Wyoming Nights (14 page)

“I disrespected myself Tommy, but I wanted some lovin’ and dang golly I got me some,” she told him as she pulled him into the house.

Daniel rubbed his fingers across his eyes.  He needed a hot shower, something to eat and a kiss from his wife. Rarely if ever did he have company, but with his new wife also came a new life. He suddenly felt like his father coming in from work and scaring the hell out all the boys who hung around their house like maggots on dung. The flashback of catching his sisters in a car parked out front with some handsy horn dog brought back a bad memory which took him back to his teen years.

“Long night?” Roosevelt asked.

“Yeah, two lost hikers,” he said. “I was going to ask you to come out and take a peek, stay a minute, see where your sister lived...but at this point...welcome,” Daniel said forgoing the rest of what he was going to say to welcome his brother-in-law.

Roosevelt patted him on his back. “Well, food is ready, I was hoping we could get in some fishing before I leave on Monday, and maybe when you’re up to it, you can show me your beautiful land.”

Daniel rubbed his eyes. “Right now, my main concern is the burning desire to kiss my wife.”

She stood on the porch, the sun shining on her like fresh dew on a petal. “Good Lord you are beautiful,” he told her.

Her arms went around his neck to hold him close. “Welcome home,” she told him. “It seems that while you were away our family expanded.”

“So it seems.  Were the kids a handful while I was away?” He said with a chuckle.

“You have no idea,” she told him as his lips met hers.

Jamar called out first, “Hey, I forget to tell you guys, I brought this new game with me called
Cards Against Humanity
.  I can’t wait to play it!”

Daniel started to chuckle as he asked Jamar, “Is it family game time or something?”

“Awww Dad,” Jamar laughed as he went inside to get the cards and set up the table.

Everyone followed him inside leaving Darlene and Daniel on the front porch.

“I know this will never replace the family you lost Darlene and it may even be a poor substitute...” he started to say.  Her hand covered his mouth as she looked up lovingly into his eyes.

“I could not have hoped for anything better than what you have given me here, makeshift family, friends or whatever you want to call them, I am happy,” she told him.

“That’s all I needed to hear,” he said, pulling her close as he guided her inside of their home.

“I’m going to grab a shower guys, go ahead and start without me,” he told them as he headed down the hall.

“I’ll feed Sheila D.,” Jack called behind him.

Roosevelt went into the kitchen to get more coffee, pouring a fresh cup and observing his sister’s new family.  He liked Daniel.  He liked Jack- whoever he was.  He truly got a kick out of Jamar who reminded him so much his nephew George. The thing the he could not get over was the transformation in his sister.  She looked so beautiful and happy that tears began to sting his eyes.  He wiped away the moisture as he turned to gaze out the window, giving himself a minute alone with his thoughts.

Everyone was gathering in the living room ready to play the game as the coffee table was converted to a gaming table and stools came out from underneath the tabletop for extra seating. The voices were loud, noisy and unordered as Jamar and Cassandra talked over each other. It may not have been the family that either of them asked for, but it was what they had.

Daniel stood still at the end of the hall looking back at his new family. His lovely wife sat there calmly in the midst of the noisy chatter. A warm feeling tugged at his chest as watched the newly formed family he always wanted. It even included a daughter with the boyfriend he didn’t approve of, another son who wanted to be just like him and a Jack. Krysten was telling jokes, Jamar was poking fun at Cassandra, Dr. Tommy was coming to her defense, and Darlene sat in the middle of the fray with a smile on her face holding her cup of coffee.

Family
.

His dark lonely days were over.

She was worth the wait; all of his cold Wyoming nights were over.

He finally had a family of his own; starting over, never felt so damned good.

I wouldn’t trade this journey for anything
.

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Serenity in the Fall of 2016.

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