Chapter 7 #2
“That would be me, ma’am.” Clint stepped forward and took the two carry-on bags from her.
“Would you like me to put that in the back as well?” He pointed to her purse, which was about the size of Javier’s gym bag.
But that was her mother, Kimberly Parsons Walker Chapman.
She never bothered taking Bubba Norris’s name because she didn’t keep him long enough.
A week after the wedding, they’d both gotten drunk and he’d smacked her around.
Physical brutality was one thing her mother would never tolerate.
She’d filed for divorce within hours after sending him out the door in handcuffs, escorted by the local police.
“I’ve got this one.” She gave Clint one of her predatory smiles.
Theodora had seen that look throughout her whole life.
Her mother was calculating whether she’d be able to make Clint her next husband.
“But I’d greatly appreciate it if you’d get those.
” Casually pointing to a porter pushing a cart filled with four more bags, two of them were overseas suitcases, and the other two were standard check-in bags.
“And you’ll be sure to tip the boy for me, won’t you?
He was very good at carefully retrieving my suitcases from the carousel and pushing them all the way out here. ”
As if dismissing Clint to do his job, her mother slipped her arm into Theodora’s. “Which way to your car? It’s beastly hot out here. Even though I’m from Texas, I do not like to perspire.”
“We’re parked right over here, Mama.” She led her mother to the Mercedes G-Wagon, running at the curb.
“Wow, this is quite a fancy car. Is it yours?”
“No, it’s one of the Riggs’s fleet vehicles.” Theodora opened the back door for her mother, who grabbed for the front door.
“Baby girl, you know I don’t do well riding in the back,” her mother announced.
Theodora knew no such thing but allowed her mother to take the shotgun position while she awkwardly crawled into the back seat.
She heard and felt suitcases being loaded into the trunk before she heard grumbling from Clint.
She was embarrassed at how her mother had forced Clint to pay the porter.
When they got home, she’d reimburse him.
As soon as Clint climbed behind the steering wheel, he put it in gear and moved into the heavy traffic.
They just had to go to the other end of the airport, where the private aircraft were parked.
The Riggs family had their own hangar, where the helicopter would have been kept while waiting for everyone before returning to Eden.
“I’m sorry, young man; I haven’t introduced myself.” Her mother patted Clint’s thigh. “I’m Kimberly Parsons. Please call me Kimmy.”
“Pleased to meet you, ma’am. I’m Clint Riggs.” He moved his leg away. “I’d shake your hand, but as you can see, this traffic is horrendous.”
“Well, Clint Riggs, what is your relationship with my daughter?” Her mother’s question floored Theodora. “I understand you accompanied her to the OB appointment this morning.”
She tried to look at Clint’s eyes in the rearview mirror, but they never left the road. His stone face showed no reaction. Before he could say a word Theodora answered, “Clint was Javier’s team leader.”
“Of course I took her to the doctor’s office.” His voice was curt. “I promised Javier I would take care of Theodora and his baby.”
At that declaration, her mother turned around and looked at her, giving her a thumbs-up that only she could see. She wasn’t sure exactly what that meant.
It only took a few minutes before they were in an upscale part of Addis Ababa, an area Theodora had never been to.
But she hadn’t been to a lot of places in the capital city.
She and Javier would go to the big grocery store, sometimes the mall, and they’d made several trips to the locally made furniture store.
Both she and Javier loved the craftsmanship of local furniture builders and felt good about supporting them rather than buying cheap furniture from one of the box stores.
They had purchased a bed and a dining table and had several other things on their wish list.
Clint turned down the side of a building that had three VIP parking spaces.
He pulled into the only one available and spun toward the women.
“Ladies, I don’t expect to be long. You are welcome to sit here in the comfort of the air-conditioned vehicle or come into the jewelry store and look around. I have an appointment with the owner.”
Her mother perked up. “A jewelry store?” She glanced over her shoulder at Theodora. “Let’s go.”
Internally, Theodora cringed. The only jewelry she wore was the quarter-carat diamond ring that Javier had saved up for months and then bought on sale at the Post Exchange.
She wore it next to her gold wedding band.
They’d never had extra money to spend on extravagances like jewels.
Besides, she didn’t have any place to wear fancy jewelry.
They never went to any place where they needed to dress up.