Charlie and Gloria laughed and wiped their eyes. Whenever they came to town, they usually stayed with Dawn and Randy. “You’re staying here this time,” Ben said. “Randy’s mother and father are in town. There’s plenty of room here. By the way,” he added, as they walked outside. “Tom’s in love.”
“What?” Charlie said.
“You’re kidding,” Gloria said. “Who? What’s she like?”
“You’ll meet her at dinner. She’s Nottingham’s Assistant General Manager.”
“Do you like her? Does Dawn like her?” Gloria asked.
Ben nodded. “You’ll both like her too.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
D.R. and Maeve’s nanny Carol was officially given the night off so Liz could “dote” on the children. Carol was like family and lived in her own suite at Dawn and Randy’s. Occasionally she went to stay and visit with her daughter and grandchildren, but this was her home. She joined in with helping get ready for dinner. She always enjoyed Liz and Randy Senior’s visits, and always enjoyed seeing Gloria and Charlie. When they all gathered, it was always a party. For the most part, everyone was always happy.
For some reason, as she looked out the kitchen window she recalled the morning Shadow Pine died. He wasn’t old, he wasn’t sick. He just lay down in the pasture and died. She could still see Randy kneeling down next to him. She could see Dawn standing there, crying. Ben, sad. Tom, holding his hat in his hands. George and Glenda beside themselves.
“What happened?”
Randy shook his head. Shadow Pine was a favorite of all of theirs. He was coal black, stocky, happy. “That only happened after he was gelded,” Randy told her. “It changed his attitude in an instant.” He was a good racehorse. He was loved. He was buried right here on the farm. They rarely talked about him and when they did, it was always about the good times.
“Where’s Tom,” she asked.
“He went to get Wendy,” Dawn said.
It was a beautiful evening, warm, with a gentle breeze. Tom followed Wendy’s directions across town and turned down the road to her cul-de-sac, modern houses, nice size, nice landscaping. Wendy’s house was the first house in the turnaround; a red brick and white vinyl-sided split level. He parked in her driveway and just sat there for a moment. It didn’t look to him like the type of house she’d live in, and if it weren’t for her car parked there….
I know so little about her, he thought.
There was a basketball net hung over the garage door, a spotlight. He could imagine the boys shooting hoops well into the night. He started his truck up and was just about to back out of the driveway when Wendy walked around the side of the house.
He felt like a deer caught in the headlights. Did he really just want to leave, to run? Why was he still sitting here?
Wendy smiled a tentative smile. It was if she could read his mind.
“I wasn’t sure this was your house.” he said.
“Actually, it’s not. It’s my mom and dad’s. We took it over when they moved to Florida a few years ago.”
“You look pretty,” he said, but said it sadly.
“Dawn called. She wants us to pick up a bag of ice.”
He nodded.
“I’ll get my purse,” she said. “Do you want to come in a minute?” Maybe she sensed he was going to leave, maybe she sensed his fear, maybe she had no inclination, maybe….
He got out of his truck and followed into the house, stood just inside the door. The living room was rather formal. He never quite understood “formal living rooms.” What was the point? There was a family room, down three steps, a large television, comfy-looking furniture, tidy but with a lived-in look.
She walked out of the kitchen and their eyes met. “What?” she said.
Tom shook his head, thoughts swirling and swirling. “I’m thinking,” he said, glancing up the stairs. “That there’s a really nice bed up there, and that….” He reached for her hand. “Why don’t you show me the way.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
It was a party indeed! Tom and Wendy arrived a little late but the pizza hadn’t been delivered yet. Everyone sat around laughing and talking, snacking on cheese and crackers, chips and dip, listening to music, and being entertained by the children. What a celebration! Randy Senior had gotten a clean bill of health. Charlie had gotten a new lease on life. Bo-T was okayed out of the starting gate, and Ben had survived another woman in Meg’s kitchen.
It was definitely a banner day!
Here came the pizza and salads, the tables were already set, and everyone sat down.
“A moment of silence,” Gloria said, and they all held hands. “Amen.”
Wendy smiled, but was a little puzzled. She’d noticed before that no one here said grace at meals, something her father had always insisted on. She asked.
“Well,” Dawn said, glancing at Tom. “By consensus, we decided after much discussion, and I mean much….” They all chuckled. Heated discussions would best describe those conversations around the table. She looked at Tom.
“I don’t think with children starving all over the world, that it’s appropriate to thank God for the food we eat. I don’t think he has anything to do with it.”
Gloria sighed. “And while I don’t agree totally, I came to realize that maybe Tom was right.”
“Well, halleluiah,” Tom said, smiling.
“It’s just that he made some good points,” Gloria said. “We all still pray, we are all still grateful for our many blessings. But….”
“How could I thank God for feeding me, sinner that I was,” Tom said, “and think for one minute that he wouldn’t feed innocent children if he could. Yes, I know it says in the bible that Jesus fed the multitudes with five loaves of bread and two fish, but I think that was meant metaphorically.”
Dusty looked at him. This religious side of Tom never ceased to amaze him.
“I think it actually meant spreading the word. There were so many people; the ones far, far away couldn’t hear him. So they would all turn and share the message heard from the person in front of them, and were all fed.”
Glenda, George, Randy Senior, and Carol nodded. “He convinced me,” Liz said.
Wendy smiled. “Amen.”
Charlie and Ben looked at Tom and then at one another. “Who would’ve thought?” Charlie said.
Ben nodded. “I know.”
D.R. squealed. Here came the dogs.
“Down! Down! Down!” they all said, even Gloria. “Down!”
One by one, the dogs lay down, panting. They’d obviously all been in the pond.
Maeve giggled and waved her hand like a magic wand. “Down! Down! Down!”
Liz gave her a hug. “Oh, I’m going to miss you two.” She hugged both grandchildren.
Randy Senior rolled his eyes. “Oh, Liz, don’t do this to yourself.”
She wiped her eyes. “I’m okay. I’m okay.”
D.R. looked at her. “Grandma, don’t cry. It be better.”
Wendy glanced around the table at all of them looking on sympathetically, all caring, all happy, and yet all sad for a moment. She couldn’t help but smile.
“Welcome to the family,” Tom said, noticing.
“Thank you.”
Dessert was Twinkies and ice cream. Oh good, Wendy thought. I’m not even tempted for once. “Fried Twinkies,” Glenda added, “Crisp on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside, cold ice cream all around. You have no idea if you’ve never had one. How many do you want?”
Wendy sighed. “Oh dear. Two I guess.”
“Just one for me,” Gloria said. “Well, maybe two. But I usually don’t eat much.”
Little Maeve made a mess of hers and had it all over her face. D.R. ate three. “He’ll never go to sleep,” Dawn said. “He’ll be bouncing off the walls.”
Randy laughed. “That’s the point. He’s going to stay awake with Grandma all night.” He turned the music up and Maeve started dancing. It was dusk, which signaled the timer for the t
iny white lights threaded through the landscaping to come on. They looked like fireflies, hundreds of them.
“Oh, how pretty,” Gloria said.
This was a “sing-along” family. The songs on the piped music were their favorites.
“Dance, Daddy, dance,” Maeve said, reaching up her arms.
Randy picked her up and swirled her around. “My girl, my girl, my girl,” he sang. “Talking about my girl, my girl.”
Tom and George chimed in, “Do, do do..do do do doo… do do do dooo do do…”
“I got sunshine on a cloudy day! When it’s cold outside, I’ve got the month of May.”
Everyone sang along, laughing, pointing, swaying.... making words up along the way.
“I don’t need anybody.”
“Cause I’ve got my girl.”
“Do, do do do do do doooo.”
“Me, Daddy, me, Daddy,” D.R. said.
Randy picked him up, a child in both arms, and they all sang the last verse, Wendy included. “That’s all I can talk about, talk about, talk about is my girl!”
D.R. wiggled out of his dad’s arms when the song was over, ran to his grandpa, and Randy handed Maeve to his mother.
“Oh no,” Dawn said, laughing. Randy’s, Tom’s, and George’s favorite song was coming up next.
“My turn, my turn,” Tom said.
“Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl, Duke, Duke.”
Everyone laughed. The trio stood together: Tom in the middle, Randy and George on each side of him. “Duke of Earl, Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl, Duke, Duke….”
Tom took the lead, singing to Wendy. “As I, I walk through this world, nothing can stop the Duke of Earl, and you, you are my girl, and no one can hurt you, oh no.”
Wendy laughed.
“Yes, well I….” They all twirled. “ I…I’m gonna love you, oh oh…let me hold you darlin’. Oh yea, yea, yea, yea.…”
They all three turned around in a synchronized circle and leaning forward, moved three steps one way and three steps back. By now everyone was laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes.
“Boom ba ba boom ba ba boom ba ba boom.” The rolled their arms, looking every bit a DooWap trio. “Ooh, ooh, ooh ooh, ooh…Duke of Earl. Ah ah ah ah…. Oooh ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ah ah ah ah.”
Their audience roared, the children clapping their hands and squealing!
“I’m going to love you,” Tom sang, all three pointing, twirling again, arms criss-crossed on their chests. “Cause I…I….” The grand finale. “I’m the Duke of Earl. Yeah, yeah, yeah….”
Everyone clapped, squealed, and whistled. The performers took a bow. Another bow.
“What’s all this commotion?” they heard someone say.
“Hey, T-Bone,” Randy said. It was the old farmer from next door. They hadn’t heard his truck pull in with all the noise they were making.
“A little birdie told me someone was making fried Twinkies over here tonight.”
Glenda smiled. She’d dropped him off a casserole earlier today. The man was getting as skinny as a toothpick. “Have a seat. You want some coffee with it?”
“Sounds good, don’t mind if I do.”
He shook hands with all the men, smiled and nodded to all the women. “I don’t think I know you,” he said to Wendy.
“And you won’t,” Tom said. “She’s mine.”
Wendy chuckled. “Possession is nine-tenths of the law.”
The old man liked that. “I’ve been possessed all my life.”
They all laughed.
“Can I have this dance?” Tom said to Wendy, leading her away. She melted into his arms. It was an Anne Murray song, one of her favorites. He sang along softly. She loved the sound of his voice, his embrace, the smell of his skin. “When we’re together, it feels so right. Can I have this dance, for the rest of our lives?”
“Yes,” Wendy said.
Tom twirled her around and pulled her back into his arms. They weren’t far from everyone else, but in a world all of their own.
“If you break my heart, I’ll never speak to you again,” Wendy said.
“That’ll never happen,” Tom said. “Ever. It’s not possession; it’s a commitment, as God is my witness.”
Wendy looked into his eyes, as they both listened to the words of the song. “Would you be my partner every night?”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
When Wendy kissed him, everyone clapped, and they both laughed.
“I got the point,” T-Bone said. “You don’t have to show me!”
As near as anyone could figure, T-Bone had to be at least eighty years old, but was as spry as ever. The only thing slowing down was his appetite. He and Ben and Randy Senior and Charlie talked about their current health limitations. He was sorry to hear about Charlie’s “run-in with cancer.” He shook his head. “Don’t let it get you down. We’re all going to die someday from something.”
Charlie laughed. “Thank you for that bit of encouragement.”
T-Bone nodded, spooning the last of the Fried Twinkie into his mouth.
Randy Senior looked at the three of them; they were only slightly older than him. He looked at Randy and his grandchildren. He looked at his wife Liz.
“So how are things back at the farm?” T-Bone asked him.
“Well, it’s a lot work. I don’t mind work though. What I do mind, is not seeing my kids and my grandkids as often as we would like. I never thought they’d move away.”
Randy heard that, Dawn heard that, Liz heard that.
“Dad,” Randy said.
“It’s okay,” Randy Senior said. “It’s okay.”
“I’m a racehorse vet, Dad. I have to be where the racetrack is.”
“And your sister?”
Randy hesitated. “When her internship is up….”
His dad nodded. “I just never thought you would both move away.”
What could Randy say? What could anyone say?
Cat Stevens was singing all about the first cut being the deepest.
“So, Liz,” Randy Senior said. “I say we sell the farm and move near one of them and hope the other one will follow.”
Tears welled up in his wife’s eyes. “Don’t say that if you don’t mean it.”
“I mean it.”
Randy walked over and shook his dad’s hand and gave him a hug. He hugged his mother. He hugged Dawn.
“Now wait a minute. I ain’t selling you my farm,” T-Bone said.
They all laughed.
When the Cat Stevens song ended and the theme from Sesame Street came on, the dogs started howling. Everyone knew the words to this one. “Sunny days ~ ~ !” Little Maeve clapped her hands. “Keeping the clouds away ~ ~ !”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Tom and George did night check in the barns; Wendy and Glenda walked along behind Ben, Dusty, Charlie and Gloria as they walked to Ben’s house. The dogs followed. “I’ll see you all tomorrow,” Dusty said. T-Bone had left a few minutes earlier. It was a full moon. Glenda settled into their truck. Wendy stood by Tom’s truck to wait. Rotty, the standard poodle, sat down next to her.
All was well with the horses. George climbed in behind the wheel, they waved, and Tom turned to Wendy. “We have a choice,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. When Rotty barked at him, he laughed. “I can take you home now, or I can take you home early in the morning.”
Wendy hesitated. “The house is full. I don’t think I’d feel right.”
“The first floor’s full. I’m up there,” he said, pointing to the second floor.
Wendy stared. “I didn’t even realize there was an upstairs.”
“It’s just a bedroom and a bath.” He smiled and kissed her. “We’ll be all alone. I promise to be good.”
She chuckled. After all, she did admit she wanted to see this side of Tom. She drew a breath and sighed. “I married my childhood sweetheart, Tom. My father’s a minister.”
“And…?”
“And.” She shrug
ged. Back at her house earlier, that was pure passion. What she was feeling now was passion. “What’s our future?”
“Our future? You and me are destined to be together. When your sons are okay with it, were going to get married. I asked and you said yes, remember? And we’re going to live happily ever after.”
“Where though? Here, my house, where?”
Tom looked at her. “Wow, you are serious, aren’t you?”
Wendy glanced around the farm, the barns, the pastures, the sky, the sounds of the horses, the dog at her side. “I can’t ask you to leave all this.”
Tom smiled. “Good, so since that’s all settled, come on.” When he tugged her toward the house, she laughed. “Shhh…” he said, “We don’t want to wake the grownups.” Rotty walked along next to them and lay down on the porch outside the screen door. Wendy patted his head and rubbed his belly and then followed Tom inside. When they came back outside at four-thirty in the morning, the dog was still guarding the door.
It was the coolest morning they’d had in months, a hint of the inevitable change to come in the weather. The horses were all “wound up.” Dawn attempted to hand-walk Bo-T around the shedrow and promptly handed him over to Tom.
He chuckled. “I have one to pony for Gibson. You gonna go do it for me?”
“It would probably be safer than walking him.” She watched Tom muscle Bo-T down the shedrow. Ben glanced out at them from his desk in the tack room. Bo-T was higher than a kite, as racetrack expressions go.
This colt just might be the one to rival Beau Born, he thought, and went back to studying the condition book. The race for Bo-T on Saturday was 6 furlongs. He would prefer to start him at 5 or 5 ½ furlongs, but they stopped writing those races this time of year. That’s another thing he’d change. “Next year,” he said to himself. “Ah, Jesus, now I sound like Spears.”
Bo-T swung around the corner of the shedrow, kicking, bucking, kicking, and bucking some more. “Hey, now, hey, now,” Tom sang. “Don’t treat me wrong, now….”
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