Chapter 18

"Jordan did the length of time we had been married, or the baby, come up in the conversation?"

She took another sip of coffee before answering, "She asked, but by then I figured that you had a reason for not telling her about us, so I suggested that she should ask you." There was a pause before she asked softly, "Woody why didn't you tell her?"

He sighed, the explanation was so complicated, "I didn't know if you would really need me after the baby was born Jordan, and I just didn't want to get her hopes up for a daughter-in-law and grandchild if this wasn't going to last."

"Oh," was her only reply.

"I was hoping that after the baby was here and able to travel we might have taken a trip to Wisconsin so you all could meet each other."

"Really? You never said anything about that."

"We haven't talked much about anything to do with the future after the baby was born."

"I guess that's true. Maybe we should plan that trip after the baby is born, but don't forget dad's wedding, we can't be gone that weekend."

"We could plan on the first or second week in August. You would still be on maternity leave then and since I know my mother well, if we go the second week and you have to be back at work the following Monday, she won't be able to try and talk us into staying longer."

Jordan agreed and they finished eating. When the table was clear she went back to her baking and Woody left the room to make a call he was dreading.

His mother came on the line and he could picture her clearly in his mind. She would be standing in the kitchen talking on the wall phone mounted near the back door. She would have just wiped her hands on the apron she always wore while cooking or doing the dishes. Since his youngest sister had gone off to college last fall his mother was all alone in the big farm house. He tried to remember to call and talk to her at least once a month. But now, if he told her the truth about how long he and Jordan had been married, she would surely demand to know why he hadn't told her.

Taking a moment for a deep breath he opened the call with, "Hi mom, how are you?"

"Don't you 'hi mom' me Woodrow Aloysius Hoyt! Why did I have to learn that my only son, who used to be my pride and joy, had gone and gotten himself married from his wife instead of him?! Was it too much of an effort for you to pick up the phone to tell me that?! Let alone not invite me or your sisters to the wedding! I knew letting you move to the big city was a bad idea! But, no, you just had to go to make your mark somewhere other than this small little town! As if this little town hasn't been good enough for your family for four generations now!"

As his mother continued to rant, he thought of the wacky psychic lady Clara Rose and wondered what would happen if the two of them were ever in the same room together?

"You should have stayed here at home and married that nice sweet Mary Sue Allenbee. She would have been perfect for you and I would probably have two or three grandchildren by now. It's not as if your sisters are in any hurry to give me any, heaven knows! I bet that wife of yours is a big city girl! One of those career types! She is probably all involved in her job and won't want to have any children! Oh, Woody, why did you go and marry a girl like that?!"

This was where Woody just had to step in and stop his mother from making comments like that about Jordan. "Mom! Stop! Jordan isn't like that! She is the sweetest, most wonderful, woman I have ever met, and I won't have you talking like that about her!"

"Oh Woody! You're in love!"

To be continued…