24
Travis
Several days had passed since I drove over to give Emily Dad’s money. I felt better that they have it, and I was sure they would make good use of it. In that time, I had gotten Dad’s car straightened out with the DMV, so it was now in my name, making it okay for Abby to be seen with me while driving. Danny had started work on the exterior of the house, and the place already looked much better, with new gutters and new windows done, and Danny’s crew working to fix the porches. I had gone back to Ridgefield to turn in my retirement papers at the department, and to give my landlord notice that we were leaving. I hired a local mover to clean the apartment out as fast as they could and get our stuff up to the new house so that everything was already arriving today.
Abby was all excited about the prospect of starting over in a new town. She and Stephanie had hung out a couple of times, getting to know each other, and I was glad to see she had made a new friend around her own age instead of just hanging out with the waitresses at the restaurant. Sophie had helped to get Abby enrolled in school, getting her paperwork together from her old school and setting her up with a schedule, though both Sophie and Abby were nervous that Abby would be in her English class.
I was doing my best to get settled in at the restaurant as well, giving my new career my all. I picked up on the inventory and ordering pretty quickly, made contacts with vendors, got to know the staff, and even hired another part-time bartender to help us out, so I didn’t have to work seven days a week. Mom seemed to be glad that some of the burden was off of her now, and she even took to showing up later at the restaurant a few times instead of getting in so early each day.
Life with Sophie couldn’t get much better either. We spent as much time as we could together, making up for all the time we didn’t have together and got to know each other better again. I would go over to her place after work every night while they were working on my house and before it was furnished, and we would spend all night together talking, telling stories and getting to know each other physically and emotionally.
It had been a long, busy Friday night at the restaurant and I was glad to get out of there after cleaning up. Mom had even left a little earlier than I did tonight to give herself a break, and Abby walked over to Stephanie’s house so they could have a sleepover there. I drove over to Sophie’s and parked in her driveway. I walked up to the house and saw her sitting in her rocking chair, as usual, wearing a light blue cotton dress. I walked in and over to her and gave her a kiss as she went to stand up and took her by the hand and walked her out the door.
“Where are we going?” she asked me quizzically as we walked down the driveway and past my car.
“I thought we would take a little walk tonight,” I said to her as I put my arm around her as we walked.
The late August night air was getting cooler, letting us know fall was not far away now. We walked a little ways up the block and crossed the street so that my house was only about a block away. Unusually, another couple was walking towards us, holding hands. As we got closer to the light of the street lamp, it became clear who it was. There was my mother, walking and holding hands with Fred Perkins.
Mom had a shocked look on her face when Sophie and I came upon them.
“Hi Mom, Mr. Perkins,” I said with a sly smile.
“Oh Travis,” Mr. Perkins said, feeling a bit befuddled. “Call me Fred, please.”
“Where are you two off to?” I asked my mother.
“We’re just out for a walk, enjoying the night air,” she said to me. “You know how it’s my favorite time to enjoy life in Canon.”
“Yes, and now I know why,” I told her. Sophie tugged on my hand, silently telling me to be nice.
“Well, you two enjoy your evening,” Sophie said, jumping in, and making me walk down the street.
“You too!” Fred said back to us, picking up my mother’s hand again as they kept walking.
Sophie ushered me down the street.
“How long do you think that has been going on?” I asked Sophie, turning back to make sure Fred was being a gentleman.
“I am guessing a while,” Sophie said. “Instead of worrying about them, why don’t you tell me where we are going.”
I turned my attention back to her just as we got to my house on the corner of Collins. I opened the new cyclone fence gate for Sophie as she walked through on the freshly-manicured lawn. She took a look around smiling at all the improvements, including the new front porch, complete with its own white porch swing.
We sat down on the porch swing and moved it gently. Sophie put her head on my shoulder and sighed as we relaxed together.
“So what do you think of this small town life, Mr. Stone?” Sophie asked me.
“I don’t think there is any place I would rather be, Ms. Ingram,” I said to her.
“No place at all?” she asked, lifting her head up to look at me.
“Well, maybe one place,” I said to her.
With that, I stood up and swiftly lifted her up, cradling her in my arms, and carried her across the threshold, pushing the door open so we could head upstairs to my bedroom.
No one keeps the doors locked in Canon you know.
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