All Of Me

Chapter 27

After my last class ended, I said goodbye to my World Religion professor and wished him a good weekend.

I felt bad for being glad that Clint didn't show up for class, but I needed the time to think. He was a little smothering lately.

I walked straight to my car and called Tripp. It rang a few times, and right before I hung up, I heard his voice come over the line. "Hey," He said simply.

"Hey. How are you?" I asked. Not sure why it was so awkward. Maybe because of the giant confrontation. I almost chocked on all the ego in the room.

He said that he was fine and asked why I had called. "Did you still want me to come this weekend? I was about to leave but I wanted to make sure it was still okay."

"Of course I want you to come, Brookie. I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't have any right to act that way." His apology was genuine and I heaved a sigh of relief that he couldn't hear.

I agreed and told him I was leaving, then we said our goodbyes as we hung up. I packed everything I'd need in my car the night before so I could leave right after school.

Apparently his Uncle Todd's farm was pretty big. A mansion on fifty acres, with a large lake and a house big enough for everyone to come and stay. When I asked Tripp who all would be staying there, he said everyone that was at the 4th of July cookout, plus others.

Todd and Sherry lived about 70 miles away, in Adamsville, Georgia. Far north. And the GPS said I would arrive in two hours. Which would put me there about 7.

I had three texts on my phone from Clint but I ignored them and shut my phone off. I needed to get away for a little while and relax, and I couldn't do that with a phone going off every few minutes. And heavens knew it would.

The drive was long and thought-provoking which I hated, and no amount of music that blasted through the speakers could keep me from thinking about everything going wrong in my life.

By the time the GPS said I was less than 10 miles away, I had taken a deep breath, willing away thoughts of my sister's scary unexpected visit the other night, my mother and her..boyfriend. I promised myself I wouldn't think about any of it this weekend.

Finally, I saw the sign, "Welcome to Adamsville, Georgia." On the side of a road clad with small brick buildings and trucks on every hand. Obviously a Podunk town with not many residents.

I traveled for a while down a long dirt road, and finally topped a hill to see the largest, most beautiful mansion I'd ever seen.

a white picket fence lined the property and long driveway you had to travel to get to it. The four story mansion sat on the highest point of the property. It was white, with a auburn colored roof. Large windows, and a wrap around porch on the bottom and center levels.

The lake Tripp talked about was huge, and surrounded by ducks and their babies. The lawn was perfectly kept. It wasn't flashy, but still beautiful in a country way.

Though I had never seen anything this beautiful.

I parked beside Tripp's truck, and judging by all the other cars around, everyone else must already be there.

I tossed my phone into my purse and got out of my car looking around for everyone. I had spent a little extra money this past paycheck to get myself a couple things to wear this weekend, so I wouldn't look like a bum in front of all Tripp's family.

I bought one pair of jeans, a pair of yellow shorts, a couple white tank tops, and a long pink dress. Just in case I needed to go somewhere important that I couldn't go in jeans or shorts.

I'd learned that things made of stretchy material, such as maxi dresses, were my best friend. However, the stretchy band in these yellow maternity shorts was heaven. Most comfortable thing I'd worn in a while.

I was becoming increasingly fond of the size of my belly. Most women complain about feeling fat, but I loved my tummy. It protruded nicely by this point, almost five months along, and I was able to prop my hand on top of it now. Which I had always found endearing when pregnant women did.

Luke slept the whole drive, I only felt him move a couple times. Something that used to creep me out, but now I loved feeling him move.

I heard laughter coming from inside the house and walked up the front stairs. I pushed the door open and Cynthia smiled my way brightly. My eyes adjusted to the indoor lighting and I smiled and waved at everyone.

Everyone said hello to me, and the women rushed to hug me. Cynthia, Tripp's Aunt Sherry, and his cousin Susan. Only, I noticed she wasn't pregnant anymore. She noticed me looking and laughed, "He's over there!" She pointed to a car seat beside the couch and I quickly walked over to take a look.

He slept peacefully. He had full chubby cheeks, a perfectly round head, and he was fairly large to be a newborn. I smiled and ran my finger over his small meaty fingers. "He's really cute." I complimented the glowing mother standing above me, watching.

"When are you due?" She asked and sat down on the couch beside her son's car seat. I stood and pushed some hair behind my ear, racking my brain to remember the date the doctor had given me. "February 18th." I said.

Simultaneously, Cynthia dropped her knife she was using the spread mayonnaise onto bread for sandwiches and broke into violent coughing. Myself and a few other ladies rushed to see about her but she shewed us all away. "I'm fine. I'm fine, really." She tried to smile, and the hoarseness of her voice made it apparent that she wasn't. I got her a glass of water and she took some small sips until she regained her composure.

"Excuse me." She said, and walked outside.

The guys were outside playing football, and Sherry took the opportunity to introduce me to the other ladies that were part of Tripp's family and would be staying the weekend along with me.

His cousin Jennifer that I recognized from the cookout, the twins, Maggie and Brianna, which I guessed to be about fourteen, and wondered how their mother told them apart. Their mother, Tripp's Aunt Veronica. Aunt Veronica was Tripp's father's youngest sister. and then his father's middle sister, Aunt Lynne.

"Robert Sparks was accustomed to having his hair and make up done quite often." Aunt Veronica spoke of Tripp's father and everyone laughed. "I think he enjoyed being the only boy. Oh how I miss him." Lynne spoke. "I'm grateful mother went before him...she would have been devestated to see her only son go that way." Aunt Sherry chimed in.

Everyone was solemn for a moment before Cynthia entered the house again, her skin's color returning a little, and announced that lunch was ready with a smile that looked a little too forced.