Escaping the Past

“I’m not jealous,” Lou pouted, as he pulled her closer.

“Liar.”

She held her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart. “Maybe just a little.” She tucked her head into his chest in shame. “I am so sorry,” she mumbled against his shirt.

“How sorry?” he asked, smiling over her head.

“Really sorry?” she answered.

“You had better be..” He pointed to his cheek with his index finger. “Kiss me and tell me hello.”

Lou moved to kiss his cheek and he turned his head at the last minute, capturing her mouth with his for a long and tender kiss. His arms wrapped around her like he wanted to draw her into himself.

Lou and Brody heard boots walking across the porch and the sound of a little girl’s laughter. As they sprang apart, his look told her they would definitely come back to it later.

Sarah came through the door and Lou gasped at the sight of her daughter. She was covered in dirt from head to toe. “Just what have you two been doing?” Lou scolded.

John and Sarah both looked at her sheepishly. “Playing,” they mumbled, looking at the floor. Sarah even had tear tracks through the dirt on her face from where John had tickled her so much her eyes leaked, she complained.

Sarah reached out to touch the sequined dress lying on the table but Lou quickly moved it from her reach. “No way, little lady! No grubby fingers will touch these things!” Lou grabbed Sarah’s packages from the table and swatted Sarah on the behind. “Off you go. Upstairs. Bath time.” She shooed Sarah toward the stairs.

She turned back and whispered to Brody, “You had better get yourself ready, too. The dance is at six.”

Brody grabbed his own packages and went to his room to get dressed.

Lou scrubbed the mud from Sarah’s hair and face, turning the water murky by the time that she was done. “You had better get out or Dr. Wester will be taking one little prune to the Father-Daughter dance,” Lou chided gently.

“Mommy, do you think any of the other girls will have a date who’s not their dad?” Sarah asked as Lou wrapped her in a towel.

“I feel sure some girls will have their stepfather or a granddad as their date. Don’t you think so?” Lou asked, as she drew a wide-toothed comb through Sarah’s tangled locks.

“Yeah. Probably.” Sarah worried her lower lip between her teeth.

Lou turned on the hair dryer and dried Sarah’s hair until it flew around her face in a big brown cloud. Then she combed it flat and got out the curling iron. She piled some of Sarah’s hair on top of her head to keep it out of her face and secured it with studded barrettes from one of the packages. The rest she rolled into delicate ringlets with the curling iron and sprayed them to keep their shape. She turned Sarah toward the mirror and said, “Tah dah!”

“Wow,” Sarah breathed. “I look beautiful like you.”

Lou swatted her on the tail again and said, “Let’s get you dressed.”

Elizabeth had included new panties and tights, so Sarah wiggled into those with some laughter and squeaks as Lou helped. Then Lou pulled the sequined dress over her head, careful not to muss her hair, and adjusted the narrow straps on Sarah’s shoulders. Further searching through the packages produced a matching shawl to keep Sarah’s shoulders warm. Lou handed her the shoes, made to look like glass slippers, and Sarah stepped into them gracefully.

Lou stepped back and surveyed the whole package. “You are so beautiful,” she said and embraced her daughter. “You ready to make your grand entrance?”

Sarah giggled with delight. “Yep!” she shrieked in little girl fashion.

“You wait here for a minute while I go down and get my camera. Plus I’ll make sure everyone is ready to see how you look.”

Sarah nodded her head, dancing in place, a huge smile on her face.

Lou skipped down the stairs and saw John, Jeb, and Sadie were sitting at the kitchen table. Then she saw Brody, standing beside the table in a sport coat, casual pants, white shirt and tie. He looked amazing. She walked over to him silently and adjusted his tie for him. She gazed up at him softly and whispered, “Thank you.”

He bent and kissed her on the cheek. He said loudly with a wink to all, “And just where is my date? I hope she isn’t going to stand me up.”

Just then, Sarah came bounding down the stairs and landed at the bottom, arms held out wide, her shawl on her shoulders and a grin as big as all outdoors. “Here I am!”

Brody picked up her corsage, walked over to her, and bowed low before her. “How beautiful you look, my lady. I have never seen anyone so beautiful as you.” He slipped the wrist corsage, which matched her dress, over her wrist and spun her around.

Jeb and John whistled and Sadie clapped. John tried to look chagrinned. “Does this mean you aren’t my girl anymore?” he asked with a pretend frown.