Chapter 38
Bailey
Darren and I got on the road later than we’d planned, but we were both wiped out from the many days of constant rehearsals and recordings for the album. I was still quite laid back. It was a relaxing ride back down to Georgia. We listened to music, jamming the whole way.
Early on during our drive, Darren said that he had a surprise for me when we got back to town. He gave no hints, no clues, and no indication as to what I had waiting for me, but I was highly curious and eager to find out what it was. Even as we sang songs in the car, I was trying to picture what the surprise might be.
I was fully expecting to go for an extended period of time soon where I wouldn’t be with Darren and Bo. I could breathe easily, because I knew that we would all meet again soon after the absence, but it didn’t make imagining farewells any easier. I nearly cried every time I thought of getting on a plane alone, unsure of exactly when our lips would meet again in a soft, passionate kiss.
Whenever I was near tears during the drive, Bo would always pick up on it. He would crawl up to the front of the car, nuzzle me with his big, furry head, and I would instantly feel better. The six hours on the road went quickly.
I stood straight up in my seat to become more alert as we entered Rome. I wanted to get a good look at everything again. The sun was setting, and there weren’t as many cars on the road as usual.
We passed by the many shops and restaurants that Darren and I had gone to as kids, teens, and adults. I loved looking back on old times, but I didn’t miss many of these places that contained fond memories. I couldn’t miss them; I couldn’t afford to.
We passed by churches I’d been to many times, and places I’d gone to make out with boys. And, we passed the movie theater and bowling alley, two places I went often with my parents when I was much younger.
Then, as my thoughts lingered on my parents, we drove up toward the cemetery.
“Darren, can we go to the cemetery?” I asked. “Just for a few minutes?”
“Bailey, of course we can.”
He turned on his left turn signal, and without hesitation, he turned the Focus off the road and into the graveyard.
I hadn’t spent much time with either of my parents since my father’s funeral. I don’t think I would have gone to the cemetery on my own, but I felt braver knowing that I had Darren there with me.
He pulled up to the spot closest to my parents’ grave, parking and getting out to open my door for me.
“Thank you, kind sir,” I said, taking his hand. Darren truly was the only gentleman I had in my life; and, I thanked the heavens every day that he was my man.
We walked up to the grave together. I could see it from afar: “WRIGHT”
“Oh, I don’t know now,” I said, clutching onto Darren’s wrist.
“We don’t have to do this,” he told me. “They’re safe. They’re here. They’re at rest. You’ll visit again in the future.”
“The flowers are all gone,” I lamented.
“Well, it’s been over a month since the funeral,” said Darren. “The flowers likely wilted weeks ago, their petals floating away in the wind.”
“Come on now, don’t patronize.”
“I’m not patronizing at all,” he assured me. “I’ve seen it before. Remember when Shane committed suicide back in senior year? I wrote something on his memoriam, and there were a whole bunch of flowers that had been left over that last week. Their petals were all floating in the wind. You know how bad the winds can get here.”
“Yeah, like in the winter,” I said. “We’re in spring.”
“Springs in Rome have wind,” he said.
“Still, it’s weird. It’s just there. Dad’s ashes spread over Mom’s coffin. Suddenly, I feel very old.”
Oddly enough, we both felt a sudden surge of chilly wind sweep across the landscape. I nuzzled into Darren, staring down at my parents’ gravestone.
“I thought I’d have something meaningful to say to them, but I’ve got nothing,” I said. “I just miss them both so much. I’d do anything to have them back.”
“They were both very proud of you,” said Darren. “They both knew you were going to go far, and they loved you until their final breaths. And, they knew you loved them, too. Don’t worry about that, Bailey Wright.”
I didn’t want to ruin what Darren had said by bumbling my thoughts. I was on the verge of tears, and I didn’t want to lose it in front of Darren, or my parents.
“You want to leave flowers for your folks?” Darren asked.
I weakly nodded, wiping away the debris around my eyes. He let go of me, and he ran off toward the fence that separated the graveyard from the properties next door. At first, I didn’t know what was driving him that way, but then my eyes saw clearer: Flowers were growing on vines that wrapped around the fence. He grabbed a handful of colorful flowers from the vines and delivered them over to my parents’ grave. I couldn’t help but smile as he scattered them randomly on their gravesite.
“This is to tide us over until we get to a flower shop,” he said. “I’m just not sure which ones are open after five.”
“No, Darren, this is perfect,” I said while hugging him. “Thank you.”
He wrapped me in his arms. We swayed from side to side, not letting go of each other. I was melting in the embrace of my new family, the man who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
“I miss them, too,” Darren said. “Your dad still owes me a barbecue. I’ve got an I.O.U. he’ll have to honor up in Heaven.”
“I told my dad I was going to put him up in his own mansion in Virginia,” I said. “I owe him a mansion up in Heaven.”
“If I know your dad, he’ll probably have one built for you by the time you get up there,” said Darren.
We walked back to the Focus and headed further north on the highway.
“Weren’t you saying something about meeting up with Garrett when we made it to town?” I asked.
“Indeed, I did,” he said. “That’s what we’re doing.”
“Isn’t his place the other way?”
“It is, but we’re not going to his place.”
I was becoming more flustered the longer he kept up his cryptic demeanor. I slugged him in the knee.
“What?” He chuckled.
“So, where are we headed, amigo?” I asked.
“We’re going to my place, what’s the problem?” he replied. “Garrett’s already at the house.”
“At your house?”
“Yeah,” he affirmed. “He’s had a key for years. He’s there now.”
“He’s at your house when you’re not?”
“Yeah, he’s been helping me out with something,” said Darren.
“Does it have to do with the surprise?” I asked facetiously.
“Actually, it does,” he confirmed. “You’ll see, little lady.”
And, see I did.
In Darren’s driveway was a small moving trailer. The back doors were open, and there were some furniture and some boxes already inside. We parked behind Garrett’s car on the street.
“What?” I gasped. “Darren, what’s going on up there?”
Darren opened his front door, and Bo scurried from the backseats up to the front to leap out with him. I was stuck in my seat, flabbergasted by what I saw.
Then, my eyes drifted from the moving trailer over to the sign that was posted in Darren’s yard. It was a realty sign with a man’s face on it and the word “SOLD” emblazoned across the sign.
“Oh, my God,” I said to myself.
Darren opened my door for me. I saw Garrett walking outside of the house, holding a beer in one hand and a box in the other. He put his box down when Bo came running up from the street up to see him.
“What’s going on?” I asked Darren, thinking I knew the answer already.
“Garrett’s helping me pack, and he’s going to drive up with us to Nashville and help us get settled in,” said Darren. “I was able to call in a favor and get the trailer for a lot less than what’s listed.”
“Darren,” I said in astonishment, shaking my head. “You didn’t.”
“I did,” he said with no vagueness. “I sold my house, and I’m moving to Nashville now. You wanted to get there as soon as possible, right? Well, I’m right there with you. I was able to sell the house for way more than I paid for it, so I’m thrilled about that. I transferred some money over to Garrett so he could get the trailer and get started for me so that we could get going soon.”
I started to cry. “No, you really did it?”
“Of course, I did,” he said, kneeling down to face me in the passenger seat. “Wasn’t I going to eventually?”
“Yes, but you didn’t have to sell it so fast like that,” I said through tears. “You love this house. You sold it because of me.”
“I sold it for us,” he said, taking both of my hands in his. “It makes sense financially too. I mean, rent is only going up more everywhere, every day; and, houses are becoming more expensive around here. There’s no point in waiting. Let’s sign the papers for our place in Nashville. Let’s really get our future started, baby. I know I want this. I’ve never been more sure of anything before.”
I was literally speechless, almost wanting to accuse him of pulling an elaborate prank on me. After believing that Darren might not ever leave Rome, years ago, I stopped picturing a scenario where he would pack up his things from his nice little house and move far from Georgia. To see it really happening was surreal.
“I want this,” he repeated, kissing my hands repeatedly. He now seemed worried, anxious about my reaction. “But, if you’re not really sure, then I’ll figure something out. The new owners don’t move in until nine days from now. No pressure, but—”
It took no effort to come to my conclusion. I took his face in my hands, grabbed him and kissed him. No doubt remained behind, and I was ready for what he was: Really getting our future started.
We ordered pizza and packed up Darren’s things around the house. Garrett had already moved a sizeable amount of stuff into the trailer, but with the three of us working together, I knew we could get on the road to Nashville by that weekend.
We spent the evening with Garrett, chilling and catching up on the past month. He loved hearing about the intricacies of how we were mixing our album, and I loved hearing about the antics they’d gotten into while I was in Memphis.
Mel and the others at Darren’s job threw him a farewell party on Darren’s last day at work. Apparently, there was some troublemaking, which included Garrett hooking up with a girl they used to work with, even though he brought Wendy, the girl I was introduced to at the Shoreman. There was also, evidently, a small fire that almost broke out when a mishap with their grill occurred. I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to be there although Garrett did invite me.
For a while, the boys began trading stories among themselves, leading me to process what all was happening. My dreams all seemed to be coming true, and I didn’t know how to handle it.
“I’m going to miss coming over here,” Garrett said as he finished his fourth beer.
“I loved living here,” said Darren. “This was a good home. I like the buyers, though. I think they’ll keep it a good home. Bo’s really going to miss being here. This is pretty much the only home he’s had. He’s lived here since I got him.”
“That apartment in Nashville will be a good fit for him,” said Garrett. “There’s a lot of room for a dog—a lot of space. He’ll be great.”
“Bailey was mentioning maybe getting another dog,” said Darren. “We were thinking of adopting a puppy. Right, B?”
I looked up at them, still out of it. I smiled, guiltily shuffling my feet.
“I’m sorry, I’m a little distracted at the moment,” I told them.
“What’s wrong?” Darren asked.
“Nothing,” I replied. “Absolutely nothing. I’m just waiting until I wake up and realize that I’m making all this up.”
“This is all real, girl,” said Darren. “What can I say to prove that to you?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’ll step outside for a few moments,” said Garrett, dismissing himself from the group. Bo ran outside and joined him.
“I want to start my life with you, Bailey,” said Darren. “I want us to make music together. I want to pick out bathroom tiles together. I want to have kids with you.”
“Do you?” I said, taken aback.
“I want to do everything with you,” he replied. “I’m in love with you. I’ve felt this way for a long time, and when you were gone—”
We held each other’s heads in our hands.
“I was asleep for six years,” he said. “I’m awake now. I can’t go back to sleep. I need to be with you for as long as I’m awake.”
Then, for the first time since we were in high school, Darren shed a tear down his face. I wiped it away with my thumb, and I began to feel more streaming down my face.
“I’m so in love with you, Darren Holt,” I declared. “I want to do everything with you, too. Let’s start right now.”