Little Mouse

CLAY

Fairhope, Alabama. My home. A charming, small-town even tourists enjoy visiting. It was a quiet and peaceful place where neighbors knew and helped each other.  

I parked my pickup truck in front of the hardware store, a beat-up old 1966 Ford F-100. Pride of my grandfather and father. Oh, how they loved that old machine. 

The music sounded on the speakers when I walked inside. A soft country ballad that made even the less romantic person dance to it. 

But not me. 

I haven’t fallen in love since my high school sweetheart left town five years ago to pursue a career and never returned. I guess the city life was just perfect for her, and she didn’t need me anymore. 

I never blamed her. I was just the town handyman, and she aimed for more. My life here and our daughter made me happy, and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. 

Emily was only five, but she was wise beyond her years. She asks me about her mother all the time. I had to lie to her, saying she was in heaven. One day Emily would find out and hate me for it, but it was for the best. She couldn’t know Kelly abandoned her. 

The store clerk, a good friend of mine, greeted me as I walked inside. She was adorable, in her sixties, and the sweetest lady you could ever meet. 

“Good morning, Clay. What brings you here today?” She smiled.

“Good morning, Katherine. I’m trying to look for a pipe. The Landons had theirs burst on the kitchen sink. How are you doing, beautiful?” I winked, leaning against the counter while I grabbed her small, wrinkly hand and kissed it. 

“Oh, you better stop being such a flirt, you naughty boy,” she said, pinching my cheeks. 

Katherine was the soul of this town, and she had been like a second mother since mine passed away when I was just six years old. She had also helped my father raise me and my little sister, four at the time, while he mourned in silence and loneliness. 

It had been a harsh year for us, but Dad moved on and married one of the most beautiful and kindest women in town, Hillary Gale. She had raised us like her own kids and even adopted us. My father was happy, and it thrilled us since Hillary had never been a bad stepmother and never tried to replace our own. 

She understood how much our mother meant to us.

Sarah had also left the town around the same time Kelly did. She coincidentally found a job at a law firm in the same city, and I was proud of her. I held myself from asking about Kelly all the time, not sure I wanted to know if she was happy without me.

But enough cheesy stories. Back to the task at hand. 

“You know you are my favorite lady and still beautiful at your age.” I smiled, heading towards the aisle where I could find the pipes.

“How are the horses back at my house?” She shouted from the register as I looked around the shelves. 

“They’re fine. Have you had any luck selling the house?” I picked up the suitable size pipe and walked over to the register, putting it on the counter. 

“Not really. No one is going to buy that old place unless I sell it for cheap. I wouldn’t mind as long as someone gives it some love,” she mentioned, cashing me out with a solemn gaze. I always wished I could buy that house from her, but I couldn’t afford to fix it with the bit of money I earned. 

She must have been a beautiful lady in her younger days. Her blue eyes and white hair neatly combed to the back featured her face. Even her wrinkles made her look breathtaking. Whoever falls in love with her will be a fortunate older man. 

“I loved growing up there, but when my parents passed away, I couldn’t afford it, so I let it go. Never imagined it would just sit there to rot,” she said with a sad smile, a tear falling down her cheek, making me instantly wipe it with my thumb. 

“I'm sure someone will buy it. Whoever does, they will take care of it,” I assured Katherine with a smile. 

I paid for the pipes and thanked her, walking out of the hardware store. There was one more stop I needed to make before I arrived at the Landons’ house; the diner. Corned beef hash and eggs were the go-to for me, and my daughter loved their pancakes.

“Daddy, are we going to eat?” Emily asked, leaning against the truck door with her head on her arms, looking at me with a toothless smile and those cute puppy dog eyes. 

I loved her so much that her mother’s departure didn’t affect me anymore. I was the only person she knew, and I was afraid that Kelly would come back and take her from me. 

We arrived at the diner in record time and Florence already had our orders prepared. She knew I came every day almost at the same time. And today, she even had Emily’s. 

“Don’t forget my coffee and Emily’s vanilla milkshake, Florence.”

“Of course not, handsome. Here they are,” she said, putting the food and drinks on the marbled counter that separated the kitchen from the dining area. Emily and I enjoyed our delicious meal when I saw the news on TV. 

“Turn that up. They’re talking about the famous Alex Donovan. I wonder what is up with him this time,” I told Florence. She grabbed the remote to turn the volume up. A reporter with a cheap suit was giving the news about him and his wife.

“Business owner Alex Donovan has opened up about his divorce to Vanessa Donovan. Suspicions of his wife cheating on him with their security guard had come to light, and despite her denials about the affair, she seems to be at the losing end. With assets involved, all earned by Mr. Donovan, Mrs. Donovan is bound to be left with nothing. More on this event coming up at three.”

“Can you believe that? That man would do anything to ruin his wife's life. Poor woman. Now, she will be left with nowhere to go,” Florence mentioned. She doubted that the woman would cheat on her husband. If anything, he’s the one with the probabilities of cheating on her.

I was not even born when he graduated and left town, never coming back. But I heard stories about him. He was known as the playboy and a bit of a bully since high school.  

Looking at the TV, I could see her walking towards the courtroom as reporters tried to ask her questions. She was such a beautiful woman, and I couldn’t believe how that man would let her go like that. 

“Okay, Florence. See you tomorrow,” I said, putting the money on the counter, but my eyes wouldn’t leave the TV, still admiring that fancy lady. Something was moving inside me, and I could tell she was going through the same situation I did. 

“Come on, little mouse.”

Emily got off the stool and waved Florence goodbye before we walked out of the diner. I drove to the Landons’ house to get his work done. It’s been a long day, and it’s not even noon. All I wanted at the moment was to take an extended vacation and relax with my little girl. 

“So, Daddy. Are we going to visit Mom’s grave soon?” She suddenly asked, making me tense. How was I going to tell her there was no grave? 

“Maybe one day. I just need to find it,” I lied, feeling guilty. She didn’t deserve this. 

“You don’t know where she was buried?” She asked, confused. A frown formed small wrinkles on her forehead as she looked at me, expecting an answer. 

“No, little mouse. When she was buried, I was not here at the moment.” And the lies kept piling up. She understood how uncomfortable I was feeling about the conversation, so she decided not to pry anymore as she looked out the window, letting out a deep sigh while leaning against the door. 

“I don’t know her, Daddy, but I miss her,” she whispered loud enough for me to hear. I extended my hand, running them through her soft blonde curls. She looked at me, and I stroked her tiny freckled cheek, trying to comfort her.

“Me too, little one. Me too.”