Grandma Dawson gave us a tour of the farm. When she got to the farmhouse, I saw it was dated. It looked like they hadn’t maintained it for several years. There was no way I was going to have my grandma live in something like this. I pulled Caryn aside and talked to her about it. She assured me she could get some ideas about what could be done. I told her to make sure my grandma was happy because I’d asked her to move back here and help me, even though she was retired.
It pleased me to hear that the local Mennonites had started to come by and introduce themselves. Grandma felt she could find some farm workers to help get the farm running.
Zoe and I were disappointed that we hadn’t gotten a chance to be alone. But she agreed I needed to see my new farm so I’d know what was being talked about when I was called on to make a decision. I took Zoe home so she could get ready to meet me at Monical’s with her family and then go to the premiere.
◊◊◊
I entered my apartment, only to find Peggy and Little David had taken it over. She saw me the same time Duke woke from his nap.
“I wanted to talk to you,” Peggy said.
“What about?”
“I’ve been talking to your mom, but she said I had to talk to you,” she said.
“What about?” I repeated.
“It’s about the money you’re giving me through your charity. I want to earn it, not have it given to me. What I want to do is help your mom with your and Pam’s baby. She told me that she and your dad were going to take custody until you got through college. What I want to do is work as a live-in nanny.”
“I hope you still plan to go to college,” I said.
“Yes. This would be a big help to me. Your mom and dad would help when they could, and I would take care of the kids the other times. It would minimize the time they’d need to be in daycare.”
“Where would you stay?” I asked.
“The upstairs is already set up for Angie, Greg, and their kids when they stay here. Your mom suggested that I move Little David and myself upstairs. When your baby’s born, we’ll put them both in the same room for now.”
“I’ll talk to Caryn and get you on the payroll. I trust you can work this out with my mom and dad. They always tell me their house, their rules. I also expect you to get your college education,” I said.
I was surprised when she fiercely hugged me. Clearly, this meant a lot to her. Single moms struggled just to get by. When I thought about what would happen if Angie and Kyle were on their own, it was easy to put together the charity to help young mothers. Especially when they were at the point of their greatest need. That, and Peggy and I had a history together. Never would I put her out on the street if there were anything I could do to help.
I thought she’d be perfect at helping me raise my son when he was born. I’d been worried it would be too much for my mom and dad. Having Peggy help was a relief.
◊◊◊
I took a shower and got into my closet for clothes for the premiere. I grinned while picking out clothes that I knew Halle wouldn’t approve of for LA attire. My handmade leather boots with the silver zipper on the side and AGed-15 jeans would not have passed muster with her, but I put them on. The jeans had strategically placed rips to show a little skin, which meant I had to go commando. The sacrifices we had to endure for fashion. I found a Henley long-sleeved t-shirt in navy blue with orange trim and buttons that I’d hidden, so the girls hadn’t stolen it.
I was torn between wearing my new leather jacket or my letterman’s jacket. Tomorrow was for the world, but tonight was for my hometown and friends. I decided on the letterman’s jacket. I checked myself in the mirror and noted my letterman’s jacket had started to fill up with pins and patches. You received a pin every time you lettered in a sport. I had three footballs and a baseball, representing my four letters. There were also two patches that showed my state championships.
Caryn sent me a text: the limo was out front. I was the last one to get in. My parents, grandma, Peggy, and Caryn were waiting for me. My mom looked at me and rolled her eyes.
“I thought you were wearing a suit,” Caryn said.
“My peeps would call me a poser if I did that. This is for here, not LA,” I said.
“Your peeps?” Mom asked.
“Sure, why not.”
“We need to get him home before his head swells any more,” Mom told my dad.
We arrived early at Monical’s and found Greg and Angie were already there. Greg had set everything up, and the assistant manager had him cornered. Angie had a smirk on her face as her husband sacrificed himself to get us some free appetizers.
