“No, why would you ask?”Sheseemed shocked at my assumption.
“Becauseyou looked like someone had punched you in the gut when we walked in,”Ipointed out.Overthe years,I’dseen her run through a gamut of emotions, butI’drarely seen her look the way she had that morning.Itconcerned me.
“Wecan talk about that later.”Shewaved away my concern.Iwasn’t thrilled by her shutting me down, butIwasn’t likely to get anywhere, soIlet it be.Thiswas likely her way of not wanting to drawAnsoninto her issues, whichIcould respect. “Let’senjoy our lunch.”
Wecouldn’t take my car since it had the dog bed in the back seat, soMomoffered to drive.Itook the back seat becauseAnson’slegs were longer, andIdidn’t want him cramped.Ituned out as the two of them discussed the issues she saw as important from a resident’s perspective, all the while drawing out his thoughts on the platform he’d run on.Ifhe ran.
“…it’s just frustrating that after being a good tenant for more than a decade, all of a sudden, he’s selling the building.”
Whatthe hell?
“Whoare you talking about?”Thatwas a safer question than getting all butt-hurt that she’d opened up toAnsonas soon asItuned out.
Sheturned in her seat. “Wallydropped off a notice this morning that he’s putting the house on the market.LikeIwas tellingAnson, there aren’t many affordable housing options in town.Itpisses me off whenever the topic gets brought up on those community boards and people assume affordable is the same as low-income.Firstof all, we need both, and it’s incredibly elitist of them to feel those who don’t make a ton of money are going to somehow turn the city into some sort of cesspool.Butreally, it’s their own bigotry shining through.Theyscream about wanting growth and more amenities in town, but heaven forbid that comes in the form of renters.”
Igaped at her, astounded by her monologue. “Damn,Mom, maybe you should run for mayor.You’dget people fired up in no time.”
“Noton your life,” she scoffed. “Thatdoesn’t meanIwon’t put a bug in this one’s ear so he can work to make the change.”
“You’regetting ahead of yourself,”Iwarned her.Ansonwas struggling enough with his decision about running.Ididn’t want my mother pressuring him into it if that wasn’t what he wanted for his life. “Nominationpapers won’t even start circulating until next month.Atthat point, he will make a decision.”
“Andif he does,Ihope he knows he can come to me for a signature.”Shemight be responding to me, but her eyes were on him. “AndI’msorry ifImade you feel uncomfortable.There’snot a lot to do but sit and think whenI’mhome, and everything going on with losing my house has me fired up.”
Mystomach soured at the thought of her no longer living in the house we’d moved into when we moved toHarmonyGrove.Itwas the first place that had truly felt like home to me.Ithad never been in the best shape, but the moment she’d pushed open the slightly warped front door with its chipped paint and dingy glass panes,I’dknown things would be okay.Ireached out, resting my hand on top of hers. “We’regoing to find you a place.”
“Idon’t want you worrying about me.”Shesat up straighter in her chair. “WhenKeithwas by this morning, he said he had a few ideas of placesIcould call, soI’mgoing to start there.AndIsupposeIshould be gratefulWallygave me plenty of notice.He’snot planning on putting it up for sale until late spring, so we’ve got time.”
Thenews about her unexpected move put a damper on the day, butIpushed my frustration and anger to the back of my mind, determined to have a good time with her andAnson.There’dbe time for processing my feelings later.
Itseemed the universe had other plans for us.EvenafterIconvinced my mom to stop pressuringAnsonabout running for office, he couldn’t escape the topic.We’dno more than ordered our meals when a middle-aged manIdidn’t recognize came up to our table, wishingAnsonwell on the upcoming election.He’dmanaged a single bite of his roast beef slathered in gravy when a teenager approached, excited to let him knowAprilwould be their first election, and they were excited about being able to vote for someone who respected people like them.Thatwas a sweet moment, the typeIwas sure would stick withAnsonas he made his final decision.
“CanItalk anyone into getting dessert today?”Leo, the owner’s son, asked as he cleared our dishes.
Ansonpatted his stomach, leaning back in his chair. “I’mnot sureIcould eat another bite, but thank you.”
“Wecould always get a piece of pie to take home with us,”Isuggested.Likehim,Iwas stuffed from the hearty lunch, butLeo’sgrandma made the best cherry pie within three counties.Duringthe summer, she’d even taken to making what she called pie bites, which were nothing more than bite-sized hand pies.Theywere dangerous to the waistline but sinfully delicious. “Wecould have it for dessert beforeIhead to work.”
Momstared at us from the other side of the booth, a broad smile on her face. “Thetwo of you are adorable.I’mglad you found one another.”
“Morelike he hunted me down and wouldn’t take no for an answer,”Ansonscoffed.
“Eitherway, it’s obvious you make one another happy.Don’tlet anyone take that away from you.”Ihad no idea at that moment how we’d need to remind ourselves of her advice in the coming months.
20
ANSON
“Yourealizeyou’ll need to decide soon, right?”Dadasked as he handed me a glass of brandy slush.KevinandAprilhad come over forChristmaslunch before making their way toKeith’shouse for dinner with his family.They’dinvited me along, butI’dopted to stay here for the evening.Ididn’t want to overwhelmKeith’skids or make them feel likeAprilandKevinwere trying to take over their family celebrations.There’dbe time for everyone to get to know one another eventually.
Thedishes were cleared from the table, and all that was left of the presents under the tree was an overflowing bag of wrapping paper scraps.Theboys were in the basement playing air hockey on the tableJameshad gotten forChristmas.Itwould stay here because my parents had declared it was time to renovate the basement to be a game room with all the expanding families, but it was something he’d requested and they’d delivered.EvenMichaelhad come to realize it was pointless to ask my parents to not spoil the boys.
Iwas gratefulDadhad broached the subject because his opinion mattered most to me.Mybrothers were all pushing me to run for mayor, but that was at least partly because they despised the current mayor.Theyhad never once mentioned why they thoughtIwas the best person for the job.Likewise,Kevinwas encouraging, but he’d support just about anythingIwas considering.Dad, on the other hand, had never been one to pull punches.
“Doyou thinkIshould do it?”Theconversation reminded me of whenI’dbeen applying for college and had been determined to go out of state because of the scholarshipsI’dbeen offered.Myparents weren’t wealthy, andIhadn’t wanted to burden them.Dadsat down with me, listened to the pros and cons, and eventually admitted he thought it would be a huge mistake for me to be so far from my family.Yes, they drove me crazy, butI’deventually realized he was right.
TheyearsDannyhad been gone were brutal.Ithad honestly felt like a piece of me was missing, which was strange sinceI’dalways thought of him as the pesky baby brotherIhadn’t asked for.Whilehe’d been gone, he’d grown into an amazing man with a stronger relationship than many more established couples.
Dadpressed the button on his recliner, easing back, getting ready for what was bound to be a long discussion.Billyretreated as soon as he entered the family room, probably sensing this wasn’t a conversation for him.I’dhave done the same in his shoes. “Ithink there’s a lot for you to consider, andIworry you’ve been thinking so much about that office in city hall that you haven’t made any plans for the areas of your life that will be put on hold if you do this.Thisisn’t a once-in-a-while job like joining the city council.Youwon’t be able to keep your law office, at least not to the extent you have been, and you don’t have anyone there to pick up the slack for you.Whatwill you do if there are conflicts of interest when dealing with new businesses or buildings?Areyou willing to put everything you’ve built on hold for the sake of your pride?”
