I was right. She screamed at the top of her lungs when I gave up and dumped the cup of water over her head.
“It burns my eyes!” she cried.
“It’s not burning your eyes, Maddie. I told you to hold your head back,” I scolded as I dumped the next cup full of water, trying to get the baby shampoo that was not burning her eyes rinsed from her hair.
“There see, you’re all done. Come on, let’s go see Papaw,” I coaxed, trying to calm her cries. That would do it. She loved her papaw like no one else, even more than me I sometimes thought.
“I feed a fish,” she assured me, remembering the stupid, stupid fish aquarium in the dining room that she and my dad had gone out and bought. I hated that thing. I was the one who had to clean the damn thing out when she dumped the whole canister of food or decided that fish didn’t like fish food anymore. They liked hotdogs, macaroni and cheese, chicken fingers, French fries, oh yeah, and tomato soup. The girl was a fish murderer and you couldn’t get it through her thick skull that she couldn’t feed them her food. My dad would just go out and buy more fish to keep her from figuring out that Spunky, Nemo, and Charlie weren’t dead. They were only sleeping and would magically wakeup the next day, right after I cleaned the damn thing out, again.
“Your clothes are on your bed. You go get dressed, while mommy gets ready and we’ll go see Papaw.”
“I drive, K?” she asked as her naked little butt walked out of the bathroom to find her clothes.
“Yes, you can drive,” I agreed. She thought she was hot stuff driving our golf cart up the dirt path to the guests’ quarters and dining room.
“That is not what was on your bed,” I assured her, glancing at the time on my cellphone. I didn’t have time to fight with her. I had to open up the main gate in ten minutes. She was just going to have to wear the ridiculous outfit that she took upon herself to pick out. Ms. Independent couldn’t just put the normal jean shorts and purple tank-top on. No, she had to wear the purple tutu with white leggings covered in red strawberries, zebra print shirt, and cowboy boots. At least the red cowboy boots matched the red strawberries.
“I not wike dem clothes,” she assured me, heading out the door in front of me. I tugged on the back of her tutu to cover her butt, shaking my head as I locked up.
Parking the golf cart around back of the dining room, I walked in with my obstinate daughter through the kitchen.
“Hey Jaron, can you drop me a bagel down? I’m running late,” I asked the main cook.
“As soon as I hug this pretty little girl,” he smiled and squatted. Maddie ran into his arms and he kissed her cheek. “You look pretty,” he told her.
“I know,” Maddie modestly responded. “I have a go find my Papaw. I have a feed a fish,” she said, squirming from his arms.
“Great, Jaron. Encourage her,” I spat as I followed Maddie to find my dad.
“Papaw!” she yelled, running to my dad, speaking to some guests who were enjoying their breakfast.
He picked her up and kissed her cheeks too. “There’s papaw’s baby girl. What are you wearing?” he asked with a frown, seeing her outfit.
“I pretty,” she assured him.
“You are pretty,” he agreed, kissing her cheek again.
“Mommy say me hideous,” she tattled.
“I’ve got to go. You got her?” I asked, catching the dirty look from my father.
“Yes, go. I’ll bring her to you at nap time.”
Great, that was when she was at her best. Whiny, tired, and meaner than a rattlesnake. I couldn’t wait.
I unlocked the front door just in time for the guests to start arriving. Fridays were always crazy, with getting the reservations checked in for the weekend and sometimes the entire week.
“Good morning, welcome to River Resort. I’m Whitley,” I smiled, letting the couple in.
“Hi,” the man spoke. The female didn’t want to be there. I could tell, saw it all the time. She would have rather been spending her vacation someplace besides the river fishing.
“Last name?” I asked, answering my cellphone with the touch of a button. I left it on the counter, not picking it up. I saw that it was Kylie. I didn’t want her to hang up. I needed to talk to her. This would only take a minute anyway.
“Hunter, Richard Hunter,” the man replied as I quickly typed in his arrival and handed him a key. “You’re in cabin 18. If you follow the wooden arrows straight and then to the left, it’ll take you right to it. Have fun and thanks for visiting.”
I waited until the guy and his wife, or whatever she was, left before picking up my phone. “You there?” I asked Kylie.
“Richard Hunter is there?”
“You know him?”
“Are you serious, Whitley? He was at that party when we sneaked out and went to Alex Wesson’s house. Remember? Tess and he were practically doing it in the pool.”
That was a night that I didn’t want to remember. “I was so drunk that night, I didn’t know my own name. You expect me to remember some teenager, at a party almost four years ago?”
“How could you forget? That was one of the best nights of my life. And if I remember right, you have nothing to complain about either. Remember, how Alex was all over you?”
That was an understatement. “No, not really. We still getting together next weekend? I need a Maddie break,” I admitted, wanting off the subject of Alex Wesson. I hated that name.
“How could you need a Maddie break? You have got to have the cutest kid in the whole entire world.”
“Keep her for a week,” I threatened, although she was right. I did have the cutest kid in the world. Maddie was so darn cute. She knew it too. That caused a little bit of trouble with her getting her way with everyone that came within two feet of her. Maddie had the same dark hair as me, but that was about it. Hers was a little lighter than mine. She must have gotten the rest of her cuteness from her sperm donor, not to mention her brains. That kid had to be the smartest almost three year old around. She didn’t miss anything, nor did she forget. That part usually worked against me when she tattled to my dad, the things that I said.
“I would.”
“And you would be calling me in three hours for me to come and get her.”
“I would not.”
“Uh-huh, getting cold feet yet?”
“I’ve had cold feet. I’m getting married, Whitley. Who would have thought? I’m like freaking out here.”
“You’re going to be a great wife, and you picked a pretty great guy. Aaron loves you.”
“But, do you think it’s too soon. I mean what if it doesn’t work out?”
“Stop it; you’ve been together for three years. You’ve lived with him for what, six months now?”
“I know, but I just got my degree like three months ago, maybe we should have waited another year or so.”
“Why, so you could prolong your freaking out for another year?”
“Good point.”
“I have to go, Kylie. Another guest just pulled in to check in. I’ll call you later, and I cannot wait for your bachelorette party. I need to get good and drunk.”
“And you will, promise. Talk to you later.”
“See ya.”
The weekend guests continued to pour in throughout the morning. The summer months were always like that at The River Resort. We were booked clear up until October. That would fill up too, within the next couple of months. November would slow down, and then Christmas week would be booked solid. January and February were the two slow months of the year. That was when everything got cleaned from top to bottom, maintenance and repairs, and all the bedding would be replaced with new.
My dad brought Maddie to me just after lunch. I could tell as soon as he walked in holding her hand she was tired.
“Hi, baby,” I said, picking her up and putting her right back down.
“Why didn’t you tell Papaw you had to potty?” I said, pulling her hand toward the bathroom.
“I not have a po
tty,” she assured me.
“That’s because, you went potty in your pants. You’re going to be three soon. You can’t pee your pants anymore.”
“I be free amorrow.”
I didn’t reply. It wouldn’t have done any good. I would just be explaining it again the next time I mentioned her birthday. “Did you eat lunch?”
“I did have ice cream,” she replied. I only shook my head. Sometimes my family didn’t have the brains that God gave a goose.
I washed her up and slid her into a pair of purple sweats, placing the wet tutu and leggings in a plastic bag. I turned cartoons on for her and covered her up on the sofa behind the counter. She whined about not being tired and that she wasn’t taking a nap. I assured her that she didn’t have to sleep, and that she could just watch cartoons. She was sound asleep in five minutes.
“Will you work the dining room tonight?” My dad asked, flipping through the mail.
“No, it’s my weekend off. Why? Who’s not coming?”
“Naomi, she has to go home for a funeral. And technically, it’s not your weekend off. You’re taking next weekend off to go to Lincoln, remember?”
Well, shit.
“Fine, but I’m out of there at nine. I’m not staying to help in the kitchen.”
“That depends on where Maddie ends up.”
“Maddie is going home with me tonight,” I demanded.
“Dana Ray!” My step mom called, with her hand on her hips.
“What’d I do now?” he asked, turning to my step mom, who was also called Dana. She was just Dana and my dad was Dana Ray. Why you would ever marry someone with the same name is beyond me.
“Where are you supposed to be?”
“I don’t know,” he assured her with a peculiar look.
“The electrician is in 48, waiting for instructions.”
“Oh, yeah. I’ll see you in the dining room,” my dad said, turning to me.
“Can’t wait,” I called.
I really didn’t mind the dining room. I made good tips, and it meant that I didn’t have to cook for picky Maddie. Jaron could deal with her mind-changing on what she wanted to eat.
I didn’t have to work the dining room long. Dana took over because, Madelyn decided to be the biggest brat ever. I knew she was going to be that way. She only napped for maybe twenty minutes and had done nothing but whine since she woke.
She fed the fish potato chips, slid a stool to the fountain machine and made one hell of a mess, dumped a bowl of sugar, and screamed a shrill ear-piercing scream when I wouldn’t let her have hot sauce on her fries.
I dealt with her screaming at the top of her lungs while I washed her hair. I had just washed it that morning and wouldn’t have tempted it, had it not been matted together from sticky ice cream, or whatever it was that my dad had given her.
I couldn’t wait to go to Lincoln for a couple of days. I needed it. It would be the first time since I turned twenty-one that I would be able to sit in a bar and buy my own alcohol. I was looking forward to it in a big way. Having a baby before your eighteenth birthday took a toll on your social life. Reed McCauley helped with that, but I knew nothing would ever become of that. He didn’t like Madelyn. Well, I guess he liked her just fine. He just didn’t like her bratty ways and the fact that everyone around her gave into her.
He was right; however there wasn’t much I could do about it. I tried. It didn’t do one bit of good for me to correct her, when my dad and every last one of the staff gave her what she wanted. If they didn’t, she would throw herself to the floor and scream until they did. Reed couldn’t handle that. We ended up arguing when the two of them were together. It was better to keep things the way they were.
Maddie settled into my lap and cuddled her little body next to mine. I loved it when she was cuddly. It didn’t happen often. She was too busy to be still long enough to snuggle. I suddenly wished Reed wasn’t coming over. I would rather have been cozy on the sofa with my baby girl than entertaining him.
“I fweezen,” Maddie announced, pulling her little arms between her body and mine. I pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and covered her up. We watched Tinker Bell for the one-millionth time. I didn’t understand how she could be so consumed in a show that she had seen over and over again. She was. She never took her eyes from it.
“Are you hungry?” I asked, kissing her wet head.
“I did eat wif Papaw.”
“What did you eat with Papaw?”
“Um, I not know.”
“You don’t know what you ate?”
“Shhh, I have a see dis.”
I smiled and shook my head, sliding her over so that I could stand.
“Mommy’s going to have a bowl of cereal. Do you want one?”
“No, I alweady eated wif Papaw.”
Maddie wasn’t hungry, that’s why I fed her over half of my bowl of cereal. As soon as her belly was full she was curled up next to me, asleep in no time. I slid her to the pillow and went to the shower.
I slid on shorts, a t-shirt, and pulled my hair back before grabbing a beer and heading to the front porch. I loved summers by the river. You couldn’t count the different sounds of nature. There were too many, and the river flowing in the distance made it even more ambient.
I saw Reed’s headlights before I heard his truck. He parked and walked to the porch, sitting beside me on the top step.
“Hi,” he said, leaning in for a kiss.
“Hi, I was beginning to think you weren’t coming. Phone broke?” I don’t know why I said that. Reed and I didn’t have that kind of relationship. I didn’t care where he was or what he was doing.
“Did you want me to call? I told you I was coming over.”
“No, do you want a beer?”
“Nah, I can’t stay long. I have a busy day tomorrow.”
“I see. Just stopping by for a bootie call, eh?”
“Would you like for me to leave?”
“Nope, come on. I don’t want to keep you too long.” And just like that, Reed followed me to my room. I routinely removed my clothes as he did, watched him slide on a condom and crawl on top of me. Exactly twenty minutes later, Reed was in his truck, backing out of my driveway. He took care of my thirst and his job was done.
<><><>
“I commin too,” Madelyn demanded as I packed a small duffle bag for my weekend getaway.
“No, you’re staying with Papaw all night, remember?”
“No, I go wif you. K?”
“Papaw will be sad. He wants you to stay with him. He’s going to take you to see Rusty.”
Madelyn formed an O with her mouth. “I have a feed him a carrot.”
I wasn’t really sure if my dad was going to take her to see the new foal or not. I was sure that he would be now. Maddie would make sure of it. Maddie didn’t forget.
“I feed Wusty, Papaw,” Madelyn called, running to him as soon as I placed her feet on the ground.
“Thanks, Whit. I really don’t have time for that today,” my dad responded with a frown.
“Tell her no,” I taunted, knowing he wouldn’t do it. “I love you,” I said kissing Maddie’s cheek. She wasn’t interested in my departure. She was interested in Rusty, the baby horse a few miles down the road at my Uncle Franks. “I’ll call and check on her later,” I said walking off the deck to my truck.
“Bye, Maddie!” I called.
I started off in my old Ford pickup truck, excited to get away. I hadn’t been away from Maddie since I went into Lincoln for Kylie’s sister’s wedding, almost two years ago. I stopped the guilty thoughts as soon as they surfaced by turning the music up loud, blaring Prince’s Raspberry beret. I had nothing to feel guilty about. I was a good mom and was with my daughter all the time. I deserved to go out and have a good time.
Almost two hours later, I was pulling into the drive of a beautiful home on the corner of a cul-de-sac. I couldn’t believe the size of Kylie and Aaron’s new house. It was gorgeous and I was extremely envio
us. I could have been right there with her. I should have had a business degree too. I should have gotten to sleep in the dorms, be her roommate, and party with the college boys alongside her. I didn’t get to do that. Instead, I had to listen to her college tales while rocking my baby, changing diapers, and partying all night to a fever. No. No. I didn’t mean that. I loved Maddie. I wouldn’t have traded her for college in a million years.
“Kylie, I love it. It’s beautiful!” I exclaimed, stepping into her foyer. Foyer. Kylie had a foyer. I had a mud rug on my front porch. This house was ridiculous. I couldn’t help but be a little resentful when Aaron slid his arm around her back. They were in love. They had the house. They had the careers. They had the cars, the pool, the clothes, and the look. They were no doubt precocious in the classy department.
I suddenly felt self-conscious, wearing my jean shorts and Simon and Garfunkel t-shirt. Kylie was wearing some sort of designer pants outfit with a satin blouse. Aaron was wearing black dress slacks with a light blue golf shirt. It was hot out. I thought they were crazy, then again, it was probably what they were used to. It suddenly dawned on me that I brought jeans for the bachelorette party. I was sure that Kylie wouldn’t be in jeans. I should have gone shopping before I came.
“I was hoping we had time to shop, before the party,” I blurted for whatever reason. I didn’t want to shop. I didn’t have the money to shop. I was saving what extra money I did get from waiting tables for Maddie’s birthday party.
“We can if you want, but I kind of already bought you a dress. We’re all wearing the same thing in different colors.”
“How do you know it will fit?”
Kylie tilted her head, giving me that look. “You have been the same size as me since the third grade. I think I know what will fit. Want to see it?”
“Yeah.”
Kylie kissed Aaron, sending that hint of jealously my way. “Can you put Whit’s things in her room?”