CHAPTER 47

  TO IOWA WITH LOVE

  I received word back from Dr. Peterson that the telegram arrived in time. They had been able to pack everything before Bayne had arrived at the Grand Canyon. I informed her that I needed a couple of weeks before I could report to work in California. I let her know I needed to go back to Iowa to pick up my wife and son.

  It was going to be about five days from Arizona to Des Moines. I would then have about five days there to convince Mimi to come with me to California. After much thought, I tried to convince Fitch to leave for California without me.

  “Jack, if you’re not in California, then there is no reason for me to be there. I came here with you, and I shall return to Iowa with you. Besides, it is high time I met your wife, don’t you think?”

  I was concerned. How would I explain Fitch to Mimi?

  The train ride back to Iowa seemed to go quickly. Fitch was more of a companion this time than he had been before. I enjoyed our lively discussions. The debates that Fitch and I shared on the train ride back to Iowa were more about philosophy. While he was not formally educated, his point of view was voiced as eloquently as you might have expected from any professor or PhD. I was amazed at how this uneducated day laborer seemed so impassioned in his discussion of beliefs. As much as I tried to shrug off his passion as ignorance, I kept going back to several things he said.

  The trip to New Mexico had been enlightening. I had come out to the west alone, wanting solitude. Instead, I found a friend. Fitch was someone I was learning to trust. In my greatest time of conflict, he would be there.

  Over the course of the train trip, I tried unsuccessfully to unearth more about him. He had no family that he ever spoke of. When I asked him where he came from, his only answer was here and there. When I asked why he never married, he only answered, it wasn’t ever in the cards.

  I asked what brought him out to New Mexico in the first place, and he answered, “I came out west to work like you. I needed the work. I am grateful to be going to California to work more. I need to work.”

  I asked him what he needed all this money for. If he had no home, no family, what was he working for? His answer: “My retirement, of course.” It seemed logical enough. But with Fitch, even his logic seemed illogical.

  Nonetheless, his dedication made him a good assistant. His efforts in New Mexico were invaluable and reminiscent of Uri. I was grateful to have him with me. He certainly proved himself in Williams by delaying Bayne from finding the crew in Arizona. I felt more than a sense of obligation to trust him. After all, he likely saved my life.

  As the train approached the station in Des Moines, I was apprehensive. I didn’t really know what to expect. Plus, there was the baby. He really wasn’t much of a baby anymore. He would be having his first birthday in a short time.

  The train chugged to a slow stop. I looked out the window to see if I could see Mimi standing alongside the train. Suddenly, there she was, and I held my breath as the train slowly passed her. May and the baby were standing beside her. They did not see me. Mimi was wearing a pretty blue dress. I was comforted by the fact that she wore her worries on her face as much as I was sure I did. I only glanced at the baby as the train went by, almost afraid to look.

  The train finally came to a stop, and Fitch and I grabbed for our bags. We looked pretty beat up. The train ride had been long, and we were only able to splash our faces with the cold water in the lavatory on the train. We hadn’t had a shower since we had left Arizona. I wondered what Mimi would think of how we looked.

  Fitch followed me down the steps to the platform. As I stepped down, I looked out to see if I could see them. Mimi’s eyes caught mine, and I smiled at her. I was glad to see that she shyly smiled back. My pace quickened as I was reassured that she was glad to see me.

  As I approached her, there was a slight pause. She had the baby in her arms. I paused to look at her and our son. The moment finally hit me that we had a child.

  Mimi said, “Jack, this is your son, John David.” I looked at her, and she smiled at me. She was proud. I then looked at him and reached for his hand. He immediately grabbed it. I looked into his eyes, and he looked so much like his mother. I was proud.

  I leaned into the two of them and kissed Mimi on her soft olive cheek. As I leaned in for the kiss, the baby began to fuss.

  May leaned over, “Here, you two, let me take him so you can have an appropriate kiss.” She reached in and took the baby from Mimi. I looked over at May and squeezed her arm.

  May smiled, “Nice to see you, Jack. Gotta tell ya, you look and smell like…”

  Mimi interrupted, “May, not in front of JD.” Mimi then looked at me to explain, “He’s starting to talk. He says momma and May. I don’t want him to pick up any of May’s crude language.”

  May interjected, “Not yet anyway!” She laughed a raspy laugh and gave me a sturdy pat on the back.

  I reached out and took both of Mimi’s hands in my own. I told her, “You look wonderful.”

  She smiled, replying, “I’m a little rounder than you probably would have expected.”

  I didn’t notice it. It was just so good to see her again. I tried in vain to slick back my messy hair, wanting to make a better impression than I thought I was making.

  May then said, “Well, we'd better get back to the house. Mimi has a whole spread there. I swear she has been cooking for the last four days.”

  Mimi looked a little embarrassed and said, “I figured you’d be hungry.”

  “You’d figured right.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” Fitch said. I then realized I hadn’t introduced Fitch. He had been standing behind me while Mimi and I got reacquainted.

  “I am sorry, you two,” I said as I pulled back to introduce him.

  “Mimi, May, this is Fitch. He’s been a big help and support. We met on our way to New Mexico, and he will be coming with us to California. He is going to assist me with my research out there.”

  I could see both May and Mimi looking over him. Fitch had an unsettling directness that took people off guard. He didn’t seem to notice. He reached out and vigorously shook both their hands. He then grabbed both our bags and asked May to lead the way to the car. They walked ahead of us. Mimi and I followed. It was both comforting and a little strange to see her again. I had left on such unusual terms. Our relationship was strained then, and it seemed it wasn’t much better now that I was back.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  When we got back to the house, I looked around. May’s place was a small, cottage-type home just outside of Des Moines. The house was behind the beauty shop she had long owned. Inside, there were all the signs of a baby living there: toys on the floor, a highchair, and teddy bears. I was a little jealous of the home May had made for my family. But I was glad that we were together again.

  The house smelled good. Mimi had made a wonderful lunch for us. There was glazed ham and potatoes, corn on the cob, squash, and homemade bread and jellies. Plus, she had made a couple of pies and a chocolate cake.

  “What did I tell you? She has been cooking for days,” May said. “Haven’t been able to touch a thing until you got here. In my own home, can you imagine?” She turned toward Fitch to see his reaction.

  “It all looks wonderful,” I said. Fitch agreed.

  We sat down to eat. Mimi put the baby down for his nap. I tried to stay out of the way whenever she was taking care of him. I didn’t really know how to help.

  As we were eating, May had a gift for keeping the conversation going. She went on and on about some of the funny times they had shared while living together. About the time, they left the clothes on the line outside, and horrible tornado-like winds scattered them all over the neighborhood. They both roared with laughter, remembering that day.

  May loved to tell stories and loved to laugh. I thanked her for taking such good care of Mimi and the baby. She said she was glad to be able to. May, herself, had never married. She was too much of a free spirit to settle down with any one man. She said she liked being able to spend time with her sister and nephew.

  May then turned the conversation onto us. She wanted to know more about what we had been doing. She said she was fascinated to hear about our adventures. She mostly turned her attention to Fitch.

  “So what is it you do, Mr. Fitch?”

  He responded, “Just Fitch is fine. I’m a jack-of-all-trades, you could say. I was grateful to get the work in the southwest. I always wanted to see the West and was glad I did. Came pretty close to seeing the Grand Canyon but never made it. Heard it’s a wonder. The vastness of the deserts out west really helps you put things in perspective. Wouldn’t you say, Jack?”

  I agreed.

  May continued with her questions, “Do you have any family?”

  I was interested to hear his answer as well. “I do. I have a big family.”

  “What about a wife? Any kids?”

  “No Ma’am. No wife or kids.”

  “Where are you from then? Iowa?”

  “No, Ma’am. I really can’t say I have one home. I travel a lot. I go from job to job. Home for me is wherever I am. I look forward to the day I can retire. That is why I work so hard now. I want to find peace in paradise and someday settle down there and retire.”

  May said, “Seems a little unsettling to have no place you call home. Would you say you are a vagabond?”

  “May!” Mimi shouted. Fitch and I just laughed.

  “What?” May said. “I think that is a legitimate question.”

  Fitch graciously answered, “You take nothing with you when you die. Better to be blessed in death than with what you have here on earth. I live by that. While I do not have a home like yours here, wherever I go is home for that night.”

  After dinner, Mimi showed me some mail she had for me. There were several letters. One from Uri congratulating us on the birth of the baby. Mimi had sent him a response already. There was also a couple from Vincent, who had been waiting for me. Mimi had also sent him a quick update. I glanced over some of his letters for updates on his ongoing quest. It seemed he was planning a trip to Asia. He wanted to know if I would join him. I knew this was out of the question for now. Mimi also informed me that he had sent her some money. He had received her letter and responded. She sent him a thank you. She told him how grateful she was for his generosity.

  Finally, Mimi and I were able to be alone. We went out to the small yard May had between the house and the shop. There was a bench swing for us to sit on. I knew it was time for us to talk. So, I started, “I am so glad to see you again and to be with you. I do not want us to be apart again.”

  She put her hand in mine. “Me either. I hope we can put all that behind us.”

  I wasn’t exactly sure what she meant. “I know. I just want you to know I am sorry. Sorry for the mistakes I have made. Sorry that I jeopardized our relationship, and sorry I put what you wanted behind what I wanted. I want us to get back to where we were in our lives.”

  She paused. “Where were we, Jack?”

  “You know - together. Facing our dreams and problems together.”

  She didn’t say anything.

  I looked in her eyes, “Mimi, I love you. I do. I want you to know, I want to give you what you want, and I am ready to do that. I won’t put aside your dreams and desires anymore. I made mistakes. We both know I made mistakes. I just don’t want my mistakes to hurt us. I want you in my life. I have missed you. I need you."

  She paused again as if thinking about what I had just said. She then said, “I need you too, Jack.” She paused and then asked, “So, this research you are doing. Tell me about it?”

  Here it was. She was laying it all on the table. “Mimi, you know me. You know what moves me, what interests me. I haven’t changed. My dreams are the same. I am still the man you fell in love with. I am still chasing the same dreams. I didn’t set off on my trip to New Mexico with any of what I wanted in mind. But it found me. Like fate, it found me.”

  I looked her in the eyes. “Mimi, this is who I am.”

  She answered, “So what is this research? You think you will just be going all over the world in your great search? You think you will be like Vincent. Chasing your giants like his dragons?”

  “No, Mimi. I know what I need to do. I need you in my life. And I know what you want. You want the house and family life, and I want to give you that. And I can give you that in California. The Lang Institute is supportive of what I believe. Any field research I become involved in now will be on a more local level. I know things are different now. And I am now better prepared to give you what you want. Lang has a position for you and me, as well as a nice house for us. We will have everything we want there. I get to continue to do what I love, and you get what you want – a family and a home. We will have everything that both of us want. It is the perfect situation for us.”

  I waited for her response. She didn’t say anything at first.

  “What are you thinking?” I asked her.

  She said, “What can I say. I love you. I want the best for all of us. I know I should trust you, but I am afraid.”

  I said to her, “You can trust me. I made some mistakes, but I also made sacrifices to make up for those mistakes. Look at last year for us. It has been tough on all of us. I have missed you. But this is who I am. You once said it was my belief in the unknown and my faith that made you love me so much. I have not changed in that way, but I am smarter. I am.”

  “I know, Jack,” she said. “I just worry how much more you are willing to sacrifice to get where you think you need to be. Is the proof that giants existed really worth all that?”

  “I don’t know, Mimi. I do know that it is so much of who I am that I cannot deny it. Have you lost faith in me?”

  She looked at me. “No, Jack. I have faith in you. I knew these last four days, once you said you were heading back, what was coming. I know who you are, and I do believe in you. There is so much that is different about me now. There is JD. He is so much more a part of who I am. More so than I ever expected.”

  “Mimi, I understand that. I know that is what you always wanted. I think we can have everything we want in California. Everything we want together and for each other is out there. It really is up to you. If you don’t want to do it, we won’t.”

  “We won’t?” she asked.

  “That’s right. If you want, we will stay right here and make the best of it.”

  We both knew my reputation in Iowa would make it hard for me to teach anything. I hoped she wouldn’t expect me to stay in Iowa and try to live through all of that.

  We both sat silently for a minute. I waited on her and prayed she would see this as our best move.

  She thought about it some more. “What do we have to lose? It sounds like it really is what both of us want. And I want the best for all of us.”

  We talked about it in more detail later that night. We stayed up nearly all night talking. I told her about New Mexico. I told her about the footprints and about Bayne. The more I talked to her, the more she was convinced I was on the right path. I told her more about Fitch and how he had saved my life.

  Finally, she seemed excited about it all. I think it helped that she was going to be able to teach again at a college level. We would take the next couple of days to pack her and the baby’s things. We would then be going to California by car. We purchased a new green Chevy truck for the trip with the money Mimi had been saving.

  We were both ready to move forward. Whether forward was the right direction, only California would tell.