Authors: Ruth Ann Hixson
He closed the freezing compartment of the fridge and took her hand and lead her down the basement steps to show her an upright freezer. "Our gift from your great-grandmother. And if you walk over here." He flipped a switch to light the side of the basement where the water pump was. "We now have our very own washer and dryer, compliments of Mom and Dad."
"That's why they were late getting there. This is where that truck that almost ran Mom off the road was coming." She headed back for the stairs. "I'm still hungry."
"You can scoop out a dish of that ice cream for me, too," Mark said as they got back to the kitchen. He opened the pantry door. "I need to put a light in here so a person can see without a flashlight," he grumbled. "Bad news, Sherry. No more potato chips."
"Then you better go get some."
"I'm not going anywhere tonight." He picked up the receiver to the phone. "It's been so long since I called home on a land line that I can't remember the number."
Sherry rattled it off and he pushed the right buttons. After five rings, Lisa answered. "Is Mom there?" he asked.
"Where else would she be? Mom, it's Mark." She couldn't resist asking, "Bored already?"
He chuckled. "Haven't even started yet. Sherry's been sleeping because she didn't sleep last night. She got up hungry and there are no chips. Hi, Mom. Do you have any potato chips?"
"Sherry doesn't need all that salt. It'll put her blood pressure up. Yes, I have chips but I don't feel like bringing them over. I told you once before, I'm not a delivery person. You're lucky this time. Lisa has volunteered to bring them over. I'll talk to you later. Right now I just want to go to bed."
Mark hung up the phone. "Lisa's going to bring them."
Sherry had dished up two dishes of ice cream and was making herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "Help yourself to some ice cream," she said when Lisa walked in with a bag of chips. "Thank you." Sherry tore open the bag and pulled out a handful.
"Mom's a little grumpy tonight," Lisa reported. "She said she's just tired. Besides working at the bank and at home, she's been helping put together your wedding."
"I must thank her." Sherry took a spoonful of ice cream and let it slowly melt in her mouth.
"And I must apologize to you for the way I behaved Wednesday night. I'm sorry. I thought you were marrying Mark for his money. He told me you don't even know about the money."
Sherry looked at Mark. "What money?"
"After Mom got killed, the drunk that caused the accident got two years probation. Dad was furious that he got off so easy because he was an old man. But he was an old man with a lot of moolah. Dad sued for an unlawful death. The jury awarded him a half million bucks--two hundred and fifty thou for him and two fifty thou to be put in trust for me. Not much of mine was spent except for my braces. And I paid for my college tuition and Mom's. I bought my truck and made the down payment on the combine and I'm making the payments.
"Dad paid off the mortgage on the farm. That's when it became incorporated with Dad holding half the stock and Grampa and Gramma holding the other half. When Grampa died, Gramma held half. She left her half to Lisa and me. We each hold a quarter interest. Dad had Mom's name put on his half. He's president and CEO, I'm vice-president and Mom's CFO.
"With all the interest that's accrued over the years, I still have a tidy sum in the bank. Some I've invested in an IRA. I add to it every paycheck. And I have a 401K at work. I'm not rolling in dough but I have enough to live comfortably for some time to come."
Sherry shook her head trying to absorb all he told her. She had never lived in a circumstance where there was money available to fulfill all her needs. She was used to scraping and scrounging to get by. "Then..."
"Then you don't need to shop at the thrift store anymore. If you need money just tell me and I'll fulfill your every whim."
"Just because you have a lot of money doesn't mean you have to spend it all," she shot back. "Don't let Mom know about it or she'll bleed you dry."
"She doesn't have to pay you back for all the things she broke. I'll replace them."
"Oh, no! That's part of her sentence and she's going to do it. If you give her an inch she'll take a mile. I know Mom. She doesn't have to pay it all at once though."
Changing the subject, Mark asked his sister, "What do you think of my bride's sexy pajamas?"
"I thought it was just a sweat suit."
"That's what she wears to bed."
Sherry gave him a simpering smile. "It's not the pajamas, it's what's under them."
"What?" he asked.
Sherry pulled up her sweatshirt to show him the zebra striped bra. "That's what you wore to entice me..." He stopped remembering his sister didn't know about his transgression.
"I didn't know you were half drunk."
"Uh-oh. Markie's been a bad boy," Lisa joked.
Mark's face got red but he didn't reveal his sin. "If I remember correctly that bra opens in the front. Lisa, hurry up and finish your ice cream so we can go to bed."
"Oh, no. We're going to open our gifts first," Sherry told him.
Lisa finished her ice cream and set the bowl in the sink. "I gotta go get some shuteye. I have to get up early to get Troy's truck back to him."
"Uh-oh. He let you use his wheels. Sounds like this is getting serious." Mark grinned at his sister.
"It is. Troy asked me to marry him. Not right away. We both want to finish college. Don't tell Mom and Dad. Okay?"
Mark's grin widened. "Now let me see. What price can I ask for my silence?"
"I don't have anything you want," she snapped. "Go ahead and tell them. I don't care. It's not going to change anything. Troy just wants to get engaged. See you on Thanksgiving."
After Lisa left, Mark sat at the end of the table gazing at his wife. "You have made me a very happy man."
"I am proud to be your wife," she responded. "There's only one fly in the soup. Mom. She is going to make our life very complicated."
"That's no fly; it's a bee."
****
The next two weeks, Alison spent little time at home. When Sherry asked her where'd she been, she replied, "None of your business."
"It is my business. I'm responsible for you."
"You won't be much longer. I'm going down to the courthouse tomorrow and have that changed. You and Mark don't need me here and I don't want to be here. As soon as I can make other arrangements I'm moving out."
"Are you moving in with some man?" Sherry demanded.
"As a matter of fact, I am." Alison couldn't keep from smiling when she gave Sherry the news. "Your father and I are getting married."
After taking a minute to absorb what her mother told her, Sherry threw her arms around her and hugged her. When she stepped back she reminded her mother, "I thought you said you didn't need a fifty-two-year-old man who is overweight, going bald and can't see his hand in front of his face without his glasses."
Alison shrugged. "I changed my mind. We're going to start a catering business in that car dealership building. I know the restaurant business and he has a degree in business administration. Do you think Mark would save us some money by helping with the remodeling? He did say he minored in architecture."
"Why don't you ask him? He just pulled in the driveway."
###
Coming soon:
Lost Memories
under the pen name of Annie Zarr. It's a mystery about a girl who lost her memory after a bad fall and the cop who tries to help her after she witnesses a murder. It seems more and more like she is involved with something illegal after an FBI agent shows up in New York saying she was in the witness protection program. There is already bad blood between Drew and FBI Special Agent Lewis Drumheller. Every turn takes Lt. Drew Ward deeper into what appears to be morass of intrigue and subterfuge, especially after two internationally wanted criminals try to abduct Ellie, aka Dana, aka Jillian, aka Antonia.
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