Fit to Be Tied

by Debby Mayne

  Now I’m ready to crawl under one of the desks as I lower my gaze and scurry into the room to the nearest spot. I hear Kyle right behind me, but I don’t look up to see if he’s found a seat nearby.

  It feels strange to have two guys squaring off over me. As the professor continues talking, I try my best to concentrate, but it’s impossible. So I finally give up and let my mind wander.

  By the end of class, I’ve calmed down enough to talk to Kyle. He says he wants us to see each other exclusively, and I’m fine with that, but only because I think it would be confusing to date more than one person at a time.

  The professor opens the door, signaling he has nothing else to say. So I stand up and smile over at Kyle, who is watching me with puppy-dog eyes. “Well?” he asks. “Have you decided yet?”

  Last night started out insane, but thanks to Puddin’s husband, who says it’s just as much his responsibility to be a daddy as it is hers to be a mama, we broke the group into two classes. And to make up for the inconvenience of having to leave and come back, Mavis gave everyone a huge discount on anything they bought at the store. Granted, she’s still making a profit, but everyone feels good about things now, and that’s pretty much what this whole plan is all about.

  I wasn’t a hundred percent sure how good a teacher Puddin’ would be, but she’s great. Her humor had everyone in stitches, and all the food turned out pretty fabulous. Her mantra of one for the young’uns, one for me stuck in our heads as we ate at least as much as we put on the serving dishes that everyone got to take home to their families.

  Puddin’ is actually a lot more organized than I ever realized. She came prepared with four different recipes, and while she taught the first class, she had Shay pick up some groceries for the second class. Our cousin Missy is teaching a chili-making class, and since it’s getting cold out, we expect quite a group. Mavis is still apologizing about not having a cutoff, and she says the phone has been ringing off the hook, so we’re expecting another big turnout.

  Today, after I finish making all the bows in the queue, I’m supposed to go back to the Chef’s Skillet to help Mavis figure out how to avoid what happened last night. It shouldn’t be too hard if she has a class limit and starts sign-ups for a future date once it fills up.

  “Last night was fun.”

  I glance up at the sound of my sister’s voice and see her standing in the doorway of our workroom.

  “Puddin’s funny.”

  “I know. I guess I never realized that because she and Digger are so much . . .” My voice trails off because I don’t want to say what I’m thinking.

  She gives me a crooked smile. “Older than us?”

  I nod and decide to change the subject. “We have a ton of bows to make today. Are you feeling up to it?”

  She clears her throat, walks over to the table, and sits down beside me. “Yeah, I’m doing a lot better this morning. Justin left some crackers on the nightstand before he went to work, so I ate them before I sat all the way up.”

  “That was sweet of him.” I turn my laptop around to face her. “Look at this—more than a dozen orders since midnight. It makes you wonder about folks, doesn’t it? I mean, don’t you think it’s weird that mamas are online shopping when they should be sleeping?”

  She shrugs. “Now that I’m pregnant, all I can think about most of the time is this baby. So yeah, it kind of makes sense.”

  “Huh?” I’m sure she has a connection in there somewhere, but I don’t get it.

  “People are thinking about their kids late at night and into the wee hours of the morning.”

  “Oh.” I still don’t get why they’re ordering bows, but I’m not going to argue. First of all, it’s profit that keeps us from having to go back to being bank tellers, and second, arguing with my sister while she’s pregnant isn’t worth the tears later.

  We fall into the same comfortable routine we’ve had until she got married and work for almost an hour before I stand up and stretch. “Want some eggs and toast?”

  A grin lights up her face. “That sounds great. I’m starving.”

  “Come to the kitchen and keep me company. I’ll make you some tea so you can relax while I cook the eggs.”

  A familiar feeling of warmth and contentment washes over me as we spend the next fifteen minutes talking and laughing while I cook and then sit down at the table. With our food on the table, I take her hand in mine for the blessing.

  “I’d like to say the prayer,” she says.

  I lift my head and blink. “You would?”

  “Yes. It’s been a while, so let me, okay?”

  As I lower my head again, I listen to my sister’s sweet prayer thanking God for all the blessings of a loving family, a beautiful home, a career she appreciates, and the food we have in front of us. She finishes with “Lord, most of all, thank You for loving us enough to sacrifice Your Son so we can spend eternity with You. Amen.”

  My heart swells with pride as I open my eyes and see my sister with tears streaming down her face. I squeeze her hand.

  She pulls away and wipes her face with her sleeve as she lets out a nervous giggle. “Sorry. These crazy hormones are making me cry at the strangest of times.”

  I decide not to respond to that, and I change the subject. “So, when will you find out whether you’re having a boy or girl?”

  “Officially? A few more months.” She scoops some eggs onto her fork, shoves them into her mouth, chews, and swallows. “But Justin’s aunt did the ring test over my belly, and she says we’re havin’ a girl.”

  “The ring test?” I pause as I try to figure out what on earth she’s talking about. “What’s that?”

  She laughs. “She put my wedding ring on a string and then had me lie down on the floor, face up. Then she held the string and let the ring dangle above my belly.”

  “That’s strange. How can putting your ring on a string tell you what you’re having?”

  “Who knows? She just said that if it goes up and down, it’s a boy, and side to side means it’s a girl.”

  “And it went side to side?” I pick up my toast and slather some jelly on it as I try not to laugh. But a giggle escapes.

  She makes a funny face. “It went around in circles at first. I thought Justin’s aunt would freak out, but it finally stopped before it started moving side to side.”

  “Seriously?”

  “I know, right? I think Justin believes it, but I’m pretty sure I saw her moving her hand.”

  Now I can’t hold back the laughter, since Sara is already chuckling. “At least she has a fifty-fifty chance of being right.”

  “Well . . .” Sara’s laughter subsides. “Justin says she has about a ninety percent success rate, and the only reason it’s not better is that a few of the pregnant women wouldn’t hold still.”

  “How many times has she done this?”

  “According to Justin, women from all over Lafayette come to her as soon as they find out they’re pregnant.”

  I shake my head as I stand and carry our empty plates to the sink. “I s’pose it’s good entertainment.”

  Before I have a chance to open the dishwasher, Sara walks up behind me, places her hands on my shoulders, and gently pulls me away. “I’ll load the dishwasher.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “C’mon, Sally. I’m pregnant, not an invalid.”

  I clamp my mouth shut to prevent saying something to break her kindness streak. For the past several weeks, I’ve felt like I’ve been walking on eggshells around her.

  As soon as we get back to the workroom, her phone rings. I have just pulled out the length of ribbon I’ll need for the bow I’m about to make when I hear her gasp.

  I glance over at her and see tears streaming down her cheeks, a look of horror on her face. She covers the mouthpiece. “He had an accident.”

  “Who?”

  Her chin quivers as she wipes her nose with the back of her hand. “Justin. He’s in the emergency room.”

&n
bsp; “Don’t you dare go gettin’ ideas about wandering off with Julius. I don’t care if the reunion is at his house. That boy is nothin’ but trouble.”

  “I won’t go anywhere with him.”

  “Dern tootin’ you won’t. I regret having them over.”

  “I don’t have to go to the reunion.”

  Mama gives me a look that makes me think she’d actually consider letting me stay home, but then she shakes her head. “That won’t do. Not showing up might make folks think you’re guilty of something.”

  I lower my eyes as Mama continues her daily rant. Ever since what happened at Grandpa Jay and Granny Marge’s farm, she’s watched me with those squinty eyes and that mouth that’s all drawn up like she’s drinkin’ through a straw. And after they came to our house, it only got worse. I don’t know why they’re blaming me. I didn’t invite them.

  “Do you hear me, young man?”

  “It’s not for another two whole weeks.” I don’t want to push her too much, or she’ll never let up, but I need to figure out a way to get some peace. “Besides, I learned my lesson, and I don’t plan to wander off anywhere with Julius.” It’s difficult with her glaring at me like this, but I look directly at her. “If you want me to, I’ll just follow you around and never leave your side the whole time we’re there.”

  Her expression changes again, and I can tell I’ve hit a nerve. One thing Mama hates is for anyone over the age of five to hang onto her, so I decide to drive the point even closer to home. “In fact, I’ll even hold your hand so you won’t have to worry about me.”

  She shudders. “Nah, that’s okay. As long as I know where you are at all times, I’m good.”

  Now all I have to do is think of a way to stay away from Julius. “Can I go now?”

  Mama’s jaw tightens, so I know there’s more, but since she doesn’t say anything right away, I start backing toward the kitchen door. I’m hoping she’ll just let me go without any fuss.

  She slams her hand on the countertop, making me jump. Something is seriously going on with her, and I have a feeling I’m about to find out what it is. “Hold your horses there, cowboy.”

  The look in her eyes scares me. “Did you need something?” My voice comes out in a squeak, so I cough and look down before glancing back up at her. “I really need to go do my homework.”

  “What you really need to do is tell me what you and Julius were doing in your room.”

  I shrug. “Just hangin’ out.”

  “I’ve waited a couple of days, hoping you’d come clean.” Mama takes a step toward me with her nostrils flaring. “And since you haven’t, I’m starting to think you’re as guilty as he is.”

  Now I’m confused. I’m not lying when I say we were just hanging out, but Mama is clearly in no mood to hear that again. “What did I do?”

  She gets even closer, reminding me that even though I’m a few inches taller than her, she’s not the least bit intimidated. “Do you have any idea what I found in your room after Julius left?”

  “Found in my room?” I start to step back but change my mind. Mama will just get even closer if I do. “Were you snoopin’?”

  “Dern tootin’ I was snooping. As long as you live in this house without paying rent, I’ll snoop whenever and wherever I please.”

  This is a house rule, and it’s one I know I can’t change, so I continue standing there trying to figure out what Mama might have found besides some dirty socks I kicked under my bed or the homework I forgot to put in my backpack.

  “Answer me, Brett.”

  Whoa. She’s serious. I just wish I knew what she’s serious about.

  My insides start to shake and I look her in the eye. “No, Mama, I don’t know.”

  Without a word, she walks across the kitchen, opens her purse, and pulls out her phone. Then she comes back to me and shoves it in my face.

  I blink as I see a picture of a plastic bag of something that I’ve never seen before in my life. “What’s that?”

  Mama tilts her head and squints as she looks back at me. “You don’t know?”

  “I have no idea. Looks like a bag of something from the yard and some white sticks.”

  She turns the phone back around, looks at the picture, and clicks the Off button. “Ya know something crazy? I actually believe you.”

  A sense of relief washes over me, but I’m still confused. “What’s in that picture?”

  “It’s something Julius left in your room. After they left, while you were still in the living room talking to your daddy, I spotted it on your dresser when I walked by.”

  “But what is it?” I sure would like to know what’s got her so worked up over that bag of whatever it is.

  “It’s pot.”

  “Pot?” I rub the back of my neck.

  She nods. “Yes, pot. As in marijuana, an illegal substance that can get you in all kinds of trouble with the law.”

  I know pot’s marijuana, but I’m stunned about it being in my room. Even though I’ve always seen Julius as someone who does what Mama and Daddy call pushing the envelope, this is way crazy, even for him.

  “You really had no idea, did you?”

  I shake my head, still trying to take it in. I might be fifteen, but Daddy has scared the daylights out of me about hanging out with the wrong crowd and saying that if I was even in the room with someone doing drugs, I’d go to jail. And to think Julius would put it in my room.

  “I’m just glad I found it when I did.”

  That makes me ponder what I would have done if I’d seen it. Since I had no idea what it was, I probably would have brought it to Mama or Daddy and asked.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t go to this family reunion,” Mama says, pulling me from my thoughts. “Julius was clearly trying to get you in trouble, or he wouldn’t have left that stuff on your dresser.”

  I know how much Mama wants to go. I mean, she moans and groans about everyone she’ll see, but Daddy and I have figured out she lives for those get-togethers. “We can go. I’ll just stay with the grown-ups.”

  Mama reaches out, places her hand under my chin, and squeezes. Before she goes for the cheeks, I back away.

  “You’re a sweet boy, but I’ve already talked to Marybeth about it.” Mama makes a strange face. “When I first told her, she was apologetic and said she’d speak to Bucky about what to do. I thought she’d turned over a new leaf. But when she called me back, she was the old Marybeth and said you were probably the one who forgot to put away your stash.” Mama shakes her head. “If Marybeth can’t see what her son is becoming, there’s nowhere for him to go but down.”

  Justin has been in the hospital for a day and a half since the car he was working on rolled off the jack and pinned him. He broke a few ribs, but what the doctors are concerned about is brain damage. Sara has been standing vigil in his hospital room ever since it happened.

  Mama has never made it any secret that she’s upset about their elopement, so when she arrives with flowers for Justin and dinner for Sara, it touches my heart. I’m glad she’s finally coming around and understanding that Justin is actually perfect for my sister, even though I don’t always admit it.

  The three of us sit there staring at the machine that makes all these whirring sounds and an occasional beep, until I feel like jumping out of my own skin. I stand up, place my hands on each of their shoulders, and give them a squeeze.

  I’m still holding on to Mama and give my sister an extra-long look. “Since Mama’s here, I think I’ll go on home and take a nap.”

  Sara nods and sniffles. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  I start to say that Justin will be just fine, but I don’t know that. So I let go of Mama and put my arms around Sara for a hug as I whisper, “I love you, and I’m here for you no matter what.”

  When I pull away and look her in the eye, I see tears welling in front of redness. “I don’t know what I’ll do without him.”

  That’s something I can’t respond to, so I don’t even try.
I give her a sympathetic smile.

  Mama walks me to the door. “When can you come back?” she whispers.

  “I haven’t slept more than a couple of hours since this happened. Why?”

  She glances at the clock on the wall. “I have a committee meeting, but I reckon I can let them know my daughter needs me more.”

  “Yes, I agree. That’s probably what you should do.” I start to leave but stop and turn back around. “See if you can get Sara to go to sleep. That chair in the corner reclines.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  All the way home, I pray for Justin, my sister, and their unborn baby. Lord, it would be so sad for my sister to lose her husband and just as sad for this child to never know its daddy. As I continue praying, I think about all the things Sara will have to face, and I make a promise to God that I’ll fill any void that might be left.

  I’ve barely walked into the condo when my phone rings. It’s Sara, so I answer it. Her voice is muffled with sobs, so I fear the worst.

  “I’ll be right back,” I tell her.

  There’s another muffled sound—more like shuffling than voices. Mama comes on the phone. “You don’t have to come back just yet. Justin’s awake, and he’s able to talk.”

  “He’s awake?”

  “Yes.” Mom’s voice sounds much lighter than it did earlier, so I let out a sigh of relief. She lowers her voice, and I can tell she’s cupping the phone with her hand. “It was really rather strange. Everything got real quiet, and then the monitor suddenly perked up. When I looked at his face, I saw that he’d opened his eyes, so I woke Sara up.”

  I close my eyes and mouth, Thank You, Lord. “Is he able to talk . . . to hold a conversation?”

  “Yes, that’s one of the things that’s so strange. He’s talking to her almost like nothing happened.”

  “What’s the doctor saying?”

  “He hasn’t been in to see him yet, but the nurses are telling us this is a miracle. They didn’t think he’d make it.” She lowers her voice even more. “They’re still not sure, but the fact that he’s awake and talking with Sara gives me some hope.”