Chapter Twenty-Nine
Avila woke to the sound of crunching leaves. She imagined Ms. Mable’s nephew raking them, and she knew she had no business
being in bed any longer. Ebony was probably still asleep.
Her daughter had ignored her since their disagreement, and Avila wondered when Ebony had come to butt heads with her so much.
Now, Avila was forced to admit that Ebony had cause to be mad. Avila hadn’t realized that Ebony hoped she and Terence would
get together. Her daughter was too na?ve to know that was impossible.
Avila slipped out of bed and went to start the coffee, realizing halfway there that she could walk without much pain. At least
her ankle wouldn’t interfere with her job. She could show up for work in a month and start getting her life back to normal.
She would get to keep her job.
Is that what you want? She shrugged off the thought. Normal might not be exciting, but it was safe and predictable.
She scooped the coffee grounds into the filter, filled the tank with water, and plugged in the coffee maker. She had made a lot of headway on the house the last three days. The floors were completed, and the furniture was moved back into place. What remained was a list of small repairs: tightening the screws on the switch plate in the living room, re-grouting the bathroom tiles, and a host of other things.
Avila knew how one small repair could end up taking half a day and hoped everything would go smoothly. Then she would have
all the time that she needed to focus on Ebony’s performance and cheering her on for that.
She poured a bowl of cereal, leaving enough milk for Ebony, and sat down, waiting for the coffee to brew. The floor looked
nice. It could use a couple more coats of varnish, but there was no time.
She realized she would need to rake leaves too. And call Samantha to let her know the house was done. Samantha had filed the
paperwork for the listing the week before, and it would go on the market in three days. Perhaps they would get lucky and receive
a few offers on the place before Ebony’s theater run was complete.
Avila had visited Ms. Mable the day before and had arranged for Ms. Mable’s nephew to keep up the yard after they left. It
would cost Avila money she didn’t have, but it would pay off in the end.
Ms. Mable’s words flashed in her mind. “Well, honey, I’m sure Terence would keep after it. He does mine sometimes when I’m
in a bind.”
“I don’t wanna be a bother,” Avila said, loudly enough for the woman to hear. “And you said your nephew is looking to make
extra money.”
“Sure, sure. He won’t mind.”
Avila paused. “You know, I’ve been meaning to ask you something. I read a letter that my father had written to my mother before he left us. He said that he would file for a divorce once he got all of his financial affairs in order. Do you know if the divorce was ever finalized?”
“According to your mother, it was. But it was because she filed it.”
A tiny bit of relief flowed through her, even though she didn’t know why. It wasn’t like he reached out to her after that.
“I see.”
Ms. Mable looked at her intently.
“Well... thank you for letting your nephew mow my lawn.”
“Anytime, dear.” Ms. Mable walked her to the door. “You know, honey. I don’t mean to press any buttons, but being old gives
one the privilege of speaking one’s mind, so I’m taking advantage of it.”
She took Avila’s cold hand in her warm one. “A person would have to be blind not to see the way you two aren’t talking to
one another as of late.”
Avila opened her mouth in defense.
Ms. Mable raised her hand, palm out. “I’m not criticizing. Just making an observation.” She squeezed Avila’s hand. “Now nobody
knows better than me about pushing folks away. I did it most of my life, so I want you to listen up, okay?”
Avila nodded reluctantly.
“I lived right here in this house most of my life, and you might have noticed that there was never a man with me.” Ms. Mable
flattened her ruby lips. “Not that I didn’t have a chance, mind you. I was quite pretty back in my day.”
Avila smiled, and the woman continued.
“But I was afraid. I had my reasons. We all do. And I scared away every man I cared about.” She gestured around the house. “And here I am, all these years later, heart intact. But lonely. I would trade almost anything for one true love at my side.” Her eyes drooped at the corners, where the faint creases spread. “I have no idea what’s going on between you and that boy, but the two of you have got something special, always have. I’m going to tell you what I would do if I could turn back the clock thirty years.” She leaned close and said with urgency, “Take the risk.”
Now the words came back to Avila, whispered with the same force that her neighbor had spoken them the day before. Take the risk.
It sounded so easy. Take the risk. She almost let the words settle on her heart like dew on fresh grass. It was easy for Ms.
Mable to say them, but it was harder to actually follow through.
The coffee finished percolating, and she poured herself a cup. The smell of the strong brew cut through her daydream and brought
her to her senses. Work was the order of the day if she was going to get done before she left.
Avila finished her coffee, then showered and dressed. Terence’s tools were still on the front porch, so she retrieved them
and set them on the kitchen floor. Later that night, under cover of darkness, she would leave them on his porch.
She was a coward .
Maybe she was when it came to Terence, but he didn’t want to see her either.
She pulled the screwdriver from the toolbox and glanced at the switch plate that covered the light switch in the living room.
The screws were loose on the switch plate. She jiggled it gently to see how many screws needed to be tightened. The top two
were loose. Once she pinpointed them, she tightened them in place.
Once she was done, she walked around the rest of the rooms to check if any other switch plates were loose. All of them were tightened into place.
So much work to do here. Avila had to be mindful of these little things too.
She walked to the window and jerked up the windowpane. The smell of fresh air drifted through the screen.
Terence strolled through his front yard. His navy cap was shading his face, and his skin gleamed under the hot sun. He was
raking leaves and putting them in a lawn bag. Interesting. He turned and stepped in the direction of her house.
Avila pulled back from the window before he could see her. The last time she’d seen him, his feelings were written clearly
in his eyes.
But he was back. Warmth flowed through her at the sight of him.
Stop it, Avila! This isn’t what she wanted. She closed her eyes, battling the feelings again, pushing them back to a place where she could
control them. You just have a few more weeks. You can do it. You can leave here with your heart intact if you get your feelings under control.
The sound of the rake grew faint as he headed down toward the house next to hers. Hopefully he wouldn’t rake her leaves too.
How would she tell him to go away and not come back? She had already given him every reason to stay away. Why did he keep
coming around?
Maybe he would leave after he finished raking the leaves. It didn’t make sense, but then, his being here now didn’t make sense
either.
The bedroom door opened, and Ebony stepped onto the threshold, holding a bundle of clothes. Without a word, she headed to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
Avila wandered back to the kitchen and opened the fridge to check its temperature. She might need to defrost the freezer.
Terence’s presence captured her thoughts.
Without bidding, the memory of their kiss sprang to mind and lingered, like the sweet fragrance of a rose. How was it that
he made her want him more and more? He filled her heart and soul until there was no border between them. They were intertwined
and inseparable.
Nothing is ever inseparable, especially relationships. And imagine the damage when they do break apart. But she didn’t have
to imagine. She had been intertwined with her dad and her mom. She knew what loss felt like.
Terence set the rake against a tree and took a deep breath. After his conversation with Bryan the day before, he had gone
home and paced. Then he went to bed and tossed, lying awake, his mind wandering two doors down.
He was still upset about Avila’s decision, but it was her decision to make. Nonetheless, something else sank into his heart
in the wee hours of the night. There was no denying his love for her.
Terence’s love for Avila was deep. The root of love went down to his very core. That could never be weeded out.
He had only a short time before she left Charleston. He had wasted days brooding about something that couldn’t be changed.
He retrieved the rake, making a full turn, and headed toward her house. He wondered if Avila knew he was there. Probably not. She would’ve tried to chase him away with a broomstick if she did. Well, he was going to be here for her whether she wanted him to or not. It was time she discovered what unconditional love was all about.
When he reached Avila’s yard, he removed his hat and dragged his hand across his forehead. He squinted at the front window
of her home. She was surely awake by now. Even Ebony was probably up and helping with the house. Avila was probably stressed
out over the work still undone. Not stressed out enough to welcome him, though.
He placed his hat on his head and took the porch steps in one straight leap, sliding through the screen door. Without pausing,
he lifted his hand and knocked on the freshly painted door. Then he waited. Maybe he should’ve thought twice about this, since
he smelled like sweat. Too late now.