Chapter 11 #2
“Did you tell Daddy?” Lottie asked out the side of her mouth.
“No, I did not,” Darlene assured her. “But you are going to before we move into our house up here. And I mean all of it, not just that you broke up with this fellow.”
“And…” Her father made it a three-way hug, “Paul is moving from El Paso to Abilene. We’ll be somewhat centrally located to all the kids this way, and that will make it easier for y’all all to come home at the same time.”
“Besides, I wanted to meet your new boyfriend and take a look at the cabin that has the walls up, so I can get a general idea of what to bring with me,” Darlene told her as she took a step back. “Now, don’t just stand there, introduce us.”
“Mama, Daddy, this is Knox Callahan. Knox, my mother, Darlene, and Daddy, Zeke.”
“I’m pleased to meet y’all,” Knox said and extended a hand toward Zeke and then to Darlene.
“Well, we’ve just been dying to get to know you, and now that we will be living close, you’ll have to spend some time here at Swan Song Estates with our Lottie,” Darlene said.
“I’ll look forward to it,” Knox agreed.
Bless your heart, Lottie thought. This is going beyond what I expected of you.
“But for tonight, we’re going to steal Lottie away to have supper with us in a little café we found between here and our hotel,” Darlene said. “Jack and Mandy raved about their chicken-fried steak.”
Lottie dreaded having to spend a couple of hours with them. Keeping a secret from her father was easy when they were several hours apart, but to lie to his face was a far different matter. “But we have pizza. You could eat right here.”
“Not when I can have chicken-fried steak,” Zeke said. “Nice meeting you, Knox. We’ll see you in the morning on our way down to Dallas. We’ll check out the first house that’s got the walls up then and have a doughnut and a cup of coffee with all y’all.”
Thomas opened the door for them, and Knox’s rooster walked inside like it was his own private barn. “Well, well, Darlene.” Zeke chuckled. “Does that look like a swan to you?”
“It’s mine,” Knox spoke up. “His name is Cheeto, and I’ll be taking him home when this project is finished.”
“He’s our alarm clock,” Thomas added.
“Whether we like it or not,” Micah said from the back of the room.
Lottie’s mind was on a fast-moving merry-go-round.
Knox’s quick peck on the cheek before she left with her parents did not even ground her.
Her mother was chatting on and on about how wonderful it was going to be to live closer to all her children.
Her father interjected a comment every now and then, but the only thing Lottie could think about was that she would be lying to her father about Knox.
“You’ve been pretty quiet back there. Is there trouble with your new boyfriend? Is he a controlling type like that last feller you brought home?” Zeke said when he parked the SUV in front of the café.
“Not at all,” Lottie answered.
Her father opened the door and unfastened his seat belt. “Didn’t seem to me like you wanted to leave him behind. I figured if you wanted him to join us, you would have asked him.”
“Wasn’t my place to invite him,” Lottie said with a sigh. “This is y’all’s party.”
Darlene got out of the vehicle and opened the back door for Lottie. “Ain’t no reason to get your feathers ruffled. We don’t often get one-on-one time with you. Now, let’s go inside this place and have a nice family dinner.”
“Y’all have a seat anywhere you like,” a lady called out when the three of them were inside the small café. “I’ll be right with you.”
The place was booming, but Zeke led the way to an empty booth toward the back of the place. “Must be good food to be this crowded.”
Lottie slid into the fake leather seat and pasted on a smile. “Something smells good, and I’m starving. Do y’all really think you’ll be happy living so close to your relatives that you won’t even need a phone to call them? All you have to do is step out on your porch and holler.”
“Honey, we each have two acres. Not even my voice reaches that far to yell at Mandy and Jack,” Darlene replied with half a giggle.
“Much less whoever lives in the last cabin. But it will be nice to be able to visit more and for you kids to come home for the holidays. After we get settled, I will expect every one of you to be at Swan Song Estates for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and at least one day close to Christmas. ”
A middle-aged woman with dyed red hair appeared with three menus and set a glass of water in front of each of them. “I’m Billy June, and I’ll be your waitress this evening. I’ll have the biscuits and whipped honey out here in a minute. What else can I get y’all to drink?”
“Sweet tea,” Zeke said without looking up from the menu.
“Same here,” Darlene added, “and some fried green tomatoes for the appetizer.”
“Raspberry tea,” Lottie answered.
“I’ll get right on that while y’all decide what you want to eat,” Billy June said and disappeared.
“You won’t disappoint me, will you?” Darlene asked.
“Don’t y’all have a cruise planned in May?” Lottie sidestepped the issue.
“Yes, but we’ll be settled in very well by Christmas, so that’s when I’m starting on the holidays. We’ll have a big meal in the rec hall for the folks who live here and all their kids that can come for the day.”
Zeke laid the menu to the side and took a drink of water. “And we’ll all play Dirty Santa. I love that game.”
“Me too, Daddy,” Lottie said with half a smile.
“Were you disappointed to hear that Jack was retiring?” Darlene asked.
“Of course, but not as shocked as I was when he told us that y’all and Mandy’s siblings were all moving into Swan Song Estates,” Lottie answered.
Darlene reached across the table and laid a hand on her daughter’s arm. “We’re tired of moving, and even more so, we do not like being so far from family.”
Zeke added his hand on top of Darlene’s. “Honey, we’ve got more years behind us than we’ve got in front of us. We want to spend years or even moments with you and your brothers.”
“And with Jack and that side of the family,” Darlene added.
Lottie’s eyes misted over. She had never given a single thought ahead to the days when she wouldn’t have her parents.
They had always been there, no matter where they lived, and she figured they always would be.
Reality set in that very instant. Her dad’s thinning hair was now all gray with no dark brown left, and his wrinkles had deepened.
He didn’t have the spring in his step that he had had ten years ago, and the glitter in his eyes had dimmed a little.
Darlene’s blond hair was almost all gray now. She and Lottie used to be the same height, but now her mother was at least two inches shorter than Lottie. They had shared clothing on occasion, but these days her mother looked to be two sizes smaller than she was.
“Well, now that the shock and surprise is over, I’m glad you’ll be living here,” Lottie said around the lump in her throat.
Billy June returned with their drinks, a basket of steaming hot biscuits, and a plate stacked high with fried green tomatoes. “Are y’all ready to order?”
“I am,” Zeke said. “I’ll have the chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes and white gravy, candied carrots, and a side salad with ranch dressing.”
“Make that two,” Darlene said.
“No, make it three.” Lottie smiled, and this time it was real.