don’t like it and want to find something else, we’ll understand,” Valerie said.
“No. I love it. I really do. It’s out in the country where it’s peaceful and quiet. I want to stay. Really. Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Yes,” they both said.
“Is the furniture okay? Most of it is leftover from my bachelor days. Valerie always complained that it looked like a guy’s place. She couldn’t wait to pick out new stuff for the house.”
“Can I hang pictures on the walls?”
“Sure,” Valerie said. “Make yourself at home, and let us know if you need anything.”
“And let us know if something is broken so that we can take care of it,” Bryan added.
“Okay,” Dawn said. “This is great. My mom was really worried about where I would live. She was afraid that I would end up in a big apartment complex where I didn’t know anyone. I can’t wait to call her to tell her that it’s all been taken care of. She’ll love knowing that I have a place in the country. She can stop worrying.”
“A mother never stops worrying,” Valerie said.
Dawn called home right after Bryan, Valerie, and the baby left. Her parents, especially her mother, were so relieved to find out that Dawn’s housing situation had been settled. After that, Dawn set out to find the nearest grocery store. She found one that was just about a mile and a half away. She didn’t have to go through any heavy city traffic at all. One small victory , she thought as she unloaded groceries from the car that Bryan had loaned her. She went inside to fix herself some supper. Halfway through her meal preparation, Dawn realized that she had made way too much. She would be eating leftovers for a week. Then she realized that she had Jeremiah’s phone number. His home phone rang several times. She was about to hang up and try his cell when someone finally answered. “Hello?”
“Hello. Is this Jeremiah?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Hi. This is Dawn. What are you doing?”
“I just walked through the door. I’ve been riding motorcycles all afternoon.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Starved.”
“I’ve got a ton of lasagna over here. Do you want to come over for dinner?”
“I’d love to. Where?”
“Do you know where Bryan and Valerie live?”
“Yes.”
“I’m in the mobile home behind their house.”
“Where they lived while the house was being built?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be there in half an hour.”
“Perfect. That’s how long the lasagna needs to cook.”
It was exactly thirty minutes later when a dark-green extended cab pickup truck pulled into the driveway, and Jeremiah got out.
“Wow. When you say thirty minutes, you mean it,” Dawn said from the front porch.
“I would’ve been here sooner, but I stopped to get you these,” Jeremiah said as he pulled a bouquet of fresh flowers from the passenger seat. He walked up the gravel path to the bottom porch step and handed the flowers to Dawn.
“Thank you. They’re beautiful.”
“They’re not as beautiful as you.” That made her smile. He climbed up the steps to drop a quick peck on her cheek. “It’s cold out here. Let’s go inside and get something to eat.”
Once inside, Jeremiah could immediately smell the tomato sauce, garlic, and oregano. “It smells great and makes me realize that it’s been a long time since I’ve had homemade lasagna.”
“It was one of the first things I learned to cook as a teenager,” Dawn said as she searched the cabinets for a vase. “I have to cook for Bryan at the track. I think I’ll make a big lasagna and freeze it in single serving portions. That way he can pop one in the microwave when he wants one. Hopefully I can think of several things to stock the freezer of the motor coach with so that I don’t have to cook all the time.”
Jeremiah watched as Dawn stretched and bent while looking for a vase. Unfortunately, she found one in one of the top cabinets. She couldn’t reach it and was stretching on her tiptoes,
“No. I love it. I really do. It’s out in the country where it’s peaceful and quiet. I want to stay. Really. Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Yes,” they both said.
“Is the furniture okay? Most of it is leftover from my bachelor days. Valerie always complained that it looked like a guy’s place. She couldn’t wait to pick out new stuff for the house.”
“Can I hang pictures on the walls?”
“Sure,” Valerie said. “Make yourself at home, and let us know if you need anything.”
“And let us know if something is broken so that we can take care of it,” Bryan added.
“Okay,” Dawn said. “This is great. My mom was really worried about where I would live. She was afraid that I would end up in a big apartment complex where I didn’t know anyone. I can’t wait to call her to tell her that it’s all been taken care of. She’ll love knowing that I have a place in the country. She can stop worrying.”
“A mother never stops worrying,” Valerie said.
Dawn called home right after Bryan, Valerie, and the baby left. Her parents, especially her mother, were so relieved to find out that Dawn’s housing situation had been settled. After that, Dawn set out to find the nearest grocery store. She found one that was just about a mile and a half away. She didn’t have to go through any heavy city traffic at all. One small victory , she thought as she unloaded groceries from the car that Bryan had loaned her. She went inside to fix herself some supper. Halfway through her meal preparation, Dawn realized that she had made way too much. She would be eating leftovers for a week. Then she realized that she had Jeremiah’s phone number. His home phone rang several times. She was about to hang up and try his cell when someone finally answered. “Hello?”
“Hello. Is this Jeremiah?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Hi. This is Dawn. What are you doing?”
“I just walked through the door. I’ve been riding motorcycles all afternoon.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Starved.”
“I’ve got a ton of lasagna over here. Do you want to come over for dinner?”
“I’d love to. Where?”
“Do you know where Bryan and Valerie live?”
“Yes.”
“I’m in the mobile home behind their house.”
“Where they lived while the house was being built?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be there in half an hour.”
“Perfect. That’s how long the lasagna needs to cook.”
It was exactly thirty minutes later when a dark-green extended cab pickup truck pulled into the driveway, and Jeremiah got out.
“Wow. When you say thirty minutes, you mean it,” Dawn said from the front porch.
“I would’ve been here sooner, but I stopped to get you these,” Jeremiah said as he pulled a bouquet of fresh flowers from the passenger seat. He walked up the gravel path to the bottom porch step and handed the flowers to Dawn.
“Thank you. They’re beautiful.”
“They’re not as beautiful as you.” That made her smile. He climbed up the steps to drop a quick peck on her cheek. “It’s cold out here. Let’s go inside and get something to eat.”
Once inside, Jeremiah could immediately smell the tomato sauce, garlic, and oregano. “It smells great and makes me realize that it’s been a long time since I’ve had homemade lasagna.”
“It was one of the first things I learned to cook as a teenager,” Dawn said as she searched the cabinets for a vase. “I have to cook for Bryan at the track. I think I’ll make a big lasagna and freeze it in single serving portions. That way he can pop one in the microwave when he wants one. Hopefully I can think of several things to stock the freezer of the motor coach with so that I don’t have to cook all the time.”
Jeremiah watched as Dawn stretched and bent while looking for a vase. Unfortunately, she found one in one of the top cabinets. She couldn’t reach it and was stretching on her tiptoes,
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