The Patchwork Heart

Chapter 13

A week passed, I heard nothing from Mitchell. He seemed to be avoiding me, or maybe he was just busy. I wasn't sure which is was but with a newborn child I didn't really have time to worry about it. Finn was easy but he still kept me occupied. Sandra and Murray called me each day to see if there was anything we needed. My mom and dad were very busy at the store, considering it was getting close to Thanksgiving.

I had come up with the perfect gift idea for Mitchell. I decided to make him a quilt out of his old t-shirts. I had done a fair amount of sewing when I was in high school. My favorite class had been home economics, I had considered going to school to become a teacher before Dex had died. I could still sew pretty well, and a quilt like that would be forgiving enough for me to make mistakes without showing them off too much. I asked Sandra to collect about eighteen of his old shirts for me and sneak them out of the house. I asked my mom to order in the foam padding for me through the store. I started working on it for Christmas, with the hope I would move quickly enough for it to be ready in time.

My grandmother's old Singer was an ugly olive green from the 1970's but it was heavy duty and hard to replace. More then once I'd lusted after a new machine but could never bring myself to replace it. I loved the way it sounded and the way it did tight stitches. I hadn't used it in more then a year when I took it out. I almost forgot to plug the foot peddle in, I chuckled at myself.

I decided to use simple black polyester/cotton blend fabric for the backing of the quilt. I figured there was no going wrong with that for a man's quilt. I wasn't even sure what colours Mitchell liked, but I wanted to play it safe. Sandra dropped off the t-shirts with me one Wednesday afternoon before she took Finn and I out for lunch at the local cafe.

"Have you seen much of Mitch? He hasn't stopped by to see us in more then a week." I asked her as I took a bite of my wrap. She shook her head, "No, he comes in to eat then he's either back in town at the house or he's outside in the yard. It's not exactly warm out so I'm not sure what he's doing but he's been pretty preoccupied."

I raised my eyebrows, "I wonder what's going on with him. He's been acting weird." She shrugged, "Mitchell can be moody sometimes. I wouldn't worry about it." I let the topic drop. We discussed how Finn was doing over lunch. She was thrilled to see he looked so much like Dex. I think it made her feel like he was still alive somehow. I was secretly relieved that he looked like his father, it made everyone so happy to see a mini Dexter Leys running around.

"So have you heard from any of your friends who went to school?" Sandra asked me as she lifted Finn out of his high chair and set him in her lap. I covered my mouth as I finished chewing, "Sort of. Garrett texts me pretty much every week like clockwork. I know he's working hard, but he makes an effort. I have messaged Jessica a few times, sometimes she texts back sometimes she doesn't. I know she wanted to remain friends with me and I thought we patched everything up before she left for school. However, it seems she doesn't have much time for me anymore."

Sandra frowned, "Maybe she's just a flake." I shook my head, "No, Jess isn't like that. She changed after Dex died. She won't talk to me about it but I know there is something wrong there. I have brought it up more then once, but she won't let me in. Maybe I just bring back too many sad memories."

"I don't think that's fair, Bree. She wasn't the only one who lost Dex. We all did, she shouldn't take it out on you." Sandra muttered. I smiled at her as she snuggled up with my son, "I know but I try not to take it too personal. Jessica is doing what she has to do. Just like the rest of us." She reluctantly nodded and kissed the top of Finn's head. He cooed at his grandmother lovingly.

After lunch, Sandra and I drove past my little house. Mitchell's truck was parked in the driveway. We got out and went inside to see what was up. I heard a lot of banging going on in the back office. Sandra took Finn from my arms so I could go check it out. As I peeked around the door frame into the room, I saw Mitchell was ripping down drywall with a sledge hammer. I was confused, as he had already finished that room once before. I called out to him, "Mitch, what are you doing?"