Trystan and I had a talk with Fred this week in regards to the house and our options. For starters, I want to buy the house from him so I can make it mine. Trystan came up with a very thoughtful idea the other day and because the property isn't mine, I had to get permission. I'm a lucky woman because Fred adores DJ and I. He told me he would be more than happy to sell the house to me, knowing it would be going to a good woman. All I have to do is let him know when I'm ready and we'll take care of everything. That said, he also told me I'm welcome to do with the house as I wish, which was really exciting because we have a project for DJ today.
"Where are we going?"
"To the store."
The three of us head out the door with DJ looking a bit annoyed that I'm not giving him more details, but when we pull up to the nursery in the next town over, he says, "Why are we looking at plants?"
"Because today the three of us are going to build a memorial garden for Dad in the yard."
His eyes go wide. "No way! What are we going to put in it?"
I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know, but the three of us are going to go look at some stuff. We'll get a nice statue to show it's a memorial for dad, and we'll plant some stuff to make it look nice."
"Dad did like the park."
"He did and although this was Trystan's idea, I think it's perfect," I tell him as we walk into the store.
"Thanks, Trystan." DJ fist bumps him.
"You're welcome, buddy." We walk through the store talking about the corner we're going to put it in and what we need to get it started. Once we have the start of it we go to look at what we want to plant. DJ decides we need a tree in the very corner of it. Something that won't get too big, but his dad always liked going to the park to see the trees. That is something you miss seeing so much of in the city. We find a really nice memorial stone to place in the center of it. It's a nice size that everyone will be able to see and read without having to step inside, and that's exactly what I wanted. We also found a flag to hang that reads, 'Your wings were ready, we were not.' Happy with our purchases, we load them into the back of Trystan's truck and tie down the tree we bought.
When we get back home, I tell DJ to get changed into some grungy clothes. As soon as he's gone, I get busy helping Trystan empty the truck. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"You're amazing. You were supportive but gave us space to make this ours, and I appreciate it. Not to mention it was an amazing idea. I think this is really going to help DJ move on."
"What about you?" He slips his fingers up my jawline and into my hair.
I shrug. "I'm good, but I think it will be nice to have for both of us."
He presses his lips to mine and then grabs the tree and carries it to the back. "What can I do?"
"Here, take these plants." I hand some small plants off to him.
It takes us a little bit but we manage to get the truck empty, and everything is divided into stages. DJ and Trystan get to work digging up the grass in the corner that we're going to use to make the garden. I snap a few pictures and then decide that we're going to need some drinks, so I hurry inside to make a huge pitcher of pink lemonade. I fill the pitcher with ice and bring it outside with some cups. Once they have the grass dug up and all that's left is dirt, Trystan grabs a rake and smooths out the dirt. He tells DJ to pull out any big rocks he sees that could get in our way. While he does that Trystan grabs a quick drink.
"All set, Trystan."
"Great, grab a drink and then I'll show you how to use this." He holds up a tool.
"What is it?" He chugs lemonade and wipes sweat from his forehead.
"This is going to dig the hole we need for the tree. We have to make sure the hole is deep enough though. We don't want the roots popping up out of the ground.
DJ puts his cup down. "Let's do it."
"Okay, so where do you want the tree?" Trystan asks him.
"Mom. What do you think? Where should we put the tree?"
I shrug. "I like the idea of putting it in the corner, bud, but make sure it's not too close to the fence."
Trystan grabs the tree and places it in the corner. "What do you think?"
"Yeah, that looks good." Trystan marks the size hole and starts it off showing DJ how to use it.
"I can do that." He takes the tool from Trystan.
He starts working on the hole but is struggling. He doesn't have the strength Trystan does, so when he pulls it out of the hole he drops some of the dirt. We tell him not to give up and try a little more, but when Trystan sees him getting frustrated he helps him out, and they do it together. It takes them a little while but they get the tree in the ground. They're making some good progress, but it's getting late and I'm sure they're getting hungry, so I head in to make us up some sandwiches.
When I get back outside with a tray of food they both look at me with excitement. "Yes, food. I'm starved." DJ comes running over.
"Go wash your hands, young man."
He sprints into the house. Trystan places a chaste kiss on my lips and follows behind him, and I set up their plates with sandwiches, fruit salad, and chips. A minute later the two of them come back with clean hands, ready to eat. "Thanks, Mom." DJ shoves a bite of his sandwich into his mouth.
"You're welcome. Do you like how the garden is coming along?"
He nods. "I think this is so cool. I just wish we had more."
"More how?" I ask him, not sure where he's going with this.
He shrugs. "I don't know. I know we can't actually have him in our yard, but you know, like a piece of him with us. Does that sound stupid?"
"Not at all, kid, but you do have a piece of him with you. He's in your heart, and he watches over you every single day."
DJ looks at me. "You think so, Mom?"
"Absolutely, but I'll tell you what. I have some things in the closet of Dad’s. I'll grab something to put in the garden."
"You do?"
I nod. "I brought a few things with us. I felt like it was a way to keep him with us, and it made me feel safe when we were in the car together."
"Wow. I didn't know."
I nod. "I truly believe he led us here so we would meet Trystan and have a good life here."
DJ says nothing more, but continues to eat his lunch. I think he's really thinking about what I said. I want him to know that it's okay to move on and that there's nothing wrong with us living a happy life. It took me a while to get to this point, and I don't want him to feel bad for making memories with Trystan.
DJ finishes his lunch and asks Trystan, "What's next?"
"Well, we have to figure out where the flag and rock will go and then we can put the plants around it. Once the plants are down, we can put the edging up and mulch.
"We have a lot left to do."
Trystan laughs, "Nah the plants are small, that part will be a lot easier. Come on, I'll show you."
I take all the lunch stuff into the house and then go to my room to figure out what we can put into the garden. I'm going through the box, very indecisive about what to give up of his. I don't want to pick something too big because they will have to dig a big hole to get it into the ground. I finally decide to pull his badge from its lanyard and give him that. It's small and will fit under the rock. I meet them in the garden with the card in my pocket. The three of us decide what plants will go where, and when we're done I pull it from my pocket. "Here." I hand it to DJ.
A huge smile spreads across his face. "This is perfect, Mom."
"I'm glad you're happy with it." We bury the card and begin the process of putting the plants into the ground. We explain to DJ that the Iris will grow back again next year and it's a taller plant so we want to put them closest to the tree. We place the rock in front of the Iris and then put the lower plants around it. We got stuff that will look nice but won't grow out of control because we don't want to worry about the rock getting hidden by plants that take over the garden. There's a nice mix of color, and I think it's coming out really nice.
It's really hot, but we're making amazing progress. "We need to put the stone edging up," Trystan tells DJ.
He grabs some of them and carries as many as he can over. It takes him a few trips but he brings them to Trystan and he places them down, lining the edge of the garden. When DJ brings him the last stone, he starts to pick up the bags of mulch.
"DJ, give me a minute and I'll help you." Trystan jumps up from the ground. I grab a bag, DJ grabs one, and Trystan grabs two. "Put your gloves back on, DJ," Trystan instructs him. DJ does as he’s told while Trystan opens the bag and starts sprinkling mulch down. "DJ, use your hands to spread it all around the plants. Make sure you get it underneath them too.” He does a great job of making sure it gets everywhere. When they're done, Trystan steps back and gives DJ and I a minute to observe their hard work.
"You did a good job, buddy. Daddy would be proud."
"Would be?Daddy is proud of us." He corrects me.
A tear runs down my cheek. "You better believe it, buddy." I run my fingers through his sweaty hair.
"We need one more thing," he says, staring at the garden.
"What's that?"
"A light."
I chuckle. "You're right. Let's go get them and we can place a few in the garden, and then I want you to shower."
He runs off to the garage, and I hurry off behind him. I know where they are, but I'm not sure he does. It was one of the things Fred left in there that he said we could use if needed. He had them in the front of the house at one point, but when the guy came to mow the lawn he was breaking them, so I pulled them out. They'll be perfect for this. I hand four of them to DJ, and we go back to the garden to place them along the edge. I hope there's enough sunlight left to charge them for tonight. I’m hoping he’ll at least be able to see it lit anyway.
Trystan puts his arm around me as I stare at their work. "Do you think he's happy?"
"Dylan or DJ?" I ask.
"Both."
"Yeah, I think they're both happy."
He kisses me on the head. "Good.”
I look up at him. “Are you still heading out with the guys tonight?”
“Are you okay with that?”
“Yeah, it will give me some time with DJ alone after an emotional day.”
“Okay, then I’m going to go shower. I shouldn’t be home too late.” He heads into the house to shower and get ready. The guys are headed to Billy’s to have some pizza and hang out. They’ve been trying to make sure he stays on a good path, and that means no more hanging in bars. Trystan has mentioned the guys taking a Saturday to go shooting, but Rachael isn’t a fan of Jack firing guns, so they’ve pushed that off for a little bit.
DJ comes into the living room. “Mom, can we watch a movie?”
“Sure, Trystan is heading out to hang with the guys at Billy’s, so I figured we could order some Chinese food to be delivered.”
“Okay. I just want chicken wings.”
I roll my eyes. “There’s a shocker.”
He laughs, “I like what I like, Mom.”
I chuckle. “And I wouldn’t change you for the world.”
“I’ll see you a little later, sugar.” Trystan kisses me goodbye and tells DJ to have a good night.
About halfway through the movie, DJ passes out on the couch, and I’m not surprised. He worked so hard outside today that he wiped himself out, but it was nice to have a little time alone with him.
He’s getting too big for me to pick up but I try, despite my efforts, to keep him asleep, he wakes up. That’s probably for the best because I like walking upright. He walks himself off to bed while I shut the movie off.
“Good night, buddy.” I kiss him on the head. “I love you.”
“Good night, Mom. I love you too.” He snuggles into his blankets and instantly starts to fall asleep again. I close his door slightly and make my way to my room to change into something more comfortable. Once I’m changed, I climb into bed with my bottle of water and the remote for the TV. I’ve always struggled with the house being in complete silence and it’s worse now that I’ve had Trystan around, but I settle on Law & Order. Adjusting the pillows, I get comfortable to watch TV while I wait for my man to come home. I hope he’s having fun, and I can’t wait to hear how Billy is doing.
My phone chirps by my bed, letting me know that I have a text.
Trystan: I’ll be home in a little bit.
Stella: Good, DJ is out like a light ;-)
Hopefully, he gets what my winky face means.
Trystan: Maybe I’ll be home sooner rather than later.
I laugh. Yup, he gets it. I put my phone down and that’s when I think I hear something. I mute the TV and sure enough, there’s a rustling at the door. I hear it fly open, slamming into the wall, and silently pray that it didn’t wake DJ. With my hands shaking, I reach over to the safe Trystan installed. Placing my fingers in their correct spots, it opens and I grab the nine slamming the magazine into place. I slowly make my way to the living room where I can see a shadow trashing my home.
“Freeze.” I point the gun at the human. The person turns around revealing that it’s Sophia. “What the hell are you doing in my home?” I aim my gun at her. I’m shaking, showing I’m not really ready for this situation, but damn it, she will not hurt my boy. “I thought you left.”
She shakes her head. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t leave him.” Tears run down her cheek as she looks at the framed picture of the three of us. “I love him. He was my man.”
“Was.” I’m getting braver.
“I need him back,” she yells at me.
“Sophia, please stay calm.”
“Fuck you.” She pulls a knife from the pocket of the black jacket she’s wearing. She points it at me. Her hand is shaking as bad as mine was.
“So what’s your plan? Break into my home, scare me off?”
She laughs, “You think I didn’t know that Trystan left. I’ve been watching waiting for the right moment. He’s not here to protect you.”
“Do you really think hurting me is going to make him run back into your arms?”
“Stop talking!” she screams. This chick has legit lost it and I’m not sure what to do at this point, but it’s clear she hasn’t thought this through. I really don’t want to shoot her, and I hope she doesn’t give me a reason to. She points the knife at me. “You ruined it. I was about to make my move toward Trystan and apologize for my mistake, but you had to come along.” She steps closer, waving the knife around. “Drop the gun.” She steps closer.
“Not gonna happen. You need to back up.”
She laughs, “I’m in charge here.”
“Sophia, I have a gun aimed at you, and Trystan taught me to shoot.”
She begins to cry again. “I begged him to take me shooting and he wouldn’t, why?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know and I’m sorry it didn’t work out between you two, but this isn’t the way to fix it. You’re acting all crazy.”
I hear sirens coming. I look out the window and it gives her the chance to charge me, but I’m quicker than she is. I let off one shot, hitting her in the shoulder. She drops as Trystan comes running through the door with the police right behind him. I’m panting and a tear runs down my cheek. “She gave me no choice,” I whisper to him. He gently wraps his arms around me and lowers the gun.
“It’s okay, sugar.”
The police call for an ambulance as they tend to Sophia, who is lying on my living room floor with blood running down her shoulder. “Trystan, look what she did to me,” she groans out in pain. “She shot me.”
“Get her out of my house!” I shout.
The stretcher comes in, and they lift her onto it. “I love you, Trystan,” she shouts as they’re wheeling her away.
“How did you know?”
“Me.” DJ comes into the room, knowing it’s now safe.
“I heard what was happening. I called 911 and then called Trystan.”
“My brave boy.” I run over and wrap him in my arms. “I’m so proud of you.”
“I wanted to protect you, Mom, but there was no way for me to sneak up behind her. I had my bat in my hand and was about to run at her when you shot her.” I squeeze him tight. “Is she going to die?” DJ asks me.
“Thanks to your mom’s amazing aim, she will probably be fine, physically anyway. It seems she’s mentally lost it, and I’m sure she will end up in some state facility after she is released from the hospital.” Trystan wraps his arms around both of us. “Sugar, the police need your gun for evidence.”
“Am I in trouble?”
He shakes his head at me. “No, it was justified. You’ll be fine.” The officer takes the gun from my hand, puts the safety on, and bags it.
“Why don’t we head to my place for the night?” Trystan offers. “The police are going to need to finish up here, and we will need someone to come in to clean the place up.”
I nod my agreement and head to my room to pack a bag while Trystan helps DJ gather his stuff. I sit on my bed for just a second to gather myself. A lot has happened tonight, and I’m so mentally torn. We thought Sophia was moving on and she surprised me, breaking into my home, but I’m proud of myself because I defended my son. I chuckle to myself, I refuse to lose.