Against the Odds A Love Story

Chapter 6

The simple things in life are the ones that bring the most joy.

Six

Early one morning of the following week, Hayden found me by the hen house. I smiled widely, a feeling of accomplishment filling me at having gathered the eggs without any help. Caroline had shown me how it was done the day before. And now here I stood, a basket of fresh eggs hanging from my arm. I was proud of myself. Hayden told me he was proud of me too. He said he was looking forward to having some of the eggs for breakfast the next day, wanting to taste some of the fruits of my labor. I told him it was more the hens' labor than mine.

With each new day I became more amazed at myself over how much I was changing. I found that I didn't miss the city at all. Not one bit. I deeply enjoyed this new life and everything about it. I enjoyed the work and the challenges of doing new things. But more than anything, I enjoyed waking up to the sound of people in the house. Caroline and David treated me like a member of their family. They included me in everything. Caroline had even let me prepare breakfast the previous morning. I was grateful to her for allowing me to make myself more useful.

In all the years of pursuing a modeling career and living the high life while enduring a loveless marriage, I had missed out on so many things. I missed out on living. But then again, I was never still long enough to even know.

Now I was learning to enjoy the simple things in life more. Things like the sound of birds chirping, watching a sunrise, a sunset, and even the pleasure of sitting under a shady tree silently enjoying a glass of lemonade. For the first time in my life I enjoyed little moments of contemplation and meditation. I was becoming like most of the people in Roswell. I was in no hurry to get anywhere, and I actually took the time to relax and take mental pictures of the world around me. Even something as simple as tying a quilt with Caroline and one of her friends, or helping to bottle fresh peaches added to this new level of contentment in my life. I was now doing meaningful things.

And of course, Hayden was always near with a warm smile and a sincere compliment for all my efforts. He was a good friend, and it was nice to feel appreciated for a change.

~ ~ ~

I spent that afternoon on the phone with Mama. It was so good to talk to her. She was truly the only thing I missed in Atlanta. I had no siblings and there was no other family to speak of, just Mama.

I knew Mama had been disappointed in my decision to leave because she was so used to having me close, and it didn't help that Jerome was rubbing my 'desertion' in her face every chance he got. But I also knew that Mama understood. She knew what it was like to have to deal with an unfaithful man. She knew the heartache of having to make the decision I did. She knew the questions every woman who has ever been in that situation has to ask.

Do you turn your head away and just let things go on or do you finally take a stand and say no more? Do you continue to be walked over or do you finally begin to respect yourself?

Mama had been faced with that decision with my own father. It had been hard, but she chose to respect herself and end the charade. That fact alone made the bond she and I shared that much stronger, spanning the miles between us and strengthening our connection.

Sometimes it still pained me to think about what Mama went through. She had been forced to endure my father's late nights, as well as the phone calls that would mysteriously and automatically result in an abrupt dial tone when she answered the phone. She had endured the stress and whispers of the neighborhood, yet she always held her head up high. She has always been an inspiration to me.

Little did I know I would one day find myself in the same situation . . . but there was one major difference; Mama truly loved Daddy, heart and soul. She truly deserved happiness. My own decision to marry hadn't been motivated by real love, a fact that I will always regret. And now I was facing the consequences of that choice. I suddenly wondered if I would ever know real love. Did I even know what real love was? Would I know it when it came?  If it came? This was a department I was sorely lacking in.