Page 76 of Keeping it Local

I had just decided to get ready to leave when my phone dinged.

Mary: Hope you had a safe trip home.

I didn’t want to start a long thread with her, but my cordial nature made me respond.

Me: Thanks

I was hoping that would be the end, but she kept going.

Mary: I heard about you and Johnny. I’m so sorry, Beth. I thought that you guys had something.

Ugh. I didn’t need or want this.

Me: Yeah, definitely a shitty way to end things

Mary: Just because things are over with Johnny, doesn’t mean it’s the end of your time in Port St. Clair. Once you’ve dusted yourself off, remember that you’re always welcome here

Me: Thanks

In between wallowing about Johnny, I had thought about the shops—a lot. I wanted to figure out a way to make it work, do something for me. But each time I tried to come up with a plan, I kept going back to my mom.

Even though my dad wouldn’t love me leaving, it was my mom I was most concerned about. As much as we disagreed on things and had differing opinions, she had always been my person. We had lifted each other up and pushed through everything with my dad’s health, and I couldn’t imagine moving away from her.

The thought of telling her I wanted to leave Randall left an empty pit in my stomach.

Enough was enough though. I stood up, got myself looking presentable in my jeans and t-shirt and jumped back in the Jeep to make the five-minute drive over to my parent’s house.

“Knock-knock,” I said, pushing the screen door open.

They lived in an old farmhouse, and even though air conditioning was added when I was young, they almost never used it. Instead, they kept the windows open, and the breeze from the fields blew in.

I stepped in, looking for my parents. Everything was exactly as it had been last time I was here. My mother kept a tidy house, but it was dated. The pale-peach curtains hung around the front windows, and my dad’s corduroy recliner sat in the corner. The kitchen was a mix of browns, peaches, and off-whites. The drapes fluttered as the wind blew through the house.

“Hello?”

“Out back!” I heard my mom yell.

I peered out and saw her hanging up laundry on the line and decided to make the walk out to join her.

“Hey, Mom,” I said, leaning in to wrap my arms around her. She kissed my cheek.

“Just hanging the last sheet, and we’ll head inside,” she said.

After she emptied her basket, I followed her back inside and sat at the wooden kitchen table. I leaned back and crossed my legs, watching her get down two plates. The smell of corn on the cob and baked chicken hung heavy in the air. My mom was a great cook, and whenever I didn’t need to cook was a great day for me, even better when it was my mom’s food.

“Smells delicious,” I said, looking around. “Where’s Dad?”

“He’s out with the guys at Lou’s.”

“Oh.” I was surprised to hear that. She hadn’t told me he’d be here, but I just assumed he would. He didn’t go out too much with his buddies anymore, but I was happy he was getting around okay all the same.

We sat and ate, and I spent the next while filling her in on everything over the past couple weeks before stopping and letting her know Michael had crashed the auction.

“I know he was there.” She ran her hand down her face, and she gave me a look. “He told me when he got back. I’m sorry he ruined your big night, honey.”

“He didn’t ruin it.” I shook my head, even though part of me agreed that he had ruined it. It was for the best though. I’d rather know how Johnny felt now versus banking on something that wasn’t meant to be. “Timing was terrible though.”

“I didn’t think he’d actually drive down there.” She walked over to the table and sat next to me.