Page 61 of Miles. Alton & The 9:04
“This is simply amazing,” she told him.“I also have a gift for you.”
“A gift for me?”
“Yes,” she said wiping away the tears.Mae led Thom inside of the home and presented him with a small box, wrapped neatly with a red ribbon.He gave her a side eye-glance as he opened it, looking inside.Not understanding, he removed the item.
He spoke softly, “A brown rubber duck?”
“I’m adding to the collection on your dash in the Jeep,” she told him.“The next one I give you shall be a brown little duckling.”
He laughed, understanding the reference and meaning of adding the brown duck to his life.A smile formed on his lips as she pointed at the box.Inside was a slip of paper which looked very familiar.It was a deposit slip from K.Phillips and Associates, his sister’s accounting firm.
“What is this, Mary?”
Thom looked at it again and realized it was a deposit slip into one of his accounts.The deposit was for one hundred and fifty thousand.He looked at his wife, not understanding.
“A budget is very important to you,” she told him.“I am giving you back half, if not more, of what you’ve spent to ensure I’m content in my life with you.The money you have, you sacrificed, sang, and worked hard to earn.Yes, you want to spoil me, but it doesn’t mean you have to go broke doing it.As I said, I’m not a pauper by any means.”
Thom felt a bit choked up.The money wasn’t an issue, since he had it, and really wasn’t doing much with it, but counting it like he would sheep.He wanted to make her happy and give her those things; he didn’t expect her to pay him back.
“Keep looking in the box,” she told him.
Inside, was a neat card, with a note, and photo of a rain forest.Again, he felt confused.His cheeks growing red, thinking maybe, perhaps, he understood.
“I didn’t know whether you had a passport, so our honeymoon is in Puerto Rico,” she said.“We are going to spend a day or so in El Yunque National Forest, hiking, discovering waterfalls, and snapping photos of the wildlife.”
“Mary, this is all, so wonderful,” he said, looking down at the small box which contained answers to unasked questions.His wife understood him.“You asked Kimbrae to put these funds into my account?”
“She is now my accountant as well,” Mae said.“I simply asked her to replace the funds removed from your accounts to pay for the additions, with the funds from one of mine.”
“Just a boss ass baller, aren’t you?”
“And you know this, my love,” she said with a wink repeating his earlier words.“Relax.I've got you.”
Mae said, laughing.She winked at him, heading outside again to look at the vehicle he’d purchased.The color was a similar blue to the color she’d painted on the dining room walls.Her husband paid attention to the details.She had more work to get done and more details to handle as she prepared for the arrival of her family.
****
MEGAN ARRIVED AT THEbeginning of the third week, helping with the details of the family housing.
“How big is your family, that he had to build all of this?”Megan asked.
“Brother, wife, two kids.Sister, husband, two kids, and my parents,” she said.“Thom wanted them to be comfortable, plus he has a large family as well, so when they come, there is room.”
“Cool.This is neat, is this like a teen zone?”
“Yes, there is a gaming unit, a tv, a streaming device, and lots of microwave popcorn,” Mae said, laughing.
She and Megan spent three days preparing the space for her folks’ arrival, and they came in on the Lincoln Silver Line on Friday, supposedly arriving by 11, but the family couldn't get to the station in time for the 7:15 a.m.departure.They left later on the 9:50 and did not arrive until nearly two in the afternoon.Megan volunteered to serve as a family Uber to get the Westons from the train station to the homestead in her vehicle.
Thom was on the platform when the family arrived with entirely too much luggage for a simple weekend stay.He squinted his eyes in question, knowing in his heart that come Monday morning, all of their asses would be back at the same station getting the hell out of his town.He offered a smile as he greeted the patriarch.
“Mr.Weston, you and your wife will ride with Mary,” he said.“Jae, Doc, and the girls you're with me.Fae, Rick, and the boys, you'll ride with our friend Megan.”
Rick looked at Megan and frowned.Megan, not biting her tongue, said, “Or you can take a cab; either way, it's fine by me, or you can get in the truck and I drop you guys off.”
Rick held up his hands as if he were surrendering, and Fae smiled at her.“Are you my sister's friend?”
“Only her best friend, I guess, second to you,” Megan said, offering a wide smile as the family piled into the vehicles.
