“You got that right.” April nodded. “All we’ve had up until now is mud and more mud, but I’m going to do my best to have a brick house before next year.”
“Amen,” Flynn and Nessa said at the same time.
When they’d finished supper, Flynn offered to take care of the cleanup. “That way y’all can go on to the grocery store and get back before bedtime. I like a glass of milk before I go to sleep.”
April felt as if a few more chains had fallen from her heart and soul.
What Nessa liked best before going to sleep was a good round of hot sex, just like she and Jackson had had the night before. She had been expecting him to call all day and was disappointed when he didn’t, but then maybe he and Flynn had been extra busy that day.
Are you making excuses for him? the voice in her head asked.
No, I am not. I’m being honest. She tipped her chin up a notch and felt liberated to be able to argue the point.
“I’ll be ready in a minute.” Nessa pushed back her chair. “I just have to grab my purse.”
“Me too.” April was on her feet and headed outside before Nessa could even push back her chair. She was already in the SUV when Nessa slid in behind the wheel.
“You must really not like washing dishes,” Nessa said.
“No, I don’t mind doing any kind of housework, and I can cook. Nanny Lucy made sure that I knew how to do all kinds of things before I left—like clean, cook, work with the roses, and change the oil and tires on the car.” April rolled up the window when Nessa started the engine and turned on the air conditioner. “I just didn’t want to talk about my failures anymore. It’s depressing.”
“Failure doesn’t have to define us,” Nessa said. “It can be the turning point in our lives that leads us to something better.”
“Is that Uncle Isaac I hear?” April asked.
“No, it’s straight from my school counselor. I confided a lot of stuff in her, and I remember seeing that quote hanging on her wall. I have no idea who said it. For all I know, she thought it up herself and printed it out right there in her room. But it has helped me a lot, even when I kept making the same mistakes over and over,” Nessa said.
“Ever get a good outcome from one of them?” April asked.
“Not one time. Same old thing, time after time.” Nessa turned onto the paved highway. “Well, that helped take care of the shake, rattle, and roll. Think they’ll ever pave this road?”
“Probably not for just two houses. Every time I drive Nanny Lucy’s car out onto the highway, I think the same thing.” April turned on the radio, and they listened to country music all the way to Paris. Kenny Chesney and David Lee Murphy were singing “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” when Nessa found a parking spot not far from the entrance to Walmart. Nessa kept time with the beat with her thumbs on the steering wheel. April bobbed her head along with the lyrics.
“You believe that everything is really gonna be all right?” Nessa asked.
“I do, but we have to give it time. It took a lifetime for us to get in the condition that we’re in, so we don’t need to be over our past in three weeks. I’ve already got rid of one of the monkeys on my back, like they’re singing about. Now I just have to not worry and for sure not hit the panic button, because . . .”—April moved her shoulders and arms to the music—“for the first time I really feel like just maybe things will be all right.”
“Me too, but I’m scared that the other shoe might drop.” Nessa got out of the SUV and grabbed a cart that had been left between two vehicles. “Hold up. My phone just pinged.”
April slid out of her seat and slammed the door shut. “Is it Jackson?”
“No, it’s Mama. She says I need to call her immediately. Hold on to this cart. I’ll make it quick.” Nessa sighed as she ran down the list of contacts and hit her mother’s number.
“I’m so glad you called,” Cora said. “Your father is making the absolute final plans for the trip to the Holy Land, and we want to give you one more chance to go with us. You’d need to be back in this area by July first.”
“I haven’t changed my mind. I don’t want to go anywhere this summer. I’m not coming back to my old job, so I need to save my money to hold me over until I can sell some quilts this fall,” Nessa explained. “I told Daddy that I didn’t want to go. Does he ever talk to you, Mama, or does he just expect you to go along with everything he wants?”
“That’s enough of that,” Cora scolded. “A wife is to be dutiful and submissive to her husband. That’s what brings peace into her heart, and for the record, I think this idea of you staying in Blossom is insane.” Cora’s tone turned into the same one she’d used when she threatened Nessa about going to Blossom when she was young. “I can’t believe that you’re giving up a good-paying, secure job to live in Blossom, Texas, and make quilts. That’s a hobby, not a job. Your father tried to talk sense into you, but you’ve never been one to honor your father or your mother.”
Nessa wondered if her mother was bossy with her to make up for the fact that she had to live with an overbearing husband. “If you’re going to throw around Bible verses, you might remember the one about not provoking your children to anger.”
“Don’t you sass me, Vanessa.” Cora’s voice rose an octave.
Nothing was going to get resolved. Nessa wasn’t going to budge, and her mother couldn’t, so she finally sighed. “Mama, I’m standing in the Walmart parking lot with April. Y’all have a good time on the trip, and come see me when you get home.”
“It might be a long time before either of us want to see you again,” Cora said.
Nessa started walking toward the store, and April kept step beside her. “I can live with that.” She couldn’t believe those words had come out of her mouth. “Bye, Mama.”
For the first time ever, silence met her ears. Her mother hadn’t ended with “If I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t care what you do” or even “Goodbye.” Nessa shoved the phone into her hip pocket. “You remember that old phone Nanny Lucy had when we were little kids? The one with a cord, and you could slam the receiver down and hang up on someone?”
“She had it when I left home.” April nodded. “She didn’t get a mobile phone set up until a few years ago. I saw her hang up on a few people and wondered if they would ever hear anything in that ear again.”
“Mama just hung up on me, and I could swear that I felt the loud click even though I know cell phones don’t work that way,” Nessa said.
“Miz April,” a thin voice yelled out from the exit doors.
“Hello, Callie.” April waved toward the little girl who had left her father’s side and was running toward her.
“Guess what? Belle loves her new house, but sometimes she gets lonely, so Daddy said I can come pick out one more kitty to keep her company,” Callie said without catching her breath.
Kent pushed his cart over toward April and Nessa. “Hello, April. She’s talked me into adopting another kitten, so we’ll be by to see you again sometime this week.”