Detours (14 page)

“Mom, slow down,” Mary suggested as she joined them on the passenger side of the vehicle. “We had breakfast at home, and that was less than two hours ago, so we don’t need lunch yet. Give us a chance to use the bathroom and say hi to Natalie, okay? And remember, we’re just here to pick up Nat and our stuff, and then we’re on our way.”

Anna wrapped Mary in a motherly bear hug. “I am so excited about having you back where you belong. When Nathan told me, I dropped right to my knees to thank the Lord for bringing my MaryChris and sweet Natalie home to me. You know I fought your daddy tooth and claw when he said we should name you MaryChris. I thought it was mocking our savior, but now that I’ve got my own MaryChris Moss miracle, I see that Daddy was wise enough to know that God has a sense of humor.” A tear slipped down her face. “Law, how I’ve missed that man these seven years he’s been with Jesus, God rest his soul. I can just see him dancing in the streets of heaven, knowing his three angel daughters are going to be right here to help me in my last years before I’m called to join him in God’s holy rest.”

“Let’s go inside, okay?” Mary trudged toward the front door. “Who’s here besides Nat?”

“Just Kendall and Amber and Ashley.” Anna ushered Ellis along behind Mary. “Did MaryChris tell you about her nephews and nieces, Ellis? My daughter Naomi and her husband Barry gave me grandsons, Matthew and Kendall. My other daughter, she’s my baby, Gloria, she’s just nineteen months younger than MaryChris. She and Adam have three girls, Amber, Ashley, and Erin. I thought they should have picked another A name to go with Amber and Ashley, but they liked Erin, so Erin it is. And of course, you know Natalie. She is so mature for her age, don’t you think? I always thought an only child would be slowed down by not having brothers or sisters, but it sure hasn’t hurt Natalie.”

Anna kept up a running discourse all the way up the walk, up the steps, and through the front door into the living room. Natalie and a young boy, who Ellis thought looked to be about Natalie’s age, and a slightly older-looking girl were playing a board game in the middle of the living room floor. All three looked up as the adults entered the room.

Natalie launched herself toward Ellis. “Ellis! You came. I hoped Mom would bring you.” Ellis returned Natalie’s exuberant hug.

“Hi, toots. Who’s winning?”

“Who knows? Gramma Anna won’t let us play computer games at her house. She says it’s the devil’s handiwork and that we can’t use computers in her house, so we’re playing this lame stone-age game where you have to roll dice and move plastic thingies.” She unwrapped her arms from around Ellis’s neck, but kept a grip on Ellis’s hand.

The boy, who Ellis guessed must be Kendall from what she’d extracted during Anna’s ramblings, spoke up. “Natalie says she doesn’t know who’s winning because she’s losing. I’m way ahead. I rolled a six and landed on her guy and said ‘Sorry,’ ’cuz that’s what you’re supposed to say when you hit a square where somebody else already is, and she had to go back and start over.”

“So what?” Natalie shot back. “I could still catch up, but now I don’t have to play anymore because my mom and Ellis are here, and we’re going back to Atlanta, where I’ve got a dog and a cat. You and Amber and Ashley can stay here and play your dumb game.”

“My mom says pets are too much work,” Amber said to no one in particular.

Mary tapped Natalie on the shoulder. “Remember me? I’m your mother. Do I get a hug, or at least a hello?”

“I saw you day before yesterday. I haven’t seen Ellis since forever.” Natalie dropped Ellis’s hand and hugged her mother. “Hi, Mom. You’re weird.”

“Thank you, sweetie. I think you’re weird, too.”

Natalie tugged on Ellis’s sleeve. When Ellis stooped down, Natalie cupped her hand around Ellis’s ear. “That’s our code so we don’t have to say ‘I love you’ in front of other people.”

Ellis whispered in Natalie’s ear, “Thanks for explaining that. I’ve heard you do that before.”

“Ready to head for home, Nat?” Mary asked.

Anna took Mary’s elbow. “Oh, no, honey. You can’t bolt in here like a hound after a coon and chase off down the road without so much as a bite to eat. Naomi and Gloria and them will be here around noon. I’ve got some potpies all ready to go in the oven and Naomi is bringing a green salad. Gloria said she’d fix some cornbread and collards, so we’ll be able to make a meal of it. You and Ellis sit right down, and I’ll get you some tea. We need to talk about where you’re going to live when you move home. I don’t know why you and Natalie don’t just take over the second floor of this house. Heaven knows I rattle around here like a June bug in a gymnasium. No reason in the world you two couldn’t share this big old house with me. That’s how it used to be, you know. All the generations under one roof.”

When Anna stopped to draw a breath, Ellis wedged her foot in the conversational gap. “Could I use the restroom, please?”

“Where are my manners? Of course, child. Natalie, show Ellis where the bathroom is.”

“Back here,” Natalie said as she led the way out of the living room. She stole a look over her shoulder. “Don’t worry,” she said conspiratorially. “Me and Mom won’t move in with Gramma Anna. Mom always says one day with Gramma is about twenty-three hours too many.”

Ellis dawdled in the bathroom. Listening to Mary’s mother was akin to being in a blender that was set to “auditory frappé.” So much for their plans to head back to Atlanta right away. If the entire Moss family was assembling for lunch, it would be at least two o’clock before they could load up and make tracks. At a minimum, that translated to four more hours of enduring Anna’s verbal wind sprints.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. “Almost done, Natalie. I’ll be right there,” Ellis said.

“It’s me. Let me in.”

Ellis unlocked the door, and Mary slipped through. “I came to massage your ears,” she said, slipping her hands along either side of Ellis’s head. “When my mom gets excited, she gets talkative.”

“Gee, I never would have guessed.” Ellis rested her head on Mary’s shoulder while Mary gentle kneaded her earlobes. “Mmmm. That’s nice.”

“And I’ll bet your lips are numb from having been denied use for so long.” Mary kissed Ellis gently. “This should bring some feeling back.”

“You’d better stop that. My lips aren’t the only part of my body you’re bringing feelings to.”

“I know what you mean.” She kissed Ellis quickly again. “Get out of here before I forget where we are, but wait for me outside the door. I have news that I think you’ll want to hear.”

Ellis stole a kiss, then left the bathroom to wait for Mary.

“So, what’s your news?” Ellis asked as Mary joined her in the hall.

“I negotiated a reprieve. I told my mother I wanted to drive around a little to see if there are any houses for sale I might want to look at. You and I are going to sneak out the side door and get gone before the kids can beg us to ride along.”

“You’re a genius, MaryChris Moss.”

“No, I’m a woman who needs to be alone with the woman she loves.” She took Ellis by the hand. “Quick like a bunny, and watch my feet. Some of these floorboards squeak, so be sure to step over the ones I avoid. We don’t want to tip off the little people with sonar hearing.”

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

Mary parked the Xterra on a wide, flat spot beside a narrow side road to the north of Route 17, and they got out. The sun played off mountain ridges all around them. The dark pines shone green in the bright light. Brown leaves clung to gray branches.

Ellis drank it in. “You were right about this valley. I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere more serene.”

“The Cherokee thought this was sacred land.” Mary stood behind Ellis and put both hands on Ellis’s shoulders. “It probably wasn’t very serene, though, when they were forced to leave.”

“Is this part of the Trail of Tears?”

“Uh-huh. Can you imagine being told you had to leave the place your ancestors had called home for centuries?”

“If I remember any of my Georgia history, the discovery of gold was behind it all, wasn’t it?”

“Yep.”

“A perfect example of the golden rule—he who has the gold, rules.”

Mary stared into the cloudless blue sky. “Sometimes I wish I didn’t know what happened before my family came to live here.” Reluctantly, she took her hands from Ellis’s shoulders.

“They’ve been here a long time?” Ellis asked.

“About a hundred and fifty years. Four generations’ worth.”

“Did they come for the gold?”

“Probably, but they stayed for the lumber. My great-great-grandfather claimed land here in the early 1830s. He started one of the big lumber mills that tore down half the forests. His sons worked the business and his sons’ sons, and so on.”

“Was your dad in the lumber business, too?”

“No, by then lumbering had tapered off. He owned a Dodge dealership over in Cornelia. My brother-in-law Adam runs it now.”

“Runs it, or owns it?”

“Runs it. Technically, my mother owns it. It passed to her when Dad died. Of course, she doesn’t know a Cummins diesel engine from Vin Diesel, so thank goodness Adam handles it. If you want to witness a real test of wills, be around sometime when Adam is trying to convince her that the dealership should be open on Sunday afternoons.”

“It makes sense. That’s one of the few times working people can shop as a couple.”

“It makes sense to someone living now. My mother’s stuck somewhere around 1950. Women belong at home in the kitchen and shouldn’t worry their pretty little heads with things like horseless carriages and all such tomfoolery.”

“Surely your mother drives?”

“Using a loose interpretation of that word, yes. If she could convince Naomi or Gloria to go to as many church events as she does, she probably wouldn’t ever take her car out of the garage.”

“Speaking of your sisters, don’t we have to be back at your mother’s for lunch soon?”

“Don’t remind me. If I weren’t concerned about how badly it would warp Natalie’s brain, I’d leave her with my mother for the coming week, since she doesn’t go back to school ’til the eighth of January. Then we could blow out of here for home right now.” Mary looked quickly in both directions to be sure they were alone, then gave Ellis a quick kiss. “I like how it feels to be home with you.”

“Me, too.” Ellis slid her arms around Mary’s waist. “Are you absolutely sure you’re moving up here?”

“I don’t see any way around it. Nathan is happier than I’ve seen him in years. He’s hooking up with all his old buddies and making plans for camping trips and weekend fishing excursions. His family’s so thrilled about Nathan moving to Clarkesville and Natalie being nearby all the time they’ve almost forgotten they’re supposed to hate me for ending our marriage.” She pulled free of Ellis’s embrace.

“Mom drives us all insane, but she’d give both arms for any of her grandkids, and they all know it. Here’s a prime example. She goes on and on about what an awful thing technology is, and yet she gave Nat an iPod for Christmas. You saw how Natalie was at my mother’s house. It’s the same thing when she’s with Nathan’s family. She needs to be part of something more than just her dad and me.”

Ellis thought for a moment before answering. “With all the family she’s got up here, maybe Natalie could spend weekends with them, which would leave your calendar a little more open for other activities.” A smile spread across her face.

“Sure. Besides having sleepover nights with Nathan, she could stay at Mom’s sometimes or with my sisters. She’s got Kimbrough cousins she’ll want to spend time with, too. You could come up every weekend.”

“Probably not every weekend. I’ll need to stay in the city to keep up with my landscaping jobs. This winter lull has given you a warped notion of what my usual schedule is like.”

“I understand. Besides, I can’t let Nat spend every weekend away from me. Somebody has to be the disciplinarian. It already takes me until Tuesday to get her back on track after she’s been with her dad for two days. Imagine what it would be like if she had endless freedom from my iron-mom rules.”

“Is there any reason you couldn’t come to Atlanta sometimes? On weekends when you’ve made plans for Natalie to be with relatives, I mean.”

“I don’t see why not. I’ve had one day’s jubilant experience with how comfortable your bed is.” The expression on Mary’s face left no question about the reference. “I could get used to more.”

Ellis feared she might collapse from the swell of adrenaline prompted by remembering how it felt the previous afternoon to have Mary’s body next to hers. “Sorry I was such a grizzly bear when you first told me you’d be moving up here.”

“Forget about it. It hit me like a runaway locomotive, too.” She inched her foot forward and gently kicked the toe of Ellis’s shoe. “In a way, I was glad it upset you.”

“What? Why?”

“At least I knew you cared enough about me to be upset at the prospect of my moving out of Atlanta.”

“I’m not glad it took a sprained ankle and a crumpled bumper to bring it about,” Ellis said, “but Sam and I have loved living at your house.”

“Nat and I have loved having you there.” Mary eased forward and put a foot on either side of Ellis’s feet. “I was planning to try to talk you into moving in with us, but that wouldn’t make much sense now, since we’ll be packing up and heading north in a month or two.”