Chapter Sixteen

Skeet

 

“Hey, you’re the man from the ballpark! I remember you!” That was the greeting I received when I knocked on the Archer Family’s front door and it opened. “I’m Veeta... You look kind of like a boy in pictures around the house. Are you a relative?”

“Veeta!” I heard a boy yell for her before he appeared at the door alongside of the little dark haired girl who reminded me of someone... I just couldn’t think of who it was. “Who are you?” He looked me up and down and moved Veeta behind him, protectively.

“What is going on here?” Conrad joined the two at the door. “Oh, it’s you.” His similar tone and looking between the boy and Conrad, I realized it had to be his teenaged son Cord. “She’s down at the lake fishing again today...” Something about the way he said “again today” seemed to have some kind of meaning behind it and he didn’t sound thrilled about it. “You know where it is.”

I knew it well and I knew Conrad well enough to know that he was not happy with me being at the farm. I couldn’t blame him. He knew I left his sister after being accused of cheating on her. But, I thought coming back and making her happy again should’ve helped my status. Although, in all fairness, I wasn’t sure what he knew about us other than I kept coming around even after he told me that Celeste was dating that asshole Dale Kensmore.

“Okay.” I was getting nowhere just standing there. “I guess, I’ll head down there then.” Nothing more to say, I began to back up and turn around.

“Hey, Mister, ask Mommy if I can come down and fish too?”

“Let’s go, Veeta.” Conrad pulled her back and shut the door.

Alone on the porch and a bit stunned, I uttered the same word over and over—Mommy—before I went down past the old orange barn in the direction of the fishing hole as Celeste always called it. It was much bigger than a hole.

It was big enough for boating.

I remembered one summer her father’s friend even launched a motorboat down one of the tall grassy banks for all of us to ski behind. He had tons of life vests in all colors and sizes to go along with double skis, single skis and some inflatable toys to attach to lines. Thinking back, I had a feeling he was more of a salesman than a friend and was most likely trying to sell the boat to Mr. Archer, Henry... Whatever it was, it brought great joy to Conrad, Clancy, Caprice, Celeste and me...and fucking Dale. Oh, and Martina.

Good times at the farm...on the lake.

I was letting my mind wander off to every memory I had of the lake to keep my mind from thinking about Celeste having a baby with someone else.

Her list.

If I let her tell me about her list...would he be on it? Veeta’s dad? Strange that she wouldn’t name her something that started with a C. Everyone but her father had a C and they all had the same middle name after her mother’s maiden name to link them to the Corday Farm.

Just as I was reeling and ready to lose my mind with my breaking heart, I saw my girl sitting on the old wooden dock with her bare feet dangling above the blue water and a familiar pole in her hand. She was the prettiest sight ever. No matter what she was doing, anytime...anywhere.

“Be quiet. You’ll scare the fish.” She half-smiled at me. Something was wrong. “I have another pole to the side there.” She pointed to the bank where she had a small child’s size pole—turquoise with mermaids on it.

What the hell? I took off my shoes, rolled up my pant legs and grabbed the pole.

“I’ll bite.” Pun intended. “What’s got you so down?” I sat next to her and nudged her shoulder like I used to as we sat on the dock, side by side, fishing. I figured it had to be something small with her work or maybe...maybe her daughter got in trouble.

God, I hated to think about her having a daughter with someone else.

Thank God she wasn’t Dale’s!

“I heard you’re not happy being back here and that you’re planning to leave again.” That was true to a point, but I was going to tell her myself.

“Where did you hear that?”

“It doesn’t matter. It just matters if it’s true.”

“I thought we had gone through this once before. People telling stories that drove us apart. Stories that you know aren’t true or I should say that they weren’t accurately told and were flawed... You said you knew what happened. You said you forgave me... How could you listen to people again and... Dale. It was fucking Dale this time.”

“He heard you talking to Dean at the bar.” Celeste’s voice was full of sorrow.

“Dale doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about. I want stability. To be in one place. Not at the vineyard in California. I want a family with you.” I had planned my speech out much better in my head. I hadn’t expected a confrontation... More of a proposal.

Nor did I expect her to turn me down. “It’s not just me I have to think about... I can’t just run off with you because you don’t like it here anymore.”

I had no intention of having her runaway. But I also didn’t think about the little girl I had seen her with since I only saw her the one time at the ballpark in the last couple of months that I had been back. She never even mentioned her and she never wanted to speak about the past with us or what happened after I left.

Why? I needed answers. It was time to talk.

“Is Veeta your daughter?” I noticed a total uneasiness in Celeste’s movements as she lowered her head—I had never seen her nearly lose a fishing rod. “You have been purposely hiding her... Why do you keep her away from me?” I watched her slowly reel in an empty line without saying a word. “How old is she?”

I wondered what was going on in her head as she set her prized pole on the dock and turned to face me. “She turned five this year.”

Math calculations were suddenly running through my mind. She was older than I had thought... She was the right age to be... Mine. “Is Veeta my child?”

I watched Celeste’s body tremble a bit. She swallowed hard. “She is yours... She’s not mine.”

Those were not the words I expected.