Rebel Betty (15 page)

"Get more?" She asked, holding out her hand to Lara.

Though it had been his gift and his idea, Thad was content to watch them scamper across the field, waving their arms like windmills and then running back with a firefly cupped gently in their hands. Far in the distance he could see the faint light of the town, but it seemed a million miles away, like the memories of his old life.

A dozen fireflies winked in the cage by the time that Lara called a halt to the hunt, noting Mackenzie's stumbling movements and frequent blinks. The child came willingly into her arms and stared at the bugs as Lara walked to the back porch, her face lit only by a wide smile and the small, magical lights.

Lara sat next to him on the couch and placed Mackenzie between them.

"We will have to let them go soon, sweetie," Lara whispered, furtively touching a curl that lay against her cheek.

"No, wanna keep them.”

"If we do that, they will die."

Mackenzie turned and looked up at Lara. "Like Momma and Daddy?"

Lara's face twisted, and a suspicious brightness crept into her eyes. "Hmm hmm. But if we let them go, we can see them again. Your Daddy and I used to collect lightening bugs every night during the summer. Once we collected a whole jar full and opened them in the house. Grandpa was so mad!"

Mackenzie held the cage up to her eyes and shook  it, making the insects dance. "They not come back?"

Thad laid his arm across Lara's shoulders, encasing both of them in a hug. "No, and that's ok. There will be new bugs and new adventures tomorrow."

"Ok," she said, and reached for the Velcro closure.

It took long moments before the fireflies realized they were free, and then they streamed out by ones and by twos, flashing their love songs in the night. Two remained behind, and landed on Mackenzie's arm, making her gasp in delight.

"There is a Japanese myth that fireflies are the spirits of the dead," he murmured, catching Lara's eye.

Lips quirked into a half-smile, Lara gently scooped the two lightening bugs up and sent them off together, where they floated away, off into the darkness.

Mackenzie leaned back and sighed, her eyes already growing heavy. Lara caught Thad's eye and nodded.

"Kenzie?"

"Hmmm?"

"Mean Larry and I are going to get married." He had to stifle a laugh when Lara poked him in the arm.

Mackenzie did not say anything for a while, though Thad felt her body stiffen. "You be my daddy?"

"Yes. And Lara will be your mommy."

Next to him, Thad felt Lara's muscles lock in place, as though expecting a rebuke, but Mackenzie only sighed, and leaned back. "Ok." She fell asleep between them, her body relaxing back into his chest. Thad held her close with Lara's head on his shoulder, happier and more at peace then he could ever remember being. She roused only for a moment when he placed her back in bed. Tucking the covers around her, snug as an embrace, she opened her eyes and smiled.

"Night night," she said, lifting her cheek for a kiss.

"Night, Bug." Thad kissed her, and then stood.

Lara sat down and brought the picture close for a kiss. The ritual completed, she bent down and smoothed the blonde hair away from her forehead. "Goodnight," she whispered.

There was a small, sleepy smile, and then Mackenzie lifted her cheek in invitation. Thad saw Lara stiffen and bite her lip, struggling to hold back the tears. The kiss was brief, and Lara stood and turned almost immediately, as though fearing her face would betray her.

He took Lara's hand and they walked to the door.

The whisper, when it came, was so soft he might have imagined it. "Night Mommy, night Daddy."

Heading down the stairs, Thaddeus decided that it did not matter which set of parents Mackenzie had meant: the ones that had given her life, or the ones that would provide a loving and nurturing home for her in the years to come. They were all in it together.

Epilogue

“
Read it,” Lara said, handing the freshly delivered newspaper to her husband.  She rubbed his shoulder in passing, and then returned to the stove.
Although they had eaten breakfast only an hour before, pregnancy was playing havoc with her appetite, and she often found herself starving only minutes after finishing a large meal. And at that moment, waffles sounded like something she needed more than her next breath.

With a shaking of the paper and a professorial clearing of his throat, Thad began reading.

“The opening of the William S. Foster Treatment Center brought the eyes of the nation to Oxford yesterday. Held under a cloudless sky, the ribbon cutting ceremony signaled the opening of a facility that will bring hope to a community devastated by the drug epidemic."

“The state of the art facility can treat up to twenty residents while also providing lodging for their families in a multi-dimensional approach that is gaining favor throughout the country.

“The development of the center was spearheaded by Lara Foster Gilbert, whose brother, William Foster, committed suicide after the death of his wife Rebecca from a heroin overdose. Their daughter, Mackenzie, who has been adopted by Gilbert and her husband, was present at the ceremony.

“As part of her speech, a visibly pregnant Gilbert…”

“I’m hard to miss,” Lara interrupted. “You could probably see me from outer space.”

“You are eight months pregnant, Larry.  You are supposed to be…” He searched around his mind for the correct word, noting Lara’s raised eyebrows. In the last months he had learned the hard way how often hormones affected her temper.  She sometimes went from tears to laughter and back again with the span of a minute. “Round.” He finished, and then kept reading.

“Moved many in the audience to tears. “The heroin epidemic is destroying the lives of husbands and brothers, daughter and sons. But it is my belief that the love of our families is our greatest source of strength.”

"In her speech Gilbert referenced her career in the motorcycle industry, and her interest in mechanics became an inspiration for the more unconventional aspects of the facility. In addition to receiving counseling from therapists and counselors, residents of the treatment facility will be given the option to receive vocational training from Gilbert, who gained worldwide renown for her development of the Rebel Betty Motorcycle company and clothing line, which was acquired by a competitor before her retirement from the industry.”

“I still can’t believe you sold the Knucklehead,” Thad said, looking up at her as she mixed sausage into the waffle dough

“It was a part of my past, not the future. And besides, the press covering the auction was good publicity.”

“And it made a hell of a lot of money.”

“That, too. It should keep the light on for a few years, at least. The next bike that I build will probably have a sidecar.” She reached over and ruffled his hair. “Maybe then you will ride with me.”

“The sale of Gilbert’s 1947 Harley Davidson Knucklehead provided a significant source of funding for the center. The auction, held in December, brought in a record amount for a motorcycle of that year, though the winner of the auction has chosen to remain anonymous.”

“As though we both don’t know who bought it,” Thad grumbled. “I wish your ex would stay out of our lives. The way he circles around you…”

“Don’t worry, Rocky, he keeps his distance. It’s your brothers that he comes around for. Those boys are thick as thieves.

He kept reading, skipping over the parts that chronicled the construction of the clinic. After finishing the front page coverage, he turned to the back section, where he was surprised to see a picture of himself kissing Lara after her speech, one hand draped across her belly. She looking stunning, clothed in a slinky red dress that had done nothing to disguise her pregnancy, and the eye of every man in the room had been drawn to her like a moths to a flame. Kenzie was holding on to Lara’s other hand, looking for all the world like her oldest child, which she was. Though it had taken years, the wounds on the little girl’s heart had finally healed. She was whole again, a bright, happy child who loved her family and looked forward to the birth of her baby brother with maniacal glee.

He would have to call the newspaper and see about getting a print of the photo. Maybe he could use it for the back copy of his new book about the burial mound. After two years of excavation, the dig and his book, were nearing completion. From the field out back, he could faintly hear the hum of the volunteers and students as they back filled the grids with dirt. Human remains had been discovered in the heart of the mound, and after being studied and dated, they had been returned there. For him, it had brought the journey full circle.

Placing the paper to the side, Thad walked over and put his arms around his wife. Though he could barely reach around her, she had never seemed so beautiful to him

“What should we do today, Larry?”

The answer came to her lips immediately, along with a smile. “Let’s go make a few more memories.”

Acknowledgements

For my circle of writing friends: Becky, who has been with me from the beginning, Wanda who is always there to lend a hand, and Sandie. You guys are the best.