Jamie and Landon sat with his mother, Cynthia, in her living room.
"So you guys are leaving tomorrow?" Cynthia asked.
Jamie nodded, staring at the T.V. screen but not really watching the old western flick. "I wanted to stay, but Landon repeated what the doctor said." She looked over at Landon, who was rubbing his sore neck, and then back to stare out the window and muttered, "But make it as short as possible."
Landon was truly sorry that she couldn't stay, she needed more time to grieve. But even she agreed they needed to go back, just in case. Jamie got up, suddenly, and instinctively Landon got up also. She held her hand out. "No," she said sadly, "I'm going to see my father. Alone."
It was raining out, and Landon was concerned as he watched her put on a raincoat. "Can I at least give you a drive?" he asked.
She shook her head. "I need to take a walk," she responded shortly and left.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jamie read her beloved father's headstone.
bRev. Hegbert Sullivan Born: June 17th, 1931 Died: December 1st, 2003/b
She remembered that she had been born to him when he was fifty-five, and how unusual that was these days. She looked over to her right, where her mother lay. She had only been thirty-five, though she had heard she was a wispy woman. She thought of the six miscarriages before herself and thought that she had finally born a live child, only to be deceased her self. Her mother had died on her birthday, in fact. So really, daddy and her had never celebrated on her birthday, it was too sad. "Daddy?" she whispered to the freshly dug earth, "I have to go back to Phoenix. Just until I give birth, and if I do happen to," she stopped a moment to regain her composure, then continued, "die, please meet me, because I wouldn't know what to do. Oh yay, and please bring mother with. I have been dying-," she stopped in mid sentence, laughing. Dying? "I don't know if I can leave Landon behind, or our child. And what if the child goes?" She sighed in frustration, wishing she knew the answers. "Well daddy, and momma too, I just wanted to say that I love you and see you soon, whether right here or up above." With that, she kissed her hand then touched it to each headstone in turn. She walked quickly back to Cynthia's house. It was now pouring out and she was sure that Landon was worried, if not already searching for her. She walked into the door to see a fully rain coated Landon, boots and all, ready to go look for her. "Good, you're back. Then I want to show you something." He stripped off his coat then helped her with her coat. He went over to the T.V. where a tape laid and handed it to her. "What's this?" she asked. He pointed to the V.C.R. "Put it in." Jamie put in the tape and there was a blurred vision for a second then it was focused. She gasped. It was a tape of the play from high school; she knew this is where Landon fell in love with her, supposedly. She sat down on the couch without taking her eyes of the T.V. "Only Hope" came on and she sang along. "It sounds even better when you're singing with yourself," he said quietly, wrapping his arms around her now enlarged waist and squeezed her gently.
Cynthia walked in and saw the T.V. "Ah, the play! That was the best performance there was of that play," she said, winking at them both.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Landon shut the trunk door of their car roughly down and still it popped up quickly and hit him in the jaw. "Ow," he muttered, holding the door down by sitting on top of it. Jamie came out, and raised an eyebrow. "Ready to go?" she asked.
"Sure," he said, hopping down. "Did it latch?" he wondered. Success. He hopped into the drivers seat and turned the ignition. "Seatbelts," Jamie reminded him. They were on their way back to Phoenix.
Jamie nodded, staring at the T.V. screen but not really watching the old western flick. "I wanted to stay, but Landon repeated what the doctor said." She looked over at Landon, who was rubbing his sore neck, and then back to stare out the window and muttered, "But make it as short as possible."
Landon was truly sorry that she couldn't stay, she needed more time to grieve. But even she agreed they needed to go back, just in case. Jamie got up, suddenly, and instinctively Landon got up also. She held her hand out. "No," she said sadly, "I'm going to see my father. Alone."
It was raining out, and Landon was concerned as he watched her put on a raincoat. "Can I at least give you a drive?" he asked.
She shook her head. "I need to take a walk," she responded shortly and left.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jamie read her beloved father's headstone.
bRev. Hegbert Sullivan Born: June 17th, 1931 Died: December 1st, 2003/b
She remembered that she had been born to him when he was fifty-five, and how unusual that was these days. She looked over to her right, where her mother lay. She had only been thirty-five, though she had heard she was a wispy woman. She thought of the six miscarriages before herself and thought that she had finally born a live child, only to be deceased her self. Her mother had died on her birthday, in fact. So really, daddy and her had never celebrated on her birthday, it was too sad. "Daddy?" she whispered to the freshly dug earth, "I have to go back to Phoenix. Just until I give birth, and if I do happen to," she stopped a moment to regain her composure, then continued, "die, please meet me, because I wouldn't know what to do. Oh yay, and please bring mother with. I have been dying-," she stopped in mid sentence, laughing. Dying? "I don't know if I can leave Landon behind, or our child. And what if the child goes?" She sighed in frustration, wishing she knew the answers. "Well daddy, and momma too, I just wanted to say that I love you and see you soon, whether right here or up above." With that, she kissed her hand then touched it to each headstone in turn. She walked quickly back to Cynthia's house. It was now pouring out and she was sure that Landon was worried, if not already searching for her. She walked into the door to see a fully rain coated Landon, boots and all, ready to go look for her. "Good, you're back. Then I want to show you something." He stripped off his coat then helped her with her coat. He went over to the T.V. where a tape laid and handed it to her. "What's this?" she asked. He pointed to the V.C.R. "Put it in." Jamie put in the tape and there was a blurred vision for a second then it was focused. She gasped. It was a tape of the play from high school; she knew this is where Landon fell in love with her, supposedly. She sat down on the couch without taking her eyes of the T.V. "Only Hope" came on and she sang along. "It sounds even better when you're singing with yourself," he said quietly, wrapping his arms around her now enlarged waist and squeezed her gently.
Cynthia walked in and saw the T.V. "Ah, the play! That was the best performance there was of that play," she said, winking at them both.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Landon shut the trunk door of their car roughly down and still it popped up quickly and hit him in the jaw. "Ow," he muttered, holding the door down by sitting on top of it. Jamie came out, and raised an eyebrow. "Ready to go?" she asked.
"Sure," he said, hopping down. "Did it latch?" he wondered. Success. He hopped into the drivers seat and turned the ignition. "Seatbelts," Jamie reminded him. They were on their way back to Phoenix.