Trapped in his own bitterness, anger and sorrow, John stared at his wife’s coffin. Suddenly, Alice’s bony finger nudged him hard in the back, causing goose bumps to cover his body. It’s her touch, he knew. I’d never miss it. The strong smell of lilac wafted in the air. She’s tryin’ to tell me somethin’.
As if he’d been blinded for days, his eyes reached across the casket and rested upon his family. He gasped at the sight of them. Quickly studying each face, for the first time he could see the pain—and it wasn’t only from grieving the loss of Alice. The entire family was broken. He could feel it as plain as Alice’s message on his back. They were all slumped over from the weight of the cross they each carried. How could I have been so blind? he thought, kicking himself for missing it. If there had been a second hole, he would have endured his own grief and buried their pain instead. His concern had already shifted.
John continued to study their eyes. It was clear. The very fabric of their lives had become stained and tattered. The look on the two young ones only confirmed John’s beliefs of the world beyond the mountains. Like a cruel dream grinder, it’s chewed ‘em up and spit ‘em out.
Their parents weren’t in any better shape. Hank could barely stand, while Elle neglected her own needs—as usual—and tended to him. John felt Hank’s pain and cringed over the doubts of being able to heal the one who needed it most. He shook his head. The quilt that Alice spent so many years on is unravelin’ at the seams, he thought. No wonder she kept pokin’ me until I opened my eyes. While she struggled so hard to remember her own life, her family was all fightin’ to forget their own. He felt one more nudge in the back and grinned. “I know, Alice. I know,” he said aloud. Others glanced nervously at the outburst. John’s grin scared them more.
The preacher had just finished his sermon when John dropped to both knees and spoke to his wife. “I see now, squaw. Seems I still got some chores that need tendin’ to.” He placed his lips to the frozen casket and kissed her. “You’re right, as usual. There’s some mendin’ to be done. So leave the porch light on for me and I’ll be along when I’m through.” Standing slowly, he straightened out his back and steeled himself for the chores ahead of him. I still got a few more miles to go, he decided. And it looks like I’ll be travelin’ all the way to hell to reclaim these kids. It was time to take them back from the evils of society.
As John made his way across the tiny cemetery, Doc Schwartz stopped him. “My sincerest sympathies, Big John. To tell the truth, I’m a little concerned about your health right now. I’d like to come by and give you a thorough…”
John raised his hand and halted the kind gesture. “Much obliged, doc, but I reckon I’m gonna be too busy for a spell. Got a lot of work that needs my full attention.”
Schwartz attempted an objection, but stopped. Big John’s face looked as serious as death. He was clearly on a mission.
Hank, Elle, Evan and Tara watched as the old man approached them. Looking into Elle’s eyes, John pointed down at her jacket. “You best start takin’ care of yourself and button up. You’ll catch your own death, if you don’t start lookin’ after yourself.”
Elle smiled. His eyes never once left hers. He wasn’t talking about any coat.
Leaning into Hank’s ear, John whispered, “Ain’t no shame in cryin’ when there’s reason for it. Believe me, I wish I had the guts.”
Hank’s brow wrinkled. No one heard their new secret and from his reaction, Hank wasn’t sure he had either. “Pa must be losin’ his marbles,” he whispered under his breath.
Evan and Tara waited. They were next. The old man turned, walked five feet, then spun back around. “And as far as you two…you can just wipe the frowns off them faces right now! Take it from your grandma, it’ll all be over ‘fore you know it.” He looked back at his wife’s coffin and shook his head. “In the end, all we have is our memories…good or bad…and your attitudes will decide which. You best start puttin’ more effort in.” The sharp words stung like a slap, but getting reacquainted to Grampa John’s penetrating gaze hurt even more. They watched as he trudged through the snow back to the house. Even Three Speed stayed clear of him. Grampa John was back, and he was angry.
Pressed Pennies
Pressed Pennies is one of my favorite works because it’s so personal to me. And if I didn’t admit to that, then I’m fairly certain that my wife, Paula, would have my neck. At its foundation, Pressed Pennies is autobiographical. After both suffering failed marriages, Paula and I were blessed with a second chance at love. Just like Rick and Abby, we met at the party of a mutual friend. And from the moment we laid eyes on each other, the adventure had begun. Although Rick and Abby’s details are completely fictional, the feelings are the same. As a writer, my greatest goal is always to make my readers feel. By placing myself within the scene, I have a much better shot at successfully pulling that off.
In Pressed Pennies, before Rick and Abby have a shot at “happily ever after,” Abby’s daughter Paige must accept the new man in her mom’s life. And this acceptance does not come easy.
The excerpt I’ve chosen to share depicts Abby and Rick’s first “official” date. While the passionate couple go off and spend a magical night together, Paige is thrown into a negative spiral—offering a glimpse of the rough and challenging road ahead for all three of them.
*
*
While Abby straightened out her hair for her first “official date,” she watched as her pouting daughter stepped up behind her in the mirror.
“Just the two of us, huh?” Paige said, angrily. “I should’ve figured it out that day at the Mexican restaurant.” She put her hands on her hips. “So how long have you been seeing him?”
Abby spun around to meet Paige’s glare. “First off, watch your tone with me. You’re my daughter, not my mother. Secondly, I didn’t see him for months. And if you want to know the truth, I made the decision not to see him until things settled down around here.” She nodded. “And they have, Paige. You’re seeing your dad on a regular basis now, the arguments have stopped, and you and I have finally settled into a nice routine.”
Paige continued to shake her head, undeterred by her mother’s logic.
“Oh, I see,” Abby snapped. “It’s okay for your dad…” She stopped, knowing that she’d already said enough, and that travelling another step down that slippery slope was a mistake. She grabbed Paige’s hand. “Paige, listen to me good. Your father and I are not getting back together.” She shook her head. “It’s never going to happen, babe.”
“I know that, Mom. I do. But this isn’t about you and Dad. It’s about me and you.” She started crying, and tried to yank her hand free from her mother’s grip.
Abby held on tight. “Oh, Paige, nothing or no one could ever come between me and you. Don’t you know that?”
“Yeah right.”
“That is right! And you need to believe that as much as you’ve ever believed anything I’ve ever told you.” She pulled her daughter into a hug. “Okay?”
For a while, Paige said nothing.
“Okay?” Abby repeated, hugging her daughter even tighter.
“Okay,” Paige relented.
A half hour later, Kelsie, the babysitter arrived. Ten minutes after that, the doorbell rang again. That must be Richard, Abby thought, and headed for the front door. Paige made a beeline for her bedroom, where the door slammed behind her. Abby shook her head and waited a few moments to collect herself. As she answered the front door, she found Rick standing there, holding two bouquets of flowers. “Hi,” she said, and gestured that he come in.
“Hi,” he said. “You look beautiful, as usual.”
She nodded her appreciation.
He handed her the first bouquet. “For you,” he said. “And this one’s for Paige,” he added, handing her the second bouquet.
Abby sighed at the sweet gesture. “Thank you,” she said. “Have a seat while I put them in water and grab my purse.”
“Is Paige home?” h
e asked, stepping into the living room.
“She’s in her room,” Abby said, without further explanation.
Abby hurried into the kitchen and grabbed two vases from the cupboard beneath the sink. After filling them with water, she placed both arrangements on the kitchen table and then headed off to Paige’s room.
Paige was lying on her bed, wearing head phones.
“I’m leaving, babe,” Abby announced.
Paige continued to mouth the words from a song.
Abby bent over and pulled the headphones off Paige’s ears. “I said I’m leaving,”
“I heard you,” Paige said, avoiding any eye contact.
“I have my cell phone with me, so if you need me for anything make sure you call, okay?”
Paige nodded and started to place the headphones back onto her head.
“There are two bouquets of flowers on the kitchen table, and one of them is for you,” Abby told her.
Paige said nothing, and continued to stare off into space.
“I don’t get a kiss?” Abby asked.
After an awkward moment, Paige got to her knees and kissed her mother’s cheek.
“I love you very much,” Abby said.
“I know,” Paige muttered.
“You’d better,” Abby said, and planted a big wet one on Paige’s forehead.
Without another word—or any eye contact—Paige placed the headphones back onto her head and began mouthing song lyrics again.
Abby walked out of the room and met Kelsie in the hallway. “Call me if she doesn’t break out of her funk,” Abby whispered.
The girl nodded. “She’ll be fine, Mrs. Soares.”
Abby nodded her appreciation before stepping into the living room. “You ready to go?” she asked Rick.
He placed a framed photo of Paige back onto the end table and smiled. “I am,” he said, and stood up from the couch.
~~~
Rick had already learned from Abby that a great date didn’t have to be an event; it was all about the company and the conversation. He dismissed the notion of fine dining at a five star restaurant and, instead, booked a reservation at a small neighborhood eatery on the east side. She’s right, he thought. It doesn’t matter where we go; it’s about sharing the moment.
He was pleasantly surprised that the grilled swordfish—surrounded by a sweet perimeter of glazed vegetables—melted like ice cream in August. And as he spent time swimming in Abby’s eyes, he said, “You’re quiet tonight.”
She shrugged. “This dating thing is tough on Paige, that’s all.”
He nodded, unsure of what to say.
“It’ll be fine,” she added.
He nodded again. After a few awkward moments, he changed the subject, asking, “So what’s new with that case you’re working on?”
“It’s been a tough one,” she admitted. “The court date’s already been continued, so I think it’s going to be a grind right to the end.”
“Sounds like you’ve taken on a cause instead of a job?”
“I’d say that’s pretty accurate.” She nodded. “I’ve always believed that each of us should be involved in one cause or another. I’m fascinated with the criminal justice system and would have loved to work for the courts if I’d had the political connections.”
He nodded. “A battle right to the end on this one, huh?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Sorry to hear that,” he said, continuing to stare at her.
She smiled and reached for his hand. “What is it?” she asked.
“Not to change the subject, but…I’ve missed everything about you since the last time we were together.”
Her eyes instantly changed; they softened, betraying that she’d just entered into the moment. “Me, too,” she said.
During the meal, Rick told her, “I saw Grant the other night and he told me to send you his love.”
“I bet he did,” she said.
Rick chuckled. “I know. It’s amazing how little he’s changed since we were kids.”
“The three of us will have to get together some time. It would be nice to see him after all these years.”
“Probably not as nice as you think,” Rick joked.
“He can’t be that bad,” she said.
Rick took a sip of beer, leaned back in his seat and recounted his latest encounter with their childhood pal, Grant Wright. “Last Tuesday night, I was already at the pool hall when Grant walked in. He apologized for being late, saying that the strangest thing happened to him in the men’s room.”
“Oh, boy,” Abby said, sliding to the edge of her seat to hear more.
Rick chuckled. “He said he’d found a wallet on the floor. There was no one else in the bathroom, so he picked it up and rifled through it. He said it was like hitting the lottery. The damn thing was stuffed with twenty-dollar bills. So he checked the license and found out that he actually knew the guy who’d lost it. Talk about a dilemma.” Rick paused for effect.
Abby was already grinning at the possibilities.
“So Grant asked himself: If I was the one who’d lost the wallet, what would I want the person who found it to do?” Rick took another sip of beer.
“And?” Abby asked.
“After some careful consideration, Grant finally decided that he’d want himself to learn a lesson, so he kept the cash.” Rick stopped and smiled.
Abby burst into laughter. “He’s so full of it,” she said.
“And that’s exactly what I told him.” Rick said, with a shrug. “But Grant grabbed a pool stick, rolled it on the table to check whether it was warped and told me to believe whatever I wanted.” Rick took a longer sip of beer, allowing Abby the time she needed to get all the laughter out.
“Do you think it’s true?” she asked.
Rick shrugged. “With Grant, who knows?”
After an amazing meal and even more conversation, Rick excused himself to use the bathroom. Abby took the opportunity to call home.
“Hello?” Kelsie answered.
“How’s Paige?” Abby asked.
“She’s fine, Mrs. Soares, honestly. We just finished our first movie and now we’re trying to agree on the second one.”
Abby smiled, relieved. “No horror movies, right? Paige will tell you they don’t bother her, but she won’t be able to sleep for a week.”
Kelsie laughed. “Got it,” she said. “Have a good time.”
Rick escorted Abby out of the restaurant before he revealed two orchestra seat tickets for Mama Mia. “I wanted to surprise you,” he said, excitedly. “Do you like…”
Abby jumped into his arms. “I’ve always wanted to see it!”
The show was incredible. Rick and Abby were on their feet, dancing the entire time. As they exited the lavish theatre, Abby called home one last time.
“She just went in her room,” Kelsie reported.
“Everything okay?” Abby asked, intentionally vague with Rick standing beside her.
“She laughed through the entire second movie,” Kelsie reported.
“Great. Thanks.” She looked at Rick and grinned. “I’ll be home in about an hour, Kelsie, okay?”
“Take your time, Mrs. Soares.”
As Rick and Abby walked back to the car, Abby asked, “Do you think we’re enough alike?”
He chuckled. “As much as humanly possible, I suppose. It’s clear that the Lord put the eyes of a man in his head, while a woman sees more from her heart. I’m just glad He was kind enough to give me the eyesight to understand this, so I could try to see things from your perspective.”
She kissed him. “You’re learning,” she teased, “but you mean She was kind enough to give you the eyesight to understand.”
He laughed hard and kissed her back.
As if they were making up for some high school prom they had missed, they hurried back to the car to make out.
As they prepared to drive home, Abby wiped the fog from her window and laughed. “The parking lot’s empty,” s
he announced.
On the ride home, Rick asked, “I think finding that new job is wonderful, Abby, but what is it you want from life? I mean, really want?”
“The stars,” she whispered. “I want to walk among the stars.” It was the exact same answer she gave as a kid.
Rick stared at her. None of the important things have changed, he realized. He wanted nothing more than to give her the stars; to watch her dance in stardust. It’s unbelievable. I’ve spent my whole life in search of true love and I knew where it was all along—on Wilbur Ave where Abby and I rode our bikes. He grabbed her hand and kissed it.
A block away from Abby’s house, Rick pulled over and shut off the engine. It took ten minutes to properly say goodnight.
Abby ascended the front porch stairs elated but equally exhausted. She wasn’t used to the late hour. Through a series of long yawns, she thought about Paige and looked at her watch. “Here we go,” she said aloud, dreading her daughter’s remarks about returning home so late.
After paying Kelsie nearly twice the agreed upon price and walking her out, Abby stepped into the kitchen to find only one bouquet of flowers on the table. She looked in the sink. The second vase was sitting there, empty. “Oh, Paige,” she said, and opened the trash can lid. Paige’s bouquet was buried beneath a crumpled pizza box and a half dozen hardened pizza crusts.
Abby’s face was burning red when she looked up to find Paige scowling at her. Looks like I’m not the only one overwhelmed with emotion, Abby realized.
“Have fun?” Paige asked, her tone carrying the sharpness of a disappointed parent.
“I did,” Abby answered, honestly—but she’d shared too much information and knew it. As if she were facing her nine-year old mother, she held her breath and felt her heart skip a beat.
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