Me: ROFLMAO. You’re making me laugh, keep it up because the pain isn’t as bad right now and I haven’t even taken my meds yet. I’m good on reading material, I have reading apps on my phone.
Emerie: Okay. Be there soon.
* * *
“I swear to you,they won’t mind at all,” she reiterates. “I’ll even call Miriam to confirm what I’m saying is true if you want!”
“I don’t want to intrude is all,” I reply.
Apparently, Dale put in an inground pool that’s heated to help with Miriam’s arthritis. As spry and active as she is, it must work because she never stopped while I was there a few days ago. They also have a hot tub. Both would help ease the stiffness in my leg, especially being able to do a bunch of laps to loosen things up. Finally, I shrug and give in, earning a beaming smile from Emerie as she claps her hands.
“Then it’s settled. You know that Levinia will probably want to get in the pool with you,” she cautions. “She may be young, but she already swims like a fish. That was one of Miriam’s conditions when Dale told her he was putting in a pool.”
“What does she do when it’s winter?” I query, my curiosity now roused.
“Oh, she still gets in because Dale has an enclosure he puts over it, kind of like a carport I guess, and he has portable heaters he turns on. It’s sometimes a little bit chilly, but it’s definitely a good workout.”
“You swim too?” I ask.
“I learned when Levi did and was actually able to beat him until he went into the Navy.”
I whistle in appreciation. “He had the best times of all the men in our squadron and you’re saying you could beat him?”
She beams with pride while nodding. “Yep. He didn’t hold back either. Swimming came naturally to both of us, as it does with Vinnie.”
“Her nickname is cute,” I admit.
“I wanted to honor her father,” Emerie quietly says, “and while her name is a bit old fashioned, I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
“It suits her,” I reply, grabbing a pair of shorts to wear in the pool. I didn’t bring swim trunks with me since any I used to have are far too small nowadays.
The drive out to the farm is pleasant and she points out various sights, saying, “We need to go there while you’re here.” Time and time again she says this to me as we drive through the countryside. So much so, that I begin to wonder if she’s feeling what I am—that maybe my trip to Possum Creek was fate intervening.
Then guilt sets in. This is my best friend’s girl, one he loved with everything in him and I’m thinking about her in a romantic way. Am I betraying our friendship? Hell, does she even think about a future with someone else? Maybe I’m just projecting my longing to belong somewhere. I mean, I have my mom and stepdad back home, as well as my sister, but their life is in Arizona, and after the years spent in hellish places overseas, I need to be somewhere that has all four seasons, not just unrelenting heat day in and day out. Possum Creek seems to fit that requirement for me, I now need to figure out if it’s something Emerie wants as well.
We finally pull down the long driveway and I grin seeing Levinia running around with a chicken in her arms. “Is that hers?” I ask as Emerie parks in the gravel driveway.
She giggles while nodding. “Yes, it is. She’s been its caretaker since it hatched, and whenever she’s here, she carries her around like she’s a cat or something.”
“Well, she’s a cutie, that’s for sure. While my sister’s older, it reminds me of how she was when she was younger. She had a guinea pig that she treated like it was a baby.”
“What’s your sister’s name?” Emerie asks as we make our way to where Levinia is waiting. Thankfully, she senses that I’m not able to walk at my normal pace and keeps her steps slow and easygoing, which helps a little bit. Still, I see the concern cross Levinia’s face at my noticeable limp.
“Dena. Hey, Vinnie, we’ve come to go swimming,” I enthusiastically say as we reach the little girl. I grit my teeth from the pain radiating through me with each step I take. But I don’t want to frighten Vinnie, so I breathe through it and keep a friendly smile on my face.
“Can me and Bonnie swim too, Mama?” she asks, looking at Emerie. The concern she had directed toward me melts away as excitement takes hold.
“You know Memaw doesn’t like Bonnie in the pool, sweetie,” Emerie replies. “But we can fill up the little pool for her, okay?”
I grin as we move toward the pool because Levinia is jabbering a mile a minute, while I see Dale go over to what I presume is a pool house, head inside, then come out with a small kiddie pool.
“Vinnie, let’s get your chicken’s pool ready,” he calls out, eliciting excited giggles from her.
“You can change in the bathroom,” Emerie tells me as we head to the back porch. “I’ve got my own suit here, so I’ll meet you back at the pool with some towels for all of us.”
“Sounds good to me. Good afternoon, Miriam,” I say as she comes out the back door with a pitcher of lemonade and plastic cups.
“Looks like a good day for a swim,” she replies. “Levinia, let Pappy finish that so you can get changed.”
