Avalee's Gift

by Linda Apple

  Felix nodded. Lexi hugged him. “We’ll take care of Felix. Don’t you worry now.”

  Grateful, I bobbed my head and turned to follow the doctor. He found an empty room and motioned for us to sit, then leaned against an examination table.

  “We dodged a bullet this time.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “She’s going to be fine. I don’t think she will have any pronounced side effects, just some weakening on her left side. But with therapy, she should regain her strength and control.”

  I slumped in the chair and let my head fall back. “Thank you, Lord.”

  “Don’t get me wrong. We are still on tenterhooks here. Cladie’s blood pressure and diabetes are a lethal combination. Both damage the blood vessel walls. She is overweight and she eats what she wants. Even though she shoots herself with insulin every time she has a piece of pie, her blood sugar levels are all over the place. This could happen again, and we might not be so lucky next time.”

  “I tried to reason with her about that, and she told me she knew her body and could tell when her sugar was high.”

  Doctor Derrick shook his head. “That woman. By the time she feels it, the damage is done. She is going to have to be on a regular schedule with her testing and her meds, and stay on a low carbohydrate diet. She needs to exercise regularly, too. I know she works hard in her garden, but that isn’t consistent enough to raise her heart rate.”

  I ran my hands through my hair and blew out. “How will I ever get her to do that? She keeps promising me she will do better, but I can’t be sure she does.”

  “Do you remember when you asked me in my office what it would take to get her to see the light?”

  “Yes.”

  He stood straight and rested his hands in his jacket pockets. “I started to say a stroke or heart attack, but thought better of it at the time. Today I think the message came through loud and clear.”

  “I hope so, Doctor.”

  Ty took my hand. “Doc, when can she go home?”

  The doctor scrubbed his chin with his thumb and thought. “I’d like to keep her here a couple of days and watch her. Run more tests. Then I want to send her to rehabilitation for a couple of weeks. At that time, we can gauge how she is going to get along.”

  “Whatever you say, Doctor. Thank you.” I stood. “May I see her?”

  “Yes. She is in a room now.”

  Ty pushed up from the chair. “I’ll update the others.”

  “Thanks, hon. And tell them to run on home. I’d like to be alone with Momma for a while.”

  “Sure thing.” Ty stuck out his hand to Doctor Derrick. “Thanks, Doc.”

  “You are welcome.” He turned to me. “Let’s go see your mother.”

  ****

  Momma turned her head toward me when I walked into her room. A soft ray from the setting sun shone between the curtains, creating a play of shadow and light along her still form under the blankets. I sat beside her and took her right hand. “How are you feeling?”

  She squeezed my fingers.

  “Doctor Derrick says you need to stay here a couple of days.” I decided to keep the rehabilitation part to myself for the time being. No need to work her up.

  She closed her eyes, then opened them. I took that as an okay.

  “We will get you through this.” My eyes began to sting, and I blinked hard to keep the tears from coming. “You’ll be right as rain, you hear?”

  She squeezed my hand again.

  “Try and get some rest. I’ll be right here.”

  Her hand relaxed. I sat back and watched her sleep. I had plenty of time to think in the dim room. Would she have been in this shape, if I hadn’t left Moonlight in the first place? I should have come home more. Anger at myself dominated my regret. I had been such a coward.

  The familiar trespasser in my soul, namely guilt, weaseled its way into my consciousness. But this time, I made a resolution to banish all negative thoughts. I was home now and I would stay here and make sure my mother overcame this. I’d be to her what Scott had been to me. She’d get on that treadmill, like it or not. She’d eat better, too. No more ten-layer coconut cakes or sweet tea. I’d make sure of it. She’d be on a regular schedule with her testing and meds.

  The room grew dark. Behind me, light glowed from the door when the nurse walked in to change Momma’s IV. She advised me to go home and get some rest. At first, I felt reluctant, but the nurse assured me Momma would sleep all night, so I decided to go. Leaning over, I kissed her cheek. “I love you, Momma.”

  I slipped out the door into the blinding hallway light. It took me a bit to focus as I walked toward the elevators. When I passed the waiting room, I noticed Felix in a chair. He shot to his feet when I approached him.

  “How is Miss Cladie?”

  “Sleeping.” I gathered him in a hug. Poor old fellow, he had suffered so today. “She is comfortable. You can go home now.”

  “Would you mind terribly if I sat with her a spell?”

  “Not at all. I’ll tell the nurse.”

  “Thank ya, I’m obliged.”

  We found a nurse and explained his relationship with our family and how he had my permission to sit with my mother. The nurse looked at him skeptically. This flew all over me. I had hoped we were finally over this racial thing, for heaven’s sake. I took Felix’s hand. “He is like a second father to me, in fact, he is giving me away at my wedding.”

  Felix raised his eyebrows and looked at me while squeezing my fingers.

  “All right.” She glared up at him. “But be quiet. She needs her rest.”

  “Yes’m, no tap dancing, I understand.”

  The nurse frowned, shook her head, and walked down the hall. I gazed up at Felix’s dear face framed with tight gray curls and into his kind eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Honey, I’m at an age where I finally realize ignorance in others is not my problem. I don’t let it upset me.” He touched my nose and winked. “You need to learn that lesson now. You’ll be a lot more peace-like when you get old like me, ’sides, we have a lot to be happy about don’t we? Miss Cladie pulled through.” He hugged me. “Now you go on and get some rest. I’ll be here watching over your momma.” He pulled a book from his jacket. “I read most nights anyways. Might as well read here as at home.”

  “I love you, Felix. Thanks for saving Momma.”

  “Love you, too, sugar. Miss Cladie and your daddy have saved me many a time. Run on now.”

  When I arrived home, I walked through the front door. The house felt so empty. So quiet. The kitchen was a mess. I needed a good distraction and cleaning up was just the ticket. A canister lay on the floor. Momma must have been getting something from it when she had her seizure. I picked it up and a funny feeling came over me. What was in there? I unscrewed the top and peeked in. Miniature chocolate bars? What else was she hiding? On an impulse I dug through the trash can. Stuffed under all the other trash were snack-cake wrappers. A lot of them. Really, Momma? Had she eaten these since she promised me she wouldn’t? She had to have. The trash pickup was two days ago.

  I stomped upstairs to her room and searched every inch. In the last place I looked—the bottom drawer of her nightstand—was a bag full of peanut butter cups. For crying out loud.

  Yep, I was going to be on that woman like hair on soap. There was no way on God’s green earth I would ever leave her now.

  Chapter Eighteen

  O. Henry’s, The Gift of the Magi, keeps calling to me.

  ~Avalee Preston

  Spring is said to be the season of new life, or resurrection, of new hopes. And it is. Watching my mother struggle to walk, talk, and gain control over her emotions was hard, but with each baby step our hope grew. Doctor Derrick’s prediction came true. Momma was finally a believer in taking care of her health. She made great strides during her two months in therapy. She was one of the lucky ones, and she knew it.

  But this year, spring also represented dashed hopes and death of long awaited dreams. Every time Ty an
d I were together, it took all my emotional strength to keep from telling him I’d changed my mind. I kept reminding myself how my decision was for love. It was for Ty’s best. With those thoughts, I focused on Ty, our new wedding plans, and the Moonlight Market. Scott made arrangements to fly to Moonlight even though there wasn’t going to be a wedding. He said his reason was to work with Momma on their book, but I knew he wanted to be there for me because his flight arrived the day Ty left. I knew he wanted to see me through those first weeks of Ty being gone. Bless him.

  On a brighter note, my relationship with Skye had grown closer. We had several deep discussions over O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi. The more wine we drank, the more our discussions went deeper, like how incredible it was for a short story written in a tavern to have such a strong and enduring effect on culture. This was a springboard to talking about other ways to influence our culture. Afterward, Skye called to say she got a perfect mark on her paper, and that her professor asked permission to use it in future classes as an example. Wow. I received major stepmother points for my help. However, Skye wasn’t the only one to benefit from our conversations. I did, too, because they reinforced my decision to put off my wedding for Ty.

  My cell phone interrupted my musings. Ty’s face appeared on my screen. “Hi babe. I was just thinking about you.”

  “Lady, I’m always thinking about you.”

  “Yeah, more like your big adventure with luscious Cadence.”

  “Oh, stop it. You know you are the only one for me. Cadence is strictly for the camera.”

  I believed him, as crazy as it seemed. Ty was different. “What’s up, babe?”

  “Well, since I leave tomorrow, I thought it might be nice to invite the kids and—now, I know this is asking a lot—but also my parents to join us for supper at the country club.”

  Ugh. “Anything for you, hon. Even your parents.”

  My respect for them had sunk to new lows. When Ty returned from New York, he’d gone to them and told his wonderful news thinking they’d finally understand and support him. But when he told them about the New Yorker, his father simply said he’d never read that magazine. When he told them about Africa, his mother worried about parasites, and his father only wanted to know about Cadence. Neither grasped the magnitude of Ty’s talent and where it had taken him.

  “Thanks, hon. I know it probably won’t be pleasant for either of us, but you never know. Life doesn’t promise us a tomorrow, and I’d like to leave them on a positive note. I’ll make a rezzi as Taige says.”

  Ty’s reference to Taige’s rezzie bothered me a bit. Would this venture change him? Get a grip, Avalee. I’d never make it to August sane if I started worrying over such small things now.

  “Sounds good, hon. Just let me know when.”

  “I’m pretty sure this will be an ordeal for both of us, so when we are finished how about wine at my place and a proper send off?”

  His reference to “send off” sent me sinking into myself. I swallowed to strengthen my voice. “Absolutely, babe. Bye now.”

  “Bye. Love you, too.”

  When the line went dead, I held my phone to my chest and stared off at nothing.

  ****

  When Avalee said, “I love you,” it took all of Ty’s mental will to hang up the phone. He knew he should be soaring because of this opportunity, beyond thrilled for the recognition, but he wasn’t, and all this pretending wore him out. He was grateful and cognizant of the honor and he couldn’t—he wouldn’t—let her down. She’d worked a miracle for him and he’d make her proud. He knew it sounded crazy; it would have to him, too, had this happened this time last year, but he wanted nothing more than Avalee. If only she’d go with him, or if only they could marry before he left, then he’d be delirious with joy about it all. Even so, for now he had to focus on the positive side of things. He and Avalee would marry in August. His parents just might find it in their hearts to respect him. And there would be more money and opportunity to travel with the love of his life. Buoyed by that thought, he made the reservations, called the kids, and then his parents.

  When he hung up the phone, he checked and rechecked his tickets, bags, and equipment. Everything was ready. Done. Now all he had to do was wait. He hated waiting. All his life he had waited. Waited for opportunity. Waited for his parents’ respect. Waited for love. He wandered to the bookshelf and stared at Avalee’s photo. With care, he lifted the silver frame and carried it to the couch where he flopped down. Yes, above everything else, she was all he truly wanted. The only part of his life he could not live without. When he returned from Africa, he didn’t care what she said; he would never leave her again.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I hear you O. Henry. It is time to cut my hair.

  ~Avalee Preston

  Ty and I arrived early to the country club in order to fortify ourselves before the others showed up. The maître d’ showed us to a table overlooking Moonlight Lake. I leaned into Ty. “You got us one of the most romantic tables in the club.

  “Yeah.” He drew me in close. “Too bad we are wasting it on family.”

  “Well, at least we have time to enjoy it, just the two of us, for a while.”

  The waiter cleared his throat, reminding us we were not alone. We stepped apart and allowed him to seat us. “Could I interest you in anything to drink while you wait for the rest of your party?”

  “I’ll have a double Gray Goose vodka martini, dry.”

  Ty cocked his eyebrow and smiled. “You go, girl.” He said to the waiter, “Double bourbon, Four Roses, on the rocks.”

  After the waiter left, Ty scooted his chair close to mine. We watched the glimmering moonlight reflecting off the rippling waters. When I was with Ty, I was home. Our waiter returned with our drinks, bowed, then left. Ty lifted his glass and stared deep into my eyes. “To August, to us, forever.”

  “And ever.” I tapped my glass against his then softly kissed his amazing lips. He leaned in for more, but I quickly took a sip of my drink. The cold vodka warmed my throat. “Not here, not now. Later.”

  “I’ll take that as a promise.” He put his arm around my shoulder and we enjoyed each other’s presence while sipping our drinks and watching the soothing undulation of the lake’s surface.

  “Wow, what a great spot.” Skye’s voice startled us. I suppose we were so lost in our own private thoughts, we had forgotten the evening’s plans. “Good job, Dad.”

  Ty pinched his nose and then stood. “Hi, baby.” He pulled her chair out for her on his other side. “Glad you came.” Ty looked around. “Where’s Glen?”

  “He’s with the grandparents. We met them on the way in.”

  And so it begins. I finished off my martini. From across the room, Emma’s voice assailed every diner’s ears with complaints about her table being clear across the restaurant. Glen took the seat next to mine, creating a buffer between his grandmother and me for which I was truly grateful. The waiter returned for their drink orders. Glen ordered his usual, beer, Skye, white wine, Marcus, scotch on the rocks, and Emma, decaf coffee. Ty and I waggled our glasses at the waiter. It was going to be a long supper. We might as well be anesthetized.

  Thank goodness for Skye’s enthusiasm. She carried the conversation with questions about Ty’s job. “Have you thought of a theme for your photographs about clean water? Where all will you travel?”

  Before Ty could answer, his mother broke in. “Tyler, this will be the first time you’ve not been home for Mother’s Day. Did you even consider this when you agreed to this little escapade of yours?”

  Escapade? Little? I took another gulp.

  To his credit, Ty held it together. “I’ll send you a card if I can, Mother.” He frowned into his glass before taking a slug of his drink.

  Glen looked from his father to his grandmother and then back to his father. He tried to steer the conversation in another direction. “Dad, tell us about Cadence Terry.” He punched Ty’s arm. “Major dad bonus points if I get to meet her.�
�

  “She’s nice. Not shallow like we expect in a women like her. She has a deep compassion for the poor. And yes, I’ll make sure and earn those bonus points.”

  “Now there’s a woman worth pursuing, son.” Marcus straightened. “Can you imagine being married to her?”

  What? What did he just say? I sat stunned. Those words swarmed inside my chest like stinging bees. All I could do was stare at him. Skye put her hand to her mouth and gaped at him.

  “Dad?” Ty was just as stunned. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

  Glen was equally appalled. “Grandfather? Seriously?” He shook his head. “Not cool.”

  Of course this pleased Emma. The witch.

  Marcus lifted his palms. “I don’t mean anything by it, but you have to admit, she will be quite a catch for someone.” He gave me a decisive nod. “No offense to you Avalee.”

  I wanted to say, “None taken,” but I couldn’t. That son of a basset hound meant every word he had said. I needed a moment. I stood and said, “Excuse me, but I need to call my mother and check on her.”

  Ty jumped up so fast he knocked his chair to the floor. “Wait up, baby.” He threw his napkin on the table and shot a look at his parents. “We’re leaving.”

  Marcus pursed his lips. “Now, son….”

  The waiter strode over. “Sir, is everything all right?”

  “Miss Preston and I have to leave. Take their orders and put it on my bill. Be sure and give yourself a twenty-five percent tip.”

  Emma put her hand to her breast. “Twenty-five percent?”

  Ty shook his head while picking up his chair. His voice softened when he spoke to his children. “Sorry, guys, but I’m sure you realize we have to leave. I can’t put Avalee through an evening of barbs. Call me when you get home.”

  “I’m not very hungry.” Skye stood. “I think I’ll go to your house, Dad.”

  “Me neither.” Glen joined her. “Mind if I come along?”

  Ty glanced at me, and I nodded. “Sure.” He slid his hand in his pocket, took out his keys, and pulled off the one that went to his house. “I’ll be back later.”