you?” he asked, concern in his
voice.
“A couple of hours away. Why?”
“Mom says there a big storm coming our way,” he explained.
“Gonna dump up to ten inches on Freeport. She’s sure we’re gonna have a snow
day tomorrow. So, I kinda don’t feel too bad about
going to school today.”
“Is your mom pretty good at picking out snow days?”
He nodded. “Yeah, my whole family knows my mom is better
than the Weather Channel,” he said. “If Mom says there’s a snow day, there’s a
snow day.”
She looked up at the bright blue sky. “Is she sure?”
“Yeah, it’s gonna start just before school lets out,” he
said. “Less of course the ‘berry-merry’ pressure falls and it speeds up. Then
it will be here by about two o’clock. That’s what Mom told Dad at breakfast.”
Mary bit back the grin. “You’ve got to watch that
‘berry-merry’ pressure,” she said. “So, two o’clock?”
He nodded seriously. “Yes. Mom’s going out to get bread and
milk, so you know it’s gonna be real bad. And know what?”
“What?”
“She’s getting stuff to make oatmeal cookies too,” he added.
“Can I come to your house and be snowed in?” Mary asked.
Grinning, he nodded. “Yeah, that’d be cool. If there’s too
much snow, I can bring my sled and we can pull you to my house. My mom always
says we have to watch out for our ‘ olderly ’
neighbors.”
Mary looked down at him and saw the glint in his eyes.
“Yeah, well this ‘ olderly neighbor’ is about ready to
give her ‘ youngerly neighbor’ a face wash in the
snow.”
Delighted with his giggle, Mary darted towards him. She
couldn’t contain her laughter as she watched his layered rotund body waddle
down her driveway. She easily caught up with him and wrapped her arms around
his shoulders, her head hanging over his shoulder. His face was red and his
breath was coming out in steamy gasps of laughter.
“No fair,” he laughed. “I can’t run in my warm stuff.”
“You should have thought about that before you called me olderly .”
He giggled again. “I take it back,” he said. “You’re youngerly . I promise.”
Mary leaned forward and placed a smacking kiss on his cheek.
“And don’t you forget it,” she said.
The redness in his cheeks expanded to the rest of his face
and he looked around quickly. “Did anyone see that?” he asked.
Can my self-esteem take any more
of this? she wondered .
“No, no one saw it,” she said.
“Then no one will ever believe me,” he said, his face
downcast. “My brothers would be so jealous. They think you’re hot.”
She grinned. “You better get going or you’re going to miss
your bus.”
He nodded. “Remember the berry-merry pressure,” he said as
he continued down the street.
“I will, thanks, Andy,” she called, as she tossed the
scraper into the back of the car, hopped in and watched him through her
rearview mirror. A small ache settled near her heart. She wanted children of
her own. She was ready for the joys, the worries, the long nights and the long
days. She allowed herself to be melancholy for a moment, then flipped a CD into
the player and let the determined strains of “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi pump up
her attitude.
She pulled out of the driveway, humming along with the music
and by the time she was on Highway 20 she was drumming on the steering wheel
and singing at the top of her lungs, “ Better
stand tall when they’re calling you out, don’t bend, don’t break, baby, don’t
back down. It’s my life...”
A pickup truck passed her on the left and the passenger
looked down at her. It was so obvious that Mary was singing in the car, the
passenger waved and grinned. Mary grinned back. Yeah, today is going to be a great day.
Chapter Twelve
Bradley grabbed his third can of Diet
Pepsi for the morning and headed down to lock up. He had received about four
hours of sleep and, he admitted to himself, he was tired and cranky. This was
not
voice.
“A couple of hours away. Why?”
“Mom says there a big storm coming our way,” he explained.
“Gonna dump up to ten inches on Freeport. She’s sure we’re gonna have a snow
day tomorrow. So, I kinda don’t feel too bad about
going to school today.”
“Is your mom pretty good at picking out snow days?”
He nodded. “Yeah, my whole family knows my mom is better
than the Weather Channel,” he said. “If Mom says there’s a snow day, there’s a
snow day.”
She looked up at the bright blue sky. “Is she sure?”
“Yeah, it’s gonna start just before school lets out,” he
said. “Less of course the ‘berry-merry’ pressure falls and it speeds up. Then
it will be here by about two o’clock. That’s what Mom told Dad at breakfast.”
Mary bit back the grin. “You’ve got to watch that
‘berry-merry’ pressure,” she said. “So, two o’clock?”
He nodded seriously. “Yes. Mom’s going out to get bread and
milk, so you know it’s gonna be real bad. And know what?”
“What?”
“She’s getting stuff to make oatmeal cookies too,” he added.
“Can I come to your house and be snowed in?” Mary asked.
Grinning, he nodded. “Yeah, that’d be cool. If there’s too
much snow, I can bring my sled and we can pull you to my house. My mom always
says we have to watch out for our ‘ olderly ’
neighbors.”
Mary looked down at him and saw the glint in his eyes.
“Yeah, well this ‘ olderly neighbor’ is about ready to
give her ‘ youngerly neighbor’ a face wash in the
snow.”
Delighted with his giggle, Mary darted towards him. She
couldn’t contain her laughter as she watched his layered rotund body waddle
down her driveway. She easily caught up with him and wrapped her arms around
his shoulders, her head hanging over his shoulder. His face was red and his
breath was coming out in steamy gasps of laughter.
“No fair,” he laughed. “I can’t run in my warm stuff.”
“You should have thought about that before you called me olderly .”
He giggled again. “I take it back,” he said. “You’re youngerly . I promise.”
Mary leaned forward and placed a smacking kiss on his cheek.
“And don’t you forget it,” she said.
The redness in his cheeks expanded to the rest of his face
and he looked around quickly. “Did anyone see that?” he asked.
Can my self-esteem take any more
of this? she wondered .
“No, no one saw it,” she said.
“Then no one will ever believe me,” he said, his face
downcast. “My brothers would be so jealous. They think you’re hot.”
She grinned. “You better get going or you’re going to miss
your bus.”
He nodded. “Remember the berry-merry pressure,” he said as
he continued down the street.
“I will, thanks, Andy,” she called, as she tossed the
scraper into the back of the car, hopped in and watched him through her
rearview mirror. A small ache settled near her heart. She wanted children of
her own. She was ready for the joys, the worries, the long nights and the long
days. She allowed herself to be melancholy for a moment, then flipped a CD into
the player and let the determined strains of “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi pump up
her attitude.
She pulled out of the driveway, humming along with the music
and by the time she was on Highway 20 she was drumming on the steering wheel
and singing at the top of her lungs, “ Better
stand tall when they’re calling you out, don’t bend, don’t break, baby, don’t
back down. It’s my life...”
A pickup truck passed her on the left and the passenger
looked down at her. It was so obvious that Mary was singing in the car, the
passenger waved and grinned. Mary grinned back. Yeah, today is going to be a great day.
Chapter Twelve
Bradley grabbed his third can of Diet
Pepsi for the morning and headed down to lock up. He had received about four
hours of sleep and, he admitted to himself, he was tired and cranky. This was
not
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