“I think that sounds great,” I told him, happy that he valued my opinion enough to ask.
He went back to excitedly shuffling papers and punching numbers into his calculator. While we discussed the details of my future as a mechanic/truck driver, a sense of rightness came over me.
I had finally found my path.
I couldn’t wait to tell Grandma the news. My usual stroll home from the shop turned into a jog. I passed Mackenna’s house, figuring I would head over there after I made the announcement to Grandma.
Excited, I bounded up the cracked porch steps.
But as soon as I stepped into the house, something felt different. It wasn’t unusual for Grandma’s house to be quiet, especially if she wasn’t home, but some indescribable weight in the air made my hair stand on end.
“Grandma? You home?”
As I passed the dining room, I noticed the door to Sweet Pea’s cage was open. He was huddled in the corner, which wasn’t like him when he had free time.
A bad feeling settled over me.
I went from room to room, terrified of what I might find. The Pepto-Bismol bathroom was empty. Grandma’s bed was made, neat and tidy, and so was mine.
My last stop was the kitchen.
When I looked down to the floor, I saw a glimpse of Grandma’s fluffy pink housecoat and her curly dark hair.
“Grandma!” Grief consumed me as I rushed toward her limp body. “No. No, no, no. Grandma, wake up. Please, wake up.”
I wasn’t ready for her to be gone.
As I picked up her lifeless hand, I thought about Twinkies, whiskey, and the countless twenty-dollar bills she’d slipped to me. Over the years, she’d given me endless laughter and priceless words of wisdom. She was the one who taught me how to tie my shoes. The first time I ever heard the f-word, it was from her mouth.
There was no one else in the world like Beverly Louise Johnson.
Her papery skin was pale and her forehead felt cool to the touch. I did a quick assessment for injuries, but found no cuts or bruises. Pressing my fingers to the side of her neck, I felt a pulse and noticed the rise and fall of her chest.
That was a great sign.
The next minute felt like a lifetime.
Whipping out my cell phone, I punched in the number for 9-1-1.
When the operator answered, I barked out Grandma’s address along with the fact that she was unconscious but breathing. She asked about Grandma’s age, her medical history, and general health—most of which I didn’t have a great answer for.
“Uhh, she’s pretty fucking old. I think she’ll be eighty this year. She drinks like a fish and eats mostly snack cakes. I know that sounds bad, but this woman is hell on wheels. Nothing gets her down. She’s sharp as a tack and swears like a sailor.” I cringed at the next piece of information. “Oh, and I know for a fact that she and her boyfriend have an active sex-life. That’s healthy, right?” My eyes stung as I added, “I love her and I can’t lose her.”
I barely heard the voice telling me an ambulance was on the way because Grandma moved. With a painful moan, she lifted a hand to her forehead. I dropped the phone and it clattered to the floor.
“Hey, hey. Easy now.” Grabbing a dishtowel off the side of the sink, I folded it up and gently put it under her head.
“Jimmy?”
“Yeah, I’m here.”
Making an incoherent sound, her eyes drifted closed again and I started to panic. “Grandma, stay with me. Help is on the way, okay?”
“I feel kinda shitty,” she mumbled.
Squeezing her hand, I tried to see through the tears filling my eyes.
“I’ll bet you do. But you know what? You can’t leave me. I’m staying in Tolson,” I told her, hoping the exciting news would keep her awake. “I’m moving here for good, so I’m gonna need you around. Just hang on, okay?”
“Oh, for crying out loud, I’m not dying,” she grumped. “Good golly, have you always been this dramatic?”
Laughing, I wiped at the wetness running down my face. “Yeah, I guess so. I think I got it from you.”
She let out a ‘hmff’ but gave me a small smile. “Did you mean all those things you said about me?”
“What things?”
“What you said—” She waved her finger in the air before her arm fell limply to her side. “—on the phone just now.”
“Yeah. Well, they wanted to know your medical history and I didn’t know what else to say.”
“I’ve never been so flattered in all my life,” she said with a loving smile, and I chuckled. Only my grandma could make such a serious situation so fucking funny. “And are you really staying in Tolson for good?” Her eyes gleamed with happiness and I nodded. “Oh, this is just the best day ever. I knew it. I knew I could get you to stay.”
My mouth dropped open as realization hit me. “Did you set me up with Mackenna on purpose?”
“Well, of course I did. You two need each other.”
“And did you break my car so I’d have to go to Hank’s, too?” I asked, wondering how far her devious plan went.
“No,” she scoffed. “Your car’s just a piece of shit.”
Flailing her arms, she tried to sit up but failed.
“Whoa,” I said, going back to concerned. “I’m not sure you should do that. Let’s wait for the paramedics. Can you tell me what happened?”
Her lips pressed together. “I fell and hit my head.”
I glanced around the kitchen, wondering what could have caused her to lose her balance. “Were you dizzy?”
“No.”
“Did you trip?”
She huffed. “No.”
“Well, what then?” I asked, confused.
Frowning, she looked away. “I slipped in bird shit.”
That time my laughter came out loud and long. The hilarity of the situation combined with relief made it easier to see the humor of the circumstances.
“I think it’s time to set some ground rules for Sweet Pea,” I told her. “Less playtime outside of the cage?”
With a sigh she nodded, and I heard the far-off squeal of the ambulance in the distance. I never thought I would be so thankful for approaching sirens, but it was music to my ears. Red lights flashed through the kitchen window as it got louder, and I sternly told Grandma not to move before meeting the paramedics at the door.
I stood back as they checked her over and asked her questions. Not more than a minute later, I heard two different panicked voices coming from the living room.
“Where’s Beverly? Let me through, damn it!” Ernie sounded frantic.
“Jimmy! What’s going on?” That was Mackenna.
Reluctantly, I left the kitchen. When I rounded the corner, my eyes landed on my girl first. There was a large smear of mustard down the front of her white T-shirt, letting me know she’d probably dropped dinner in her hurry to get here.
Ernie looked disheveled. The suspenders he always wore hung loosely at his sides, and his Army ballcap was absent. His thinning hair stuck up at odd angles, like he’d been running his hand through it.
“She’s okay,” I reassured them, and Mackenna engulfed me in a hug. Kissing the top of her head, I glanced up to find Ernie wringing his hands. I gave him a nod. “She fell in the kitchen and hit her head, but she’s just as spunky as ever. I’m guessing they’ll probably want her to go to the hospital, though.”
His face twisted up, causing the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth to deepen. “Good luck to them. Boy, she’s gonna give ’em hell.”
His prediction was spot-on because we were interrupted by Grandma’s angry voice carrying through the house. “Absolutely not! You’re not putting me in that paddy wagon of death.”
Ernie sighed. “I’ll handle this.”
The tiny kitchen was cramped with so many people in it, but Ernie hurried to Grandma’s side, dropping to his knees on the checkered floor. “Bev, if they want you to go, you should go.”
“I don’t want to,” she whined.
“Now, listen,” Ernie started. “You could have a concussion or a broken bone. If it was me on this floor, wouldn’t you want me to go? If it was Jimmy—” He pointed up at me. “—wouldn’t you want him to get checked out?”
Grandma looked from me to Ernie, then back to the EMTs waiting for her response. Heaving out a sigh, she nodded. “Okay. But only because you asked me to.”
“I’ll meet you there.” He gently patted the side of her face. “I love you, Bev. For the rest of my life, and then some.”
Grandma beamed as she placed a hand over his heart. “I love you, too.”
Feeling like an intruder on a sacred moment, I backed out of the kitchen to give them some privacy.
Mackenna didn’t ask any questions as they loaded Grandma into the ambulance. She just held onto me. Or maybe I was the one holding onto her. I was still shaken up from thinking I’d lost one of the people I loved the most.
With a wave of his hand out the window, Ernie sped off in his car, intent on getting to the hospital to be by Grandma’s side. Several concerned neighbors still loitered in their yards.
“It’s okay.” I projected my voice down the block so everyone could hear. “She just had a bad fall.”
Satisfied with the update, most murmured “thank you” and went back into their houses.
“Are you okay?” Mackenna asked softly as we trudged up her porch steps.
“Yeah,” I answered, a bit dazed from the events of the afternoon.
We both slumped down onto her couch. I was glad Mackenna already knew what happened because I didn’t want to rehash everything. Still, I couldn’t seem to shake off the lingering fear.
“When I first saw her… I thought—I thought—”
“Shh,” she soothed. Lying back, she pulled my head down to her chest. Her fingers idly stroked my scalp. “Everything’s okay.”
I wrapped my arms around her middle, sinking into her comfort.
I loved that she let me do this. Let me be vulnerable. I didn’t have to try to be tough around her. I could just be myself.
Exhaustion replaced the adrenaline rush, and suddenly I couldn’t keep my eyes open. With Mackenna running her hands through my hair and the sound of her heart beneath my ear, I drifted off.
When I woke up, it was almost dark outside. Mackenna and I were still in the same position but her eyes were closed, her breathing even.
“Mack.” My fingers danced along her collarbone and she blinked a few times. “I gotta go next door to feed Sweet Pea.”
“Do you want me to do it?” She yawned, then pursed her lips. “You’re not planning to kill him, are you?”
I chuckled. “No. Pretty sure Grandma might kill me if I did. I left my phone over there anyway. I should call my parents and let them know what’s going on.”
“Okay.” Mackenna nodded before running her thumb over my lower lip. “Dinner’s still in the Crockpot. I’ll fix you a plate for when you get back.”
My stomach growled at the mention of food. With all the excitement, I’d forgotten to eat.
When I got to Grandma’s, I passed by Sweat Pea’s cage. He was still in there, looking ashamed of himself.
Good.
My phone was on the kitchen floor where I’d dropped it. I frowned when I saw the three missed calls and the texts from my parents.
Dad: Ernie called us. What happened? Call asap.
Mom: Jimmy? Where are you? We’re worried.
Dad: Do we need to come to IL?
Dad: That’s it. We’re packing.
Shit. Now I wished I hadn’t taken that nap. I pressed the call button on Dad’s number. He answered on the first ring.
“Jimmy? Is Mom okay?”
He rarely called my grandma ‘Mom’. Our whole family was in the habit of calling her ‘Grandma’, regardless of their relation to her. It reminded me that she was his mother—the woman who gave him life, raised him, and loved him unconditionally. Of course he was going out of his mind.
“Sorry I didn’t call earlier, Dad,” I said, feeling guilty for letting him worry for so long. “I was totally wiped out after everything.”
“We just want to hear the story from you. Ernie told us what he could, but he wasn’t there for all of it.”
“What happened?” My mom’s voice came through the phone, and I figured they probably had me on speaker.
Taking a deep breath, I explained how I came home from work, found Grandma on the floor, and called 911. I left out the part about how I cried like a baby because I thought she was gone.
Dad sighed. “I’ll bet that was pretty scary for you.”
“It was,” I confirmed as I tinkered with the latest note tacked to the fridge with a butterfly magnet. This one simply said ‘Get more Twinkies’.
“We’re so glad you were there with her.” Mom sounded like she was crying.
“Me too,” I said, sitting down at the kitchen table.
“Yeah,” Dad agreed, a little choked up. “If you hadn’t been there…”
“That spitfire would’ve woken up and gone about her day as usual,” I filled in with a light-hearted chuckle.
“You sure are right about that.” He laughed. “But if it had been something serious… You being there could’ve saved her life.”
I had wondered how to broach the subject my sudden change of plans. While today sucked, it led to the perfect opportunity to bring it up.
“Speaking of that… I have something I want to talk to you guys about. How would you guys feel about me staying in Tolson?” When I was met with stunned silence, I clarified, “Permanently.”
Dad spoke up first. “Jimmy… Is that really what you want? Your classes…” he sputtered, sounding shocked. “Don’t change your whole future just because of what happened today. If we need to hire someone to care for Grandma, we’ll do it—”
“Dad,” I stopped him. “Actually, I had already decided to stay. I even talked to Hank about it this afternoon. I’ve got a job for as long as I want it. If I cancel my classes now, you should get a full refund for this semester.”
“And do you want that? To be a mechanic?” Mom asked.
“Mom, for the first time in my life I feel like I really know what I want. I’m going to cancel my classes at Ohio State. There’s a community college in Champaign that offers a mechanic certification program, and I want to apply.”
Dad cleared his throat. “Now, does this have anything to do with a certain young lady?”
“Yes.” There was no reason to deny it. “It’s a combination of things, but Mackenna is a big part of that.”
“And how does she feel?” Mom piped up, ever the concerned parent. “Does she want you to stay in Tolson?”
“I haven’t talked to her about it yet, but I think so. I didn’t want to say anything to her unless I had talked to you guys first.”
“Jimmy,” Dad started, “I think I speak for both of us when I say… We’re so proud of you.”
There it was. The approval and praise I’d been wanting for so long. Hearing it was just as good as I’d imagined. “You have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that.”
“I think we do,” he said. “You’ve turned into a fine young man. You apply for that program and we’ll pay for it.”
“Thank you for supporting me in this,” I told them. “It might not be the life you envisioned for me, but I really want it.”
“We love you and we just want you to be happy,” Mom said softly, then added, “And preferably not in jail.”
I laughed. “Love you guys, too.”
We discussed the plans for a few more minutes, and after we hung up I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.
It was time to tell Mackenna the news.
The thing about lying to yourself is that it only works for so long. Sooner or later, the truth comes to the surface whether you like it or not.
I tried not to fall for Jimmy. I tried even harder to deny that it had happened.
And af
ter I had to face the fact that I was in love with him, I tried to convince myself I would be able to let him go when the time came.
But it was a lie.
When he came back from Beverly’s, he scarfed down his dinner, then grabbed my hand and dragged me to the car. He seemed excited and happy—more so than usual. I asked him what we were doing, but he told me it was a surprise.
My heart beat a little faster when he took the back road out of Tolson, because I knew where we were headed.
This gravel lane had become our spot. The fireflies were our candlelight. The crickets and cicadas, our music. Who would’ve thought being in the back of a car could be so romantic?
But the haybales were gone now, reminding me that summer was fading and fall was looming. Soon, the fireflies would disappear and the leaves would change.
And I would go back to the isolated existence I had before Jimmy came into my life.
Our time was almost up.
I wondered if I would still come back here after Jimmy was gone. If I would park my Buick next to this field and remember our time together. If I would always feel the pain I was experiencing now.
Reaching over the middle console, Jimmy switched on the radio and pulled a plastic bag into the back seat with us.
I forced a smile. “What surprises do you have for me tonight?”
Shrugging, he smirked. “Another cheap date.”
As he poured a bottle of Boone’s Farm into a Solo cup for me, the song ‘Strawberry Wine’ came on the radio. I inwardly cursed the bad timing. This song had a history of making me teary-eyed, and that was without any relatable circumstances.
I really, really didn’t want to cry.
Shit. I was totally going to cry.
As Deanna Carter sang about the loss of innocence, I took an unsatisfying sip of my wine. Then I set the drink into the cup holder and turned toward Jimmy.
The Good Guys Box Set: TRUCKER, DANCER, DROPOUT, and A Trucker Wedding Page 71