“You have us,” she repeated.
“Your father will either accept me as the man in your life, or he will exist as the man on the outside of yours,” Thom said.“I'm not going to ask you to choose between us because you've already chosen.The task is to find a middle ground.He's not ready for me.”
“Thom, I married you, and I'm not ready for you,” she said, laughing.
“And you know this, my love,” he said with a wink.“Relax.I've got you.”
****
MAE DIDN'T KNOW EXACTLYwhat that meant until they reached the dealership to return her vehicle.A phone call came for Thom, who stepped away from the leasing office and the sales agent from Hell as Mae attempted to turn in the keys.She wasn't interested in leasing another vehicle, and she didn't purchase any additional mileage.It should have been cut and dry; however, the salesman, attempting to pressure Mae into another vehicle, didn't want her to return the keys.He made several attempts to show her the latest model with the newest features, although she'd told him no several times.
“Hold on a minute, LeBeau,” Thom said into the line.His wife's body language indicated distress.He stepped into the office and looked at the man, the keys on the desk and Mae's face.“The vehicle is under the mileage, there is no excessive wear and tear, and she didn't buy any additional miles.What is the issue?”
“No issue.I was simply trying to show her the latest model,” the salesman said.
“Did she ask to see the latest model?”
“Well, no,” the salesman said.
“Then, allow her to sign what needs to be signed and take the keys so we may leave,” Thom said.
“But...”
“But what?She’s not interested in another lease.We're done here,” Thom said, “and furthermore, when a lady tells you no, it is not the opening line for you to start negotiating.She said no, and it means no.Mary, are you ready?”
“Ready,” she said, rising.
Thom went back to his call while leading her out the door to an awaiting town car.A burly man with a beard down to his belly stood beside the car and opened the door for Thom.He provided a hearty shake as he helped Mae inside the town car.
“Car service?”she asked.
“Curly here drives Mateo and Claypool around when they are in town,” he said.“I also brought him a jar of Aunt Sue's pickles that he loves, so we get to use his service for a few bucks and some delightful dills.It's not what you know, but who you know.”
“I'll remember that,” Mae said as the man looked in the rear-view mirror.
“Thom Brown, you ole alley cat, who have you got back there with you?”Curly said.
“Curly, this is my wife, Mary.Mary, please meet Larry Curly Mortensen, a bass player whose hands gave up on him before the music did,” Thom said.
“I still have a song in my heart,” Curly said and started to sing an old bluesy song that sounded familiar, but with a few touches from Curly.Thom joined in with the man as if it were a thing they did every weekend as he pulled up to the moving rental company.
Thom passed along the jar of pickles and a few bills and thanked the man.Curly asked if they would need him again for the weekend, and Thom told him it was a quick turnaround.Passing out bear hugs, Thom said farewell to an old pal who watched them as they went inside, securing a fifteen-foot truck when Mae explained she had a storage unit in the basement with a few items she'd purchased for the home she'd yet to buy, but she had a perfect place for now.
Arriving at the apartment, Thom wanted to get started.They began at the storage unit.He smiled when he spotted the dining room set along with the china cabinet.He understood why she never mentioned buying one.The seats of the chairs were covered in a peachy toned fabric with blue accents.
“Ahh, makes sense now,” he said, loading in the items.
As he'd mentioned before, he placed a lock on the tailgate of the truck, backed it to the fence, and carried the boxes to the apartment.He arrived at the door at the same time the delivery driver did with a deep-dish pizza and two salads.
“Food,” he said with a wink.
In between slices of pie, Thom made boxes.Mae used a large marker to label each carton as she packed up her life in Chicago to move it to Alton where her heart already resided.Her brother Jae would come in the morning to help Thom load the heavier items and one last night in her apartment, then she was moving on, but first, they had to get through the dinner with Mae’s family.
