Mattie
God took away the doubt on leaving my husband. ~ Susan Sanford ~
When I was little, I always wondered what my mother was like. Each time I questioned it, Dad would take me to Mattie's house, and Mrs. Mackey would take all my reservations away. She'd show me the love I wanted from the mother I never knew. With her, I never felt like my mom was missing. But now that I think about it, I always wondered why there'd been no pictures of her. I should have questioned it, but maybe, just maybe subconsciously, I always knew.
~Our Hometown of Dewbridge/Journal Entry by Tad Roberts
_____________________________________
I don't have to look at my phone to see who calls. I let my voicemail pick up.
"You're going to have to answer that one day."
He's right. I know he is, but I'm having a hard time figuring everything out. Tad sits on the porch swing next to me and places his box on the floor beside mine. By the way we're staring at it, you'd think they were full of bombs.
"He loves you. Do you really think he would've kept this from you if he'd known your mom was going to pass away like she did? He must have thought she had more time, and he did what she asked, which was to stay silent."
I sigh. "I guess."
"There's no guessing to it."
Shaking my head, I brush back a wayward strand of hair. "There are some things they shouldn't have protected me from."
I glance up only to be faced with a look I don't like.
"I know you won't like hearing this, but you've never given them much reason not to protect you."
"He's right," Darby breaks in. She's been sitting there quietly nursing a milkshake in my mother's favorite rocker for the last thirty minutes. We asked her to come over for moral support, and it looks like an intervention is in order by the way they're facing me.
"And we haven't given them much reason to believe otherwise."
The regret in her voice is turning my insides to mush. Guilt is eating me alive. I never meant for my mother to feel like she had to live her whole life protecting me instead of enjoying the life we had as mother and daughter.
"I'm sorry," I whisper.
"No," Tad buts in. "We're sorry. We haven't given you the opportunity to prove it to us either. We've all gotten comfortable in our roles. Too comfortable."
Darby slurps down the last drop of her milkshake and points.
"Maybe we should start with those."
Sharing a glance with Tad, we pick up the boxes with apprehension. We've avoided them for a week, but I'm ready to face whatever life-changing information will be thrown our way. And in truth, I miss Rylan. I can't face him until I know what my mom was trying to protect me from. Dad won't come rolling in from the bar until late. He lives there now that Mom is gone, so we have plenty of time to go through them.
"Okay, here goes nothing."
I reach for the tape sealing it together when Tad grabs my arm.
"Wait."
There's sweat gathered on his forehead.
"What if what's inside is something that will change our friendship. I mean, why address a box to me at all?"
"Because she loved you," I point out.
"Yeah, but she loved Darby too, and there's nothing with her name on it. That and Dad has been acting strange. He's lost weight and walks around the house listening to old records. He seems ... heartbroken."
"Maybe they were just closer friends than we thought."
"Or," Darby says while holding up an old photo. "They were in love."
While Tad panicked, she managed to grab his box and break the seal. We all stare at the photo like its grown legs. I hope he makes her happy. Dad's words pop into my head. Was she having an affair with Tad's father? While Tad takes the picture from Darby, I break the seal on my box and lift the lid. Inside is a journal with her name lovingly inscribed in gold lettering. I go to pick it up when I notice another journal, a small three-ring binder with pages loosely hanging out. This one is older and has seen more wear and tear. Somehow, I know this is where it all starts.
When I pick it up, another picture falls out. From the names on the back, I know the two kissing are Rylan's dad and my mom. I hold it up for my friends to investigate. Tad studies the picture in my hand and his before whistling.
"Either your mom was the grand pick of women back in her day, or there's a hell of a story there."
Opening the binder, I look down at the script before me.
"I guess there's only one way to find out."
YOU ARE READING
Hay Season
Romance**COMPLETED** It wasn't his fault that he was good at everything. Rylan Tucker was the most popular guy in school, the quarterback, and the most likely to leave our small town. But to me, each year, he was my hero. He was the one who saved me from t...
