26. Good To Be Home
Chapter twenty-six
Good To Be Home
Maggie
Nibbling on a doughnut while I got ready, I dressed in a white short skirt and a blue, boatneck, capped-sleeve shirt, and sandals.
Since I needed a little fortification before going to my parents’ house, I added some tinted moisturizer and pink lip gloss.
Then, I pulled on one of my long skirts over my short skirt so I could visit Mom.
On the way to my parents’ house, I wondered if I looked like I’d just had sex for the first time?
Even after a very thorough shower, I felt like Father would somehow know and lecture me about it, especially after all those sermons about sinning.
I mean, he couldn’t actually know, but it still made me nervous.
Once I pulled up to the front of their house, my mood changed quickly. It was no longer about me. It was all about Mom. The hospice nurse was just leaving the house.
The buzz of a text grabbed my attention. Thinking it was Paul, I snatched up my phone. It was a text from Easton, so I tossed my phone in my purse and pushed out of my car. I wanted to talk with the nurse before she left.
While in the mornings, Mom seemed out of sorts, afternoons seemed to be better. I wondered if this was a natural progress of the disease or if it meant something.
“Mary?” I called to the nurse. “How is she today?”
Turning, she held onto her car door. “She has a brave face on this morning. She’s so happy to have you home. I’m doing all I can so she’ll enjoy her time with you.”
“It’s so good to see her, too,” I said, then winced as I asked the question on my mind. “Can you tell from how things are going how much time she has? I mean, from your experience, are we talking days or weeks?”
With a nod to the house, Mary smiled. “If she has more mornings like this, I’d say probably a few weeks, maybe more. It just depends. Her body is weak, but she’s a strong lady.”
I thanked her and went inside. Mom sat up in her recliner in the sun porch. Her cheeks had a small tinge of pink to them from the warm sun coming in the window. I couldn’t help but think that she looked the healthiest I’d seen her since coming home.
“Good morning, Mom. You look lovely this morning.”
Her mouth turned up at the corners a little. “You seem to have a little glow about you too, Maggie.”
I stopped for a second. She couldn’t know I’d been with Paul last night. There was no way she could know.
“Must be from spending more time walking in the sun,” I said with a smile.
Mom reached for my hand. “Did you have a nice night?”
Moving toward her, I took her hand and sat on the ottoman next to her. “I went for a walk to clear my head. It was a beautiful night. I forgot how quiet it can be away from the city.”
Her eyes sparkled. “Did you see Paul?”
I wasn’t sure what that meant. “Yes, I went to the pond. We, um, talked.”
My heart was racing. Technically, we did speak to each other. There was more to it than that, but I wasn’t going to tell her about it.
With a knowing look, she smirked. “You two have always been drawn to each other. Almost a dance where you move and he counters. He’s always been a gentleman with you, but when you weren’t looking, the rest of us saw how he felt about you. Infatuated. Wanting.”
“Mom,” I chided.
I knew I was blushing but couldn’t stop it.
She giggled. “It’s time for you to think about things like being together. It was too early when you were teens. I worried you wouldn’t be able to keep your hands off each other, but now? It’s good that you’re happy. You should be with him.”
Did she mean that I should be married to him? Or enjoy my time here with him? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, so I didn’t clarify.
“It’s all very new,” I said softly, not even sure how to define what we were.
Mom’s eyes swam with unshed tears as she pressed a hand to her chest. “You two just have the most incredible love story. Have you two finally sat down and really talked about how you feel about each other?”
Lowering my eyes to our entwined hands, I shook my head again. “I’ve just come back to town. We’re just getting to know each other again, so we have to ease into things like that.”
“Don’t wait,” she said, her tone making my eyes dart to meet hers.
“Don’t waste any more time being stubborn.
Tell him how you feel without expecting anything in return.
I know it’s scary. Here you are worried that he won’t feel the same because you tried in your own way before, but things are different now. He’s different and so are you.”
“How do you know he’s different?” I asked.
Mom patted my hand. “Love, time, and space change a person. Believe me. So, you have to try with him, and not be afraid to go first. Life is too short to waste it on worries and fears. Embrace the chaos, dive into the madness, or you’ll always regret it.”
I forced a smile. “I’m taking him lunch when you’re resting later. We’ll talk more then, okay?”
Resting her head back against the recliner, she looked a little worn out. “Good. Now, will you read to me? I just have to know what happens next. And don’t skip past the romantic scenes like you did yesterday. I’ll know if you do. I’ve read this one before.”
I gave her a shy smile as I picked up the book. Mom liked romance novels. I never knew that about her before, but I think she liked the happily ever afters, and I didn’t blame her. I did, too.
For the next thirty minutes, I read about the obstacles that got in people’s way when they were in love. It seemed like the whole world was against these two.
In the back of my mind, I couldn’t stop thinking about Paul.
While we had already dealt with so many obstacles, mainly distance, there were so many more to overcome.
And none of them had changed. As I read, I couldn’t help but wonder what other obstacles I’d have to face before I could find my happy ending.
When Mom fell asleep in her chair, I gently set the book on her end table and took a seat on the other side of the room where I’d left my purse.
Pulling out my camera from its depths, I made sure all the sounds were muted and took a few photos of Mom resting.
Sure, I’d take some of her awake, too, like I did at the hospital, but when she was awake, pain wrinkled the corners of her eyes.
Here, she was at peace. Just resting and comfortable. I wanted to remember her this way, too.
Deciding not to disturb Father from his work preparing for the weekend’s sermon, I slipped out the front door and took a few photos of my parents’ house.
The view from their back porch. The view toward the corn fields next door.
The horizon and a sea of hay. As the days went by, the closer I came to going back to Chicago.
There were too many conflicting feelings about that to process, so I decided to clear my head.
Back at my hotel, I shucked the long skirt and left my car parked there to spend some time downtown. Maybe there would be some good subjects for photographs. Karpathia seemed to like the photos from around here, so maybe I could find another exhibit-worthy building to photograph in town.
In the years I’d been gone, the weather had taken a toll on Buena Vista.
With such oppressive heat and damaging storms, paint faded or peeled from the side of buildings and houses as I reached Main Street.
It hadn’t rained since I’d arrived, so even the dirt around tree trunks cracked.
From the look of it, there hadn’t been rain in a week or two.
Staring out toward the road to the highway, I wondered if the shimmering of heat translated to film. Taking a few rapid shots on various settings, I gave it a try. Only time would tell if the shots would give that feeling of heat that makes mirages appear.
Walking by Newcomb’s Market, I waved as I stepped inside what felt like a time capsule. Still in the same shape since the 1950s, the store was an immaculate representation of what stores used to look like back then. In Buena Vista, they never changed.
Holding up my camera to the manager, I gestured to his store. “Do you mind if I take some photos in here? Not of the people, of course, just the store.”
Mr. Newcomb gave his usual smile while he bagged Mrs. Demarco’s groceries. “Go right ahead, Maggie. Good to see you back in town.”
“It’s temporary,” I blurted. “I mean, I’m just here visiting my parents.”
He gave a cursory smile, the same one he’d given since I was a child. “Of course, dear.”
Around the store, I stood in awe of the pristine wallpaper, recently polished floors, and perfectly stocked shelves.
I greeted a few of the patrons, since everyone knew everyone here, but I used my camera as an excuse to move on before I got wrapped up in long conversation about my plans.
There were so many great shots of stocked shelves, wider-panned shots of the meat counter, and even a few of the entire store from one corner.
Then, I grabbed a bottle of water and paid Mr. Newcomb a little extra for his trouble.
He handed my change back to me. “No trouble at all. You come back anytime. We’ve missed seeing you around town.”
I swallowed past the lump forming in my throat as I nodded before heading over to the post office next door.
After taking a few shots outside, I went inside to visit with Mrs. Gruber.
She was the post office lady for as long as I could remember.
While she was past retirement age before I left, she still worked here.
Mrs. Gruber gave me a huge, toothy grin as she handed me my parents’ mail. “How are you, Maggie? Enjoying your visit back to town?”
I tucked it in my purse and smiled. “Yes, thank you. Do you mind if I take a few photos? I always loved how this placed looked.”
She gave a chuckle. “Of course, dear. You always were a good egg.”
I snapped a few shots, trying different settings and angles while she bustled behind the counter, organizing the mail. The town was too small to support a mail carrier, so people just stopped by to pick up their mail.