Gloria's Legacy Read online

  “Hayden, we’ve talked about you toning it down,” Adrienne said as Iris walked away to bark orders at the repair crew. “No climbing—”

  “No running, skipping, jumping.” I held up my hands. “I got it. No living life as normal until our child is grown with a family of its own, then of course, I’ll be too old.” Adrienne glared at me. I slumped farther down into my chair. “Sorry, I’m just frustrated.”

  She reached over and took my hand. “You scared me half to death today. When you lost consciousness, I thought you were seriously hurt.”

  “It knocked the breath out of me. I think I just passed out.” I stared down at our hands and watched as Adrienne rubbed my palm with her thumb. “I’m really sorry about scaring you. I just wanted to do something useful.”

  “Being pregnant isn’t a piece of cake, but sometimes I think it’s harder on you.” Adrienne tugged my hand, and I looked up at her. She smiled. “You worry too much about me and the baby and not enough about yourself.” She raised my hand to her lips and kissed it. “I think the average person’s brain runs on four different tracks, and yours, my love, runs on forty-seven. That’s why you’re so…”

  “Goofy.”

  Adrienne laughed. “I was going to say accident prone.” Her expression grew serious. “I need you right now, whole and healthy.”

  *******

  I enjoyed a catnap as much as any other…cat, but being forced to do so made me cranky. Because of my trip through the roof, I was relegated to a chaise lounge on the patio behind the bar. Activity was all around me as our crew finished prepping the inn, but I could only sit and watch. It pissed me off.

  Adrienne sat beside me thumbing through yet another baby catalog. She held it up. “Look at this, it’s so cute.”

  I glanced at the picture she was pointing at and saw a baby dressed in a sock monkey outfit. “That’s child abuse. The mother should be shot, or worse, made to wear that monkey suit in public.”

  Adrienne sighed and began thumbing away again.

  I hated looking at baby catalogs. Baby clothes, baby towels with little ears, baby shoes, baby, baby, baby. Looking at those things was like watching the weather when a hurricane was approaching. It seemed like it took forever for it to arrive, and all the while, there were ominous warnings. Just before it made landfall, I wanted to run outside and yell, “Bring it on already, so I can begin picking up the pieces. Hurricane baby’s approach was even slower, and I had no doubt when it made landfall that life would never be the same.

  Now don’t get me wrong, I was excited about the birth of our child, but just like a hurricane, I had no idea how it would affect me. Would it plow me over and forever change the landscape of my life, or would it make a few changes I could adapt to? It didn’t help to know that the child Adrienne was carrying was a Tate, and we tended to tear up a lot of shit.

  When I was nine or ten, I overheard my mother giving advice to a pregnant friend. I’d never heard my mother utter one word of profanity before then. She told the woman, “Consider all your shit broken until they go away to college. There’s not one thing in this house that has not been cracked, dented, or outright destroyed.”

  I smiled as I thought of the great washing machine disaster of seventy-eight. Dad had bought Mom a top-of-the-line washer and dryer. I never truly understood why she was so proud of them. It wasn’t like she was going to drag out the dryer whenever her friends came for coffee, but she wiped the machines down with a wet cloth like they were made of marble.

  The gold lettering on the front of the washer caught Jeff’s eye the minute they were brought in. He pulled me to the side and quietly explained that there was real gold beneath the letters. If we could get them off, we could turn them in like we did with soda bottles and get a lot more than a nickel apiece. That’s all I needed to hear.

  Late that night as Jeff took a butter knife to the letters, I tried to figure out how many candy bars I could get with a million bucks because Jeff was certain that we’d get twice that much for the solid gold letters. As I stood watch, I envisioned myself riding a new mini-bike, with Randy Sandifer’s pet raccoon on the back, tail flapping in the wind. Surely, he’d part with Bandit for a thousand dollars.

  The next morning, we awoke to a scream. Not a frightened scream, but a guttural cry of anguish and white hot anger. Even though Jeff assured Mom that he’d buy her six pairs of washers and dryers with the money we got from the supposed gold, she was still mighty pissed off. It certainly didn’t help that he’d dented and scratched the washer to remove the letters, which broke into pieces.

  “What’re you thinking about?” Adrienne asked suddenly.

  “Tearing up Mom’s new washer.”

  Adrienne looked at me oddly for a second. “I was getting a mental picture of a raccoon and a mini-bike.”

  *******

  That night, I lay in our bed and listened to Adrienne’s steady breathing and occasional groan. The only way she could be comfortable was to lie on her side with a pillow between her legs. Cuddling was out of the question. Part of me missed it just being Adrienne and me. The child wasn’t even here, and it had come between us like a bubble barrier that kept us from being physically close.

  I wondered what my role would be. Adrienne was the mom, and so far, she handled it like a pro. She read aloud to the baby bump and rubbed it constantly. She’d been the one to order all the safety latches for the cabinets, and she’d washed all the blankets and crib accoutrements with special detergent. She adapted to all the changes in our life naturally.

  I, on the other hand, had no idea what a receiving blanket was really used for. The Diaper Genie Adrienne was so excited about was a mystery to me. I’d read the baby books and still was clueless. I admired Adrienne’s ability to meet all the change head-on. I felt like I was flapping in the breeze behind it.

  I stretched and threw an arm over my head. Everything was changing. The next day, we’d leave the cottage I’d come to know as home. Cramped as it was, I’d miss the sitting area and our tiny porch. Adrienne and I couldn’t turn around without bumping into each other, but that was a nice thing. Now we’d be in a house with actual rooms and lots and lots of space between us.

  *******

  “Hayden, wake up.”

  I opened one eye and looked at Adrienne, then at the clock. I’d barely been asleep for thirty minutes. “You’re not serious.”

  “I am.” Adrienne switched on the bedside lamp. “Get up.”

  I hoped that she’d give up this charade after a couple of times, but she did not. On the fourth wakeup, I was losing patience. “For the love of Mike, Pete, and Uncle Earl, I’m fine!”

  “Hmm, I don’t know any of those people. Should I call Shelby?” Adrienne switched on that damn lamp again.

  “Yes, call her and tell her I see pink elephants, that I think I’m Elvis, and I think those Hawaiian shirts she wears are totally hot!” I threw the covers over my head. “Thank you very much, good night.”

  Adrienne poked at me. “You have to get up and walk around.”

  I groaned as I threw back the covers and followed her to the bathroom. “Do you really get up this often during the night?” I paced back and forth in front of the bathroom.

  “Even if the baby wasn’t putting pressure on my bladder, all the juice Iris has me drinking makes my eyeballs float. Pineapple, papaya, orange, tomato. Sometimes she mixes them all together, makes me sick.”

  I listened to her flush, then wash her hands. She held on to me as we walked back to the bed. “I’m sorry you have to suffer like this, honey.” I fluffed her pillow.

  Adrienne groaned as she climbed into bed and made herself comfortable. “It’s good practice for us both. I imagine the baby will keep us up a lot for the first month or so.”

  After she woke me up another three times, I wondered what we were thinking when we decided to have a child. Who in their right mind would want to carry around an extra seven or eight pounds of hitchhiker, pee every thirty seconds, and w
ake up all hours of the night to feed something that is going to piss and shit in their pants for over a year?

  I looked down at my cat Saber who was watching me with one open green eye. “What were you thinking making all those litters before we got you fixed? Didn’t you know you’d have to clean a dozen kitten butts?”

  Chapter Two

  I dodged Iris in our new kitchen that was separated from the living room by a bar and watched as Jacob and a few others brought in the first of two new sofas. Their voices echoed off the bare walls and high ceilings. Another pair came behind them and unrolled a new rug across our hardwood floors. Everything was new. What furniture Adrienne and I shared was compact, perfect for a cottage, but not a house. Nothing felt the same, and the “new” smell of it all made me feel anxious, so I retreated.

  From the deck, I watched a steady procession of people hauling in boxes. Saber rode on one looking like the king he thought he was. Two of his offspring followed behind with curious stares. Adrienne was directing from her spot on the sofa. Iris was supervising the unpacking. I turned and looked out over the water; for me, that was the highlight of the new place. We’d designed the back of the house to be nearly all glass, so we could look out on the ocean from every room. The sight soothed my troubled mind.

  “Happy to be finally settling in?”

  I turned with a smile at the familiar voice as Colie joined me at the railing. Iris’s husband was a policeman on the island. His skin black as coal stood out against the white of his button-down shirt, reminding me of why his mother dubbed him Colie. “I should feel settled, but I don’t,” I admitted. “I know it sounds silly, but I’m going to miss our cottage.”

  “Life certainly won’t be the same when the baby gets here.”

  “It isn’t the same now.” I turned again and squinted against the reflection of the sun off the water.

  “No, but you’re going to be fine, Hayden. You wait and see.”

  “You can be confident for the both of us.” I folded my arms. “I don’t know anything about raising children. I’m a walking disaster area. Our baby will probably be in its teens before I’m allowed to hold it.”

  “You do well with Teddy. You’re his favorite aunt.”

  I smiled thinking of my six-year-old buddy who Iris and Colie adopted. “I’m his playmate, not a parent.”

  “That’s what we are, playmates who protect and guide. This child is blessed with two mothers that will be excellent parents with plenty of family to help.” Colie smiled when I glanced at him. “We’ll be right here for whatever you need.”

  As if on cue, Teddy skipped onto the deck and tugged on my shorts. “Aunt Hayden, play fuzzy bunny with me.”

  Colie gave my shoulder a squeeze before leaving us.

  I knelt down and took the bag of marshmallows Teddy was holding. “How do we play fuzzy bunny? Do we build a bunny with these?”

  He shook his head. “Tear open the bag, please.” I did as he asked, and he reached in and took a marshmallow. “You put one in your mouth and say fuzzy bunny, and you keep doing it until they pop out, but you lose if that happens.”

  I found it hard to narrow my eyes at him. He looked so cute with the Mohawk he had to have after seeing it on TV. “Well, Spike, is this going to be like the time you convinced me to put the Mentos in the Coke? It took a long time for me to get all that sticky out of my hair.”

  He giggled and shook his head. “I like it when you call me Spike.” He held up a marshmallow. I opened my mouth, and he stuffed it in. “Now say fuzzy bunny.”

  “Fuzzy bunny.” He stuffed one in his mouth and did the same. “I’ve got a big mouth, you’re gonna lose this one.” I opened again, and he stuffed another in. “Fuzzy bunny.”

  “Don’t swallow,” he said before stuffing another one in his mouth. He giggled before saying, “fowey bowey.”

  I had the marshmallows stuffed in my cheeks. It was amazing how slimy they became when they were covered with spit. “I guess I can’t chew them, either.” He shook his head and stuffed another marshmallow in my mouth. “Fussy boney.”

  Teddy put a hand over his mouth when he was tempted to laugh. Then slowly, he stuffed another marshmallow in. “Fowey—” A slimy marshmallow shot out of his mouth and landed on my foot. He squealed with laughter as the rest followed suit.

  “Why when we pway a gwame I ooways get stwicky?” I asked, trying to keep the marshmallows from slipping past my lips.

  “See how many.” Teddy stuffed another one in my mouth.

  “Fuggy buggy.” I tried not to laugh as my cheeks bulged. I could barely keep them in when he stuffed in another. “Fu—” They all shot out of my mouth rapid fire and stuck to the superhero on his shirt.

  “Eww, Aunt Hayden.” We were both laughing when Iris and Adrienne walked onto the deck.

  “Wanna kiss us, Aunt Adrienne?” I asked. “We’re sweet.”

  “Too sweet for me.” Adrienne ruffled Teddy’s spikey hair. “I’m on a low-sugar diet.” She leaned down and kissed us both on the head anyway.

  “You’re a sticky mess.” Iris, who was obviously prepared, produced a wet washcloth and wiped Teddy down. When she approached me, I backed away.

  “I’ll go clean myself up.” I pointed to the cloth. “That’s covered with fuzzy bunny spit.”

  *******

  The smell of barbecue wafted on the breeze, but I couldn’t be distracted by the delicious aroma. I was on a mission. I belly crawled through the sand with the gun gripped tightly in my hand. The enemy was close by…I could smell the marshmallows…on his breath. My move was daring. I’d left the safety of my fort constructed with cardboard boxes to invade his. I was in stealth mode as I slithered around the side of his fort, the element of surprise in my favor. He was busy collecting rubber bands. I’d have him before he had a chance to re—.

  “Ow, damn!” The rubber band that hit my ear was like a bee sting. I could hear Iris’s chastisement for my use of profanity over Teddy’s laughter. I flopped over on the ground as Teddy quickly reloaded and hit me again on the leg. “Okay, okay, truce. You win.” I dropped my weapon in surrender.

  Teddy remained behind to play in the forts we made from the boxes used in our move as I limped into the bar. Adrienne took one look at me and shook her head. “You lost, didn’t you?”

  I tucked my hair behind my ear. “Is it still there?”

  Adrienne looked at me sympathetically. “It’s red but still intact. She gave my ear a kiss, daring to get close to my grimy body. “I love the kid in you.” She pressed her forehead to mine. “I hope this baby is just like you.”

  “Careful what you wish for, my love. We’ll have to keep it in a rubber room until it’s forty if it has the goofy Tate gene.”

  Adrienne stroked my cheek. “Do you regret not finding out what the sex is?”

  “No, do you?”

  I watched as she ran her hands over her belly. “Sometimes, but I want to be surprised.” She took my hands and placed them on her stomach. “Someone is making their presence known.”

  I grinned as I felt kicks and flutters. “I think it’s trying to tell us something. Wait…the kicks are becoming more methodical, Morse code maybe…get…me…outta…here…it’s…dark.”

  Adrienne grinned. “Anything else?”

  “Send…down…more…barbecue…and…a…Wii.”

  “Yep,” Adrienne said with a nod, “gonna be just like you.”

  “Mom says I was a good baby. The trouble didn’t start until I became mobile and started talking. Her happiest and saddest day was when I moved out. She said things mysteriously stopped breaking then.”

  Adrienne laughed softly. The baby seemed to respond to it and became more active under my hands. “I want this baby to look just like you,” she said, looking at me. “I want it to have those same blue eyes and wavy brown hair. I want to see you when I look at our child.”

  “Let’s just hope that the sperm donor was sure-footed.” I led Adrienne to a chair and had her sit
. “Look at this place. It’s a child’s playtime paradise.”

  The house was set up on pilings with a lush thicket growing behind it that sloped over a small hill that gave way to the water. It was perfect for building clubhouses and playing hide and seek, which Teddy and I did often. There was enough of a clearing on the other side of our new home to accommodate a patio and a sandy area for a swing set.

  “Don’t start the patio until after the baby comes.” Adrienne looked up at me. “I’d like a break from the construction for a while, and I want to help.”

  “Tiptoeing through my mind again?”

  She nodded. “The swing set is a wonderful idea.”

  “Are you happy, my love?” I tucked a strand of hair behind her hear and stroked her face.

  “Extremely.” She took my hand and kissed my palm. “It’ll feel like home to you soon, too.”

  *******

  Just before dusk, Iris and I agreed to follow Teddy out to his new clubhouse. We laughed as he ran ahead of us to make sure everything was up to par. “I bet we’re gonna have to climb through a lot of brush.”

  “Naturally,” Iris said with a grin.

  Colie and Iris’s children from previous marriages were grown when Teddy came into their lives. They were expecting to be grandparents soon, not parents themselves when they adopted the child I considered my nephew. A string of circumstances put Teddy in their path, and being the loving souls they were, they took him in joyfully.

  “Is it difficult having the responsibility of a young child at your age?” I asked.

  Iris shot me a glance. “Are you implying that I’m old?”

  “I’m not implying at all. You’re as old as dirt.”

  Iris swatted me on the butt with a laugh. “I certainly wasn’t looking to add another to my brood, but he’s a blessing just the same.” She looped her arm through mine. “Being a parent makes you young again.”

  “I was thinking just the opposite.”

  Iris nodded. “I did, too. I was only seventeen when my first arrived. I thought my life was over now that I had such a big responsibility. Life did change, but it was far from over.” Iris squeezed my arm. “Children make us remember things we’ve outgrown. Christmas, Easter, and the tooth fairy. You relive it all through them.”