A Prelude To A Dance

by Kay Edwards

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Helen stretched and rolled over in her husband’s arms. She smiled and snuggled into his chest. She knew he was awake. Helen giggled when his hand touched her side. She slowly opened her eyes and greeted him. “Good morning.”

  Logan watched his wife stretch. He waited for her to look at him. He smiled as she giggled. She finally looked at him and whispered her morning greeting. “Good morning back.” he leaned down and kissed her neck. “We are having guests for breakfast.” His watched his wife stretched again and grinned at her disgruntled look.

  “I guess that means we need to get out of bed.”

  Logan got out of bed with a chuckle. He threw Helen a lifeline. “I will shower first.”

  Helen thought that was a grand idea and said as much.

  Logan laughed as he headed for the bathroom. “You do like your sleep.”

  Helen corrected him. “Logan I love my sleep.”

  Logan went down to start breakfast when it was Helen’s turn to shower. He was at the bottom of the stairs when the doorbell rang. He answered the door and greeted his mom and Toby. The three went into the kitchen. Logan made coffee and started breakfast. They all started for the stairs as they heard Helen scream from upstairs.

  Helen was enjoying her shower until she noticed the mouse desperately trying to get out of the tub. Helen hated mice. She screamed at the top of her lungs and jumped out of the shower. Helen grabbed her towel and ran for the door. She was going out as Logan was coming in. “In there. A mouse is in the tub. I hate mice.”

  Logan opened the door to have his drenched wife fall into his arms in nothing but her towel. She was in a panic over a mouse by the sounds of it. He smiled and told her to get clothes on. She paused, and he smiled. “Helen. Toby is behind you. Go get some clothes on.” She darted past their guest and her just waking mother.

  Ester smiled at Logan. “Did Helen tell you she is terrified of mice?”

  The four went into the bathroom and looked in the tub. The shower was still running and there at the bottom of the tub was the culprit of all the commotion. Ester took one look and said, “I can’t say I’m a big fan of mice either.”

  Elaina was in full agreement. “I’m with Helen and Ester on this one.”

  Logan and Toby looked at each other and started laughing. Logan turned off the water, and the thing calmed down. Toby looked at his friend. “Do you know anything about catching mice?”

  Logan shook his head. “Not a thing. I guess we could try to catch it and put it outside.”

  Helen was dressed and out of their room. She elbowed her way between the men surprising them both. “I say we kill it.”

  Logan looked at his wife. “It’s a tiny little mouse.”

  Helen was warming up to her idea of an execution. “Look at those beady eyes. It is waiting to pounce.”

  Toby addressed Helen this time. “He will pounce on what, your toe?”

  Helen looked at the two men. “Do you want that thing getting back in and running up your leg?”

  Logan had never seen his gentle wife so not gentle. “Now Honey, maybe we can drive it down the street and let it go.”

  Helen conceded reluctantly. “Well as long as it is way down the street. You two figure out a way to catch it, and I’ll be back.”

  Logan looked at Helen leaving as he and Toby started to come up with a plan. Hearing a noise, Toby turned first and started laughing.

  Logan looked over his shoulder. Helen was not leaving anything to chance. She had a pot lid and a knife.

  Helen saw that the two men were amused with her. When that thing got past them, she would be ready. She watched them pick up the garbage can and try to get the mouse into it. The thing jumped up and out of the tub using the side of the can instead of going into it. She dropped the lid on it stopping it from escaping into the hallway. “I guess it’s a good thing I was here. That will teach you two to laugh at me.”

  Logan had to admit. The mouse was a bit more of a problem than he had expected. He had to agree with Helen. It would have been hard to sleep knowing it could jump on them. He and Toby used the lid as a wall to get the mouse into the garbage can.

  Helen asked the men if they had everything under control. They said they did and she left with a haughty look on her face.

  Toby glanced at Logan. “Your wife has a temper.”

  Logan looked at Toby, “You should see her at five in the morning.” They laughed and took the can downstairs.

  Helen was in the kitchen when the men returned. When they walked in, she asked one question. “How many blocks?”

  Logan answered “Two blocks from here.”

  Helen smiled sweetly at her husband as he entire demeanor changed. “Well now that we took care of that, let’s finish breakfast.”

  Elaina snorted at the incredulous look on Logan’s face. She gave him an explanation that did nothing to ease his look. “We are sugar and spice. One second we are sweet the next we are giving orders like a five-star general.”

  The group laughed at Elaina’s explanation as they all pitched in and made breakfast. Ester had made creamed chipped beef. Logan made the toast. Elaina made the eggs and Helen made fresh squeezed orange juice. Toby had the table set and ready for food. They all sat down and enjoyed the fellowship and the food.

  When breakfast was over it was time for Toby to hit the road back to NYC. They all hugged and told him to come back soon.

  Ester was heading to the kitchen to start cleaning it. Logan told her to have some more coffee with his mom.

  Helen agreed. “Logan and I will clean up.”

  Logan watched his wife get the dishes ready. He walked up behind her and put his arms around her. She turned in his arms. He leaned down and kissed her. “I like making you blush.” he whispered.

  Helen smiled up at her husband. “I think I may like it when you make me blush.”

  The two of them finished the dishes before going to join their mothers in the living room.

  Ester and Elaina had their heads together in deep conversation. Logan looked at Helen. “I wonder what that is about.”

  Ester saw them first. She smiled and greeted them. “We have an idea.”

  Elaina joined her “Now you two sit down and tell us what you think. We were thinking of Ester moving in with me.”

  Ester started speaking again. “It has always been my intention to deed the house over to you Helen. Now that you are married I can deed it over to you and Logan.”

  Elaina was not done talking either. “It would give you privacy to continue to get to know each other. It will also give you room when it is time to start a family.”

  Ester continued after Elaina finished talking. “Our other idea is Elaina moving in here and her deeding over her house. You get to choose.”

  “We are fine with either choice you make.” Elaina finished with a smile.

  They both looked very pleased with themselves. To Logan, it looked like they were doing eye high fives. He looked at Helen. She was looking up at him speechless.

  Logan was the first to speak. “I think we may need to talk about this. Would that be ok?”

  Ester smiled “Of course. Just remember both houses are paid off. You would not have to worry about a mortgage at all.”

  Helen was a bit taken back with the offer. Up until three weeks ago, she had all intentions of doing her best to take care of her mom. She would be getting a degree as an MLT in a little over a month. Helen already had a job offer at one of the area hospitals. If she had to be honest, she had never even told Logan she had a job waiting.

  Logan stood up and held out his hand. “Take a walk?”

  Helen took his hand and nodded yes. She smiled at her mom and Mother Day. They truly did look pleased with themselves.

  Logan held Helen’s hand as they walked down the sidewalk. It was the beginning of April.
The weather was mild. He was surprised when she spoke first.

  “I think they may have been drinking Irish coffee.” She giggled.

  Logan laughed “I could not have put it any better myself.”

  She looked at him. “It does make sense. I just feel strange about it. I have always had my mom near me. In my mind, we were going to take care of each other for the foreseeable future. I guess I did not think about that changing. The fact is we are married. It has changed.”

  Logan thought about her words. “You are right, it has. They both seem to be fine with what we decide. They also seem fine if we would rather live in one house over the other.”

  Helen thought. “My mom has always said the house changed for her when daddy died. I think she is more than ok moving out.”

  Logan thought about his mom. “My mom is the opposite. She loves looking at the things in our house that remind her of my dad.”

  Helen looked at Logan. “Is it that farfetched, what they are saying?”

  Logan thought for a moment. One of the things he did like about Ester being at the house was her presence when he was traveling. Yet, if he were honest, he wanted to take Helen with him. “You graduate in about a month, right?”

  Helen answered, “Yes the first weekend of May.”

  Logan had never discussed his finances with Helen. She was his wife now. He did not see any reason why he shouldn’t. “I want you to know that I have enough money to take care of you. You don’t even need to work. I know you are graduating, but when I travel, I was hoping you could come with me.”

  Helen thought a moment. “I do have a job that was offered to me after I graduate. I guess I could be PRN. I can say yes or no to the hours. I love working in the lab. Would that be ok?”

  Logan answered honestly, “I think it would be perfect. I want you to know that if you have college debt, it is ours not yours now.”

  Helen laughed “I was a full scholarship. You married one smart cookie.”

  Logan looked at his wife with a new respect. “Really? All four years were on scholarship?”

  “Yup I had to keep a 4.0 GPA. Even with the dance lessons, I did not find it hard.”

  Logan laughed, “That explains Jody and her complaints.”

  Helen looked up at her husband. “We are going to do this, aren’t we?”

  Logan smiled. “It looks that way.”

  The couple walked back to the house hand in hand to tell their moms the news. Logan stopped at the back door and leaned down. He kissed Helen. He had planned on keeping it simple but she did that leaning in thing and he deepened it. Logan spoke with real conviction after he ended the kiss. “Privacy would be good.”

  Helen laughed at the look on his face, “I agree.”

  The couple entered the house and went to find their mothers. Helen smiled a greeting. Ester guessed “You have decided to take us up on this.”

  “We have. You both are right it does make sense.” Helen answered.

  Elaina looked up at Logan. “Have I ever thanked you for marrying Helen? I just love her to pieces.”

  Helen walked over and hugged her mother-in-law. “Thanks, Mother Day. I love you too.”

  The four of them spent the rest of the morning and into lunch time working out the details.

  Helen was making sandwiches while Logan was making sure their moms understood that he wanted to take care of them too. “If you both want you can cut your hours back at work and travel a bit. I am in a position to take full care of my entire family.” He was not lying either. He had paid cash for the townhouse he owned in Manhattan. He had no mortgage at all. The rent in his area would be no lower than $8000 a month. That was more than enough to live on. Logan was not even counting the money he made when he did appearances. He had already given ten percent to the church and planned on continuing doing that.

  Helen had a thought. She voiced her concern hoping she didn’t sound as jealous as she felt. “Will you be dancing with other women?”

  Logan answered honestly. “I cut out all of the improper dances when I gave my life to Christ. I had Toby take care of the rest once I married you. The majority of my travel will be guest appearances as a dance coach. I will also be called to choreograph dance moves.”

  Helen walked over to her husband and sat on his lap. “I married a very nice man. I think I may have been a bit jealous seeing another woman in your arms.” she leaned in and gave him a kiss.

  “It was an easy choice to make. The thought of seeing you dancing with another man upsets me a bit too.” Logan said and then kissed her again. Looking into her eyes, he said what was in his heart. “I love you.”

  “I love you too.” Helen’s voice was soft as she got off of his lap and went to finish lunch. Shortly after they ate, Elaina headed home. Helen and Logan waved goodbye from the porch. The two went back inside thinking of the week to come. This week was going to be busy. It was a happy busy, though. The couple was unaware of the evil watching them.

  They would make a mistake. They already forgot about him. His anger almost got the best of him. He would not let that happen again. He watched the couple go inside. He was going to have her again. He would just need to wait for the opportunity. He laughed at the things he had planned. He was excited just thinking about the time when he would have her again. They had forgotten about her classes. He watched her there. Not one person even noticed his presence. One of these days her friends would not be with her. He would take her then. She belonged to him.