It takes her another couple of minutes to finish her tweeting and such and I’m reminded of how utterly deficient I am in that area. Rhonda then slips her phone inside her back pocket while strolling over to the closet. We all watch as she digs inside a large bag and pulls out a clipboard with paper attached. I see her scanning the room, making check marks. “By the way, the shades are blackout. Just like you wanted, Annie Laurie. You can sleep all day if you want to.”
“Okay, thanks,” Annie Laurie responds, climbing down from her bed.
“Ellie Woodcock,” Haynes says. “Don’t be getting any ideas.”
“I won’t, Dad.” This time Ellie doesn’t sneer, she gleams. And looks around her new room with a mixture of shock and wonder.
“I’d put my sunglasses in that safe if I were you.” Rhonda touches the logo on Annie Laurie’s Coco Chanels, which are holding back her hair on top of her head. “Those babies are not cheap. Okay, y’all. I think that’s it. Except for”—she returns to her treasure chest, also known as Ellie’s closet, and pulls out a basket—“your dorm-warming gift!”
It’s large, wrapped in red cellophane, with several gems inside. “I won’t tell you everything that’s in it, but I will say… y’all know there are no candles allowed in the dorm rooms, right?” She looks at the girls and they both nod. “There’s a diffuser in here with the most luscious scent you’ll ever smell.” Bending down, she places the basket on the ottoman in front of the sofa. “And all kinds of other little happies. Y’all enjoy.” She takes a step toward the door then turns around. “And if you get tired of all this by next year, you know where to find me.”
“Thanks for your help today, Miss Rhonda. Mighty nice of you.” Haynes walks over and shakes her hand.
“No worries. It’s all part of it.” My heart stops.Please don’t mention the cost, Rhonda. Please.“Come on, Maurice. Let’s let these girls unpack.”
Everyone thanks them and they slip out the door. She comes right back, though, before we can take another breath. “Just checking something.” She scoots over to the refrigerator, opens it. “Yep. Fuji’s in the fridge. See y’all.” And she’s gone.
For a long moment, the only sound in the room is the soft hum of the small refrigerator.
Lilith breaks the silence, saying, “Isn’t this dreamy? Can you imagine if we had had this when we were in school?” She puts her arm around her daughter’s shoulder. “I keep telling Annie Laurie how lucky she is.” Annie Laurie tilts her head toward her mother and shrugs with a confident smile.
Gage says, “I think I’m jealous. I wish I’d had something this nice when I was living in the frat house.”
I look over at Haynes. The crease between his eyebrows could hold a tube of lipstick, it’s so deep. “If a guy had had a room like this in my frat house he’d have had his ass kicked.”
NINE
WILDA
When it’s time to leave, I feel a familiar lump in my throat. It had been there with Cooper and Jackson when we left them at their Ole Miss dorms, and it’s bigger the third and final go-round. I excuse myself, step out into the hall so Ellie won’t see me, and fan my eyes frantically. No tears, Wilda. Stay calm. You can do this.
I try psyching myself up by thinking about the times she had been really mean and hurt my feelings. But it doesn’t work. I try telling myself that this is a rite of passage and the best thing that could ever happen to her. No good either. So I take a long, ultra-deep breath, count to ten, and move back into their room, biting the insides of my cheeks.
“Okay, let’s go.” I tug on Haynes’s arm.
He and Ellie both turn around, surprised by my eagerness.
“Ellie’s ready for this. And so are we. I love you, baby. Call us anytime.” I kiss her on the cheek, trying to downplay my emotions.
A surprising tenderness creeps into her voice. “I’m not that far away, Mom. I’m sure I’ll be home soon. Probably Labor Day.”
Not wanting to embarrass her again, I suck in my right cheek, biting down full force.
“Of course, I’ll have to find a riiiide.” She draws out the word and leans in toward Haynes.
“My poor little underprivileged child.” He scoops her into the crook of his arm, nestles her to his side. “No car her freshman year. No searching all night for a parking spot in a silver satellite lot miles away. No thousand-dollar parking fines. You’ll thank me later when you haven’t gained the freshmen fifteen because you’ve had to use those good legs of yours.”
“You areembarrassingme,” I hear Ellie whisper through gritted teeth. Still holding her in the crook of his arm, Haynes swings his other behind her knees and scoops her up like he used to when she was little. She puts her arms around his neck, says, “I love you, Daddy.”
“I loveyou,Punkin.” Haynes kisses her forehead. Then puts her down, pats her on the back. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Not one to ever let him get away with a wily remark, Ellie makes a mischievous face. “Gee, thanks, Dad. Now I can be really wild.”
Haynes narrows his eyes, points a threatening finger her way.
Then, to my surprise, she throws her arms around my neck and kisses me. “I love you, too, Mommy.” Ellie only calls me Mommy when she needs me, like when she was little. But this is sincere. She’s vulnerable, and loving, and doesn’t care who sees her. All of a sudden, she’s seven again and can’t get enough of me. With my arms tightly wrapped around her shoulders, a tear that I had been desperately trying to hold back slides down my cheek and melts into the sleeve of her T-shirt.
“I love you, Heart. I love you so much,” I whisper directly into her ear. “And I’m ultra proud of you. You are an incredible human being.”
