Song of the South

Meditating on things

Bill and Eric got to talking about what would be good in a new house. At first Eric wasn’t too keen on the idea of moving, selling his house, and the long house search. Bill had made a good point though. This house was his and Kellie’s. There were a lot of memories here for him with her. They had divorced, even if they had remained close friends, but he was wanting to marry again. It would be good to have a house that was theirs and not his and Kellie’s.

Bill had a good start for a house search with all the wants and needs from Eric. They even thought about what the children would need. Eric wanted Kinsey to have her own suite. Somewhere that was wholly hers. As they were discussing the new house, the rest of their large group returned. Kellie greeted her ex-husband, his manager, and the lawyer cordially as she pushed the stroller to the middle of the room.

“How was the trip out?” Eric questioned

“It was soooooooooo awesome!” Daisy gushed with excitement, “We got to on some go karts, the jump house, mined for fossils, play so many games and tried the putt-putt!”

Eric chuckled, “Went to Blackbeard’s Cove, huh?”

Kellie nodded with her own smile.

“Well did you guys have fun?” Eric asked making the girl shake her head vigorously yes and the smile that was still plastered to her face widen

“I just wish Kinsey could have gone too.” Daisy said

“Well I’m sure we’ll be able to arrange another visit and take your sister.” Eric told her

“Stella had a fabulous time too. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind going back!” Lori laughed

“Where’s Kinsey?” Barry questioned

“She headed straight upstairs when we got back.” Eric answered

“Hey, why don’t we go down to the beach and look for shells?” Kellie asked the kids

Naturally the four older children and Stella were excited. Barry said they guys would look after the baby while they ladies had the older children. Lori kissed her husband before following Kellie and the kids through the kitchen to the back door. Once they were gone, Brent looked over to his bassist.

“How did it go?” Brent asked

“There’s a lot she has to think about and decide on. Her dad is dying and of course she took that news kinda hard. She’s debating on selling their family farm.” Eric replied

“That would be best for her. Sell it and move here.” Brent stated matter-of-factly

“Why here?” Eric asked, furrowing his brows

“Well you and Kellie are here and obviously care about her. Not saying the rest of us don’t. You two have really bonded with her and her siblings.” Brent stated

Eric knew he wasn’t telling the whole reason he thought Kinsey should move to Charleston.

“I actually agree with Brent. Moving here would be best for her. Lori and I are just a few hours away if she needed more help. I don’t think she has anyone else to help with everything. Running that farm, taking care of the kids, and trying to go to school will burn her out quick.” Barry retorted

Kinsey had been meditating and praying on the decisions she needed to make. She was staring out the window when she saw Kellie and Lori with all the kids having a good time digging in the sand on the beach. These people had stepped up, and were actually good with, her siblings. The fact of the matter was she didn’t have any other family to help with the kids or the farm. What would keeping the farm really do? Perhaps if she found a house with enough land she could start a garden here.

There was nothing keeping her back in Texas. She bowed her head and took a deep breath. The smell of Eric’s jacket wafted into her nasal cavities. She really did like that smell. Having someone else to help with the kids would great. Perhaps they would have a good life here and she wouldn’t wind up tearing her hair out! She would have to go shopping for a place. Surely Eric wouldn’t want this big group of kids living with him forever!

’Live for yourself as well as for them. Go out and experience everything you can. Most of all….. fall in love’. If she wasn’t happy, the children wouldn’t be happy. She understood that. Her father was dying so she’d essentially be alone in the world not including her much younger siblings. With a deep breath, she made her decision. She hadn’t realized that the group had returned from the beach.

When she made it downstairs, she was bombarded by the kids who were excited to tell their big sister all about their amazing adventures that day. She smiled at them all even though she really just wanted to talk with Bill. Everyone watched as she sat down to listen to each and every child tell her their version of that day. Barry had went out onto the back porch to begin grilling dinner. Hamburgers and hot dogs would be good after the long day.

Once the kids had tired themselves out from telling Kinsey all about their day, they walked off to go play. Kinsey looked over at Bill. The elder man smiled at her making her smile back. Everyone else had slipped into quiet conversations amongst themselves so Kinsey took the opportunity to ask him if they could talk. The older man nodded his head and asked her to follow him into the dining room.

“What did you want to speak to me about?” Bill asked as they sat down

“After some deep thinking and meditation I’ve come to the decision that selling our family farm might be the best choice for me.” Kinsey stated

“Excellent! Do you have somewhere in mind you want to move to? Or stay with Eric until you can find a place of your own?” Bill asked

“I guess it would be better to stay here until I found us a place.” Kinsey explained

Bill asked her to wait there for a moment while he went to get a notepad. He grabbed the one he’d used to write down what Eric had wanted in a new house. Perhaps he could see what was similar and what was different in what they wanted in a house! When he sat back down, he asked her what she thought she would need in a house. Optimally she wanted each child to have their own room but if that wasn’t possible, she wanted the two girls to have a room together, the two older boys to share a room and then a baby suite for Lane.

As they talked about what she thought they would need, he scribbled down what she said. She wanted a big yard for the kids. Big enough for them to be able to run around and play. Big enough that a playhouse and even maybe a treehouse could be built for them. She wanted some acres so if she decided to create another small farm she could do so and still be at home. Bill told her he had a real estate agent friend and that he would get his friend to start looking. She thanked him as they stood up to rejoin the group. Before they left the solitude of the dining room, though, she turned and flung herself into his arms.

The big hug she gave the elder man made him smile. This is why he was going out of his way to help her. It started more as a favor to Eric but the more he learned about Kinsey and her family the more he sincerely wanted to help her.