by D. F. Jones
Chapter 12
Cherish
The next morning Anna woke up to Ruby being sick in her guest bathroom. Anna threw off the covers and ran to her. “Honey, sweetie, is there anything I can do?”
Ruby waved Anna away, and in a weak and shaky voice, she said, “No, I wish. This baby makes me throw up every morning. I’ll be okay soon.” Ruby threw up again while Anna opened the linen closet and pulled out a washcloth. She filled the cloth with cold water and wrung out the excess before placing the cool cloth on the back of Ruby’s neck.
Sandy groggily entered the guest bathroom, and in a gravelly voice, she said, “I feel sick, too, but it’s from too much alcohol. My head’s killing me. Aspirin, please?”
Anna glanced up, noticed Sandy had on Frank’s shirt, and cringed. “Is Frank upstairs?”
Sandy bobbed her head up and down. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Aspirin?”
Anna placed her hand on the door. “Ruby, I’ll be right back.” Anna turned to Sandy and butt-bumped her. “Come on, slut. I have some aspirin in the kitchen.” Sandy playfully pushed Anna.
Light footfalls fell across the tile floor as Sandy followed her into the kitchen. “Just because I have a healthy sexual appetite doesn’t qualify me as a slut. If I were a man, I would be a stud.”
Anna laughed out loud. Inside the kitchen, Anna reached over the hood fan and opened the cabinet to grab a bottle of aspirin. “You’re a studdess.”
Sandy opened the fridge, pulled out a Coke, and popped the top. Anna handed her two aspirin. Sandy said, “Thanks. I like Frank. He’s super sweet.”
Anna exhaled a deep sigh and leaned against the kitchen counter. “Thank God I’m not going to be here for much longer. For goodness’ sake, Sandy, he’s on my board. And you need to be drinking water, not Coke. Does Frank like you?”
Sandy placed her hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side. “Really? The man only asked me to marry him a dozen times last night. No, I’m serious. Frank wanted me to fly to Vegas last night and get married.”
Ruby slowly entered the kitchen and eased down in a chair. “Anna, would you please make me some herbal tea, and I need a few crackers.”
Having Ruby and Sandy in her kitchen reminded Anna of when they’d all lived together in college. “Sure thing, sweetie. You only have a few more weeks left and your morning sickness should be over. Are you taking prenatal vitamins? You look as though you’ve lost weight since Christmas.” Anna handed Ruby a box of saltines. Sandy walked over and snatched a couple of crackers out of the package and handed the box back to Ruby. Sandy jumped up on the kitchen counter and nibbled on a cracker.
Ruby groaned and slumped down in the chair. “Ugh. A few more weeks? Oh, God, what in the hell was I thinking? Why in the world would a woman want more than one child?”
Anna chuckled and put the teapot on the stove to heat. “I promise, once the baby is born, you and Reed will want another one. I’ve heard mothers forget all about the sickness and the pain of childbirth once they hold their precious little bundle of joy.”
Sandy hopped down from the counter and stepped over to Ruby. She brushed the side of Ruby’s face with her fingers and made a sad face. “Poor baby. No kidding, Ruby, I hate seeing you sick. I don’t think I ever want to get pregnant if I have to throw up like you did this morning. I thought you were going to pass a lung.” She leaned down and gave Ruby a quick kiss on her cheek.
Anna and Ruby chuckled at Sandy’s comment, when Frank walked up to Sandy, shirtless, pulling her to his chest. Ruby ogled him, and Anna’s mouth dropped open. Who knew that Frank was a sex god under all of that Mr. Good Doctor apparel?
Sandy circled her arms around his waist and reached up to kiss him. “You want some coffee, Frank?” Frank kissed her with passion, dipping her backward.
Anna turned around and poured hot water into Ruby’s tea cup, then looked at Ruby and pointed to the door. Ruby grabbed the crackers. Anna and Ruby stepped outside through the sliding glass doors. They walked over to the patio table next to the pool and sat down.
Twenty minutes later, Sandy joined them wearing her bikini and sunglasses. “Frank’s gone. He’s sweet and a great lay, but dadgummit, he still wants to marry me.” Sandy always ran in the opposite direction anytime one of her suitors even suggested the “M” word.
Ruby took a sip of tea and nibbled on crackers. “Sandy, Sandy, what are we going to do with you? Do you think you’ll ever settle down?”
Sandy pulled her shades down over the bridge of her nose. “Cherish me, Ruby. I would have to find the equivalent of me to settle down, and men like that are in short supply.”
The ocean breeze lifted the saltines off the table, and Ruby grabbed them. “What do you want to do today? We’ve got one good day left, and it’s all yours.” Before Anna could reply, Ruby farted so loud it sounded like a shotgun going off. Sandy snorted, and Anna started laughing so hard she nearly peed her pants. Ruby waved her hand behind her butt and held her nose. “I’m sorry, guys. My body and brain are no longer synced or in control.”
Sandy and Anna howled with laughter and tears rolled down their faces. Sandy said, “First puke, now poot. No thanks, I’m never getting pregnant. Geez Louise, Ruby Jane.”
Ruby stood, placed her hand on her hip, and slightly pointed her foot outward as if she were posing for Vogue. She said, “Didn’t y’all know that puking, burping, and pooting is all the rage in Parents Daily? Let’s go to the beach. How ’bout it?”
Anna stood and smacked Ruby on the rear. “Only if you sit downwind.”
* * *
Less than an hour later, they had two beach umbrellas and four chairs on the beach with a cooler full of beer and water. The sand glistened in the brilliant sunlight and umbrellas dotted up and down the beach. The summer season hadn’t quite hit yet. There were a few families with young children happily making sand castles and playing in the water as the ocean waves ebbed and flowed and crashed onto shore.
The balmy breeze coming off the ocean filled Anna with a mixture of happiness and sadness. She was happy about moving back to Tennessee, but part of her would always belong on the beach. Even on Anna’s worst days, when she lost a patient, she could walk on the beach and regain some peace. She would miss Florida very much.
Anna stripped out of her shorts and T-shirt, down to her bikini, and shucked her flip-flops under her beach chair. “You don’t have a baby bump yet? I hope I look as good as you do when I get pregnant. Have you thought of any names? Do you want a girl or a boy?”
Ruby reached down and lovingly ran her hand from one side of her stomach to the other and kicked off her sandals. “Reed and I don’t care if it’s a girl or boy. We just want this baby to be healthy and happy. We’ve decided to hold off on names until I finish with my first trimester. Y’all remember my dream about miscarrying, and I just don’t want to take any chances.” Ruby unrolled her beach towel, spread it over the beach chair, and sat down.
Anna adjusted her sunhat and tilted her head to face Ruby. “You and the baby are going to be just fine.”
Sandy spread her beach blanket on the white sand and began to apply suntan oil with a splash of sunscreen. “Well, if it’s a girl, name her after me.”
Anna kicked sand on Sandy’s foot, then reached over and opened the cooler, grabbing a bottle of water. “Ruby doesn’t have to answer that, and it’s not fair to put her on the spot.”
Sandy wrinkled her nose and leaned back on the blanket, propped on her elbows. “Geez, Mom, I was only kidding.” Sandy closed her eyes and tilted her face toward the sun.
Tears sprang to Ruby’s eyes and her voice quivered. “What if I’m not a good mother? What if I scar the kid for life?” She leaned forward and placed her hands on her knees. “I love Reed so much it hurts. I was so in love with creating a part of Reed and me that I completely forgot I have to be a mom. And it dawned on me. I’ll be a mom forever, not just until the kid turns eighteen. Being a mom lasts for life. What if the child hates
me?”
The temperatures began to soar as the sun rose to its noonday position in the sky. Anna looked at Ruby’s panic-stricken face. Ruby had always been the leader of the three girls. Ruby was always the one Anna counted on for stellar advice on life. Now Ruby looked like she just got caught stealing Granddaddy Campbell’s whiskey back in high school, completely terrified.
Nearly every Friday after school, Anna and Sandy went to Ruby’s house for a weekend of fun. Ruby’s mom would have pizza or spaghetti waiting for them with tea cakes. Anna could still remember how Ruby’s house always smelled of something sweet baking in the oven. They played kick the can in the backyard, and Sandy would flirt with George, Ruby’s older brother. The three of them would stay up late, make prank calls, and watch movies like Breakfast at Tiffany’s or An Affair to Remember.
Anna squeezed Ruby’s hand. “Whoa, big girl. Just hold on a cotton pickin’ minute. You and Reed are going to be wonderful parents. You’re kind and loving, and so is Reed. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Your child will love you. It’s those damn bootlickers trying to place doubt and fear in you. You stop it, right now, and I mean it.”
Ruby drew her brows together and said, “What are bootlickers?”
Anna chuckled and leaned back into her chair. “Ralph calls demons bootlickers. They play on your fears and anything else that can weaken the soul. Don’t let them get away with it. You’re much stronger than that.”
Sandy sat up and drew her knees close to her chest. “Demons. Grrr. Don’t you just hate them?” Sandy glanced up in the sky and shook her fist. “You’re never going to beat me. Do you hear?”
Ruby grabbed her beach bag, rummaged inside for her lip balm, and brushed it across her lips. “You’re right. I know all of this, but I’m only human, and I do have fears. I’m sorry.”
Anna applied sunscreen and handed off the lotion to Ruby. “Fear by itself isn’t what draws them. It’s the obsession of fear, all-consuming fear of a particular thing you can’t control. You acknowledge a fear, and then you let it go. I have no doubt your kiddo will be crazy about you. Let your fears go.” Ruby nodded and took a deep breath and exhaled.
Sandy dragged her fingers through her long chestnut hair and twisted it up off her neck before she secured it with a hair clip. “I brought the big diary with me. We probably need to make new entries. And for the record, it’s just not fair for you two to have real interaction with your guardian angels.” Sandy sniffed. “Ha. He’s here. I smell him.”
Squinting, Anna put on her sunglasses. “Who do you smell?”
Sandy turned to face Anna and Ruby and said, “My guardian.”
Anna’s face broke into a grin. “Well, that’s a first.” Ruby burst out laughing.
Sandy threw her palms up and shrugged. “Well, I do. He smells like cocoa and vanilla, and the smell gets stronger when he’s in heat. And God knows, y’all know how much I love chocolate.” Anna burst out laughing and slapped her hand on her knee.
Ruby choked on her water and started coughing. “What the heck?”
Sandy crawled over to the ice chest, grabbed a beer, and placed it inside a cozy. Sitting on the beach blanket, she said, “This is my theory. My guardian angel has a crush on me.” She chuckled and shook her head. “I mean, come on, what else could it be? He’s just afraid he won’t be able to control himself.” Sandy waved a hand over her body, and with a sideways smile, she added, “How could he resist? Sometimes I feel him watch me when I’m falling asleep, and sometimes I can feel him when he lies down next to me. I dreamed one night he kissed my forehead.”
All of a sudden the beach umbrella flew out of the sand. The three girls scampered after it and caught the thing before it crashed into one of the sand dunes. Once they had the umbrella securely placed back deep down into the sand, Sandy said, “I betcha a hundred dollars that he’s the one who blew the umbrella out of the sand.”
Ruby took another gulp of water and brushed some sand out of her chair. “I didn’t think angels had sexual feelings. I think Seneca is asexual. I know he loves me, but it’s like he loves a tree or something. Anna, what about Ralph?”
Anna pulled a beer out of the cooler and popped the top, and Sandy threw her a cozy. “Ralph and I are close, but it’s like he’s my brother. But I do think angels experience the feeling of desire. I think angels are more like us than we realize. Yesterday, Ralph and I were talking about true love. He said if he had a chance at true love, he would do just about anything to keep it. He also mentioned Jerry’s guardian in a loving way. I think Ralph may be in love with her, but he just doesn’t realize it.”
Sandy sat her beer down next to her thigh and grabbed the radio out of her beach bag. She fiddled with the knobs until she picked up some music. “Wise man, that Ralph. Why wouldn’t angels be able to fall in love? True love is the real driving force in the universe, baby.”
Anna turned quickly to Sandy. “Oh-oh, Sandy, I know the name of your guardian.”
Sandy bolted around to face Anna and spilled her beer on the beach blanket in the process. “What? Really? What’s his name?”
Anna clapped her hands with excitement. “Oh, this is good. Ralph had a meeting with our guardians, Seneca, Baldric, and Luwenia. Baldric the Warrior is what Ralph called him. He’s your guardian. I kind of feel sorry for him, though. Sandy, you’d try the patience of a saint.”
“Well, that’s a friend for you. Tell me the damn truth even when I don’t want to hear it.” Sandy eyes widened with alarm. “Oh my God. When I was a little girl, before I moved to Tennessee, I had an imaginary friend named Baldric. That cannot be a coincidence. You hear me, Baldric? I know your name, baby. So anytime you get good and ready to show yourself, I’m ready.”
Sandy stood, walked to the edge of the shore, and waded knee-deep into the ocean before she dove head first into the waves. Sandy broke the surface of the water, swimming on her back and kicking her legs hard. Anna and Ruby looked at each other before jumping up and racing into the water. Anna could hear the laughter of her friends when she dove head first into the chilly ocean.
* * *
Since the attack on Anna, Baldric had been stuck to Sandy like glue. Sandy had a knack for getting herself into difficult situations. He remembered the first time he saw her, twenty-eight years ago. Sandy had been a beautiful baby and pretty, precious toddler. When she’d been a little girl, he’d watched her jump rope and get into fights with boys on the school playground. She had bloodied more than her share of noses, even back then. She’d been fearless.
Sandy’s father, Hugh, had wanted a son. Baldric watched Sandy beg for attention from her father. Sandy excelled in everything she did and gave more than 110 percent effort. Most of the time, her dad just simply ignored her. Her mom, Sally, loved her but always put Sandy’s father first. Sandy had grown up without really feeling parental love.
As an only child, Sandy played alone for most of her young life. So Baldric became her imaginary friend. One day he bent the rules and appeared in her bedroom while she played with her dolls. “Hello, Sandy, my name is Baldric. Would you like to play hide and seek?”
Sandy had jumped up from the floor and thrown herself into his arms. “Yes. Yes. Let’s play.” He knew he wasn’t supposed to reveal himself so early, but Sandy had been very lonely, and he just couldn’t help himself.
One night changed the way how Sandy viewed true love. Hugh had invited his boss, Ben, over for dinner at their house. At nine years old, Sandy was already blossoming into a beautiful young lady. Ben paid close attention to Sandy all night.
Ben even got down on the floor and played Scrabble with her. Sandy had been ecstatically happy. When it was time for her to go to bed, Ben said, “Sandy, would you like for me to tell you a bedtime story? I know dozens.”
Sandy jumped up and down with delight. “Yes, Mr. Ben, please.”
Hugh stood up from his chair and replied, “Absolutely not, young lady. Now go upstairs, brush your teeth, and go to bed.”
<
br /> Dejected, Sandy slowly made her way upstairs, brushed her teeth, and went to bed. As Sandy drifted off to sleep, her bedroom door opened, and Ben snuck inside and sat on the edge of her bed. Baldric watched in horror and grew enraged. He materialized downstairs to her father, bypassed her father’s guardian, and placed thoughts in her father’s head of what Ben wanted to do to his daughter upstairs. Then Baldric ported back into Sandy’s room.
Baldric watched as Ben shook Sandy awake and her eyes widened with the excitement of an innocent. “Sandy, darling, wake up. I’m here to tell you that story I promised.”
Ben smiled, and Sandy jumped up and down on the bed saying, “Yes, yes, yes.” Ben picked Sandy up, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Ben sat Sandy on his lap and began to stroke her hair and back as he told her the story of Sleeping Beauty. Sandy’s innocent eyes shone with excitement and relished in every detail of the story. Ben ran his hand under her nightgown, up and down Sandy’s bare leg.
Sandy frowned and tried to get off of Ben’s lap, but he held her tightly. Ben said, “Don’t be afraid. Prince Charming did the same thing to Sleeping Beauty.”
Hugh burst into her bedroom and nearly beat Ben to death. Sandy stood in horror while tears streamed down her little face. She decided Prince Charming didn’t exist and made up her mind to never fall in love.
The next day, Sandy’s family packed up everything that belonged to them and moved to Tennessee, where Sandy’s aunt lived. Sandy met Ruby on the first day, and they became fast friends. Sandy had fallen in love, and it was with the whole Glenn family. Sandy stayed with the Glenns more than she stayed at home. In Sandy’s mind, the Glenns were her family.
With every passing year, Sandy grew into a beautiful, smart woman. He had fallen in love with her and vowed to keep her from harm, even if it meant breaking the rules of Heaven.
