The Road Home

Chapter 28

Harper worked all day Friday and with her lack of sleep was completely exhausted by Saturday afternoon. Two more young children had been added to the cast that morning which meant trying to wrangle them while delivering their lines.

"Places!" Brett yelled.

"Okay, we have to work now," Joseph said trying to calm the young boys down as Lane instructed the four year old where to sit.

"What's your name?" Harper asked him as he sat next to her.

"Tyler," he said, quietly.

"Hi, Tyler," she said. "I'm Harper."

"Quanah. Scene seventy eight. Take twelve." The script supervisor slammed the top of the clapperboard down.

"Action!" Brett called as the cast performed the scene. Joseph and the two year old walked up beside the campfire where Harper sat with the baby and the four year old. They sat with her and in perfect Comanche, Joseph recited his lines concerning the upcoming hunt. They were halfway through the scene before Joseph forgot his next line.

"Cut!" Brett called from the director's chair.

"Sorry," Joseph told Harper.

"What happened?" the four year old asked wide-eyed.

"He messed up." Harper smiled, glancing at Joseph who made a funny face for the little boy.

"Joseph." Ben knelt beside him. For the next few minutes they rehearsed Joseph's lines.

"I've got to get something to drink." Joseph headed toward the snack cart.

Harper gazed into Ben's eyes. They didn't speak for a moment before he broke the silence. "Just make sure you enunciate the words."

Wow. Harper looked at the sleeping baby in her arms. With that, he was gone. Sadness swept over her as she watched him walk away.

"You didn't eat much," Neva noticed as she loaded the dishwasher.

"I wasn't very hungry." Harper helped clean the kitchen table.

"Something wrong?" With a push of a button, Neva started the dishwasher then turned to Harper.

"Ben."

"What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know," Harper shrugged. Everything was so weird. Different. "I think he's seeing someone."

"Are you sure?" Neva asked, surprised.

"Pretty sure," Harper said, then walked two glass cups to the kitchen counter. "He's barely spoken to me all week. Won't return my calls."

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry." Neva came up beside Harper and hugged her. 

Harper returned the hug and told herself that she wasn't going to cry today.

~

"What can I do to help you?" Kirk asked Janet as they entered Gloria's house. Ben was right behind them.

"Do you mind watching Samuel play in the backyard while I change the baby?"

"I can do that." Kirk winked at Ben and Ben could tell he was overjoyed to be there. Kirk was in love and wasn't afraid to admit it. Ben was glad for both of them. He liked the guy Janet had met a few months ago. He was a middle school math teacher and he had enjoyed talking about their jobs together the few times they had.

 
"Oh my, that smells wonderful!" Grams exclaimed, smelling the roast Gloria had put in the crock-pot earlier in the morning. "Ben, would you mind opening my bedroom windows? There's such a nice breeze outside today."