A Life Worth Fighting

by Brenda Kennedy

  “I do,” I say, confidently.

  She drinks some more and nods. “You’ll need to change into work clothes and don’t forget the power washer.” I watch as she sashays off wearing her pink flowing summer dress and heels. Yeah, I’ll soon be regretting this.

  I clean the restrooms. I hate cleaning the restrooms. I know it’s her way to ensure I won’t be back tomorrow. Then she has me power wash the parking lot and the outside of the bookstore on this hot, hot day. I get a glimpse of Leah smiling at me through the picture window. I smile, wipe the sweat from my face, and tip my ball cap to her. Yeah, she got me, and she got me good, but I’m not about to admit defeat just yet. When I hear tapping on the glass, I look up. Leah is waving me to come in. Food run, no doubt. I don’t put the power washer away; I leave it out on the sidewalk near the building but away from the entrance door. I wipe the sweat from my forehead again and readjust my ball cap before walking into the air-conditioned building.

  Leah is standing there with a bottle of water for me. “Hot out there?” she asks, sweetly. She has recently put on a white sweater over her sundress. The air conditioning feels good and I down the water without answering her. She’s up to something.

  “Are you hungry?” I am, but should I admit that?

  “Why?” I ask suspiciously.

  “Jo stocked the refrigerator with turkey breast, vegetables, fresh fruits, yogurts, and juice. I thought we could eat lunch together.”

  Is she serious or is this a trap? She takes my dirty, sweaty hand and leads me into the back room. She's serious. My sweet Leah is back and I’m happy. I wash my hands while she sets everything out on the break room table.

  “Is Bethany eating with us?”

  “No, she ate first while I watched the shop. I wanted to eat with you.”

  “Really?” I ask, drying off my hands.

  “Yes, Jo left me this note this morning and I feel bad.”

  She holds up a small card for me to read. Bobby, I got some of the items we talked about for Leah and the baby. I’m still working on recipes that are healthier and delicious for them. They are lucky to have you. Jo.

  She says, “I think she left this for you; not me.”

  “It’s addressed to Bobby and you think it was meant for you?” I laugh.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Are you sorry for reading a personal note from Jo to me or are you sorry for being a slave driver when all I was trying to do was watch over and protect you?”

  “Both.” She walks over and wraps her arms around me. “Can I blame it on overactive hormones?”

  “Is that your best defense?”

  “It is. I’ll need more time to come up with something else.”

  “Overactive hormones is good.” I kiss her and she responds to me like she always does. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “Did you tell Jo that I was pregnant?”

  “No, I think it was your overactive hormones that gave it away yesterday.”

  “She is very perceptive,” Leah admits.

  “She is and she wants what’s best for you and the baby.” I smile.

  Leah and I have lunch in the back room together and I am glad to see her eating so well. I down three bottles of water trying to quench my thirst.

  “Robert, we need to talk,” she says while picking at a piece of cheese on her sandwich.

  “Okay, I’m listening.”

  “You can’t come here and sit with me every single day. Do you want me at your boxing practices and fights?”

  “No, but I need to make sure you and the baby are safe.”

  She smiles. “I appreciate that, I really do. But I need you to believe that if something happens, I’ll do the right thing.”

  “I know you will. I just want to keep you both safe.”

  “I know you do, but coming in here and sitting with me every day isn’t the answer.”

  “What if you need me and I’m not here?”

  “Ace, I’ll always need you. But if something happens, I know what to do and I’ll call you right away.”

  “Right away?”

  “Yes, I promise.”

  “I’m still driving you to work and setting up the tables in the morning.” Leah opens her mouth to argue and I say, “It’s not negotiable.”

  “Okay.”

  Leah

  Robert and I stop by the store on the way home. I want to get Bethany something for her recent engagement. Robert hates shopping for this kind of stuff, so I make sure we visit several different stores. I had everything I needed in the first two shops. I just love sweet revenge.

  Later that night Robert showers while I take a bubble bath. When he is done showering, he gets into the bathtub with me. I lean forward and he climbs in behind me. The water sloshes over the sides of the tub, but he doesn’t care. I lean back into him and he kisses my head. “This is nice,” I admit.

  He moans but doesn’t say a word. Robert always showers first before he takes a bath with me. It isn’t very often, but sometimes he’ll get in. He pours some soap on a loofa and rubs it over my arms, breasts, and stomach. I can feel his smile as he touches my belly.

  “Our baby,” he whispers.

  “I know. Can you believe it?” I tilt my head slightly so I can look at him.

  He smiles and says, “It feels like it’s a dream.”

  Before bed, I put together the engagement basket for Bethany and her fiancé, Kyle. I sign the card and tuck it into the basket.

  The next morning we eat breakfast at home together. I’m dressed in a pair of white capris, a light blue blouse, and a pair of white sandals. Robert is wearing a gray t-shirt, running shoes, and gym shorts.

  He drives me to work like he said he would. We walk into the shop and see that Jo is putting her sweets in the glass showcase. Robert rushes over to help her.

  “Thank you, Bobby, but I can get it.”

  “Jo, please wait for me and I’ll put these in here from now on.”

  “I’m going to get used to all this fussing over me,” she says, wiping off her hands on her apron that says, “When in doubt, add cinnamon.”

  “Good morning, Jo. It smells delicious in here. Did you make something different this morning?”

  I walk over to where she and Robert are both standing.

  “I did, I made some mini apple turnovers, apple and cinnamon muffins, and some cranberry tarts.”

  “Oh, Jo. You are too much,” I say, hugging her.

  “You still made cinnamon buns, right?” Roberts asks.

  “I even made extra this morning.”

  “Jo, I think I love you.

  “Me or my buns?” Jo giggles.

  “Both.” I watch as Robert walks into the back room with the empty tray to restock. I decide to follow him and just as I suspected he is sniffing the air above the cinnamon buns.

  “Robert Michael!”

  “I’m having pregnancy cravings that I can’t satisfy,” he jokes.

  We all laugh and I shake my head at him. Jo walks over and congratulates us. “Oh, a baby; this is indeed fantastic news.”

  “Thank you, Jo. But it’s still too soon to announce it.”

  “I know, dear. But I could tell yesterday. And as soon as you are around your mom and Bobby’s mom, they will know, too.”

  “Really, do you think so?”

  “Mark my words, they’ll know within minutes.”

  “Before I forget, sign this card for Bethany and Kyle. We picked up a few things for her engagement.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know they did things like this.”

  “It’s a new trend.”

  “When I got engaged, I was lucky to get a ring,” Jo says, laughing.

  “Yeah. Me, too.”

  I get the cash drawer set up, and when I return, Robert and Jo are sitting on the couch and having coffee.

  “Ace, you take more breaks than any employee I have.”

  He smiles and says, “I was fired yesterday, remember
?”

  Jo laughs and stands up. “You kids remind me of Carl and me many years ago.”

  I’ll take that as a compliment. “Rushing off so soon?” I ask.

  “Yes, Carl and I have some errands to run, then I might let him take me to lunch.”

  “I need to go, too, Sweets. I’ll be here at 6:00 p.m. to help close up.”

  “All right, I’ll call you if I need you. Be careful and I love you.”

  “Always and I love you, too.”

  Robert walks Jo to the door as Bethany walks in. She hugs Jo and then Robert before walking over to me. Robert walks Jo out to her car before leaving. I smile.

  “For someone as big and macho as he is, you wouldn’t think he has such a tender side,” Bethany says, watching them.

  My heart swells with the compliment. “Thank you. He really is a gentleman.”

  “His mother should be proud,” Bethany says as she starts to straighten up the pillows on the couches.

  “Yes, she is.”

  I watch through the picture window as Robert watches Jo leave before he takes off for his 15-or 20-mile run.

  “Here, we got you something,” I say as I hand Bethany her basket of engagement goodies.

  “Oh, Leah. You didn’t have to.”

  “We wanted to. It’s not every day my girl gets engaged.”

  “Thank you.” I watch as she looks at the bottle of champagne, the champagne glasses, the bridal magazine, and the box of dark chocolates. She reads the card and starts to cry. “Thank you,” she says as she hugs me.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “You and Jo are the best.”

  On Saturday, Robert doesn’t fly out to D.C. early. He drives me to the shop and helps me open it like he has the last several days, He is still very adamant about me not lifting or carrying anything heavy. My dad, his dad, and Gus are all flying out for the fight with him. He has been training like a mad man and I wonder if it’s because of the fight or if it has to do with me being pregnant and he is releasing some built-up stress. Just before Bethany pulls in, Gus, Dad, and Walter pull up to pick up Robert. I get a feeling in my belly and I know it has nothing to do with my pregnancy. I hate when he leaves and I hate that he fights. I put on a smile so he can’t see my fears.

  “Looks like your entourage is here,” I joke.

  “I’ll call you when I land. Have fun with the coloring contest for Brooke’s posters.” Today Brooke is coming over to help with the poster-coloring contest. We have a day filled with activities and fun for the kids and their parents. Jo is coming to help as is my mom and Robert’s mom. Gus’ wife, Bethany, is also coming to take pictures.

  “Thank you and we will.” I walk him outside so he can get his duffle bag from my car. My dad walks over to me and hugs me. “Take care of him for me,” I say.

  “I will, don’t worry.”

  “That’s easier said than done.”

  “He’s better than he ever was,” my dad says, and I know it’s to put me at ease.

  I watch as Robert puts his bag in the back of Gus’ SUV. Robert hugs me and kisses me one last time. “Stop worrying and I love you.”

  “I’ll try and I love you, too.”

  “Take pictures. I want to see the posters the kids make.”

  I smile when I think about the big day we have planned. “I will.” I wave to them as they leave.

  Mom, Margie, Bethany, and Brooke all come in early to help set up the tables and the craft items. Emma comes with Raelynn, who is carrying a bag.

  “Miss Leah, look what I brought,” an excited Raelynn says.

  I kneel down and look in the bag, “Glitter.”

  I look at Raelynn and then look up at Emma.

  Emma mouths, “Sorry,” before I look back to Raelynn.

  “This is perfect. Thank you. I don’t think we have glitter,” I say honestly.

  “Everything is better with glitter,” Raelynn says.

  “Would you mind putting it on the table for me?”

  Raelynn skips off and places the different colors of glitter on the arts and crafts table.

  “I’m sorry, she wanted to contribute something and it was glitter,” Emma apologizes.

  “That’s fine, it’s the one thing that I didn’t think to get. How are you and the baby?”

  Emma beams and says, “Great, the baby is getting so big. It’s hard to believe he’s already two months old.”

  “Wow, we need to get together so I can see him.”

  “Anytime, we spend a lot of time at home since Jackson’s birth.”

  “How’s James?”

  “Good, he’s home with Alec and the baby. I asked him to come, but he didn’t want to leave his baby brother.”

  “Tell him and Alec I said hi and kiss the baby for me.”

  “I will.”

  Jo makes finger sandwiches and snacks for the kids. Mom and Margie make gift bags and Bethany and I divide the art supplies evenly among the different tables. Emma and Brooke arrange the plates and cups on the food table. The bell over the door rings and in walks Gus’ wife, Dove, carrying a large camera. She is the reporter, and I am excited to see her.

  “Hi,” I say as I walk over and greet her warmly.

  “I heard about the poster contest you are doing for Brooke Jamison’s books and I thought it would make a great story. I hope it’s okay that I’m here on business.”

  “No, it’s fine. Gus told me you would be here,” I say.

  “I’m afraid it won’t be much of a story for you or the newspaper,” Brooke says as she walks over and I introduce her to Dove.

  “What I would like to do is follow the events up to the book signing. Record the progress of an independent author and your success,” Dove says.

  “I don’t mean to sound rude, but do you think this is newsworthy?” Brooke asks. “There are so many other stories out there.”

  “The success of a hometown author. This is huge news. Everyone wants to see one of our own make it big. I think you’ll be surprised at how big this will be for you. You have tons of people supporting you already. Do you have time for an interview?”

  Brooke looks down at her jeans and t-shirt. “I came here to help out. If I had known I would be interviewed, I would have worn something more presentable.”

  “This is perfect,” Dove says, “you look like one of us. An ordinary girl, doing extraordinary things. Readers will love it. You are almost like a rock star and you don’t even know it.”

  Dove holds up her camera and says, “Let me get a picture of the two of you.”

  We pose for a few pictures before people start coming in and the shop fills up with parents and their kids. Raelynn’s mom, Molly, comes and helps out. She also has a camera and a basket of bubbles and sidewalk chalk for the children. Angel and Mason come with their twins, who are now walking. The kids are too young to color, but Mason and Angel are here for moral support. I text Robert throughout the day so he feels like he is still a part of it. Brooke’s husband, Brice, and her two sons, Braden and Briley, also come. Dove mingles with the crowd and snaps tons of pictures. The kids color, paste, glue, add glitter, and paint on the poster boards, trying to make the best one. Some are serious artists and some aren’t. Some try to eat the crayons. The food is a huge success as are the gift bags. Some kids are outside, writing on the sidewalk with the chalk, and some are blowing bubbles. Mason has the twins outside on their stroller; Mason is blowing bubbles at them. I can almost hear their laughter through the picture window. Molly is sitting at the bistro table, watching and monitoring the children.

  The food and coffee were free today for the event. I watch as Brooke tries to help out but is frequently stopped by the kids’ mothers. She signs books, t-shirts, purses, and even shopping bags. She laughs and blushes as people talk about her main character, Dante. They want to know if Dante was written after her husband. Brice stands tall and proud as he watches her. Now I wonder whether the character was written with him in mind. God, I pray there isn’
t a sex scene in the book. I can feel myself blushing. I need to ask Brooke before I read the book. I don’t need to be imagining… never mind, I don’t even want to think about it.

  At the end of the day, we have a winner. Well, we actually have lots of winners. The most creative, the most unique, the most glitter, scariest, the youngest, and even the oldest. We made sure every child walked away a winner. We have several different age groups with several different talents. We offered store gift cards for the prizes and the kids and the parents were ecstatic. At the end of the event, I am surprised at how many people showed up and I am happy at how many people stayed to help clean up. Mason and Brice stayed and took over storing the tables and bringing in the bistro tables while Molly and Emma took turns running the sweeper. I think they both feel responsible for the glitter being everywhere.

  Brice and Mason talk about the fight and I look at my watch. I get that feeling in my belly again. The fight begins in an hour and we still have another hour of cleanup to do. Mom, Margie, and I always watch the fight together. I look on the big screen hanging on the wall that Robert insisted we get.

  I say, “We can watch the match here if you guys want to.”

  Brice and Mason look at each other. “No, that’s all right,” Mason says. “We were going to watch it at the house when we leave.”

  “I still have cleaning up to do, and there are still sandwiches in the refrigerator. The pre-fight is getting ready to start. It’s up to you, but we are going to watch it here anyway.” Well, it’ll be on, I doubt if I’ll actually watch it.

  I tune the television on to the fight and continue with my cleanup. The pre-fight is where they get the crowd ready for the fight. Mason makes a phone call, to Robert no doubt, before walking over to me.

  “Are you sure, Leah? If it’s upsetting for you…”

  I interrupt and say, “It’s fine. We’re going to watch it anyway. Please, stay.”

  Robert

  I search my phone and look at the pictures Leah sent me throughout the day while “The Eye of the Tiger,” is blaring in my ears through the earbuds. I call Leah just before Gus and Dad wrap my hands and glove me up.

  “You had a great day, I see.”