Mississippi Nights
Page 31
Jeremy’s hand was feather light as it rested on his shoulder. Strength and calmness entered his body. David looked up. It was all different. He couldn’t name it. He couldn’t place his finger on it. But somehow, his world was different.
His brother grabbed him under his arms, and he stumbled to his feet. Smalls bits of gravel clung to his hands, and he flicked them off, wincing at the burning sensation. Deep cuts from the gravel criss-crossed his palms. There would be scars, but those were just physical.
He breathed in deep. His emotional scars were gone.
Jeremy’s hand left, leaving a cold void on his arm. His voice sounded strangled as he spoke. “Come on. Let’s try the highway. She might be along one of them.”
David slipped into the cab as Jeremy started the engine. Jeremy took a right turn onto the highway.
David looked out the windshield. The dark gray highway zoomed under them. Trees flew past. A flock of birds weaved through the blue sky. How bright everything seemed in the morning sun.
“Talk to me. What did you mean by ‘don’t take another away’?” The words were hesitant, as if he already knew the answer.
David opened his hands and stared at the red cuts. How easy it came to speak to God. How difficult it was to speak to his brother.
Jeremy touched his shoulder and then replaced his hand on the steering wheel. Out of the corner of his eye, David watched Jeremy rub at his mouth with his left hand. Patiently waiting.
Silence stretched. The highway loomed before them. His future stretched before him. He had to only reach for it.
“I can’t lose her, Jeremy.” The words fell out before he could stop them. He paused. He didn’t want to stop them this time. “Maggie and I love her too much. Anything can happen to her.”
“We’ll find her, David. We will. Have faith.” Jeremy took a left, leading away from the church. “She couldn’t have gone far.”
David clutched at his stomach. Fear gnawed him. Fire burned inside, licking at his soul. The urge for a drink grabbed at him. He pushed the thought aside, but it refused to go away. Fire needed fuel. He refused to give it fuel. He had to tell his brother.
“I can’t lose another one, Jeremy. Not another child. That’s what I meant earlier.” The words rushed past his lips, unburdened. He kept his eyes trained on the floorboard.
Again time suspended itself as Jeremy drove down the highway.
Tears dropped, hitting his clenched fists as he glanced at his brother. Three and half years of holding the secret inside. “Rebecca was pregnant.”
Jeremy swallowed hard. “No one knew?”
David shook his head. “No.”
“Honeymoon baby story?”
“Yeah.” David dropped his gaze to his hands again. “And now Poppy will be taken away. I can’t lose another child, Jeremy. I can’t.”
His chest heaved. Sobs, held in check, racked his body, shaking it and rattling his bones. He denied the fire its fuel, but the sobs continued. He buried his head and wrapped his arms around it. He gave in. Whoever said “the truth will set you free” ought to be shot. Telling the truth hurt. Painfully hurt.
Jeremy’s hand gripped the back of his neck and squeezed. “For three years you held this inside?”
“I did.” David rocked his body, willing the sobs to quit. “I’m sorry. For everything.” He raised his head and stared at the Ford logo on the glove compartment. “I . . . “
He faltered. A sigh escaped.
“I’m sorry too.” Jeremy’s hand fell away.
David looked over at him. Jeremy sat ramrod straight, staring ahead.
“You didn’t do anything. I’m the one who was a jerk, an–”
“Yeah.” Jeremy cut him off. “And so was I. You needed me. I wasn’t there. I didn’t even try to understand. I didn’t want to understand.”
“And I should have tried to talk to you. I had to blame someone. I blamed God, but the pain was still there, so I blamed you–”
“But–”
“I–”
David and Jeremy glanced at each other as their words overlapped. A grin stretched across their faces. David laughed and looked away at the empty highway. He wiped at his eyes with a thumb.
“We good, little brother?”
David nodded. “We’re good.”
“Then let’s go find our baby girl, shall we?” Jeremy drove.
The image of a little redhead leaning over the newspaper and asking about the casinos and if they were like the Old West ones popped into David’s mind. That was three weeks ago when they were at Pick Wick. His breath caught. Could she actually be going there?
“Jeremy, I know where to find her. Head for sixty-one.”
“Tunica?”
David laughed. He ran a hand over his mouth. “Yeah. She’s heading to the casinos. Don’t ask.”
Jeremy shook his head and turned at the next road.
David sat back. There was an urgency within him, but no fire. Fear wanted to rear its head, but he turned away. There was nothing to fear anymore.
“I think I see a little redhead.” Jeremy slowed and pulled to the side.
Up ahead, Poppy, wearing her black and white checkered dress, struggled with a small suitcase, dragging it behind her. It fell to the side, and she kicked it.
David pursed his lips. “Well, I do believe she’s in a foul mood.”
Jeremy laughed. “Good luck.”
Poppy looked up. She scowled when she saw Jeremy’s truck. With a determined look, she picked up her suitcase, turned, and staggered farther down the side of the road.
Jeremy shook his head again. “Well, I don’t think she’s going to give in easily.”
David opened the door and hopped out. “No one can withstand the Boyette brothers. Come on, let’s go get her.”
His legs ate up the graveled roadside. Poppy huffed and puffed. The suitcase had to be heavy, but she was relentless. David smiled. The girl was just like the family.
“Poppy!” David called out to her, but she sped up and dodged an anthill. She stumbled. The suitcase fell to the ground and spilled open.
With a cry, she threw herself down on the rocks and started piling the clothes and books back into the case. David eased himself down beside her and placed his hand on hers. “Poppy?”
She snarled at him and jerked away. “Go away.”
“I can’t. Not without you.”
She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “I can do this on my own. Maggie has you now; she don’t need me.”
David reached for her, but she recoiled. That hurt. He let his hand fall back to the suitcase. His brows creased. “That’s not true. She needs you. I need you.”
Forget it. He didn’t care if she bit, clawed, or bucked. He pulled at her, fighting against her flailing limbs.
“Stop it. I’ll call the police! I mean it!”
David chuckled as Jeremy knelt down in front of them. “Police is already here, little flower.” He held her tight, smoothing back her hair. The scent of honeysuckle rose up from her silken strands. “Shh. Relax.”
She wailed, her body doubling over. Then she reared back, her head banging against his mouth. “But no one wants me. No one loves me!”
“Not true!” David turned her around, forcing her to look at him. He had to get this into her stubborn, red head. He grabbed her face and held it. “I love you! You’re my girl.”
“Not true!” She echoed his words. “If you love Maggie, then you don’t have room for me. I know you lied. A heart can’t love more than one. You don’t even love your brother!”
If words were hammers. His chest crumbled in on itself as her onslaught bashed into him. In his foolishness, he almost destroyed an innocent.
He wrapped his arms around her and crushed her to him, pressing his lips against the top of her head. Tears rolled down his face.
He could only whisper. “I’m sorry, Poppy. Believe me when I say that I love you.”
She shook
her head. “No one can love me.”
Jeremy reached out and rubbed her back as he moved closer to them. “Poppy, love, everyone loves you.”
Her little hands pushed at David, and he allowed her to turn her head towards Jeremy. Dried streaks lined his face. How many tears were going to flow today?
She stared at Jeremy. Then turned to him. “Really?”
David kissed her forehead. “Really.”
Confusion sketched itself across her face. “But you hate your brother, don’t you?”
“No, little flower.” David lowered his head to hers. Her hair tickled his nostrils. Jeremy placed a hand on his back and one on Poppy’s. David looked up and met Jeremy’s eyes. “I love my brother. It’s just taken me a while to realize that.”
Her arms circled his waist. Above them, the sun brightened. David’s heart brightened with it. He cleared his voice. Enough of this. “Come on. No time for soap operas. Maggie is waiting.”
Jeremy’s hands fell away. He turned to reload her suitcase. Poppy pulled away and tried to smile. “She won’t be mad?”
“No. She will be overjoyed to have you back.” He tweaked her nose. “You ready?”
Poppy nodded and allowed Jeremy to help her to her feet.
David heaved a sigh and jumped up, slapping and clutching at his pants leg. “Thank you. Because I think an ant just crawled up my pants.”
Poppy’s laugh echoed down the open highway. She threw herself back into his arms, and David held her, laughing with her. He had his girl back.
Epilogue
DAVID THUMPED HIS FIST against his thigh. His stomach rolled. His head threatened to explode. He pressed a hand against his chest, willing his heart to slow down.
Sheesh, he was nervous. He fell back into the metal chair and bowed his head. He needed peace. He needed calm.
“I don’t think I have ever seen you so jittery.”
David looked up and smiled at Jeremy. “Yeah, I know.”
Jeremy walked to the full length mirror and fingered his boutonnière and then rubbed his hand over his shaved head. “This from a man who will jump into a raging fire.”
“Well, a fire you can beat down. This–” David waved his hand toward the area beyond the room’s door, “this is another matter. This is something totally different. And strange.”
“It is different and strange. But, it’s unbelievably wonderful.” Jeremy tweaked the pink rose one last time, straightened the pink cummerbund, and scowled. “What other concessions did you have to make? Pink on a man.”
David rose and stood beside his brother, gazing into the mirror. Twin shaved heads. Black suits with pink roses and pink cummerbunds. “Real men wear pink, dude.”
“Keep lying to yourself, little brother.” Jeremy ran his hand over his head again. “Can’t believe I shaved my head too. You’re the one who lost the bet.”
“You did it so I wouldn’t look too much like a fool up there.”
Jeremy chuckled. “Yeah. What are brothers for, right?”
“I think that is definitely on the list.” David reached around Jeremy and retied the bowtie. “I swear, you never get this right.”
“Well, I haven’t worn one since my own wedding; what do you expect?”
“There.” David stepped back and brushed at his suit. “How do I look?”
Jeremy smiled. He stepped up and brushed at the black sateen lapels. “Amazing. So, what did she agree to, for you to wear pink?”
David felt his ears burn. “Something black, lacy, and barely there.”
“With feathers?”
David nodded. “And music.”
A rap came from the door. Their dad poked his head in. “They’re ready. Time to go.”
“Okay. Just a minute, Dad.” David turned to Jeremy. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For everything. Being there before and being here now. I don’t think I would be able to stand up there without collapsing if I didn’t have you beside me.”
Jeremy placed his hand behind David’s head, and their foreheads touched. “Think nothing of it. Prayer?”
David nodded. He clasped the back of his brother’s head as Jeremy spoke.
“Lord, bless this union today. Let it be the first of many happy times. Grace us with your presence and love. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
“Amen.” David broke contact with Jeremy and brushed at his eye. “I swear, I think wearing pink turns me into a pansy.”
Jeremy slapped the back of his head. “Told you. Come on.”
They left the small room. David took a deep breath and blew it out. It was only a small ceremony. It was only a new life. His head tingled, and everything went light.
Jeremy’s hand clasped his shoulder. “Buck up, man. If you faint at your own wedding, you’ll never live it down.”
David nodded. “I can do this. It’s only a wedding, right?”
Jeremy laughed. “Don’t let Maggie hear you say that. Only a wedding?”
He smiled and followed Jeremy out into the sanctuary. Only a wedding. Only a second chance was more like it.
God had given him another chance at love. He wasn’t going to let it go this time. Second chances only come once.
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