by Cee Bowerman
“Lark’s Mother is dead, Mama. I never knew about her. That’s Summer. I want you to meet her. She’s important too.” My Mom took a deep breath and calmed down. The murderous look left her eyes and softened even more when she looked down at the baby. “Sit down and let me tell you guys what’s going on.”
I saw that Clem was sitting at the end of the couch, and Sonny had moved over to sit beside Brenda. Summer was standing at the bottom of the stairs. She looked terrified, and I understood her fear. She was in a room full of my family and we were about to drop quite a few nuclear bombs on them.
I put my hand out and Summer moved toward me to take it. I watched my Mom and Dad sit down where Terra had just moved from as she walked over to stand with Kale. I stood there, all eyes on me, and put my arm around Summer’s waist as I introduced her to the family members she hadn’t met.
The girls waved at her and gave her a big smile, I noticed my Dad did the same. My Mom was too caught up in staring at Lark to pay any attention to pleasantries, and she didn’t even say hello to Summer.
I took a deep breath and explained the events of the last hour or so. I gave them the details of how Summer had swooped in and rescued me with the social worker, telling her that we were getting married on Saturday. Occasionally one of my family members would express their outrage or disbelief, but I stopped each of them with a hand up in the air.
“That’s not all. Let me get this finished.” I waited until everyone was quiet.
“The old lady is going to try and take Lark away from me. I’ve got Marcus on his way over to pick up the paperwork from the case worker so he can go through the will that Laura left. Summer and I are really going to get married and she is going to move in here with her three little boys. This is going to be a real marriage, as far as the two of us are concerned. It’s crazy fucking quick for a fucked-up reason, but Summer is going to jump in with both feet to help me keep Lark. She’s going to quit her job so that the worker can see that Lark is cared for by an experienced person, her boys are going to live here with us and we’re going to raise all four kiddos.”
My Mom stood up and turned to hand the baby to my Dad. His expression went from outraged shock to a dreamy expression as he stared into her little face. My heart melted a little bit and I heard Summer hitch in a breath at the sight.
Mom walked over to stand in front of us. She didn’t speak a word, just put her arms around Summer and pulled her in for a tight hug.
“You’re going to help my Bird take care of this?” Mom asked Summer. I saw Summer nod against Mom’s shoulder as she put her arms around her to return her hug. Mom was still clutching her tightly as she spoke again. “You’re going to bring three more babies into my family? Little boys?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Mom pulled back and smiled brightly through her tears. She reached up and patted Summer on the cheek like she had done to me and my siblings all our lives.
“That’s my good girl.”
I saw that my brothers and father were all four watching the women who were huddled up whispering to each other. When Mom raised her hand to pat Summer’s cheek, each one of us smiled, knowing that Summer was in there. She was already in Mom’s heart in a way that nothing could take her out of it.
Mom pulled back from Summer and moved to put her hand on my cheek. I smiled down at her and wrapped her up in a hug. She moved to my side with my arm still over her shoulder.
She pointed her finger, first at Kale, then Daughtry and Clem.
“You’ve always wondered who my favorite child is. Bird just slid into first place. He not only gave me a grandbaby, but he gave me four in one day.” She nodded her head at them. “I know you hate to lose and everything you boys do is a competition. You better get cracking if you want to catch up.”
10.
“I hope you’re content to live in this house for the rest of our lives. I hate moving, and I’m never fucking doing it again.”
Summer to Bird
SUMMER
The conversation around Bird’s dining room table included his entire family, along with his friends Brenda and Sonny. Three men who had been introduced to me as ‘the prospects’, but I could read their names on the front of their leather vests, were sitting at the kitchen island enjoying their pizza while everyone else was crammed around the table.
I passed the parmesan cheese across the table to Clem when he asked for it and then looked over at Bird when he squeezed my knee under the table. He nodded his head towards the living room, and I saw Kale asleep in the lounge chair with Lark on his chest.
I smiled back at Bird.
“How is he sleeping through all of this? For that matter, how is she?”
“Kale is a baby whisperer.” Terra took a sip of her beer and nodded toward her fiancé. “He goes over to Zeke and Lisa’s every morning and takes a nap with the baby in their recliner, just like he’s doing with Lark. It’s adorable.”
“So, I can expect that nap thing pretty often then?”
“Yeah. I go visit them when I can, usually right around afternoon nap, but now I’ll just stay here and take one.” Bird bumped my shoulder with his. “I don’t usually go in to work until six or so. I should be able to catch a nap or two with you and the kids.”
“So, you’ll be home with me all day?”
“Most of the time.” Bird nodded. “I have to check in a few times a week at other places, meet with my brothers early morning for breakfast at the diner. But generally, my days are free from about ten until I go into work.”
“Things will get crazier when they start filming.” Clem was sitting next to Terra and she kept slapping his hand as he stole pepperoni’s off her pizza. “No telling what our schedules will be like then.”
“Filming?” I turned to look at Bird. “Filming a movie?”
“No. It’s a television show. About the shop and the club. It’s not scripted, more like they watch us work and interview us. Try to catch some drama with what’s going on. That sort of thing.”
“You’re going to be on television?” I asked him in shock.
“I thought I told you about that.” Drea was sitting between Clem and Daughtry. When Clem moved to take her pepperoni, Drea pinched his nipple.
“I remember you talking about something to do with television while we were on the phone at the office. Dan was standing behind me and I couldn’t pay attention fully.” I smiled up at Drea. “I don’t have to deal with Dan anymore!”
“Even if you weren’t going to quit, you wouldn’t have to deal with Dan’s bullshit anymore. Within a week he would have had a visit from every man in this house.” Drea laughed. “They would have given him a stern talking to.”
Martha, Brenda, Drea and Terra laughed together. I assumed that Drea’s comment about ‘talking’ was code for ass whipping, and everyone at the table knew it.
“So, the wedding. Any attendants?” Drea asked me.
I looked up at Bird and shrugged. He shrugged too but answered Drea. “Why don’t we keep it small and simple? Just the two of us up front with the preacher. If Summer doesn’t mind, I’d like Grunt to marry us if he’s up for it.”
“Grunt is a preacher?” Terra’s mouth fell open at the news. “Really?”
“He used to be. Before his family died. He kind of lost his way when that happened. He turned dark.” Smokey, who had been quiet for most of the afternoon started talking about Grunt.
“He told me he’s tired of being alone and wants to start dating. Meet a woman with a family of her own he can join. I think getting shot nudged him in that direction. Made him see his mortality.” Bird took a sip of his beer. “I guess a bullet or two will do that.”
“His family was killed in a car accident about fifteen years ago. His wife, Trudy, and his son and two daughters were all killed that day. A truck driver fell asleep at the wheel and crossed the median to hit them head on. It was horrible.” Martha shook her head. “We almost lost Grunt more than once after that. He’s been mo
urning them for years.”
“He hasn’t stepped foot in the house they owned since he left the morning of the accident. He still owns it and has the prospects keep it up, but he’s never once been back inside.” Smokey pulled another piece of pizza out of the box and continued. “I can’t fucking imagine.”
“That’s horrible.” I whispered. “That poor man.”
“Summer has a huge family, and they will all be here, I’m assuming.” Bird looked at me. “I never even asked, where does your sister live?”
“Willow and Atlas both live in Lubbock. That’s where Mom is with the kids and my other siblings.”
“Summer has six brothers and sisters. Two of them are our age, the other four are all younger than twelve, right?”
“Yes. Atlas and Willow are each a year apart from me. Spruce, Terran, Jewel and Petra are the little ones.”
“You know, I just realized that you never told me your son’s names.” Bird turned so that he was facing me. “I asked you yesterday, but you changed the subject. You’ve only referred to them as ‘the boys’ since then.”
“Well, it’s kind of funny. You mentioned destiny and that happens to be Lark’s middle name.” I chuckled at Bird’s look. “No, none of my sons are named destiny.”
Martha looked up; a piece of pizza held up in her hand. “So, what are their names?”
“Hawk, Crow and Phoenix.” I said calmly. I looked up to see that Drea was smiling at the look of shock on everyone’s face. “Kind of like destiny, you know?”
“Holy. Shit.” I looked over at Bird and his eyes were wide. “That’s why you laughed when I said I might want a few little birds running around someday.”
“Yeah. And now you’re going to have four.”
“This was meant to be.” Smokey reached over and patted Martha’s arm. “It couldn’t be more perfect unless Terra told us she had kids named Celery and Lettuce.”
“We are not naming our kid after a vegetable!” Terra said loudly.
The shock at the table was replaced with laughter. I heard Lark start to fuss behind us and I moved out of my chair to go and get the baby. So far, I had only had a minute or two with her, and I realized I was going to have to be pushy to get my turn.
As I moved up beside the chair Kale was in, he pulled the baby up from his chest and kissed her hair. “Here you go, little bird. Go to your Mama.”
I was stunned. I hadn’t thought of it until that second, but I was going to be the only Mother that this little girl knew. Kale smiled at what must have been a shocked look on my face and he chuckled.
“Hadn’t really sunk in, had it?”
I shook my head as I took the fussy baby from him.
“She filled up that diaper so you can have her. I need some food.” Kale stood up and patted me on the arm as he started to move past me. He paused and said, “It’s good to have you with us, Summer. Bird looks happier than I have ever seen him.”
I smiled up at the large man. “Good. I think I am too.”
Kale leaned over and kissed me on my hair and then walked to the table to join his family. I looked down at Lark as she stared at me.
“I’m going to be your new Mama, sweet girl. Is that okay with you?” Lark stretched and started fussing again. “And, of course, that means I get most of the poopies.”
I put Lark down on the couch and reached for the package of wipes and one of the diapers that were laying on the coffee table. As I took care of Lark, I listened to the family talk. The prospects were already upstairs, back to moving furniture from the second floor down into the garage.
Kale was sitting at Terra’s side, two pieces of pizza folded together like a sandwich. Bird smiled over at Martha as she talked about meeting my boys. Smokey was staring at me, a small smile on his face. He pushed away from the table and walked into the living room to me.
“Let’s go sit outside in the shade, sweetheart. Let me get to know my new daughter.”
I walked with Smokey to the back door and went through it when he held it open for me. I moved to the left and found a seat on the outdoor couch. I kicked off my heels and put my feet up on the edge of my seat and rested Lark there to sit up in my lap. Smokey sat close to my side, but not touching me.
“Did Bird tell you how I met his Mama?”
“No, he didn’t.” I smiled at Smokey and watched him run his hands over Lark’s soft hair.
“My boys were small, four and five. Their Mama was killed almost a year before, and I was floundering at being a Dad. They were always filthy, their hair stuck up everywhere, and they were outgrowing their clothes. I sat them down in the booth of the diner I had just bought.” Smokey turned in the seat so he could look at me and Lark. “I’ll tell you right now, I bought that place just so I had somewhere to take them to eat three meals a day. I couldn’t boil water even if someone gave me written directions. A social worker had stopped at my house the week before to do a well check on my boys because someone told the state they were being neglected and ate cereal for every meal. I didn’t realize at the time that was neglect.”
I laughed even though he seemed completely serious.
“So, we sat down together in this booth and the waitress came over to take our order. She had no idea I had just bought the place, and it probably wouldn’t have mattered to her if she had. When she handed me the menu, my hand touched hers, and I felt a shot run up my hand like I had touched a live wire. She jumped, and I knew she felt it too. I had noticed a couple of little boys sitting alone over in a corner booth. They looked about the same size as mine, but they were dressed well, their hair was combed, and they were sitting there minding their manners. Completely different than the little hooligans at my table who were busy trying to kill each other.” Smokey smiled. “Daughtry caught sight of the other boys and he jumped up to go play with them. Kale, the older one by a year, didn’t want to be left behind so he jumped up too. He hit a spot of water in the floor and slipped on it. He busted his ass and bumped his head when he fell. I was trying to get my big ass out of the booth to get to my boy, but before I could even move, the waitress had him up in her arms and was holding him close, whispering in his ear as she held her hand on the back of his head.”
“The waitress was Martha.”
“Yes. It was. The little boys in the corner booth were Bird and Clem, her sons.”
“And you just knew?”
“I did. I felt it in my hand when we accidentally touched, but I felt it all the way to my soul when she put her hand on my son’s face and said, ‘That’s my good boy.’ She smiled at him as he quieted down, and I was lost forever. She was a harder sell. She had just come from a bad place and was only interested in protecting her boys. It took me a bit to wear her down, but within a month we were living together, and my boys were content to call her Mama soon after that.”
I reached up to wipe the tears off my face. “That’s a beautiful story, Smokey.”
“It’s not just a story, sweetheart. It was destiny.” Smokey reached out and pushed my hair back behind my ear and then he wiped another tear off my cheek. “Sound familiar?”
“Yeah. It does.” I leaned toward him and put my head on his shoulder. “I need to call my Mom. I get to tell her she has a new granddaughter and that I’m getting married on Saturday.”
Smokey chuckled and I took my head off his shoulder as he stood up.
“You want me to take the little bird?” He asked me as he turned to walk away. I shook my head. “Okay. Take your time, sweetheart. I’ll keep the hooligans in the house to give you some privacy.”
“Thank you.”
I wiggled around and pulled my phone out of my pocket. I dialed my Mom’s number and listened to it ring. Lark was watching me closely, and I leaned in to touch my nose to her cheek. She got a grip on my hair and I was working to untangle her fingers when my Mom finally answered.
“Mom. It’s me.”
“Hi, honey. What’s going on, baby? You sound upset.”
“Can
you leave the boys with Spruce and Jewel for a minute and find a quiet place to talk to me?”
“The boys are at a baseball game with all of your brothers and sisters. I’m all alone in Atlas’ house having some quiet time.”
“That’s good. I bet they’re wearing you out.”
“Nah. They keep me young and fit.”
“You know how we were talking about destiny?”
“Yeah. Have you thought about it?”
I explained about the case worker and Lark. I told her about Ms. Reynolds and her threats to take Lark away. I let her know that my little family was going to move in with Bird this week and that he and I were getting married on Saturday.
