Gone Country

Eight

"Are you really going to keep yourself from doing what you really want to do honey?"  My mother handed me another dish and I dried it.  Placing it in the cabinet I let her say what she had too.  I had told her about everything I had thought about that morning, and what I planned to do about the situation.  She had been scowling at me ever sense. "You can't just play a game with him babe."

"But isn't that what he seems to want to do with me?"  She shrugged and stuck her hands back into the soup duds.

"I can't tell you how to run your life anymore.  You are a grown woman...but I just have to say...he had kissed you right?"

"On the cheek. Nothing serious."

"But you took it serious."  I grunted and placed more of the silverware away.  I couldn't deny how I felt about him at all, it was frustrating.

"You just have to shatter my resolve and the options I line up in my head don't you Ma."  I didn't look at her as she handed me another plate, but I knew there was a knowing smile on her face.

"Call him.  Invite him to join us at the Fair tomorrow instead of just hoping to run into him."

"I know he wouldn't miss it."

"Doesn't matter.  Make a point.  Your bold, always have been. Stop acting so childish."  I laughed having thought the same about myself earlier today. 

Drying our hands we went and checked on the babies and rejoined down on the front porch.  My mother had a glass of wine while I went and got a beer from the fridge.

"You know," I started as I sat next to her on the porch swing, "other peoples mothers wouldn't be pushing them to make a move on a man."  She laughed and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.  I laid my head down on her and sighed.

"I'm not just someones mother now am I? I'm your mother.  And I say go go go.  You shouldn't let life drift by the way you are my baby.  I just want to see you happy."

Happy.

The word avoided me in so many way, in so many things, but when I felt my feet ache from all the work I've done, felt my heart swell at the sight of the kids...I guess I did wish that there was someone there to help me.  Someone there to see what I see. Someone to feel happy with, and to complete me.

"Ah Ma...we are just two hopeless romantics." She was running her hand through my hair as we watched the raise of the sun fade in the distance.

"Hopeless isn't a word I would use.  Now go call that hunk of an attorney."  Snorting I swatted my mother on the shoulder.  "If you don't I will!  I'm a single lady now too ya know!"  We both laughed, but we both knew she wouldn't.  The love she had for my father would last her till the end of her days.

"I'll call him, so your not a creepy cougar."

"Do I look like a big cat to you?"  Rolling my eyes I took a long drink from my beer and dialed the number I had stared at on and off for the last couple days.  It was embedded into my mind now from how many times I had read over it, and that alone should have shown how crazy I really was getting...I would have called him without my mother even pushing.

~

I ran the towel over my damp hair and sat down on the bed.  I was getting ready to go to bed after the day I had while watching the local news on the small TV stationed on the other side of the bland room I was staying in.  I had settled for a fast food burger and fries for my dinner and now wished that I had eaten something more filling, my stomice in a bit of a protest.

I ran my hands through my damp hair and shuck it out.  Dropping the towel that hung low on my hips I went and slipped on a pair of boxer briefs realizing that it was to hot for sweat pants to sleep in.

Reclining back into the bed that had seemed to big and empty for several weeks now, I watched the news and how the town of Newport was preparing for a carnival / fair.  Would Harper attend it?  I didn't know, but I hopped to run into her there.  I wasn't going to do nothing on my day off and it seemed perfect.

I started to drift off and glanced at my phone to see what time it was, to find I had a missed call.

Someone called me while I was in the shower?

Sitting up I unlocked my phone and saw that it was a number my phone didn't know.  But it was a number that I knew so well without even having called it.

Harper had called me while I was in the shower.  Why? Did she need something? Was something wrong? I couldn't think of any reason for her to call so late. I redialed her number quickly and let it ring, once, twice, three times before I started to loose my mind. 

I hadn't known that she would ever call me on my personal line, and it sent my heart pumping just thinking about what could be going on.  On the forth ring I was ready to hang up and try again, but then I heard a soft voice pick up and laughter in the background.

"Harper?  It's me, Caleb.  You had called me?"  I tried to sound nonchalant, but I had a feeling I failed.

"Oh yes!"  I heard her giggle and say something to the woman in the background.  It got quite and she cleared her throat. "I'm sorry. My mother and I were just talking and joking about you."

"Excuse me?"  I didn't know if that should be a compliment or insult.

"Nothing bad, I swear.  We were just thinking that you might want to met us at the Fair tomorrow. Shall I say around 4?"  Her bluntness surprised me, but I was pleased that they would ask me to accompany them.

"Uh."  I heard myself stumble and pulled myself together.  I never stumbled over my thoughts.  What was this woman doing to me?  I bearly knew her and I was flushed just thinking about her. "Yes.  That would be great. Thank you for asking me to attend with you."  I could practically hear the smile on her face through the phone.

"Fantastic! Don't wear a suit or anything like that. Come as a person. Not as an attorney for once. See you then!"  With that she disconnected the phone and I sat there dazed.

Nothing had been wrong.  She had just wanted to ask me to go with them...  A smile spread across my face as I leaned back in my bed once more.  Resting my hands under my head I drifted off to sleep thinking about strawberry blond curls and how much I wanted to run my hands through them.

Just once would be enough.