by Sara Mullins
They continued deeper and deeper into Kentucky. The hills were covered in a thick layer of giant trees. Mark finally pulled off the interstate and they began winding on the back roads through the forest.
“I would get lost out here,” Nicole said.
“Yeah, you could if you didn’t know where you’re going.”
“Well, I’d probably be okay with that. It’s gorgeous out here.”
“Yes, it is,” he said nodding in approval. “As long as you don’t get lost in the wrong place.”
“I can only imagine. I bet you miss it, though,” she said.
“Sometimes I do,” he said. “But I don’t regret leaving. I’m happy with where I live and what I’m doing . . .” he paused for a moment. “. . . and I wouldn’t have met you,” he added, with his usual layer of charm on top.
Nicole smiled back and scooted across the seat to sit next to him. She laid her head on his shoulder and enjoyed the view as they continued down the road. It seemed like they had driven for an eternity into the trees before he began to slow down and pull into a gravel drive. It led them to a white, two-story home with dark green shutters. They parked in front of the house and a couple of older dogs barked furiously and waddled up to the truck. Mark jumped out and knelt to pet the dogs, their bark was much worse than their bite. Nicole walked around to greet them.
“This is Sammy,” he said, patting the black dog on the head. “And that’s Hank,” he added, pointing behind him to the dog lying in the dirt. “He’s a little lazy. They’re old and slow, but they’re really nice. We got ‘em from the pound when I was, uh, fifteen, I think.”
“Aww, they’re just adorable,” she said, scratching Sammy behind his ears.
“He’ll be your best friend if you keep doing that,” he said.
The front door of the house opened and out walked a dark-haired woman who couldn’t have been much taller than five-foot-one. She had a small frame but portrayed an image of confidence and strength that made her seem fearless, much like her son. It was the type of attitude that’s to be expected from a mother of three boys.
“You must be Nicole. Well, aren’t you just the sweetest thing?” she said, making her way down the steps. She approached Nicole as fast as her feet would take her, arms stretched out wide. She wrapped her up in a hug then stepped back to look her over. “Mark told me you were pretty. Boy, he was right!”
“Thank you,” Nicole replied. She looked over at Mark who was still fussing the dogs. He smiled and looked down at the gravel. “It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Nicole said.
“It’s nice to meet you too, dear. I’ve heard a lot about ya. My name’s Grace, by the way, but the boys call me Mama so I suppose you should, too.”
“Sounds good, Mama,” Nicole answered.
“Well, you kids had a long drive. I’m sure you’re hungry. I’ll go whip something up.”
“Oh, you don’t need to cook,” Nicole began to plead, but was quickly silenced.
“Nonsense, you’re my guest and it’s lunchtime, anyway. Come on.” She waved her hand and began walking back to the house.
Mark stood up and laughed. “You’ll probably gain ten pounds before we leave, just so you know,” he said. “Mama loves to feed people.”
“I feel terrible. I don’t want her to think she has to cook for me,” Nicole said.
“It’s alright. She would have been cooking anyway, trust me.” Mark grabbed Nicole’s hand and walked with her up the porch steps.
Nicole admired the inside of the house. She loved everything about it, from the creaking hardwood floors to the beautiful, hand-carved molding around the doors. The house was already filled with the scent of biscuits and bacon from the breakfast she had cooked that morning.
“Come on, I’ll show you around,” Mark said. He led her down the hallway. “The bathroom’s right here,” he said, pointing to a door on the right. They continued down the hall until it opened into a large room where Mama was digging in the refrigerator. “This is the kitchen, of course. The dining room is over here.” He walked through the doorway and turned the corner. “We’ll be right back, Mama.”
“Wait – Nicole, do you like ham?” Mama asked.
“Yeah, anything is great, really,” Nicole answered.
“Alright, dear.”
“Thanks, but you don’t need to . . .”
“Okay, we’ll be back,” Mark interrupted. He directed Nicole up the steps. “Sorry, I just know she’ll talk your ear off. She’ll have her chance later.”
“Oh, it’s alright. She’s so sweet.”
“Yeah, and you can tell she’s only ever been around guys. She probably won’t know how to handle having another woman to talk to, so be ready,” he added.
Nicole chuckled. “I can only imagine what you guys put her through.”
“You don’t want to know.” They plateaued and entered another hallway. “These rooms are my brothers’. You don’t want to go in there – who knows what you’ll find? And this one is mine,” he said, stopping in front of his door. “Try to ignore all the posters and stuff. I kind of went through a phase. I thought I was gonna be a great rock star.”
“It’s okay,” she said, laughing. “Who am I to judge? And, come on, it can’t be as bad as my marine biologist-themed room with dolphins and whales everywhere.”
He chuckled and opened the door. She quickly discovered what he meant by his warning. His walls were covered with posters of rock bands. Two guitars leaned against the far wall and he had a set of autographed drumsticks in a case on his dresser.
“Wow . . .” Nicole paused, not knowing what to say next.
“Hey, you had fair warning,” he said.
“No, I think it’s awesome. Can you play?” she asked, glancing at the guitars.
“A little. I never really finished learning. I swore to myself that someday I will, though.”
“You should. You only live once, right?” Nicole asked.
“Yeah, I know. It’s hard finding the time – you know what I mean?” he said.
“I understand.” She walked around the room and looked at all the posters and pictures. “Is this you?” she asked, pointing to a picture next to the drumsticks.
“Yeah, that’s me.” He looked at her and laughed in response to her reaction.
“Your hair was so long.”
“It took me a long time to cut it off, too.”
“It looks great no matter what you do,” she said.
“Oh, yeah?” He walked up behind her and wrapped her up in his arms. She turned around to face him.
“Yeah.” She leaned in to kiss him, and Mama yelled from downstairs right on cue.
“Vittles are ready if y’all are hungry!”
Nicole and Mark laughed and turned to walk downstairs. They made their way to the table where their plates were already waiting.
“This should tide you kids over until supper. What do ya want to drink? We got pop, sweet tea, milk . . .” Mama trailed off.
“Sure, sweet tea sounds great,” Nicole replied. “I can get it, though.”
“Nope, I already got it. You stay right there,” Mama insisted.
The back screen door creaked open, then slammed shut from the strength of the retracting spring. Nicole and Mark looked up from their plates at the tall figure standing in the kitchen. Mark swallowed his mouthful of food. “This is my dad, Ben. Dad, this is Nicole.”
She stood up to shake his hand. “Nice to meet you,” she said.
“Nice to meet you, too. Let me know if you have any trouble with this one. I’ll straighten him out for ya.”
“Should I be worried?” Nicole asked jokingly.
“Nah, Mark’s always been the good one.” Ben made his way to the refrigerator to pour himself a glass of tea. “So, Nicole, tell me a little about yourself.” He turned to face the table and leaned back on the counter.
“Oh, well, there isn’t much to know. I graduated college last winter and I’ve been working as a vet
tech ever since,” she said.
“That sounds interesting. Must be fun to work with all the animals,” Ben said.
“Yeah, I love it. They never complain.”
Ben laughed. “Good point. Mark told me that’s where y’all met.”
“Yup, I ran into him, literally,” Nicole stressed.
“Isn’t that somethin’?” Ben asked.
“You know, I truly believe that everything happens for a reason,” Mama said.
Nicole smiled. “I think so, too,” she said.
They talked to Mama for a while and finished their sandwiches. Ben disappeared for a bit, then came back into the room with keys and a small cooler.
“Nicole, would you like to see some of the land?” Ben asked. “I got the side-by-side all fueled up.”
“Yeah, that would be great!” she replied.
“Great, I’ll meet you kids out back.”
“Alright, we’ll be right back,” she said.
Mark and Nicole carried their bags in. She dug through her stuff until she found her shoes.
“Okay, what else do I need?” she asked herself out loud.
“You might want your camera, and you may want to go to the bathroom before we go,” he said. “It may be a long ride.”
“Ah, good point,” she said, reaching back in.
“You definitely want to put some bug spray on,” he said. “If you don’t, the ticks and chiggers will eat you up. I’ll grab some on the way out.”
“Alright, will do.”
“Oh, you may want to take water, too. I’m not sure what dad has in the cooler, but I’m guessing it’s not very hydrating.”
“Good idea,” she said, laughing. “Okay, I think I’m ready.”
They grabbed their things and headed out back to meet up with Ben. He was parked by the barn waiting. The UTV was a beast, practically bigger than Nicole’s car, and had seating for four.
“You kids ready? Climb on in, Nicole. We got a cooler, we got a radio and I even have toilet paper in case of emergencies,” Ben told her.
“Really, Dad?” Mark asked shaking his head.
“Hey now, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.”
“So true,” Nicole responded. While Mark seemed unaffected by his dad’s humor, Nicole found him to be quite hilarious.
Ben started the UTV and they were off. He followed the property line on an aging path that was now nearly hidden in the growth on the forest floor. They continued into the trees until the trail led them to an opening. Now they were surrounded by towering walls of rock. Water cascaded down into a clear pool that looked pure enough to drink.
“Oh, my God!” Nicole exclaimed in shock. “This is gorgeous. Mark, you didn’t tell me about this. This is heaven.”
“I wanted it to be a surprise,” he said. He enjoyed the happiness upon her face.
“It’s so amazing, I can’t believe it,” she said.
“Come on, I want to show you something,” Mark said.
“There’s more?”
He grabbed a couple of flashlights and handed her one. She looked at him suspiciously but followed him by foot, anyway, to the far side of the water. They made sure to watch the placement of their shoes on the rocks. A strip of land barely wide enough to walk on led them behind the waterfall, revealing a small opening in the wall.
“You’re not claustrophobic, are you?” he asked.
“No. Why?” she asked reluctantly.
“You wanna go in? We won’t go far; I just want to show you our cave. It’ll be alright.”
“Your cave? You have a cave, too?”
“Yeah, well it’s nothing major, but it’s still pretty cool,” he said.
“Sure, let’s go.”
“Alright, I’ll go first. Stay close behind me,” Mark said. “We’ll be right back, Dad!”
“Okay, be careful! And behave!” Ben added.
Mark got on all fours and crawled into the entrance. He paused to turn his flashlight on. “Don’t worry, it won’t be like this too long,” he promised her.
“It’s alright, it doesn’t bother me,” Nicole replied.
They continued crawling through the tunnel for nearly ten yards until it finally opened into a large room. Nicole stood up and completed a slow 360-degree turn in total awe of what she could see in the glow of the flashlights. The walls glistened from the water trickling down. The back of the cavern disappeared into an eternity of darkness.
“How far does this go?” she asked.
“We’re not really sure, actually,” Mark answered. “We’ve gone pretty far, but we stop ‘cause it gets a little sketchy.”
“That’s so cool. But who knows how far it goes, you know what I mean?”
“Yeah, it’s crazy to think about,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to know, though. When I was in high school, I used to come in here sometimes to get away from my brothers.”
“Wow, they were bad, huh?”
“Nah, it was just the only way I could get away sometimes and be alone.”
They sat together in the flashlight glow and talked about some of the fun times of their teenage years. Nicole’s voice eventually started quivering from her shaking body.
“We better head back. You look like you’re freezing. Plus, I don’t want Dad to leave us,” Mark said.
Nicole stared at him, trying to figure out if he was being serious, as it was very difficult for her to tell sometimes.
“I’m just joking,” he said laughing. “If anything, he’s probably asleep.”
Mark was right; Ben was snoring with his head tipped back on the headrest. They snuck up next to him. “Dad,” he said. No response. “Dad.” Nothing but snoring. “Dad!” Mark called louder, while cautiously prodding his father’s arm.
Ben’s head straightened up and his eyes opened. “Oh, you’re back. That was fast.”
“Yeah . . . sure,” Mark said, looking at his watch. “You want me to drive?”
“No, no, no. You kids sit back there and relax. Saddle up and enjoy the ride.”
Mark and Nicole buckled up in the back and Ben continued along the trail. Nicole admired the nature all around her. The trees seemed to go on for an eternity. A doe and her fawn stopped and warily watched the UTV rolling by. Nicole tried to get a picture, but they bolted faster than she could get the camera ready.
“Damn it,” she said, dropping the camera down. “That would have been a great picture, too.”
“It’s alright. You might be able to get another one,” Mark encouraged her.
“I hope so. Bummer,” Nicole said. She continued to hold her camera and managed to get a handful of stunning shots of the landscape and a few birds. The deer remained out of sight, no doubt thanks to the sound of the roaring engine.
They were out for more than two hours when Ben finally pulled into the barn. “Well, what did you think?” he asked her.
“You have a beautiful property,” Nicole said. “I’m quite jealous, to be honest with you.”
“Thank you, darlin’. You know you’re welcome to come down anytime you want.”
“I’ll have to take you up on that,” she said.
They walked back in the house to find Mama sitting at the table with a stack of photo albums.
“Mom, she just got here,” Mark pleaded.
“I don’t care. I want to show her pictures of my baby. I’m sure she would like to see them,” Mama said.
Nicole looked at Mark and smiled. “Why yes, I would, actually,” she said.
“I know my Mark. He probably hasn’t shown you any of that stuff.”
“Ha, ha,” Mark sarcastically responded. He sat down and grinned at Nicole, apologizing with his expression for what she was about to go through.
Mama opened the cover of the first album and proceeded to flip through the pages until she came to his first picture. “Oh, there he is the day he was born. Look at all that hair,” Mama exclaimed.
“Wow! That’s a lot of hair,” Nicole said, with a raised br
ow. She nudged Mark with her elbow and gave him a playful grin.
“Yeah.” Mark smiled in return.
Mama continued to shuffle through the pages, progressing through the years of his life. Nicole was tickled that Mama wanted to share their family memories with her. The pictures may have felt embarrassing to him, but they only made her fall in love with him more. As the pages flipped, the photographs revealed his history with his brothers, his band, and his football dreams.
“You played football?” Nicole asked, having never heard him talk about it.
“Mark was an amazing football player. Oh, you should have seen him play,” Mama said.
“I would have liked that,” Nicole replied.
She looked up at him, surprised to find an unfamiliar expression on his face. He stared at the album with no emotion and no words. The normally confident and happy-go-lucky young man was showing a sad side that she had never seen before.
Nicole stepped in to save him. “Well, Mama, I think I may go and get cleaned up from our ride. I don’t know about him, but I feel a little grimy. How about you?” she asked him. He sat in silence for a moment, not hearing any of what she said. “Mark?”
“Yup,” he answered finally, looking up.
“I’m gonna go change and get cleaned up. I’ve still got some cave gunk on me,” Nicole hinted.
“Oh, right. I guess I better clean up, too. We’ll be back in a minute, Mama.”
“Take your time, I’ll be startin’ dinner soon. You like fried chicken, Nicole?” Mama asked.
“Love it,” Nicole answered. “Give me a few and I’ll come help you.”
“Thank you, dear, but you don’t have to do that. You’re my guest.”
“It’s no problem at all. I want to help, really,” Nicole insisted.
“Well, if you insist. I won’t know what to do with a helping hand in the kitchen. Mark used to help out sometimes, but his daddy not so much.”
