They’d been two peas in a pod…

They’d been two peas in a pod since that day. Oh sure, Jessie had gotten the calls all through middle and high school from Claudette on Friday nights with the typical teenage dramatic heartbreaks that were soon mended. Each and every summer that she came back to Chancy, Claudette had become more and more a part of the Turnbull family. In some ways she’d reminded Jessie of Wendy from Peter Pan. Always looking after the Lost Boys. She’d taken on the official role of woman of the house when both James Sr. and Bethe Anne Turnbull passed away about three years ago.

Jessie knew plenty of her friends back in Fort Worth and Dallas would think it just bizarre for a family like the Turnbulls to have all their grown children still living at home. But on the Turnbull farm, it was family and business and friendship all rolled into one. Something Jessie knew they all appreciated and treasured for how rare it really was. It was something tangible Jessie thought she felt every time she was there, and it always made her heart feel warm and a smile come to her face.

It was with that same warm feeling that she slid the cobbler into the oven. As the heavy oven door almost pulled itself shut the phone rang and rattled against the wall. She answered it to the sound of wracking sobs.

It was the summer after she turned eight…

It was the summer after she turned eight when she’d first met Claudette and the Turnbull boys. Percy was the quiet of the four boys. Peter, Paul, Percy and James (the Turnbulls hadn’t planned on four boys) were all cut from the same cloth – hard working, land loving, and faithful as the day was long. They’d all been good humored and fun-loving as kids. A few years apart each they were all fiercely loyal and protective of one another.

Jessie had been sent to the same Sunday school class as the Turnbulls and a young Claudette Calloway on Sunday that summer. Sitting next to Claudette, Jessie was soon enraptured by Claudette’s whispered play-by-play of how she and her mother had moved from Abilene to Chancy that spring so her mama could teach at the school, and how her mama had already set her sights on a good man in town and how Claudette was of a mind to do the same thing.

Somehow, even though they were only eight, Jessie eyed Claudette in her head-to-toe Laura Ashley Gunnisak dress and white patent leather shoes and thought of Claudette as a girl of the world. She was enthralled by her confidence, her seemingly endless knowledge of all things and decided she wanted to be her best-est friend ever.

As Claudette brought Jessie up to speed on whom everyone in class was, they were both caught by the teacher who was intent on her efforts to instill the importance of accepting Jesus as not only the savior of the world, but also a personal savior. After a stern reprimand from the roly-poly woman, the girls had fallen silent.

It was then that a quiet little boy up front had raised his hand and in a surprisingly firm, adult voice informed the teacher that he felt it was time to take Jesus in to his heart. The quiet classroom got even quieter as Percy Turnbull stood up to go pray with the teacher. With his younger brother James sitting straight as an arrow in the front row, Percy pledged his soul to Jesus and Claudette fell in love.

At the end of prayer the teacher was crying with happiness and Claudette was sighing with love. Jessie kept looking back and forth between the front of the room and her new friend wondering what she’d missed.

Class had dismissed that day the same time the congregation let out from worship. James had run up to his mother and father to tell them what Percy had done while Peter and Paul hugged him. Claudette’s mother Jean had come to the classroom to pick her up and was chatting with Aunt Bette as they walked down the hallway. As they approached Claudette had leaned over and whispered in Jessie’s ear, “When I get old enough, I’m gonna marry him.”

And she sure had, Jessie thought as she began chopping her apples up. Of course she had drug Jessie with her the next Sunday for moral support as she marched up to Percy and informed him of just that fact. Jessie laughed as she remembered the quiet, adult-like face of a young Percy who had smiled and said, “Okay then.”

Sitting in front of him, Case found…

Sitting in front of him, Case found what could be the perfect sandwich. Grilled rye bread, fresh romaine lettuce, dill pickles, fresh red onion, what looked like smoked turkey, fresh beefeater tomato slices, swiss cheese, more turkey, more onion, more lettuce. “This looks awesome,” he said as he picked it up. Jessie waited anxiously as he dug in. She grinned as he gave her the thumbs up with a mouth full of sandwich. She got up and poured some fresh tea for them both. Then started in on her sandwich.

Over the next two hours they talked about random topics from proper sandwich construction and the best flea and tick treatment to the plans Jessie had for promotion for Creekside. It wasn’t until Buck was whining at the back door that either of them looked up and took notice of the time.

“Man, I better get going,” Case said as he swung his leg over the bench and got up. “I’ve got a few things I promised Earl I’d help out with at the store. Thanks for the great sandwich.”

“You’re welcome,” Jessie got up and let Buck and Jenny in. “When will you be able to get the ceiling fixed? Hopefully this week?”

“Should get to it tomorrow if that’s alright?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Jessie said as Case picked up his tools and headed to his truck with Jenny trotting at his heels.

Buck reached up to put his front paws on her hips and Jessie leaned down to hug his head as she waved goodbye, “Now I think we’ve found us two new friends baby.”

As Jessie turned back inside, Buck stretched out in the shade of the porch. She washed the lunch plates and started getting out the goods for her cobbler. She had plenty of apples, so that made up her mind for her. Besides, she seemed to remember the Turnbull boys never passed on a cobbler no matter what it was made with.

As she began to peel a mess of gala and granny smiths, Jessie stared out over the back porch out towards the creek. Chancy creek ran straight through Hathaway property and wrapped itself around town. Though she’d played in the creek most of her life she couldn’t recall what it fed in to. Probably because Chancy had always seemed like a world unto itself for so many years.

As she pulled in to the barn at Creekside she saw Case’s truck …

As she pulled in to the barn at Creekside she saw Case’s truck and Buck and Jenny playing in the back.   She grabbed as many bags out of the back of the truck as she could and headed to the back porch.

“Hidee!” she hollered at Case as he came around the gazebo.

He waved at her with a hammer, his lips pinched around nails.  She managed to get the screen door open and set her bags down.  She turned around to both Buck and Jenny jumping up on her thighs in greeting. She stooped down and rubbed their heads. “Hey there kiddos you havin’ fun?”

Buck barked sharply and ran half way to the gazebo barking to let her know Case was there. Jenny ran up and tackled Buck’s side and they were off chasing each other.  As Jessie headed to the barn she heard Case ask if she needed help.  She waved him back to work and picked up the last four bags.  She stood for just a second at the barn door and thought how cozy this felt.  She shook her head and headed back to the porch.

Easy girl. She thought.

Her whole life Jessie Hathaway had let herself meet, greet, fall-in love, find some tragic fault in relationships, stage their dramatic break up, and envision her solitude as a nun- all in her head before the first date, or sometimes even the introduction.  As far as she was concerned it had always been easier not to see the glass as half full or half empty, but rather that her glass was cracked- so why pour anything in it to begin with?

She heard the Tejano music coming from the portable radio on the gazebo and thought that it was very cultural of Case to listen to- perhaps he knew Spanish.  She unloaded her groceries quickly, poured a big glass of ice water for Case and headed back out.  She came upon him fiddling with the tuner.

“How is it that no matter where you are in Texas you can get a clear Tejano station, but not the station you’re looking for?” he asked.

Jessie chuckled, “Never noticed that. What are you trying to tune in?”

“Well I’m trying to get your cousin on and I’ll be hanged if I can tune it in.”

Jessie eyed his radio and thought for a moment about how to handle the potentially ego-sensitive situation. “Well, you are on AM right? AM 1410?”

“Aww man it can’t be that easy.” He switched the radio over and turned the dial a hair and had Tammy Wynette coming through the speakers in no time.  He turned his head and looked up at her with a slow smile. “Well aren’t I the handy one?”

Jessie handed him the glass of ice water and grinned, “It must be the heat getting to you, surely a man of your intelligence would have checked that if you hadn’t been on the verge of heat stroke.”

Case stood up from where he squatted, “That must be it. Thanks. Jimmy’s got an interesting play list.” He nodded toward the radio.

“That he does. Tries to keep all of us around here happy with a mix of everything. Sundays is the only guaranteed programming. Gospel from sun up to sun down.”

Case nodded as he drained the glass. “Well, almost done here.  I should wrap up after lunch.”

“Speaking of, won’t you come in for a bite,” she waved toward the house, “I need hostess practice anyway.”

“Thank ya, I’ll take you up on that,” he said as he handed her back the cold drink, “Let me finish this last floorboard and pack up, I’ll be in in just a few.”

By the time he’d packed up his tools and set the toolbox on the back porch Jenny and Buck were snoozing in the shade and something heavenly was wafting through the doorway.

“Something smells delicious!” he said as he put his head through the door.

“Don’t get too excited,” Jessie sheepishly called from the pantry, “Just a maple scented candle I picked up.  We’ve got grilled sammich for lunch.”

“Best be careful there boss,” he said with a grin, “some customers might consider that false advertising.”

“I’ll have to remember that,” she said as she carried two plates with huge sandwiches over to the oak table. “But hopefully these are memorable enough that I can add them to my luncheon menu.”