Are you all right, ma’am?” the Texas drawl of our forty-third president filled the air.
“Oh, yes, yes, I’m fine.” Had she seen herself, she would have known better. Had she seen herself, she would have stayed under the rubble. Feigned death and sent a better picture of herself later. “I’m simply fine, Bushi . . . I mean, Mr. President.” Poor soul was still dazed.
I made my way to Dad, who was being attended by a doctor. I would give her and her hero a moment alone. After her week, she deserved this. After her sacrifice, even the Lord had given her a treat.
“Are you okay?” I asked my father, throwing my arms around his neck.
“Yes, honey, I’m okay.”
“Oh, thank goodness. How did you get to Mother so fast?”
He removed the ice pack from his lip. “I don’t know. I just knew the car was coming and I had to get her out of the way. I grabbed the other side of that chain and just lifted it off of the monument and pulled her away.”
“You saved her life, Dad.”
“That’s okay. She saved mine years ago.” He looked at her with a love shared by people who knew what loving meant . We watched her gush over the president while a doctor attended her . The president and she talked and laughed. I couldn’t help but notice the extreme sparkle behind the eyes in her dusty face.
“Is that lust?” I asked my father.
He laughed.“No, that’s admiration.”
“You sure?”
“After what I just did, it better be.”
The doctors patched them up. The president gave a warm handshake to my father. “You’re a fine man, Mr. Phillips, with a brave and honorable wife.”
My father stood and returned his firm grip. “Thank you, Mr. President. I think so as well.” Dad smiled at my mother, who seemed to notice him for the first time.
“I really wasn’t trying to kill her.” He laughed a nervous Texas laugh.
Dad laughed too, easing the tension.“It isn’t anything I’m sure many people haven’t thought about doing themselves a time or two.”That caused both of them to laugh.
Mother didn’t laugh a bit. “Jake Phillips!” she scolded.
“I just read a book about Ronald Reagan,” I offered . They all stared at me. I was odd. Undeniably odd.
The president extended an invitation to the White House. One I’m sure he would keep after today. One I’m sure none of us would ever live through . With that the Texas gentleman gave a Southern kiss on the chalky cheek of my mother.“Thank you, Mrs. Phillips. What you did here will be remembered by some forever.”
“Ooh, well it was the least I could do, Mr. President.” She placed her hand against her chest. It was the most Southern of gestures, the lowered batting eyes, the dainty hand-to-chest scenario.
Picture perfect. Perfectly Vicky.
Fortunately for the president, he had more than one car. He stopped as he passed me.“Nice dress, young lady.” He was a charming man.
“Why, thank you, Mr. President . Thank you very much.”With that he left, followed by the rest of his motorcade . Time would reveal the driver of his car had suffered a heart attack, so it really wasn’t the “left-wing conspiracy” mother originally declared it to be.
When Thomas met me and Dad, we found Mother, who had slipped away, sitting atop a piece of stone that read,“Shalt Not Steal.” She wanted to take it with her as a memento, but she couldn’t carry it. She cried quite a few tears of desolation over those ruins.
We waited for her to speak first. “I can’t believe it would end this way.”
“It’s not ever really over,” Dad assured her as he gently wiped concrete dust from her face.
“You’re right . We’ll just go get us another one and start this whole thing over.” Her voice grew louder with each word.
Dad took her hand and led her in the direction of home. “How about we just go rest for a little while first?”
Thomas and I sighed.
She let out a relieved sigh herself.“That would be nice.”
We gathered Vicky and what was left of her belongings. Most were gathered as evidence. Or offered. She just wanted them to be sure it wasn’t a left-wing conspiracy, so they took off with her sleeping bags and Thomas’s tent. I was certain they would end up in some trash bin between here and the airport.
As we started our walk toward home, or our wobble, depending upon whom you were watching, others began to pack up their memories of the week as well . The cameras were packed away, and the trucks lowered their lights. Sleeping bags were rolled up, and coolers were hauled off. Hugs were given . Tears were shed. High-fives offered. But as we walked in the direction of home, the city of Savannah headed back in the direction of,well, Savannah. Still a little odd, no doubt. But our familiar kind of odd.
The first block, nobody said much. I broke the silence with my good news.“I moved out!” I declared. No better time than the present.
“You what?!”Vicky screeched. “Jake, you let our baby move out?”
“She was going now or in two weeks,Victoria . Why delay the inevitable?”
“It’s an amazing place,”Thomas offered.
“Really?” She was having trouble believing it. “Do you have furniture?”
“A bedroom suite.”
“That’s all?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“What will you eat on?”
“I’ll get a table eventually.”
“Where will you sit and watch TV?”
“On my bed for now, I guess.”
“Jake,my baby doesn’t even have a sofa.” She was truly horrified.
“Victoria, that’s what happens when you move out on your own . You have to work your way up to those things.”
“Darling, don’t you worry . Your mama will take you shopping this weekend, and we’ll get you set. If you are going to move out, then we’re just going to make your new place beautiful.” She hobbled along, broken heel in hand and a new mission in mind.
I wasn’t sure that was best. It might result in free stuff, but it still required shopping . With my mother . Maybe she could just go by herself and surprise me.
“Maybe you should just get me a key,” she said.“Then I could just come and do it whenever I was free.” On the other hand, maybe one day of shopping would be better than a lifetime of drop-ins. “And your dress is fabulous, Savannah. Ooh, we could go get you some clothes this weekend.” She had said we. Someone needed to rescue me.
“Anyone know what time it is?” Thomas asked, giving me a wink.
I looked at my watch.“Five o’clock . Well, Mother, I do believe you have just been saved from serving time.”
She looked at us and rubbed her behind. “I did my time, I assure you.” That made us all laugh. “But I would have stayed as long as necessary.”
As well as I thought I had known my mother last week, I now knew her differently. I now believed that she meant what she had just said. I wrapped my arm around her. She would have reciprocated but her arms were a little tired. She just laid her ratty head on my shoulder . Truth be known, the whole thing had made me tired, as tired as Joy assured me I looked. And this after only three weeks back home . Two weeks at my new job. One day in an apartment I had yet to sleep in. I knew what I needed. I needed a vacation. Surely nothing could happen on vacation.