I look out the large slidin’ glass door at the lanai, the in-ground pool, and the ocean. I’ve never seen the ocean before. I want to be happy — but mad — and excited about bein’ here. Although I can’t help feelin’ betrayed, never did I ever imagine I would be stayin’ in a place like this. Openin’ the glass doors, I inhale the salty air. For it bein’ fall, it’s still quite warm.
“Where’s my room?” Sawyer Jackson asks a little too loudly.
I turn around and see Abel Lee watchin’ me. I wish he was standin’ here with his arms wrapped around me, but I’m still mad at him.
“Let’s go and find our bedrooms, Buddy.”
As I walk past Abel Lee, he reaches his hand out for me and says, “You take the master bedroom, and I’ll take one of the other ones.”
I open my mouth to say something, but he turns and walks away. He struggles but manages to get all of my luggage in one trip. Now he’s makin’ me feel bad. I walk around the upstairs with Sawyer Jackson. He is excited and happy. This will probably be the only time he’ll get to vacation like this. I need to make sure he enjoys it while he can.
“Did you find the bedroom you want?”
After examinin’ each bedroom, he says, “Yep. I want the one with the fishies on the walls.”
I remember seein’ that room, but I have no idea where. This house is huge. I think I have seen three bathrooms and four bedrooms so far. I see Abel Lee and he is carryin’ only his and Sawyer Jackson’s luggage. I’ll need to search the house to find out where mine is. He probably hid it from me.
“Where’s your room, Sawyer Jackson?” he asks.
Sawyer Jackson runs down the long wide hallway until he gets to a bedroom. “Can I have this room?”
Abel Lee smiles. “You can have any room you want except your momma’s room.” He walks into the room and sets Sawyer Jackson’s bag down on the bed. “You take this room, and I’ll take the room across the hall from you.”
I cut the tour of the house short, and peek into the bedroom and watch as Sawyer Jackson jumps on the oversized bed. I clear my throat and say, “Excuse me?”
“Sorry, Momma. This bed is just so, so soft.”
“Do you do that at home?”
“No.”
“Then don’t do it here.” I watch as he sits on the bed and looks around the amazin’ room. “Put your swimsuit on and I’ll take you swimmin’.”
“Yay. Can we go crawdad huntin’, too?”
I wish. “No, Buddy. There’s no crawdads at this house.”
I find my luggage placed neatly on a over-sized white canopy bed. I peek inside before walkin’ into the bedroom. The room is vast with overly large furniture. It has a bathroom that’s the same size as the bedroom… well, it’s almost the same size. When I open the lanai door and walk out onto the balcony that overlooks the pool, I inhale deeply. The pool, the landscape, the palm trees, and the ocean are just beautiful. I don’t think I could have ever imagined this beautiful scenery. You really have to see it to believe it. I’m so grateful that I brought my sketchpad with me. I never want to forget this view.
How can people afford to live like this? What do people do with this much space? I turn around and admire the beautiful room. It truly is a dream home. A knock sounds at the opened bedroom door.
“I’m taking Sawyer Jackson down for a swim while you change.”
I’m walkin’ towards him and wonderin’ why he’s knockin’ on the door. “Okay, I’ll hurry.”
“No hurry. Do you like your room?” He doesn’t walk in, but stands at the door. This feels awkward.
“Yes, what isn’t there to love?”
“Good. We’ll meet you outside when you’re ready.”
As soon as they walk downstairs, I move my luggage out of the master bedroom and into one of the smaller bedrooms. I feel disconnected from Sawyer Jackson and Abel Lee. I’m not accustomed to all of this space. I don’t like feelin’ like I’m so far away from ’em, even if I am mad at Abel Lee. I choose the bedroom that is right beside Sawyer Jackson’s. Just like at home.
I brought a black one-piece swimsuit with a black and white cover-up. When I walk outside, Sawyer Jackson and Abel Lee are splashin’ each other in the pool. A fruit platter and some drinks are sittin’ on the outside table. Abel Lee has a bottle of water sittin’ on the edge of the pool nearest him.
“Food? Where did you get food?” I pick up a strawberry and take a bite.
“I rented the house with a fully stocked kitchen. Whatever you need should be in there. Help yourself.”
I take the last bite of the strawberry before gettin’ into the pool. I can’t help but stare out into the ocean. It is amazin’, and I thought the Ohio River was big.
Sawyer Jackson splashes me, and when I turn around, Abel Lee is laughin’.
“That’s funny?”
“I didn’t do anything.” He raises his hands out of the water so I can see ’em.
“You’re laughin’, you think that’s funny?”
“Yeah, a little.”
Once I stop focusin’ on bein’ mad at Abel Lee, I’m able to enjoy myself in the pool. When I look at Abel Lee, I no longer see the stress lines in the corners of his eyes or on his forehead. It’s the first time in what seems like a long time I’ve actually seen him relaxed.
After a swim in the pool, we walk down on the beach to swim and to look for seashells. Sawyer Jackson picks up all of the seashells, even the broken ones. I pick up the white and the black sea rocks. Abel Lee searches the water’s edge. He calls us over to see what he found.
“Oh, a sand dollar, can we keep it?” I ask excitedly as I reach my hand into the water to retrieve it.
“Not the dark ones, this guy’s still alive.”
I quickly pull my hand back and he laughs. “They won’t hurt you.”
“I know,” I lie.
“If you ever find the white or light-colored ones, you can keep those ones. They’re white because the sun bleached them.”
We watch, and the sand dollar doesn’t move.
“He moves slower than a turtle,” Sawyer Jackson says as he continues his search for sea shells.
Abel Lee and I walk in an uncomfortable silence along the overlappin’ water. “You know, I’m sorry you’re not happy about being here.”
I can hear the sincerity in his voice. “I just think it’s a little extreme is all. To take a leave of absence from my job, and to pull my son out of school. It just seems like it’s…”
“Severe?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t know how else to keep you and Sawyer Jackson safe.”
“That’s exactly what I’m talkin’ about.” I look behind his shoulder and watch as my son runs along the shoreline. “We don’t even know for sure what or whom we’re runnin’ from.”
“You saw the picture, and I saw the fear on your face before you ran out of the room.” I recall the night of my birthday when I read the note and saw the picture of Abel Lee’s ex-girlfriend. I was scared. I can’t deny that. “Let’s just give Tony and Mack, the police department, and the P.I. some time, and if they can’t find who is sending these threats, we’ll leave and go home.”
I know he’s tryin’ and I love ’im for it, but I don’t like this plan. “One week?”
“Maybe two.”
I withdrew Sawyer Jackson from school, but in all reality, he won’t miss so much school that he can’t go back and make it up. I chose to withdraw him because I didn’t want him to fall too far behind in his studies. Now, I’m thinking, a small vacation leave may have been better. He could have done his class work while we are here. Still, with another year of growth, he won’t be one of the smallest students in his class.
I look at Sawyer Jackson then I look up at the mansion and think to myself. I can live here for two weeks or maybe even a lifetime, easily. “Two weeks and I want boxin’ lessons.”
He tries to hide his smile. “I’ll be your sparring partner every morning and thank you
for not fighting me on this.”
“Don’t thank me yet. I plan on kickin’ your ass in the ring tomorrow and everyday for the next two weeks.” He laughs. “When I get done with you, you’re gonna wish you were fightin’ Bobby Grether.”
Abel Lee
I smile to hide my laugh. Savannah Mae has forgiven me and I’m grateful. She’s also threatening to kick my ass and I think I like it. I love her sassiness.
“Don’t get all quiet and scared on me now that you know my plan to take you out in the ring.”
“We’ll see about that.” I take her by the hand and we sort through Sawyer Jackson’s broken sea shells into piles of really broken ones to ones not as broken. He loves them all and wants to keep even the small pieces. We see dolphins from the shore, and he and Savannah Mae get excited.
“What do you want to do for dinner? Eat in, or eat out?”
“Either is fine with me,” she says.
Sawyer Jackson runs ahead and says, “Can we eat outside by the pool?”
I look at Savannah Mae and she asks, “Do we have dinner foods here to make?”
“I ordered and paid for groceries. I assume everything I ordered is here.”
“Looks like we’re stayin’ in then.”
The house is huge. I’m not sure what I was thinking when I reserved it. I guess I wasn’t thinking. I found a place and booked it. The sooner I got them out of Rose Farm, the better. After we all shower, Sawyer Jackson plays in the game room, while Savannah Mae and I fix dinner. Savannah Mae goes through the kitchen cabinets, refrigerator, and freezer and takes note of what we need. It looks like we’ll need to leave tomorrow to get a few items from the store. My grocery shopping skills are improving, although they’re still lacking. I can go to the grocery store for milk and come back with $100 worth of food, but forget to buy milk. And when I make a grocery list for someone else to get the things I need, I tend to leave a few necessities off the list. Looks like this time I remembered breakfast cereal but not milk.
We cook everything outside on the grill. Sawyer Jackson changes back into his swimming trunks and swims in the pool. Savannah Mae dangles her manicured feet in the pool while I grill the food; she looks relaxed.
After dinner we watch the sunset and walk on the beach. It’s a private beach and it feels very secluded this time of year. It’s still too hot for the snowbirds, and it’s too late in the year for vacationers.
We make popcorn and watch a movie called Dolphin Tale. It’s a perfect movie to watch while staying on the beach in Florida. The chairs are theater style, and I wish we were on a big over-stuffed couch. Sawyer Jackson falls asleep and Savannah Mae tries to rest her head on my shoulder. I inhale her scent and smooth her soft blond hair and brush it away from her face. She’s beautiful and I love her.
“Don’t like the movie?” Savannah Mae whispers.
“I do, I just like watching you more.”
“We can finish this movie tomorrow if you wanna go to bed.”
“Sure. You get the bowls and I’ll get Sawyer Jackson.” I walk through the house carrying Sawyer Jackson and checking the doors, shutting off the lights and then ensuring the security system is on. I put Sawyer Jackson to bed, and Savannah Mae ignores the master bedroom and walks into the small bedroom I chose for myself when she suggested we all get our own bedrooms. “What are you doing in there?”
“Going to bed,” she says quizzically.
“I see that, but did you forget about the master bedroom?” I nod in the direction of the larger bedroom down the hall.
“No. I didn’t forget. Would you be too upset if we slept in here? This house is so big and that bedroom is so far away from Sawyer Jackson. I just want to make sure we’re close enough in case something happens.” She looks down the hallway and says, “I’m afraid he won’t be able to find us.”
“No, that’s fine. This room’s good.” I leave Sawyer Jackson’s door cracked and I also leave our door cracked. Just like we do at home. Although this is still the smaller room, it’s still twice the size of our bedroom at home.
We make love and lie awake wrapped in each other’s arm. “I’ve missed this.” Savannah Mae’s been pretty mad at me the last couple days.
“Me, too.”
“You’re no longer mad?”
She inhales deeply. “I’ll be glad when this is all over, and we can get back to our non-complicated life.”
“Me, too. Tomorrow, I need to try harder to get ahold of Maria. Maybe after we visit the gym, I’ll make a few phone calls. I also need to touch base with Tony and Mack.”
“That sounds good. I’m sure I can find something in this mansion to occupy myself and Sawyer Jackson.” I can see the humor in her eyes.
“I was wanting to talk to you about something.”
“Abel Lee, you can talk to me about anything.”
She says that now. I clear my throat. “In a month or two, the furniture store is going to be opened for business.”
“I know, that’s exciting.” She shifts so she is looking at me.
“We haven’t talked about who’s going to run it.”
“I thought you would work there. I have my job at Peaches Place.”
I readjust. “I was hoping we could work there together.”
She thinks for a moment. “Abel Lee, I think you’d get mighty sick of me if we spent every wakin’ moment together. Plus, I already have a job at Peaches.”
“I was thinking about hiring Mia, too. She can bring Harley to work with her.”
She removes her arm from around my mid-section. “Why do I feel like you don’t want me working at Peaches?”
“That’s not it at all. I just know that the furniture store will take a woman’s touch, and I clearly am no woman.”
She giggles. “No, you’re certainly not.” She pauses as if she’s in deep thought.
“Did I say something wrong? I just thought since we were getting married, the store will be both of ours and we both could manage it.”
“Abel Lee?” She pauses. “I can’t quit my job yet.”
“Sure you can. You can quit whenever you want.”
She turns completely on her side so she is facing me. I mimic her pose. I think she has something to tell me and it’s important. “Don’t be mad at me.”
Shit, this can’t be good. “I can never be mad at you.”
“There’s this poem that my mom gave to me and my sister when we were little. It’s kind of like a bible for women. It’s called ‘A Woman Should Have’ by Pamela Redmond Satran. Have you ever heard it?”
“No. I never have.”
“Bein’ your Momma has only boys, I reckon you haven’t. Samantha Marie and I try to live by that poem.” She pulls the covers up over her shoulders. “It talks about things every woman needs in her life. Matchin’ dinner plates, know when to try and know when to walk away. It also talks about havin’ enough money to get out and get an apartment if you ever need to.”
I watch her and search her eyes. “Are you afraid this marriage won’t work?”
“No, don’t ever think that. But if something happens, I don’t have the money I need to make it on my own. I have a son and havin’ the finances to support him until I can get on my own means everything. I was in good shape until Ethan and I split up. I’ve been tryin’ to put money back and build up my funds, but it’s takin’ a lot longer than I expected.”
“You had an emergency fund when you were married?” Of course she did. That’s how she managed so long on her own.
“I told you this poem is like a woman’s bible. I have everything that she has listed except the money.”
“If you work for me, for us, you’ll still get a paycheck. This is our business, we’ll be married. Savannah Mae, you currently have and always will have access to everything I have.”
She blinks and smiles. “Thank you.”
“Honestly, if something happens between us, you’ll have nothing to worry about. If it comes down to our marriage not working
out, or you want me out, I’ll leave, but you and Sawyer Jackson will be very well taken care of.” I reach my hand up and touch her soft lip. “I swear, you never have to worry about being stranded, or stuck. With me or without me, I will always take care of you both.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
I think for a minute and I know this is important to her. “How much more money do you need to be secure?”
“A little over two hundred dollars.” She tucks her hand under her head. “Since you’ve been at the house, I’ve been able to save extra money. Once I have a little over two hundred dollars added to what I’ve already saved, I’ll have enough money to get an apartment and pay for utilities until I can get a job, if I ever need to for me and my son.”
I think any other man would feel like maybe she thinks this relationship won’t work, but I understand her way of thinking. At least half of all marriages in the United States fail, which makes me think that perhaps some people ought to spell MARRIAGE as MIRAGE. When her first marriage failed, I know she struggled and worried about providing for her son. Savannah Mae will probably always fear that she won’t be able to provide properly for Sawyer Jackson. Not that they need much, but she fears even the bare minimum will be out of her reach. I can’t imagine having a daily battle within yourself that a day will come and you’ll fail to provide for your child. I could offer her the money she needs, but she wouldn’t take it. Savannah Mae feels the need to do this on her own.
“Okay. I understand your need to do this. When you get the money you need to feel secure, then can we be business partners?”
She smiles. “And not a day sooner.”
Savannah Mae
We make love again before we fall into a deep and peaceful sleep.
I wake up to the smell of bacon. God, I love bacon. Of course, Abel Lee isn’t in bed with me. I throw on my robe and check my phone for any messages. Nothin’ from home, so I decide to text Brea. She lives in Florida and I’m excited to be close enough to visit with her. It’s been too long since I last saw her. It’s later than I thought. In my small home back in Rose Farm, I would have heard Sawyer Jackson and Abel Lee talkin’. This house is much bigger and I didn’t hear anything. Not even the sound of the coffee brewin’.
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