Chapter 4 Rae
RAE
“Why didn’t you tell us your flight changed?” my mother scolded as she walked in the door.
I had showered, napped, and then called to tell them I was home, at which point they’d rushed right over.
Waving her off, I sighed. “Because it was no big deal. I caught a ride, and this way you two didn’t have to drive me.”
That, and I was way too prideful to be picked up two hours from home and driven back by my parents.
All of Macon would start talking about how I’d failed college or was bailed out of jail.
Either way, my parents would be the poor victims, and I would be painted as the villain, so I caught the bus, which dropped me near the small bookstore, and then I walked the rest of the way home.
“Hey, kid, how are you?” My dad pulled me into his arms next, kissing the top of my head, the sensation of his strong arms taking me back to feeling small and protected.
Pulling away, I surveyed them both and tried to ignore the tug in my stomach that I’d missed so much of their lives.
My father was still just as tall as always, but his hair was definitely receding, and the sides had turned an ashy gray color.
My mom’s hair was still a dark chestnut, but her temples were also starting to turn silver.
“So, how was the diner this morning?” I asked, hoping to ease the awkwardness I felt being back in their presence after so long.
My mom moved around the kitchen in a hurry. “Slow, but that’s okay. It’ll pick up, especially with you back.”
I brushed off the nerves rattling my insides at her hopeful tone and watched my father start a pot of coffee.
“Tell me more about this delivery service that you have in mind?”
My mom grabbed the butter dish and the box of bread, blushing just the slightest bit.
“Your mom is really proud of it; there’s several people who can’t get around easily, so having a hot meal delivered has been a real help to them,” my dad said, yanking the glass pot out of the way and shoving his mug under in a practiced fashion.
I held back a laugh when Mom gave him the side eye.
She hates it when he does that because it always splatters.
“Well, we added in grocery delivery, too, and it just becomes a big help to the community. I mean, aside from the financial assistance to us.” I could hear how proud my mom was in spite of her efforts to sound casual. This truly meant something to her.
“Well, when can I help?”
My mom grabbed my dad’s cup and sipped from it, her eyes big and round. “If you’re sure that you’re ready, I could actually use your help this weekend. We usually have at least ten orders that come in, and getting anyone to drive up the mountain has been difficult.”
“Is old man Ford still living up there?” I asked, deciding coffee didn’t sound too bad and grabbed for a mug.
“He, Mrs. Kuami, and the others are all still scattered up there. Some like coming down, but we realized how many of them just prefer to have their food delivered. It’s real nice though; Mr. Ford has a whole station set up by his mailbox for the delivery, so you just push a button when you drop it, and then he zips down on his four-wheeler and picks it up. ”
Mr. Ford had a driveway over a mile long, up a steep embankment, so it was kind that the delivery person wouldn’t have to drive it.
“That’s nice,” I mused, checking the fridge for creamer, coming up empty. “You don’t have any hazelnut creamer?”
My dad moved to the cupboard. “Your mom finally quit it. Only does half and half with a little bit of sugar.”
“Wow, Mom, that’s”—new, different, I hated that I had missed it—“awesome that you finally were able to finally quit.” It squeezed my heart a bit that she’d never mentioned it in any of our many phone conversations, but that was just how my mom was…
never thinking to talk about the tiny changes in her life, just the major things.
Mom smiled, crinkling her nose. “It took a while, but now I can’t stand the taste of it.”
“Well, if it’s okay with you, I’m going to go catch up with Nora and look around the town.” I shut the fridge and gave up on the idea of coffee.
“Of course, honey. If you get hungry, come see us down at the diner.” My mom walked over, kissed my cheek, and then headed toward the door.
“Save some time in your schedule tomorrow so I can check the oil on that car that’s still sitting beside the garage,” my dad said, trailing Mom.
“You guys kept my car?” I asked, feeling hopeful.
They both looked at me like I had lost my mind. “Of course we did.”
Because they loved me. I should have come back months ago.
I was going to make this work.
Red brick buildings lined the street as we walked along the main strip of Macon.
Hanging flower baskets that should have been exploding with color were instead still filled with last year’s dead vegetation.
The street was still attractive, with the massive mountain as a backdrop to the small town, but no expense used to be spared in maintaining the beauty of Macon, especially during tourist season.
“It’s so weird being back,” I mused to my best friend as we walked shoulder to shoulder.
Nora let out a sigh, taking a long sip from her iced coffee. “It feels good, though, like a piece to my puzzle has clicked into place.”
Looking over at her, I smiled. “Your puzzle?”
“Yeah…like my life puzzle. You know”—she moved her free hand in the air—“life is like a puzzle.”
Sipping from my own coffee, I added, “Yeah, one without the box, so you have zero indication what the picture is supposed to look like.” I looked ahead, recognizing a few faces here and there, but was relieved when they didn’t seem to notice or recognize me.
“What if my puzzle doesn’t have a corner piece, and the whole integrity of my life is screwed?”
I laughed, nearly spitting my coffee. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”
“With my luck that’s exactly how this whole thing would work.”
We ventured closer to the edge of Main Street, bypassing the bookstore and the hair salon. A few shops had “for sale” signs in their windows, and others just had a slew of thin boards covering the storefront. It made my heart sink, because four years ago these businesses were thriving.
“Maybe the pieces we need belong to the people we’re going to end up with?”
Finally, we stopped in front of a shop window boasting all things Mount Macon, including homemade jam and locally sourced honey.
“Your parents still saying that berry jam is made here?” I quipped, slurping my coffee until it rattled with an annoying empty sound.
Nora let out a heavy sigh, turning with me to face the storefront. “First of all, I think you might be on to something about our puzzle-piece keepers.”
“Is that what we’re calling them?” I turned my head, raising a brow.
Nora kept her face forward, toward the store. “Yes. Also, if you tell a soul that the jam is from the valley, and not up on that mountain”—she pointed toward the snow-capped peak with her finger—“my mom will totally end you.”
“I’ve kept the secret this long!” I protested, and we laughed and continued walking.
Crossing the street, we stood in front of my parent’s diner.
Similar to all the shops, it was all glass windows with cursive signage, welcoming patrons to “Millie & Mac’s Restaurant.
” Most people around here knew the Mac portion of the name was all for show—it just happened to sound decent next to my mother’s name—but my father liked the gossip it would stir every so often when transplants would arrive in town.
Peering inside the broad glass panes, you could make out the faded blue leather booths inside, and the long counter stretching along the back wall.
Two swinging doors off to the right led back to the kitchen, where my mom and dad were.
Watching people drink coffee and eat pie, I huffed out the same sigh Nora had earlier.
“I’m starting the delivery thing this weekend.”
“Shut up!” Nora laughed, pushing my shoulder.
“I’m serious!”
“I didn’t think you’d actually do it.” She laughed into her hand, clutching her stomach.
I hip-checked her. “It’s your fault…”
She wheezed, straightening. “You’re welcome. You wouldn’t have lasted much longer in that tiny apartment. You needed a reason to come.”
She wasn’t wrong, but I was still nervous about delivering up the mountain—not that he was up there…nor would he likely use something like a delivery service, but still. My nerves frayed like the ends of a rope.
We stood in silence, watching the people bustle inside the diner.
“Maybe I should start doing Uber driving until my design business picks up,” Nora droned, clearly still pondering her future.
I elbowed her. “You won’t have time in between selling that infamous ‘local jam.’”
She elbowed me way harder than I did her.
“Ow!”
“Well, you did it first.”
We eyed one another for a second before the diner doors opened, letting out a glorious aroma.
“When do you start the delivery service again?” Nora asked, lifting her nose like a puppy smelling a steak.
“This weekend, but I think I should do a test run, like right now.”
Nora kept watching the store front, so I elbowed her again.
“Hey!”
“Call in an order and I’ll deliver it to us, and we can eat our weight in blueberry pie.”
She rubbed the sore spot on her arm. “Can’t you just get it for free?”
“Can you get me some local jam for free?”
She deflated, pulling her cell free. “Touché.”
Holding the phone to her ear, she waited for the phone to connect before looking back at me. “I’m glad we’re back. This whole living in the same town thing is going to be awesome.”
I sipped the melted coffee water in my cup and smiled at her, but then the sound of a motorcycle echoed somewhere a few streets over, and it was like a dark thunder cloud rolling over me.
Chills swept up along my arms as the sound reverberated down the corridor, and I stood there, looking over my shoulder, terrified that the one reason I stayed away from this town was about to speed past me.
Within seconds, and in a gleam of chrome, I realized it didn’t matter that it wasn’t him. The memory of him would continue to haunt me as long as I lived in this town, which meant I couldn’t stay here.
This had to be temporary.