“And potatoes,” I added. “The fourth food group.”
“And pie,” added Desmond. “The fifth food group.”
“Oh my God,” said Jennifer laughing. “I’ve landed in Redneckville.”
“Ma’am, nothing wrong with a red neck. Just means you’ve been working hard outdoors all day.”
“Please don’t take offense,” she said immediately. “I was just trying to be funny.”
Desmond glared at her, and Jennifer squirmed.
Then Desmond broke out laughing. “I’m sorry! I couldn’t help it! I’m just fucking with you.”
“Fucking with me, huh?” said Jennifer, and I saw the gleam in her eye. “Just for that, I’ll work you extra hard at my house.”
“Ma’am, you can’t punish a man for doing free work for you.”
“Free? No, no, no. I intend to pay for your work.”
“No ma’am. That’s not how it works out here. You supply the parts and what-not. I supply the labor. Simply math. Neighbours help neighbours.”
I nodded my head at my son’s words. Jennifer tried to argue, but I then saw a rare side of Desmond. He looked hard at Jennifer, and she stilled under his gaze. I’ve seen it before. The look a man gives you that means the conversation is over and what’s been decided has been decided. It’s forceful. Its direct. It makes me wet. Thousands of years of evolution and a man being a man still makes a woman do things.
“Ma’am. I’m telling you honestly. I’ll gladly help you. That’s the neighborly thing to do. I could never accept any payment. Maybe some lemonade. A piece of pie. You’re new around here and I don’t doubt you’ve still got a way to go to understand life in small towns. But we look out for one another out here. Life can be hard for some folks. Best way to fit in? Accept the help and then look for your own way to help others. Doesn’t have to be a big thing. Every little thing helps. A bag of green beans. Onions from your field. Hay for the livestock. If you can provide and not put yourself in a worse way, then you do it.
“I’ll be by tomorrow around noon and fix up that front door of yours. I have the parts. Won’t take me long. Then I’ll fix your water filtration and check your septic. I saw a bunch of Old Man Cooper’s tools in the work shed, so I won’t need much. Maybe you could write down everything you think needs fixing and I’ll prioritize it and start working on it. It’ll be my pleasure.”
Jennifer nodded and bit her lip. She was gazing at Desmond with a strange look on her face. She tore her face from his and looked at me for help.
“He has it right, Jennifer. He’ll help you because he wants to, and he knows he’s the right man for the job. You’ll see. My son is the best of them.”
We finished supper with small talk, and Jennifer and I returned to the sunroom to watch the sunset. Another bottle of wine was gone, and we had started a new one. I was glad tomorrow was Sunday. We watched Desmond clean up and then disappear downstairs to play his games.
The silence was comfortable, and nothing needed to be said. We watched the sun sink to the horizon and slowly slide down. The sky lit with beautiful colours, the few clouds in the sky lighting up. There was barely any wind, and the silence was calming.
“That’s a beautiful son you have there, Jessica.”
I nodded, lost in the serenity of the moment. “I adore him. He’s so beautiful. A perfect specimen of man.”
“It must be lovely having a man like him around the house all the time.”
“You have no idea. It’s been me and him for twenty years. A constant presence. He’s the best man I’ve ever had in my life. I love him so much.”
“I loved my father the same way.”
Something about the way she said it had me looking at her. She was watching the sunset. Her profile was even more beautiful.
“My father was the love of my life. When he died, it was too sudden. He was there and then he wasn’t. He left such a massive void in my life. Too large to fill.”
The love of her life? That’s how you spoke about a lover, not a father. I was confused but didn’t interrupt.
“My family found out. Cousins, aunts, uncles. They were furious with me. I ran. I’ve lived in many places. I figured being out here in the Midwest would be the last place they would look for me.”
Found out what? I was missing something. Something crucial to this conversation. The wine was heavy on me, and I was feeling sleepy, but I forced myself to listen. I kept watching her, the sunset painting her face with colour.
“My father and I were lovers, Jennifer. I’ve never told anyone that. I never admitted it to my family, but they knew. When my father died, he left everything to me. That’s why my family is looking for me. They want my inheritance. They say my illegal relationship with my father means I don’t deserve it.
“I can’t believe I’m telling you this. I hope I can trust you. I’ve been desperate to talk to someone about it. And… and I see how you are with your son. I think you might understand me.” She turned her head to look right at me and I could see her eyes were filled with tears, ready to fall. “Am I wrong?”
Damn me, but I understood her. I understood everything she was saying. I searched my own feelings and found I had nothing but sympathy for her. I should be shocked and appalled at her admission of incest, but I wasn’t. I held her eyes for a long moment and then shook my head once and looked away. “No, you’re not wrong.” Those words were the hardest I had ever spoken. Saying them out loud brought their meaning to reality.
“Don’t wait, Jennifer. I waited too long, and our time was stolen from us. He won’t disappoint you. He looks at you in such a special way. Trust your feelings. Reach out. Don’t lose any more time.”
I felt a tear escape me and I wiped it away. I was drunk. I was confused.
“Jessica?”
I looked at her. She was staring intently at me. “Can I sleep here tonight?”
I couldn’t respond. My throat refused to let me speak.
“With you?”
I felt panicked. Unsure. Lost. But I saw the look in her eyes. She had just confided something so deep and personal with me. She trusted that knowledge with me. Maybe she sensed a kinship. I had no idea. I did know that all day I had been watching her. Captivated by her beauty. Her serenity. Her strength.
“I’ve never been with a woman,” I whispered, and hearing those words thrilled and frightened me.
“Neither have I,” she said. “Do you feel it, too? Tell me I’m not crazy or imagining it or drunk. The moment you appeared at my stall in the market I felt it. That’s why I gave you the Takoyaki.”