Music City (32 page)

“Tracy,
how much longer are you planning to live in your mom’s house?”

“I hadn’t given it much thought, Alex. Why do you ask?”

“Well, I’ll be moving on in a few weeks and I’m trying to think ahead. I own half of the duplex, Derek owns the other half. I don’t really want to sell my half, I want to wait and see what the future holds first.  But I would like to lease it. I wondered if you would be interested.”

“Now, wait a minute. I have some say in this,” Derek said. “I’ve got a few thoughts of my own. I was thinking I’d like to buy you out, Alex, maybe turn it into a single dwelling, knock out a wall or two,
so there would be room for a couple of kids, a dog. It would be a good place to raise a family. The street’s quiet, neighbors are very nice.”

“Well, good for you, Derek, but I don’t want to sell.”

“You’re moving to Ohio. Why would you want a house in Nashville? Makes no sense.”

“I don’t know that I’ll stay in Ohio. What if I don’t like the work, what if I don’t fit into that role anymore? What if they aren’t satisfied with me?
What if I don’t like the winters?  I hear Cleveland winters are brutal.  That’s a
lot
of what ifs, and I’m not comfortable enough yet to just walk away from a home that is already bought and paid for.”

Tracy stood up, both arms stretched out from his sides.

“Hold on a minute. Let me say something here. I think I’m in love with Brandy and I think she loves me too. That being said, we are in no hurry to rush this relationship. She has another year and a half of school, then she’ll want to work for a while and find her own way. We’ve already talked about all of that a little bit. But, I think it would be good for me to move out of Momma’s house. I can’t live there forever, well, she probably wouldn’t care if I did, but I don’t want to.  I think leasing your place for maybe six months to start is not a bad idea. Let me give it some thought, Alex, thanks for the idea and for the offer.”

“Thanks a lot, good friends that you are. You haven’t even listened to a word I said—”

Alex interrupted him, “Derek, I heard you man, but I’ll tell you one thing. You can’t start knocking down walls until you’ve declared your intentions to Vani. I speak from experience! If Vani says knock down walls, then knock down walls, but you haven’t even proposed to Vani. And from what I know of you, it will be a while before you do. Am I right, or not?”

“None of your business about Vani and me,
Alex. It was your decision to exit this partnership without conferring with me, and Vani and I can make our own decisions!”

“Hold up, you two,” interrupted Tracy. “Just hold up a minute. I’ve never heard the two of you disagree about anything. Stop and think, Derek. You can’t just assume Vani will say yes, whenever you decide to ask
. You also can’t assume she’ll want to move in here, she might, but I don’t know. So, don’t you think you should first consult with her, before you make any other plans? Knowing Vani as I do, she’s going to want a voice in any decision that remotely pertains to her, and she’s certainly going to want to decide about a house—she always talked about raising kids at the farm.”

Derek and Alex looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Tracy wasn’t sure what to make of their laughing, “Think what you want, you both know I’m right!”

Derek was the first to say, “You’re right, Tracy
, you are.   I’ll admit it, I’m still a little anxious about you leaving us, Alex.  I’ll come to terms with it, sorry y’all. Tracy, if I’m going to have a new next door neighbor, you’d be the one I’d want.” 

“I’m sure glad that’s settled. Now, what about Vani? Are you ready for another marriage?”

“I think I’m ready, I’ll hold Beth in my heart as long as I live, I know that and Vani knows that. But I am ready to go on with my life.

Alex smiled,
“I’m happy for you, I really am.”  He turned to Tracy, “So tell us about this Thanksgiving Dinner I’ve been hearing about for weeks! Seems like that’s all Shelly has talked about, I’m almost sorry I’m going to miss it.”

That same evening, Shelly and Dorothy were in the kitchen of the farmhouse. Shelly thought the
atmosphere at the farmhouse suited a more traditional Thanksgiving for those she considered family and close friends.

The
house would be filled with new and old family. There was plenty of room in the farmhouse, and plenty of room outside for those who wanted to walk and talk in the beautiful Tennessee autumn air, with the falling leaves crunching underfoot, and the chickens clucking playfully. The farm had so much to offer and Shelly’s heart was filled with anticipation.

Dorothy was nervous
and hesitant to meet so many new people, she silently hoped they would all be as open and kind as Shelly.  She was also excited. This would be the first real Thanksgiving celebration she’d ever felt like she was truly a part of.

Just
this morning, she and Shelly had headed for the woods with Jerry and found the perfect Christmas tree. It was as tall as the ceiling, and full enough to fit in front of the big bay windows in the living room nicely. Jerry had taken care of stringing the lights, but Shelly and Dorothy were going to decorate the tree together. They weren’t planning any more decorations this early, but Shelly felt that the Christmas tree would make them all feel warm and welcome and get them all in the holiday spirit.

She
lly thought about the evening a week or so ago. She’d received a call from Noel. Tom had passed away peacefully in his sleep.  Shelly went to his memorial service and stayed overnight with Noel. They’d talked long into the night, and decided to still spend the holidays together. Noel and her children would be at the farm for Thanksgiving, along with Lori, Mike, Ruth and Dennis—they were all coming in on Wednesday evening.

Shelly was so excited for her new-found parents to meet everyone and vice versa. It didn’t seem to matter anymore that the other siblings
would not be here or a part of her life.  All of them had their own lives now, had made their own choices, and Shelly and Dorothy were both fine with that. 

They, too, had made their own choices
.  The important thing was that there were no longer questions lingering about their past. 

Shelly
thought of her own children, she knew in her heart they were ready to make their own decisions and she was ready to stand beside or behind them, whatever they wanted, no matter what they decided. Brandy and Derek would play a big part in those decisions, Shelly was sure. Brandy would be at Thanksgiving dinner, along with her parents whom Shelly had yet to meet. But she knew they loved Tracy, and that was all that mattered to her.

The farmhouse was spotless, as was the cottage that Dorothy called home. The kitchens gleamed, the beds were made, the food was
all bought or delivered and awaiting its final preparation, Jerry and Donna were sleeping and Shelly and Dorothy finally stood in the living room admiring the lights on the tree.

“Are you sure you don’t want the kids here to help decorate, Shelly?”

“I’m sure, Dorothy, very sure. Vani will help with the tree at home and Tracy’s head is somewhere north of cloud nine. So yes, I’m sure. This is our first holiday together since we were little…”

“Shelly, we didn’t have Thanksgiving or Christmases when we were little, Maye didn’t believe in
it, remember? One time, right before you left, you gave me a scarf you had made from an old sweater and you sang to me. That’s the only Christmas I remember.”

Shelly hugged her sister. “I can’t do a thing about the holidays of the past, but I can promise you that you will never spend another holiday alone, unless it’s by your own choice.”

Dorothy smiled and hugged Shelly. “I know I’ve told you a thousand times, but thank you for saving me.”

Shelly started to wave her off, but Dorothy held her hands up
. “But, besides thanking you yet again, I want to tell you that I love you.”

Now it was Shelly’s turn to have tears in her eyes as she hugged Dorothy again. “I love you too, Dorothy. I am so thankful you are a part of my life, of all of our lives. You add so much more than you can ever know.”

They began to decorate the tree then, with Shelly taking time to tell a story about every ornament that she had collected through the years.  To Dorothy, it almost felt as though she had shared all of those Christmases past with Shelly.

When they were finally finished with the tree, they stepped back to admire their work. They
shared a past and they would share a future. They were both looking forward to Thanksgiving Day. Both of them were thankful for new friends, new family and a new beginning.

“Take me to the side of blessed,

Where the sky is blue and the birds fly free

I’ll fly too, I’ll fly far

My heart bursting with peace and harmony

Lord, take me far from the side of sorrow

Where the gray clouds dull my mind

Side of sorrow, side of pain

I want to forever leave you behind

The sky is blue and birds fly free

All around me peace fills the air

This side of blessed, side of blessed

All is splendid and fair...”

The End

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