by Lisa Smartt
“Who is then?”
He took a deep breath and spoke calmly. “The past. My past.” He walked quickly to the sidewalk. Then turned back briefly. “I don’t expect you to understand, Sarah. But I can’t stay. I won’t put you through that.”
I stood at the top of the steps and watched him walk away. I knew he was heading straight to Chester and Ida’s house. Except he wasn’t. Not really. It was his house now. He was going home. But sadly, he no longer believed it.
Chapter 45, CARLIE: Saturday Morning Sharon Report
I knew Aunt Charlotte would be at our house by the crack of dawn. But I was wrong. She waited until 8:30. She even knocked this time. Doug and James were eating cereal and watching cartoons in the living room. I was making coffee in the kitchen.
“Come in!”
She moved more slowly than usual. Tired. “Bart dropped me off on his way to Co-Op to get chicken feed. The way I see it, we got a lot of trouble brewin’ ‘round here, Carlie. A lot of trouble.”
“Agreed. But this time there’s nothing we can do about it, Aunt Charlotte. So, if you’re here to present one of your schemes or uh, plans, or whatever you call it, don’t bother. We’re over our heads this time.”
“Well, I ‘spect you don’t know what’s happened in the night.”
“In the night?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Seems Julie and Matthew done hit the road. Headin’ for California. Sure as shootin’.”
“In the middle of the night?”
“Well, to hear Cora Belle tell it, Julie showed up at Matthew’s at about 10:30 last night. Said she knows it was 10:30 ‘cause that’s when she always takes Bozo out to do his business. Bozo is the right name for that Chihuahua alright. Dumber than a stick, I tell ya. She tried to put him in the dog show last year. But right before the judging, well, do you know what that dumb dog did?”
“I have no idea.”
“He jumped up and grabbed little Becky Sanford’s funnel cake. Knocked it to the ground too. Yes, Ma’am. And Lord, that little Becky just cried and cried and dumb ol’ Bozo just over there sittin’ next to the judges’ stand chewin’ on a funnel cake bigger than he is with no concern for nothin’.”
“Aunt Charlotte, back to Matthew.”
“Yes. Well, seein’ Julie over there got Cora Belle all worried and torn up and she couldn’t sleep no way. So she kept watch. About 10:45, Bobby Jones shows up. You know, that’s his parole fella or whatever they call it. Anyway, accordin’ to Cora Belle, Bobby and Matthew sat on the porch about fifteen minutes.”
“And?”
“Well, after Bobby left, Julie and Matthew started loading stuff into her car. Well, it ain’t her car really. It’s a rental car. From the airport. And it has one of them sun roofs too. And she was tellin’ us all about how the rental car place at the Nashville Airport didn’t have no more sports cars which made her mad ‘cause she always likes to rent sports cars ‘cause her ex-husband wouldn’t never let her drive his ‘cause he feared she’d wreck it. What an ol’ rascal that fella must be.”
“Aunt Charlotte, get back to the story.”
“Okay. So, Cora Belle said they put some stuff in the car. And by midnight, they was both gone. Gone, I tell ya. Cora Belle and Bozo walked over this mornin’ and she said the whole place was locked up. She looked in the window though. Says she was lookin’ in there to make sure there were no dead bodies or nothin’. And I said, ‘Good grief, Cora Belle, you watch too many of them detective shows. Ain’t no dead bodies in there. Besides, if they was to kill somebody, you’d have seen them carry out the body in a big barrel or a garden trash bag or somethin’.’ I don’t think she even pays attention half the time when she watches NCIS.”
“So, you guess they’re gone for good, huh?”
“I ‘spect so, Baby. I do. Cora Belle said he had the whole place lookin’ neat as a pin. Even cleaner than when Chester and Ida was alive. Bless him. Oh, I’m gonna miss that fella somethin’ awful.”
“Sarah must be devastated.”
“Well, I reckon so. Poor girl.”
“So, I guess there’s nothin’ you and I can do to fix this situation, right?”
“Well, that’s why I’m here, Darlin’. I figure we need to put our heads together.” She grabbed my hand and looked into my eyes. “I ‘spect you and I could get in the hospital with no trouble bein’ as how we have such fine upstanding reputations and all.”
“And do what?”
“Hit Jerry Conner over the head with a shovel. What else? They’d never suspect the two of us. Clean records and all.” She grabbed her stomach and laughed like a chubby hyena. “Oh Baby, you know I’m messin’ with ya. Just messin’ with ya.”
Chapter 46, SARAH: Better to Have Loved and Lost…
I rarely sleep late. They say it comes with age. As a teenager, I remember sleeping till noon. But most Saturdays now, I’m up by 7:30. Habit, I guess. But this morning I slept till 9:00. Probably because I didn’t sleep well last night. Woke up about 2:00 and lay on the couch till 5:00. Thinking. Praying. Wondering.
Julie packed up all her stuff and left town about 10:00 last night. Said she was just getting in the way here and needed to go home. She wasn’t in the way. And I had a feeling nothing was waiting at home either. I asked if she were going by to see Matthew before she left town. And how did she put it? Yeah. She said that, of course, she’d drop by and see him before she left. Her mother would kill her if she didn’t have any better manners than that.
Manners. That was the least of Julie Crawford’s concern last night. She must have overheard our conversation. She had a plan. She would go by the house, explain to Matthew that she’d be glad to take care of all the details of his move. She’d offer him a ride to the airport. And a place to stay. And maybe even a job with her daddy’s company. And that would be that.
How quickly things change. Yesterday morning I woke up with all these ideas. Grandiose plans. Love and marriage and sex and happily ever after. Possibilities. But Matthew was right. It was a fantasy. Handsome California ex-con falls in love with lonely small-town teacher. Doesn’t even make sense really. Mama tried to convince me from the beginning. I can only imagine her relief when she hears the news today. Matthew Prescott. Gone for good. An answer to her prayers.
I grabbed a blanket and a cup of coffee and headed to my morning spot. My heart beat faster when I saw it. A long white envelope taped to the screen door. I held out hope that this whole scene would be like a Friday night Hallmark movie. The note would say, “I love you, Sarah Simpson. I can’t go to California. Not without you.” Then, of course, Matthew would come springing out from behind the hedges, flowers in hand, explaining that Jerry dropped all the charges because an angel appeared to him in the hospital room and told him to forgive. Matthew, of course, would be wearing those sexy jeans and the blue and white western shirt. We’d kiss. Get married. Probably even get a dog and a cat, a couple of kids. Brother Dan would share our testimony at every youth rally in the country. The story of restoration and blessing in a small town.
I sat on the porch swing and unfolded a faded blue piece of paper that looked vaguely familiar. Ida had recently given me a meatloaf recipe written on the same paper. The blue and yellow flowers on the top of the page were so faded, I felt certain the stationery had been purchased before I was born. Oh, and sadly, I didn’t hear any sign of life coming from the bushes either.
Dear Sarah,
I’m leaving tonight. This will make it easier for everyone. I’m sorry for what I did to Jerry. So sorry. No excuses. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. You are a wonderful woman, Sarah. I meant every word I said yesterday. Don’t sell yourself short. You deserve a man worthy of your respect.
Matthew
I thought about going inside first. But I didn’t. I went ahead and had a good cry right there on the front porch. In front of God and everybody who might happen by on the way to the barber shop. And it was a loud one too. Complete with runny nose, red eyes, snorting i
nto the blanket, the whole nine yards. Carlie’s SUV pulling into the driveway didn’t even thwart me.
Aunt Charlotte ran onto the porch steps. She tripped on the last step but caught herself by grabbing the porch rail. “Whew! Old fat woman nearly took a tumble. Oh, Baby, looks like you was cryin’. Your face is all a great big mess. Was you cryin’?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Well, yes. Of course you were. We heard the news this mornin’. How Matthew done blew right on out of town with that tall woman.”
“What’s done is done.”
Carlie joined us on the porch now. “Sarah, you know we both love ya and want the best for ya. So go get some clothes on and clean up your face. Aunt Charlotte and I are taking you to breakfast at Mabel’s. No need in puttin’ this off. It’s time for you to hold your head up and eat some gravy, friend.”
I laughed through the tears. “Best offer I’ll get all day.”
Chapter 47, CARLIE: Gravy Covers a Multitude of Heartaches
Doug and I are both snugglers by nature. Now don’t get me wrong. We’re all about the sex when it’s time to be all about the sex. But on the nights when it’s late and that’s off the table, we’re all about the spooning. I even read in a magazine once that that kind of physical contact will make you live longer. See? That’s why I’m a matchmaker. It’s really no different than being a brain surgeon or an oncologist. I want to help people live longer. If the principal at Martin Primary School dies young, well, we’ll all know he should have gotten on some allergy pills for pet dander. Stubbornness does not lend itself to good health, people. Anyway, snuggling time is also talking time. And on this particular Saturday night? Well, we had some serious business to attend to.
“Doug, I have a proposition. And no, not the kind of proposition I had early this morning.”
“Yeah, that morning proposition still has my head spinning. Good night, Carlie. I’ll be daydreaming about that for….”
“Years.”
“Decades.”
“Well, I hope you’ll remember that little rendezvous when I forget to clean the house or when I burn food or lose my keys or back into the truck with my SUV.”
“You mean you forget to clean the house sometimes? Impossible! You burn food? I had no idea! Lose things? Not you, Darling. Not you.” He laughed. Then his face grew more serious. “Wait, Honey, you didn’t really back into the truck, did you?”
“Me? No. I’m just saying it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibilities. You know I have almost no hand/eye coordination. Ask my high school basketball coach, Doug. I’m 5’11. Couldn’t even average two points a game. Seriously. I’m the worst. There are short people in New Guinea who have never even seen a basketball, and they could beat me at basketball. I’m that bad. So, If and when I do hit your truck, well, I need to know your memory of this morning will help ease the sting a little.”
He laughed. “Absolutely. Okay. So what’s your current proposition?”
“I’m sure you know what I’m gonna say before I even say it. We need to go to California. Both of us. Oh, and Dusty and Clara, if they can. This whole thing with Matthew is just plain dumb. Dumb. I’m sure he’s hurting. I know Sarah is hurting. But what I’m gonna say next? Well, it indicates a lot of personal growth on my part so be prepared to brag on me. Are you prepared for that?”
“I am.”
“I don’t think we should go right now. No. We should let him flounder a little first. Give him a chance to miss all of us.”
“And what if he doesn’t? Miss us, I mean.”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that. Are you kidding? Think about it. Think of all the things he’s missing. The uncomplicated and enjoyable aspects of working at Dusty’s Shop. The peaceful Sunday afternoons sittin’ on Chester and Ida’s porch. Church potlucks. Brother Dan’s sermons. Mabel’s hamburgers. The City-Wide Yard Sale. Afternoon barber shop banter. And of course, well, what’s really gonna haunt him day and night is Sarah Simpson. Sarah, with all her extraordinary beauty and intelligence and kindness and sense of humor and educational fervor and oh, her cupcakes too. That icing alone would be a siren song to a man’s soul. Your own son wants to marry her and he’s in Kindergarten, Doug. Kindergarten!”
“The Jameson men have always had a weakness for sugar and good women.”
“Doug, Honey, I’ve seen the way Matthew looks at Sarah. It’s really just impossible that the poor boy won’t be cryin’ in his root beer within a few weeks. So, just at the right time, well, I figure we walk in the door. He runs to us crying and pleading to come back home. We tell him there’s still a place for him here in Sharon. And there you have it. Done. Well, not quite done.”
“Go on.”
“Well, there’s one more little detail that needs to be taken care of first. And according to Aunt Charlotte, it involves sneaking into the hospital with a shovel.”
Chapter 48, SARAH: Not Ready to Shake My Groove Thing
Carlie made me promise to show up at church and Sunday dinner. Her exact words? “If you’re going to pine for Matthew Prescott, you might as well do it with friends.”
When I pulled into the church parking lot, Brian Carter was the first person I saw. He was getting out of an immaculately clean white Toyota Camry. He must have thought no one was looking because he squatted down to look at his hair in the side mirror. It made me think about what Carlie always says. “Never date a man prettier than you.”
Brian had never visited our church before. And I immediately tried to think of the top five possible reasons he was there today. #5. He’s not very connected and he thinks Julie is still in town. #4. He knows Julie has gone but he thinks I might have her phone number. #3. He knows Matthew left me and thinks I need a shoulder to cry on. #2. He wonders if there will be another physical altercation of some kind, and a doctor will be needed. #1. He wants to attend church and this is a good one.
I’m sure that’s it. He’s new in town and looking for a church. That’s all it is and that’s all it will be. Well, until Carlie gets hold of him anyway. She’ll probably be fixing him up with the poor girl at the animal shelter any day now.
I decided to take Carlie’s advice and be as friendly as I could. At breakfast yesterday, she said, “Look, the sooner you get out among the people, the better. You’ve got nothing to be ashamed about, Sarah. Hold your head up high and get out there and shake your groove thing.”
Okay. So I’m not going to take the advice about shaking my groove thing. I never really have shaken my groove thing. And I’m not going to start now. But I knew she was right about the other part. I definitely didn’t need to go into hiding. I waved at Brian as I walked across the parking lot. “Beautiful day, Dr. Carter!”
“Yes. It is. Looks like the rain is holding off.”
“Yeah. Glad you’re visiting with us today. I’m sure you’ll love it. Brother Dan’s a good preacher. The best.”
“So I hear.”
Doug and Carlie waved at us both from the front porch. I knew what she was going to say next before she even said it. She yelled like she was at a ballgame. “Dr. Carter, please come to lunch at our house! We’re ordering pizza today and there’s plenty! Say you’ll come!”
Brian waved and yelled back, “Yes, thanks!”
Chapter 49, CARLIE: From the Mouths of Babes…
Sunday lunch crowd is a bit slim today. Uncle Bart and Aunt Charlotte are in Palmersville at his great niece’s baptism. Dave and Ashley are in California preparing for her new movie. Dusty and Clara are home with sick kids. So it looks like Sarah Simpson and Dr. Brian Carter are the only pizza partakers today. When Doug and I pulled into our driveway, Sarah and Dr. Carter were already sitting on the porch. Sarah was sitting in her normal Sunday spot and Dr. Carter was sitting, well, in Matthew’s spot.
Doug pulled two extra-large pizza boxes from the backseat. “I hope you guys are hungry!”
Brian stood. “We are! Thanks for the invitation.”
James ran onto
the porch. “Doctor man, you’re in Matthew’s chair!”
Dr. Carter’s face turned pink. “Am I?”
“Yes. That’s where Matthew sits because he likes Sarah. Because she’s pretty and she makes good cupcakes.”
Doug tried to redirect the conversation. “Actually, we don’t have assigned seats. Everybody’s fine.”
James responded, “But Daddy, you said Matthew looks at Sarah like you look at Mommy. ‘Cause you’re in LOVE with her.”
Doug laughed as he patted James on the head. “Great kid here. Little too vocal, but still. A great kid.”
James scooted up even closer to Dr. Carter. “Are you in love with Sarah too?”
“Uh, no. Well, no, I don’t even know Sarah that well.”
James frowned and shook his head. “I didn’t think so. ‘Cause you don’t look at Sarah like Matthew does. Not at all.”
Doug opened the pizza boxes. “Pizza for everybody!” He handed a piece of cheese pizza to James. “Here, Son, take a piece of pizza. Go ahead and just put that in your mouth right there.”
“But Daddy, we didn’t pray yet.”
“Trust me. It’s God’s will for you to get your mouth busy on this pizza.”
I looked at Brian and Sarah. “What can I say? He takes after Aunt Charlotte. Honest to a fault.”
James ate cheese pizza while Doug prayed. Turns out, James and his honest observations were the most interesting things about lunch. It was a dud all the way around. Dr. Carter spent most of the time asking questions about Julie’s visit. Did she like Tennessee? Did she plan on returning? Didn’t we all wonder if she and Matthew Prescott were an “item” back in the day? Did we hear that Julie had been in some national TV commercials?
But the last straw came when he finished his last bite of ice cream. He looked up from an empty bowl and said, “Yep, I’m thinking there was definitely something between Matthew and Julie. You know, back when he planned to be a successful lawyer. Before he became a drug addict and a car mechanic.”
