A Family Affair
Friday morning dawned with a sizzling red sun bleeding across the horizon and a haze of clouds overhead. Even with the bedroom window shut tight, Meghan could smell rain in the air. Sox rolled onto his back, stretched, then offered up his tummy for some pets.
Meghan laughed. “Forget about it. We’ve got a busy day ahead.”
She swung her feet to the floor, grabbed a bathrobe, and headed for the shower. Sox was right behind her.
In the month they’d been together, Sox had become like a shadow, trailing along wherever she went. He woke her with slobbering kisses in the morning, and at night he snuggled into the crook of her arm as she closed her eyes. When she climbed into bed, he climbed in beside her, and when she sat at a desk—whether it was in her room or in the Snip ’N’ Save office—he was right there at her feet. A stranger could easily believe the girl and dog had been together all their lives.
Meghan splashed water on her face, wiped the sleep from her eyes, then grabbed Sox’s leash.
“Let’s go,” she said, and headed for the door.
The truth was Sox didn’t need a leash. He would have happily trotted along with only his love for her tying them together, but she wasn’t willing to take chances. Not after what happened to Clancy.
With Sox charging out front, Meghan ran three blocks, then slowed to a walk. The humidity, as thick as pea soup, made it too hot to run.
When Meghan returned, Tracy and Lila were sitting at the kitchen table.
“I can’t work today,” Tracy said. “The hospital called, and Lucas has an appointment for a CT scan at eleven thirty. Mama’s gonna go with us.”
At times Lila could be excitable and blow a minor incident into a catastrophe, which wasn’t necessarily good if you were edgy to start with.
“Are you okay with that?” Meghan asked.
Tracy nodded. “I’ve explained the situation, so she’s prepared.”
Meghan knew with both of them being out of the office yesterday there would be plenty of catching up to do.
“Well, if you’re sure . . . ”
Lucas banged his spoon against the tray of the high chair, yelling, “Sah! Sah!”
Once everyone was gone and the house quiet, Meghan whizzed through the ad scheduling and moved on to roughing in a layout for the following week’s issue. As promised, she included a picture of the lost Missy and in large bold letters stated there was a $100 reward offered by the owner. By the time Tracy returned, Meghan had finished up for the day.
“Let’s just take it easy for the rest of the afternoon,” she said. “I’m seeing Tom this evening, so I’d like to have time to get ready.”
That afternoon, the two sisters sat on the back porch, Meghan painting her toenails a peachy pink and Tracy watching as Lucas ran back and forth chasing Sox and calling out a word that had little resemblance to the dog’s name. Tracy sat there for a long while. Then she sucked in a deep breath and gave a sigh.
“I’m praying this implant thing works,” she said quietly.
Meghan reached across and squeezed her sister’s knee. “It will. I’m absolutely positive of it.”
She forced a note of conviction into her voice, but the truth was she felt as fearful as Tracy. Once she’d finished the Snip ’N’ Save scheduling, she’d spent well over an hour searching the Internet for stories with a thread of similarity. She’d watched YouTube videos of toddlers having their cochlear implant sound turned on for the first time. Some cried, some laughed, and a few closed their eyes, pulling their faces into a fearful grimace. There was no telling what Lucas would do, but according to Dr. Goldstein, it was his best shot at a normal life.
Tom pulled into the driveway with the convertible top up. All day it had been threatening rain, and the echo of thunder was off in the distance. After he’d heard about the episode at the audiologist’s office, he’d gone in search of a toy dog that looked like Sox, and he’d found one. Not a stuffed toy but a clickety-clack dog with a leash and legs that moved as he was pulled along. Tom had the toy in his hand when he rang the doorbell.
As Meghan opened the door, he grinned and said, “I found something for Lucas.” He pulled the toy dog from behind his back and held it out.
Meghan’s eyes beamed. “He’s going to love this!” She pulled Tom inside and insisted he give Lucas the toy himself.
Tracy and Lila joined them, and within minutes the living room was alive with laughter as they watched Lucas pull his new dog around, calling out that same barely identifiable word, “Sah. Sah.”
“This calls for a celebratory drink,” Lila said, and disappeared into the kitchen. A few minutes later, she returned, carrying a tray with glasses of icy wine coolers, a plate of cheeses, and a basket of crackers.
As they sipped the coolers, an easy conversation circled the room. Tom told of his mother back in Ohio and how, after nine years of being a widow, she had married again.
“A history professor from the university,” he said.
Lila spoke of George and claimed it was doubtful that she could ever love anyone else. As memories ran through her mind, she said, “We started dating in high school and got married a week after he graduated college.”
One story led to another, and in time, even Tracy joined in the conversation. She spoke of Gabriel and how she had high hopes he was going to teach Lucas to talk. There was no mention of Dominic.
As Tom was telling of his veterinary studies at Ohio State, a roll of thunder sounded overhead.
Tracy sighed. “I wish it would just go ahead and rain. It’s so blasted hot I can barely breathe.”
The boom of thunder sounded again, louder this time, followed by a gusty rush of wind.
“Looks like you’re going to get your wish,” Tom replied.
While his words were still hanging in the air, heavy raindrops began plopping on the roof, and seconds later it turned into a downpour.
Meghan peered out the front window and saw the branches of the willow whipping back and forth. It was less than fifty feet to where the car was parked, but they’d be soaked trying to make the dash.
“Let’s wait until the rain stops.”
Tom agreed.
But the rain didn’t stop. It continued on, lessening a bit from time to time and then roaring back with an even greater ferocity.
“It’s foolish to go out in weather like this,” Lila said. “Why don’t you stay here, and we’ll all have dinner together?”
Tom glanced across at Meghan. She smiled and gave him a nod.
Lila’s face lit up. “This won’t take but a few minutes,” she said, and headed for the kitchen.
“Need help?” Meghan asked.
“Not at all!” Lila hollered back. “Everything’s done. I’ll just be putting things on the table.” The clanging of pots and pans followed her words.
Tracy stood and followed in Lila’s steps. “If you guys will excuse me, I’m going to check and make sure Mama’s not out there roasting a pig.”
Once they were alone, Tom said, “Are you sure our staying for dinner isn’t putting your mom out?”
Meghan laughed. “Are you kidding? She loves it. Mama’s greatest joy is feeding people. When it was just the two of us, she was miserable, because she had no one to cook for.”
When Lila called them to dinner, it was in the dining room. The table was set with the good china and crystal glasses. In the center was a platter piled high with pork chops. Next to it was a large bowl of mashed potatoes and a pitcher of gravy.
“You shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble,” Tom said.
“Oh, pshaw,” Lila said, waving the thought off. “It was nothing.” But when they sat to eat and he raved about the chops being the most delicious he’d ever tasted, she took on a glow that hadn’t been seen in years.
The rain continued, but no cared as they sat around the table telling stories, talking, and laughing. Watching the conversation pass comfortably from one person to the next, Meghan couldn’t help but notice that just as Sox had seamlessly slid into the family, Tom was doing the same thing.
It was after nine when the rain slowed, then came to a stop.
Tom and Meghan were alone in the kitchen. Once he’d insisted on doing the cleanup, Lila retired to her room to watch a show she’d recorded earlier. Tracy, claiming it was way past Lucas’s bedtime, disappeared minutes later.
After the last pot had been scrubbed and put away, Meghan lifted her arms over her head and gave a leisurely stretch. “Now that that’s done . . . ”
Tom turned and playfully wrapped his arms around her waist. With one hand cradling the small of her back and the other centered between her shoulder blades, he pulled her to him. All at once they were so close he could feel her heartbeat.
She lowered her arms and rested them on his shoulders, her breath warm against the side of his neck.
“I thought maybe the rain would have cooled us down a bit,” she said.
“I don’t feel the least bit cooled down,” he replied, and covered her mouth with his. When their lips parted, he cupped his hand beneath her chin and lifted her face to his again. For a long moment he fixed his eyes on hers, and it was as if they were the last two people on earth. There was no one else, just the two of them, breathing the same air, feeling the same heat, burning with the same desire. He kissed her again and again, and she quivered beneath his touch.
Suddenly there was the thud of something beside them.
Tom’s head snapped back, and he looked around. Beulah sat on the kitchen counter, her bushy tail in the air and her eyes aglow.
Meghan swished her hand across the counter, and the cat jumped down.
Tom gave a soft chuckle. “You don’t suppose your mama had anything to do with that, do you?”
Meghan smiled and shook her head. “I doubt it. Beulah doesn’t listen to Mama any more than she listens to anyone else.”
Tom bent, brushed a tender kiss across the tip of Meghan’s nose, then stepped back and sucked in a deep breath. “I think maybe we’d better go for a walk or something.”
Meghan knew he was giving them some space, air enough to cool down before passion carried them off to a place they hadn’t intended.
“How about we sit on the front porch swing?” she said.
“Yeah,” he said, smiling. “The front porch sounds good.”
They started toward the door, and Sox, who’d been sleeping beneath a kitchen chair, stood, gave a quick stretch, then followed along.
When they sat side by side in the swing, Sox jumped into the wicker chair and curled up on the cushion. Facing forward, he lowered his head onto his paws and looked at them, eyeball to eyeball.
Tom laughed. “I think we’ve got a chaperone.”
“Obviously a smart dog,” she replied.
As they sat, lazily pushing back and forth in the swing, the clouds drifted away, the sky cleared, and the stars came out. He wrapped his arm around her and eased her head onto his shoulder. Twining his fingers through hers, he began to speak softly about things like destiny, fate, and forever.
“I know it’s too soon,” he said, “and I don’t want to scare you off, but—”
She turned her face to his and silenced him with a kiss. When she pulled back she whispered, “It’s not too soon.”
Sox closed his eyes and tucked his face between his paws.