Life With You

Simple Man- Lynard Skynard

Part one.

One of the earliest memories Sebastian had of his mom was when he was five. Elizabeth Carter had still been relatively young then, not a gray hair in sight, all blonde curls and no wrinkles. His youngest sibling, Penny, was not yet born, and the youngest Carter male, Everett, was still a baby. Elizabeth had curled one finger one evening, beckoning him to her.

Mama had told him to 'come here' and he was not one to disobey Mama.

"Come sit beside me, son, and listen closely to what I say."

He had crawled up onto the swing chair that had been on that wraparound porch for as long as he could remember, and curled up by his Mama, both sitting and watching the grey sky with dark clouds out in the fields for a few moments. It was just starting to rain, one of those harsh, cold, and dreary storms that stayed with you for days. He knew, even as a child, that he'd be up for hours after turning off the light for bed tonight.

"If you listen to me, it will help you some sunny day, Sebastian."

Mama never liked storms. She preferred the sun, hot on her skin.

"Take your time, don't live too fast. Troubles will come, and they will pass."

Elizabeth had put her arm around him then, cuddling into him and nodding her head. She knew her son was still young, and that this would perhaps fly right over his little blonde head, but she gave her firstborn this speech, and she would give Everett this speech, and any other child that God would give her.

"I know Daddy works all the time, but I want you to take your time. Find your passion in life. Life is too short to live too fast and dedicate time to trouble. Let it roll off your shoulders, you hear me?"

Sebastian had nodded his head seriously, wondering why his Mama seemed so sad.

"Go find a woman, when you are older, and you'll find love. Love her so much, so fiercely, and she'll love you just the same. You treat that woman with so much respect and love, you hear me now, son? I'm raising you the right way. Don't you dare disrespect any woman, Sebastian."

Sebastian had already been making a mental list of things Mama was saying to him. He never liked to go against what Mama said, since she was always right.

"And don't forget, son, that there is Someone, Up Above."

Elizabeth Carter was a very religious woman. Daughter of a preacher, she had been raised the Christian way. A golden cross always hung from her neck, and she was often found holding onto it tightly when stressed. Somehow, she had fallen in love with the least religious man she knew, and hadn't done as well of a job as she should have, raising her children to be religious, just like she had been raised. She believed they should choose themselves, when they were older, if they wanted to be religious, and choose that religion, but every now and then, she tried to remind them that there was a God. Her eldest had already read the Good Book, and Sebastian and Everett would read it when they were older. Every month they went to church at least once, no matter how busy they were.

At five, Sebastian hadn't given much thought to a God. He knew Mama believed in one, but he was too concerned about other trivial, childish things.

"And be a simple kind of man. Gosh, just be something you love and understand. Baby, just be a simple kind of man. Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can?" Elizabeth had choked up then, patting down the blonde hair on her child's head. "I just want the best for you. Life is too short for you to be difficult, Sebastian."

She had taken a shaky breath, and then looked down at her wedding ring. "Forget your lust for the rich man's gold." She had shaken her head, blonde curls bouncing. "You won't ever need material things, not in this life, or in Heaven. All that you need is in your soul, son. And you can do this, you really can, if you try. All that I want for you, Sebastian, is to be satisfied. Be satisfied in who you are, who you love, and what you do. Be satisfied in all aspects of your life."

"Mama, what if I'm not simple? Or what if I can't be satisfied? Mama, what will happen?" Sebastian had asked, near a panic in thoughts of not listening to Mama.

"Boy, don't you worry. You'll find yourself. Just follow your heart, and nothing else. Not Your father, myself, Declan, or even Everett. Follow that heart of yours. It will lead you to be a simple man, and satisfied with your life, son. All you have to do is try."

Thunder had boomed then, both of them jumping slightly with the interruption. Lightning soon followed, and Sebastian crawled into Elizabeth's lap, blonde head resting on her shoulder as they both watched the rain come pouring down, getting heavier by each passing second.

Sebastian had been close to falling asleep, the last thing he heard before closing his eyes for a restful sleep was his Mama, saying Baby, be a simple man, something you can love and understand.