Chapter Thirty-Three
The following July in Montana …
Diane
Liz and I double-checked her old house to make sure everything was ready for Rodrigo and Kathleen. They were arriving today.
Liz and Walter had come in a few days ago. They’d stayed in the house for a few days, but had found a nearby Airbnb to rent for the two weeks they were going to spend near the ranch before they visited some other parts of the state.
“It’s going to be good to see them again,” I said, as we put clean sheets on the bed.
“Yes,” Liz agreed. “After that year together, I was ready for us all to go out on our own, but I didn’t realize how much I’d miss you two.”
“Me either.”
We smiled at each other, companionable in a way we hadn’t been only a few years ago.
Once we finished, I lay the quilt I’d brought over the foot of the bed.
“That’s lovely,” Liz said, stroking the top and examining the pattern.
“Joe’s mom made it. He called her ‘the mad quilter.’ He’s got way too many of them, and figured it would be a good idea to spread them around.”
“Didn’t his kids object?”
I laughed. “Bug forbade him to show up with any more quilts a few years ago, and Tess is more focused on her work on sanitation projects in underserved communities to nest.”
“Sounds like something we should get Kathleen involved in,” Liz said with a grin. “She’s an expert on poop!”
I laughed. “We’ll put them together when Tess gets here.”
“She’s coming? I thought it was only Bug and his family.”
“Last minute decision. She had a little time off.” I had to look away. Joe and I were keeping the real reason secret until after Kathleen arrived. “What about Stephan and his family?” I asked. “They’re still coming, right?”
“It was touch and go there for a while. Willow picked up a bad cold, and they were worried it was going to turn into the flu or something worse. But she kicked it off. They arrive on Friday. Ivy is so excited she’s having trouble sleeping. For some reason, she has a very distinct memory of Kathleen.”
“They did bond while we were there.”
“Kathleen has a way with kids. Amazing, considering how sharp her tongue can be with the rest of us.”
“That’s true.”
We moved on to the bathroom, checking there were ample toiletries and towels.
“Kathleen’s going to enjoy this,” I said.
“I don’t think as much as she would have before. Apparently, Rodrigo is indulging her every whim when it comes to bathrooms. She has her own, you know. It even has a heated floor.”
“She deserves it after putting up with so much from Michael. I’m amazed she didn’t divorce him.”
“That never would have happened. You know that.”
“Yes.” Much as I admired Kathleen for her deep faith and absolute convictions, it would never be a way I could live my life. Joe was much more a church-goer than I was, and we’d finally reached a point where I’d come with him on occasion, but not consistently. As for confession … that wasn’t going to happen. If it cost me communion, so be it.
But when he’d asked me for one important change on that stance, I’d capitulated for the sake of the man I love.
After making sure the house was ready, we drove back to the ranch house. Patrick had put on a new extension for his growing family, including a second bathroom and an upgraded kitchen. Kathleen may have put up without a dishwasher, but Patrick’s wife, Sydney, was having none of it.
“Any word from Kathleen?” Sydney asked as she greeted us at the door, her hand on her round belly in that way all pregnant women seem to adopt.
“She texted that they were about an hour out,” I replied. “Of course, that was about a half hour ago.”
“That will work. Patrick and Walter just came back from checking on the flock of sheep,” she said. “They’re cleaning up, so they’ll be ready.”
“How are the sheep working out?” Liz asked .
“They’re a lot less work than those damn milk cows were,” Sydney replied.
We laughed.
Patrick had finally convinced his mother the milk cows were too much work and not worth the investment in new, automated equipment. He’d sold them and bought sheep, believing ranchers would need to diversify to succeed.
Emma raced down the hallway and threw herself at Liz. “Miss you, Auntie Liz.”
“I miss you too, sweetheart.”
“Can’t you come back?”
“Aunt Liz has a family too,” Sydney said. “Her granddaughters would be lonely if she moved back here.”
“Where are they? Will they play with me?”
“I’m sure they will when they get here,” Liz said. “You’re all about the same age.”
“Oh, good,” Sydney said with mock horror. “More kids to get into everything.”
“It’s the way of life,” I said, trying to feel positive about my own lack of children. I now had Bug’s kids to spoil, but the ache of loss would never really disappear.
“Hey, love,” Joe said, giving me a firm kiss and wrapping his arm around my shoulder. “Why so gloomy?”
“It’s nothing,” I said, brightening with his attention. “I have everything I need now.” I pulled him close and kissed him with a promise of things to come.
“Get a room,” Liz said.
“There are minors here,” Sydney added. “Keep it PG.”
“How else are they supposed to learn?” Joe said with an evil grin.
“They have plenty of time, Uncle Joe,” Sydney said with a wag of her finger. Even if she wasn’t a blood relative, she had a lot of Kathleen’s mannerisms. “Now you all come into the kitchen, get the fixings for iced tea, or gin and tonic, or whatever you want and go out on the front porch to do your waiting. I’ve got to get these kids fed.”
“I’ll help you,” Patrick said, coming into the living room where we’d been chatting. “You need to get off your feet for a while.”
“Thanks,” Sydney said, giving her husband a beaming smile of appreciation.
We did as we were told. Soon I was relaxing in one of the Adirondack chairs with a gin and tonic, Joe beside me with his beer. On the other side, Liz had her drink in her hand. Walter, also with a beer, finished up the row.
The pitcher of drinks stood ready for Kathleen on a nearby table.
Ten minutes after we sat down, the RV came rumbling into view.
Liz
My heart leapt a little when I saw the RV come down the driveway. The wedding had been beautiful, but hectic, and I was ready for some downtime with my sisters.
Now, that was a phrase I never thought I’d say.
While we were in Texas at the wedding, we’d committed to an annual family reunion with the three of us and anyone else we could manage to drag to Montana. July seemed like the right time, a great pause between the euphoria of “It’s summer!” and the reality of shortening days.
Although it had taken some convincing, Stephan had agreed to come, especially after his wife and children had weighed in. His work was starting to sell, thanks to the support of the agent we’d found, but it still wasn’t enough for him to quit his job.
That would come in time. My son was a talented artist.
Mom would have approved of his fanciful work, but not of the strong nudes and vulnerable faces I had begun to sell. The new paintings were being met with acclaim from serious art critics in a way my earlier work hadn’t.
It pleased me.
Even Walter’s work was beginning to move locally. He was content to do local landscapes for the tourists. He’d told me one high powered artist in the family was more than enough.
His daughters still hadn’t come around to my presence in their dad’s life, but I wasn’t giving up. I was hanging around for the rest of our lives so they’d need to get used to it.
As the RV came to a stop, I rose with the others to go out and greet the weary travelers. Joe opened the screen door to the house and shouted to Patrick that his mother was here.
Kathleen had been behind the wheel, so Rodrigo was the first one out.
He looked tired. It had been his first long road-trip with Kathleen, and I knew how exhausting it could be moving from one place to another. Plus he had to take up the slack for all the duties Diane and I used to do.
I wondered who was cooking. It would be safer not to ask .
Kathleen climbed down from the RV, looking happier than I’d ever seen her.
The three of us wrapped our arms around each other for a big hug. Soon, like the others, I had tears streaming down my face. It was so good to be back together.
Finally, we were a family again.
“Hiya, Mom,” Patrick said. Emma was already tugging at Kathleen’s shirt, while her younger brother was clasped in Patrick’s arms.
“Oh, Patrick,” Kathleen said, breaking up our hug. “It’s so good to see you!” She turned to the little boy in his arms. “Look how big you’ve grown!”
Patrick’s son buried his head in his father’s shoulder.
“He’ll come around,” Patrick said.
“I know,” Kathleen said with a smile. “Now who’s this big girl?”
“Emma! You know who I am!”
“Of course, I do! You’ve gotten bigger too.” Kathleen wrapped the little girl in her arms.
“Gin and tonics are ready,” I said.
“Thank goodness!” Kathleen said. Then she turned to Patrick. “Where do you want me to put the rig?” she asked.
Patrick started to speak, but Rodrigo stopped him. “I’ll take care of it,” he said to Kathleen. “You go talk to your sisters.”
“Thanks,” Kathleen said with a large smile.
We went back to the porch.
Sydney came out on the porch and gave Kathleen a big hug. “It’s good to see you.”
“My, you’ve gotten big there,” Kathleen said. “How are things going with the pregnancy?”
“As well as they can be. She was a bit of a surprise, and doc says my body wasn’t quite ready for her. He wants me to rest more than I did last time.”
“She?”
“Well, we don’t officially know, but in my heart I believe she’s a girl. A girl that’s going to be healthy and strong, aren’t you?” Sydney patted her bump. “But right now, I’m going to head to the bedroom and take a quick nap. You ladies enjoy yourselves.”
“We will,” Diane said as she poured a glass for Kathleen.
“How is wedded life?” I asked Kathleen.
“Bliss. I never thought it could be this good,” she said. “So when are you and Walter tying the knot? ”
I took a sip of my own drink before answering. Social norms were important to Kathleen, but I could care less.
“We’re not,” I said. “We decided it wasn’t important for us.”
“And Stephan’s okay with that?” she asked.
“He wasn’t at first, but he’s so happy we’re together, he’s accepted our decision.” I looked her straight in the eye. “So you will have to do so too.”
She shrugged. “It’s your life. You have to decide how you want to live it.”
“Who are you, and what have you done with Kathleen?” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” she answered slowly. “Maybe it’s finally that I understand what unconditional love really feels like. When you have that, it’s tough to be as judgmental about how others run their lives.”
“Hear, hear,” I said. “I know what you mean, and I’m so happy for you!”
“Me too,” Diane said, raising her glass.
We toasted, and went back to catching up until it was time to gather on the newly constructed back porch for dinner.
We said grace over a meal of steak, potatoes, salad, and corn, then dug in. Halfway through the meal, Joe clinked his fork on his beer bottle.
“Now that you’re all here, we hope you don’t have any plans for Saturday afternoon,” he said with a grin.
“Why is that?” I asked, surmising the answer.
“Because you’re invited to a wedding!” Diane yelled.
“I was supposed to tell them,” Joe said.
“You were taking too long! I’ve been bursting all day!”
Everyone laughed.
“We’ll be there!” Kathleen said. “Maybe it will be an inspiration for Liz and Walter!”
The old Kathleen was still kicking around there somewhere.
Good thing. Too many changes at once were hard to take.
I leaned toward Walter.
“Not happening,” I said.
“I know. And I love you more for it,” he said.
Then he kissed me.
Kathleen
Rodrigo and I stood at the edge of the patio watching everyone gather.
“Your family is a lot larger than I thought it was,” he observed .
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen them all gathered in one place,” I said.
Both of Joe’s children and his son, Bug’s, family were there for the ceremony and later celebration. Stephan’s family had made it as well. It was good to see Liz in her rightful place as grandmother. Walter made her laugh. Now that her secrets were released, she was glowing and her art had reached new levels.
While I’d continue to tweak them about their marital state—or lack thereof—I wasn’t really concerned. I’d meant what I’d said earlier. Receiving unconditional love makes it easier to hand out.
My daughter, Megan, and her family had also made it in time for the celebration of love between my sister and Joe. It was a long time coming. After her first painful marriage, Diane deserved all the happiness she could get. I was glad that Joe’s son, who hadn’t been a fan to begin with, had thawed toward my sister.
Bug’s kids hadn’t had any problem accepting a new grandmother, especially one who doted on them as much as Diane did.
I slipped an arm around my husband’s waist.
“Thank you,” I said. “Thank you for loving me.”
“You’re wrong,” he said. “I am the lucky one. I never knew what I’d been missing.”
“Do you think it’s time for the surprise?” I asked.
“Definitely.”
We made our way to the RV and came back with a bright pi?ata.
Emma spotted it first and started jumping up and down. Megan caught sight of it and groaned.
“What’s up?” Stephan asked her.
“Kid sugar high,” Megan replied, pointing.
“We can’t have a celebration without a pi?ata!” Rodrigo declared.
“Candy! Candy!” Emma shouted.
“Thanks, Mom,” Patrick muttered. “I’m on bedtime duty tonight. It’s going to be impossible.”
“We’re making memories, kid,” I said. “A difficult night is worth it once in a while.”
“Oh, sure, now you say that. But I remember …”
I held up my finger, then pointed where Rodrigo was attempting to get on a bench to tie the toy to the rafter.
“I’d like to stay out of the hospital,” I said.
Patrick dashed over, meeting Bug at the bench. Together they convinced my husband to relinquish the job.
“I could have done it,” Rodrigo said .
“I’m sure you could have,” I said.
“You put them up to this.” He glared.
“Only because I love you …”
His gaze softened, and he leaned in to kiss me.
Patrick suddenly loomed over me.
“Now what?” he asked.
Rodrigo reached for the stick he’d propped against a rail and took a blindfold from his pocket. “The bride goes first,” he said, holding out the blindfold to Joe. “Would you tie it around her eyes?”
“Oh, brother,” Diane said. “Can’t we skip this part?”
“Where’s your spirit of adventure?” Joe asked.
“I’m afraid I’m going to knock a kid’s head off instead of what I’m aiming at.”
Following Rodrigo’s instruction, Joe led Diane to the pi?ata and turned her around three times.
“Okay, honey, swing!”
As Diane took aim, Rodrigo grabbed Joe and pulled him back, waving everyone else back as well.
Diane took a wild swing and almost connected with a hanging plant.
“Not my plants!” Sydney yelled. “Someone point her in the right direction!”
Orders were yelled to my sister, but after two more tries, Joe took over.
He wasn’t any better than Diane.
Liz and Walter went next.
Then it was my turn.
Unknown to Rodrigo, I’d been practicing. Being married into a Mexican family, it seemed like a useful skill to have.
Once I’d been turned around, I listened.
Wind fluffed the paper on the colorful donkey.
I took a deep breath and swung.
Candy started to rain down on my head, and I was almost bowled over by a bunch of little kids.
With a laugh, I pulled off my blindfold and grinned at Rodrigo.
He gave me a thumbs up, grabbed my hand, and took me to the bar where the G&Ts were kept cold.
~ ~ ~
Later that night, we sat side by side on our temporary porch and watched the sun set, just like we’d promised each other we’d do as often as we could.
I held his hand, and we were silent. The day had been exhilarating, but had taken a lot of energy.
In some ways, the journey we’d begun on the RV was finally over. Diane and I were married, and Liz was as married as she’d ever be. We were closer than we’d ever been in our lives, and our extended families had taken the first steps toward knitting together.
The next generation was taking over. Life goes on and changes happen. Most of our recent ones had been good.
I leaned my head against my husband’s shoulder.
“I love you,” I said softly.
“Yes,” he said. “I love you too. And I will for the rest of my life.”
We didn’t know how long that would be, but then and there I vowed I’d live every day with purpose and joy, making sure Rodrigo knew how much he was loved every single day of his life.
Because that was what he showed me every day.
Love.
~ ~ ~