Chapter 25
EVIE
Kyle and I have been dating for a couple of weeks now, and I can’t remember the last time I was this happy.
He’s the perfect gentleman and goes out of his way to make me feel special.
I’m starting to fall in love with him.
Last night, during my shift, I realized my feelings were changing. I was standing at the bar while waiting for an order when Kyle walked over to the hostess stand to check the reservations. Not once did he ogle one of the other girls, but as he turned around, our eyes met. He smiled.
That smile was for me. Just me. No one else.
I grin at my reflection in the mirror as I take the elevator up to Kyle’s place. It’s Monday night, which means Marilyn’s is closed, and it’s my one night off.
Kyle is making me dinner tonight.
I’m nervous when the doors open, and I step into his foyer. We’ve had some pretty heated moments, but we’ve never done anything more.
I’m ready to move our relationship to the next step.
“There’s my gorgeous girl,” Kyle says as he comes down the stairs. He walks right up to me, wraps an arm around my waist and kisses me passionately.
When he pulls back, I smile up at him. “Something smells delicious.”
“I’ve done something different. I hope you like it,” Kyle says secretively.
Taking my hand, he pulls me to the kitchen. When I see what he’s done, I laugh.
“We’re having breakfast?”
He grins at me as he pulls out a stool for me. “Because of the hours we work, we’ve never had a decent breakfast before. I like the idea of starting my day with you.”
Aww… he’s so sweet.
We help ourselves to the various breakfast foods he has laid out on the counter. Kyle thought of everything. Eggs, bacon, hash browns, biscuits and gravy, and pancakes, I’m going to roll out of here by the time we’re done eating.
Conversation is light while we enjoy the feast, and I find myself smiling the entire time.
When I take my last bite, feeling like my stomach could burst, Kyle places our dirty dishes in the dishwasher. I watch as he pours us each a glass of wine.
“Let’s go sit in the living room,” he says, and he waits for me to get up before he follows me over to the couch.
Once I’m seated, he hands me a glass and clinks his own against mine.
“Here’s to us,” he whispers.
I take a sip and place the glass on the table next to me. I’ve never been much of a big drinker.
As I turn back, Kyle’s hands frame my face, and his lips press against mine. Things heat up quickly, and soon we’re breathless as we claw at each other’s clothes.
I only manage to get his shirt off before he drags my jeans and panties down my legs. He pushes my shirt up and yanks my bra down, and his mouth is hot on my sensitive flesh as his lips cover a nipple.
A moan drifts from my lips as his hand slips between my legs.
Letting go of my breast, he glances up at me with a grin. “You’re wet for me, gorgeous.”
He quickly rolls on a condom before he covers my body and enters me.
It’s been so long since I’ve had sex, that it hurts a little. He moves faster and faster which makes the slight sting fade.
Claiming my mouth, he devours me. As he breaks the kiss, he thrusts deeper into me, and it hits the spot. Pleasure ripples through me, and Kyle follows right after me.
Pulling out of me, Kyle’s eyes lock on mine with an intense look. “I knew we would be good together. You’re mine now, Evie.”
∞∞∞
I stare at the modest house with the dilapidated white picket fence, trying to imagine what it would’ve been like growing up here.
I picture a little girl with red pigtails, running around the yard, laughing as her daddy scoops her up and places her on his shoulders. She’s on top of the world.
I finally got some information on my mother. Josephine Bailey. As scared as I am about what else I might learn, I know I’ll always wonder if I don’t go through with this.
Straightening my spine, I walk up the path. I hesitate for a second before I push through my fear and nerves, and I knock on the door.
An elderly lady opens the door, and my first thought is; could she be my grandma?
“Hi.” My voice is shaky from the fear that my parents still won’t want me. “I’m looking for Josephine Bailey.”
The woman furrows her brow as she tries to recall the name.
“The name doesn’t ring a bell. I’ve only lived here four years.” She stabs a thumb in the direction of the neighbor’s house. “If the person you’re looking for lived here before me, then Maggie will know them. Best you go ask her.”
The door closes in my face before I can thank her.
I glance over at the neighboring house. It doesn’t look much better. It’s clear that the neighborhood has fallen on hard times.
I make my way over to Maggie’s house and knock. This time I’m not feeling nervous at all. I feel a sense of dread that I’ll never find my parents.
A woman opens the door, and my eyes widen as I take in her appearance. Her purple hair is full of curlers, and a cigarette is dangling from her bottom lip. It looks like it’s about to drop any second. A thin flannel robe covers her skinny body, and worn slippers are on her feet.
I clear my throat when she raises an eyebrow at me.
“Hi, Maggie,” I say, forcing a smile to my face.
“Do I know you?” she says, her voice gruff from years of smoking. She squints her eyes as she looks at me as if she’s seen me before but can’t quite place where.
“Uhm… no. I’m looking for Josephine Bailey. I was wondering if you knew her?”
Her mouth gapes open, and the cigarette falls to the floor. Slapping her hand over her heart, her eyes grow wide as a saucer.
“Can it be?” With trembling fingers, she grabs the spectacles hanging around her neck and shoves them onto her nose. “As I live and breathe,” she whispers. “I thought he’d thrown you in the river.”
Confused and shocked by her words, I can only stare at her.
She reaches a wrinkly hand out to me, and her touch is unbelieving as she caresses my face.
“My God, you’re the spitting image of Joey,” she breathes.
The next second she grabs hold of my arm and yanks me into the house.
Keeping hold of my arms, she continues to stare at me for a long while.
I swallow hard, and ask the one question I fear most, “Did you know my mom?”
She starts to nod her head as her face fills with sadness, and it makes my heart sink into the floorboards beneath my feet.
“Let’s have some tea.”
I follow her to the kitchen and hardly take in the worn state of everything inside the house. I just want to know what happened to my mom and dad. Even if they died, it would be more than I have now. At least then I’ll know they didn’t leave me by choice and that makes all the difference.
I sit down on a rickety chair and wait for Maggie to finish making the tea.
When she places a cracked cup in front of me, I smile gratefully.
“Thank you. Can you tell me more about my mom?” I ask hopefully.
Maggie lights a cigarette before her tired brown eyes lock on mine.
“It’s a sad story. What happened to those kids, it’s this town’s biggest tragedy.”
I grip my hands together on my lap, steeling myself as best I can for what’s to come.
“What did you say your name was?” Maggie asks as a ball of smoke billows around her head.
“Evie Cole,” I whisper.
Maggie starts to blink rapidly as she gets emotional.
“At least you got your daddy’s last name. That’s good,” she says, nodding to herself.
“Hayden Cole?” I ask to make sure I have the right name.
“Yeah, Hayden Dean Cole and Josephine Bailey. You should know your parents loved each other very much.”
I lick my dry lips, and ask, “What happened to them?”
Maggie takes one last deep drag before she kills the cigarette in an overfull ashtray.
“I’ve got some of Joey’s things. I didn’t have the heart to throw them out.”
As she gets up and shuffles out of the room, I bite my bottom lip as my right leg starts to jump. It doesn’t take Maggie long to come back with a shoebox. Besides the coloring of age, the box is in better shape than anything else I’ve seen in this town.
“Joe Bailey was slapped upside the head by the devil himself. He’s your granddaddy. He had a mean streak, and the drinking only made it worse. Your grandmamma died giving birth to your mamma, just like your mamma died giving birth to you.”
Sorrow for a woman I’ve never known floods my heart. My eyes start to burn, and I fight hard to keep the tears back.
Maggie opens the box, taking a faded photo from it. She hands it to me, and when I see the young couple smiling up at the camera from where they’re sitting at this very table, my sight blurs.
I blink quickly, wanting to take in everything about them. The girl is pretty, and her smile is so broad, it doesn’t look like she has a care in the world. She has the same wild red hair like me. We could’ve been twins. My eyes skip to my dad’s face.
“You got your daddy’s eyes. Every girl in town was crazy for that boy.”
A tear escapes my eye, and I wipe it away with the back of my hand.
“But he loved my mom,” I whisper, carefully caressing my thumb over their faces. This is the closest I’ll ever get to touching them.
“After the funeral, I asked Joe what happened to you. He never answered me. He took the secret to his grave a week after Joey died. Drowned himself in one too many bottles of brandy.”
“How old was my mom when she gave birth to me?” I have so many questions about my parent, but that’s the first one that comes to mind.
“She was eighteen. Joey and Hayden were high school sweethearts. Bobby made an honest woman of your mamma. They got engaged before he left to serve his time for his country.”
Another tear rolls down my cheek, but this time I leave it as I whisper, “Did he die while serving?”
“Hayden was an only child. His mamma,” she pauses to light a cigarette, “your grandmamma died during his senior year. That boy worked his fingers to the bone so he could finish school. He had so much potential. We all thought Hayden and Joey would make it out of this town and have themselves a fairytale life in the city.”
Maggie finishes her tea before she digs into the box again. She takes out a stack of the letters, tied neatly with a pale pink ribbon.
“These were the letters your daddy wrote while he was serving. I couldn’t find any from after your momma died. I tried writing to the address on the back, to give Hayden my condolences, but I never received anything in return.”
“Did he come back here after his tour was up?”
Maggie shrugs, and it makes my heart start to thump in my chest.
“No one knows what happened to Hayden. I assumed he died. He never came back here.”
A tiny seed of hope pushes through my sorrow. “He could still be alive?”
Maggie lets out a huff of air. “Hayden lived for Joey. If he did survive the army, it would be so sad knowing he had to continue living without her.”
Maggie takes a plain silver band from the box.
“This was your mamma’s ring.” With trembling fingers, I take it from Maggie. She leans closer to me. “Put it on. Let’s see if it fits.”
My chest fills to the brim with emotions as I slip the ring onto my left hand. It’s a little too big, so I switch it over to my right hand.
A satisfied smile settles on Maggie's wrinkled face.
“You should wear it. Joey and Hayden would’ve wanted it that way.”
I visit with Maggie for a couple of hours, listening to stories of my parents and their love before I get up to leave.
“Thank you so much for agreeing to see me, and thank you for keeping my mom’s things safe all these years.”
“You’re welcome, Evie.” Her eyes glide over me, and she smiles proudly. “You know, it’s comforting to know that their love survived the tragedy.”
I frown not understanding what she means.
“It’s you, child. You are the living proof of Hayden and Joey’s love. It gives my old heart some peace.”
I hug Maggie and giving her one last smile I walk away richer than when I got here. I have a photo of my parents, the letters from Dad, and Mom’s ring.
But the most important thing is that they never left me.