Page 59 of The Promise Of Rain
Swinging my legs off the couch, I sat forward, hovering over the cell phone cradled in my hands.
Finger suspended over the screen, mind racing, I could neither accept nor reject the call.When the ringing stopped, I sighed with relief.
And more than a twinge of disappointment.
Then his message popped up, the second one today.
Deacon: Call me, sweetheart.
Call you?
You think it’s that simple?
I tossed my phone down onto the coffee table and yanked the scrunchie out of my hair.Digging my fingers into the wild mass, I massaged my scalp.
And did my utmost to get my head on straight because there was nothing simple about our situation.
A flare of heat, not the good kind, ignited in my belly.Who was he to barge in and disturb the peace I’d worked so hard to wrap around myself?
Tempting me to pick up where he thought we left off.
Just as quickly my anger cooled and turned into a cold lump of fear.
What would I do when he left?
Because eventually, he would leave.
Nothing would be normal again.Now that I’d gotten another taste?Like an addict, I couldn’t think of anything other than my next hit.
Even knowing the withdrawal might kill me.
Abandoning my tea on the end table, I tucked a pillow under my head, lay down on my couch, and pulled a soft blanket over my shoulders.
I’d barely slept the night before, and since 5:00 AM, I’d fought the obstacles swimming in my head.
I drifted off, quickly and easily slipping into the in between, the place where my mind wandered free and uninhibited.
A little girl with his dark eyes and that long dimple I’d barely laid eyes on since he got back.A boy with his full lips and wide smile, his chubby arms wrapping around my neck as he smacks a wet baby kiss on my cheek.
I love you, Momma.
A small backyard with a swing set, Deacon laughing the way he used to as he pushed them on the swings, his big hands ready to catch them should they fall.
The ring of a bell peeled across the backyard.
We ran into the house to escape the alarm, but it was too late.Giant cinnamon rolls rolled over everything in their path and bounced off the walls with heavy thuds.
The bell rang again, this time louder.
I woke with a start, my doorbell echoing in my ears even as someone banged on the door.
My stomach dropped as I pulled myself from sleep.I wasn’t ready to face him, but his insistent knocking would not let up.
I padded across the floor and peered through the peephole.
I almost laughed.
Even Deacon would be preferable to this.
