Eight

After dinner I walked outside to watch the sunset.  No'hta'wiy followed me out and sat down next to me.  It was with hypnotic fascination that I watched him pull out his tobacco tin.  The smell was a familiar one.  I enjoyed watching as he rolled tobacco in a wrapper and lit it, then ground the end against a stone.  We watched the smoke rise into the air chasing the bitting bugs into the night.  The quiet was interrupted when Mattie called me to come inside for a phone call.

The light from inside the house blinded me for a moment so I made my way to the phone by memory.  I picked the receiver up only to hear a bump on the other end.  The bump was followed by a series of garbled noises and shuffling.  Finally I heard Jason's voice in the back ground.  "Let me ask her!"  Followed by more sounds of scrambling and jostling. "Let me, Let me!"  The excitement in their voices made me smile to myself.  Then the phone clicked.  Wondering what the boys were so excited about I put the phone on the hook and waited, knowing that it would ring again shortly.  When it did I answered.

"Hello?"

Dave's exasperated voice spoke on the other end.  "Jason, stop pulling at the phone!  I'll ask her."  KLUNK!  Again the phone went dead.

The phone rang again.  "Dave may I speak to Jason?"  I managed to ask between giggles.  Before he could answer the receiver hit the floor and I could hear sounds of a scuffle before William spoke in his lisping way.

"Come, my tomato."

Shortly followed by Jason and Mark speaking together in the background in highly excited and unintelligible voices.  Something about tomatoes, lunch and tomorrow, followed by "she said YES!".

"Wait a minute.  What am I saying yes to?"  Again the phone went dead, this time halfway through my question.  When the phone call I thought sure would come didn't I began to worry.  After a short period I picked up the phone and dialed Dave's number.  The phone rang and rang, but was never answered.  Unable to call out on a cell phone either I finally went to bed.  After tossing and turning half the night I dropped into a fitful sleep.

****

Dave came in the door in a loud and cumbersome manner.  My lighthearted afternoon dissipated. Julie rose from the couch and went to meet him.  I wondered how she could dare to wrap her arms around him and kiss him in greeting.  He scared me and even when he smiled, dropped his hands to her swollen belly, and leaned to kiss the babe growing inside her I was still scared of him.  I dropped my eyes, embarrassed by the privacy of the moment.  Julie's giggle made me sneak a peek at them just in time to see her picking bits of cobwebs and straw out of his hair.  Their relationship puzzled me.  I couldn't understand what it was that drew her to him.

With hands to big to be human, he tugged at her ear, then grinned as she turned to kiss his fingertips.  How could she stand to have that bear of a man touching her.  Not that he was a bad person, just big and solid and fiercely protective in a gruff sort of way.  When she told me she was going to marry him I protested.  Julie just smiled and then told me that some day I would understand.  I still couldn't believe she had agreed to marry him.

A ringing from another room caught my attention.

****

"Susan wake up you have a phone call."

I opened sleep ladened eyes to see the back of Mattie's tousled head as he returned to the hallway.  Yawning I drug myself from bed and went to answer the phone.  Stubbing my toe on the corner of the hall table as I picked up the receiver, I let out a involuntary cry of pain.

"Susan what is wrong?"

It was Dave's voice on the line.  My dream eerily rose in my mind and, in shock, I finally understood Julie's comment to me.  The worry in his voice startled me, and started tremors in my soul.  Too shocked by my discovery to reply I stood in stunned silence until Mattie nudged me from behind.

"Close your mouth sis or you'll be catching flies."

Nodding I took a deep breath.  "Hi Dave, just stubbed my toe is all.  My voice sounded oddly hollow.

"Susan I'm sorry to call you so late, but it's taken me this long to repair my phone."

The events from earlier in the evening rushed through my memory and I laughed.  "What on earth was all that about?"  I could hear the tired amusement in his voice when he answered.

"William wants you to come and help eat his tomato after church tomorrow." He paused, "Well he came up with the idea," he chuckled, "but as I'm sure you could hear the other two want you to come too." He hesitated for a minute as though searching for something to say.  "The meal won't be fancy, just grilled burgers and fries.  And that tomato of course,"  another chuckle and then a lengthy pause, finally "well . . . . "

With sudden clarity I knew he was waiting for me to answer.  "I will be there." My reply came out fast and breathless and I could feel my face turn red.

There was a relieved chuckle on the other end of the line.  "I will tell the boys.  See you tomorrow then."

A click told me he had hung up the phone.  Suddenly awash in a multitude of emotions I wondered just what it was I had done.

Reviews

[luciddreamer]

And now I find myself smiling ....have I told you I am enjoying this book? Well if I haven't I should of :)

Peace
Robin

[M Garcia]

Nicely done. From sadness comes happiness. Sometimes. This seems to be one of those times...so far.

[Coyote Poetry]

A interesting chapter. A lot of events happen in this chapter. Some decision are hard to be made in a life. I like your story a lot. You tell a story of how life can change and we must grow up and see life with different eyes. A strong chapter.
Coyote