Bountiful Harvest

by Darlene Tallman

  “It’s nice to finally meet you; I know we’ve chatted briefly in passing, and I’ve seen you at church and of course, across the street at your salon, but haven’t had the chance to properly introduce myself. No one has asked me about those items, so yes, they would be welcome. With two growing boys, whatever you need is yours for the bartering,” Frank replied.

  “I have a freezer and try to put up canned goods as well, but having fresh produce and fruit and even meat will definitely help me keep those two fed,” she laughed.

  “Then it’s a deal. Would you and the boys like to join me? I think all of our food is about to come out and I’d love to get to know one of my ‘vendors’ better,” he said.

  “That’s fine,” she replied. “Boys? We’ll be eating over here at Mr. Frank’s table; go on and wash up and come over so we can say the blessing and eat, okay?” she called out to the boys.

  “Yes, Momma.”

  “K Momma.”

  “They seem very well behaved. How old are they?” Frank asked. “Tony is 10, DJ is 8. Like most kids, they have their moments, but that’s usually when they are home. In public, they do their best,” she answered.

  Tony came running out of the bathroom hollering “Momma!” with a panicked tone.

  “Where’s DJ?”

  “Momma, he’s laying on the floor in the bathroom throwing up!” replied Tony. Dorrie was up before Tony had finished, telling Nancy to wrap theirs “to go” and that she would need a mop and bucket. Running into the bathroom, she found her youngest son on the floor near the toilet, throwing up and looking miserable. “Sweetie, what happened? You were fine a little bit ago,” She asked her son.

  “I don’t know. I was okay and then my stomach hurt and then I had to throw up. I’m glad I made it and didn’t get sick on the floor,” DJ answered.

  “Are you finished? Let’s get you cleaned up and home. I have Miss Nancy wrapping our stuff to go, but I think chicken noodle soup and ginger ale may be on the menu for you, young man!”

  Carrying her son out of the bathroom once she got him cleaned up and made sure that there was no mess to be cleaned, she saw that Nancy had all of their food in a to go bag and smiled gratefully. Tony was sitting with Frank, which was a bit surprising as he didn’t usually take to new people.

  “I think we’re going to head out. Nancy, the bathroom is okay, he made it in time. I think the excitement of today, then the heat at the game, probably caused all of this. I’m so sorry,” Dorrie told her friend.

  “Hey now, no worries. You just take my little slugger home and get him well, okay? I’ll call you later to see if you need anything,” Nancy replied.

  “C’mon Tony, let’s head home. I’ll get your brother settled and then you can eat, okay? I’m sorry your fun was cut short for you both, though,” She said to her sons.

  “It’s okay, momma, we still had fun until DJ started puking,” Tony said, very seriously. Frank did his best to hide his smile, because really, the kid was too cute and was so very serious about what he said that he didn’t want him to think he was laughing at him. He grabbed their to-go bag and followed her out to her car, waiting as she got DJ in and buckled while Tony got in on the other side.

  “Wha- oh, thank you Frank! I hope what happened didn’t ruin your appetite,” Dorrie softly said.

  “No, not at all. Do you need anything or do you have everything you need to take care of him?” Frank asked. “Yeah, I think I have everything. If not, I’ll text Nance and she’ll run it by later. No need to put you out.” she answered. “Okay, well I’m sure I’ll see you soon. I have need of a haircut and I’ve heard good things about your salon,” he replied.

  “Any time I’m open, feel free to come by. Now, I better go before his stomach starts to rebel again,” she said.

  As Frank watched her drive away, he realized why patience was going to be needed. Not once, except when she introduced herself, had she looked him directly in the eyes. He knew there was a story there, and was grateful that God had told him to be patient. Going back into the pizza place, he saw that Nancy had thoughtfully wrapped his stuff up to go as well. As he went to thank her, she looked him square in the eyes and said “She lives down the road from you, yellow house with white trim and shutters. She’ll never ask for help, but I know she likely needs stuff to take care of him. And, I don’t normally share this with anyone, but God clearly told me you were the one for her, so that’s why I am telling you, okay?”

  Nodding to show he understood it all, he left a tip on the table, thanked her again for packaging up his stuff and made his way to the store. Raising two daughters as he had, he remembered all the things he used to get for them when they picked up a stomach bug. Since he wasn’t sure what flavor Gatorade DJ might like, he bought big bottles of all the flavors, figuring that they wouldn’t go to waste. Chicken noodle soup, ginger ale, some crackers, some fever reducer, a thermometer, and he was all set.

  Chapter Four

  Dorrie sat back on her heels as she watched DJ in the tub. He was running a good fever now and she had him in a tepid bath in an attempt to cool him off while the meds did their thing. He had always been the frailer of the two kids, picking up every bug and illness that went around. She nearly had to homeschool him the year before when he first got chicken pox, then meningitis, then strep throat, because he had missed so many days, but because he was so smart, the school made an exception. Hearing the doorbell, she called out “Tony, can you see who is at the door? Don’t open it, just look through the window to see if you know who it is, okay?”

  “Yes, Momma. Momma! It’s Mr. Frank!” Tony called out. What on earth? Why could or would he be here? How did he know where she lived? She knew, of course, that he was down the road from her at the old Reynolds place, but didn’t think he knew where she lived.

  “Okay, you can open the door. Be polite. Ask him if there’s something he needs. You know he’s our neighbor in a way,” she called down the hall.

  “Hi Mr. Frank! Why are you here? Momma can’t come to the door because she’s got to watch DJ in the tub. He started running a fever when we got home,” Tony said to Frank, as he made his way into the house with the bags he had bought.

  “Let your momma know I just wanted to drop some stuff off to help take care of your brother, okay? I hope he feels better soon. And, here’s my phone number on this card in case she needs anything else. I’ll be glad to pick it up, okay? Can you remember all of that, son?” Frank asked, as he watched Tony taking the soups and Gatorade and crackers out of the bags. He also saw when Tony spotted the popsicles and quickly said “You can definitely share those with your brother. I remember when my daughters would get sick, popsicles helped.”

  “Thank you Mr. Frank. I’ll make sure I tell my momma everything you said,” Tony answered. “Now, you make sure you lock the door behind me, okay? That way your mom won’t worry,” Frank said as he made his way back out of the house.

  Once he was home, Frank got himself ready and went for a run with Lily. Praying as he ran, he asked God to protect both Dorrie and Tony against whatever DJ had gotten, and prayed that the little boy would get better quickly. Coming back home, he gave Lily some water and headed into the shower before he heated up his pizza and headed to the back deck.

  Chapter Five

  Several Months Later Well, today was the day. The grand opening of Community Market, the name that the town had ultimately chosen as it would eventually involve the whole community was here. Local farmers had brought their excess produce and fruit in, as well as other items, to ensure that there was a sufficient selection. He was still amazed at how hard everyone had worked to pull it off, but then realized he shouldn’t be. He had an awesome group of Brothers in his MC, the community was involved and most importantly, God had provided the vision.

  As the mayor and town council made speeches about what a positive impact this was sure to make on their little town, Frank looked around and finally spotted Dorrie. She was standing off to the side and
had both boys in front of her. He looked forward to getting to chat with her again, as the past month had been somewhat hit or miss between the boys’ games, getting the market ready, and her work at the salon. But, he had found a few more things out about her and quite honestly, everything he learned, put icing on the confirmation he had received months prior. She just didn’t know she was “the one” yet and he hadn’t a clue how to approach the subject. He knew she hadn’t dated much since the death of her husband, and he also knew that she was long past mourning him. Now to see how he could talk her into going out on a date with him. Grinning at himself for the way his thoughts had wandered, because they had wandered down a path best left alone, he once again looked at the mayor who was finally wrapping his speech up. Striding forward with the large scissors that had been handed to him, he looked out at the crowd and simply said “God gets the glory for this market. May it feed our families and communities and show others the way to Him in some way.”

  Cheers rose up around him as the first few folks went inside, marveling at how spacious it was and how much food there was to be had. Before it got too crowded, he raised his voice slightly and said “Remember, there’s not an actual cost for anything here. Take what your family needs, and if you are able to do so, let me or one of the other Brothers in the MC know how you wish to barter. We always have a need for someone to collect eggs from the chickens - because, heaven help him, the President of the MC, James, thought fresh farm eggs would be a good idea and built a huge chicken coop -, weeding, and of course, feeding the livestock and making sure the equipment is maintained.”

  “Frank, thank you for doing this.” “Frank, when I first heard the idea I was a bit skeptical but knowing that our kids will have full bellies, even in winter, will take a load off a lot of parents’ minds.”

  “Frank, thank you for listening when God spoke.” Of all the statements he heard that afternoon, the one spoken by Dorrie was the one that pierced his heart. He knew it wasn’t him. Hell, it wasn’t even his Brothers. No, every bit of what had been done, what had been created, what had evolved had all come from God. Every.single.bit.

  “Dorrie, thank you for saying that; I don’t get any glory from this at all. Heck, I was just a retired guy wondering what he was going to do with the rest of his life when God woke me up. The MC led me to your town, and the rest is history,” Frank told her.

  Blushing again, she looked at him quickly, then looked away. “I hope the stuff I made goes over well. I have more to put together to restock it all, and plan to do it on my next off day, which is tomorrow,” she softly replied.

  “Would you and the boys like to sit with me at church tomorrow? We can go get something to eat and then if you want, these two hands are yours to utilize. I’m pretty good in the kitchen,” Frank asked.

  “Um, yes, that would be lovely. Are you sure about the boys?”

  “Wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to spend time with them as well. I’ve not made it too much of a secret, I hope, that I am attracted to you, and I am well-aware you three are a package deal” replied Frank.

  “Okay, then, that’s fine with me. I look forward to it,” she answered.

  Chapter Six

  Frank glanced at the woman standing next to him, her eyes closed and hands raised in worship. He could see Him radiating off of her in waves as she allowed the Spirit to seep into her very soul. He had been patient. So, so patient. Because the Market was across the street from her salon, he saw her almost daily, and had started making it a point to pick up a muffin and her favorite drink on the days she worked, and a few times, she had texted him to ask if he could pick her up a sandwich. Once or twice, he had even run and grabbed the boys and brought them to her when she had late customers. Of course, they always stopped at the ice cream place. And, he made sure to get her a chocolate waffle cone with sprinkles. He had spoken to his daughters, at length, and knew they were okay with the fact that he was moving on with his life. In fact, they were both due for a visit any time now, since school was out for the summer, and he couldn’t wait to introduce them to Dorrie and the boys. He felt sure his girls would fall in love with her soft-spoken ways, and those boys? They were precocious, smart, kind to others, and loved their mother with everything they had in them. He knew they still hadn’t spoken about their prior marriages, but was exercising patience.

  Once church was over and they had gathered the boys from children’s church, he got them settled in his truck and they headed out of town to a neat little place his Brother had mentioned. It was a buffet style restaurant, but not like any he had been to before. There were twelve seats around a table that had multiple lazy susans on it and each layer had different food – fried chicken, mashed potatoes, salads, coleslaw. He thought the boys would enjoy it and it would be relaxed enough to keep her relaxed and smiling.

  “Frank, how did you find this place? I cannot get over how good the food is and how much fun it is to serve yourself!” Dorrie asked.

  “Ah, I can’t take the credit for it at all, my Brother told me about it and it sounded like it would be a great way to fill two growing boys’ hollow legs, if you want to know the truth,” he said, laughing.

  “I’ll agree with you there for sure! I don’t know what is going to happen when they turn into teenagers! I remember my mom talking about how my brothers ate her out of house and home when they hit their pre-teen years, and they kept it up until they went off to college,” she responded.

  “Mr. Frank? I’m sorry to interrupt but I want another piece of chicken and can’t reach it, can you help me?” asked DJ. “Absolutely! Do you want a big piece or a medium piece? My only rule for places like this is to take what you know you can eat, so if you’re not sure, take a medium piece and if you’re still hungry, we can always get you another one. Does that sound like a plan?” Frank questioned.

  “I think a medium piece would work. Momma has ice cream at the house for dessert so I want to have room for it, but the chicken is really good too. Thank you for bringing us here,” he replied.

  With the boys once again focused on their food, Frank turned his attention to Dorrie. “So, what all will we be making once we get to your house?”

  “Well, I made the jams and jellies last night since they have to cool and are really a one-person job. I thought that we could make some cakes and pies and cupcakes and brownies this afternoon. I’ve also got a roast in the crockpot for sandwiches if we get hungry again. I may not, but I know these two likely will at some point!” She laughed.

  “Sounds like a plan to me. Boys, are you finished? Your momma has baking to do, and we have some testing to do once those things are baked, right?” Frank asked the boys, who looked at their mom in wonder.

  “As a matter of fact, I have vanilla ice cream for the brownies once they come out of the oven and cool off a bit” Dorrie answered.

  “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s hop to it, chop chop!” Frank called out, as he motioned for the waitress to hand her a tip.

  Dorrie watched him interacting with the waitress. No matter what scenario she saw him in, whether it was out in the fields directing helpers to various tasks, or with his Brothers at the Market or around town, or just hanging out with him, she sensed a calming spirit within him. Yes, he ticked all her boxes on her “wish list” as far as being tall, dark and handsome, with slightly long hair that usually brushed his shoulders, and dark brown eyes, but how he treated others was what sealed the deal for her deep inside. She knew, just knew, that the “face” he presented to the world was the same one he wore all the time. And, after what she had endured, she needed someone like that in her life. She wondered when he would tell her about his wife. She knew, of course, that she had died and left him to raise two daughters, but didn’t know if theirs was a good marriage or not.

  Hours later, with pies, cookies and cakes cooling, and the much-anticipated brownies finally deemed warm enough to put together a dessert, the four of them sat around laughing at a story Frank told abo
ut his dog, Lily, and how she loved kitties. She drove his barn cats crazy when they had their first and only litter of kittens, because she would go and worry over them and clean them and even carry them to “safer places”.

  “How many cats do you have Mr. Frank?” asked Tony. “Well, let’s see, there were two strays who were pregnant and they each had three kitties, so eight total. Once the babies were old enough, I had all of them fixed and got their shots. They aren’t really indoor cats because they are somewhat standoffish, but they keep the rodents away and have gotten used to humans enough that I’m able to take them to the vet for their shots every year,” Frank replied.

  “We want a dog and Momma said we may get one this year, but we can’t decide what kind to get. Momma says it will be a shelter dog, because they need homes the most,” DJ blurted out.

  “Well, whenever you’re ready to start looking, I’ll be happy to take you to a shelter called Lollipop Farms. That’s where I got Lily. She was a puppy, but had had all of her shots and had already been fixed. That’s really important because there are so many animals and not enough good homes, unfortunately,” Frank told the boys. “That is, if it’s okay with your mom?”

  “I think we’d enjoy that, Frank, especially since you’ve been there before. We are really undecided about the size of the dog we want. I know I want one that is good with kids. And, it’s possible that we will get two if there are litter mates. Of course, I have a few indoor cats, but the boys want a dog,” she answered.

  “Momma, you mean we could get two dogs?” shouted DJ. “Um, yeah, if they were litter mates or a bonded pair, I would definitely consider it. We have plenty of room and you boys are a good help with the cats already so I know you would do well helping take care of any dogs we got,” Dorrie responded.