“Yes, ma’am.”
After work, Kia followed Ashley to her place. Tootsie, ever faithful, greeted them at the door.
“Hey, beautiful, look who I brought home, my friend, Kia, from work. She’s going to stay with us girls for a few days. Like a sleepover. Isn’t that great?” Ashley said loud enough for Perry to hear. She knew he was always nearby.
Tootsie wagged her tail and soaked up the love that both women showed her. Kia had two oversized and battered suitcases and a guitar with her. They lugged her stuff up to the same guest room that Liz had used.
“God, this place is beautiful. You’ve done so much with it since you brought the crew here a few months ago. I hardly recognize it. You must never stop. I usually crash when I get home from work. But you do all this,” Kia said stretching out her arms to take in the room done in lilac and white.
“I enjoy it. It’s a hobby to me. Do you want to wash up before dinner? Your bathroom is over here, and there are plenty of towels and supplies in the cabinet. One bad thing about these old places, they didn’t have many closets.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“I’ll shower too. Then I’ll meet you downstairs and we’ll grill some burgers. I’ve got those pre-made frozen ones.”
Ashley moved quickly through her washing up routine, took her gun from the lock box, made certain it was loaded, and left Priscilla’s journal there locked up because she didn’t want to read it in front of Kia. She went down to the kitchen, gathered supplies for dinner, and brought them and the gun out to the deck.
She could sense Perry behind her. “Who’s the girl? And why the gun?” he asked.
“Perry, she’ll be down any minute. She can’t see you. She’s staying for a few nights. Her boyfriend beat her. I have the gun in case he comes to hurt her or me. I don’t think it will come to that, but just in case.”
“I won’t let anyone hurt you,” Perry said.
“I know. Please understand. She needs my help for a few days. Then she’ll be gone. Don’t harm her. It’s very temporary. She works for me. I need her at work. And she needs a place to stay for a few days.”
“Okay. I’ll be in the carriage house, but I’ll be watching in case he comes.”
“Thank you.”
“Who are you thanking?” Kia asked as she came onto the deck.
“Oh, I talk to Tootsie all the time. She keeps me company while I work around here. Could you peel these cucumbers for me? I’ll get the burgers started.”
The two worked well together, which didn’t surprise Ashley because Kia had worked out so well on the job site, too.
“What’s with the gun?” Kia asked.
“I know how to use it. I just thought it might make us feel safer.”
“Guns kinda freak me out. I wish you didn’t have it around, you know. Like if Ken came and he saw that, he could just as easily use it on me or you as you could on him. It could be a shit show. Really, they terrify me.”
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I thought you’d feel safer. I’m trained with it. It makes me feel safer. I didn’t know. I’ll put it away now.”
“Thanks.”
Ashley took the gun and went back to her room. She opened the gun case and slipped it back into place thinking what a bad idea it was not to have it with her. Kia’s boyfriend was a lunatic who’d done so much physical damage to her, and he was around loose. They might need protection. But she didn’t want to freak her out either. She was regretting inviting her to stay and would call the shelters in the city tomorrow to see if they had any placements opened up. Her nerves were on overload with Perry, work, Travis’ injury, and now Kia as another responsibility she had to deal with.
The routine calmness of the life she’d had with Brody was looking in retrospect better and better by the day. But she knew she’d never go back to him. What she wanted, what she needed was security, love, laughter, and calmness. Life had gotten too weird and uncertain since Miami, and she didn’t know how much longer she could deal with it all.
But despite her misgivings, the night went without a hitch. Ken didn’t show his drunken self at her door shouting for Kia to come back to him. She hadn’t been terrified by him breaking into the house that night. Instead, the two women laughed at the foolishness of the Bachelorette and each had two glasses of wine before calling it a night.
It was nice, really, almost like a sleepover, as she had told Tootsie it would be. The next day the shelters had no room for Kia again, so they repeated their routine. But Kia volunteered to cook dinner while Ashley took Tootsie to the dog park.
The weather was beautiful that spring day, so she changed from her work clothes, removed Priscilla’s journal from her gun lock box, and took Tootsie by the leash to the dog park. There she found a comfortable bench on which to read, and she let Tootsie loose to run with the other dogs.
November 23, 1918
Dear Journal,
I have the very best news. I’m pregnant. Perry and I are thrilled. He says he doesn’t care whether we have a boy or a girl, and I don’t either. I’m just so excited. Imagine, Perry and I have created a new life. I have a tiny miracle growing within me. I’m sick every morning, but the doctor says that’s to be expected and that it won’t happen for the full nine months. It’s only in the beginning. I’ve been sewing, so that as I get larger, I’ll have some dresses to wear over my large belly. The baby is due in May, which will be a wonderful time to take a perambulator out for long walks in the neighborhood. Oh, we’ll be such a happy family, and Perry will be such a good daddy to this baby. I just know he will. He never really wants to go anywhere but to work and then home to fix things around the house and take our Sunday rides into the country for picnics. He doesn’t go out drinking like some of the other husbands do, so I’m sure he’ll be a great help to me with the little one too. Oh, I just can’t wait. I only wish my mom and dad were alive to meet their grandchild. What a blessing that would be. I do so miss them so.
I wish I was still going to Guild and Book Club meetings. The ladies would be so happy for me with this news. But, I need to just be happy knowing I’ll have a little one to keep me company every day while Perry’s off to work, and I’m home alone so often just wishing for someone to talk with.
Priscilla
The excitement gushing off the page made Ashley’s heart leap. She felt Priscilla’s happiness as if it were her own and thought that maybe, someday, she might like to sense a baby growing inside of her, too. That thought surprised her; it was so foreign to her. She and Brody had never wanted children. Somehow, Priscilla’s excitement was contagious.
She looked up to check on Tootsie, who was playing with two dogs about her size. Each of them had tails wagging, so she knew they were enjoying each other. So, she read on.
June 20, 1918
Dear Journal,
Perry brought Nora Jane Lucier and me home from the hospital today. What a proud father he was, making sure we were both safe and comfortable in the Ford before closing the door behind us, storing my things in the backseat, and starting the engine.
“Ten days without you at home was agony,” he told me, and he leaned in to kiss me.
I told him I missed him too, for I truly did.