Supper was over, and Melvin Lee had already had a bath and was in his pajamas getting ready for bed. He had school tomorrow and didn’t want to be late.
Granny promised she’d come and tuck him in and read him a story, so he was going through the books on his shelf, trying to decide what he wanted her to read, when he heard the phone ring. A few moments later, his mother came into his room carrying her phone.
“Daddy’s on the phone. He wants to talk to you.”
Melvin Lee beamed and reached for the phone.
“Hi, Daddy! Granny’s here. She’s gonna read me a story before I go to bed.”
“That’s great. Are you okay now?” Danny asked. “Mama told me you ran away.”
Melvin Lee sighed. “Yes, but I won’t have to do that no more. Chief Pittman said so.”
Danny Wilson was horrified that the chief of police had to be the one to take care of his son’s troubles. It should have been him. He should have been home.
“Mama told me. I just want you to know I’m so sorry. I didn’t know, son. I didn’t know, but it won’t ever happen again, okay?”
“Okay, Daddy. Are you coming home soon?”
“Yes, and when I get home this time, it will be to stay.”
Melvin Lee gasped. “Forever and ever?”
“Yes, forever and ever. Now you tell Granny I said hi, and sleep tight tonight. I’ll be home by the weekend. I love you, Melvin Lee. You are such a good boy. I am so proud of you.”
“I love you, too, Daddy. See you soon,” he said, and then handed the phone back to his mother.
Junie was crying as she turned around and passed her mother who was on the way to read Melvin Lee’s story.
Minna didn’t have much sympathy for her daughter, so the tears didn’t move her. Instead, her focus was on her grandson.
“Hey, honey, did you pick out a story?” she asked.
“Curious George! George is funny, Granny.”
Minna took the book.
“A great choice! You lay yourself down now, and I’ll tuck you in. Then you can listen to the story, okay?”
Melvin Lee scooted beneath the covers, sighing as his granny covered him up and brushed the hair away from his forehead. He shivered from the sheer joy of feeling safe and knowing someone was finally going to take care of Mama and the kids besides him.
He watched his granny open the book, then waited for her wink. She always winked before she started a story. As she began to read, he got lost in the story.
Minna read all the way to the end, even though Melvin Lee had already fallen asleep. He’d had such a big day. Such a hard day. She laid the book aside and leaned over and brushed a soft kiss on his forehead.
“Night, night, my little man. Granny loves you forever,” she whispered, and then turned out the light, leaving a small Thomas the Tank Engine night-light burning beside his bed.
* * *
Cathy had her nightgown on and was getting ready for bed when her cell phone rang. She glanced at caller ID and smiled as she answered.
“Hello.”
“Hey, it’s me,” Duke said. “I hope I’m not calling too late.”
“No, not at all,” she said.
“So, I’m making sure you’re okay. You got soaked today. You didn’t reinjure your ankle, did you?”
“I’m fine. The only thing that’s a mess is my hair. Naturally curly hair sort of explodes in damp weather.”
He chuckled. “Your hair is kind of amazing…like you.”
Cathy’s heart skipped a beat. “Why, thank you, Duke Talbot. That’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me.”
“I have my moments,” Duke said. “I just wanted you to know that we’ll be really busy out here tomorrow. We have to work cattle, and it will likely be a long, muddy day, but if it’s okay, I’ll call you again tomorrow evening.”
“It will be something to look forward to,” she said.
“Crown Grocers has a delivery service. I checked. It’s something new that was added after the Piggly Wiggly went out. All you have to do is call in your order, and they’ll deliver it right to your door.”
“I didn’t know that!” Cathy said. “I will definitely call in an order tomorrow, but as soon as my ankle gets a little better, I’ve decided to lease a car. That will end my lack of mobility, too.”
“I’m not sure they have cars to lease in Blessings,” he said.
“No, they don’t. I’ll do that in Savannah. Don’t worry about me.