by LoRee Peery
Rob raised his hands palms out, not even embarrassed at the way they shook. He attempted to pull in a deep breath three times. “Give me some space here, please.”
He sank back to the chair. All his life he’d wanted to know his absent parent. Now he had a name and the man was dead.
On top of all that, he was here with the woman he still loved.
The baggage she referred to had damaged him. Could Waverly really be his father?
Dazed, he was aware Paisley took their napkins and empty soda cans away.
“I’ll give you a minute.” Oren slapped him on the shoulder and followed Paisley.
In an effort to gain control of his light head, he slumped forward as low as he could bend. He drew in several deep breaths and gingerly raised his head.
Paisley and Oren were speaking too low for him to catch anything specific.
“I need some air.”
Rob longed to give in to the urge to flee in his rental car, but he didn’t trust himself to get behind the wheel in an unknown place, even a mid-size Nebraska town. He ate up the sidewalk in long strides, not crossing any streets, but tromped three sides of the block in record time.
He stopped to catch his breath at the final turn of the block. Time stilled. He willed away the rush of blood pounding in his ears to survey his surroundings. He observed the manicured lawns, neat new vinyl siding on older homes accented by leaves just turning colors, foreign to California trees. He raised his gaze to the sky. The inverted blue bowl of spaciousness had switched to clouds. Shimmering white meringue peaked in one direction, churning gray swirled in another, where only a hint of blue dusted the horizon peeking between trees and houses. What had happened to the sun?
All of a sudden, a boisterous boy bounded from one of the garages across the street. He hooped and hollered and leaped in the air as he ran down the street away from where Rob stood. A man Rob assumed was the boy’s father backed an SUV from the open garage. Out of the vehicle, he turned on a radio. Pop music blared from speakers. The guy proceeded to wash his rig while he sang with the radio.
Rob turned at the corner and stopped. The wind carried the scent of cooking meat. He could have grown up with that smell, along with drifting farm odors, and something earthy he couldn’t quite place. He studied the Waverly home three houses down, still trying to digest this unbelievable turn of events. He no doubt stood in the hometown of his parents. Had his mother not gone to California, he may have grown up with Oren on this very street.
3
Paisley worked on the third drawer in the front room, with an ear attuned for Rob’s return.
Oren waited on the front step, for whatever happened next between the two men.
She’d had a knee-jerk reaction upon her discovery of the photographs. Had she not been so taken aback, she would have turned the whole situation into a prayer for Jesus to work out His plan.
Rob had clearly been in shock when he left.
“Lord, You know where he is, please keep him safe. Forgive me for not turning to You first. Please use this new connection with Rob’s heritage as a means to erase the lack of joy in his life. I want him to be happy, Lord.”
She heard the men’s voices and glanced their way. They embraced in the driveway beyond the glass door. Rather, Oren was doing the hugging. She sighed from the depths of her diaphragm. At least Rob no longer looked defeated or beaten down. He patted Oren on the back, his face less burdened, and retreated. Rob returned to his usual upright, self-assured stance.
Paisley glimpsed a hint of hope on Rob’s face.
Through the open kitchen window, the sounds of humanity drifted. People and their noise erupted everywhere. She heard revved up leaf blowers and muted voices. She imagined neighbors chatting about football as they gathered outside.
A car engine wound down and a door slammed next to the house.
“Look, Mama. Daddy changed his clothes. Wait. Who are you?”
Oren introduced Rob to Nora, and their daughter, Sara.
Paisley patted down her exuberance. It was time for her to call it a day and get out of the family’s way. The activity sounded so normal, somehow more natural than what she was used to. Life here in Nebraska may hold promise after all.
*
A gaggle of sound came from the family gathering on the driveway.
Rob’s head spun. He longed for his shop where he was used to silence alternating with the noisy company of his power tools.
“I saw Edna Mae on her porch rocker when we pulled up. Imagine you two gave her quite a show,” Nora said to the men as she handed Sara a juice box.
The girl was a cutie. Oren and Nora were fortunate to have her.
“Who’s Edna Mae?” Rob wanted to know.
“She’s the lady who lives next door. Quite a colorful character, a close friend of Dad’s. Edna Mae’s care kept us from putting Dad in a home once the dementia hit.”
“It’s wonderful to see all of you again.” Up the driveway walked a petite, aged woman whose drawn-on brows relaxed when her gaze lit on Sara. The woman pulled her red jacket together. “What’s all the hullabaloo about?”
No one answered.
Paisley opened the door and entered the melee. “I left pizza in the fridge, hope that’s all right. I think I’ll take off. Should I leave the house unlocked?”
“I’ll close up. Thanks again, Paisley. You really didn’t have to work on Saturday,” Oren said.
Edna Mae addressed Rob. “You look like a young, good-lookin’ Mark. Who is this guy, Oren, some long lost relative?”
“Would you believe this is my newly discovered brother, Rob, blown in from Califor-neye-ay,” Oren pronounced with flare, and then introduced them. “Rob and Paisley, Edna Mae is a good friend of Dad’s and the best neighbor anyone could ask for. She and Dad spent a lot of time together.”
Edna Mae’s bright orange rouge, crooked red lipstick, and long, white hair merged as she smiled with her whole face, accenting every deep line. No other aspect of her appearance mattered.
“Aunt Rainbow told me she was a good friend to Mark and Linda,” Paisley added.
“Good neighbors are priceless,” Rob said. “I look forward to you telling me about him. Thank you for caring for Mar…uh, Oren’s father.”
“My guess is he’s your pa, too. I take it he didn’t know about you? Too bad. Now that I think of it, he was trying to figure out what happened to Precious. She’s gotta be your ma. She just plain dropped off the face of the earth when she left home. Took Mark time to get over her, he professed, but when he met Linda, he fell hard. Then a few months before his mind started to slip, he talked a lot about Precious.”
Sara interrupted. “Grandpa told me he loved two women in his lifetime. But he loved me best. He didn’t love the others at the same time, so it’s OK. I feel bad that I didn’t know my grandma.”
“Why Precious was never heard from again remained a mystery,” Edna Mae went on. “Mark would a stopped her from taking off if he’d known about you. Imagine how we felt, watching Mark go from a handsome, self-sufficient, and energetic man to a filthy hermit who never washed his clothes, bathed, or cleaned up his kitchen. He lost buttons on his jacket and held it together with baling wire. Totally broke my heart when he turned skinny as a calf with scours.”
Rob covered his mouth at the same time Paisley snickered. He hadn’t had such a temptation to smile in longer than he could recall.
Sara startled him with a hug around one leg on her way to join Paisley.
“Make sure to tell Rainbow she’s in our prayers.” Nora commented to Paisley. “I think she would have got a kick out of our reunion party.”
“It’s nice of you to think of her,” Paisley responded. “She texted me earlier. Said she had some pain but she’s so busy on the cruise she forgets about it.”
“Nap sounds good to me,” added Edna Mae. “Welcome to Nebraska, Rob Waverly. See you later, Paisley.”
“Does whirling dervish pertain to her?” Rob co
mmented. “I feel like I’ve been shaken by an earthquake.”
The woman called me Waverly.
“Edna Mae is something, all right. She is a peach of a gal with a touch of odd. She carried her dog ashes in her car for over twenty years. But wait. She’s looking for a boarder so there’s no need to go to a motel, Rob.” Oren reached for the door. “I should have thought of that. You don’t have a room yet, do you? I need to catch Edna Mae.”
“No, but, I—”
“Hold that thought.” Oren hastened across both driveways and caught the older woman as her door was about to shut, “Edna Mae, could you come back for a minute?”
Dog ashes in her car? She seemed more with it than that.
Rob tried to get a word in, but didn’t know what to say. He’d been swept up by a tide of genuine people who showed how much they cared. He didn’t know how to react to the sudden whirlwind of activity. Paisley hugged him. Sara kissed his cheek. Oren toted his duffle bag from the rental.
Edna Mae motioned him her way and introduced him to a nicely finished basement apartment with its own separate entrance. “Knock on my kitchen door if you ever need anything.”
People were just as nuts in the middle of the country as on the West Coast. But he had to admit, they were pretty gracious here in Nebraska. The California pace couldn’t compare to this run of events.
These strangers felt more like family than any others he’d been around. Then again, how would he know what being part of a real family felt like? He’d walked out on his mom at age seventeen.
It was plausible he and Oren were related by blood. Would the family here in Nebraska keep in contact with Rob if he returned to the West Coast?
But now that he’d seen Paisley again, dare he stick around for another rebuff?
*
Paisley changed her mind about going back to Aunt Rainbow’s house.
Rob stayed at Edna Mae’s and the Waverly family went home.
She now worked methodically through the kitchen drawers, savoring the silence. She believed the house breathed a sigh of relief right along with her. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Rob staying next door.
On the other hand, finally knowing who his father was and gaining a brother was bound to help him heal the bitterness he’d carried around all his life.
And her rejection to his proposal added to his bitterness.
Would he stay in Norfolk and give this potential family a chance? She laughed at the concept. Friends had no doubt speculated the same thing about her and her mother everywhere they’d lived over the years.
As much as she enjoyed being by herself, she liked the chaos of family. The Waverlys may not be her family, but she’d never had the compulsion to light in one place the way she was drawn to Nebraska and the people she’d met here as an adult.
She hooked the fine point permanent marker to the top of her blouse and unfolded the stepladder. A set of nice dishes hid behind the upper left cabinet door, where only a salad plate was missing. They may have been the dishes Linda Waverly stored in the front-room cupboard. Paisley swiped the counter with a damp paper towel, and then set to work marking with the rainbow-hued tags.
An hour later, the contents of all the upper cabinets were marked, minus the chipped everyday ovenware. She stretched, rotated her neck, and glanced out the window. The gray sky had darkened to dusk. She felt the humidity. Did that mean rain? No matter if the sun didn’t shine every day in this part of the country, the sky still drew a person outdoors, day or night.
Maybe when Aunt Rainbow returned and no longer needed help with tagging jobs, Paisley would take a few road trips.
Had the time come for her to settle down? Why not here in Nebraska?
A footfall from the front room porch interrupted.
Paisley bit her tongue at the surprise. Why hadn’t she locked the doors? No way would she ignore that safety precaution in California. A few years earlier, a local bank heist turned deadly. Folks were now more cautious, according to Aunt Rainbow.
“Just me,” Rob said from the next room. “You should lock the doors when you’re here alone.”
Her heart rate picked up at the sound of his wonderful raspy voice.
“I checked out the porch addition. Nice carpentry work, thanks to whoever did the renovation. Find anything interesting, or is it all mundane? What is it you’re doing again?”
“Aunt Rainbow told me Mark Waverly added on the porch. Maybe you inherited fix-it genes from him. I’m tagging household goods for an estate sale. No treasure in this room unless you’re interested in fine china or mismatched drinking glasses. Besides,” she said, stepping into the front room. “I do believe I’ve already found the greatest treasure the place could hold.”
“Yeah. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all. I forgot to say thanks earlier for calling me. I’ll owe you forever, even if I am somewhat freaked out.”
“Who wouldn’t be?” She could smell him now that she stood in his space. Edna Mae must have citrus scented soap in her spare room. Paisley missed the odor of paint or sawdust she associated with Rob. His masculinity was the freshest thing in the room now that she’d shut the window. “You’re welcome.”
Their gazes meshed and his pulled her forward.
Rob enfolded her in his arms. She melted into the cuddle, so familiar her eyes clouded. Dare she hope for his outlook on life to change? He tightened his hold and she snuggled in. They fit just right together.
If only he could replace negativity with happiness.
But if he still wanted her, did she have it in her to enter a relationship for the long haul?
As though he read what went through her mind, he eased back. He didn’t totally release her. He moved his hands to cup her shoulders and tipped his head to brush her lips with a kiss as soft as a baby’s cheek.
“We’ll talk tomorrow. I want to get my bearings on the main streets nearby.”
“Sounds good. It’s easy to get around. You came in on 275, which turned into West Omaha Avenue. The highway continues west, bypassing the town. That’s where the mall and the big cut-rate businesses are. But I’m sure your GPS turned you north in order to get here.”
He nodded on a yawn. “Sorry. You’re not making me sleepy.”
“Maybe tomorrow afternoon you can go through that top drawer of the built-in to your right. Oren wouldn’t have a problem with you taking anything useful. I doubt there’s a thing in there worthy of a tag. But I thought of you immediately because some of the stuff may be good for your fixer-upper projects. The second drawer is where I found the pictures.”
“Thanks again for calling me. Tomorrow will be soon enough to take a look. Remember my internal clock is two hours earlier. I have a feeling I’ll soon be ready for an early night.”
“It is a whole lot of news to take in. Want me to stop by in the morning and pick you up for church service?”
“Thanks, I’ll pass. I have a lot of thinking to do.”
“Next week then, if you’re still here. Oakdale Bible is a great place to worship.”
“For now, I’m taking things a day at a time. Trying to figure out why my mom kept her Nebraska history and Mark Waverly a secret.”
“I would imagine all families have secrets, Rob.”
*
He searched his memory bank. “Like what, your mom?”
She smoothed a cool hand over his forehead. “Always so serious. Lighten up and you might live longer. Anyway, you’re partially right. My mom did go a little batty. I left childhood behind and truly had to do everything due to her fragile mental condition. It didn’t hurt me to take care of Mom and myself until she died.”
“What’s the Robbins’ real secret, then?”
Paisley looked at him, stepped back waving her arms to a silent melody, and twirled. He imagined her draped in a filmy shawl and wearing a floaty dress. For some unknown reason, she made his scowl disappear.
She landed in a heap at his feet and he gave her a hand up.
“The secret?”
“I was eight, I think. Daddy was still alive. Something woke me up and I went to the window. A light glowed in the corner of the backyard where we had campfires. So I sneaked downstairs and out to investigate.” She snorted and did another dip and sway.
“Come on, out with it. Was someone burying a body?”
“No, silly. Woo, woo, woo, woo, mysterious rites. My mother and three other women were dancing naked. I guess you’d call it a ceremony of sorts. I never told my dad and didn’t have the chance to ask Mom what it was all about. But I remember thinking they were so abandoned, those friends of my mom’s. They had no inhibitions and indulged in whatever gave them pleasure.”
“My mother was of the carefree bent and shared uninhibitory pleasure with Mark Waverly.”
Paisley giggled and it pierced his chest with longing. “Did you make up that word? Good one. No matter. If I’ve taken anything away from that free love, nonconformist lifestyle, it’s how important it is to live for today.”
“Kind of hard to do when a guy has to make a living. Speaking of income, are you finished here for the day? If not, I’ve interrupted your work.”
“I was about to knock off. The days will soon be getting noticeably shorter, according to Aunt Rainbow’s kitchen calendar.”
“Let me help by locking the front and porch doors.”
He returned to the kitchen to find her rinsing out a rag. She looked so different. In California she had been mostly outdoors, face shaded by one of her crazy hats. In front of him now, she swung her wild curls over her shoulder, and their gazes collided.
She grabbed a towel, and then faced him. “I just thought about something, Rob. Will you have to go to a lawyer with Oren for an order to have DNA checked, and all that?”
That pulled him back to the reason he was here. “Slow down your head, lady. I don’t need anything except a drive to clear my mind, and maybe grab a snack. Then I hope to sleep as long as possible.”
“But once you find proof that satisfies you, it will mean Mark is your father, too. You’ll want to be part of your brother’s family. Won’t you?”
