Chapter 7
Dakota
It felt great to sleep in my own bed again. When I was finally able to climb between the sheets and close my eyes, it took no time at all to fall asleep. I probably would have slept the day away if it wasn’t for the sound of Jack’s feet as he attempted to make his way to the living room. The wood floors creaked, and after the third board groaned, I gave up. “I can hear you out there,” I teased.
“I was trying to be quiet,” Jack called before my door slowly opened and his head peeked around the corner.
“I know. It’s ok.” I patted the edge of my bed. He rushed over and climbed in. “What would you like for breakfast? I stole some of Grandma’s biscuits when we were at the big house last night.”
“Ooh, yeah. Did you get jam too?” He grinned.
“Is there any other way to eat them?” I laughed as I ruffled his hair. I was going to miss these days. It wouldn’t be long before he would deem himself too old to climb on my bed.
“Yes!” He jumped up and rushed out toward the kitchen.
“Be careful,” I called. There were a bunch of boxes out there still, and I’d left quite a few dishes on the counters with the intention of putting them away this morning. When I rounded the corner, Jack was opening drawers, and several biscuits were on the counter on plates.
“Ah ha!” He raised his hand in the air, holding a butter knife. He kinda danced over to where he’d left the biscuits and began spreading jam on them.
“Thanks, buddy.” I yawned. I was trying to avoid having to go to my parents’ place, but I didn’t have any coffee here. Just as that thought was dawning on me, there was a knock at the door. Jack’s head snapped up, and I turned, confused as to who would be knocking. Only a handful of people knew I’d moved in. “I’ll get it.” I yawned again. I needed to make sure I got all things caffeine today at the store.
When I peered through the window by the door, I could see a tall shadow but couldn’t make out who it was. “You guys awake in there?” His voice was low, almost too low to hear.
“Just a sec,” I called as I unlocked the door and slowly opened it. I peered around it to be met with Hank’s gaze. His piercing blue eyes twinkled in the morning light.
“I thought you might need this since you haven’t been shoppin’ yet.” He handed me a tall Thermos. “There’s cream and sugar in there as well. I hope you haven’t changed the way ya take it.” He looked down and scuffed his boots on the new welcome mat I’d put out yesterday. “Well, I better get goin’. Gotta finish stackin’ today.” He tipped his hat and turned around to walk away.
“Thanks,” I called. He didn’t turn around, but he nodded that he heard me.
“Here, Mom.” Jack handed me a plate of biscuits just as I finished locking the door. We sat down on the couch together and dug in.
“Thanks, buddy.” I licked my lips after biting into the strawberry goodness. My mom’s homemade jam was the best. “I was thinking we’d go grocery shopping today. You can pick out some snacks, and then we’ll finish unpacking. Maybe Grandpa can come hang the TV tonight.” I brushed crumbs off my lap as I stood up. “We only have a few weeks until school starts here, too. We need to get you some new clothes.”
Jack’s lip twisted at the thought of shopping for clothes. If he had it his way, he’d live in basketball shorts and tees. “Fine,” he grumbled.
“Go get dressed, and we’ll head out in a bit.” I gathered our plates and carried them into the kitchen.
*****
Sunny Brook was about a twenty minute drive from everything. If you went north, you could get to the small downtown area of Myers. There were exactly three traffic lights, a post office, bank, and a few different stores. Myers was a town that looked like it was stuck in a time warp. Nothing has really changed since my childhood, and in a way, it’s very comforting.
If you go south, you find a small plaza on the outskirts of Roan. This is where the local Piggly Wiggly is located. It’s in a strip mall that also contains a Kmart, a Subway, and a laundromat. When I was a kid, we’d make weekly trips to the Piggly Wiggly. Mom would give us each a dollar to troll the bulk candy aisle and choose a treat. That small bag with four or five pieces of candy, it really depended on what we chose, was like finding buried treasure.
“Are we there yet?” Jack stared out the window. It was only about a five minute drive to the store from our old house. This living in the middle of nowhere was going to take an adjustment for him.
“Almost, buddy.” I made the final turn and pulled into the parking lot.
“There sure is a lot of nothing around here.” His lips pursed together as I laughed.
“Sometimes that nice,” I chimed in as I opened my door and climbed out. Jack followed, and we made our way into the Kmart. “Let’s grab some clothes for school, and then we’ll get food,” I reasoned.
“Ok.” He sighed as we entered the store. When I say nothing has changed, I mean nothing has changed. The same red and white tile floor met me right inside, and the spinning blue light announcing a special was right there. I shook my head as I laughed to myself.
“What’s so funny?” Jack looked confused.
“Nothing. Just feel like I’m ten again.” I led him over to the boys’ section and started thumbing through the racks.
We spent about an hour grabbing shorts and shirts, and a new pair of sneakers before checking out. After tossing the bags in the car, we walked to the Piggly Wiggly. “Go grab a buggy.” I pointed to the line of shopping carts. Jack happily skipped over and tugged a cart free.
“Can I push?” He grinned.
“Just don’t run over my feet,” I warned as I led us over to the produce section. We didn’t really need any fresh vegetables; Mom always had a garden in the summer. I grabbed some lemons for fresh lemonade, and then started perusing the other aisles. Coffee, sugar, rice, pasta, milk, bread, flour, and many other staple items made their way into the cart. Of course, I let Jack pick out junk food and his favorite cereal and soda. I tossed some of my favorite items from my childhood into the cart as well. I knew Jack would love them if he tried them. Cherry Lemon Sundrop was a favorite of mine, and the local BBQ joint always served them.
“Are we done yet?” Jack peered over the mound of groceries. I kept piling things in, hoping they wouldn’t spill out onto the floor. You don’t realize how much you need until you have nothing.
“Almost, buddy.” I laughed lightly as he stood on his tiptoes to look over the top of the groceries. When we rounded the corner to the last aisle, I smiled as I was hit with a wave of nostalgia. Both sides were lined with clean plastic bins to dispense every type of candy known to man. Taffy, hard candies, gummies, sour candies, licorice, gum, chocolates, and my favorite, the old-fashioned penny candy. I grabbed a bag and handed it to Jack. “Pick out what you want but keep it below five dollars.”
“Really?” His eyes went wide.
“Really.” I nodded. “My mom used to let me shop here each time we came. Cost has gone up, so I’m giving you a bigger budget.”
“Thanks.” He bounced on his toes before surveying all the choices. I stood there giving him time as he wandered up and down the aisle, looking at his options. He’d start to scoop from one, then think better of it and switch to something else. By the time he’d made his choices, he had a bit of everything. A giant red licorice twist was peeking out of the top of the bag. “I’m eating this first.” He pointed to it as I took over pushing the cart and we made our way to the checkout.
After ringing up the candy, I carefully tucked the bag in my purse so Jack could help me unload the buggy. We placed items on the conveyor belt taking turns, and then Jack moved the buggy so the bag boy could load the cart back up. I couldn’t believe that the store still had bag boys, but most looked like high school kids.
After I paid, we pushed the buggy out to my car. Jack held the buggy so it wouldn’t roll away, and I loaded the bags into the back. “Can I take it back?” He pointed to the cart return.
“Sure, but watch for cars.” I kept an eye on him as he worked his way across the parking lot, and then came back. We climbed in, and I began the drive home. The sun was high in the sky now, and it was feeling like a super-hot day.
*****
When we reached the house, Jack helped carry the grocery bags in, then went to play. I spent the better part of the afternoon unpacking, and then Hank stopped by. “Thought you might want some help with that.” He pointed to the basketball hoop that was still in pieces in the yard.
“That would be great.” I sighed. I was exhausted, but still had so much to do.
“I’ll get Jeff to help me. It’s a half day today since it’s Saturday.” He smiled. “Need help with anything else?” He peered around me inside the door.
“Dad’s going to hang the flat screen, but I think I can get everything else.” I waved him off. The help would be great, but being around him just made things weird. I was still battling with the fact that I found him attractive, and my heart wasn’t ready for that yet. Parts of me were still grieving the loss of Alex.
“I can do that for you.” He stepped inside, and I backed away. “That is, if you’re ok with it.” His eyes softened and I felt guilty for making him feel this way.
“Sorry, yes. That would be great.” I pointed to where the TV was leaning against the wall. “We were going to put it over there.” I motioned to the spot over the fireplace.
“Let me go get my tools.” He smiled and rushed out of the house. I watched him walk over to the barn with purpose. The gray tee stretched tight across his shoulders, the worn jeans hugging his butt and thighs perfectly. I shook my head. What was wrong with me? Guilt consumed me as I turned away and my eyes connected with the framed picture of Alex and me that sat on the mantle.
I started pacing, talking to myself, trying to convince myself that what I was feeling was normal. I didn’t have to be alone because my husband died. I didn’t have to punish myself for feeling something for someone else. It was easier said than done.
Amid my mini-meltdown, Hank came back. “You ok?” He seemed genuinely worried as he set the toolbox on the floor.
“Ignore me. I’m being silly.” I waved my arm in the air. Hank smiled, and I bit my lip to keep from laughing.
I watched as he went to work placing screws in the wall to hold the bracket that the TV connected to. Once he got the mount in place, he attached the TV, and then connected all the cables. He stepped back and assessed his work.
As he was packing up his tools, Jack came rushing in. “Yay!” He clapped as he picked up the remote and turned on the TV. When it came to life and actually had a connection to the cable, he clapped happily.
“Must have been pretty bad not having TV, huh?” Hank chuckled as Jack flopped on the couch. “I’ll be back later to get that hoop up for ya.” He motioned out front.
“Sweet!” Jack fist-pumped.
“Thanks for all of this.” I smiled.
“I don’t mind.” He removed his hat and ran his hand through his hair. “You know I’ll always help you.” His eyes softened as he watched me. I nodded. I didn’t really know what else to say.
“Can Hank come to movie night?” Jack blurted out.
“Uh,” I stammered.
“What’s movie night?” Hank glanced between my son and me.
“Every Saturday night we pick a movie. We pop popcorn and have soda and watch a movie together. It’s our thing, but it could be your thing too.” Jack was bouncing with excitement.
“I don’t want to intrude.” Hank’s voice was quiet. Almost a whisper.
“Please?” Jack begged.
“I think you have to, now.” I laughed lightly. “He usually falls asleep before it’s over, so you don’t have to stay long.”
“Ok, I’ll come, but no girlie movies.” He pointed at Jack.
“Ugh, gross. Never girlie movies.” His face twisted and we both laughed.
“We usually start around eight,” I offered.
“I’ll see you then.” He waved and disappeared out the front door.
What did I just agree to? Hank in my house, in the dark. Good thing Jack was going to be here.