Page 41 of The Playboy and the Waitress

Her kindness brings tears to my eyes again.

“Now, now… it can’t be all that bad, but let them out if it makes you feel better.”

“Thank you for sharing your blanket with me, it was your sudden act of kindness that teared me up. My heart has had a hard go at it the last twenty-four hours.”

“That heart of ours sure is a strong organ. We humans seriously put it through some difficult times in our lifetimes. Not only does it keep the very essence of our lives flowing freely inside of our bodies, but it also grieves, gets broken, experiences joy, and when it's full of love your whole body glows with its happiness.”

“I think mine may need a break as it's experienced all of that here lately.”

“The struggle of youth! One day, I promise, you will look back on this very moment and realize that your strength never failed you. We are always the strongest when our worlds are surrounded by darkness. This too shall pass.”

I turn away from her and look out the window happy to see that the snow is gone. I almost call Alecia to see if she can pick me up at the terminal but decide against it. I'm not in the mood to talk right now.

There is a rental car place just a block away. I'll just walk there when the bus stops at the depot. The bus stops and I thank the older lady for her kindness and the advice as I slide out of our seat.

I step off the bus, relieved that the temperature is much warmer at home, and I start across the lot when an older Ford truck suddenly comes barreling into the parking lot.

CHAPTER18

Ifreeze in my tracks when the truck stops and Dage jumps out, running towards me. Before I can say a word he has me in his arms, spinning me around. I hear him say, “Thank god I got here in time.”

“Whose truck is that and what are you doing here? Dage, we have nothing to talk about.”

“Please, give me ten minutes of your time, Jenna. I'm begging you.”

I drop my bag to the ground and stand here with my arms crossed. “Ten minutes, Dage.”

“The second I watched you pull away. I thought my heart would burst open from the pain. I don’t think I have ever been that terrified. I ran back into the house and grabbed my car keys. No matter what I did, she wouldn’t even pull out of her parking spot. I blew the back tires off of her trying to get her out of that hole.

“When I realized this wasn’t working, I went back into the house. Grabbed some warmer clothes and my backpack and headed out the door. Determined if I had to run the whole way I had to find a way to catch you. I heard you tell the cab driver to take you to the Greyhound depot. So, I knew where you were heading. I was praying the whole time that there wasn’t a bus headed this way, or even that there was a delay. But before I could even get out the door, Mother stopped me.

“She met me at the front door, giving me an ultimatum. She told me if I left for you, she would disown me. She would shut off my finances, take my car, and the condo I live in would be locked. If I left, I would have nothing but the clothes on my back and whatever money I had in my pocket. She refused to be the laughingstock of the town because of her son. She told me she was the one who gave me her name and status and that she could take it all away just as easily.

“It was the easiest decision of my life. I told her that she would not take the only single piece of happiness I had ever truly found away from me. That she could take her name and money and shove it up her ass as I was walking down the sidewalk.

“You were always right; I didn’t owe her anything. She may have provided the way, but I have done all the work. I was simply a pawn in her many games. I walked out the door and for the first time in my life, I was doing something that I wanted to do. I was headed towards the one person who showed me that there is so much more in life than gain. That not everyone around you should be standing there with their hand out saying, what can I gain from you.

“I was about a mile away from the house when an older gentleman stopped in this truck and offered to give me a ride. I told him I would give him three thousand dollars to bring me to Ashland. He told me I could have the damn truck for that amount of money. I dropped him off at his house, which was only a few miles away. He signed over the title, and I was on my way. There were several times I wasn’t for sure if it was even going to make it all the way here. She rattles and shakes all over, but we made it.

“What I'm really trying to tell you is, Jenna…I love you! I want to build a life with you! I want to watch your belly round with our children, and I want to grow old together. But I have nothing to offer you but myself. I don’t have a dime to my name, and at the moment, I’m jobless. But I promise if you take this chance… this gamble on me, I will love you to the end of time.”

I throw my arms around him squeezing him tight. “I only ever wanted you, Playboy. I love you too!”

We stand in the middle of the parking lot holding each other and for the first time in my life the tears running down my face are happy ones. The old lady was right. This is a day I will never forget.

TWO YEARS LATER

I stand on the front porch of our new cabin, drinking coffee, thinking about how far we have come in the last couple of years.

It's been one adventure after another, that’s for sure. Now, we have had our misunderstandings and our ups and downs, but I believe I love him more and more every day.

Dage’s mother, the old bitch as I refer to her, has never even tried to contact him, and all his so-called friends disappeared off the radar. She did exactly what she threatened to do. She shut Dage’s whole world down before he even made it to Ashland. When he tried to get his clothes from his apartment, they wouldn’t even let him in. So, I took him shopping and my man never looked better than in his flannel shirts, holey jeans, and five o’clock shadow.

Dage took to farming like he had been born doing it. He was determined to bring the farm back to its former glory. At first, I was worried he was only doing this to make me happy, but as time went on, I could tell it was something he really enjoyed. Dage spent hours, even days reading and researching anything he could about farming techniques and different crops. I even teased him that he was stalking the neighbors and that they were going to put a restraining order against him if he didn’t stop. But he was determined to ask every question and learn anything he could. Several of the guys who were renting fields from me, took Dage under their wing. And for the first time in his life, I think he understands what true friendship means. Especially, since most of them pulled together to help us get the fields ready for planting our first year.

We had been together for several months before I told Dage about the money. The day I caught him looking into grants and farm aids when one of the older corn harvesters broke down. I finally realized how dedicated he was to reviving the place. I handed him the checkbook and told him to make it happen. Not only did his fabulous brain bring the farm back, but he also had this cabin built in what he calls his happy place. We were married on this very porch only days after it was finished. It was a simple wedding where I wore my mother’s gown, and the local pastor officiated the ceremony.

Something brushing my ankles has me bending down automatically to pick up the little fur ball. This highfalutin’ kitty has taken over as the new queen around here as she struts her stuff in the barns and out in the pasture fields.

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