The Sweet Smell of Magnolias and Memories

by Celeste Fletcher McHale

  Thank God Julie had been there during the surgery, or else he’d have gone stir-crazy. She came in like a chatty ray of sunshine and talked nonstop. It wasn’t the first time she had helped save him.

  “These things are routine now,” Julie had said, referring to open-heart surgery. “It’s like having your wisdom teeth pulled these days.”

  “You ever had your wisdom teeth pulled?” Colin asked.

  “Well, now that you mention it, no.” Julie laughed.

  “I have,” Colin said. “Not pleasant.”

  Jasper chuckled, a sound that surprised Colin. He hadn’t even realized Jasper was listening to their conversation.

  “I remember that,” Jasper said. “You must’ve been about eighteen. Right before you left for college. You caused quite a ruckus the night after. Standing up in the bed, then trying to jump off the balcony. The pain pills didn’t agree with you at all. After they finally knocked you out, I sat in a chair in your room all night and watched you sleep.”

  “I don’t remember,” Colin said.

  Jasper smiled. “I knew you didn’t.”

  Colin smiled back at his father. “Thank you.”

  “You’re my son,” he said, picking up a magazine.

  Julie smiled. Colin saw her face and wondered if she’d noticed the gentle moment that had just passed between him and his father. After the doctor came to tell them Ava’s surgery had been a complete success, Julie picked up her things to leave. Colin walked her out.

  “Thank you for coming,” he said.

  “Where’s your girl?” Julie asked.

  “What?”

  “If you love her, Colin, you need to invite her into this.”

  “She’s had enough to deal with,” he said. “She doesn’t need more.”

  “Do you love her?” Julie asked.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe. I’m not sure.”

  “I see. Our circumstances cloud our true feelings sometimes.”

  He thought about her words as he walked her to the first floor.

  He said good-bye, wondering all the time if Julie was right about Jacey. Should he invite her into all this confusion? He honestly didn’t know. He missed her and wished she were here to share some of the burden . . . but Jacey was still fragile. She needed time to process the last year. Throwing more fuel onto an already burning fire seemed selfish. He’d made the right decision. Maybe. He began pacing again.

  Finally the door opened, and a sweet little old lady in a pink outfit said, “Jennings family?”

  Colin sprang to her side, Jasper close on his heels.

  “You can see your mother now,” she said.

  Colin and Jasper followed her to the doors of the ICU.

  “She’s awake and off the ventilator already,” the Pink Lady said. “That’s very good news. She’ll be a little groggy, but everything is fine.”

  They stepped into Ava’s room, and Jasper walked to the bedside. He picked up her hand and kissed it.

  Colin stopped in his tracks. His presence made him feel intrusive. This should be a private moment between the two of them, he thought to himself. He turned to step outside, but his father stopped him.

  “Colin,” he said, reaching for him. “Come over here so she can see you.”

  Colin went to his mother’s side.

  “My handsome men,” she whispered.

  Colin felt his eyes fill with tears. “I bet you wouldn’t say that if you had your glasses on,” he joked. “Neither one of us looks too good.”

  Ava smiled. “Go home,” she whispered. “Rest.”

  “Not a chance,” Colin said.

  “Me either,” Jasper told her.

  Ava closed her eyes. “Stubborn. Just alike.”

  Colin and Jasper looked at each other, then back at Ava.

  “Okay, you two,” a voice behind them interrupted. “That’s enough. We need to let her rest. You can visit again in three hours.”

  “We’ve only been here for two minutes,” Colin said.

  “And that’s only because I am Nurse Nice-to-You,” she said. “I can turn into Nurse Run-for-Cover very quickly. Now, shoo. Get out.”

  Jasper bent to kiss his wife and Colin squeezed her hand.

  “We’ll be right outside, Mama,” he said.

  She shook her head. “I’ll be right here,” she said weakly, her voice barely above a whisper.

  They slipped out the ICU door and back to the waiting room. Jasper went back to his chair in the corner, and Colin followed after him.

  They sat in an uncomfortable silence. There was so much to say to each other, but neither knew where to start.

  Jasper finally picked up a discarded newspaper and began to read.

  Colin took his phone out of his pocket and began to scroll. He thought about Jacey and the hasty message he sent to her. He pulled it up, read it again, and regret punched him in the gut. Why had he said something he did not mean? Then, to add insult to injury, he’d said it through a text message. What kind of coward does that?

  He excused himself and stepped outside the waiting room to call Jacey. He needed to explain himself to her as soon as possible. When he dialed her number it went straight to voicemail, but he decided not to leave a message. What would he say: “This is Colin, and I’m an idiot”? He waited a few minutes and called again with the same result. She may well have been screening his calls now.

  “If I were her, I wouldn’t answer the phone either,” he muttered.

  He leaned back against the wall. Maybe it really was for the best. There were other things to focus on right now. He needed to stay in Biloxi for a while, at least until Ava felt better. He didn’t want a houseful of staff to take care of his mother, because that job belonged to Jasper and to him. They would make sure she had everything she could possibly want or need to get her back on her feet.

  There was also Jennings Construction to think about. Jasper would need help, for a while anyway. Colin wanted to lend his father a hand. He knew it would go a long way toward mending their relationship. They both needed this time together.

  But he did need to tell Jacey what was going on and why he’d said what he said. The last thing on earth he wanted to do was to hurt her. He loved her—of that he was very sure. And he needed to tell her so. He called again, but this time he left a message.

  “Jacey, I am sorry for that text message. Please forgive me for sending it. So many things have happened in the last few days. Please call me. I do . . . love you. Call me.”

  He put his phone back in his pocket. Surely she’d answer him, if only out of curiosity. He wouldn’t reach out again until she did.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Jacey felt like she was waiting for her favorite celebrity to arrive. She smoothed her T-shirt over her body and flipped her hair with her hands. She fidgeted and fiddled with the bags of toys beside the park bench.

  “You need to calm down,” Georgia said. “You’re gonna wear holes in those bags.”

  “What’s taking so long? We’ve been here for an hour.”

  “An hour and ten minutes, to be exact,” Georgia said. “Because you made us leave so early. It’s still twenty till. They aren’t late. We were way, way, way early.”

  “I wanted to make sure we got here on time.”

  “Nailed it. It must be ninety-eight degrees out here.” Georgia wiped her face. “I looked adorable when we left, but now I’m wilted.”

  “The boys won’t care,” Jacey said. “How do I look?”

  “The boys won’t care,” Georgia mocked.

  “I wish Colin . . . ,” Jacey began. “Never mind.”

  Georgia didn’t say anything. She was still infuriated with Colin, and even more so now. Jacey had been in the shower last night when her phone rang. When Georgia picked the phone up to see if it was the sheriff, she saw that it was Colin. Georgia let it ring until he hung up, and when he called back she considered answering it and telling him exactly what she thought about him. The third time
she stared at the phone until it stopped ringing—hoping he got the picture. But then she heard the voice message buzz.

  She looked at Jacey’s phone for a long time trying to decide what to do. She picked it up, then put it back down. She couldn’t listen to Jacey’s phone messages. Doing so would be a colossal invasion of privacy, and Jacey was a grown woman. It wasn’t Georgia’s place to run interference for her. She could make up her own mind about Colin. But what if he was trying to smooth it all over now, after what she’d heard him tell that Julie girl? I love you.

  When she finally gave in and listened to the message, Georgia was outraged. What a snake. She was right that he was a liar and a cheater. Georgia didn’t know what kind of scheme he was trying to run on Jacey, but if he cheated once, he’d cheat again. She contemplated for a few minutes, then deleted the voice message and call record. She threw the phone back on the bed and stared at it, wondering if she’d done the right thing. Of course she had, she told herself. She wasn’t going to let him toy with Jacey’s emotions. Especially not now. Jacey was inexperienced in the fine art of “players,” but Georgia had enough game for all of them. She’d protect her friend even if she didn’t realize she needed protecting. One day Jacey would thank her for it.

  “Did you hear me?” Jacey asked, poking Georgia’s arm. “No smart remark? I said his name.”

  Georgia shrugged. “A moment of weakness,” she said. “It’ll pass. I wish this sun would pass behind a cloud.”

  Georgia tried to change the subject. The more she thought about it, the more guilt she felt for erasing the phone calls and voicemail. She knew how Jacey felt about the man, but in the end, she hoped her actions were for the greater good. She thought about her own misery last year and was convinced she was doing Jacey a favor. At least, that’s how she justified it. He didn’t deserve Jacey’s affection, and she sure didn’t deserve his brand of “love.”

  “It is hot,” Jacey agreed. “It’s the price we pay for living in the South. God’s country.”

  “God’s furnace,” Georgia said.

  Jacey grabbed Georgia’s arm. “Georgie,” she said. “Look! It’s them!”

  Jacey stood up when she saw the boys walking across the park with a woman and an older boy.

  The boys saw her too. And they started to run toward her.

  Jacey headed toward them. When they met, she knelt down and wrapped them all in her arms. All four of them began talking and crying at the same time, while the outsiders could only look on. Even Georgia was touched by the scene.

  Jacey wiped at her tears. “Let me look at you all,” she said. “You’ve grown so much. All of you. You look so big!”

  “You look just the same, only not dirty,” Derek said.

  Jacey laughed. “That’s about the best compliment I have ever gotten,” she said, grabbing him again.

  “They talk about you quite a bit,” the woman said. “Seems like you made an impression.”

  Jacey stood up. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I’m Jacey Lang. And this is my best friend, Georgia. It’s so nice to meet you. Thank you for bringing the boys to see me.”

  “My name is Penny Evans,” the woman said, “and this is my son Michael.”

  “Hi, Michael,” Jacey said.

  “I can’t stay long,” said Penny, a tiny woman with a pinched mouth and no-nonsense clothes. “You’ll have about an hour to visit.”

  Jacey thanked her but didn’t have a good feeling about her at all. Maybe Penny just didn’t meet people well. She would try to give her the benefit of the doubt.

  Jacey looked at the boys, all smiling up at her. “I would’ve gotten here sooner if I could’ve, guys.”

  “Michael, and what’s your name? Georgia? Why don’t we give Jacey and the boys some time alone?” Penny asked. “Let’s go sit at the picnic table under the shade.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Georgia said, but she raised a brow when she looked at Jacey. She turned back to the boy. “How old are you, Michael?”

  “I’m twelve,” he said.

  They walked away chatting while the boys and Jacey sat on the ground.

  “I can’t believe you’re here,” Dewayne said. “We asked everybody to find you.”

  “Mrs. Ernestine told me,” Jacey said. “She misses you all very much.”

  “Can you take us to see her?” Dewayne asked.

  “Maybe one day soon I can,” Jacey said.

  “Is that how you found us?” Dewayne asked.

  “Well, it’s a long story, and one day I’ll tell you all about it. But I sure am glad I’m here. Are you boys doing okay?”

  They all nodded their heads. “I can tie my shoes,” Devin said.

  “I can hit the ball over the fence,” Derek offered.

  “We are doing okay,” Dewayne said. “But not great.”

  Jacey was struck by the maturity Dewayne displayed. He couldn’t be any older than ten, but he acted like a small adult—thoughtful and serious. It was easy to see how protective he was over his younger brothers, simply from his body language. Like a miniature father. He’d seen too much in his young life.

  “I’m so sorry about your mother and Demarcus,” Jacey said.

  The two smaller boys didn’t really respond to that, but Jacey could tell it affected Dewayne. “I miss her,” he said finally. “She thought you were the best.”

  “I thought she was too,” Jacey told him. “She loved you all very, very much. She told me that over and over. I know she would be so proud of all of you.”

  “You should see how far Derek can hit a baseball, Jacey,” Dewayne said quickly.

  Jacey made a mental note not to mention Lillian again unless he did. The loss was obviously still too raw for Dewayne.

  “And Devin can do a lot more than tie his shoes. He can brush his own teeth and get dressed by himself too,” Dewayne continued. “Come here, Devin.”

  Devin walked over to his brother, and Dewayne wiped a little cookie crumb from his face.

  “That’s better,” Dewayne said. He kissed his brother’s cheek.

  Jacey wanted to cry again. Dewayne had taken the place of both his father and his mother for the two smaller boys. He was their cheerleader and caretaker, and if Jacey had to guess, their only source of affection. It was too much for a small boy to be responsible for. He needed to be a kid himself.

  “What about you, Dewayne?” Jacey asked. “What do you like to do?”

  Dewayne shrugged. “I read a lot,” he said. “I’m going to be a doctor when I grow up, so I have to do really good in school now. I’ll need some scholarships and a job as soon as I’m old enough to work so I can save up some money.”

  Jacey smiled. All noble aspirations. But what about ball games and bicycles and frogs and spiders? He didn’t deserve any of this. It broke her heart to hear him talk this way. He was a child, and he deserved a childhood.

  She and Dewayne took the little boys to the swings and slides across the park and played for the hour. She finally convinced Dewayne to have a good time and not worry about pushing his brothers on the swings. He let his guard down for a little while and seemed to enjoy himself playing tag and sliding from the “super duper big slide,” as Devin called it. Devin wouldn’t have any part of it—said it was too high for him—but he loved watching his brothers shoot out of the tunnel at the end of the slide.

  When Michael came to tell them it was time to go, the two little boys began to cry. Dewayne became very quiet.

  Jacey walked with them and held their hands. “It’s okay,” she said, though she felt like crying too. “I’ll be back. I promise.”

  “Sometimes people don’t come back,” Derek wailed.

  Like cutting my heart out, Jacey thought. “I promise. I will come back as soon as I can.”

  “Don’t promise if you can’t,” Dewayne said. “Just tell us.”

  Jacey put her arm around him. “I am telling you right now: I am coming back. I don’t break my promises.”

  Jacey w
alked to where Penny and Georgia sat, the little ones still clinging to her and a resigned Dewayne holding his head down. It would take years of unbroken promises to make Dewayne a believer again.

  “Thank you for bringing them, Penny,” Jacey said. “I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate it. I would love to see them again as soon as possible.”

  “Well, we’ll see,” Penny said, looking at the boys and back at Jacey. “It disrupts my schedule.”

  Jacey didn’t particularly like her tone, but she couldn’t afford to make the woman mad by asking what that meant. “Well, I am so grateful to you,” she said, knowing she’d have to go into beholden mode if she wanted to see the children again. “This is a very nice thing you are doing for them. And for all the others you foster.”

  Penny nearly smiled. “Well, we’ll be seeing you.”

  “Oh, wait!” Jacey said. “I nearly forgot. We brought them some things.”

  “Jacey, no,” Georgia said quietly.

  Jacey looked blankly at her friend. “What do you—”

  “Just leave it alone,” Georgia said.

  “Tell Jacey good-bye,” Penny said, taking the little boys by the hand.

  “Bye,” they said in unison, still sniffling from their tears.

  Jacey and Georgia watched them walk to their car, the boys looking back every few steps. Jacey waved every time. When they got out of earshot, Georgia whispered, “She is a nutcase.”

  “What do you mean?” Jacey whispered back, still smiling and waving.

  “Let them leave first,” Georgia said. They watched Penny strap them into their car seats and drive away.

  “Sit down,” Georgia said. Jacey sat down at the picnic table and waited for Georgia to speak.

  “I’m just gonna throw some quotes out there for you,” Georgia said. “First one: ‘Oh, we don’t let the boys play with commercial toys. They are satisfied with homemade glue and old newspaper.’”

  “What?” Jacey asked. “They can’t play with regular toys? How do you even make glue?”

  “Oh, wait, I’m not finished yet,” Georgia continued. “Next one: ‘We don’t encourage friendships outside the home, nor do we allow our children to play sports, as they’re a waste of time.’ I nearly busted my gut at that point.”