Page 59 of Miles. Alton & The 9:04
Thom leaned forward.Mae was about to address her mother when Thom softly said, “I got me.I got you.I have us.”
He toyed with the wedding ring on his finger before folding his hands into each other.“My father taught my brother and I that our role as a man, as the head of our houses, husband and fathers, was to create a home for the woman who shared our life.”
He leaned forward, his green eyes boring into Bae Weston.“Daddy told us that the home we build for our wives should have a large front porch so her friends can come to sit a spell for tea and conversation.He said the back porch should overlook her garden where she can sit in the center of her peace, overlooking her valley of “not have to,” Thom explained.
“Not have to?What does that even mean?”Bae Weston asked her lips twisting in distaste.
“If my wife no longer wants to go into an office where she is the most qualified person at the table to be questioned by a man who was given his job by a relative whose name may be on the building, then she does not have to,” Thom said.
“When Mary wakes up in the morning and doesn't feel like making breakfast, then she does not have to,” he said.“I am self-sufficient.I can cook.I can clean.I can do my own laundry.Anything she does in that home is because she wants to, she does not have to.If, and please let me be clear, my wife chooses to spend the next year decorating the house I built for her to be my Queen as she prepares the home for the arrival of our first child, then that is what she is entitled to do.I have worked hard to give my wife those options.”
“Yeah, but with all your businesses, does she see you?”Bae asked.
“I am home every day at 6:15,” he said.“I'm home every weekend, all weekend, working on all the shit that she has given me to do, like the garden which was supposed to be 6 x 6 but is now 18 x 18.”
Sherryl was twirling her hair as she looked at Thom.“Mae, you have a garden?”
“Yes, and the dining room set I secured last year, I painted the dining room walls to match the peach and blue in the seats,” she said.“It is a lovely home.”
Rae asked, “Well, when can we see this home?”
“Couple of weeks,” Thom said, looking at his watch.“You guys get together and decided on a weekend to come down.Come all together.I don't want you spread out over three or four weekends.Everybody needs to come at the same time.”
“You got room for all of us?”Jae asked.
“I plan to build room for all of you to stay in because you're not going to be in my house,” Thom said, chuckling.“Baby, we need to get rolling.”
Rae still had more questions.“So, we just drive down?”
“Or take the Lincoln Line into Alton,” he said.“I'm the station manager.I'll meet you there and drive you guys over to the house.”
“You're the station manager at Alton?”Fae asked.
“Yeah, I have officially worked for BNSFE since I was sixteen.I have done every job, from driving engines to repairing them to being a communications manager and more.I even spent one summer on The Coastal Starlight as a conductor,” he said.“I never want to do that again.”
“You're an interesting dude,” Rae said.
“Mr.Weston, I don't know what made you think Mary Weston married some slag,” Thom replied.“Ms.Weston, do you need any help to clear the table?No?Then Mary and I need to get moving.I have to get up in the morning and go make her money.”
“Wait,” Rick said.“You said you own a train depot?”
“Yeah, it's my museum for my train collection,” he said.“It overlooks my twenty-five thousand acres.”
“Unc, are you rich?”Ella asked to her Mom's shock and she tapped her arm in rebuttal.
“No, I have to go to work every day,” he said.“In July, in the middle of peak swamp boat season, I have to spend three days driving a swamp boat.I realize I might be a bit on the scrawny side when having to move hay bales for people to shoot arrows into each Spring in Iowa, but I have to work for every dime I earn in one way or another.”
Bae wasn't done with him.“You said your parents come to your brother's place.They got back together and do they come to your home as well?”
“My parents never divorced,” he said.“When my father completed his time, he located my mother, and they now live in Colorado.Each November, for my birthday, they spend time with me and sometimes will stay through Thanksgiving.They have their own lives and are looking forward to the grandkids.”
“Can I get you a to-go plate?”Bae asked, looking at her daughter.
“We're good, Mama,” Mae said, rising, pleased with how her husband had dealt with her family.He didn't come across as arrogant or talk down to anyone, but Thom Brown showed them exactly who he was, and in doing so, she learned a few things about him as well.
On the drive home, deep in her own thoughts, she eyed his profile.Her mother was a pain in the ass.She began to worry about whether his mother would like her.
“Thom, do you think your mom will like me?”she asked.
