13. Reva
REVA
After we finally get ahold of the man from the wedding chapel and find out we’re definitely married, we get a flight home and I move in with Tom.
His house is amazing and any other time I would love to decorate, explore and enjoy my time with the man I’ve loved for so long.
But my dad still isn’t speaking to Tom or I. I passed him in town and he nodded but kept on walking.
I close my eyes and sigh, leaning back on the porch swing, my coffee warm in my hand. He’s a stubborn man, that’s for sure. But sooner or later things will come to a head and I hope that it all works out because I miss my father.
I’ve also heard some rumors about him and the baker in town and I want to know whether they’re true or not. But I’m not going to gossip about him with the town cats.
Tom comes outside and sits down beside me on the swing, smiling as I lean into him and sigh.
“How are you today, honey?”
I look up into his eyes and groan. “I don’t know. I miss Dad. I really do. I just wish he wasn’t being so stubborn about this. And as long as this is going on, I can’t talk with him about getting a job at the fire station which means I’m in limbo with what I want to do with my life too.”
He nods. “I get it, baby. But I don’t want you to rush into anything. My house is paid for and I don’t need your money to make it. I just want you to take your time and be happy with your decisions.”
I curl up on his chest, feeling so cozy that I purr under my breath. This man makes me feel so happy and safe. He makes every day a good day. If this thing with my dad gets worked out, then my life will be perfect. Especially if I can get him to agree to let me apply for a job at the firehouse.
“I just want to be able to talk to him.” Tears sting my eyes. “I told you that I saw him the other day in town and that he wouldn’t even talk to me. He did nod and smile but he kept on walking.”
“You’ve got more than me then. He still won’t even acknowledge me.”
“Never mind. I’m sure he will loosen up sooner or later. How did it go at work today?”
“Alright, except my partner on the job today ended up having to leave early so he could go pick his daughter up at school.”
I sit up on his chest and smile. “Which guy was it and what happened?”
“Well, it was Foster Marcone. The older guy. He’s been a single dad since his wife passed away four years ago and his daughter is about ten. She’s a pistol. I guess she punched a little boy in the nose cause he said something about her mother’s death.”
I gasp. “That’s awful. I hope she got him good.”
He glares at me but I see the sparkle in his eyes. “You’re not supposed to be so bloodthirsty and she got sent home for it.”
“That’s not fair.”
“I know. But don’t worry. I guess Foster gave the teacher hell.
He came back to work the next day and she’d gone back to school but he was still wound up.
Kept muttering under his breath about nosy, bossy teachers being all up in his business.
” Tom laughs and I chuckle too, closing my eyes and leaning into him.
“This is perfect, isn’t it?” At least almost.
Tom’s house is up the hill and not in town and I see a trail of smoke off to the left, lifting my head and sucking in a breath.
“Tom. I think there might be a fire over at old man Hartley’s place.”
He jerks up and stares at the smoke. “Shit.” He leaps to his feet and heads out to the storage shed on his property, quickly gathering a few things like hoes etc. just in case we need to make a fireline to protect our cabin.
I race to the light glow on the horizon to our left, pulling on protective gear and a mask that I’ll don in case I need to. “Call the firehouse but it’s going to take awhile for them to get up here!”
Tom growls under his breath. “Reva! Get back here!”
I whip around and scream back at him. “I need to help him, Tom! Just call them!”
He calls out, “I’m right behind you. Don’t do anything rash!”
I hear him hollering into his phone and racing up behind me. Both of us hit the tree line around the old cabin and I slam to a halt as the wind whips around us, ash and smoke coating the air and making it so heavy that I can barely see in front of me.
My eyes dart left and right. “Do you see Randy?”
Tom shakes his head, his eyes squinting from the heat and ash around us. “I don’t see him and his car’s right over there.” He points over to the cleared driveway alongside the old cabin.
The door is open and I stalk over to it, peering inside. “Can you see where the actual flames are coming from?”
Tom points up at the roof. “I think it’s up there that I’m seeing flames but it could be anywhere in the cabin. And you know the cabin’s not huge so I’m gonna err on the side of caution and say that the whole house could be being consumed.”
I nod and slip inside the room, pulling on the small respirator that I have. “I’m gonna take a quick peek around. Don’t come in after me. I’ll be right back out.”
Tom scrabbles, trying to grab my arm. “Don’t you dare go in there, Reva!”
But I dance out of his reach. “I need to make sure that he’s not in here. I promise I’ll be careful. I’ve got an extinguisher. I’ll be okay.”
I know I shouldn’t be doing this but I can’t leave Randy in here if I can possibly get him out. I’d never forgive myself and if he is in here, it will take too long for the station to get here.
“Randy?” I call, listening intently, hoping that I hear him. That he’s alright.
But there’s nothing and I move further into the dark building, hearing the crackling of the fire moving around me, the heat singing my skin and irritating my eyes.
“Randy, come on! Please say something!”
“Reva?” A rough, raspy voice catches my attention and I swerve to the right, leading through another doorway.
“Randy?”
“Yeah. I’m over here.”
I rush to him and wince when I see him lying on the floor. “What happened?”
He coughs and I groan. “Never mind. Let’s get you out of here.” I slide my arm around him and help him to his feet.
“It’s my ankle. I fell getting out of the bed and I think it’s pretty bad. I can’t stand on it.”
He grunts and then we do an odd sort of shuffling, creeping walk to make it back to the front door. The whoosh of the fire is getting closer and I groan when I see that it’s moved across the front doorway.
“Shit! We can’t go out that way!” I turn and my eyes dart around, searching for an escape route. I nod towards the side window and groan, “We’ve got to go that way. Come on!”
We shuffle-walk and I grit my teeth at the heat that’s building up closer and closer. My eyes burn and tear and it feels like my body is being slowly burnt.
At the window, I groan and pull it open, Randy leaning against the wall as I yank at the window until it screeches open. Immediately, Tom shows up in front of me, his eyes burning with anger.
“I am going to turn you over my knee after we get out of here.” But he holds out his hands and helps Randy out and then grasps my hands and hauls me over the low sill.
“Let’s go!” Sirens wail in the distance and we run away from the house, collapsing to the ground.
One of the trucks pulls up and the guys immediately start unloading, pulling hoses out to run it down to the creek and pump onto the fire.
They holler and I pull off the mask as my father comes running up to me. “What the hell are you doing here, Reva?”
His eyes scan me and although he glares at Tom, he doesn’t say anything to him.
“She got me out of there, Hank,” coughs Randy.
“Hey, settle down.” Hank pats his back and then he glares at me. “What were you thinking, Reva?”
“I was thinking that he needed help and I was going to help him. This is what I want to do with my life. I want to work with the fire department.”
My dad’s already shaking his head. “Absolutely not.”
“Then I’m going to move away and find another department to work for. I’m not letting this go.”
Hank grunts and runs his fingers through his hair. “We’ll talk about this later, Reva.”
Then he takes off to help his men.
I glance over at Tom and smirk at him. “Well, at least he’s talking.”
He grunts. “Yeah. It’s a start.”
It’s a small start but I’ll take it.