Starting Over

Chapter 64- Leesburg, Georgia

We got into Leesburg late last night. Momma has come up and is staying with Lee and the kids, but we are all staying at Daddy’s. Momma, Bridget, Kris, and Jordan went to Albany to go shopping for the day, Lee had the boys, and Tia was taking care of the twins, but Kenzie and I were sitting out on the front porch watching cars go by.

“I think I’m going to take the 4-wheeler out for a while. Will you tell your Momma where I am when she gets back?” I asked Kenzie.

“Can I go?” Kenzie asked me.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Your Momma won’t like that much after what happened last time,” I told her.

“But, Daddy, please. I’ll be with you the whole time. It’s not like I’ll be by myself,” Kenzie begged me.

I hated to tell her no, so I gave in it was a matter of time before we were heading out across the farm on dad’s 4-wheelers he kept around back. We went through a clearing full of mud and towards the woods where there was a path out to Muckalee Creek that I used to go to all the time when I was younger. I stopped not long after we started down the path. It had grown over much more than I anticipated, but I wanted to take Kenzie down here and show her. I just felt like she could use a place of her own, even if it was mine too.

“Why are you stopping?” Kenzie asked me as I shut the 4-wheeler off.

“We’re going to have to walk from here. The path has grown over too much to ride anymore. I want to show you something,” I told her as she shut the 4-wheeler she was riding off.

“Where are we going?” Kenzie asked curiously as she followed me trapesing through the brush.

“It’s a place I used to come all the time when I was younger and lived at home. It was my thinking spot. I sat down here and wrote a lot of songs. Songs that not even your Momma has ever heard,” I told her.

“I thought you told Momma everything,” Kenzie questioned me.

“I do now, but when I used to come down here, back when I first met your Momma and I was dating Caroline, I didn’t tell her everything. I actually haven’t been down here since a few days before Caroline and I got married,” I told her, “And no one knows about this place, but me and you now.”

“Oh. Why are you showing me?” Kenzie asked as Muckalee Creek came into view.

“Because I think you could use your own little spot in the world. Something to call your own. I came down here to think and be by myself. I would bring my fishing pole and sit right there just thinking,” I told her.

“But how is it mine if you know about it?” Kenzie asked me.

“I never come down here anymore. I don’t ever have time, but you are getting big enough that you can fly down and someone can pick you up at the airport and you can stay down her without me or your Momma. You’re growing up,” I told her choking back the tears realizing how big Kenzie was getting on us.

Kenzie walked around exploring the area as I sat down at the edge of the water watching the gentle waves wash downstream.

“What’s BB?” Kenzie asked pointing at carving in a tree next to the bank.

“Bridget Bowman,” I told her.

“But I thought you haven’t been down here since you were and Momma got together,” Kenzie questioned without actually asking a question.

“Sit down, Kenz. Let me tell you a story,” I said to my daughter as she walked towards me.

“Okay,” Kenzie said as she sat on the rock next to me and kicked her shoes off dipping her toes in the water.