The Summer of '98

by Tay Marley

  Amber sat on the floor beside my chair and cradled a sandwich in her hands. “Noah doesn’t seem so bad,” she whispered. “He’s kind of funny.”

  “He has his moments,” I said and looked over at where he and Leroy were talking to Eric and Cass.

  “You seem really happy with this family,” she smiled. “Happier than I’ve seen you in a long time.”

  “I am happy. It does suck that you and Cass live so far away though.”

  Amber swallowed her mouthful. “She’s cool. I like her. Yeah, I know what you mean. We all live so far apart now. It’s weird how much has changed in such a short time.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  After a half hour of eating, talking, and catching up, Leroy came and stood beside me. Cass was sitting on Noah’s lap, and Amber and Eric were on the floor beside them so that Eleanor and Jacob could have the other end of the sofa. Of course, the love seat was my throne and no one dared to steal it from a pregnant woman.

  “One sec, everyone.” He cleared his throat and gathered the attention of the room. “I need to ask Ellie something. And I know how much the people in her life mean to her. Because I did consider asking her this question when it was just us. Perhaps during dinner. Or during a drive-in,” he grinned, and I could feel how utterly breathless I was becoming. This was happening. “But then I realized that this is the sort of moment that she would want to share with the people she loves. She’s generous like that. Loving and caring. Full of an untamable energy. Full of light and hope. The brightest star in the sky wouldn’t hold a flame to this woman. She’s going to make an incredible mother . . . and wife—” he fell to his knee in front of me and revealed a small box that popped open and held a beautiful diamond “—if she’ll have me. Ellie Livingston, would you be mine? Forever?”

  I wasn’t sure what made him think that I would want everyone to see me losing it. Tears blurred my vision, my nose stung, my chin quivered. No one should witness that. But it didn’t matter. Because Leroy had just asked me to marry him and I was on top of the world.

  “Of course,” I stammered and swiped under my eyes before I stretched out my trembling hand for the ring.

  It was a beautiful ring, a teardrop diamond with micro-sized encrusted jewels in the frame. It was classic and enchanting.

  “That was my mother’s.” Eleanor’s voice pulled my attention to her tearful gaze. She sat beside Jacob and their emotions were obvious. It made me blubber all that much harder. Leroy’s gentle fingers slid the ring into place, and I raised my hand out in front of me, marveling at how it glimmered and shone, almost appearing as though it belonged with the stars.

  “I love you.” I threw my arms around Leroy and we both stood, embracing in a hold that was safe, sweet, and secure. There was nowhere else that I would rather be.

  He whispered his words into the crook of my neck. “I’m sorry that your mom couldn’t be here. But I’m here Ellie, I’ll always be here.”

  It might have been bittersweet that Momma wasn’t here for this moment. But the people who deserved to experience my happiness were. “Can we please wait until I can fit into a cute dress again?” I sobbed as he leaned back and swept my hair behind my ear, the front strands having become damp with tears.

  Leroy laughed—along with the others in the room—and nodded as he pressed a kiss on my forehead. “We can wait. This is a promise to make you my wife, Els. Whether it’s this week or next year. I’m not going anywhere.”

  We accepted the congratulations of our friends and family, and it meant so much to me that Leroy made sure Amber and Eric could be around for the celebration.

  I never wanted to live without him.

  That night, at Leroy’s first football game as a college student, I sat in the first row on the bleachers as the fiancé of the home team’s quarterback. They were leading, and whenever I wasn’t watching him rule the hell out of this game, I was staring at the diamond on my finger, pride swelling within my chest. It was hard to believe that this was my life now. Eleanor, Jacob, Noah, Cass, Eric, and Amber were beside me, all equally as excited about how well he was doing.

  The pride in Jacob’s expression was about the sweetest thing that I had ever seen. Whenever Leroy made a play that was particularly impressive, he’d ask us all if we’d seen it. He’d say, “Look at that arm, the boy is brilliant.” It made me wish that Leroy could be in the stands to witness it as well as on the field. However, Noah kindly used a camcorder to film the game and that excited me because all of the proud commentary would be watchable later. It was a miracle that he wasn’t sulking about all of the attention that Jacob was giving to Leroy. In fact, he seemed rather proud of his brother and it was lovely to witness.

  The time on the clock was almost over when everyone got into formation in the middle of the field. Leroy stood in his position at the back of the lineup, his name and the number twenty-one across the shoulders. The scoreboard read 46–32, Baylor leading against Mississippi. It seemed that Leroy was doing an incredible job leading his team and calling the shots. Considering the fact that there was a constant hum of chatter in the stands, the place was quiet while we waited for the snap. Leroy leaned over, rolled his left shoulder, and then shouted “Hut!”

  He caught the ball and the rest of the players collided, their protective wear crunching at the impact as Baylor’s defense tried to prevent Mississippi from getting near the ball. Leroy stepped backward and threw the ball to a wide receiver, who caught it and threw it back to Leroy right before he was thrown to the ground. Leroy threw it to another wide receiver as he ran toward the end zone. Once again, the wide receiver threw it back before he, too, was tackled. It zigzagged between them and it looked like Leroy was going to get it back again, but Mississippi must have caught on because the players honed in on Leroy so that he couldn’t catch it. However, the Baylor running back appeared beside him and caught it while the attention was elsewhere. Mississippi weren’t fast enough to get hold of the running back and he took off toward the end zone, weaving through the offense with ease until he scored a touchdown right as the buzzer sounded the end of the game.

  We all got to our feet and screamed with excitement, clapping and cheering as Leroy and his teammates huddled into an enormous group hug. It almost looked violent, people throwing themselves at each other, chest bumps, and slaps on the back. Jacob and Eleanor were beaming from ear to ear.

  We met Leroy on the edge of the field after that. His smile was full of relief that his hard work and training had paid off. Winning his first game as a college student was a brilliant first impression, and I knew how glad he would be that he’d done well in front of his dad.

  “You were so good,” I said as he gave me a hug and kiss. “I’m so proud.

  He winked. “Thanks, baby.”

  “Excellent, son,” Jacob said, patting him on the shoulder as Eleanor nodded in agreement. “Brought back a lot of memories watching that. Same field I was on as a student. Same colors. Felt like old times.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t tell me that before I went on,” Leroy joked. “That would have been a lot of pressure.”

  “We should get a photo,” Eleanor suggested. “Who has the camera?”

  “I’ll take it,” Cass said and held her hand out to Noah, asking for the camera. He handed it over and she gestured that he stand next to his mom, dad, and brother.

  “I think it’s just the three of them,” Noah said.

  “Get in here, man,” Leroy flicked his head while Eleanor and Jacob stood on either side of him, positioning themselves into a picture-perfect pose, the field in the background. Noah sighed but I could tell he was glad to be included. He stood next to his mom and dropped an arm around her shoulder.

  “Shuffle over a little bit,” I said. “That way you’ll have the scoreboard behind you.”

  Cass nodded with enthusiasm and raised the camera so she could peep through the
viewfinder. “Little bit more,” she instructed, and everyone went a few steps left. “Stop! That’s perfect. Okay, smile!”

  We took a few more with different combinations. Leroy and me. Cass and Noah. Cass and me. Jacob and Eleanor. The parking lot was still congested when we finally left, cars in a line, waiting for their turn to leave. We’d all agreed to go and get something to eat so we could make the most of the family visit. Leroy and Jacob couldn’t stop discussing the game, dissecting it and analyzing it in more detail than I thought possible. The part that I loved most was how obvious it was that Leroy loved his father’s approval. He’d ask what Jacob thought of a certain play and when Jacob told him how well he’d done, Leroy’s expression would light up, thrilled. Nothing made me happier than seeing those two in their element. It was a bond like I’d never seen, and it was beautiful.

  FIVE MONTHS LATER

  Ellie

  Leroy sat at our kitchen table and started toeing his shoes off. It was dark out and I longed for a fireplace rather than gas heating. I missed the lick of flames on a cold night, casting ambient light and offering a comforting warmth.

  “Els, you don’t need to make dinner. I’ve told you. I’ll come home and do it.”

  I waddled the burritos over to the table so that he could eat.

  “That doesn’t seem fair. You spend the entire day at school. I want you to have hot food when you get home.”

  He chewed on his lip as he stared down at the plate. “You’re amazing and this means so much to me. I just—”

  “What’s wrong?” I sat down, needing to take the massive thirty-five-week weight off my feet.

  “Els, I don’t think I can eat another burrito.” He gave me a perplexed expression and took my hands in his. “I’m sorry. Baby, please don’t be upset. It’s just, I’ve had so, so many burritos over the last few months.”

  “Well, it’s chicken tonight. It was beef on Wednesday and we had grilled cheese last night?”

  “Please, baby,” he pleaded with concern. “Just let me cook when I come home. I swear it’s no big deal. And I do love how you make these. I just need something different.”

  “I get it. Even I’m kind of sick of them.”

  He seemed relieved that he hadn’t upset me. But there was no use in getting worked up over the fact that he wanted a bit of variety. When I thought about it, it made sense why he volunteered to keep all of the Christmas leftovers and bring them home from Castle Rock.He’d been working so hard at college, and I wanted to help however I could. No one wanted to hire me on the grounds that I would be leaving soon to have twins, so I wasn’t working. The most I could do was cook, clean, and keep the home comfortable for Leroy so that he had less to stress over.

  We were making it work. But there were still nerves that lingered over the fact that things were going to be a lot harder once the kids were born. Football season would be done once they were here, which would make life just a fraction simpler. But Leroy would still be swamped with his studies.

  “How about we go out to eat?” I suggested as I glanced out at the cold night with a wince. “We could go and get a burger or something?”

  “I can go and get them?” He stood and took our plates over to the sink, seeming super eager at that suggestion. “You don’t have to go out in the cold.”

  “No, I’ll come,” I said and stood, using the table to lean on while I adjusted to shifting. The babies started moving around and I breathed through the acrobatics. It was breathtaking. Literally.

  Leroy rushed toward me and wrapped his arm around my back. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m good.” I exhaled, taking his hand and placing it across my stomach so that he could feel the kicks of our son and daughter.

  He smiled and crouched down, placing both hands on my belly. “Never gets old,” he murmured.

  We were thrilled to be having one of each. When the doctor told us that it was a boy and girl, we had the same response. It was perfect. A brother and sister. A protector and a princess.

  After I told Leroy about the dream I’d had, he agreed that it was a sign, a vision of our future, and we had decided on their names with little discussion. He loved Abigail, Abby for short, as he had used in the grocery store back in Castle Rock. And I never was able to figure out where Drayton came from. It was just the name of our dream child and we both thought it was perfect. A strong name.

  “Come on, then.” Leroy stood after he pressed a quick kiss on my stomach. He snatched the oversized hoodie from the coat rack and my rain boots, helping me to get sorted before we headed for the front door. “What do you feel like eating?”

  “Nuggets,” I responded as he held my hand and helped me down the front step. “Ooh, with barbecue sauce. And a mint shake. With whipped cream on top.”

  He laughed as we reached the car. We drove the short distance to the burger joint that we’d become familiar with. I’d gained a fair bit of weight so far—I tried to control the excess with clean eating, but I liked to have a treat occasionally. Cravings are cravings, after all.

  We pulled into the drive-thru and Leroy started speaking to the woman in the window while I bopped along to the Creed song on the radio. He paid for the food and drove to the next window to collect the order when I felt an abrupt rush of liquid between my thighs, followed by a tight cramp pain in my stomach.

  “Shit!”

  Leroy whipped his head toward me with a startled gaze. “Wha—”

  “I either just wet myself, or my waters broke,” I shouted, barely aware of the woman in the drive-thru window watching with bewilderment as she held out the bag of food. “I think it’s my waters. Yeah, it has to be—”

  I was cut off by another sharp jolt of pain. It lasted a few seconds, and I was aware from the dozens of birthing tapes that I had been watching that these were contractions. “It’s too soon!” I snapped, waving my hands in panic. “I’m only thirty-five weeks!”

  “Should I call an ambulance?” the woman in the window asked, leaning out.

  “I’m in a car!” Leroy turned to them and grabbed the food, tossing it to me before he slammed the car into gear and tore out of the drive-thru.

  “You didn’t need to yell at her,” I panted as I held on to my stomach. “She just wanted to help.”

  “I didn’t yell at her!”

  “You’re yelling now!”

  “I’m freaking out!”

  “Get it together! Someone needs to be fucking stable right now!”

  Another contraction began to disable me. He reached across and held my hand. “It’s okay. I’m here. We’re not far from the hospital.”

  All I focused on was breathing through the pain and ignoring the saturated mess beneath me. But Leroy was right. We arrived at the hospital in good time. Not that I was fully aware of much else going on around me. There was so much fear—the fear of pushing two babies out, the fact that they weren’t meant to be here for another five weeks.

  Leroy left me in the car so that he could find a wheelchair. But when he returned, he was followed by nurses and a stretcher. I would have been embarrassed at all the fuss if I wasn’t whimpering through another contraction. The nurses let me know that a doctor was waiting inside and that it would all be okay.

  I felt Leroy’s hand squeezing mine as he ran alongside the stretcher, the bright lights blinding me as we pushed through the double doors. There was nothing slow about the process, which didn’t seem to comfort me. There was a definite panic as the nurses spoke over me in jargon that I couldn’t understand. The jolts of the stretcher, the bumps and bangs as we turned corners and went over dips in the doorways, just added to the discomfort of each contraction. This was not how it had gone in the birthing videos. They had attempted to dispel all of those birthing myths about the panic and the rush and the speed of having a baby. According to the videos, during the early stages of labor, you shou
ld be reasonably calm, but there was nothing relaxed about these nurses right now.

  When we arrived at the delivery suite, a couple of scrubbed doctors greeted me with calming voices. “Right, first things first,” said the first doctor, an older man who spoke to me through his mask. “We’re going to help you change into a gown and then I need to do an internal and find out how those babies are doing. This needs to happen quickly because you’re not full term and we want to get the situation under control as quickly as possible. The good news is, it’s not uncommon for twins to arrive early; as long as they’re good, it’ll all be fine. Good?”

  I nodded and let the nurses do most of the hard work, getting me out of the clothes that I was wearing. Leroy stayed beside me but changed into his own pair of scrubs as well. I was offered modesty for the most part, but I was past caring. I just wanted to know that my babies were okay.

  Once I was changed, strapped up to a monitor that allowed the doctor to hear the babies’ heartbeats, and given an internal examination, the panic seemed to slow. The doctor draped the gown back over me and removed his gloves as he walked toward me. “All right, the babies’ heartbeats are wonderful. There’s no stress and, yes, they are early, but like I said, that’s not uncommon.”

  “They’re coming now?”

  He nodded and rested his hand on my shoulder. “We’re going to keep a very close eye on that monitor and if anything changes, we’ve got a surgery room on standby. All right? We can do this. How’s Dad feeling?”

  I peered up at Leroy who was beside the head of the bed, his fingers laced with mine. He was pale—his usual golden skin had become a lot whiter. But he swallowed and nodded. “Yep. Good. I’m good. As long as she’s good. I’m good. Are you good?”

  I met his concerned stare and smiled. “I’m good.”