by Cindy Adkins
“Well, I try. I guess that being raised around her hair salon has made a difference. I think that I was born with a curling iron in my hand,” she laughed. “I wonder how I’m going to do my hair for the Fall Formal. When your brother asked me to go last night, I was shocked.”
“Brad is full of surprises,” said Hailey. “He didn’t even tell me that he was going to ask you.”
“I guess it’s no mystery that I’ve had a crush on him since eighth grade,” admitted Rachel. “He just never paid attention. I guess I was at that awkward stage.”
“What awkward stage?” asked Hailey. “As long as I’ve known you, you have been beautiful.”
“Well, I might be considered cute,” conceded Rachel, “but never beautiful.”
“Brad thinks you are.”
“He told you that?” asked Rachel.
“Yes,” replied Hailey. “He said it last night when you were downstairs.”
“I never thought that I was his type,” Rachel confessed. “I thought he’d go for someone studious like Lindsey Foster or Corey Allan.”
“He didn’t ask them to the dance, so I guess you are his type after all,” replied Hailey. “If my dad will let Josh and I go, we could all drive together.”
“I’ll make sure to mention it at dinner,” Rachel promised. “That ought to help. If you have your brother with you as a chaperone, how could your dad be worried?”
“Trust me, he’ll find a way,” Hailey laughed.
Just then, her father called from downstairs. “Hailey, there’s a young man here to see you.”
“I’ll be right down, Daddy,” yelled Hailey. “He’s here, Rachel! I didn’t even hear the doorbell ring. How do I look?”
“You look perfect,” Rachel assured her. “I do my finest work under pressure,” she giggled. “Let me spray it and we can go.” Soon the girls were downstairs. Josh was standing in the entry hall next to Hailey’s father and Brad.
Josh was holding a bouquet of daisies in his hand. “These are for you, Juliet,” he said giving them to Hailey.
“Thank you, Romeo,” Hailey blushed. “These are my favorite flowers.”
“A little birdie told me that they were,” Josh smiled.
“Does that birdie happen to have a blonde curls and a first name of Rachel?” she asked.
“Guilty,” said Rachel raising her hand. “From now on, we’ll have to refer to this as ‘The Daisy Conspiracy,’ no doubt.”
“Well,” said Brad looking at Josh, “at least you didn’t fall prey to something as elaborate as ‘The Tree House Conspiracy’ that they cooked up in elementary school.”
“What was that?” asked Josh.
“Hailey wanted a tree house for her birthday the year that we both turned eleven,” explained Brad.
“I happened to mention it to her father a month before their birthday party,” interjected Rachel.
“So what do you think I spent the month of August doing that year?” asked Brad with a grin on his face.
“Let me guess,” teased Josh. “I’d say that you were building a tree house.”
“Yes,” replied Brad. “But, it was under one condition. I would be allowed to go in it, too and bring my friends.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” said Josh.
“No,” said Hailey, “especially because I gave the tree house to my brother two months later.”
“You mean it became his?” asked Josh.
“Hailey means that she and Rachel suddenly had no time to use it because they were busy taking horseback riding lessons,” said Brad.
“Lucky for you,” Rachel reminded him. “While we were riding, you were spending time in the tree house with all of your friends. My brother Mark still talks about all the fun you guys had. I think it worked out well for everyone.”
“Sure you do,” said Brad. “But, that’s only because you didn’t have to build it.”
“Do you still ride horses?” Josh asked the girls.
“Sometimes,” answered Hailey. “But, Rachel rides more than I do.”
“My father has a ranch,” Rachel informed him. “So, I can go anytime I want to. We should all drive out there some time. It’s about an hour away.”
“That sounds like a plan,” said Josh. “Maybe we’ll go on a Saturday and ride.”
“Dinner’s ready!” called Hailey’s mother from the kitchen.
“We’re coming, Dear,” Pastor Evans answered her.
“It sure smells good,” remarked Brad.
“Why don’t we all go into the kitchen?” asked Hailey. “I’ll put these in water,” she said holding up the flowers.
They walked to the kitchen that was at the back of the house adjacent to the large family room. The aroma of the food had already gotten everyone’s attention. All of them stood around the island in the middle of the kitchen where a buffet awaited them.
In the meantime, Hailey walked over and reached into one of the cupboards by the sink to get a vase for the flowers. Cheryl Evans offered tacos to everyone. “Have as much as you want,” she said. “I’ve made plenty.”
“I made my world famous salsa, too,” added Pastor Evans being congenial. Hailey appreciated that her father was making an effort to be friendly under the circumstances. “Before we start eating, I would like to say a prayer,” he said. Hailey stopped what she was doing for a moment and joined everyone in the middle of the kitchen. Pastor Evans stood and blessed the food that they were about to partake in as everyone bowed their heads. Then, they all helped themselves to the cuisine in a relaxed manner. Her father went to sit at the table.
“My dad makes great salsa,” Hailey told Josh as she walked back to the sink to put water in the vase. “You’ll love it.”
“It’s fantastic,” agreed Rachel, “and these are my favorite tacos, Mrs. Evans.”
“I’m so glad you like them,” replied Cheryl. Turning to Josh, she offered, “Help yourself and there’s extra guacamole on the counter.”
“Better grab it, Josh, before Hailey eats it all,” teased Brad as he reached for one of the rust-colored ironware dishes that were stacked on the island.
“Thanks a lot, Brad. How can I? I’m sure it will be gone by the time you get your hands on it,” Hailey retorted.
“Stop it, you two,” urged Cheryl. “I thought that twins were supposed to get along.”
“Only in the movies, Mom,” joked Brad.
“Well, since we’ve got guests, do you think you could pretend to?” asked Cheryl. “Josh, make yourself at home. There’s sour cream, too.”
“Thank you,” said Josh helping himself to the sour cream for his tacos. Then, he got some tortilla chips that were in a basket. “Tacos were always a favorite at my house. I haven’t had homemade tacos in a long time.”
“Oh, why not?” asked Cheryl setting her husband’s dinner on the table for him.
“Well, my mom used to make them before she was killed,” Josh uttered quietly.
A hush suddenly fell over the kitchen. “Come sit here,” said Pastor Evans offering Josh a seat at the table. “When did you lose your mother?
“Six months ago, Sir,” replied Josh as he sat down next to him. “After she died, I came to live with my aunt and uncle. My father has to go out of town a lot for work. He’s a power lineman and gets called away on storms, so my mom’s sister Janice and her husband Steve offered to have me live with them.”
All of a sudden, Pastor Evans grew pensive. “Can I ask you something, Josh? Was your mother in a car accident over on Broyles Road?”
“Yes, Sir. She was,” Josh replied looking surprised. “A big rig went off the road right into her. How did you know about it?”
“About six months ago, I was at the nursery getting flowers for the church one day and I saw a woman who worked there. I had purchased petunias and the woman helped me put them into the cart. Suddenly, she started crying because they were her sister’s favorite flower,” recalled Pastor Evans. “She told me that her sister had bee
n in a serious car accident and that she was in the hospital. The woman was afraid that her sister was not going to survive.”
“Was it at Grover’s Nursery?” asked Josh.
“Yes,” Pastor Evans replied.
“That was my Aunt Janice,” said Josh. “Real friendly, right?”
“Yes,” answered the pastor. “She had always been cheerful when I went there before, but she was very sad that day. I offered to go visit her sister. I left the nursery and went to the hospital immediately.”
“You mean you saw my mom?” asked Josh.
“I went to Davis Memorial and found her in the Intensive Care Unit,” explained Pastor Evans. “Before I went in, I introduced myself to the nurse and asked where her family was. The nurse at the desk said that her husband and son had just gone to the cafeteria.”
Josh became very saddened. “You saw the terrible shape my mom was in first-hand.”
“Yes. My heart truly went out to her. After I walked into her room, I stood by her bedside and said a prayer. I put my card in her hand so that her family would know that I had been there.”
“Did it look like this?” Josh reached for his wallet inside of his back pocket and pulled out a business card.
“That’s it,” said Pastor Evans. “So you are her son. I would have never dreamed that one day I would meet you in my kitchen. I had even gone down to find you in the cafeteria that day, but when I got there, it was closed.”
“My father and I had gone downstairs to eat right before their staff changed shifts. We grabbed sandwiches to take back to the room and probably were not gone for fifteen minutes. When we came back, my mom had died,” Josh remembered vividly. “I saw this card on the floor and picked it up. It must have slipped out of her hand. I kept it in my wallet, but had never taken it out to look at it.”
Josh handed him the card. “It’s my card, all right,” said the pastor.
“But, what made you ask me if my mother was in an accident?” asked Josh.
“Because two weeks after I had been to the hospital, I went back to the nursery for some shrubs,” he explained. “I saw your aunt and she told me that her sister died. She said that her favorite nephew had come to live with her. When you mentioned your mother, I thought that you might be the nephew that she spoke so highly of.” Pastor Evans handed the card back to him.
“Well, we couldn’t be happier that you are having dinner with us tonight,” said Cheryl taking a seat across from them.
“Thank you, Ma’am. I am happy to be here.”
Hailey went over and placed the flowers in the middle of the table. “I had no idea that happened, Josh,” she said looking at him with concern. “You never said anything.”
“It feels awkward bringing it up.”
“I am really sorry that you lost your mom,” said Hailey.
“I am, too,” added Rachel as she sat down. “I knew that you had moved from the next county over, but I didn’t know why. So your aunt and uncle are nice people?”
“The best,” said Josh. “They are actually planning to buy the nursery. When they do, I am going to help run it on weekends and after school.”
“If they need anyone else to work, I’m available,” offered Brad.
“I’ll be sure to tell them that,” replied Josh.
“I am sorry to hear about your mom, too,” said Brad as he headed to the table with his food.
“Thanks, Brad,” Josh responded.
Pastor Evans turned toward Josh. “I owe you an apology, Son,” he admitted.
“Why, Pastor Evans?” asked Josh. “My mom was really hurt. There was nothing you could have done about it.”
“No, I owe you an apology because I have spent the last few days judging you and I did not know a thing about you,” he replied. “The Bible tells us not to judge others, but I did not heed those words.”
“Does that mean that we can go to the dance?” asked Hailey.
“Dad, before you answer that, you should know that Rachel and I are going, too,” Brad assured him. “We want Josh and Hailey to come with us.”
“That would be fine,” answered Pastor Evans. He turned toward Josh. “I hope you’ll accept my apology.”
“No apology necessary, Pastor Evans. I understand why you’re being protective of Hailey and she is lucky that you are.”
“It sounds like you’re going to be coming to a lot of Taco Tuesdays,” Brad joked with Josh.
“Only if you promise to save me some of that guacamole,” said Josh.
“Mom,” asked Hailey, “what am I going to wear to the dance?”
“We’ll have to find you something at the mall,” said Cheryl.
“Can I come?” asked Rachel. “I need to get a dress, too.”
“Of course,” replied Hailey. “Tomorrow after school, we’ll plan ‘The Dress Conspiracy’ while we look through magazines.”
“Looks like we’re getting off easy this time, Dad,” said Brad smiling.
* * * * *
Later that night, Josh and Hailey sat on the steps of her back porch and talked. Hailey knew that his mother’s death represented a tremendous loss for Josh and she wanted to be supportive. “I am so sorry about what happened to your mom. Honestly, I didn’t know anything about it.”
“I realize that you didn’t,” he said looking at her. “I wanted to tell you before, but it’s hard for me to talk about it.”
“Well, I want you to know that I am here for you.” Her offer was sincere.
“Thank you, Hailey. That means a lot to me.”
“What was your mom like?” she asked.
“My mom was an amazing person,” said Josh. “We were very close because my dad was gone so much. She came to all of my baseball games when I was a kid. When I was older, she surprised me and got me my first skateboard. No matter what, my mom was always there for me.”
“It must be so hard without her,” Hailey sympathized. “No one is prepared for such a loss. I don’t know what I would do if anything ever happened to my dad or mom.”
“I hope that you never have to go through it,” said Josh. “I mean, it may happen one day, but hopefully, it will be when you are much older.”
“Do you mind living at your aunt’s house?” asked Hailey.
“No, not at all,” replied Josh. “Aunt Janice is so nice and this was devastating to her, too. She and my mom were really close.”
“She must be happy that you live with her, then.”
“Yes, but there’s more to it than that,” he explained. “My aunt and uncle could never have children of their own, so she said that in the midst of all this sorrow that I have been a gift to them.”
“It is wonderful that they are so good to you. If you ever need to talk about any of this, I am a good listener.”
“Thank you, Hailey.”
“I’m glad that we’ll be going to the dance, too,” she said. “I was so afraid that my dad would not allow it.”
“He’s just protective of you.”
“Sometimes I wish he wasn’t.
“Your dad is a great guy,” said Josh. “He spends his life trying to help others. What could be better than that?”
“I never gave it much thought before,” admitted Hailey. “But, you are right. Sometimes people from the church even call him in the middle of the night with their problems. He tries to help in any way that he can. He is very dedicated.”
“Look what he did for my mom. He did not even know her and yet, he came and visited her at the hospital. She was a total stranger.”
“Knowing what you have been through, I suppose I should never take either one of my parents for granted,” said Hailey.
“No one should. You are lucky that they are here for you. They’re good people. My dad works out of town so much, but when we get together, I am so glad to see him.”
“I imagine that you are,” said Hailey.
“You two would really get along.”
“I hope that I can meet him one day,” she re
plied.
“He wants to meet you, too.”
“He does?” asked Hailey.
“Yes, I spoke to him earlier tonight,” Josh informed her. My dad always calls me when he gets off of work. I finally told him about you. I said that there’s a beautiful girl here and that we are going to be in a play together. He said that he would try his best to be at our performance.”
“That would be great. He sounds like a nice man.” Did Josh really just refer to her as beautiful? Maybe he was more interested in her than she realized.
“You would like him,” said Josh.
“Well, I know one thing,” Hailey responded. “I sure like his son.”
“His son is pretty crazy about you, too,” Josh smiled at her.
Chapter 2
Summer Days
“There’s something different about that lady,” observed Josh. “I mean, I like working at her house doing the landscaping, but somehow she seems sad.” Mrs. Sullivan was a tiny woman in her late sixties whose beauty had not changed with age. She wore her silver hair up in a topknot, which looked quite regal.
“She’s always so nice to us,” Brad noted as he planted a red geranium.
“I know,” Josh agreed. “But, even when she smiles, there’s something about her…Maybe I’m wrong, but with all her money, she doesn’t appear happy.”
“I wouldn’t give it too much thought,” suggested Brad. “Maybe this heat has gotten to you.”
“Well, it’s just a hunch.” Josh finished planting a row of white petunias.
“We’ve been coming here and working for days, but she never tells us when we will ever finish or how much she wants done, either,” said Brad. The hot Texas sun beat down on the two teens. Graduation was a mere three weeks behind them and yet it seemed like so much had transpired already.
Their senior trip to The Bahamas was the highlight of their summer so far. The entire senior class from the high school went, including Hailey and Rachel. The students had spent six months raising money by sponsoring car washes and having a citywide raffle with prizes donated by numerous local businesses. They used it to offset the cost of their plane tickets. Pastor and Mrs. Evans traveled with them as chaperones. Josh’s Uncle Steve and Aunt Janice went with them, too. Everyone had a good time.
