Forever Country by Brenda Kennedy

girl.
What’s the problem?”
    “ It’s
Christmas…”
    Pops interrupts. “And you don’t know if you
should take her something for Christmas or not?”
    “ Yeah, that’s
right.”
    “ Unless you have her
something already bought, it’s too late to get her something now.
Unless you go to a gas station and buy her beer nuts.”
    “ I don’t think it’s right
to just show up empty handed , or with beer nuts.” I crack my knuckles and
suddenly feel strange talking to my Pops about this.
    “ Is it a date?”
    “ I don’t know.” I hope so . If it is, I hope to get more than one date with
her. I don’t think beer nuts will do it.
    “ Well, I guess if you’re
lookin’ to impress her, you need to get to makin’ her somethin’.”
He looks in the direction of his bedroom. “Your Momma might be the
one you need to be talkin’ too. She’s mighty good when it comes to
courtin’ a woman.” He chuckles. “She taught me everything I needed
to know.”
    Momma comes out of the bedroom wearing a
flannel robe and fuzzy slippers, carrying Christmas gifts. “Looks
like you fellows are in deep conversation.” I watch as she makes
her way to the tree.
    “ Abel has a question for
ya, Belle.”
    I look at Pops, and I’m suddenly embarrassed.
He smiles and I want to rescind my question. Momma places the gifts
under the tree. It’s Christmas and she is just now putting the
gifts out like Santa brought them. Momma sits down and tells Pops
to get the rest of the gifts. As soon as he disappears into the
bedroom, she says, “What’s on your mind?”
    She is sitting beside me on the couch and is
staring me in the eyes. I blink and look away. There’s something
about the way she was looking at me, almost like she can read my
thoughts. “Savannah Mae invited me over tomorrow night to watch a
movie. I’m not sure if I should…”
    “ Of course you should. You
better not show up there empty handed. And if Sawyer Jackson’s
gonna to be there, you’ll need to take him something,
too.”
    “ He’ll be at his daddy’s.”
I look at her. “I have no idea what to bring her. It’s Christmas
Eve.”
    Pops places the gifts under the tree, sits
down, and watches the fire.
    “ Well, you have until
tomorrow to figure something out. You still play that guitar,
serenade her.” She leans in and kisses me. “Good night,
Abel.”
    “ Good night, Momma.” I kiss
her back and watch as she and Pops stand to go to bed. “Good night,
Pops.”
    “ Good night,
Son.”
    I continue to sit by the
fire and watch the blue flames dance around the wood. It sizzles,
cracks, and pops. Serenade Savannah Mae?
There must be something else I can do . When
the fire dies down, I place another log in the fireplace. I look at
the gifts under the tree and shake my head. My parents still play
Santa Claus. Walking quietly into my bedroom, I get the envelopes I
have for everyone and tie them to the tree. They won’t be happy
with my gifts to them.
    The thoughts of Savannah Mae keep me awake. I
throw on my Carhartt coat and grab a bottle of Budweiser from the
fridge before heading outside. The night is cold and the clear sky
is filled with stars. It’s a lot brighter out here since the barn
light is fixed.
    I carry some firewood from
the barn to the wrap-around porch. Serenade Savannah Mae? Really? There must be something else I
can do for her. I hear the horse and walk
over to feed her an apple . “Can’t sleep either, ole girl?” I pat her and she
likes it. “You wanna go for a ride?” I search the barn for a saddle
and bridle and saddle her up. It’s been awhile since I’ve been on a
horse, but I’m pretty sure I can do this.
    We gallop in the direction of where we cut
the pine trees on Thanksgiving. I stop to give the horse a rest and
admire the quiet night. I remember when I was younger, I couldn’t
wait to leave here. Now, I can’t remember why.
    When we get back to the barn, I brush the
horse and put her away. “You got a name,