by Sable Hunter
Lauren didn’t look convinced. “Matilda’s story is a sad one. She died in childbirth.”
Glory felt a knifelike pain lance through her heart. “Oh.” She didn’t need to know that. “How sad.” Maybe that’s why the ghost had spoken to her, she recognized a kindred spirit when she saw one. The thought gave Glory shivers.
After that, Lauren bid her goodnight. “Make yourself at home. The bathroom is fully stocked. I’ll be back early in the morning. Don’t go before we can talk.”
Glory didn’t make any promises.
*
Not too far away…T sat at the back of the room at the meeting, not his usual outgoing and friendly self. A few people enquired with Danny as to what was wrong and he felt the need to lie to protect his friend’s pride.
“He’s just feeling under the weather,” he assured at least three people that night, knowing in the back of his mind just like T did, that everyone could see what had happened. Oh, there was no judgment in a place like this, but the meeting did little more for T than make him feel even worse about himself than he already did.
“Should we swing by and grab your truck?” Danny asked as they pulled out of the church parking lot.
T only looked out the window, feeling sorry for himself in a big way. “Would it be okay if I stayed with you for another night? I don’t think I could face her right now. I’ll go home after work tomorrow, or maybe just get a room somewhere for a bit. She needs a place to stay more than I do.”
“Yeah, T. Of course. For as long as you need. You know that.”
The pain of T’s hangover had been helped by a stop at Toussaint’s for a greasy burger, fries, and a vanilla shake. It had always been a favorite haunt of his after a stop at the Happy Gator. Familiar things and a full belly hadn’t helped, the night brought little sleep for T-Rex. Long ago he’d figured out a way to sleep on furniture that was too small for him, but tonight, the annoyance seemed exacerbated. His big feet hung over the edge of his host’s couch and struggle as he may, T just couldn’t find a comfortable way to sleep. He decided to leave Danny’s early, walk down to the corner and call a cab to drive him over to retrieve his truck. He had to work this morning and T wasn’t the kind of man to miss that kind of obligation.
A little while later, T was standing outside of Corps headquarters, waiting on his partner. Revel got out of his truck with a smile. “Damn Beaumont. Am I that late? You’re never here before me.” He checked his watch. He was right on time.
T didn’t have much to say in response. Revel probably knew him better than anyone else on this planet and he just hoped his best friend didn’t see the pain he was in.
“Glory like beards?”
The mention of her name drove a spike into T’s heart. “Forgot to shave this morning.” He rubbed the coarse growth on his face.
“It’s rugged. I may give it a try.”
“Don’t bother. You aren’t the man I am, Jones.” T joked, hoping to get to work. “You’d only embarrass yourself.”
“What’d you do to your hand?”
“Cut it shaving.”
T’s response made no sense considering their topic of discussion, but Revel could see his friend was off today, so he just let it slide. “Let’s go to work.”
*
Glory slept fitfully at the shelter, but still managed to get some rest. In order to escape questions for which she had no answer, Glory decided to avoid seeing Lauren again. Rising early, she refilled her water bottles, bid a sleepy Tilly goodbye, and hit the road. The only other stop she made in New Iberia was the church where T attended AA meetings. Glory didn’t really know why she was drawn to the place, it wasn’t a Catholic church. Maybe she just needed to feel close to him one more time. Easing up to the sanctuary door, she’d been thankful to find it open. With careful, quiet steps, Glory walked down the aisle to the altar. Feeling penitent, she bowed on her knees and asked God to help her, to forgive her for her sins, and to protect her and the baby as she tried to make a new life for herself and her child. She also prayed for wisdom, for God to give her the answer as to where she should go and what she should do. Almost…almost she asked for God to give her T-Rex, to change his mind and to send him to rescue her and bring her home.
But she didn’t.
A selfish prayer wouldn’t be heard.
Instead, she prayed that he’d be safe and happy.
On the way out of the chapel, Glory kept her head down, not realizing she was about to bump into someone until she did – almost knocking a little lady off her feet. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “Oh, it’s you!” She smiled, remembering the old lady who’d sat near her at the AA meeting. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
“No. No. I’m good. How are you? I didn’t see you at the meeting last night.”
“No, I wasn’t there.”
“What are you doing here today?” the little woman pressed.
“I just needed to talk to God, ask his help and opinion on a few things. You know?”
“Yes, I do.”
Glory kept walking, anxious to be on her way. The woman followed her. “Hey, where are you headed? You wouldn’t give me a lift to St. Martinsville, would you? I’d love to visit my sister.”
“Sorry, I’m on foot, heading toward Jeanerette.”
“Hitchhiking is dangerous,” the woman cautioned.
“Oh, I don’t hitchhike anymore, I just hike. I think better when I’m walking and I have a lot of things to think about.”
“Well, be careful and come back to a meeting soon. We’ll be waiting for you.”
Glory bid the woman goodbye, then set out to travel south. She still didn’t know where she’d end up, but she hoped the answer would come to her soon.
Living with PAH had its challenges. Glory clasped the straps of her backpack, giving her hands something to do to keep from allowing the normal movement of swinging them back and forth. She’d been taught that exercising her arms and legs at the same time could be dangerous for her heart. With a sigh, she conceded that most things were dangerous for her heart. At least there were no hills in sight, South Louisiana was a blessing in that respect, flat as a proverbial flitter.
Her walk from New Iberia to Jeanerette would take all day. Eleven miles. Eleven miles through mesmerizing sugar cane fields, wet bottom land, and by groves of oaks with a hundred-fifty foot spread and moss hanging down a yard long from their branches. Truly a land of contrasts. Glory was experiencing her own contrasts. She’d walk a mile, crying along the way, reliving moments with T, thinking about their baby. Next, she’d go another mile, angry at herself for making such a mess of her life and angry at T-Rex for not having the courage to face his fears. After that, she’d go another mile daydreaming about a miracle, how she would survive this pregnancy, give birth to a beautiful child, and marry the man of her dreams. The emotional upheaval she put herself through was as taxing as the walkabout.
When she finally made it to Jeanerette or Sugar City, as it was known, her footsteps led her to the LeJeune Bakery, where a HELP WANTED sign taped to the window of the red brick building drew her eye. When she entered, wonderful smells of fresh baked bread and cinnamon filled the air. There were three people standing at the counter, impatiently waiting to be served, and one frustrated middle-aged attendant who seemed to have her hands full.
“Look, all I want is a meat pie, Sybil. I’ve been standing here for five minutes. I can see the dang thing,” the man pointed at the glass container that showcased pies, cakes, cookies, and donuts. Only the supply seemed to be running low and between the customers in front of her, and the one screaming on the phone, Sybil seemed about ready to pull her hair out.
“Hold on a dang minute, Fred! Can’t you see I’m doing the best I can?!”
“Well, I can’t wait too much longer, Sybil,” another woman spoke up, her arms folded, the handle of her heavy purse making a big crease in her spindly arm, “I have company coming tonight and I need a coconut pie. Pronto!”
; “It’s too late for me to be baking something, Rochelle. Can’t you just pick something up from the counter!” She pointed at the baked goods, then returned to her phone call. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Mrs. Grigsby, I know little Herman wanted special animal cookies for his party, but I just can’t get to it. I’m shorthanded and running behind!”
Glory recognized opportunity when she saw it. Hurrying up, she pushed to the forefront. “Let me help.” To Sybil’s disbelief, she came behind the counter, took a paper napkin and handed Fred his meat pie. Looking at the price in front of the savory delicacies, she announced. “Two-fifty, sir.”
Fred harrumphed, but he took his pie. Glory also waited on another gentleman who was a bit better behaved than the other customers. He just wanted a donut and a cup of coffee. His order was easily filled. Easing up to Sybil, she whispered, “I can make a coconut pie and sugar cookies for you, no problem.”
“You’ve got the job,” Sybil answered, her hand over the talking end of the old-fashioned landline telephone.
“Oh, I’m just passing through. But I’ll help you get caught up in exchange for something to eat.”
“You got it, honey-chil’. If you can cook, I just might keep you.”
Over the next three hours, Glory immersed herself in a task she loved. Baking. When she was rolling out pie crusts, stirring up filling, or kneading cookie dough – she was happy. As she worked, she nibbled on two meat pies and sipped a glass of iced tea, syrupy with sugar. Soon, she had a coconut pie, a chocolate sheet cake, and five dozen dinosaur-shaped cookies. T-Rexes.
“Oh, those are beautiful! Let’s put the extras in the freezer. I’ll take them out in a couple of days and bake them. I bet folks will snap them up!”
At the end of the day, Glory had filled all of Sybil’s backorders and baked up enough extra to give her a good head start on the days ahead. “I was serious, Glory Bee. You’ve got a job here if you want it.”
Temptation rose in front of Glory like a cloud of steam. How easy it would be to say ‘yes’, to accept a job doing something she loved. A job that would keep her in the area, near enough, but not so close to T that they would run into one another. But this walkabout was turning into more than just finding another place to be or fulfilling T’s wish that she be gone from his presence. Glory found that she needed the time and the very act of moving away from the scene of her sorrow to come to terms with her possible mortality, to see if she could find any vestiges of hope in a hopeless situation.
“Thank you, Sybil. I appreciate your offer so much.” She picked up her backpack, filled this time with more than just water bottles and snack food. Her wannabe employer had given her all the goodies she could carry.
“Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find LeJeune Bakery.”
Glory hugged Sybil. “I can’t thank you enough. If I come back this way, I just might do that.” Her intention had been to ask Sybil if she could crash on her couch, but her offer had sparked dangerous hopes and dreams, castles in the air that she knew would vanish like a mirage if she stared at them too long.
“You can’t leave now, Glory. Just look at that lightning in the distance, the storm’s coming this way.”
“I’ll be okay. I’ve walked in the rain before.” Almost as if she were running from a nightmare, Glory left as quickly as possible. But her efforts to outrun her turmoil only seemed to compound it. Every step she took the thoughts ran rampant through her head –
T didn’t want her.
He didn’t want their baby.
The baby she couldn’t give up.
Even if she didn’t survive to see it born.
As she walked, the clouds opened and the sky began to weep. Glory didn’t know if the drops she wiped from her face were rain or tears.
*
T had tried his best to throw himself into his work, but he just couldn’t focus. Glory was on his mind as she’d been endlessly now it seemed. He’d spent the entire day avoiding Revel, working as far as humanly possible from him as he could. Staying out of his partner’s way hadn’t been difficult today, since their time had been spent testing pump stations. At lunch, T found a shop where he bought a pair of jeans, a few shirts, and underwear and socks. He still didn’t know what he was going to do about Glory, but he wanted to be ready if he was out of the house for a while longer.
“Everything okay?” Revel inquired when it was time to go. “You’ve been awfully quite today.”
“I’m good.”
“Glory keeping you up all night?”
“Yeah.” T offered a weak laugh to mask his problems. “Something like that. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He pulled Revel in for a hug, he was the closest thing T had to family anymore and it felt good to have him near.
Revel winced a touch. “Easy big fella.”
T loosened his grip. “Sorry.”
Something was wrong with T, Revel had felt it all day, but he knew his friend, if T didn’t want to talk, he wouldn’t, so Revel let sleeping dogs lie and headed home, leaving T sitting behind the wheel of his truck in the parking lot.
“This is stupid.” T turned the engine over in his truck and put it in Drive. “You’re a grown ass man. You can’t run from your problems forever. Go home, talk to her, and figure this thing out like adults.”
What ‘figure it out like adults’ meant, T didn’t know, but he’d spent too much of his life running from things and this was something he couldn’t and shouldn’t run from.
Woof!
WOOF!
T felt like he’d been away for a year and the recognizable bark of his buddy Buford, made him feel better instantly.
The kitchen light was on in the house, but it had an eerie still look to it.
“Just go to the door and knock.” It might seem odd that he felt the need to knock at his own home, but in T’s mind, this was Glory’s place right now and he respected that. “She’ll come answer the door and you just tell her you want to talk.”
He couldn’t believe how nervous he was, T’s palms were actually sweating.
Knock! Knock!
The scrambling of Buford’s nails on the wood floor was loud enough to be heard through the door and it brought a smile to T’s face. It would be good to see the big goof.
Buford came to the door and began barking louder and louder, but still there was no answer.
T tried again, this time harder.
Knock! Knock!
Again, there was no answer, just Buford protesting the noise. Maybe Glory was in the shower or lying down. It was early in the evening, but she was pregnant and T knew she’d been tired lately. He hated to just barge in like this, but he took his keys from his pocket and unlocked the front door. T beamed at the sight of his furry friend. “Hey buddy.” Buford jumped up to greet his master with his big, wagging tail swinging behind him. Normally T would have corrected this show of bad manners but at the moment, he was more than happy to let it go. “Did you miss me, boy?” He was apprehensive to come inside right away. “Glory!” he called in. “It’s T. I just want to talk to you if that’s okay.” He rubbed Buford behind the ears, the big clumsy puppy lapping up the attention. “Glory!”
T moved into the house and kicked his shoes off. The place was immaculate from what he could see, almost as if nobody had been here while he was gone.
He walked into the kitchen and went to the fridge. He hadn’t fully recovered from the hangover and he needed some water. Buford stood at the fridge with him, his big baleful eyes staring lovingly up at his master.
“I missed you too, buddy. You need a drink?”
T walked around the island in the kitchen to get Buford’s water dish. On the floor were five large Tupperware containers. Two of them were empty, but three still had kibble piled in them and scattered around the floor. Beside the food was a massive Rubbermaid container that was half full of water.
It only took T a moment to realize what this was about. “Glory? Where are you?” He did a quick s
earch of the house, his loyal puppy on his heels the entire time, but neither one of them was able to locate the lady of the house.
There were five dishes with food and two were already empty. T knew his dog well, Buford would eat one bowl of food a day, no matter how big or small the bowl you put out for him was, he’d eat only one. A sick feeling rose in his gut.
Glory was gone.
By the looks of things, she must’ve decided to split not long after T had run off after their fight. She’d probably only lingered long enough after his departure to gather her stuff and make sure Buford was okay for a few days in case T didn’t come back right away.
I don’t want to have anything to do with the two of you.
You want me to leave?
Yea, you might need to think about making other arrangements.
He plopped down on the couch, his head in his hands. “Oh, God, no. This isn’t what I wanted. Hell, I didn’t even mean it when I told her to leave. I didn’t think she’d really go.” The truth hit him like a freight train, a truth he’d been fighting. He wanted Glory and their baby.
“Where is she?”
Maybe. Maybe.
Jumping up, T ran out of the house and down to the houseboat. There was no rational reason for Glory to have moved in there, but he had to check.
“Shit!” T cursed into the open air when he found it empty.
He ran back up to the house and picked up his cell to call her. “Please, baby. Pick up.”
The phone rang once, rang twice, and then rang a third time, but still no answer. On the fourth ring, T heard it, a faint noise coming from down the hall. He took the phone down from his ear and listened more intently. There was a ringing coming from his bedroom and when he pushed open the door, he saw the phone on top of his dresser, illuminating the dark room.
T felt his stomach tie up in a knot. He hated to think she didn’t have a phone. Hell, she couldn’t even call him if she needed to – or wanted to. Walking closer, he picked the cell up and that was when he noticed a picture. T picked it up and even in the dim light, he could see what it was - the ultrasound she’d shown him the other day.