Chapter 14
Gravel crunched under the tires of the car as Leonard slowly maneuvered his way down the dusty, winding road. Cornfields lined both sides of the narrow road, the young plants rustling in the breeze. Hazy clouds of dust billowed up behind the car, settling gently on the corn stalks as they left them behind.
"Not much further now," Penny said, smiling nervously. "Mom and Dad's house is just up ahead."
"Excited to see them?" he asked. "I know it's been awhile."
She hesitated and nodded briefly. "Yeah. I mean, I'm nervous, too, but…" she took in her surroundings, and grinned, "it's nice to be home. This is kinda fun. I mean, the surprise and all."
They rounded a corner and a tall white house with a sagging front porch came into view.
"That's it," she said pointing at the structure. "That's home."
The leaf-green rental car pulled into the driveway and Penny stepped out, stretching her legs. She glanced around at the familiar and comfortable sites- the rusty old 9N tractor sat in its proper place, waiting patiently to be used. The porch sagged lazily, the old boards slightly warped from years of use and from baking in the hot Nebraska sun. The rugged old bur oak stood proudly in the front yard, shading the left side of the house from the warm afternoon sunshine.
Penny grabbed her purse and ran towards the front door, Leonard still pulling the luggage out of the trunk of the car. The porch creaked in protest as she clumped up the steps and towards the front door. She grabbed the sun-warmed door knob and turned it gently, expecting the door to swing in. Instead, she met resistance; the door was locked.
She turned her head to the side. Her dad rarely locked the door, even if they went into town. She uncovered the dusty spare key, hidden under the terra cotta planter that was full of wave petunias.
Leonard approached with the bags and the porch creaked under his weight. "Nobody home?" he questioned.
Shaking her head, Penny pushed the key into the lock and turned the knob. The door swung in smoothly on the hinges and she called out as she proceeded in. "Mom? Dad? Is anyone here?"
Dust filtered through the late afternoon sunlight as they walked through the old house. The hardwood floors squeaked and creaked as they made their way through the front room and into the kitchen. Penny found a checklist on the kitchen count next to the sink.
"Clean out fridge, water plants, burn papers/cardboard, take out trash," she trailed off. She looked up dubiously at Leonard. "It looks like they went away."
Her expression perplexed him. Penny seemed both disappointed and relieved. "Want to give them a call? Maybe they'll be back soon?"
She sighed. "Why didn't I call first? No, no, I had to make it a surprise!" She threw her hands up in the air. "Leonard, what if we came all this way and we don't even see them?"
He smiled. "Didn't you tell me they 'never go anywhere'?"
She huffed. "Well, they don't!"
"First time for everything," he grinned.
"It's not funny," she said, pushing him away, but breaking into a smile.
~OOoOO~
Twenty-six minutes and three phone calls later, Penny sat down on the comfortable blue sofa, sighing heavily. "They're in Casper. My sister moved there a month ago, and they took a trip to visit her. My gram's with them, too."
"Casper, Wyoming?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Well, they're not out visiting Casper the friendly ghost, Leonard!"
"Okay, okay, I get it. When will they be back?"
She flopped on her side and moaned. "Not for another two days."
"That's fine, then. We're staying for a week; it's just a little delay."
Penny smiled. "I suppose." She glanced at their bags on the floor. "I suppose we should take these up to my room." She stood up to help.
"I've got these. Grab your pillow if you want to help."
"The bag's not heavy, Leonard. I'm sure it's fine."
He smiled. "If it's not heavy, I won't have any problems carrying then, will I?"
She chuckled. "Okay, you win."
They tromped up the stairs together, Penny holding lightly onto the worn banister. At the top of the stairs she turned left, opening the door at the end of the hallway.
It hadn't changed much. Light lemon yellow paint, a bit faded, greeted her with its familiar warmth. Her full-size bed, still covered in the old cream hob-knob bedspread given to her by her gram stood in the center of the room. A scuffed and worn maple desk and wooden chair, dusty with disuse sat in the corner. A few horse posters, brittle and faded hung around the room, in addition to a few band posters. A corkboard, filled with curling photos of teenage girls hung slightly askew on the closet door. The room had a closed up feeling, dusty and stuffy, and Penny crossed the floor to unlock a window, pushing the cream colored curtains aside. The old wooden frame slid up with a bit of protest, allowing a breeze to enter the room. She sat down on the edge of her bed and gave Leonard a hopeful smile.
"So, you okay spending a couple days here?" she asked.
"Sure. Why wouldn't I be?"
She shrugged. "It's just not what I expected."
Leonard smiled. "I think the same could be said about the last few weeks."
Her smile fell and she looked down at her hands.
"Penny," he said gently, "that was just a joke. Okay?"
She took a deep breath and smiled again. "Yeah. I know. It's just been a long day." She pulled her phone out of her jeans pocket. "It's getting late. I suppose we should try to scrounge up something for dinner."
Leonard dropped the bags on the floor and straightened up. "Tired?" he asked her.
She smiled and nodded. "A little. I'm fine, though. Flying always does me in."
They settled on canned soup and a few dinner rolls that Penny found in the back of the freezer. They would definitely need to make a trip into town tomorrow to go to the grocery store. Mother Hubbard's cupboard, was, essentially, bare. Leonard cleaned up the bowls and spoons, washing them carefully and placing them in the drying rack before wandering back into the living room.
The TV droned quietly in the background and Penny was sleeping in the armchair she'd dropped into after eating. She seemed more relaxed here, he thought to himself, flipping off the TV.
"Hey," he said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "C'mon. Let's get you up into bed."
She opened her eyes sleepily and yawned. "Yeah…probably a good idea. Sorry I fell asleep so soon, Leonard."
"Perfectly acceptable, given the circumstances," he smiled, offering her a hand up.
Penny stood, stretching her arms up over her head. It was early, but she felt exhausted. Leonard followed her up the stairs, and back into her room.
Unzipping her bag, she grabbed a pair of pj's and her toothbrush. "Be right back," she said sleepily. She stepped out into the hallway, opening the door to her right, and flicked on the switch. The old bathroom was exactly as she remembered it, down to the ancient wicker hamper she'd grown up using. Penny brushed her teeth quickly and put on her shorts and tank top, finally ready for bed.
Leonard wrestled with the other window, and finally managed to open it, providing the space with a bit more ventilation.
When she came back to the bedroom, he'd turned the bedspread down, and was turning his phone to silent for the evening. Penny flipped off the light switch and crawled in next to him, the old pink sheets cool and comfortable against her skin. She rested her head on his shoulder and he sighed.
They were quiet for a few minutes, listening as the old farmhouse settled for the night, creaking intermittently.
She was just beginning to relax when Leonard's hand started brushing against her stomach. His fingers crept from her midriff to her thigh, gently tracing patterns on her skin. She shivered. He took it as an invitation and he kissed her cheek before moving to her lips.
She froze and slowly turned to her side. "Just…not tonight, okay sweetie?" she whispered. "It's…it's not a good time. We- I…I mean, I don't want anything to happen to the baby."
Leonard swallowed, worried about his wife. Since the near attack at the restaurant, she'd thwarted any and every attempt at intimacy. "Honey…" he trailed off.
"We can talk about it in the morning," she said softly, understanding what wasn't being said.
He rubbed her back and sighed. "Okay, Penny," his voice was quiet, "but I think we do need to talk."
She closed her eyes, relieved. She could think of an excuse in the morning.
Hello there, all! I know it's been awhile (again) since I updated, but here is the latest chapter in "A Place to Call Home".
I've had lots of comments about Penny/Leonard's happiness, and I know it's been a bit of a rough road so far, but hey…I love angst/hurt/comfort. :P It's going to take a bit of time for Penny to start trusting Leonard and sharing her feelings with him.
Thanks so much for reading, and I do hope you enjoy. J Have a fabulous day!