The Boy She Illegally Brought To The Lavender Field (bwwm)

Page 14

Annie was dressed and ready for her walk to the magnolia tree.
She'd packed her blanket this time to sit on and not dirty another dress.

She walked to the living room.

"When you plan on movin' out?" Sirius asked Marshall.
Annie snickered.
"When Annie moves out. And she ain't movin' out until she's married. Somebody gotta protect her when you and mama ain't here." Marshall replied.
"I'll be fine." Annie argued.
"Like hell you will." Sirius stated.
"Daddy..."
"Don't 'daddy' me. I can't have you here by yourself. I barely like you walkin' the roads. Is that where you goin' right now?"
"Only for a little while..."
"Marshall, go with her." Sirius demanded.
"NO!" she argued.
Both men stared at her.

"I'm sorry. I'm very sorry." She sat next to her father and hugged him tightly then kissed his cheek. He stared at her wondering if she'd lost her mind.
"It's just that...I don't go farther than three miles and it's a spot nobody visits. I stopped going to the tulip fields. I haven't seen a single car drive past where I sit now. If Marshall goes he'll just distract me from my writing and reading. Please don't make him go. He can come when I go farther or it's dark outside."
Sirius sighed with a roll of his eyes. "Alright, Annie. But you be back before the sun starts to set."
"Yes, sir. I promise." She kissed his cheek one more time then stood to leave the house.
"Be safe, ya hear?"
"I will!" she called as she walked out.

She began her walk down the road. Humming and kicking rocks.
Wondering how Daniel will respond to her deal with her mama.
She figured he wouldn't be too upset being that they weren't supposed to be communicating anyway.

She listened to that truck pulling up and to the side of the road. His brakes pressed, he parked it, then jogged to catch up to her.

She looked to her side and jumped.
"You never walk next to me." She smiled in surprise.
"I changed my mind." He shrugged.
They began walking side by side.

"What time do you go to work?" Annie wondered.
"4 o'clock."
"To when?"
"Closing."
"Hm."
"Why you wanna know?"
"Well...I assumed we can't talk at this time everyday because I know you work a few miles back that way."
"So you wanted to know what days you won't see me on?"
"Well..."

She didn't want to tell him what her mama said. Especially not after he'd started walking beside her.

"My daddy said he doesn't want me walking alone out here anyway."
"You're never alone. I walk with you."
She laughed. "Well I can't tell him that, can I? If I tell him some boy walks with me to and fro, he'll just ask to meet you."
Daniel thought about it.

He liked the hour he'd spend talking with her. Seeing her smile kindly at him finally after she used to be afraid. She always had a lot to say but what she'd say made him think and he liked that.
He couldn't get her from her house, people could see and he was positive her parents wouldn't even let her.

"You have a window?" Daniel asked.

They made it to the magnolia tree.

"A window?" Annie questioned.
"In your bedroom."
"I do." she replied as she laid out her blanket.
"Well...instead of meetin' me out here. I could meet you over there when I'm done workin'."
"At my house?" Annie took a seat on her knees on top of her blanket.
"At your window."
She thought about it. "But if you get caught then it's both of our behinds and I don't know if-..."
"I won't get caught."
"And how do you know?" Annie sassed.
Daniel took the seat next to her with his knees up and his arms resting on top of them. "Don't tell anybody, but I sneak into a lot'a places."
She looked at her blanket.
"Never been caught." He leaned back against the tree with an arm behind his head.

She tapped nervously on the top of her notebook as she considered.

"Well don't just tap on it. Read it to me. I wanna know what you write in there." Daniel stated.
Annie opened the book to the first page.

"March 23rd, 1962." she began.
"Three months ago? That's kinda far."
"It's when I first got it."
"You started the day of?"
"I had a lot to say."
"I bet."

She gathered herself to read what she'd written on that day.
"My mama walked with me to the bookstore today and I got two new novels and a journal. The lady at the cash register taught me something. 'The price you pay for new knowledge is always worth it'. I'd have to agree."
"You like learnin'?" Daniel asked while staring up at the tree branches.
"That's right."
"You were one of those kids that liked goin' to school?"
"Yea." she giggled.
"Why?"
"Well...it's just fun to know a lot of stuff. Sometimes it's really interesting. Sometimes it's fun or funny. Sometimes it's sad. But it's especially nice to learn somethin' and teach it to somebody else later."
"Hm."
"I bet there's a lot of stuff you could teach me." she claimed.
"Like what?"
"Well...how to change a tire."
"What does a woman need with learning how to change a tire? Your husband would do it anyways." Daniel argued.
"Well you know what I mean! It's just somethin' you know that I don't." she stated.
"Hm..."
"You learning stuff would get you to teach your future son."
"I guess you're right."
"Yea. My daddy loves teachin' my brother stuff."
"What's your brother's name?" Daniel wondered.
"Marshall."
"What's your daddy's name?"
"Sirius."
"Sirius?" Daniel questioned and his brows furrowed.
She nodded. "Mhm."
"Hm." He looked back up at the tree. "And what's your name?"

Annie had only just realized they didn't know one another's names.

"Annie." she answered.
"Annie." he repeated.
"What's your name?"
"Daniel."
"Daniel." she repeated.

They looked at one another.

"You look like a Annie." he stated.
"You look like a Daniel."
"No, I don't."
She laughed.