My Little Rock Airman

by Brittany Fichter

  “Yeah?”

  “If he’s that off-limits, you’d better watch yourself for the next six weeks.”

  I laughed and told her to go see to her plumber. After hanging up, I started the walk back to the ride as Jade started another trip in the balloons.

  “What was that about?” Derrick asked.

  “Oh, I just remembered something I wanted to tell Madison.” I pointed at Jade. “So this is what, her seventh trip around in that thing?”

  “Yes. And I’ve told her I’m getting seasick just watching her. We need to go find something else after this.” Then he turned and gave me an ornery look. “What did you have to step away for? Were you talking about boys?”

  “I don’t date boys,” I said, flipping my hair defiantly. “Just men.”

  “I’ll believe that you make time in that schedule for dating when I see it.” He made a face at me. “You’re almost as bad as my mother when it comes to your schedule.”

  I gave him a wry smile. Someone else. Definitely someone else.

  17

  Jade

  Derrick

  I groaned and leaned back on the stairs with my elbows. “Mom, Sunday school starts at nine-thirty. It is now nine twenty-five.” Just yesterday, I’d made fun of Jessie for being able to sleep in on Sundays, and now I couldn’t seem to drag my family out if my life had depended on it. I might as well have been the one to sleep in.

  My mom popped her head out of her room and scowled down the stairs as she fastened an earring on. “You could have given us a little more warning.”

  “I told you last night.”

  “Yes! Right as your father and I got in from dinner.”

  “I’m not the one that made you stay out until eleven. Look, you don’t even have to look formal. Just put on a skirt and shirt and let’s go.”

  “You may be twenty-five, but remember who you’re talking to and have a little respect,” she snapped as she went back into her room.

  I rolled my eyes, but as I started to make a retort, my phone buzzed. Relief flooded me when Amy’s picture popped up on the screen. Instead of continuing to argue with my mother, I read my fiancée’s text.

  Hey, I’m trying to narrow down wedding dates. There’s a new venue, and everything’s going to be booked up soon if we don’t get a day picked. Any days that won’t work for you?

  Finally. I’d been waiting for this text since February. And it was now late June.

  Jade’s echocardiogram at the beginning of August, I texted back, and I really want to be there for it. Also, that trip to the Grand Canyon I’m taking her on in October will probably be in the first week before the snow hits.

  There was a longer pause this time. So I added,

  But we can get married before that. You could come with us that way.

  An even longer pause. Finally, she replied.

  Any other Jade events I should be aware of that might be more important than our wedding day?

  I stared at my phone for a long moment before hitting the call button.

  “Hi.”

  It wasn’t a happy hi.

  “Hey, what did you mean by that?” I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees. “About Jade events.”

  “Derrick, I think you know what I mean.”

  “Please enlighten me.” I frowned. “Because I really don’t.”

  She sighed. “Look, I didn’t want to get into this, but…well, this is the most important day of my life. Our lives. And I just can’t believe you’re putting other things first. Like trips to the Grand Canyon or echocardio-whatevers.”

  “It’s a checkup to make sure Jade’s heart is working properly.” I had to work hard to make my voice sound civil. “She had a heart murmur that they picked up when she was younger, and her doctor wants her checked every now and then. I don’t think it’s really unreasonable for me to want to be there for it.”

  “Okay, I get that. But it’s not like that’s the only thing. Every time I want to do something, we have to check with Jade’s schedule first. And that’s not normal.”

  “Oh, you want to talk about normal?” I stood and went outside so my family couldn’t hear. Sitting on the stairs in the middle of the house wasn’t exactly the best place to have an argument with one’s fiancée. “What about every time I’ve tried to ask you about dates for my stuff? I’ve been asking you about wedding dates for months. But every time I start talking about us getting hitched and you moving down here, you’re suddenly booked up at your work until Christmas. I don’t know why you’re upset about my trip with Jade in October if you’re still planning on working there in December.”

  “Derrick, that’s not fair, and you know it.”

  “Is it? Because last I checked, most couples live in the same state. Or they at least have some sort of plan to do so eventually. But at this point, I don’t know if it would even make a difference when we got married. Because you wouldn’t be here until next year at the very earliest.”

  “I have worked very hard to get this job!” I heard a car door slam in the background. “And I think I deserve to benefit at least a little from my efforts before quitting to follow you around and then waiting to get a decent stable job who knows when.”

  “Amy, you knew I had at least three more years in my contract when you agreed to this. I’m not sure why it’s a surprise now.”

  She scoffed. “Like it matters. You probably wouldn’t even notice if I was there or not as long as you were near your sister.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  There was a pause. Finally, she spoke again. “You know what? I’m driving, and it’s raining. We’ll just pick a date later.” The line clicked off.

  An hour and a half later, we pulled into a back spot in the church’s crowded parking lot.

  “If you’re so determined to drag us all with you, couldn’t you have found a service that was a little later?” My mom got out of the car as though she were seventy instead of forty-nine.

  “Once again, nine-thirty is not that early, Mom.” I adjusted my tie in the rearview mirror before grabbing my Bible and getting out of the truck. “And it’s five after eleven now.”

  “Your father and I work every day of the week but Sundays.” She unlatched Jade from her car seat. “Is it really asking that much to sleep in at least one day?”

  “No one makes you work on Saturdays, Mom. Or any day. That’s your choice.”

  “Do they have coffee?” my dad asked as he helped Jade down. “I’ll be fine as long as they have coffee.”

  I took a deep breath and mentally counted to five. “I don’t know, Dad. Probably. When I was asking Jessie about her church, a coffee bar wasn’t high on my list of priorities.”

  Once the family was successfully out of the truck and walking toward the building, I had a bit more time to study it. It was a pretty church with red brick walls, topped by a white steeple with a cross and high floor-to-ceiling windows. An awning connected it to an annex that was built similarly, though that one looked a little less churchish, and there was a playground out back.

  I usually enjoyed trying new churches whenever I traveled, but I especially needed the distraction today after my conversation with Amy. She had yet to answer any of the five texts I’d sent her. And I would go nuts if I couldn’t find something else to think about soon.

  “Nickleby here?” Jade asked, tugging on my hand.

  “She should be, Geode. She said she had to come early for music practice.”

  A lady with silver curls greeted us at the door, along with her husband, who was tall and thin with glasses.

  “Welcome to Grace Rock Presbyterian Church,” the woman said in a thick Louisiana drawl as she shook my hand. “I’m Helen, and this is my husband, Joe.” Joe grinned at us and handed us each a bulletin.

  “What brings you here today? New in town?” He was looking at my dad, but a glance at my father told me he was too concerned with the thought of coffee to listen.

  “Nah,�
� I said, shaking his hand back. “I’m stationed at home for once, and these are my parents and little sister.” I paused, sneaking a peek through open doors. “We’re actually friends of Jessie Nickleby?”

  “Okay,” Helen said, nodding at two wooden doors across the lobby. “Well, you just missed her. She’s in the sanctuary singing with the worship team. But she’ll be out when the service gets over. Her family usually sits up front and on the left.”

  Of course. “I know we’re a bit late.” A bit. I had to work not to visibly cringe at the gross understatement. “But is there a Sunday school class for my sister?”

  “Well, hi there, sugar.” Helen leaned down to Jade’s level. “What’s your name?”

  “Jade.” The word was spoken so quietly it was nearly inaudible, and it came with an impressive get-back glare. But Helen didn’t seem fazed.

  “Unfortunately, Sunday school is already out, but if you want, I can have someone show you the room.”

  “That’s okay. I’m sure Jessie can do that.” I glanced back to see another family coming in behind us. “We’ll find our way. Thanks again.”

  Since I usually went to the base chapel alone, it had been a long time since I’d done the walk of shame, squeezing through the already filled pews to the few spots that weren’t taken in the back. I had planned to be at the church by nine-thirty. Unfortunately, my family had been next to impossible to rouse from their beds. Now that we were insanely late, most of the rows were packed. Of course, there were the usual spots up front that were free. But I wasn’t about to take that risk of being easily seen and overheard with the current company involved. And it wasn’t my sister I was worried about.

  We did find seats in a back pew on the left side, and I quickly opened Jade’s backpack and pulled out fish crackers and her magnetic doodling pad. She settled on the floor with her snacks and toy and looked quite content.

  “I don’t see why you’re suddenly so worried about this,” my mother whispered. “You’ve been home over two months, and not once have you—”

  “Mom,” I hissed. “Can we do this another time?” Preferably, when the pastor wasn’t praying.

  My mother pursed her lips, but she did finally sit back and open her bulletin. I opened mine as well, but after perusing the order of worship, my gaze was was drawn up to the front to a familiar face.

  Instead of her usual t-shirt and jeans, she was in a knee-length dress that was navy blue with little yellow dots all over it. Her hair, which she usually wore up in a ponytail, was down, and it curled up around her neck and face. She wore a no-nonsense expression as she turned a page on her music stand, but as soon as the music started up, her body visibly relaxed as she scanned the congregation. She made eye contact with several people, smiling a little extra for each one. Then, for just a moment, her eyes met mine.

  And as she let the first note fly, I knew I could relax here, too.

  When the service was over (during which I’d successfully kept myself from checking my phone more than twice), Jessie came bounding over to us and scooped Jade up like she hadn’t seen her in a month. Then she greeted my parents.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Allen! It’s so good to see you here!”

  “Nice to see you, too,” I said, bumping her shoulder. She laughed, and I couldn’t take my eyes from her face. Who was this happy, angelic creature with nothing but smiles and magic unicorns and butterflies for everyone she laid her eyes on? If I’d seen her here first, I would never have known she was as no-nonsense to the point of nearly being neurotic.

  “Here,” she said, pulling Jade back up the aisle and gesturing for us to follow. “Come meet my parents.”

  A woman who looked to be in her late forties with short, curly blond hair and a man just slightly older with a small paunch and thick graying hair came out of the second-to-front row to greet us.

  “Mom,” Jessie said, coming to a stop. “Do you remember Jade’s mother?”

  “I do.” The woman came forward to greet us with a smile. As she got closer, I realized she looked older than I’d first thought. Or maybe it wasn’t old. Maybe…frail was the right word. She said hi to Jade and shook my father’s hand as well. When her eyes reached me, they widened slightly, and her mouth quirked up at one corner. “And you must be the infamous Derrick.”

  “Mom!” Jessie whispered, but I just grinned back.

  “Guilty as charged.”

  “So,” her father said. “What brings you to Grace Rock?”

  “Well,” I put my hands on Jade’s shoulders. “I’ve been going to the base chapel since moving back, but Jessie told me about your church, and I thought it was time Jade got a chance to go to Sunday school like I did when I was little.”

  “They don’t have Sunday school at the chapel?” my mother murmured.

  “Actually,” Jessie came to my rescue. “I was telling Derrick yesterday that the teacher for Jade’s class is a special education teacher. I thought she might be a good match for Jade.”

  “Oh.” My father scratched his head. “That was…thoughtful.”

  “Jessie,” I said, hoping to stave off any more awkward conversation as begun by my parents. “Would you mind showing me Jade’s Sunday school room? We got here too late to see it.”

  Jessie glanced back at my parents and seemed to be smothering a smile. “Sure.” She took Jade’s hand and led us to one of the corner lobby doors. Along the way, she greeted people and introduced me and Jade. Then she continued until she found someone new to say hello to. It took a while, but eventually, we made it out of the sanctuary, back through the lobby, under the covered walkway, and into the annex.

  “I’m sorry we were so late,” I said as we went. “You’d have thought I was dragging everyone to their deaths.”

  Jessie laughed. It was a sweet sound, clear and unhindered. “Don’t be sorry. You got everyone here, and that’s more than I can say for lots of people. Here we are.” She opened one of the doors that led to a long hallway. Inside, I found a little room with a miniature table, chairs that barely reached my knees, and lots of cubbies full of toys, as well as a sink and fittingly miniature bathroom.

  “This is nice,” I said, taking a few steps inside. Something clattered behind me, and I turned to find that Jade had dumped a bag of wooden blocks on the blue speckled tile. “Jade, no, this isn’t our—”

  “It’s fine.” Jessie waved me off. “Let her play for a minute.” Then she turned those green eyes on me and tilted her head. “I have to say, now that we’re away from the parents, why did you decide to bring her?”

  I sighed and rubbed my neck. “After we talked yesterday, and you mentioned your church, I started thinking about how my parents used to take me to church. I loved Sunday school, and it just hit me that she’s missing all of that.” I sat down in one of the tiny chairs. “I think sometimes…I think they just get overwhelmed. I mean with the speech therapy and occupational and physical and equine and—”

  “It becomes easy to assume she can’t.”

  For the first time since coming home, her words rang true inside me, like someone had strummed a harp. Which was stupid, considering Jessie was the one who had nearly driven me insane. And yet, for some reason, this was the first time I felt like someone truly understood all the frustration that had been welling up inside of me. And all I could do was nod.

  Jessie knelt at Jade’s side and began to pick up the blocks. “Help me clean up, kiddo, and then we’ll go get something to eat.”

  “No spinach,” Jade said decidedly.

  Jessie laughed. “There might be some good food there, but we’ll need to go quickly before that’s all that’s left.”

  “You have lunch here?” I asked as she closed the room and led us back down the hall.

  “We have a potluck on every fifth Sunday of the month,” she said as we turned into a larger hall, which was now crowded as everyone moved in the same direction. Then her eyes lit up. “Mrs. Walker!”

  A plump elderly lady in a bright blue blou
se with a matching bandana turned around. She smiled and waited until we’d caught up. Jessie quickly made introductions. Mrs. Walker, it turned out, would be Jade’s Sunday school teacher. And no sooner had we been introduced than she took Jade’s hand and leaned down.

  “I have to get my cookies from the kitchen still,” she said, her blue eyes twinkling. “Want to be my helper?”

  I was about to explain that Jade didn’t like going with strangers when Jade did the unthinkable and nodded. I watched, open-mouthed, as she let the woman lead her down the hall. Jade didn’t even look back.

  “Should I be worried?” I asked, only half-joking.

  But Jessie laughed. “I told you, she’s a special education teacher. She’s just got a way with kids. Now come on, let’s get something to eat.”

  After we’d made our way through the line, with me glancing nervously back at Jade about a dozen times, Jessie led us into the fellowship hall. Most of the seats were filled by now, so we sat on the dais at the front of the room where we could see Jade as she sat next to Mrs. Walker.

  “Talking to Amy?”

  “Huh?” I asked, shoving my phone back in my pocket.

  Jessie gave me a knowing smile. “You’ve checked your phone every thirty seconds since we left the sanctuary. What’s up?”

  “Meh.” I dug into the pile of barbeque chicken on my plate. “I’m just waiting for an answer. She’s probably busy.”

  Jessie nodded, but the curiosity stayed in her eyes. “I see.”

  Huffing, I picked up a roll and turned it over a few times. I could ask her. When I wasn’t torturing her and she wasn’t made at me, she was quite capable of being nice and sympathetic. And we were friendly enough now that I doubted she’d tease. Not that Jessie really needed to know all the goings-on between me and my fiancée. But after yesterday, I suddenly wanted someone to talk to. Someone to assure me I wasn’t being a crazy, obsessed, stalker-type fiancé. And since she seemed the only one who understood my fears about Jade, maybe she would understand them about this.