them together.
“ There’s Daddy!” Sawyer
Jackson says excitedly. “Can I go see him?” he asks as he hops up
from his chair and runs over to Ethan.
I watch as he makes his way through the full
church to the end of the line. Ethan ruffles Sawyer Jackson’s hair,
and Heather Sue looks back at me and smiles. I don’t return the
homewrecker’s smile.
Nelly, Bud, Mia, Levi, and Abel Lee arrive
next. Now, I smile. Abel Lee sees me, but he continues to look
around the room. When he sees Sawyer Jackson, he excuses himself
from his family and walks over to me.
“ Is this seat
taken?”
“ Only by my
son.”
“ Good, I’ll sit here until
he returns.”
I lean in and whisper, “You don’t want to pay
your respects?”
“ I sent flowers. I really
didn’t know her or her family.”
I watch as he looks around the room. He
stares at Megan Rose’s boyfriend, who is standing near the casket
with her parents.
“ He was her boyfriend,” I
whisper.
Abel Lee only nods.
Sawyer Jackson comes back and sits on my lap.
Abel Lee doesn’t leave. I’m glad that he sits with us throughout
the service. After the funeral and lunch at the church with the
surviving family members, we say our goodbyes.
Thanksgiving was last week and I still don’t
have a Christmas tree. I told Sawyer Jackson that after
Thanksgiving we would put a tree up. I guess I didn’t realize how
much they were. I keep prayin’ for a good night in tips, but
everyone’s pinchin’ pennies this time of year. I try not to think
about money, but when you don’t have the money for bills and food,
it’s all I can think about.
Tonight at work, Ethan came into the diner
with our son. He gave me some more money and said the sales of the
furniture have been consistent. I hate to take his money, but I
have no choice. When we divorced, we divorced on sort of good
terms. I didn’t go after child support, and he vowed to help me as
much as he could. We both love Sawyer Jackson more than life, so I
have no doubt this arrangement will continue to work. We brought
him into this world lovingly, and we’ll raise him with just as much
love. Just because I’m single doesn’t mean I’m his only parent.
Just before closin’ time, Abel Lee comes into
the diner. He’s the last customer and offers to leave so we
wouldn’t have to stay.
“ Get in here. We still have
plenty of work to keep us busy while you eat.” I wave him into the
empty restaurant.
“ I don’t want to keep you,”
he says, removing his cowboy hat.
“ Sit at the counter so I
can talk to you while I do my side work.” I pat the counter top so
he knows I’m serious. If he were anyone else, I would let him sit
anywhere he wanted.
He reluctantly takes a seat
and asks, “Are you sure?”
“ Yes, I’m positive.” I hand
him the menu. “Because it’s so late, we don’t have any specials
left.”
He browses the menu and smiles. “I really
just want a big ole greasy cheeseburger and some steak fries.”
“ Now that, I can get for
ya.”
“ With a
Coke?”
“ Comin’ right
up.”
We talk about the holidays
and laugh about old times. He was a few grades ahead of me in
school, but we know a lot of the same people. He says he’s been
away trying to find himself and realized when he came back home,
that maybe he lost himself along the way.
“ Sadly, I know what you
mean.”
He lays his hamburger down
and looks at me. “Really? You seem to be really put
together.”
I can’t look him in the
eye, I stare at the counter. “Looks are quite
deceiving.”
He pays his bill and leaves while I’m in the
back. When I get to the counter to clear his glass and napkin,
there is a hundred-dollar bill on the paper place setting.
I hear, “Looks like someone has an
admirer.”
I look over my shoulder; Bill is refillin’
his drink. Bill has been the cook here ever since I can
remember.
“ I’ll be right back.” I
make a dash for the door and hope
“ There’s Daddy!” Sawyer
Jackson says excitedly. “Can I go see him?” he asks as he hops up
from his chair and runs over to Ethan.
I watch as he makes his way through the full
church to the end of the line. Ethan ruffles Sawyer Jackson’s hair,
and Heather Sue looks back at me and smiles. I don’t return the
homewrecker’s smile.
Nelly, Bud, Mia, Levi, and Abel Lee arrive
next. Now, I smile. Abel Lee sees me, but he continues to look
around the room. When he sees Sawyer Jackson, he excuses himself
from his family and walks over to me.
“ Is this seat
taken?”
“ Only by my
son.”
“ Good, I’ll sit here until
he returns.”
I lean in and whisper, “You don’t want to pay
your respects?”
“ I sent flowers. I really
didn’t know her or her family.”
I watch as he looks around the room. He
stares at Megan Rose’s boyfriend, who is standing near the casket
with her parents.
“ He was her boyfriend,” I
whisper.
Abel Lee only nods.
Sawyer Jackson comes back and sits on my lap.
Abel Lee doesn’t leave. I’m glad that he sits with us throughout
the service. After the funeral and lunch at the church with the
surviving family members, we say our goodbyes.
Thanksgiving was last week and I still don’t
have a Christmas tree. I told Sawyer Jackson that after
Thanksgiving we would put a tree up. I guess I didn’t realize how
much they were. I keep prayin’ for a good night in tips, but
everyone’s pinchin’ pennies this time of year. I try not to think
about money, but when you don’t have the money for bills and food,
it’s all I can think about.
Tonight at work, Ethan came into the diner
with our son. He gave me some more money and said the sales of the
furniture have been consistent. I hate to take his money, but I
have no choice. When we divorced, we divorced on sort of good
terms. I didn’t go after child support, and he vowed to help me as
much as he could. We both love Sawyer Jackson more than life, so I
have no doubt this arrangement will continue to work. We brought
him into this world lovingly, and we’ll raise him with just as much
love. Just because I’m single doesn’t mean I’m his only parent.
Just before closin’ time, Abel Lee comes into
the diner. He’s the last customer and offers to leave so we
wouldn’t have to stay.
“ Get in here. We still have
plenty of work to keep us busy while you eat.” I wave him into the
empty restaurant.
“ I don’t want to keep you,”
he says, removing his cowboy hat.
“ Sit at the counter so I
can talk to you while I do my side work.” I pat the counter top so
he knows I’m serious. If he were anyone else, I would let him sit
anywhere he wanted.
He reluctantly takes a seat
and asks, “Are you sure?”
“ Yes, I’m positive.” I hand
him the menu. “Because it’s so late, we don’t have any specials
left.”
He browses the menu and smiles. “I really
just want a big ole greasy cheeseburger and some steak fries.”
“ Now that, I can get for
ya.”
“ With a
Coke?”
“ Comin’ right
up.”
We talk about the holidays
and laugh about old times. He was a few grades ahead of me in
school, but we know a lot of the same people. He says he’s been
away trying to find himself and realized when he came back home,
that maybe he lost himself along the way.
“ Sadly, I know what you
mean.”
He lays his hamburger down
and looks at me. “Really? You seem to be really put
together.”
I can’t look him in the
eye, I stare at the counter. “Looks are quite
deceiving.”
He pays his bill and leaves while I’m in the
back. When I get to the counter to clear his glass and napkin,
there is a hundred-dollar bill on the paper place setting.
I hear, “Looks like someone has an
admirer.”
I look over my shoulder; Bill is refillin’
his drink. Bill has been the cook here ever since I can
remember.
“ I’ll be right back.” I
make a dash for the door and hope
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