I smile and rest my hand on my belly, rubbin’ lightly. “I was just gettin’ ready to tell Bob, here, that we changed our mind on the security thingy.” I turn to Bob and say, “My husband is a little over protective, Bob. Rose Farm don’t need no house that says, ‘Hey, look at me. I’m big and expensive,’“ I say, wavin’ my hand in the air like I’m tryin’ to get people’s attention. I hear a chuckle and I know it’s not comin’ from Bob. “I need to get to work, but my husband will be here if you have any questions.”
“Savannah Mae?” Abel Lee says as I turn to leave.
“Abel Lee, I ain’t livin’ in no house with braggin’ rights. A fence to keep the kids in the yard, yes. A fence to keep our friends and family out, no.” I walk away and shout over my shoulder. “Bob, don’t finish that gate-fence-security thingy. We don’t need it.”
“Yes, Ma’am, but what should we do with the brick posts that we’ve already built?”
“I don’t care, turn ’em into planters if you have to,” I yell over my shoulder. I’m so excited when I get back to the shop and see Mia gettin’ Harley out of the car. She was goin’ to be here only a couple days a week, but since we brought in a Pack ‘n Play, a small refrigerator, and a basket of toys and snacks for Harley, she’s here almost everyday. I grab the diaper bag and watch Harley smile brightly when he sees me. God, I love that boy.
We work steadily and we chat durin’ down time. The shop is busy and we are sellin’ a lot of the accent items we bought. Pillows, lamps, pictures, throws, area rugs, and we even added some picture frames, pottery, and knick-knacks. Mia steps in the office and texts Levi. When she comes out of the room, she’s laughin’.
“So, you didn’t wanna live in Fort Knox?”
We both laugh and Harley stirs from his nap. “Levi tell you that?”
“Abel called him earlier. You do know, it’s Abel’s way of protectin’ his family.”
“I do, but he’ll need to find another way. I just want to live in a modest log cabin. Not in a log cabin where people are intimidated to stop, or where you don’t feel welcome because you can’t get through the fence.”
“It’s a security gate,” she corrects.
“Exactly.”
Ethan walks in and looks around the room. “Dad wanted me to see what you’re runnin’ low on.”
“We sold out of oval coffee tables and end tables today.”
“Oh,” Mia says, “we also sold some lamps, and those cute outside chairs.”
“The rockers or the Adirondack chairs?”
“Rockers.”
When more customers come in, Ethan leaves. Mia and I play with Harley more than we work. I always thought workin’ at Peaches Place was the best job ever, I was wrong. Workin’ for yourself is the best job ever. Abel Lee and I gave Mia a raise when we saw how important she is to the business. She’s a natural and like me, she knows almost everyone. Plus, we get along so well and the business is doing great.
Abel Lee walks in and fear hits his face when he picks up a water bottle from the counter with a white paper napkin lyin’ next to it. “I was here all day and I didn’t see anyone leave it behind. It must be Ethan’s,” I quickly say to calm his fear.
Abel Lee walks to the door with the bottle of water, turns it upside down, and squeezes it. I’m grateful when nothin’ comes from a hole in the lid or anywhere else.
Mia stands with Harley. “Ethan must have left it there.”
“Maybe,” Abel Lee says, shuttin’ the door as he storms over to the workshop. Mia and I stand in silence as we watch him leave.
“He’s really worried about you, isn’t he?”
“He is. I think it’s all a reminder of his past.”
“I would hate to live like that. He’s a good man; it’d be nice if the past would stay in the past.”
“I know.”
The followin’ week is the big reveal for George Beatty’s piece of furniture the guys made for his dearest granddaughter. They wouldn’t let us see it. Well, they wouldn’t let Mia and me see it. Abel Lee was in there; they couldn’t keep him out of the workshop. There’s a lot ridin’ on this sale. If Mr. Beatty likes it, the sales that we have the potential to gain from him is high. He called Abel Lee and told him he was buying a vacation home in the country, and asked Abel Lee if we could accommodate him in furnishing the house. If he doesn’t like it, we also stand to lose any future sales from him in the future. He told Abel Lee they’ll talk more in depth at a later time. I’m sure he wants to see the furniture we made for his granddaughter, first.
Today is business as usual. Well, sort of. I dressed nicer than I normally would, and the guys seem more nervous than usual as they wait for the black Mercedes to arrive with George Beatty and his wife, Martha. When Johnny broke the leg off of the horse he’s been workin’ on, Abel Lee gave him the day off. Abel Lee actually gave all of the workers the day off. He didn’t want to chance another accident with a larger, more expensive piece. No one went home; they all stayed, anticipatin’ the arrival of the Beatty family. Mia is also here without Harley. Nelly is keepin’ him and Sawyer Jackson. Bud is down here with us.
When the black Mercedes pulls up, Mr. Beatty smiles as he climbs out of the backseat. He waves and we remain still. We watch as his wife gets out next. The driver gets a wheelchair from the trunk of the car. His dearest granddaughter is here. Emily Hope. I walk closer to the car as everyone stays behind. I’m not sure why I’m attracted to them. I’m a mother, maybe that’s why. I should offer to help them with her. Abel Lee rushes up and walks with me to the car. Mr. Beatty lifts his small granddaughter from the backseat and I watch as he carefully places her securely into the wheelchair. I stumble. She’s Sawyer Jackson’s age. I knew that, but I don’t think I thought much about it. She’s small, much smaller than I was thinkin’. I think of how much my life would change if Sawyer Jackson was confined to a wheelchair. Sadness fills my body for her, for the loss of her parents and for her grandparents. They lost a daughter and a son-in-law, and now their only granddaughter is confined to a wheelchair.
“Are you all right?”
I nod that I’m OK. I’m not, but I can’t tell him that. Actually, it’s a lie that I’m not OK. I am fine. In fact, I’m better than most people. It’s times like this that remind me of how blessed I really am. I always remember my blessings, but maybe I’m not as grateful I should be.
Once Emily is situated with a beautiful crocheted blanket spread carefully over her legs, they spin her wheelchair around so she is now facin’ us. Now, I wonder if the furniture Kevin and Ethan made is gonna be special enough. I haven’t seen it, and I didn’t have my doubts until this very second. Mr. Beatty introduces his dearest granddaughter to all of us.
“Emily Hope, are you ready to see what the guys made for you?” She giggles. “What’s so funny?” I ask.
She giggles again. “No one’s ever called me that before.”
“Called you what?” I’m still not sure what she’s talkin’ about. I didn’t call her nothin’.
“Emily Hope,” she giggles again. “I like it.” I look at her and realize that I called her by her first name and her middle name.
I smile and say, “Well, your middle name’s too pretty not to use.”
“Thank you. You’re really pretty and sweet, Savannah Mae.”
I smile. “Thank you. Come with us, we have something beautiful to show you.”
The guys, Mia, and I walk slowly as we make our way to the workshop. The guys have the items sittin’ outside, covered up with some of Nelly’s handmade quilts.
Kevin, Ethan, Johnny, and Rick all stand near the large covered item. I stand near the Beatty family with Abel Lee and Mia at my side. I’m excited and I can see by the smile on Emily Hope’s face that she is also just as excited. Mrs. Beatty, is also smilin’, but Mr. Beatty isn’t. I can’t tell from his facial expression what he’s thinkin’. He’s very serious lookin’.
Kevin talks about when he first met with George Beatty. “I
knew in the first few minutes how much he loved his dearest granddaughter. I went to the church later that night and prayed to God that he would guide me in makin’ the perfect item for her.” He looks down to Emily Hope. “The truth is, I had no idea what we were gonna create for you. I only knew that it had to be amazin’. I left the church and wasn’t any closer to knowin’ than I was earlier that day. So, I prayed again before goin’ to sleep.” He looks up at the elder Beatty’s. “You’ll be glad to know something came to me in my sleep.” Everyone laughs and I’m relieved. “It didn’t just take me and my son to make this; it took the entire crew to get it perfect.” He looks at Emily Hope and asks, “Are you ready?” She nods with excitement.
Johnny, Ethan, Rick, and Kevin each gently lifts a corner of the quilt and raises it carefully and slowly over the large piece of wooden furniture. Once it’s uncovered, I gasp. It’s beautiful and breathtakin’. I can’t look away. I can’t see the expression on the others’ faces because I can’t take my eyes off of the beautiful vanity. It has a beveled oval mirror, with two intricate angel carvin’s on each side of the mirror. One male and one female. Omigod. This is amazin’, this is beyond amazin’, this is incredible. I hear cryin’, and when I look over, Mr. Beatty is comfortin’ his wife in a gentle embrace.
We all watch as Emily Hope wheels her wheelchair right up to the solid oak vanity. It fits perfectly in the space where a bench or a chair would go. She opens the side drawers and everything is within her reach. I can see her huge smile from the reflection in the mirror. George and Martha walk up and get a closer look. Martha touches the angels softly. She outlines their wings, eyes, and lips. Each feather is carved to make it look real with feathery soft wings.
Kevin says, “I don’t know if you can tell,” he laughs, “I hope that you can. The angels both represent…”
“Mommy and Daddy,” Emily Hope says.
I wipe away a tear.
“Good, you can tell.” He looks relieved.
“It looks just like them, thank you,” Mrs. Beatty says.
“You’re very welcome. We had only a small picture to use as a model for them.”
“It’s perfect,” Mr. Beatty says.
Ethan says, “We also made a matchin’ bench in case you need it for later. These drawers are lined with purple velvet, so you can store your jewelry in them.” He walks up and opens the drawers.
“Purple’s my favorite color,” she says. She looks inside the opened drawer. “There’s something in there.”
Kevin helps to lead Rick up to the vanity and Ethan hands Rick the necklace that was in the drawer. “This isn’t my expertise, but I wanted to make you something.” Since Rick is blind, he feels the necklace with his hands and says, “I bought the chain and the gems, but I carved this infinity heart out of an old piece of pipe. I added some gems along the top of the heart.” He holds his hand out with the necklace and Mr. Beatty takes it. “I displayed, in order, a diamond, an emerald, an amethyst, a ruby, another emerald, a sapphire, and a topaz.”
Mr. Beatty asks, “It’s beautiful, but why are there two emeralds?”
“Because there are two e’s in ‘dearest.’ If you take the initials of those stones, it spells the word ‘dearest.’”
Mr. Beatty smiles sadly and shows his wife, before placin’ the necklace around his granddaughter’s neck. She raises her hand and lightly fingers the beautiful necklace. “Thank you. It’s lovely.”
Mrs. Beatty says. “Everything is. Everything is far better than we ever could have imagined.”
I can see the relief on the guys’ face. Abel Lee’s, too. They are all relieved. Johnny is figitin’ with his hands. “That’s not all. There’s still another surprise.”
Everyone looks at me and I nod to Johnny. “Go ahead, Johnny.” He shakes his head. “She’ll love it.”
He rolls his eyes and steps forward. “It’s just a little something I made. “It don’t much compare to this other stuff.” Everyone waits until he’s ready to show them what he’s made.
“Can I see it?” Emily Hope asks.
He walks closer to Emily Hope and pulls out a handmade wooden angel from his front coat pocket. He hands it to her and says, “It ain’t much.” He turns to walk away when Mrs. Beatty stops him.
“Wait a minute, Johnny” He stops and slowly turns around. “Johnny, did you make this by yourself?” She takes the angel from Emily Hope and inspects it carefully.
“Yes, Ma’am, I did. Everyone was makin’ your granddaughter something, and I wanted to make her something, too. I was hopin’ it would’ve turned out better than it did.” He moves a rock with his work boot, with his hands in his front coat pocket. He stares at the ground, not lookin’ at anyone.
I feel bad for him, and I just wanna rush over and hug him.
“Do you think you could make me a larger one? Something that stands up that I could put in my garden at home?”
Johnny looks up with disbelief in his eyes. “Really?’
“Yes.” She smiles lovingly. “But it has to be at least three feet tall. Do you think you can handle a job like that?”
Smilin’ he says, “Yes, Ma’am. I think I can.”
“Good, I have the perfect place for it at home.”
Mrs. Beatty inspects the vanity with her granddaughter, while Mr. Beatty shakes hands with the guys. He tells them how happy he is with everything. They discuss a price and Mr. Beatty pays much more than they ask. He pays for the chain, and the gems that Rick purchased to make the dearest necklace, in addition to payin’ him for his craftsmanship in makin’ such a beautiful piece of jewelry. I take the check and tell the guys I’ll divide the entire amount up between all of them. I explain that we don’t want a percentage of it. With the money the guys made from this one item, it’s more than most of them made the entire year before. When Abel Lee and Mr. Beatty talk about future business, Mia and I join Mrs. Beatty and Emily Hope at the vanity. Abel Lee will fill me in later on what Mr. Beatty and he talked about. It’s my business, but Abel Lee is still a huge part of it.
We take Mrs. Beatty into the shop, and she buys a few items. I’m excited when she purchases one of my framed sketches of a waterfall. This gives me hope that people like my artwork. I try to not show my excitement.
Abel Lee
We wave goodbye as the black Mercedes drives away. Everyone is standing outside of the shop, watching as the black Mercedes gets further and further away with our most important clients inside.
I talk to Rick Crooks about making jewelry for the shop and he quickly declines. Although the necklace he made was beautiful, he says it’s not his forte and he would rather stick with making the larger, bulkier items. I guess the “Old Man From the Mountain,” as he calls himself, doesn’t like making dainty or petite jewelry pieces. I’ll need to ask around and see if there’s a silversmith in the region looking for work. The jewelry pieces will be an ideal catalogue item and will be much easier to ship than the wooden furniture.
We all close up shop and head to Peaches Place for a celebratory dinner. We stop by and get Momma, Sawyer Jackson, and Harley first. Everyone calls their spouses and Johnny calls his momma to join us.
Today is a day to celebrate. Not only do we have a satisfied customer, but we are also guaranteed any future business or personal orders from Mr. Beatty and his business, Beatty Enterprises. I’m banking that word-of-mouth business will be coming in soon. I just hope we can keep up.
When we get to Peaches Place, Savannah Mae calls ahead and lets them know we are coming in with a large group of people. The restaurant is small and seating is limited. Looking in the window, we can see the waitresses are pushing tables together to accommodate everyone. A few of the guys are already here with their spouses.
We have a leisurely dinner and everyone is happy and laughing. We don’t talk about work, but we talk about family, love, and life. Momma shares a story about her friend Karen Fridge. “Her husband proposed to her with a 25¢ ring from the bubble gum machine. Before the
proposal, whenever anyone asked her was she married, she would say, ‘Nope, haven’t gotten my gumball machine ring yet.’ So on the 4th of July, her boyfriend proposed to her with a gumball ring. She joked about it not fittin’ and he said, ‘What about this one?’ He pulled a small black box out of his pocket and opened it to reveal a beautiful engagement ring inside.”
Rick shares a story about his ex-wife, Lou Ann Mohler: “Her mother once lost her wedding ring in the meat cooler at the grocery store. We had no idea where to start lookin’ since we didn’t know for certain that was where she lost it, but we went back and searched and there it was. She was so excited. We all thought it was long gone. This happened many years ago. I guess the health standards aren’t what they are today.” I guess not. People aren’t allowed to just walk inside a meat freezer at any store.
Kevin also shares a story about his sister, Lorraine McDonald, and his mom: “My mom was helping my sister transplant some flowers into some big planters. They must have done eight or more planters that day. When they were done, Mom couldn’t find the garnet ring she inherited from her mother. She was devastated! That fall, while cleanin’ out the planters, Ethan, who was two at the time, found it! When Mom and I tried to see what he had in his hand, he kept wavin’ his hand around and screamin’, ‘It’s mine!’ It took an ice cream cone bribe for Mom to get her ring back!”
Johnny’s mom, tells a story about losing her own wedding ring: “There’s always the infamous ring-down-the-drain story! I dropped my wedding set down the bathroom sink (I swear on the Bible it was not intentional!) and me being the superwoman I am, I decided that if my husband could take the drain off, then why couldn’t I? And I did! Only to find out that there are other factors involved when putting old pipes back together again and that sometimes it’s best to just let the man do it.” She adds with a sad smile. “Since his death, I am forever grateful I tore the drain apart to get it, even if it did make a mess. Later, I watched a video on YouTube about how to get a ring from a sink drain without taking the plumbing apart. If I had known that, I would have been so happy.”
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