The Decks and the Road
book 1- Freeborn
Chapter 10
Natalie- I enjoyed
working at the shop on Saturdays. Being
a Shepherd was fun. For my father, it
appeared to be a great burden, but for me, it was a blessing. I didn’t usually hang out in the back office,
but my dad had me sorting out some of his files. He was like that sometimes. Sometimes, it seemed he wanted to ensure I
wasn’t just getting by. Anyway, no
matter the task, the energy was always good and the other workers were super
friendly. It was a good break from the
customers, and I got to see my father in another light. He was not as laid back as he was at
home. He was full of orders, and
actually he was full of knowledge too. I
could always tell the customers that had been around for a while, because they
always seemed to want my dad to look over their cars. It wasn’t that anything was wrong, but they
waited for his blessing. They stood at
the entrance of the garage like guardian angels until my dad came out and took
a look. From there, they eventually
found their way back around to the front lobby.
Sometimes my dad did hang with them a bit, and whenever he did, it seemed
like bodies would just gravitate to him.
My dad never seemed to take notice though. He just walked around with his famous
clipboard making notes and peeping in on all the jobs. I found it all very interesting; human
behavior. Mostly, I paid attention to
how people shuffled around the family name.
I enjoyed it when I was with my dad, but sometimes when he wasn’t around
it made me nervous. I couldn’t help but
notice the few ladies who also found their way back. They stood more nervously guarding their
vehicles, but there were a few who weren’t so nervous. There was one in particular that I did begin
to study. It wasn’t really about her,
but it was the change in behavior my father seemed to have that alerted
me. He didn’t move around as fluidly as
usual, and there were a lot more glimpses in her direction than normal. The windows to the back office weren’t so
clean, and so I couldn’t gather a lot of details about her, but she stood in a
similar way to my mom. Just as I was
trying to collect my thoughts on her, my dad took a sudden look back at me, and
I quickly turned my interest back on the stack of receipts I was sorting. I tried not to look up anymore, until I got a
good feeling that she was gone. I’d
never seen my dad in that way. I thought
about my mom, and how quiet they were around each other. I hadn’t noticed it when Hannah was there,
but I could now. I didn’t know if this
had anything to do with it, but I was curious.
On
Saturdays my mom would pick me up around five so that I could get together
with my friends, but I’d asked my dad if I could stick around. There was this pair of jeans I wanted, and I
would be able to get them with just a few more hours. I didn’t
consider the time when I did. We didn’t
leave until 10 pm. My eyes were a blur
from all the papers my father had me go through. I hadn’t eaten since about three, and I
couldn’t wait to get home. I’d worn my
ear buds all day long listening to music, and now I could appreciate the quiet
my dad seemed to love so much. I hadn’t
planned on speaking with my dad, but then, I heard myself ask…
“Who’s
that lady?”
“Which lady Natalie?” My dad was completely lost.
“The one with the blue
truck?”
“She a customer. What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. It just seem like you paid a lot of attention
to her.” My mouth was not my own, and I
spoke to my dad freely.
“I never even spoke to
her. When you use the word attention
Natalie, you should be clear.”
“It’s just that you
hardly look at mom that much.”
“Your mom and I are
having a hard time, but I’m not a cheat.”
“Do you love her?”
“Who are we talking
about?” My dad was calm, and never
thought to avoid my questions.
“Mom.”
“I do.” It was a solid yes. I didn’t know what made me ask, but I was
glad I did. It was food to my soul. I never asked another question, and my dad
never spoke again, but all of a sudden he resisted the quiet, and turned the
radio on.
Chapter 11
Dr. Kat Shepherd- It took five days, but he did
call. We spoke for just a few minutes. It seemed neither of us was hungry, but rather
intrigued. We agreed to meet on a
Saturday afternoon for a bite. I didn’t know a whole lot about him, but I had
learned a bit about his mother, and it made me feel as though I knew him. It
went well. We enjoyed the food, and made
quiet studies of each other. His eyes
were still dancing, and my heart was still wandering. I’d already planned on attending a lecture
afterwards, so I extended him an invitation.
I was happy to know he didn’t think that too boring. Maybe he did, but he’d chosen to spend more
time with me. I was also happy to know
he’d left time in his schedule. We
decided to walk over to the hall which was only a few blocks away. Obviously, I’d planned my day. A few times while the speaker was talking, he’d
pulled out his phone and began taking notes.
I found that interesting, and I couldn’t wait to ask him about
them. It was going better than I could
have guessed, but I’d had many promising first dates, so I still tried to grab
a hold of my heart. Actually, I was the
one who probably needed to start taking notes, because all kinds of random
thoughts were taking me captive.
Suddenly I thought about my sister, and the text she’d sent me weeks
ago. I hadn’t remembered before. She’d never informed me about relationships,
but she had been known to inform me right.
She’d also informed me when I was trying to find an office
location. She’d suggested… Well, she had
more than suggested. She’d given me the
exact address where I should go to inquire about a space. It wasn’t a new thing with us. She’d begun informing me since we were in
high school. I never asked her how she
knew these things, and she never asked me if she’d been correct. I also never felt the need to ask her about
my life. I always felt sure about my
way, but because of the time she’d saved my life, I welcomed her sometimes random
directives. When I no longer felt like
fighting against the speedway of my thoughts, I just relaxed and entertained
them. I began to think about the message
I’d picked up the evening before. The
purple card holder had finally called, and I couldn’t wait to schedule her
break-thru. The question of whether
anyone had actually picked up the card had remained on the table until
now. I trusted the nudged, but I’d never
waited this long. The purple card was an interesting card. I’d taken the idea for it off a swift
breeze. That’s how unforeseen and
unlikely the idea was. All these things unfolding
in the atmosphere had me bubbling over with joy.
At the end of the lecture, I had only
grabbed on to a few points, but they were big points. I would usually mingle a bit, and exchange
cards, but I was eager to get on with my date.
I was hoping that Tayeton felt like walking fairly slowly back to our
cars.
“So,
what did you think? How was it?” I questioned.
“I
enjoyed it. You seemed distracted
though.” Tayeton was direct.
“Oh,
yeah—some cool things are unfolding at work.”
I admitted.
“Tell
me about them.”
“Just
the anticipation of a new client. I get
excited that way.” I downplayed my
work. It wasn’t intentional, but I knew
early on that it was uncommon.
“Cool. So, you do these lectures often?”
“I
do. I like them.”
“I
do too. Maybe we can like them together.” Tayeton was such a strait shot. It was refreshing. Yet, I felt as though I needed to find ways
to control the pace.
“So,
what do you do?” I responded to the
feeling.
“I’m
a courier. I’m pretty familiar with this
area actually.”
“Oh,
I wouldn’t have guessed it.”
“What
did you pick me for?” He responded
lightly and with a smile.
“I
don’t know… Maybe a teacher.”
“Why
a teacher?”
“I
guess it’s the way you were making notes back there.”
“I
can see that then. Yeah, I’ve always
been a good note taker.”
“So,
what’s in your notes after four hours with me?”
I certainly could also be direct.
“You’re
good.” Tayeton managed the pace.
“Are
you opting out?”
“Let
me think about all these things, and I’ll text you my notes later.” He appeared to be leading again.
“Fair
enough.” I appreciated the loss. More importantly, I appreciated him taking
the lead.
When we made it back, we were content
with the arrangements, and so there were no laments. Apparently we’d both showed up whole, and we
happily left whole. I could wait to see
his notes though.
Chapter 12
Kayla- I was meeting Jennifer at one of her
client’s home. She was drafting her
plans for a new redecoration. It had
gotten that way. We often met on the
go. We were both busy. I didn’t really think of my life as busy,
because there was an ease that had settled on me. It had first showed up when I met Wood, and
it had only increased. Lately, he’d
become somewhat protective of me, but I appreciated feeling protected. I guess he was always protective, but when I
needed it I didn’t see it that way. Now
I felt strong; stronger than ever before, and his protection at times seemed
like an overreaction. Still I
appreciated him, and the ease we had.
When I pulled up, I spotted Jennifer’s
new mustang. It was like an obsession
with her. All I could do was smile and
shake my head. It was good to see the things
that had remained familiar in her evolution though. I got the feeling that she wasn’t finished
evolving, and I was sure to keep my front row seat in the matter. She was waiting for me in the car, and jumped
right out once she spotted me. She’d
brought me pizza, and the box was the first to exit the car. I found myself smiling and shaking my head
again. It was her way of saying, I know,
I’m busy, but I remember. My smile and
head shaking was my way of saying, you don’t have to apologize, but
thanks. The slice was still hot, and I
didn’t wait a second to bite in. I sat
in the dining area of the large home while she investigated, measured, and kept
telling me all the ideas that were jumping out at her. I didn’t have anything to add, I knew
whatever the plan was, it would be on point.
I enjoyed my pizza and checked my emails on my phone. Eventually, I moved on to Derek. I always waited for the right opening before
raising the issue. Today appeared to be
a good day.
“How’s
Derek?”
“He’s
here.”
“Here
where?”
“He
came. We’re working on it.” She was being short.
“What
do you mean working on it? Is he living
with you?” I was not prepared.
“No. We’re talking.”
“That’s a leap.”
“That’s a leap.”
“Yeah, but we’re just talking. I haven’t even seen him.”
“Does Hannah know?”
“No, not yet.”
“Hasn’t he asked to see the kids?”
“Of course he has. I
just asked for some time. It’s
complicated.”
“Just tell her he’s visiting.”
“I don’t want to lie to her, and I don’t want her to get her
hopes up. I just think we should wait a
while.”
“Has she spoken to him?”
“She does every now and then.”
“How’s that going?”
“I
don’t really ask.” Jennifer’s spirits
was falling. She wasn’t in her element
anymore.
“So
what do you all talk about?” I had become accustomed to Dr. Kat’s promptings to
be more direct.
“He
tells me how much he loves me. I tell
him I miss him. He shares things about
how his life is coming along here—you know; getting settled. He asks about the kids. I give him an update, and that’s about it. It’s a slow build.”
“Okay, I promise not to ask. I’ll wait until you’re ready to share.”
“I
appreciate that. I would share more, but
it’s complicated.”
I couldn’t stop thinking about the
two. Seeing them together had left an
impression on me. Now that he was down,
I knew it was only a matter of time. So,
I willingly left the matter to sort itself out.
I left Jennifer behind to finish her work, and I moved on to my
appointment with my publisher. I couldn’t
wait to meet Wood there. It was
unfamiliar territory, and we approached it together. After all it was his idea that I wrote a
book.
Freeborn, a novel
Freeborn
© Grace Call Communications,
LLC
Copyright © 2017
by Natisha Renee Williams
All Rights Reserved
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