Page 96 of Home Is Where You Are

The waitress brought our check, and I reached into my wallet then handed her my card. The waitress glanced between us for a moment and walked away.

“You ungrateful brat. You’re living it up on that ranch with that family. I know you can afford it.”

This woman made me want to pull my hair out. My father had yet to speak. He just stood there while my mother berated me. Things had never changed with these two.

“That may be a fact, but I earned my way. I didn’t take a dime from them that I didn’t work for. You’ve hated that family since they came into my life with no reason other than they were more fortunate than us, and it's despicable. Leave the same way you came, Mother. I have nothing left to say to you.”

The waitress returned with my card, and I absentmindedly signed and threw some cash on the table for a tip. As I put my card in my wallet, a photo I’d cherished fell out. I carefully shoved it back in before I put my wallet in my pocket.

I patted Ainsleigh on the thigh hoping she’d get the hint that I was ready to leave. She slid out of the booth and stood looking my mother in the eye. She looked back at me, lips in a tight line that led me to believe she withheld saying something, but she held her hand out for me to grab.

I graciously grabbed her hand and followed behind her, exiting the restaurant with a sigh, thankful to be away from my parents.

“One day she’s going to leave you just like she did before, and you’ll be left with nothing because you put all your eggs in one basket with that family,” my mother shouted from behind me.

Before I could make my move to turn around, Ainsleigh pivoted and walked right over to my mother, with me quickly following behind her.

“Unlike you, I learn from my mistakes. And for some reason your son chose to forgive me. I will never take that forgiveness for granted like you’ve taken the fact that you have an amazing son for granted. You walked away from him for reasons unbeknownst to me. Those reasons don’t matter. Your son is thriving no thanks to you. Have an amazing life, knowing that if you don’t change your ways, you’ll never get to know your own son and all he’s accomplished,” Ainsleigh said, much calmer than I thought she would’ve. I loved that she stood up for me when my parents never had.

“You say that now, but what happens when the next thing comes along that you can’t handle and you run away instead of facing your problems,” my mother spewed, and I couldn’t hate the woman more if I tried. I had to get Ainsleigh out of here before my mother said anything else. I didn’t need Ainsleigh to hear the godawful things that woman had said to me before she walked out of my life.

“I’ve changed, something you can’t say. You’re still the same bitter person you were before I left,” Ainsleigh replied before she turned to walk away in the direction of my truck.

“Goodbye, Mother,” I said before I turned and followed her.

Unlocking the doors, I helped Ainsleigh into the cab of my truck. I cleared my head in the time it took me to walk around to the driver’s side. I refused to let that woman ruin our night.

I started the truck and backed out of the parking spot, pulling onto Main St. Peering over at Ainsleigh, her head rested against the window as she looked out lost in thought.

I wasn’t ready for this night to end. I wanted the night to end on a good note, and I wasn’t ready to take her back to the house. I decided that I’d take her to a spot we loved to go to just at the corner of the property line. I used to pull my truck into one of the pathways and park at the tree line. We used to lay in the bed of my truck and stare up at the stars with the crickets chirping around us—neither of us spoke a word on those nights—we just sat in comfortable silence as we took in the beauty of the night sky.

I slowed down when the path came into view. Ainsleigh remained quiet as I drove down the path and parked at the tree line. Her silence worried me, but I waited a beat before I reached behind her seat and pulled out the blanket that I kept back there. Often when I needed away from everyone, I’d come to this spot and drown in the memories of her.

“You want to lay in the bed of my truck and stare at the stars?” I suggested, hoping she’d agree.

“That sounds lovely.” She turned and smiled at me.

We got out of the truck and walked around to the back. I unlatched the tailgate and picked Ainsleigh up, making sure she was steady before I hopped in. I spread out the comforter and laid down, my arm stretched out and inviting her to join me.

She laid down and nestled her head right above my heart. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her as close as possible.

“What’s going through that beautiful mind of yours?” I asked as I rubbed the tips of my fingers up and down her arm, and goosebumps peppered her flesh.

“That woman infuriates me. I’m so mad that you had to deal with that,” she replied, the anger coming off her in waves.

“I love that you stood up for me, but don’t be mad on my account. I knew the type of people they were long ago. That’s why I walked away from them.”

She turned and looked up at me. “There’s more to it, isn’t there? Something you haven’t divulged. You don’t have to tell me if you aren’t ready, but I’m here for you,” she said, giving me a soft smile.

“It’s not pretty, and it makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it,” I said, taking a deep breath before I continued.

“We’d just lost Bella. You were so distraught, and had left. Stupidly, I went to my mom for advice. I don’t know why now when I think back on it. I was so desperate to help you, even though you weren’t physically here. She wasn’t even excited about having a grandchild. She looked me in the eye and told me losing our daughter was a blessing in disguise because I didn’t need to get used to how the other half lived. She was so caught up on the fact that your family had money and ours didn’t that she was happy our daughter died. I packed my bags and left that day, never looking back. I didn’t want people like that in my life.” Tears filled my eyes as the memory played back in my mind.

I couldn’t even look down at her after I’d confessed my mother’s evil words.

“Look at me, cowboy,” Ainsleigh whispered. The tip of her finger grazed the side of my cheek. She used a little pressure to tilt my face toward her, only I didn’t want to face her because I was ashamed of how my mother had felt. Even though I’d never feel those feelings in a million years, I was ashamed that I’d come from someone who could.

“You did the right thing. You stood your ground and on your morals, and you stood up for our little girl by walking away from the evil your mother exuded. You don’t deserve people like that in your life. You deserved to have your parents' support in your time of grief, and I’m sorry I was so consumed with mine I couldn’t help you through yours. But you have me, Gentry. I’m not going anywhere this time; no matter how hard times get, I’ll stand right beside you, weathering any storm we may face. We’ll get through it together,” she promised. Looking into her tear-filled eyes, I knew she meant every word.