Ivy - A Kaylor AU

Chapter 3

Taylor

For dinner, I decided to make Joe's favorite, steak and kidney pie. Flour dust adorned my apron as I laid the dough across the baking dish. I poured the stew filling into the middle before covering the top with more pastry dough.  I delicately placed the dish in the oven before setting a timer for the nearly two hours it would require to bake.

"Joe, dinner is cooking in the oven.  I'm going out for a quick walk, and I'll stop by the store on my way home," I holler to the man who is still perched in the recliner watching sports.

"Yeah, babe, thanks," he says as he waves his hand dismissively towards me.

I slip on a pair of sneakers and grab my headphones from my purse, slipping one of the earbuds into my ears.  Taking a stroll or a run around town was a nearly daily ritual of mine.  Sometimes, I found myself enjoying the fresh morning air, but it was also an easy way to get some alone time on days like this when Joe was home early. Today, the sun was still bright in the sky despite it being nearly four in the afternoon.

I picked a daily news podcast to listen to as I walked.  It was important that I stay up to date on current events, even though Joe had asked me to quit my job about a year ago when we got engaged.  He had promised me that he could more than provide for the both of us, which was true.  I was hesitant, but when I consulted my parents on the matter, my dad agreed with Joe.  My father, Scott, thought it might look unbecoming for the most well-known lawyer's future wife to be working as a law clerk.

I still religiously kept up with current events, legal proceedings, and studied for the LSAT in my free time.  I am expected to know what is going on and be able to converse at any event I attend with Joe.  And despite wanting to move on from my law clerk job and attend law school myself, Joe convinced me this was the time for us to start a family and that I could go to law school once he was well established as a partner and that way our children would already be in school as well.

Our wedding date was just a few months away, and we had been planning on having children immediately.  When we discussed it, it always sounded so picturesque, so perfect.  In reality, I am scared shitless and feel way too young to become a mother.  But with Joe nearing his mid-thirties, I understand his push for wanting to start his family now so he could see his kids grow up.

The sound of children laughing broke through the monotonous voice of the podcast host.  I smiled, seeing several children playing on the colorful equipment outside of the school I used to attend.  I kept walking the path next to the school, which led through the main strip of town and then back through the local graveyard.

I would sometimes walk through the rows of stones and admire the decorations the families would put on.  My own grandmother, Marjorie, was buried there.  My parents decorated her grave every spring with beautiful pink peonies.  Her grave was shaded by a large oak tree, and off to the side was a stone picnic table.  This spot has become my refuge over the last few months.  I would sit here in solace. Sometimes, I would bring a notebook and doodle or write down the thoughts that raced through my head as I took shelter under the oak branches.

Today, I didn't quite feel like doing either.  I sat on the stone bench, cool from the protection of the branches.  I turned off the podcast, opting for some instrumental music.  I simply closed my eyes and felt the warm summer air all around me, enjoying the peace and privacy.

I stayed like that for about fifteen minutes before a child's joyous shrieks interrupted the quiet around me.  I looked around to see a flash of brown curls racing straight towards a large black headstone at the end of the row next to me.  The little one carried handfuls of red carnations in her chubby grasp. 

A woman with light brown, nearly blonde hair followed the little one, able to keep up with her running with only a fast walk.

"Emmy, be careful," she yelled after the little one.  The toddler bobbled, tripping, but the older woman was able to pick her up before she hit the ground.

I recognized the woman's voice as the one who ran into me at the grocery store, Karlie. They had yet to notice me tucked under the tree, about ten feet away from them.  Their backs were towards me.

"Wanna see Daddy," the little one squirmed in her mother's hold.  Karlie set the girl to her feet, but this time, she held one of her hands to keep her from running. They continued moving steadily towards me.

"When we get to Daddy, are you going to give him your roses?" The woman questioned, gesturing to the flowers in the toddler's hands.  They were now so close that I felt as if I was ruining a private moment between the duo.

"Actually, those are carnations," I said, deciding to make myself known, causing the mother to turn around quickly.