I could help to bring her murderer to justice.
Savannah Mae
You know those butterflies you get low in your belly when you’re excited to see someone? Those are the ones I got when I turned around and saw Abel Lee sittin’ at my table. Mia walked past me and said, “You’re up,” before walkin’ into the kitchen. Mia usually waits on her family, so I was surprised she gave me Abel Lee to wait on. She probably thought he was there to see me. I didn’t tell her about our breakup, and I doubt Abel Lee did either.
My smile soon faded when he wouldn’t make eye contact with me. I miss ‘im and I think I might have reacted irrationally over the picture and note. I want to talk to ‘im, but he is makin’ it very difficult. He acts as though I meant nothin’ to ‘im. Maybe I thought I meant something more than I was. After the news came on the T.V. about Megan Rose, the entire diner grew somber.
When we close up the diner, Bill the cook walks me out to my car. Mia worked a regular shift, but I was the closer.
He waits until I drive off before he leaves. In this small community, no one feels safe with a killer at large. On the drive home, I don’t listen to the radio. I don’t want to hear anything else about Megan Rose. I need to stop over at her parents’ house and visit with ‘em. It’s just so hard and I never know what to say. It’s a sad situation, but I know it’s important to let them know I’m here if they need me.
When I get home, Ethan is on the front porch waitin’ for me. He walks off the steps to greet me.
“I was beginnin’ to worry,” he says as he walks off the porch towards my car.
“I told you I may be late. Sometimes customers stay late, and I get out later than normal, you know that.” I close the car door and walk around my car.
“I know, but they were talkin’ about…”
“Megan Rose? I know. I heard all about it at work.”
As Ethan and I walk up to the front porch, Abel Lee jogs past. I stop on the front porch, and watch ‘im. It’s dark and I can’t see his eyes, but I know he’s watchin’ me. Ethan waves and Abel Lee nods. I just watch. Ethan opens the screen door and holds it open for me.
“How was Sawyer Jackson?” I ask once Abel Lee passes.
“He was great. He’s feelin’ so much better. We played, we watched Toy Story, and after his bath he went to bed.”
“Thank you for watchin’ ‘im here. It makes it easier on me, and on ‘im. I hate draggin’ ‘im out so late at night.”
“This works out well for me, too, since Heather Sue and I split up.” He runs his hands through his hair. “I need to git goin’. I don’t like goin’ home late, since I’m stayin’ with Mom and Dad.” He puts his coat on and says, “I really do need my own place.”
“As soon as Heather Sue moves out, you can move back into your apartment.”
“That’d be nice. She said she thinks she found a house to rent.”
“Well, maybe you’ll be back in your apartment sooner than you think.”
Rose Farm Trilogy Boxset Page 21