God, I love this kid.
When I turn the key, the engine makes a horrible grinding noise, and then it rumbles before it stops.
Oh no, please don’t do this right now.
I try again. The lights on the dashboard start flashing dimly, and the engine makes a clicking sound but doesn’t turn over at all.
I groan, close my eyes, and lightly bang my head against the steering wheel.
A few minutes later, two little arms come around my neck from behind and squeeze.
“It’s gonna be okay, Mommy.”
I take a deep breath and turn my head to look at his earnest face. His round glasses have slipped down on his nose, and his big brown eyes are fixed on me. I remind myself that this tiny human takes his emotional cues from me, and I don’t have the luxury of breaking down. So, I smile at him.
“You’re right; it’s going to be okay. In fact, I think this old truck just gave me extra time with my favorite boy in the whole wide world this morning.”
He beams at me and sits back down as I fish my cell out of the bag. Momma already left for the bakery today, and Payne and Daddy left at the crack of dawn to meet the crop-dusting plane. I could call Sophie, but it would take her a while to get here, and I don’t want Beau to be that late on Book Character Day. He’d be devastated if he missed the group class photo. So, I press Myer’s name saved in my favorites in my phone and pray he isn’t out on the ranch where he can’t answer.
“Hey, Dal.” His deep, rich voice comes over the line, and I release a relieved breath.
“Hey, Myer. I hate to call this early. I know you’re probably busy with the calves, but my truck has crapped out on me again, and I need help getting Beau to school. Momma’s at the bakery, and Daddy and Payne are having the fields dusted today.”
“Pop can handle things for an hour or so. I’ll swing by and pick you guys up in ten.”
Myer Wilson is my brother, Payne’s best friend. His family owns Stoney Ridge Ranch, which backs up to my family’s farm and orchard.
“Thanks, Myer,” I say as I collapse in relief.
“No problem. See you soon.”
He disconnects, and I turn to Beau.
“Looks like you and I get to have a slice of Nana’s apple cake before school.”
“Yay! It really is the best day ever, Mommy,” he exclaims before he opens his door, hops out, and runs to the porch of our home.
It’s a modest home. My daddy and Uncle Jimbo turned one of the old grain silos behind my parents’ farmhouse into a one-bedroom loft home for my son and me when my ex-husband wassent to prison on felony drug charges while I was pregnant with Beau. He has the bedroom, and I sleep in the loft that overlooks the open living room and kitchen. It’s not big, but it’s not tiny either. It fits us just right, and we love it.
I follow Beau inside, help him pop his wings back on so I can snap a few pictures and then I slice us each a piece of cake and pour us a glass of milk. He regales me with made-up stories of Fly Guy’s coming adventures of the day while we wait for Myer to arrive.
The knock comes just as we finish up.
“It’s open,” I call as I rinse our plates.
Myer swings it open, and his blue eyes sweep the room. When they land on Beau, he fakes a start. “Whoa, you scared me there for a minute. Are you a monster?”
“No, silly. I’m Fly Guy. I’m not scary at all. I’m a good friend,” Beau informs him.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Fly Guy. I heard you need a ride to school, but that can’t be right. You have wings so you can fly yourself there.”
Beau giggles. “They aren’t real. See?” He turns around to show Myer the wings stapled to the suspenders. Then, he turns back around and lifts the big eyes off of his head. “It’s me, Myer, Beau Stovall. I’m just pretending to be Fly Guy.”
“Well, look at that. It is Beau Stovall. That’s a good costume. You sure had me fooled.”
“I tricked him, Mommy. I bet I’ll win the first-place prize!” Beau says excitedly.
“In that case, we’d better get you to school right away,” I say in answer.
