Curtis (24 page)

chapter THIRTY-EIGHT

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1973

If ever I had doubts—which I have had many over the past three months—I don’t have any about Curtis. After all I’ve put him through recently, he has proven to be the strongest, most amazing man I have ever met.

After taking care of the necessary chores for the morning, Curtis made a quick stop at his mother’s house before going home to Lorrie. Without knocking, he pulled open the screen door and found his mother standing in the living room, smiling.

“What’re you doin’?” he asked, baffled because she appeared to be staring at air.

“I’m thinkin’ about all the incredible memories that’ve been made here. Did you know I had eight babies in this house?”

Curtis smiled. “I wasn’t around for all the births, but I’d heard a rumor.”

“Y’all lost your first teeth here,” she noted.

“I knocked one of Joseph’s out if you’re keepin’ count.” He laughed at the memory.

Mary Elizabeth’s smile widened. “Smartass.”

“Momma!” Curtis covered his mouth dramatically, eyes wide as he stared at her. “Did you just swear?”

“Oh, hush your mouth,” she said with a giggle. “Are y’all ready to move in here?”

“I haven’t told Lorrie yet,” he said, watching her face closely.

Not telling his wife that he had decided that they would be moving into Momma’s house was a risk he’d been willing to take. For the past few months, things had been tense between them. Although he’d grieved for the loss of their baby, it was taking Lorrie a lot longer. And he understood completely, which was the reason he thought that moving into the big house—making it their own in the process—was the right thing to do.

The guest house had been a temporary plan in the beginning. Now that they’d lived there for the last five years—since he’d returned from the Army—he figured a new start was what they needed. It wouldn’t make up for the loss they’d endured, but he hoped it would be a way for them to start moving forward.

“Have I mentioned how proud I am of you?” Mary Elizabeth asked as she passed him on her way to the kitchen.

“Not lately, no.”

He couldn’t deny how happy he was to see his mother’s spirits up. He could still remember those dark days after his father’s death, the way she would drink herself stupid from morning until night, not even bothering to get dressed most days. These days, she was a much different woman, so healthy, so vibrant. She’d told him more than once that he had Lorrie to thank for that. While he’d been gone, the two of them had bonded, and Mary Elizabeth had found a ray of sunshine in all the clouds.

“Well, I am.” She smiled. “I’m proud of all my kids, but I’ve seen you go through so much, and I’ve envied your strength.”

“I have my moments,” he joked.

“Don’t let it go to your head.” Mary Elizabeth leaned back against the counter.

There was no kitchen table to sit at any longer because all of the furniture had been moved to his mother’s new house, a nice little three-bedroom with a small fenced yard closer to town. She’d told him about it as soon as it had come on the market, and he’d immediately taken her to check it out. Curtis was fairly certain she’d fallen in love with it instantly, although he doubted she would ever admit as much. His mother didn’t want anyone to think that she hadn’t loved the big old, drafty house she had raised her children in.

Curtis leaned against the doorjamb.

“Thank you for helping to get us situated,” she told him. “But you’re not off the hook for mentioning to Maryanne that we could get a dog.”

He grinned. “A dog’ll be good for you.”

“Not for me,” she said quickly, laughing. “I’m makin’ your sister take care of it. I’ve raised enough kids. I don’t need a four-legged one on top of the eight I have.” Her smile widened. “I think Lorrie’s gonna love it here. I remember back when you were gone, she would talk about all the things she would do to this place if she had a house like it.”

“It’s a big house,” he told her. “But I plan to fill it with kids one day.” He felt the ghostly ache in his chest as he said the words. According to the doctor, there was no reason they couldn’t expect to have full-term, healthy babies one day. Still, when he thought about Susanna, his eyes filled with tears. He missed her so much, and he’d never even had the chance to meet her.

“And I’ll be right down the road, ready to spoil ’em rotten,” Mary Elizabeth stated, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Of course you will. And you’ll be right down the road so we can drop ’em off to spend the night at Grandma’s.”

“Maybe I’ll mention puppies.”

Curtis shook his head. “Don’t even think about it.”

Mary Elizabeth stood up, grabbing her car keys from the counter. “I guess I better head on back to the house.” She chuckled. “It sounds a little funny sayin’ that.”

He could only imagine. “I’m gonna go home and get Lorrie. I wanna surprise her tonight. Thought maybe we’d camp out on the floor.”

“You can always drag your old mattress out here.”

He’d forgotten about that. Everything in the house was gone with the exception of the furniture in his old room. His mother hadn’t had a place to put it, so she’d told him it now belonged to him. Since there were six bedrooms in the house, he didn’t think he’d have an issue finding it a permanent home if Lorrie decided to keep it.

“That’s not a bad idea.” He glanced around.

“All right, kiddo. I’ll be at home if you need me.” She giggled again. “Still strange to say.”

Curtis hugged his mother after walking her out to her car, then he stood there for a minute after she pulled out of the driveway. He looked at the big house, then in the distance to the guesthouse they’d been living in. He was definitely ready for this change. It felt right.

And he only hoped it would feel right to Lorrie, as well.

“Where’re we goin’?” Lorrie asked when Curtis ambled into the house and told her to be ready to leave in five minutes. He hadn’t bothered to elaborate, even as he headed right past her, where she’d been relaxing on the couch.

“It’s a surprise!” he called from the bedroom.

“You better tell me what it is,” she insisted, following him into the room.

She watched as he opened the closet door, then reached for a box at the top. It was her box of scarves. He pulled it down, lifted the lid, and pulled out a dark red one before putting the box back where he found it.

“You do know it’s summer, right?” she asked, bemused.

“You don’t say.” His smile was wide as he came toward her.

“And red’s not a good color on you,” she added, still watching him. Red was actually a really good color on him.

“You got three minutes left. You ready?”

No.
She nodded, then shook her head.

Crap. Figuring she would find out what he was up to soon enough, she ran to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, combed her hair, and tried to make herself presentable. She was wearing an old T-shirt and a pair of denim shorts. She contemplated changing into a dress, but then decided not to. If he was only giving her five minutes, he had to deal with how she looked as she was.

She ran to the closet, pulled out a pair of sandals, and pulled them on as she stumbled back to the living room. Lorrie found him waiting by the door, the red scarf draped over his shoulder.

“Ready?”

“Not really,” she mumbled, unable to keep from smiling.

“Come on then.”

He took her hand and led her out to the truck. After opening her door and helping her inside, he then moved closer.

“What’re you doin’?” she asked when he wrapped the scarf around her neck. She tried to move away, but he grabbed her thighs with his big hands.

“Turn around.”

She frowned at him only to have him respond to it with a smile. He didn’t say anything more, though, so she eventually gave in and turned around, giving him her back.

He situated the scarf over her eyes, tying it behind her head.

“Curtis Walker…”

“Don’t worry, darlin’. I’ve got you.”

She knew that to be true. In the almost eleven years they’d been married, he’d proven he could and would take care of her. Rather than argue the way she wanted to, Lorrie nodded, then allowed him to turn her so that she was once again sitting in the truck correctly.

She heard the door close, then the driver’s side squeak open before the seat moved when he got inside. The engine started up, and the truck started rolling forward while she kept her hands in her lap, fidgeting.

Less than a minute later, the truck stopped.

“Why’re we at your momma’s house?” she asked, but he didn’t answer. They hadn’t driven far enough to be anywhere else.

The door opened, closed. Then her door opened, and he was helping her out, holding her hand as he then led her down the dirt drive and across the small gravel path that led to the big wraparound porch. She could tell they were going to the front door rather than the back door that led to the kitchen. She didn’t say a peep as he guided her up the stairs.

“It’s not my birthday,” she told him, trying not to smile.

“Nope, it’s not.”

“It’s not
your
birthday, either,” she added.

“Nope.”

“It’s not Valentine’s, Easter, or Christmas,” she said, ticking the holidays off on her fingers.

“Correct again.”

“Then what’s goin’ on?”

Curtis led her into the house, stopping in the foyer, and she heard the front screen door gently close behind her.

“Curtis Walker…” She didn’t finish her sentence because she heard the way her words echoed in the space. It was as though there was nothing else in the room.

He moved away from her.

“Leave it on for a minute,” he warned when she reached to remove the scarf from her eyes.

“Curtis…”

“It’s okay, darlin’. I promise.”

His words were echoing, and she could tell he was moving farther away from her. For a good minute, she stood stone still, listening, trying to figure out what might possibly be going on around her. The only thing she heard was the random scuff of his boots against the hardwood floor.

“Okay, take off the scarf.”

Hesitantly, Lorrie reached up and pulled the scarf down, allowing it to circle her neck.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the empty room, moving deeper into it. Well, it was empty other than Curtis standing there, grinning like a fool.

“What d’ya think?” he asked.

She did a slow circle, taking it all in. It was
completely
empty. Not a lick of furniture. No flowery couch, no television on the far wall, no picture frames on the mantel. The drapes were even gone from the windows. She leaned over a little and peered around the wall. The dining room was nothing more than hardwood floors and wallpaper.

“What’s going on?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know. A sadness consumed her as she thought about what might’ve happened. She’d just seen Mrs. Walker last Sunday. Surely…

“My momma’s all right,” he said reassuringly, as though reading her mind.

“Then why is her house empty?”

“’Cause it’s not her house anymore,” he stated, moving closer.

Her eyes widened in horror. “You kicked your momma out of her house?”