Page 32 of Miles. Alton & The 9:04
“I know, but the idea of you buying cookware for our home has turned me on so much, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to drive,” he said, looking at her.“We'll get there, but that cute hairdo isn't going to look worth a shit.”
“Stop it and drive mister,” she said, twirling her hair.It was then that Mae Weston made up her mind.His family could be a group of toothless mountain people who made their own moonshine, she wouldn't care.Thom Brown was hers and she'd just dropped fifteen hundred bucks on cookware so she could be barefoot in that cute kitchen making them new recipes she'd found online.
The smile on her face stayed for an hour and a half as they arrived in Leavenworth, exiting the interstate to arrive at the farm, which had a little white farmhouse, as cute as a button with a wide front porch.Thom tooted the horn twice as he rolled up the gravel drive, waving to a very pregnant woman with a cascade of brunette hair.
“That's Katherine, my brother Gael's wife,” Thom said.“They live in the carriage house.”
Mae noticed a GMC truck attached to a silver bullet airstream camper.She pointed at it.She didn't want to assume anything at this early point.
“My sister Kimbrae and her husband.They bring the camper to stay in since they have a dog,” he said, “a really weird looking damned dog which comes in the house anyway, but hey, they don't have or want kids.The dog is it.”
Thom parked the vehicle and instructed her to leave everything in the car for now.He led Mae to the front entrance of the home and tapped on the frame.He smiled as a head full of grey hair appeared at the small window in the door.
“I have a key, but Aunt Sue also has a shotgun named Henry.I knock so there are no misunderstandings,” Thom said as the door opened.
A petite woman in a housedress answered the door with a warm smile and a big hug for Thom.He hugged her back, then stepped to the side.He pulled Mae forward.
“Aunt Sue, this is Mary Weston, who has agreed to be my wife,” he said.“Mary, this is Aunt Sue.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Mae said, offering a genuine smile.
“Pleasure, Mary.Thom, you're late.Go wash up for lunch; you too, sweetie,” she said, pushing them towards the bathroom.
When they exited the bathroom, Mae noticed a man and the woman Katherine coming through the backdoor.Thom passed out hugs as he introduced Mae, bringing her into the sunny, bright dining space.A black man, who looked like a college history professor, entered from the kitchen carrying a platter of fried chicken.Mae tried to hide her surprise when a black woman carrying a basket of rolls and a bowl of mashed potatoes followed behind him.She smiled at Mae, blew a kiss at Thom, and disappeared, returning with a bowl of peas.
“This is lunch?”Mae asked, looking at the heavy meal.
“Yes, I have to spend the next two hours on the back of a tractor tilling soil, mixing in mulch, and preparing the beds for fertilizer tomorrow,” Thom said.“Everyone, this is Mary.Mary this is my brother Gael, his wife Katherine, my sister Kimbrae, and her husband Dr.Peter Brown, no relation.Everyone, this beautiful woman has agreed to be my wife.”
He grinned from ear to missing ear as everyone, only said, “Hmmp.”Mae didn't know what that meant or how to take it, so she left it floating in the air.Everyone joined hands, Gael blessed the food, and plates were filled.She waited for the first question, which came from Gael.
“Mary, what is it that you do?”
“Please, call me Mae, and I'm responsible for the corporate giving department for the railroad,” she said.“We have programs and projects which focus on education as well as sustainable projects like community gardens in neighborhoods where homes too close to railroad tracks make the areas uninhabitable.The gardens bring in a sense of community.”
“Oh wow,” Kimbrae said.“And the education portion?”
“There are 101 counties in Illinois.We adopt one school per county each year and help meet their needs with fundraising or sometimes much needed repairs like new gym floors, sporting equipment, and whiteboards, and in one case, the salary for an additional teacher.”
“Sounds very rewarding,” Katherine said, rubbing her belly.
“It was until about six months ago, and now, I am looking at what can be next for me,” Mae said.
Katherine asked, “What happened?”
Mae explained the shift in energy at the company.She also mentioned not wanting to overreact, and maybe she was being highly sensitive.
“My daddy always said if the bees are buzzing loud, the queen is in danger,” Katherine said.
“I suggested she go in on Monday and quit,” Thom said.“If, after everything she's helped them build, no one wants to stop the bullies from closing in, then leave.They are going to truly appreciate what she did for the organization when she is no longer there to make them look good.I think she can start her own business or non-profit.If she did it for them, she can do it for herself.”
“Thom, easier said than done,” she told him.“Those forms of initiatives need a great deal of legwork, manpower, and a cause that no one else is championing to make work.I just don't know if I have it in me right now to start over, and if I'm starting over, I want to do something I enjoy.”
Aunt Sue asked, “Thom, is she your mail-order bride?”
He was halfway through a yeast roll when he stopped and looked at Mae.He shook his head slowly, holding up his hand.A swig or three from the lemonade to wash it down came next.
“No, she's not,” he explained.“I had three candidates who came to see the house you told me to build, Aunt Sue, as well as the museum.It was horrible.I kid you not, it was like Goldilocks tries Tinder.The first one was just mean.The second one had too many hobbies, and her plan was to have lunch with me, then meet with the beekeepers, the stamp collectors and the local ghost hunters.”
