A/N Thank you to all for your comments and for the follows and faves. Beth shared some news at the end of our last chapter that Daryl didn't seem to take well. In this chapter we'll see if Daryl and Beth can come to terms with this bump in the road and agree on what to do next. We pick up right where we left off.
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He wasn't moving, just laying there half on top of her with his face still buried in her hair. She knew he was taking the news hard and she didn't blame him, she was every bit as overwhelmed by this as him.
She stroked her fingers through his hair while telling him, "I know this is bad Daryl. I was hoping and praying so hard that I'd get some help right here at Dalton State. But Southern Georgia is the only school that's offered me the tuition, room and board, all of it. Well except for one down in Florida but I'm not going any further away than I have to."
He lifted his head to look at her, "Shit Beth that trip ta Statesboro is nine fuckin' hours round trip on a good day. How we gonna keep that up? I don't know, I just don't know…" She'd never seen Daryl look so pale or sound so anxious.
She asked him the question she felt most needed to be asked, answered and settled before they talked any further. She knew it was her dream and not his and she wanted to hear his true thoughts, "Do you want me to turn it down and just stay here?"
He looked at her in disbelief and with maybe just a hint of anger, "Are ya kiddin' me? Ya think I'ma just shit all over your dream? Dammit Beth, what kinda asshole do ya think I am? You're smart an ya deserve ta have this, I told ya that before. But fuck girl, how we gonna get through this for four years?"
"I don't know." She could feel her emotions right there on the surface but she was fighting them. She wanted to be calm for him, she wanted them to be able to talk this over.
He was chewing his bottom lip and he looked so sad it was breaking her heart, "Damn ya know if this woulda all come up a couple years ago I coulda just picked up an gone with ya. I coulda found some kinda work down there in Statesboro, or even somewhere at least close like Savannah. It wouldn't a been a big deal at all. But with my job, shit Beth I can't leave my job."
"Oh no I would never expect you to do that. I don't want you to leave your career Daryl. I know you worked so hard to get that job and it's perfect for you, and most of all I know you're happy there. When I get my degree I'll come back here to Dalton to earn my teaching certificate. I won't take a job anywhere but close to home so you and I can be together, I promise. Do you think you can wait for me all that time?"
He stared in her eyes and the look was piercing, almost as if he were looking right through her, "Damn girl I told ya a million times I'ma love ya forever. Ya think I'ma change my mind cuz ya ain't here? That I can just forget about ya so easy? Ya know I'll wait, ain't no one for me but you. How many times I gotta tell ya Beth? I need ya. I'ma always need ya."
He wasn't worried at all about himself, except of course he'd be a miserable wreck without her there. But he'd wait for however long it took. What scared him was that she was going off to find better. And while she was off getting that big education she'd see a different kind of life. All those real smart guys with their pedigrees and their brains and their big futures. How could some redneck with a broken family, a real shitty past and limited education hope to compete with that shit? And those guys, they'd take one look at Beth and they'd be doing whatever they thought they had to do to try and get with her.
His heart was hurting and his head was swimming. All he wanted was for this to work out for them. He wanted her to be happy, to have her dream come true. But he was afraid, afraid this could be the beginning of the end of them.
"I can't even imagine being away from you Daryl. I can hardly stand it when a day goes by that I don't see you and spend time with you. I've thought about it a lot and it's just not realistic to think we're going to be able to see each other more than once every four or five weeks. It's just too far and we're both going to be so busy. I thought about just not even going. I also thought about trying to get a part time job in town, staying at home with my folks and taking out a bunch of student loans so I could go to Dalton, but that would just be stupid."
"Yeah ya ain't doin' that girl. You're gonna take what ya deserve, what ya got comin'. I seen how hard ya work. All them other schools are stupid they didn't give ya this. I guess all the really smart folks must be down there in Statesboro."
She had to smile, he never failed her, "Thank you for that Daryl and for just being you. I love you." That's when she couldn't hold it back any longer. She got teary eyed and Daryl got teary eyed and they just held on tight.
But Beth had a worried mind herself. Whether he realized it or not Daryl was the kind of guy plenty of women wanted. He was good looking with a good job and a nice little house. He looked hot on that Bike and almost as hot in his truck, and for as rough as he may seem he was a real good man. He was tough and he could be short tempered, there had been more than one incident when she was sure he'd get in a fight. But she was seeing less and less of that as their relationship had grown. He seemed more calm, happier.
There were a couple of women who hung around the club that worried her. That redhead, who thanks to Amy she now knew was named Paula, had been coming on to Daryl since Beth had met him, and right in front of her. What would she be doing when Beth wasn't around?
And there were a couple of others around the club who couldn't seem to keep their eyes off of him. She'd even seen them touch him in a come-on kind of way when they thought she wasn't looking. Although really, they didn't seem to care who knew that they'd like to get close with him. She'd seen Daryl get angry and let them know he was with her and only her. And she didn't think for one minute Daryl was the cheating kind, but she just had the feeling that once she was out of town those women would be stepping up the pace. And she knew he'd be lonely.
That's where her mind was when his hand went to her breast and his mouth moved to her lips. More than just the feeling of desire and passion she expected with him, now his touch also seemed to be filled with emotional need. She understood it because she needed him that way as much as he needed her. It was the closeness and the intimacy they craved as much as the physical act.
When they got back to his house they worked hard at just being them, at putting the worry and the sadness of her leaving behind them. After all, it was only January and she wouldn't be leaving until late August. They had time.
She got the corn on the cob ready to grill and made his favorite cheesy potatoes, while he cleaned the rabbits and got the grill going. He drank a beer while he grilled and she sat out on the back porch sipping on a glass of sweet tea watching him. He was everything she ever could have wanted and all she wanted forever. She couldn't help thinking how hard it was going to be to leave. But she had to put those thoughts away for now, she had to enjoy her time with him.
She was surprised to discover she liked the rabbit, "See there girl? I told ya it's good stuff."
"It is Daryl but I still haven't quite gotten passed the fact it's a cute little bunny."
He was laughing but she knew what he said was serious, "Yeah you'd forget that in a hurry if ya ever got hungry enough."
His words made her feel sad, she knew he was speaking from experience but she wasn't going to ruin the mood. "You're right, if I got hungry enough I'd even eat one of those squirrels you hunt."
That made him laugh more, "Someday girl, maybe for my next birthday, you're gonna make me all kinds a happy an give it a try."
For a while that evening they did forget and they did have fun enjoying each other's company, living in the moment and not thinking about the future.
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He hadn't slept well and his mind would not stop racing. It was almost a physical reaction like an adrenaline rush. There were too many feelings, too much to think about and he just didn't know what to do with it all. He needed to talk to someone and first thing that Sunday morning he was at the Horvath's for coffee.
Just as they always had, the older couple did their best to be positive and supportive. Dale held a hand on his shoulder when he told him, "All I can tell you Son is based on the experiences of an old guy, the time will pass before you know what happened. I'm not saying it isn't going to be hard, of course it is but there's a reward. She'll get her dream and in her eyes, and in her heart you will always be the man who supported her in her pursuit of that dream."
Erma chimed in, "Daryl now think about it, it won't be like you never get to see each other. It won't be like when Dale was in the service. We were apart for 18 months while he was overseas. It was terrible but we wrote and we waited and we worked at keeping the faith and remembering that no matter what, we loved each other. It will be that way for you and Beth, except you won't write, you'll text." She smiled.
By the time he left he did feel a little better and they were right and he should feel grateful about the time they would have together. Him and Beth had it a lot easier than military families. Still that knowledge didn't stop the feelings. His heart was so heavy, he just couldn't imagine being separated from Beth.
He had time before he was expected for Sunday dinner at the farm and he dropped by Merle's place. As cantankerous as his brother could be, in his own way he always did try to help Daryl out. Every once in a while Merle could reach deep inside and come up with a pearl; and there was Carol, she was always a sympathetic ear.
He chased Sophia around the yard a little and tried to pretend he was interested in the outfit Barbie was wearing that day. Then he excused himself and left her playing with the dream house, while he went inside to talk to his brother and sister in law.
He was coffee'd out and so were they so the three of them sat around the kitchen table sipping sweet tea while he told them the story. Merle piped up first, "Well now wait a damn minute, why does that pretty little gal think she has ta get more schoolin' just so she can work? Don't she know ya make more than enough money ta take care a her?"
Before Daryl could answer Carol looked at her husband with an expression that was some kind of hybrid combination of pity and disgust, "Merle Dixon you big old dinosaur. You just don't get it. Beth doesn't want to go to college because she thinks Daryl can't take care of her, and that she needs to get a job to support herself. Beth wants to go to college because she loves children and wants to teach first grade."
"Shit Doll Face why ya gotta act like that? You're s'posed ta feel sorry for me cuz I'm a dumb ass, not keep remindin' me I am. I think that's what they call bullyin'."
Carol couldn't help it, she started to laugh while getting up from her chair. She stood behind him and put her arms around his neck, bent down and kissed his cheek, "Obviously I have an attraction to big old redneck dumb ass dinosaurs and you're the best of the lot."
Merle just smiled his ear to ear smile and said, "Thanks Doll Face, ya really know how ta make a guy feel special."
When she sat back down the mood got a little more serious. Daryl spoke first, "Ya know Carol, the way ya said that, that's how it is. I guess my thinkin' ain't all that different than Merles', but ya made it real clear. It don't have nuthin' ta do with anythin' else, it's her dream. I don't get it but she wants it and that makes me want it for her. I just don't know how it's gonna work out for us. How we're gonna manage bein' apart so long?"
That's when his brother reached for that pearl. Merle clapped him hard on the back and kept it simple, "What you'll do is, every day you'll wake up an you'll figure out how the hell you're gonna get through that day without her. You'll do that every day til she's home for good. You'll make it kid cuz ya love her an she loves you."
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Amy had come by the house for her an hour before church so they'd have time to talk. That left Mama feeling happy and relieved. She knew her daughter was having a tough time with this and it would be good for her to talk to someone her own age.
Amy parked the car a few blocks from the church and turned the radio down low, "Oh Bethie I just don't know how you can leave Daryl like that. I don't think I could leave Caesar. And for my own selfish self I keep thinking, gosh you're going to be leaving me too. What did Daryl say exactly?"
Beth's face turned bright red, "The first thing he said was, 'Aw fuck no.' Then we talked about it and even though I know he hates the idea and doesn't really understand why it's a big deal for me, he was so good about everything. It just made me love him more. But we're both sad and confused. We just don't know how we're going to be able to handle being so far apart and for so long."
"All I know for sure Beth is you and Daryl are solid. It's obvious just watching you two when you're together. Somehow you'll figure it out because I just know in my heart, you two are meant for each other."
At Sunday dinner Daddy and Mama both tried to be positive and encouraging. Daddy looked kindly and sympathetic saying, "I think you'll both be so busy the time will pass more quickly than you think. And it won't be like you'll never see each other. There will still be holidays and summer and the best part will be, when all of this is over and done, you'll appreciate each other all the more."
Mama smiled, "Daddy's right, there's nothing like time apart to make folks realize how much they love each and want to be together."
Sunday was family day at the Greene's but still he asked her folks if it was okay if he took Beth riding after dinner, he wanted to talk. Hershel and Annette understood and they didn't hesitate in agreeing.
It was what they needed, to get out and have that sense of freedom riding on the bike gave them. Just feeling the wind in their faces, hearing the roar and the feeling the power of the engine, and most of all the closeness to each other. All of it helped to bring them some relief from the heaviness of the past two days.
They got back to his house windblown and feeling a little happier, a little more at peace. They were sitting at the kitchen table, Daryl having a beer and Beth sipping on sweet tea. He was absentmindedly running his index finger softly back and forth across her jawline when he paused and smiled, "I don't know how but we're gonna do this girl, we gotta cuz I need ya."
She smiled back, "And we have to because I want you."
"We ain't lettin' nuthin' ever take this away from us Beth." He leaned up far enough out of his chair to kiss her, then smiled and told her, "We gotta make it girl, we're the longest love story."
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A/N And so our couple has agreed that somehow they're going to work through this impending separation. We'll see how they do. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that you'll leave a comment / review. The chapter photo is posted on my tumblr pages gneebee and bethylmethbrick, check it out. I look forward to seeing you all back here next Wednesday for more Long Love Story as Daryl and Beth move forward through their summer. Until then remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee