CHAPTER SIX

 

“Hey Sam, when I was in town this morning Mr. Chesson told me that a cousin of Fred Poole has a nearly new combine he’s willing to sell at a great price. He plans to take it to an auction in Mississippi this weekend. If you want to look at it, I have his phone number,” Randy said.

“Man, that could be the answer we were trying to settle on brother.” Lewis pointed his fork at Sam. “The money it will take to fix the number two combine is going to be a lot, and then it’s so old we’re not sure it will hold. I’d go, but I don’t really want to leave Susan.”

“I’ll see what Preston has planned for this weekend when he gets in from the field.” Sam stood and stretched. “Where is everyone this morning?

“Odelia and the girls left early this morning, something about making some sort of surprise for Susan.” Lewis grinned. “If you are asking about Rose, she met me on the path to visit Susan this morning. Susan sure likes that little lady. In fact, she’s a likeable person, don’t you think, little brother? And she’s not hard on the eyes either.”

Sam saw the twinkle in Lewis’s eyes. “Don’t start with me Lewis. Come on we have work to do.”

 

 

“Rose I’m so happy to see you and we have a couple of hours to ourselves. What’s that in your hand?”

Susan sat in her chaise wearing a pale blue lounge dress. Rose’s heart filled at how her new friend’s eyes lit up with excitement to have company. She and Susan had hit it off the first time they met; she was so easy to talk to. Maybe this was what it felt like to have a sister.

Rose relaxed in the chair next to Susan then removed her shoes and curled her feet under her. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to visit in a couple of days, but my new book is so much fun. The pages are just flying, and I didn’t want to stop the flow.”

“Oh, that’s great, I can’t wait to read it. I so enjoyed the last book. You are very talented, Rose. The characters seem to walk off the page, and I find myself thinking about them long after I finish the book. I hope you know how talented you are. I could never do what you do.”

“That means a lot to me, no one but my editor and some of my readers have told me I was talented.” Rose swallowed the lump in her throat and remembered the letter of her aunt she had permission to show Susan.

“My story took off with the help of Aunt Odelia and her love story. Have you ever heard it?”

“No.” Susan sat up a little taller, put her hand on her chest and almost squealed with delight. “Our Odelia has a love story? Please share and don’t you dare leave out any details.”

Rose recited the story and ended with the love letters. “I brought you one to read. Aunt Odelia said it was okay. Oh, Susan, the letters are all so lovely. I feel that I have known these two people all their lives. They had such strong love for each other.”

As Susan read the letter silent tears glided down her cheeks and raw emotions flooded her face. “Odelia never heard from him? Never heard if he is alive or dead? How very sad, but she’s kept the faith and has kept her promise.”

“I get so sad when I think of her not knowing. She has a little lime colored chair that sits in front of the window in her bedroom. It faces the outside, and the thought of her sitting and watching and waiting breaks my heart.” Rose sighed.

“There’s more that I have to tell you Susan.” Rose felt her heart quicken as she sat on the edge of her chair. “I think I’ve found him. I won’t know, of course, until I talk to him, but I really think it’s him. Same age, same military background, and the best part, he’s not that far away.”

“You mean Wilson? You think you have found Wilson? What does Odelia say?”

“Oh, she doesn’t know I found him. She doesn’t even know I’ve been looking for him. No one knows. I don’t want to tell her until I know for sure; I don’t want to give her false hope. This might be the wrong Wilson.” Rose wrapped her arms around her body, she wanted to find this man more than she’d wanted anything in a long while. “I have to somehow get Sam to let me go away this weekend, and after he got mad at me for last weekend, I have to plan my next move carefully.”

Rose walked to the drop leaf tea wagon and poured them each a cup of tea, picked up a couple of cookies that Odelia had sent to Susan and took the letter back. “What do you think? Am I being foolish? I don’t want to open a can of worms and cause anyone pain.”

“Honey, if you were Odelia, would you want to know? No matter what the answer is? I would. The thought of not knowing if Lewis was alive or dead, happy or unhappy, would cause me a slow death.” Susan patted her round stomach. “If it wasn’t for this little one, I would be right there with you. Do you think he’s married with a dozen kids? Or do you think he just fell out of love with Odelia?”

“I don’t think a love like theirs would ever die. But who am I to say, with my track record?” Rose covered her heart with her hand, “I think if I had someone that loved me like that I would be very much like Aunt Odelia and sit in my chair by the window and pray he would walk back into my life.”

Susan put her head down for a moment. “You know, Rose, I think something happened to Wilson that he didn’t want to burden Odelia with. You know men. The macho in them, in his man-mind he probably thought it would be best for her if she did not know. Men. Don’t they know that a woman that devoted will pine for him for as long as she lives? So even if he is married with a dozen kids, I think Odelia still needs to know.”

Rose and Susan’s chat ended when two boisterous voices filtered in from the porch and spilled into the hallway.

“Did you see how fast that heifer hauled ass to the pasture when that rooster got after her? Man that chicken thought he was as big as an ostrich, he certainly was all feathered up. I haven’t laughed that hard in I don’t know when.”

“Wonder what that heifer did to upset him so?” One could tell from the sound that Lewis’s laughter started deep in his boots and traveled all the way up his body.

“Who knows, maybe she just looked at him wrong. Man that felt good.” Sam motioned to Lewis with his finger to his lips. “We better keep it down, Susan might be resting.” Susan’s voice traveled down the hall. “Who could rest with all that noise? Besides I have very important company. Come and join us.”

Lewis walked up to his wife, hat in hand and a gleam in his eyes. “Hey beautiful, how do you feel?”

Rose knew she should look away and give them privacy, but the sweetness of the way they gazed at each other drew her in. She had to hold back a sigh when Lewis gave Susan the lightest of kisses all over her face.

“Okay you two, can’t that wait until we leave?”

Rose jerked her head around to see Sam standing behind her. She was so involved with Lewis and Susan that she didn’t hear him come in.

“Hi, Red. I didn’t know you were coming here today. Hey little momma, how are you feeling today?”

“I’m feeling just fine. A little tired but I always am this time of the day. This little one has sure been active this morning. Rose come here, feel this.” Susan placed Rose’s hand on her moving stomach.

“Mercy, is it okay for him to move that much? This is so unbelievable, a baby, alive and moving, in such a small area. Does it hurt?”

Laughter came easy to Susan. “No, it doesn’t hurt. I love every minute of that movement, and I can’t wait until he’s born so I can watch him and see what he’s been doing in there. You know chin-ups, boxing or just turning flips. I think just now he was seeing how far he could stretch his arms out.” Susan stifled a yawn.

“Come on, Rose I’ll walk you to the house. Susan needs her rest. See you later, Lewis.” Sam slapped his brother on the back and Lewis grunted as if Sam had delivered a powerful blow.

“Bye Susan, we’ll talk again tomorrow. I’ll let you know more about what I find. Thank you for listening.” Rose kissed Susan’s forehead and clutched the letter in her hand.

The day was beautiful, crisp, and clear with a slight breeze blowing. Rose had hurried alone the same path earlier that morning with a mission of sharing her plans with Susan. But now, walking beside Sam, she was able to relax and notice the beauty around her.

“Sam, do you have any idea how beautiful this place really is? You and your family are so lucky, I hope you are able to keep it the same forever, a place this beautiful needs to be enjoyed.”

Sam stopped under the shade of a grand oak. His hands tucked in his back jean pockets gave him the appearance of the young boy she once knew.

“Is something wrong?”

“You really like this place?”

“Who wouldn’t? It’s so grand, a place you would see in the movies. And to think your family built all this. Someone cared enough throughout the years to preserve it for future generations.” Rose found herself beside Sam. She gazed at her surroundings as they stood beside each other, afraid to breath, afraid to break the spell.

“It’s like your family never dies. Their souls and hearts just take on new faces. As I said before, who wouldn’t love this place?”

Sam cleared his throat as he now turned his attention to Rose. “Lisa, hated Annees Passees. She said it smothered her. The trees, the old furniture, and of course the family. She hated the lack of privacy, someone always around. That’s what she kept saying she hated the most.”

Rose didn’t want to blink. Afraid he would stop talking. She’d wanted to know why Lisa left a perfect life, and now Sam trusted her enough to tell.

Sam sat on a log at Rose’s feet. “She begged me to move. ‘You can get a job in the city doing something,’ she said more than once. I thought by building her a special place in the house she would forget the city. I had that empty sunroom added on, but she wouldn’t even go inside, never had the desire to even decorate the room. I offered to take her to the city once a month for a weekend, we went one weekend, but after I wouldn’t look at houses to buy with her, we never went again.” Sam picked up a stick and drew in the dirt. “She knew that this place was a part of me and that I couldn’t ever leave, but she didn’t care.”

Rose sat beside him. She longed to touch his arm, she felt his hurt and frustration. God, she’d had the lack of ability to please all her life. Somehow it made her disappointments easier knowing someone like Sam had the same problems.

“After Lizzy was born, Lisa withdrew more. The baby’s cries irritated her, so I got up with Lizzy at night. I knew Lisa was in a deep depression, so I sent her to New Orleans, her beloved city. She came back renewed and it would last for a while then she would take another trip to New Orleans and another until they became very frequent. One day, she left in the middle of the night and never came back. She was just gone. Never to return to this place she hated and the family she never loved.”

Rose fought back the tears. How could Lisa have chosen something, or someone, in the city to replace this family? A sigh escaped her throat.

Sam grunted. “Sorry about that. I don’t usually talk about my problems. Let’s get back to the house. I need to figure out when I leave for Mississippi.”

“Mississippi? Why are you going to Mississippi? When?” Rose couldn’t believe her luck.

“Tomorrow, I guess. Preston and Lewis can’t go and I don’t trust the twins to check out a combine, yet.”

“Sam, do you know how far Sweetwater, Mississippi is from where you are going?”

“Sweetwater? Yes, it’s about sixty or so miles, why?”

“I need to meet someone. It won’t take much longer than an hour or maybe two at the most. Do you mind if I tag along? If it’s a problem I’ll drive myself, just point me in the right direction, and I won’t be gone long.”

“I don’t know, Rose. I aim to leave early and didn’t plan on any side trips. I need to be back by dark to tuck the girls into bed.” Sam removed his cap and scratched his head. He wiped his hands on his jeans and continued his excuses. “I can’t be making a lot of stops. This is a working trip.”

Rose couldn’t believe the sweat as it starting to pool around his neck. Was he afraid of being confined in a car with her? He sure sent her mixed signals.

“It’s okay. If you would rather go alone, I’ll drive myself. I’m more than capable. Please forget I asked.” Rose accelerated her steps.

Sam’s footsteps and the sound of him muttering rushed up behind her. Who cared? It was a friendly request, and if he didn’t want her company, she would see this mission through alone.

“Wait, Rose. Don’t get your back up. I didn’t say you couldn’t go. I just need to think it through.” He fell into step once again beside her.

Silence you could walk on accompanied them back to the house.

“Well I have work to do. I’ll see you at dinner.” Rose bounded up the steps. Sam caught her by the wrist before she entered the door, ran his thumb over the inside of her wrist and then dropped her hand when he realized what he was doing.

“I plan to leave at six a.m. Be ready.”

Sam turned in the opposite direction. His hands shoved in his back pockets, he kicked over a crawfish house as he headed for the rice fields. Never looking back.

I’ll be ready, Sam. Will you?