Wildflower (8 page)

“Oh no Tommy, it would never be bad. I know I
could search a lifetime and not find anyone who would be as good to
me as you would be, but the sad truth is, you are gay and I am
lesbian. Sooner or later I would lose you to a tall handsome
stranger.”

“Or you would find your wildflower and die of
heartbreak,” he sighed. “What is going to become of us Hazel?”

“We’re going to stop cuddling in this bed and
go get some breakfast before we go back to my apartment,” she
grinned. “I have a hair appointment to get to and you need to spend
a day by yourself getting your thoughts in order.”

“Hazel, no more kidding around,” he whispered
softly as he rose up on one elbow to gaze into her eyes. “Will you
marry me?”

Hazel met his gaze for a long moment before
she replied. “Ask me again in one year’s time and I’ll give you an
answer.”

“Hazel....”

“No Tommy, you’re hurting and I make you feel
safe; right now that’s all you want from life. If you really want
to do this we’ll discuss it one year from now and no sooner,
Ok?”

“As you say my wise one,” he sighed as he
reluctantly rose from the bed as well as the closeness and warmth
of her body. “I do love you Hazel.”

“I know Tommy,” she replied gently, “and I do
love you too.”

“Thanks for not saying ‘no’,” he smiled
weakly.

“Aw Tommy, how could I say no to a face like
that, especially after you have given me another thing I did not
ever expect have.”

“Excuse me?”

“Not only have I now officially spent the
night with a man,” she replied with a saucy grin, “but now I have
been proposed to, and I have been allowed to keep my options open.
Life is good.”

“Brat,” he laughed, “just for that I get
first dibs on the bathroom.”

Hazel relaxed back into the pillows as she
turned on the television. She could hear the shower running and the
faint sounds of Tommy singing softly. “There’s nothing quite like
running water to wash away the blues,” she smiled as she flicked
through the channels.

Hazel gave Tommy a quick peck on the cheek as
she jumped from the car and ran into the hair salon. Tommy was
going to be Ok, she was sure of it now. She smiled and waved when
he honked the horn and drove away.

Coming Home

“Are you alright Miss MacKai?” asked Billy as
Abby climbed slowly out of Mark’s car and walked toward the house.
“Can I help you inside?”

“Thank you Billy,” Abby smiled weakly as she
leaned on his arm and allowed him to guide her up the steps.

Billy gently deposited Abby in the big over
stuffed chair then called softly to his grandmother. Edna took one
glance at Abby and vanished back into the kitchen without a
word.

“Is there anything else I can do for you Miss
MacKai?” he asked softly.

“Yes there is,” she smiled up into his eyes.
“You can call me Abby, we’re friends now Billy. Tell me, when is
your next day off?”

“Here now, you just sip away at this and
you’ll feel a lot better in no time,” Edna directed gently as she
appeared from the kitchen and pressed a steaming mug into Abby’s
hand. Abby took a sip and smiled her thanks. It was hot chicken
soup.

“I’m off on Thursday,” said Billy. “What
happened to you Miss Abby?”

“I’ve been very ill Billy,” she replied
weakly. “One week ago I lost a lot of blood and was told by my
doctor I had to have three weeks of total rest. Instead I was
forced to leave the US and fly back to Canada. I am afraid I’ve not
been getting the rest I need and it is starting to show. Edna, I’d
like to stay another two weeks and just be a lazy lout if I
may.”

“Of course you may,” replied Edna gently as
she lowered herself onto the couch, “but there will be no more
crawling around old houses until you are well again. You lost a
child didn’t you?”

The deep concern in both their faces kept
Abby from being deeply offended by this. Instead she decided to
confide in them. Abby was determined to remain single, and yet to
build a vast network of good and true friends to brighten her life.
She would start right here. “Yes,” she sighed as she met Edna’s
eyes squarely. “I lost both the pregnancy and the man who gave it
to me all in the same morning. That afternoon I lost my job and was
ordered to leave the US immediately, and here I am one week later.”
Tears leaked from her eyes as she allowed the emotion to claim her
at last.

“Oh my god Abby, you poor dear,” soothed Edna
as she slipped into the chair beside Abby and put her arms around
the girl protectively. “You poor dear soul, Billy, you are never to
speak a single word of this to a living soul, do you hear me?”

“Yes ma’am,” he replied softly. “I won’t
breathe a word, I promise. Miss Abby is there anything I can do for
you.”

“Yes there is actually,” sniffed Abby as she
dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. She gave Edna a gentle hug and a
weak smile. Edna patted her shoulder then retreated to her own
chair. “You can stop calling me Miss Abby and start calling me
Abby. You are making me feel old.” Billy blushed softly and gave
her a shy grin. “You can also come to Halifax with me on
Thursday.”

“Excuse me?” exclaimed Edna. “You’re staying
right here and resting young miss.”

“Thank you Edna. I will I promise. I do need
to go to Halifax soon though and I am not strong enough yet to do
what I must there. I will need Billy’s muscles to help me.”

“Sure I’ll go, but what’s up Abby?”

“When I was forced to leave San Francisco in
such a hurry I had no time to make proper arrangements. I mailed
most of my personal things to myself at my mother’s address in
Halifax. We have to go get them and mail them to me here. Is that
alright to do? I have nowhere else to send them right now. I did
buy that house today, but it will be a week or more before I take
possession, and I do have to deal with this immediately.”

“I don’t understand Abby; can’t your mother
mail them on to you?”

“My mother is an alcoholic Edna, if I send
her money she’ll just drink it up. If I wait too long, she’ll open
the boxes to see if there is anything she can sell. I’ll call her
tonight and stall a bit.”

“Wow,” Billy whistled softly, “that’s tough.
What’s the plan?”

“With luck she will be at work on Thursday. I
know where she keeps her spare key hidden. We fly down, rent a
small van, drive to her place, pick up my things, drive to a post
office and mail them on to me here, and then we return the van and
fly back. Can you do it Billy? Will you help me?”

“I would be honored,” he smiled warmly, lost
in those crystal blue eyes again.

Suddenly Abby leaned forward and reached for
his hand. Gripping it tightly she gazed deeply into his eyes.
“Billy, I have just been through hell and am still trying to claw
my way back. I am in desperate need of allies and friends.”

“I know, I know,” he sighed elaborately.
“I’ve heard it all before, ‘I’m sorry Billy, but I just want to be
friends.”

“Lovers come and go Billy, but good friends
are forever.” Abby was squeezing his hand tightly now, imploring
him with those hypnotic eyes.

“Relax my golden one,” he smiled easily, “I’m
only teasing. After what you have shared with us today I wouldn’t
dream of making a pass at you. I’ll give you one year, and if
you’re still single, all bets are off. Until then you’re completely
safe with me.”

“Alright mister, I’ll let you off the hook
this time,” she grinned as she squeezed his hand again and released
it, “but if you ever tease me again while I’m weak I’ll tell your
grandmother and she’ll thrash you soundly.”

“Best behavior, I swear it,” he pleaded,
holding his hands out protectively.

“So are we on for Thursday?”

“Since this is the only date I’ll ever get
with you, how could I refuse?” he asked with a saucy grin.

“Thank you Billy,” smiled Abby warmly,
relaxing back in the chair, “now behave or I’ll tell your
grandmother.”

“Oops, time for me to go back to work,” he
laughed as he rose and headed for the door. She smiled again as he
exited the house then she sank back into her chair and took another
sip of the delicious broth.

“Billy’s a good boy Abby,” said Edna softly.
“He’ll behave himself.”

“I know Edna. I made some mistakes with
Randy; actually I made assumptions that I had no right to make. I
didn’t read the signs as well as I should have and I paid the price
for it. I have sworn to be far more careful from now on, and I have
sworn that I will not allow anyone else to make assumptions about
me the way I did about him. I fully intend to be very open with
everyone from now on, no guessing games; that’s why I told Billy
what I did. I do like him and would enjoy his friendship, but it
will be a very long time indeed before I ever let another man get
close to me again and Billy needed to know that right up
front.”

“He appreciates that Abby, and so do I. That
boy has a huge crush on you and it would be very easy for you to
take advantage of that. You have a lot of class my dear.”

“Thank you Edna,” smiled Abby weakly. “I
think I’ll go up for that nap now.”

“Proper thing, I’ll call you for supper.”

Abigail MacKai slept through much of the next
two days, coming down only to eat and to book the two return
flights to Halifax. Thursday morning she was feeling much more
rested and ready to go when Billy picked her up and drove to the
airport. It was an uneventful flight down and they chatted easily
through the journey. Abby rented a minivan and they drove straight
to her mother’s house in Lower Sackville.

“Ok, we’re in luck,” breathed Abby as she
searched under the huge flower pot for the spare key and found it.
“She’s not home to make a scene and I have the key. You wait here
while I bring the boxes to you Billy. They’re probably in the
garage.”

“I should carry those for you Abby,” he said
as he started into the house.

Abby put out her hand and stopped him. “No
Billy, if she raises a fuss and calls the police, we can honestly
say that you did not enter her house,” Abby stated firmly. She
disappeared into the house and a moment later the garage door swung
open. “As I suspected, right here in the garage.”

Billy peeked into the garage as she passed
the first box to him. It was completely empty except for a stack of
boxes in the very middle. Abby was taking another box from the
stack. In very short order they had the boxes loaded in the van and
Abby had left a note for her mother.

“Dear Mom, I was in town after all so I
thought I would pick up my stuff to save you the trouble of mailing
it. You must have been at work, sorry I missed you. See you next
time. Abby.”

“Ok Billy, let’s go,” she said as she climbed
back into the van. He sped away and drove straight to the nearest
post office where Abby re-labeled the boxes and mailed them off to
herself at Edna’s. In less time than one might suspect they had
returned the van and were back in the air. Edna was just starting
to cook supper when they came through the door.

“Well?” she asked as they breezed into the
kitchen.

“Smooth as silk,” smiled Abby as she bent
over a steaming pot on the stove for a sniff of whatever Edna was
cooking. “I promise Billy, the next time I take you to Halifax I
will give you time to look around a bit.”

“Hey, I saw it from the air before we
landed,” he laughed as he dropped into a chair. “You’ve seen one
city, you’ve seen them all. At least now I can say I ran off to
Halifax with the world’s most beautiful woman.”

“Yes you can, and thank you for the
compliment.”

“Sit down here now and rest,” admonished Edna
as she guided Abby to a chair. “You’re supposed to be resting and
all you do is race around all over the planet.”

“Well there’s nothing more for me to do until
the paperwork clears on the house. I think I’ll just hang out here
and take it easy for a few days.”

“Now that’s a wonderful idea. When those
boxes get here Billy can go to the post office and get them for
you.”

“Absolutely,” agreed Billy. “So what are we
going to do for our next date Abby?”

“Oh my, the next one will be so much more
exciting Billy,” Abby exclaimed in an exaggeratedly breathless
voice. “We’re going car shopping. I will need a car if I am going
to live way out in Jamaica Point, and I am not going onto a used
car lot without a man on my arm.”

“You know Miss MacKai, I am starting to
suspect I am being used here,” mused Billy, a grin firmly place on
his face.

“Of course you’re being used Billy,” replied
Abby, matching his grin, “and shamelessly so I might add. Can you
live with it?”

“Live with it and enjoy it to the hilt,” he
laughed. “I’m not off again until next Wednesday, will that be soon
enough?”

“That would be fine Billy. I’ll rest up from
this little adventure while I wait.”

“I’ll poke around a bit and see what’s
available out there.”

“And I’ll keep an eye on the both of you,”
admonished Edna as she served the meal. She smiled warmly to see
that Abby and Billy had become friends and he seemed to have lost
his awe of Abby. Edna really liked Abby and secretly wished that
Billy could win her affections, but knowing what Abby had just gone
through, Edna doubted that Abby would ever give her heart to a man
again, at least not for a very long time.

A week later Abby smiled as she put her new
hunter green Subaru Outback through its paces on the way to her new
house. Abby herself would not have thought of buying a lease
return, but Billy had scouted out this one for her. It had really
low miles on it and it almost seemed like new. The salesman had
actually cringed when he’d realized that a cabbie was going to test
drive it. Billy had liked the car and Abby had liked the price. She
paid cash for it and bought some extended warranties then they took
it home to Edna’s and loaded all the boxes as well as her suitcases
into it. She had actually been amazed that it all fit in one load.
In the middle of a sunny Thursday afternoon, Abby set out for her
new home.