Echoes in the Bayou

by Dukes, Ursula

  As time went on and her belly grew, Ava found herself thinking less and less about Magnus and more and more about her child. Things were going good at the store and thanks to Kelly and Sterling; they had developed a great new website, acquired some more fantastic antiques and were making quite a name for themselves in the small town.

  She was even thinking of expanding but that would have to wait until after the baby was born. She didn’t want to take on more than she could handle, and being able to take care of her child was still her number one priority. She liked that she could confide in her friends and they didn’t judge or make her feel silly when she'd have one of her days where she'd lock herself in the house and cry. She hoped that Magnus was doing well and that he'd not gotten caught up in the craziness of it all. Her mind flashed back to that morning at the airport and what she told him. If ever things get to be too much for you, you come home to me. Maybe one day he'll heed that advice, she told herself.

  Kelly could hardly contain herself when she opened up the manila envelope. The post mark was from Louisiana and she knew that it was her divorce papers; Steve was finally letting her go. He'd put off signing the paperwork stating that the book tour was taking up all his time so she had to be patient her attorney told her and they'd wait it out. She had no reason to think that he wouldn't sign them, but she also knew that if he found out that she was already dating someone he would have put up a fight. He was possessive and wouldn’t be able to stand the thought of her being with another man.

  At that moment she was incredibly glad that Ava had convinced her to move so far away from Louisiana and more importantly, away from Steve. She was divorced now and she couldn’t wait to share the news with her friends, especially Adrian. He had been so supportive and patient with her and he was nothing like Steve, he was so very kind and gentle and he never made her feel threatened or let his temper get out of control.

  "You've got yourself a good man there Kelly, and you deserve him." She and Ava were at the doctor's office for Ava's checkup. It was almost the end of March but you wouldn’t know it from looking out the window. There was still large piles of snow on the ground but the grip of winter had begun to weaken. Signs of spring appeared, there were some patches of bare ground and the precipitation came in the form of rain instead of snow. When Sterling told them that March was sometimes called the "mud season," Ava told him that she'd had her share of mud and hoped that "mud season" would forever skip Dorset Vermont.

  "Yes he is a great guy and I have you and Sterling to thank for bringing us together," she said.

  Kelly knew that besides being tired and anxious, her best friend was still hurting. She could see It in her eyes, no matter how well she tried to mask it, she was still missing him.

  But she'd made a promise to Sterling that she wouldn’t bring up his name. "She needs to forget about him, at least for the time being anyway so the less we bring up his name the better," Sterling had said. "So promise me that you won't bring his name up, like ever!" He insisted.

  "I promise," she'd told him and she'd keep her promise.

  If Ava didn’t bring him up, then neither would she. She just wished that there was some way that she could get in touch with him. Just to let him know that Ava was still in love with him and that she was pregnant with his child. She wanted to tell him to snap out of it and to get on a plane right this minute and come be with Ava. She watched as Ava went through the motions but she could see that her heart wasn’t in it.

  Ava didn’t want anyone to pity her or feel sorry for her so she decided to lighten up the mood. "Hey how about we all go out tonight to celebrate your divorce? I could use a night out and I know that Sterling and Anthony would be up for it too, what do you say? My treat," she said.

  "Sounds good to me, but you've done enough for me Ava, let me treat this time."

  She couldn’t help but smile. "Kelly, that's what friends do, they help each other out but if you insist on treating then be my guest," she grinned. "But I warn you, I'm hungry and I'm eating for two," she joked.

  A night out was just what she needed and she smiled when they entered the small restaurant. No one minded the long drive to the Steakhouse, not even Ava and she only had Adrian stop once so that she could use the restroom. Sterling said that once they got into the restaurant, if the line was long he would simply inform the waiter or waitress that Ava was in labor and that she had a craving for steak on the way to the hospital. Ava laughed so hard that for a moment she thought she was going to have to ask Adrian to find another restroom, but they had arrived at the Steakhouse and luckily for her, they were seated almost immediately.

  While they sat in the oversized booth and talked, Ava couldn’t help but feel as if this was where she belonged. So what if she wasn’t with Magnus, she was starting to get angry with herself for missing him so much. She was sure that he was moving on with his life and that the whole I'll never love bullshit was just that, bullshit. She vowed then and there not to let Magnus DuPonte be the master of her thoughts anymore. I'm done with you, she thought to herself as she looked over the menu.

  In the booth next to them sat a group of animated women who looked to be in there late forties, early fifties. There were four of them and Ava could not believe the conversation that they were having. Everyone seated in the booth could hear it, and Anthony had to put his mouth over Sterling's in order to stop him from making an insensitive comment. At first it sounded like they were talking about a movie they'd just seen but when the name William Nomiuet came out of one of their mouths, Ava knew exactly what they were talking about. They were members of some kind of book club and were discussing their latest book, "Secrets in the Bayou," and all the things they'd love to do with the author of the book.

  Everyone pulled their menus down from in front of their faces and stared at Ava. "I just cannot get away from the man can I?" She tried making a joke out of it.

  "Ava, you just say the word and we can leave, go somewhere else," Adrian said.

  She looked at him and smiled. "Honey, I have been craving a big steak meal all day and besides that I think you all are forgetting, I've got the best of him right here," she said and patted her belly.

  "That's our girl," Sterling and Anthony chimed in.

  When it came time to leave as he was scooting out of the booth, Sterling leaned over and said to the ladies, "Secrets in the Bayou is extremely overrated and I hear the author is a real asshole."

  "What?" He said when Ava grabbed him by the arm and pulled him outside. She was secretly glad that he did what he did.

  "Sterling, remind me never to go anywhere without you," she said and gave him a hug.

  Chapter Twenty Five

  "How's it going son?" His father asked. "Your mother's on the other extension. "Hello son, how are you?" His mother chimed in. Magnus had made it a point to check in with his parents at least once a week but he had been so busy these past couple of weeks that he'd forgotten to call. Now when he heard their voices he felt guilty.

  "Hey mom, dad things are going alright," he said sounding tired.

  "You sound exhausted son, have you been getting any sleep?"

  "Not much, I will be glad when this book tour is over. Steve's got me going all over the place and I am not liking it."

  "Son, just don’t do anything that you'll regret," his father warned him. "You’ve come such a long way and we'd hate to see you resort back to your old ways," he said.

  "I know dad and you don’t have to worry about that, I'm not going to start using again if that's what you mean."

  "That’s exactly what I mean son. Your mother and I are here for you if you need to talk and I know that this is your dream son but it seems to be a dream that comes at a cost, a high one at that. Is it all worth it son? Are you truly fulfilled? Are you happy son?"

  Magnus knew the answer to that, and the answer was no. The last time he felt fulfilled was when he was with Ava.

  "By your silence I'm going to guess that nothing about this is making
you happy so why are you doing it son?" His father asked.

  "You know what dad? I don’t know, I really don’t," he said confusion in his voice.

  "I mean don’t get me wrong, you’re a wonderful writer but do you need all the glitz and glam to feel appreciated son? You've been more than responsible with your money and you've hit the New York times best seller list so answer me this, why in the world subject yourself to all of this? This craziness when it doesn’t even make you happy?"

  At that moment he knew that there had been a reason why he chose to call his parents tonight. He knew that they would talk some sense into him, just like Ava would have if he had been able to get in touch with her. He hoped that she hadn’t given up on him because he was going to come home, visit with his parents for a while and then he was going to get on a plane and surprise her. Now all he had to do was tell Steve, and that wasn’t going to be easy. Steve had his heart set on continuing the rest of the tour. He told Magnus that he as beginning to feel like a super star but Magnus knew that Steve was using and he no longer wanted to be a part of it.

  "You're losing your edge Steve, your falling apart." Magnus told him that night. They were in his hotel room having a drink. Magnus went on to tell him that he was well aware of the fact that he was using and that he would be canceling the rest of the book tour. He continued by telling Steve that he would not be renewing his contract with him either. When Steve objected, Magnus told him that he was finished, burnt out, and that he wanted to go home. Home to Louisiana where he planned on getting some much needed rest and then he was going to see Ava and ask her if she'd take him back.

  "I can write in Vermont just as easily as I can in Louisiana," he told him. Steve said not a word but excused himself to go to the bathroom and by the time he came out, his actions were more than indicative of someone who'd just sniffed cocaine. "What the hell are you doing? I'm trying to talk to you!" Magnus was angry now "Get the hell out of my room man, don’t bring that shit in here. What the hell is wrong with you?"

  Steve looked around; he had begun to get paranoid. "Why are you saying this Magnus? Why is everybody out to get me? He sniffed.

  "No one is out to get you Steve, you just need help."

  When he didn’t respond, Magnus had no choice but to ask him once again to leave his room. "We'll talk tomorrow man, I gotta get some rest," Steve casually said and walked out of the room. Only he didn’t go to his room, he went downstairs to the bar, he needed a drink.

  He knew that he fucked up, Magnus had told him that he was canceling the rest of the tour and that meant that he was going to have to call and cancel the remaining book signings.

  "It's all that bitches fault," he mumbled to himself. "She took my Kelly away from me and now she's taking away my meal ticket. To hell with that bitch. It's time that I get my Kelly back and teach that bitch a lesson," he said and finished gulping down his drink.

  Things were getting out of hand and he knew that it would be up to him to regain control. Not once did he consider his "habit" as being a part of the problem no, his problem was Ava and only Ava. With her out of the picture he'd not only be able to get back together with his ex-wife but he'd also be able to get Magnus back on track. Back on track and making me lots of money, Steve thought to himself.

  The next morning, Magnus didn’t bother with waiting for Steve to make the necessary calls canceling the book tour, he'd made them himself. He booked a flight back home to Louisiana and left the hotel. Had he bothered to check in on Steve he would have found out that he had checked out hours earlier and was already on his way back home to New Orleans.

  The plantation seemed dead, that was the only way word that he could find to describe the place. It stood dreary, sad, unattended and looked just plain miserable. "You look just how I feel," he spoke to the old house as if it were an old friend. The doors mumbled and moaned as he opened them and stepped inside. There was packing to be done and affairs to get in order. During his flight he'd made up his mind to put the place up for sale, as is.

  There was no reason for him to hold on to the place because he was hoping to start a new life with Ava. He could not wait to see her, see the look on her face when he walked up to her. He wondered how she would react; he'd thought about calling her and telling her that she should expect him within the next couple of weeks but decided against it. Deep down he knew that she still loved him and he hoped that she meant it and that she would wait. He imagined the male suitors calling on her and the thought instantly made him jealous.

  He remembered whispering in her ear that he'd never love another and he meant it, he only hoped that she felt the same. He laughed at himself when he pictured he and Ava shoveling snow together and having snow ball fights. The thought alone made him feel like a kid again. I was a fool to even let you go in the first place Ava. Okay second stupid mistake, three strikes and you're out Magnus, he told himself as he began packing up Ava's things.

  After making several phone calls, Steve was excited when he found out that he could make a connection in Vermont. There was after all, no way that he'd be able to do what he needed to do without using a bit of coke. That was important. He could book his flight into Burlington now and once he arrived there, a contact would meet him at the airport and from there they would hook him up. "Won't be long before things go back to the way they were," he slurred.

  His world was crumbling down around him, not only had his wife divorced him but Magnus had taken it upon himself to cancel the rest of the book tour. Not only would there be hell to pay from the stores and fans but a cancelled book tour meant that his paychecks would start dwindling. Magnus had up and decided that he wanted to live the simple life with Ava; he no longer wanted all the celebrity and stature that a bestselling author should get.

  Steve suddenly felt as if Ava was the sole proprietor of all of his problems and the only way he was going to get rid of those problems was if he got rid of the proprietor, once and for all.

  "I think our dresses have arrived," said Kelly as she signed for the delivery. "Along with the glassware that I purchased on eBay a few weeks ago." She handed Ava the box of dresses while she excitedly opened the large box full of antique glassware. Kelly seemed to know all about the antique glassware and Ava was surprised. Before the online auction had started, Kelly had told her that the Hocking Glass Co. produced "Mayfair" glassware, also called Open Rose, between 1931-37.

  Sterling and Ava stared at her in disbelief while she told them all about the glassware.

  "The yellow antique "Mayfair" cookie jar alone," she told them, "is worth more than $850." She knew how to identify the authentic antique by its base. "Glass cookie jars produced at that time were made with a slightly raised circular rim on the jar's base and the newer reproductions are perfectly smooth on the bottom."

  "Well, bid away then," Ava smiled at them both.

  She was amazed at how it all seemed to be coming together, the baby was doing fine and she had managed to get her blood pressure down too. Her two employees had turned out to be antique enthusiasts like herself, which made her job a hell of a lot easier. She didn’t have to take the time to explain certain pieces and what they were worth, both Kelly and Sterling already knew. In fact, there were some instances where they seemed to know more than she did and that was okay because she was never one to avoid learning about something new. "This is my dream job," she told them. "Every day I learn something new, so every day is a blessing."

  To save time, she and Kelly had ordered dresses online for the upcoming Chamber of Commerce annual dinner. It was being held the first Saturday in April and It was an event that Ava had never heard of. But the closer the date approached, the more the townspeople were abuzz about it. She'd been invited as the Chamber's newest member and she was quite proud of that fact.

  She and Kelly had already made their hair appointments too. Sterling had told them that it was the small town's social event of the season so they had better book early. Ava had been thinking of doing something d
ifferent to her hair, and this would be the perfect time to do it, she'd told her friends. Kelly was to be Adrian's date as he was a member of the chamber. Anthony ran his computer repair business out of he and Sterling's home and was inducted into the chamber several years ago. They would all be attending together.

  Even though she was slowly starting to move on, there were times when she found herself still thinking about Magnus. She wondered where he was, but most importantly she hoped that he was alright. When she was alone she would check and see if he'd maybe tweeted about something interesting during his trip abroad or if he'd posted a status but both accounts had been inactive.

  "Your daddy must be having the time of his life," she rubbed her belly.

  "Ava, there's going to come a time when you going to have to tell him that he's got a child." Sterling and Kelly said when they sat her down one night. She'd told them that she'd been debating whether or not to tell him about the baby, but the both of them had objected to that. "Think of how you would feel if your mom never told you that you had a daddy or who he was," they pleaded with her.

  She knew that they were right, she and Magnus had briefly discussed their love of children and she had gotten the impression that he couldn’t wait to be a father. "Now here I am about to give birth to his baby and he's out there having the time of his life. I just don’t know if I want him to have to stop his life and come running back to me. I mean he wants fulfillment, but I don't know that being with me and the baby would be fulfillment enough for him."

  "Do you really think that Magnus wouldn’t drop everything in order to be with you and the baby?" Kelly asked.

  "That's just it, I know he would but the question is would he be happy living this kind of life? Magnus went from the limelight of being a highly paid executive to living in solitude out on the plantation. Now that he's back in the limelight so to speak, I'm not sure whether or not he wants to give it all up for me, for us," she said and gently patted her belly.