Little Wonders

A Talk Before A Speech

A missing scene from the JC Films movie Light Up Night starring Dean Cain and Katherine Elise Shaw.
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Ruth sat stunned and blinking on the bench in the bus shelter as Mr. Perez slowly got to his feet and shuffled off with his cane. He'd dropped a lot of home truths at her feet. Yes, he'd taken responsibility for his own actions but he'd quite plainly noted that maybe she hadn't quite taken responsibility for hers.

It was true; she and Naomi had come to West Virginia completely unprepared.  She in particular had come with pain in her heart and a massive chip on her shoulder. Of course people had let her down because she had set them all up to do so.

Especially Bo.

Oh Bo.  She thought as she leaned back on the bench. She had known deep down that the man really hadn't known the truth about the land. He had honest eyes.  Far too honest to be a politician she inwardly chuckled.  This town was something else.  And if she was going to stay here . . . which she was, she was going to have to embrace that.

The biggest home truth Mr. Perez had laid at her, without even saying a word, was leaving Naomi. How could she leave Naomi? She was all the older woman had left. What Lon had become was not on his mother, God knew how much she tried, how much she prayed, how much her heart had broken over her son and his choices.  "Your people will become my people," she mumbled.  And what was she doing? Running?  No, she couldn't do that.  She had been humiliated, yes, by that photo and social media, but so had Bo.  Even more so as it was his town and his people.

She had to talk to him.  She couldn't leave him even more than she could Naomi. She . . .loved him...yeah, she said it. She was in love with him.  She shouldn't be, but it helped that she was almost a hundred percent certain that the feeling was mutual. Especially when Mr. Perez had said that Bo had bought their home and had made an appointment with Naomi to sign it back over to her in the morning and they would be keeping the money Mr. Perez had paid for the land. The environmental group would help clean the land and the recreational center would be relocated.

She pushed herself off the bench. Yeah, she left all her worldly belongings sitting on the bench in the bus shelter; somehow she knew that they would be there when she returned.

He was sitting in the front pew of the darkened church.  Ruth knew she'd find him there.  His head was bowed over his hands and she froze, not wanting to ruin a prayer if this was something he did before making a speech. She caught the faintest whisper of an Amen and saw him raise his head.  A hand went up to his eyes and she gasped when she saw the faint outline of tears on his cheeks.

He turned to look at her then. "Ruth?"

She seemed frozen to the spot, unable to move. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

He was the one who got up, crossing the church in two long strides. "I'm the one who is sorry. We . . .I didn't know Ruth. I really didn't know but I should have pressed my dad harder. I was just so . . .I was just so interested in you that everything else just flew out of my head whenever we were together."

It's not your fault.  We need to have a long talk about my marriage and why I'm the way I am, but I came here expecting people to . . .have an agenda and I found them where they weren't. Sure your dad did, but he also came to me tonight and well knocked some sense into me. I was going to leave town."

Bo looked like he was going to cry. "I know, I heard."

"Of course you did," Ruth chuckled but this time it wasn't bitter. "But I can't leave. I can't leave Naomi. I can't leave . . .I can't leave you."

"You can't leave me?" Bo's smile probably lit up the church solely on its own merit. "Ruth, we haven't known each other very long, but I . . .think I'm . . .."

She crossed the distance between them and put a finger over his lips. "I know. Me too. But let's . . . . Let's actually go on a real date first okay? Before we say those words?"

He gave the finger over his lips the lightest of kisses as she moved her hand away. "Deal.  How about tonight? After the lighting ceremony?"

"You have a date," she grinned at him.

"I am really sorry about Facebook . . .and your job, I don't think that was fair at all."

She sighed. "Well, I was contacted by the private day care up near the highway.  The parents did speak highly of me and the day care found the photo adorable. They told me that most people in town think it's cute. Apparently you've got most eligible bachelor status around here. The women who don't want to marry you want to marry you off."

Bo laughed. "I'll tell you later about that. We have to have another long talk. Maybe somewhere private in case we fall asleep again," he winked at her. "I have got to get downtown for that lighting.  Come with me? We'll spend the evening together?"

"Yeah, I'd like that."

Bo crooked his elbow at her and she threaded her arm through it. "Are you mad at me for almost leaving?"

He shook his head. "I was sad. Angry at myself for not going to Naomi's and throwing myself at your feet, yes.  Angry at you, no.  You have been through a lot and things looked different from your point of view. And being fired for something innocent? That had to have been the last straw." He shook his head. "There I was at work, having the best day because I spent the most wonderful night with you and I thought . . .well . . . ."

"Oh, trust me, for a few minutes that morning I thought we had quite the wonderful future right in front of us too," she squeezed his arm. "You're not the only one who woke up happy even with maybe a slightly sore back."

He grinned as they reached the church door. "Yeah, not the most comfortable.  But we do still have that future right?"

She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "We do, Bo, we do."