Love Revealed: A BWWM Sweet Romance Novel (13 page)

"Have you heard from mom yet?"

"No, I was just going to give her a call when I got my coffee. Lets call her now."

Darla picked up the phone after they called twice.
 

"Good morning Guy."

"Good morning. Everything okay? You sound a bit.. down?"

"She's gone Guy, she passed away during the night. Around three in the morning, the alarms on her heart monitor started going off, the nurses came rushing in, but of course they could do nothing, mom had signed a do not resuscitate form. So, after a few minutes the alarms stopped as her heart did and she was gone. So, Monika and I have just been sitting here all morning waiting for the right time to call. The others are on their way over now, so we will meet them before they come up to the room. We are then going to come back to the house, so no need for you guys to leave. We'll be over in about two or more hours. We are just going to sign some forms, take mothers belongings and be back there."

Guy was stunned, he felt so sad for Darla, he didn't know what to say, "I'm sorry Darla."

"Thanks Guy,” she began to cry.
 

The days leading to the funeral passed in a blur of paperwork and calls to extended family and friends for Darla and her siblings. Acquaintances arriving at the house, to bring flowers and sympathy cards, some neighbours bringing casseroles and soups for the family. Guy was impressed by the kindness expressed to the family. Darla's mother had lived in another part of town, but had spent a lot of time at Darla’s house, people from all around came to pay respects, typically bringing some food and flowers. Guy had no time to be shy, he was thrown into hosting people he had never met before and explaining who he was, Darla's boyfriend. It had just came out one day when a former neighbour of Darla's mother arrived and demanded to know who the young white man was. Adeen had piped up and said, "That's my mothers boyfriend Guy. He's a writer." The woman had been placated and everyone had moved on. Adeen had given Guy a big cheeky smile and Guy had smiled back at her. Later that night when everyone was in bed, Guy had told Darla what Adeen had said and Darla laughed for the first time in days.
 

"And how did you feel about that?" she asked him.

"Well, I was pleased she had said it and not me. I was just worried you would hear it on the grapevine and get annoyed and think I had been spreading rumours. With all the sadness and stress at the moment I just hadn't felt it the right time to even bring it up to you."

"I know, I'm sorry I have been so distant. It's been great having you around here helping out. You don't understand how easier it makes everything having you here. Today, when it just got too much, Monika and I ran out to the bottom of the garden. We just couldn't take all the people anymore. Chuck is great too, but the other two, Daymon and Charlene, they are both happy to be staying at the hotel, they don't have to be around to host or help out at all. Making excuses about having to work from the hotel and do video chats with work. It's all excuses. But having you here, it just eases everything a little and I wanted you to know that I really appreciate you."

"Well, thank you. I understand what you are going through, although we didn't have such a great response from neighbours and friends. Sure, people sent cards and on the day of the funerals people showed up and came back to the house for the wake and drank and ate, but nobody seemed to care like some of the people here do. I guess your mom was a real friendly lady."

"She was, she was super into the community and getting things done. She organised street parties for our neighbourhoods when we were very young, I don’t think they do them anymore, it's not like the area is bad or anything, but there is not much of a community anymore, people don't make the time to get to know one another. But yes, she was well liked and it shows at times like these when people want to help out by taking food to us. It's really nice,” she got a little choked up and Guy pulled her in and embraced her. She cried for a little while and when she stopped she looked up at him and he asked her, "So, Darla, will you be my girlfriend?"

"Yes, I will,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes, "You can sleep in my room tonight, if you like."

"Okay." Guy replied. They went inside and turned off all the lights downstairs, both of them thinking about the day ahead and of the future.
 

The funeral went well, Darla's mother Mae, had long ago told all her kids, what psalms she wanted read, who she wanted to sing, and what songs. Nobody got up to talk about her, just the priest read some words about her life and her accomplishments and then it was over. They carried the coffin out, Darla, Monika, Charlene, Chuck, Guy and Daymon. The graveyard was a half hour drive away and as they sat in the funeral cars, they were all silent, feeling a huge weight on their chests, knowing this moment was an important one and wanting it to be over, but not wanting to think of what that meant.
 

 
Throughout it all, Adeen held onto both her mothers and Guys hands. She had cried on and off the last few days, but was calm today. She had told Guy that although she was sad that her grandma was gone, she was happy that she had lived a happy life and was no longer in pain.
 

Mae was buried alongside her husband. It was a beautiful sunny day, the singer Mae had requested was by the graveside, she sang as the coffin was lowered into the ground. The immediate family threw handfuls of dirt onto the coffin as it was in the ground and then they all turned and headed for the cars to go home.
 

Her mother wanted a large fun wake to be held, she had not wanted anyone to say anything in the church, but had no problem people gathering in her home after the funeral to pay their respects, look through the photos she had requested to be laid out of her favourite moments of her life. Most of them were photos of the kids, especially when they were young, out playing in the street on their bikes, trips to the zoo, first day of school. But then there were the photos of herself, her wedding photograph, which was the first photo she had taken. She had married late she had always said, she had worked in her twenties and paid no mind to men. She had waited until she had fallen in love, he was a kind man she would always say. She had been twenty seven when they married and looked so much younger. It was '64 and her hair and clothing were very much of that period. She had not worn a typical wedding dress, but a white flared pant suit, with a large white brimmed hat with some crocheted flowers on it.
 

Everyone enjoyed the wake and thought the idea of chosen photos of the deceased was a fantastic idea. After everyone had left, Darla's out of town siblings said their goodbyes and left too. Chuck suggested they spend the night in their moms house for old times sake.
 

Adeen stayed in the smaller room that she usually stayed in when she visited with her grandmother, Chuck stayed in his old room and Darla and Guy stayed in her and her sisters old room. As they lay there in the bed, Darla was thinking to herself about the future. She decided to bite the bullet and ask Guy about where he saw their new relationship going.

"So, I know we have now decided that we are boyfriend and girlfriend and believe me, I am happy with that, but I also want to know how you feel about things. I mean it can't have escaped your notice that you live in another state and that I have a daughter here, who is pretty content in her school. I also have family here, Monika and Chuck have helped me out so much since I had Adeen that I couldn't bare to move that far away," fearing Guy may be slowly backing away internally, she added, "I'm not saying we have to move in together, I'm not asking for that, but I really like you and you are a good role model for Adeen. I just want to know you are not thinking of me as a summer fling."

Guy sat for a moment, looking at Darla. He couldn't figure out how to put into words what he was feeling inside right then, so he kissed her. As he pulled away, Darla said, "Well I guess thats a good sign?"

"It's a good sign, yes. Darla, I think I love you. No, I am in love with you. I was blown away with you the first moment I saw you when you stepped off that boat onto my island. I just hid it from myself. I don't know why, maybe I'm afraid of being in love and loosing that control over how I feel. I think Adeen is a great kid and I am already very fond of her. I have thought about the living situation, I do have a really great house out in Virginia, but frankly, it's a little lonely out there. I've really been enjoying being around your house and the neighbourhood this last week. This town is such a great little community, people really seem to look out for one another here. I'm not saying I'm gonna do it right away, but if by the end of the summer and things are still going well, I would sell my house to move here, even to rent a place of my own, if you don't want me to move in so soon, what with Adeen and all."

"You'd sell your house to come live here with us?"

"Sure, it's just a house, it's in a great location, I'm sure it would sell easily."

"You don't know how much this makes me happy and by the way, I'm in love with you too." They kissed and held each other for a while before they turned out the lights and fell asleep in each other arms.
 

The day after the funeral they decided to go to the diner, just the three of them to have lunch. Everyone had woken in the house in good moods and gone back home, happy they spent one last night in their childhood home.
 

When they arrived, Nancy seated them in a corner booth and after offering them her sympathies for her mother's passing, she asked them what they would like to eat, adding that dessert was on the house today, courtesy of Betty.

"She'd still love to see you Guy. Did you bring photographs with you this time?"

"Well, I scanned lots into my laptop, I have that with me. Could we go out to her after we eat?"

"Sure, take your time, she'll be free in about an hour after her own lunch."

"Okay, I'll have the cheeseburger and fries and onion rings, with cherry pie and a coke," Guy said.

"I'll have the double cheeseburger and fries, apple pie and a coke," Darla added

"I'll have, the chicken pieces and fries and onion rings, fudge sundae and a coke too, please Nancy," Adeen added.

"Wow, you're a hungry girl today, good on ya." Nancy said as she walked away.

"Have you met Betty before?" Guy asked Darla.
 

"Oh sure, back when she worked here, us kids lived in this place in the summer time. It was where all our dates happened and where we would go after school on fridays. Betty was always great to us kids, never telling us to shut up, but I think everyone liked her so much there were never really any problems here."

"Whose Betty mom?"

"Betty is the woman who used to run this place like Nancy does now. She is an older lady now, much older than grandma was, we are going to visit with her after lunch, if that's okay."

"Yeah sounds good. Did you know her Guy?"

"Yes, I met her over the years when I would come here with my family in the summers. She was a real nice lady."

Their food arrived and they all sat in silence as they ate their main meal and then oohed and ahhed over their delicious desserts, each taking a piece of the others to try. Darla declaring her pie the best, Guy telling her it was no competition that his was the best, but Adeen beating the both of them by declaring hers the best in the world. They both had to admit that the fudge sundae was delicious.
 

After they had finished eating and had sat and chatted for a while, Nancy came over to them and said if they wanted that Betty was waiting for them out in her house now. Guy ran out to the car and grabbed his laptop and they walked down the path to her house. It was a wooden framed house, two stories with a lovely big porch on the outside, it had a good sized yard and then a path out the back leading down to the shore, where there was a small boat tied up.
 

Darla knocked on the door and a voice from inside answered, "Come in." They entered and the smell of baking wafted around them as they did.
 

"Hello, it's Guy, Darla and Adeen, Mrs. Lynch" Guy said.

"I'm in the kitchen honey, come on in." she answered.

They walked to the back of the house to where her voice had come from and entered through a doorless frame to a very old fashioned kitchen. An old woman was standing there, tending to what looked like freshly baked pies. She was tall for her age, but heavy round the middle, she had white hair in curls, which were pinned back at the front and her olive skin was age spotted and thin looking.
 

"Hello there little cutie, what's your name again, Nancy told me, but my memory for names has long since gone."

"My name is Adeen, Mrs. Lynch."
 

"You can all call me Betty, I haven't lost my name since I left the diner now. You all sit down there at the table and I'll bring you some fresh pie. Did Nancy give you some pie already, I told her to, as your mother passing was such a sad event, I thought you may need some cheering up."

"Yes, she did Betty, that was very kind of you." Darla answered.

"I must say Betty, this is not how I pictured you when they said you had retired. I imagined you sitting in a chair all day, watching the t.v." Guy said.
 

"Oh no. I still bake all the pies. I mean I sit down an awful lot more than I used to, that job in there is a killer on the legs and the back, but I can still get up and down to bake. I am living mostly down here though, got myself a new downstairs bathroom and the living room is my bedroom now. So I hope you don't mind that we do our visiting in here?"

"No not all, your kitchen is a lovely warm space. Has a lot of character." Darla said.

"Yes, it has a lot of memories for me. My three kids, all their friends coming in over the years, taking on boarders in the early days. Yes, now and my grandkids and I even have a great-grandkid. So, Nancy tells me you have photographs to show me, maybe I'll remember who you and your folks were when I see them. I don't see anyone in you right now, Mr. Murtagh?"