“Mommy, we have to go shopping. I have wored all the clothes in my closet. I need some more,” he said. He plopped his little body down, almost in defeat as he sported a pair of blue jeans with a tee shirt with Kermit in the middle.
“Sweetie, I have washed everything and you can wear the clothes more than once,” she told him.
As if he had just noticed Thurston, “Oh, hi Daddy.”
“Good morning Douglas, did you sleep okay?”
“Not really, I am tired,” he told him.
“Me too, son, but I have to go to work.” He kissed the top of the boy’s head and his wife and headed towards the door. While he was walking he informed her that he would have their insurance cards ready this afternoon and he left her his credit card. “You will need to take a copy of the marriage license and adoption papers to the social security office to do a name change and get you a new license and ID this week.”
The town car was out front waiting for him. “I will see you tonight.”
Her husband had left for work and she had so many things she needed to get done today alone. I have got to get moving. Something was niggling in the back of her head about their house. It needed her touches added to it before any company started to come over for a visit. For some odd reason, she felt it was going to be sooner than she had planned; better safe than unprepared. She would never embarrass her husband by being unprepared.
Chapter 17. What a week…
TaeTay was amazed that in less than five days her life had been transformed. Before she and Douglas left the house, she said a prayer of thanks, and then they went shopping. By the end of the day, she had purchased two deep red armchairs for the living room and an area rug that tied it together with that grayish colored ugly couch. A local artist was painting on the street, and she had him do a quick painting of her and Douglas. This painting she hung in the living room above the mantle.
On a side street, almost in an alley, she found a little shop that sold bedding. She picked up two Matelassé covers, one for the guest room and their bed, along with some vibrantly colored throw pillows. In a second hand store, she located two lamps that could replace the eyesores in the bedroom and she grabbed several bunches of fresh flowers from a corner flower shop. Her shopping cart was loaded.
By the time she arrived back home at two, Douglas was limp and ready for his nap and the chairs were being delivered. Candace Burrows had given them a vase that she thought would be perfect for the coffee table. She had no idea who Candace was, but she sent the lady a thank you card.
Roger Williams, she also had no idea who he was, had given them a gorgeous throw that she draped over the back of the couch which perfectly picked up all the colors in the rug. Along with the painting that hung over the fireplace, the room felt cozy after she added the two colorful pillows to the couch, It was smart of her to take care of the bedrooms while Douglas was sleeping, and with the new touches, the house was beginning to feel like she and Thurston lived here.
Her husband called at 4 pm. “Honey, I hate to do this, but Roger needs to stop by this evening; can you possibly set another place for him to join us for dinner?”
“Roger Williams?”
“Yes, how did you know that?”
“He gave us a nice gift, and it is no problem,” she told him.
It was now a mad dash to see what was in the fridge. I can do this. I am going to be a Congressman’s wife. I will always be prepared. When Thurston arrived home at 6 pm, his eyes widened.
Douglas was dressed sharply in black dress slacks, a bowtie, and a soft cream-colored shirt with a sweater vest. TaeTay had opted for a deep blue skirt with a matching twin set in soft pink. Her hair was up and tendrils hung about the side of her face. She wore the pearls that Veronica had loaned her, making a mental note to return them tomorrow. She was getting entirely too attached to them.
Thurston could not believe his eyes as his wife greeted his longtime friend, “Welcome to our home, Mr. Williams; please forgive us, we are just getting settled in. I also love the throw you gave us, it matches perfectly.”
“Please call me Roger. Something smells divine; what are you cooking?”
“I hope you like salmon, jasmine rice, and steamed asparagus,” she told him as she took his jacket.
“Sounds heavenly,” he said.
“Great; dinner is ready,” she told them.
All of the touches she had added since this morning were amazing, even down to the fresh flowers that also adorned the dining room table, which held a different china pattern than the night before. The placemats and chargers were a nice touch, along with shiny silverware and nice cloth napkins, which were folded on the plate in a fan design. Everything looked amazing.
As she served dinner, based on the video she saw on YouTube earlier, all of the forks were in the right place and the salad was perfectly dressed, and the conversation was on point. Douglas helped to clear the table when dinner was over and Roger Williams turned to Thurston to ask, “Where on earth did you find her?”
Thurston only chuckled, “That is my mail order wife.”
Roger, who was the head of the New York RNC, watched with his mouth opened wide, “Seriously, all jokes aside; where did you meet her?”
“I met her in LA,” Thurston said.
Roger did not believe it. “Mrs. Cromwell…”
She held up her hand. “Please, all my friends call me TaeTay. I would be honored if you did as well.”
“Okay, TaeTay; how did Thurston propose to you?”
She grinned. “Believe it or not, he proposed through the mail. So I guess that makes me his mail order wife.”
It was evident based on the look the two were giving each other that there was a lot of love between them. Douglas, who had acquired a new movie, asked, “Daddy, may I be excused?”
“Yes, son, I will come up and tuck you in later,” Thurston, said. The boy hugged Thurston’s neck and shook Roger’s hand while saying, “It was nice to meet you Sir.”
TaeTay excused herself, as well, after serving the men after-dinner drinks in the living room. Roger didn’t stay long, and Thurston came into the kitchen. “We did it. I am in!”
“Yeah!” She said as she jumped up and down. “What did we do? What are you in?”
He smiled, “That little surprise visit was to see if I was ready to run for the Congressional office. You and Douglas were perfect. Dinner was perfect. The house looks amazing and I know my credit card is maxed out, but I don’t care.”
She hugged him back, “Thurston, I only spent $800 dollars.”
He looked around the house. “You did all of this for $800?”
“The vase is from Candace and Roger actually gave us that throw, so it all worked out,” she told him with a huge grin and a mock salute.
“This is going to be a fantastic life,” he said as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her fully.
She had to agree with him. If only she could survive the rest of the week.
Beatrice made a surprise visit on Wednesday for tea. TaeTay returned the astonishment by serving the afternoon tea with fresh fruits, tea sandwiches that she whipped together, and the tea set Beatrice had given them as a wedding present. “I must say, I am surprised. You seem so prepared,” his mother complimented her.
“I am ready to handle anything that comes our way,” TaeTay told the woman.
“Do you actually believe that?”
TaeTay provided a coy smile. “The question is, Mrs. Cromwell, do you?”
Again a perfectly manicured eyebrow went up the forehead of his mother’s well-trained face, and it seemed as if it stuck there. Again. “Oh, you are really going to be a lot of fun aren’t you?”
“Thanksgiving is going to be off the chain as well,” TaeTay said with a roll of her neck and a finger snap. The two women laughed as if they were sharing a secret.
“TataLavisha, how did you pull this off?” Beatrice wanted to know. “I heard rave comments about the dinner last night, and my
phone has been buzzing all morning for introductions to my new daughter-in-law. What is your secret?”
TaeTay was actually laughing. “I worked conference services at the Marriott in Los Angeles and I rely on the Internet. It’s easy to find pretty pictures of food on Pinterest, and go to YouTube to see how it is done. I figured since you gave us the tea set, you would want to see it used when you came for visits; pretty much common sense.”
“So do you still want the training from me?” Beatrice wanted to know.
“Is Obama liberal? Yes, I do,” she said.
Thurston came in the door and the bell jangled. If Beatrice had not turned her head to see it for herself, she would have missed Douglas’s slide down the banister as he rounded the corner full speed to dive into Thurston’s arms. “Daddy’s home!”
Beatrice watched her son hug the boy and shower him with affection. Thurston held him at arm’s length. “What did I tell you about the stairs? Remember how you fell down them before and knocked out your front tooth?”
Douglas’ bottom lip trembled a bit. Thurston rubbed the top of his head, “It would break my heart if I walked in the door and you fell and hurt yourself or worse.”
“Now, Douglas, go back and do it the right way,” Thurston told him.
“Yes Sir,” he said as his feet dragged up the stairs. For good measure, Thurston opened the front door and jangled the bell. He winked at his mother and his wife as the boy slowly made his way down the stairs, taking them one by one, when he reached the bottom, he hit a Michael Jackson pose, flexed his mini pelvis upwards and yelled “Whooo! Daddy’s Home! Hee-heee!”
He took off at a full gallop again and flung himself into Thurston’s arms. He hugged the child tightly, grateful for such a precious gift given to him to raise and nurture. Even Beatrice found herself touched by the tender scene as the child spoke a hundred miles a minute about every little thing he did all day, and Thurston did not address anyone until his son had run out of story. Then he asked, “Were you helpful to your mother today?”
“I was honest; she even gave me a gold star for helping put away my clothes and taking out the trash,” he showed his father the gold star with pride.
“Great job, Douglas,” he told him.
It was also with some melancholy that Beatrice watched the scene, knowing her sons never got this from their father when they were growing up. She understood so much better now. She watched her youngest as he greeted his wife with the same undivided attention he had given his son, and then he came to her. His eyes stayed on her face when he inquired about her visit. He gave me his undivided attention.
“I hope you are enjoying your visit with TaeTay. I was thinking of bringing them up to visit you at the house,” he told her.
“That would be lovely. TaeTay, would you like that?”
“I would greatly enjoy it, Mrs. Cromwell. Maybe we could even squeeze in a quick tea with some of those inquiring minds? Oh, and we must invite Veronica.” TaeTay told her.
Beatrice really liked her daughter-in-law a great deal and she admired her spunk, “I cannot remember the last time I so looked forward to spending time with anyone, as I do you.” TaeTay only wished her mother felt the same way.
The phone call that came from Cookie on Thursday afternoon was a list of complaints, starting with a daily visit from Spyder who thought TaeTay was hiding from him. “Then this morning, some great big nasty looking man came up to the door, wanting to know where you were.”
“Big Nasty came to the house?” She knew he would come back; she didn’t know why she was surprised.
“Yeah, he was big and nasty looking. He looked mean and dangerous. He asked about you and then Douglas,” Cookie told her through the phone.
“What did you tell him, Ma?”
“I told him you and Douglas was gone. And I didn’t know where because you didn’t tell me. I did tell him you had gotten married,” she said.
TaeTay knew her mother could not hold water, which is why she never specifically told her where she and Douglas went.
“Ma, did he try to intimidate you or anything?”
“No, Sweetie; I told him about the Skype thing and how pretty you looked and the nice man you married that Douglas was calling Daddy. He wasn’t happy, but he left,” she told her. “Tay, are you happy?”
It wasn’t a long pause. “I am Ma. He is a good man and he is good to us.”
“I just want to make sure you didn’t run from one devil to be saddled with another,” Cookie whispered in the phone.
They talked a few minutes more before TaeTay said she would send her some money to help with the bills. To her complete astonishment, Cookie told her she was moving. “My sister finally did it. She got her a place in Palm Springs and I am moving down there with her. She has a nice three-bedroom condo in one of those gated communities that comes with its very own golf cart. Ethel said that there are some nice men there. I may find you a new step daddy, child.”
It was just like her mother. Always on the lookout for a good deal. TaeTay’s heart was full of joy knowing her mother would finally be leaving that horrible neighborhood. She promised to send her something once she got settled, and told her, “All my love to Aunt Ethel. I love you, Ma.”
“I love you too, Tay.”
Once her mother was completely moved and settled, she would let her know where she and Douglas were, but her mother was one of those relatives. The kind that shoots off her mouth and either gets everyone killed, hurt, or blackmailed. Unfortunately, the less Cookie Brown knew, the better.
Chapter 18. A Final Decision…
It was a quiet Thursday night as they lay in bed. Thurston was happy simply to watch her sleep. She was a beautiful spirit that had come into his life with a little boy that gave meaning and purpose to his life. In Douglas’ eyes, he was an all-knowing superhero puppy-saving sidekick. He was a father. Douglas had made him important in his life. TaeTay had made him important in hers. He didn’t need to wait for someone to die for him to be a contributing member of society. He had skills that he could use to help his fellow man. Maybe it was time.
Over breakfast, he was pensive and she gave him space. They had not made love last night because he honestly didn’t feel like it. He held his wife close and nibbled on her neck, but that was all he needed. She was concerned that she had done something wrong, “Thurston, don’t you want me?”
He had squeezed her tight, pulling her body close to his, “I want you every time I look at you, but sometimes, intimacy is about more than sex. I simply want to hold you.”
This too was something new for her. “Thurston, I feel so…” She was trying to find the right words as tears started to roll down her cheeks. “… Safe. I feel safe with you.”
He kissed her shoulder, “I will fight the bogeyman in the closet and under the beds for you. I will protect you, nurture and take care of you TaeTay.”
“You were right. I like having a Daddy,” she said as she sniffled, snuggled closer and drifted off to sleep.
His mind was whirling.
“Is everything okay, Thurston?” She asked as he headed out the door to start his Friday morning. He was thinking that maybe this weekend he would take them to his parent’s house or out to dinner. The idea crossed his mind to even get Douglas a puppy, but that would come later. “I am just thinking about my family,” he told her as he kissed her cheek and headed to the office. My family.
His day seemed to drag as he fielded calls about the election and the number of hours he would have to spend fundraising and campaigning. He opened his briefcase to retrieve a folder and inside found a framed family photo of the three of them. He placed it on his desk. Beautiful.
The meeting he was in with Roger about the election and campaign strategy was nearly wasted on him. It was a moderately sized district, but by the time Roger finished with him, he was going to be on the campaign trail at least 20 days out of the month. By the time RNC rolled around, his family was going to be nothing more than pawn pi
eces for photo ops.
“Roger, please stop,” he told his friend.
“What’s wrong Thurston? Where are you going?”
“I am going home to my family. I am taking the afternoon off,” he told him as he picked up his briefcase and shoved in a few folders. He thought about it, and took the folder out. I will not be my father. “I have had this job for nearly four years and I have never called in sick or taken half a day off. I am going to take some time off and head home.”
Roger was still talking after he left, but he didn’t care. My family. He picked up a box of chocolates for his wife and a learning tablet for Douglas and made his way to the waiting car, got in, and leaned back into the seat, nearly napping as he waited for the driver to pull up to his front door.
Home.
The planters on the front porch were now adorned with brightly colored flowers and a door wreath. It looked as if she had painted the front door with a nice crimson red as well. A welcome sign hung underneath the doorbell. All the little touches of home.
The bell jangled on the door when he walked in, “Thurston, you’re home early. Is everything okay?” TaeTay wanted to know.
“I withdrew my name,” he told her. Thurston realized Douglas must be down for his nap as he looked around for his son.
TaeTay took the briefcase from his hand and guided him to the couch. She wore loose slacks today with an oversized tee since she had been digging in dirt with the planters. “Did you withdraw from the election process because of me?”
In her mind, she thought she embarrassed him and that she could not make the grade as a congressman’s wife. She was not surprised by his answer.
“Yes, I withdrew because of you and Douglas,” he told her.
TaeTay tried to hide her hurt. You can dress up the hood rat, but you can’t change the fact that it is a rat. Even if she was wearing fancy clothes and eating off nice dishes. “I’m sorry,” she told him; her head hung low.
“You have it wrong, TaeTay. I withdrew because you deserve a better life than that. I don’t need any of that stuff to make me relevant. You and Douglas have given me something I haven’t had before: meaning.”
My Mail Order Wife (The Value of a Man Book 1) Page 8
