“He’s an instructor at the school where ah learned to control mah gift. Ah teach there too.”
“What does he teach?”
“Lotsa things. Lahk self-defence, automotive repair, physical education. Ah teach art for young ones to the seniors. Ah pretty much help out where ah’m needed.”
“Ah’m gonna be honest, Anna Marie. You expect that from meh ‘cause ah’ve always trahd ta be honest with ya. He’s a mutant Marie. Your daddy’s not gonna approve, baby. It’s bad enough you’re livin’ in sin with him.”
“Mama, Logan’s crazy, crazy over meh. And in MY life is where he says he always wants to be. Ah wanna be in his life as well. Ah’ve never been so LOVED bah him. Mama, he beats all ah've ever seen and ah’m crazy over him.”
“Does it have to be a mutant? Now that you can touch and all, does it have to be a mutant?”
“Yes, mama.”
“Well, then does it have to be Logan? Isn’t there ah nice mutant boy your age, out there?” She asked as she put another clothes pin on her husband’s shirt over the line.
“Ah did, ah tried to date. You know ah put Cody in a coma, and the first boyfriend ah had at the school, cheated on meh with another classmate. Logan has had his faults but, he’s been there for meh. Mama, you've always said, ‘Better look before you leap,’ maybe so, but here ah’m gonna let mah heart lead meh,” Marie said as she sat on her childhood tire swing in the back yard.
“Fine then, what about his not rememberin’ his past? What if he was a serial killer or somethin’.”
“Mama, ah love him. True, he's had a few skeletons in his closet, but those are part of a past he doesn't remember. And with the help of our friends we are trying to slowly rebuild his memory. Mama, I wanna show him things... Watching him try something new is like watching a kid on Christmas mornin’. You should have seen his first experience with a Monte Cristo. We take so much for granted... I wanna be a part of every day he has for the rest of our lives. He deserves a new life, mama. A new life, with me, and someday, our children. Your ‘grandchildren.’
“Ah don’t know baby. Your daddy wouldn’t accept them.”
“Look at it this way, Mama. Ah have seen worse mutations that ah could have. Ah think ah’ve hit the lottery with Logan. His mutation is healing, mama. How dangerous is that? If our kids get his genes, ah’ll nevah hafta bandage ah scraped knee.”
“But what if they can’t touch lahk you?”
“Then ah will be able to show them how to control their gift,” Marie could tell her mother was softening to the idea of children. “Ah used to think mah skin was a curse. But then Logan touched meh and ah learned to live with mah skin. The beautiful thing’s that he healed when mah control slipped and we kept practicing until ah got control.”
“Ah bet he thinks you hung the moon and stars.”
“Ah think he's a livin' dream,” Marie spoke as she began to spin on the tire swing in the giant willow tree.
“Well, Marie baby, there are still other men out there.”
“But ones like him… Are few and far between.”
“Look, ah’ll tahlk to your daddy, and see what he has to say. Maybe put in a few good words for Logan.”
“Thanks mama,” Marie said as she got up and kissed her mother’s cheek.
D’Ancanto’s House
Meridian, MS.
1:30 P.M.
Logan managed to find a grocery store a few streets over from Marie’s parents’ home. He knew he would have to meet with her father alone and make him see reason. It was clear from their first meeting, that the man was a racist bigoted prick. Could he make it out of there with Marie without the whole visit going to hell in a hand basket? Maybe. Hopefully, Marie’s time with her mother went better. He was already dreading the coming night time alone. Would Marie be the perfect daughter and not sneak into his room, or would she be his girl, sneak down, and be with him for the rest of the darkness? Logan realized that he could make it through the visit if he could just hold her. He remembered she was on her period and wondered if he could make it through the visit with her altered scent. He usually took off when she smelled of blood… He hoped he could control the animal’s instincts better for Marie. He almost let it slip. Then he smiled at her brilliant cover. Logan parked the SUV in the driveway and grabbed the plastic bags from the seat where Marie sat. He hit the lock button on the remote on the keys and went back to the front door. He was about to ring it, when he heard Marie and her mother’s voices in the back yard. He went around to the side.
“Logan, you’re back,” Marie spoke as she saw his head appear over the white-washed fence. “That was quick.”
“Let me in. My hands are full.”
“Oh, sure,” she said and did so. “So, what’s on the menu?”
“Burgers and dogs, picnic style. I got ‘slaw, macaroni, and potato salad. The rest of this can go into the ‘fridge,’ ‘til dinner.”
“Awesome honey,” Marie said with a smile and gave him a quick peck in front of her mother.
“That is very generous, Mister… Logan. Ah’ll go get daddy ta fire up the grill.”
Something had changed in her mother’s scent. She wasn’t as fearful of him. That particular note had faded to the background. He still sensed her nervousness, but now she wasn’t as jumpy.
When her mother was out of ear shot, Marie wrapped her arms around his waist and brought her head to his chest.
“Thank you.”
“What for?” He said as he placed a kiss on her forehead.
“For bein’ great with mah parents. Ah know it ain’t easy. Maybe ah’ll come lahk a little tooth fairy and give you a reward in the middle of the night.”
“You ain’t the tooth fairy to me. You’re more of my own special Tinker Bell.”
Priscilla went to the den, otherwise known as ‘Owen’s Sanctuary.’ She knew he was hiding in there after their first meeting of Logan and reunion with Marie.
“Sugah, you need to come and eat with us.”
“No, just make me a sandwich. I’m not that hungry.”
“Owen, ah’m puttin’ mah foot down. That man bought us all lunch and dinner. He bought steak, the real good kind, and he got burgahs and dawgs for lunch. A full picnic lunch too. Ah told ‘em ah would come get you ta fire up the grill.”
“Ah’m not eatin’ mutie food.”
“Owen. Be reasonable. There’s no such thing as mutie food. It’s just burgahs, dawgs, ‘slaw, potato, and macaroni salad. Try, just a little for Marie. She really loves him honey.”
“How quickly you have fallen to the enemy,” Owen spoke with venom as he glued on a plastic modeled rope to the mast.
“Fahn, you wanna be a coward; well then hide in heah. Ah’m goin’ ta have meh a good tahm and enjoy the company. The free food’s a bonus. Gawd, we haven’t seen Marie since she left home all those years ago. If ya screw this up, we maht nevah see her again. Ah know they’re mutants, but aftah tahlkin’ with Marie, ah have a feelin’ they’ll work out. Ah approve of Logan’s marryin’ Marie if it means she’s happy. Ah’d lahk some grandkids ta spoil and send home. Mutant or not. Ah ain’t gettin’ any younger ya know.”
“Out of mah sight woman,” Owen said rather harshly, but not loud enough to be yelling.
Prissy was done pleading. She sighed and shook her head. She didn’t know why she still wanted to stay married to him. He’d become indignant a few months after Marie left home and had slowly slipped down that rabbit hole in the time that Marie had been gone. She felt another shift for the worse after his mother died. She went in her sleep a couple months after Marie’s, ‘supposed,’ running away. Priscilla missed getting to visit with his mother. She was one of the only friends she had in town. When your husband had alienated practically all the community, how was she supposed to make friends? Somehow she was going to have to find the strength to share with Marie about her passing.
“Then ya can feed yourself,” she turned, closed the door, and went back through the hall to the kitchen.
When Marie saw her mother again, she saw the sad expression on her face. She hadn’t been crying, but something had happened when she went to go get her father. Then she read through the lines so to speak, daddy wasn’t coming. She went over and gave her mother a hug.
“It’s alraht mama, just means there’s more food for the rest of us,” she said and knew that her mother had tried her best to get him to come share a meal.
Marie helped her mother set the table and put the food into bowls to serve for their lunch. She couldn’t help but look at Logan with so much love in her eyes.
Logan walked over to the grill built into the brick and mortar built counter. It didn’t look like it would be too difficult, but it didn’t look like the one they had at the school. Where was the tank of propane? If he could find the tank he might be able to get things off to a flaming start to a great meal. Suddenly, his future mother-in-law came over and showed him what was behind the little door to the left. Helped him by starting up the grill even. He grunted his thanks and began to load on the frozen burger patties, hot dogs onto the warming metal before him. Logan wondered if it would be a good idea to stay a few extra days with her parents… With her father’s attitude he had planned on only staying for a day and a half. He could see that Marie began to relax more around her mother.
‘Ah’ll be raht back. Ah forgot the knife to cut the watermelon,” Priscilla said.
“Don’t, I got it,” Logan spoke up.
He walked up to the table and popped a claw…
“Oh Mah Gawd,” his mother-in-law-to-be gasped in shock.
She couldn’t believe Marie was just calmly sitting there! This man just brought a long knife out of his hand! And she wants to marry him? Oh dear…
“Mama, it’s ok. He won’t hurt you,” Marie tried to calm her down. “That was what ah was tellin’ ya about when ah told ya about what the government did ta him.”
Logan just kindly smiled as he sliced up the watermelon.
“Ah know it hurts, but could you please show her more.”
He quietly nodded and the other five claws came out. Priscilla gasped again as the sun caught on the metal and made them shiny. She didn’t understand why he wasn’t bleeding when she remembered that Marie had told her that his mutation was healing.
“The metal that makes up those blades is grafted to his entire skeleton, mama.”
Logan put the blades away and went back to flipping burgers, rolling hot dogs before they got burned.
“Oh good lord. Why would someone want to do that to him?” She voiced to Marie with compassion in a low tone.
“The government was trying to build an ultimate weapon. He escaped and we’re together today. Really, that’s all that matters.”
Owen heard the voices outside around the outdoor dining area he’d built with his own hands when Marie was five. He watched them look like a normal family. Deep down, he was glad to see his daughter alive. As he watched from the window in the den he suddenly watched as one blade came out of Logan’s hand and then as the other five came out. Out of the blue, he felt this feeling of vindication come over him. There was no way that this man that claimed to be in love with his daughter was going to marry her. He was dangerous. So he went to his laptop in the den and began to search on the internet for any information he could find. He typed in his name, Logan, and mutant. Abruptly, hundreds of images and websites all about Logan and mutants popped up. He clicked on one that had a picture of the man outside with his daughter and wife. The title of the page was, ‘All About The Wolverine.’ Quickly, Owen read as much as he could about Logan’s supposed history that Owen didn’t know he couldn’t remember. He was involved in saving Alcatraz during the Brotherhood of Mutants’ attack. He was involved in saving the Statue of Liberty during the Ellis Island Celebration. Then there was something about a Weapon X…
Honeysuckle and night blooming Jasmine hung over their heads as they talked in the shade. It was humid but there were misters overhead raining down fine cool mist helping to keep the temperatures cool. The food was great and the company seemed to be warming up to each other. Then Priscilla made them tell her the real story of how they met.
“Now, ah wanna know the truth. How did you two really meet?”
“Ah picked him up in a bar, you maht say,” Marie smiled as she ate a bite of watermelon.
“Marie…” Her mother sounded disappointed.
“No, seriously… She did,” Logan added with a smirk.
“Ah came to a place called, Laughlin City. It’s up in Northern Alberta. Ah hitched a ride with a trucker. He kept his hands off meh because ah talked his ears off. But then and there a let him get a word in edgewise. He had a family of his own that he missed. Anyway, ah went inside this bar and ah was starvin’. Ah was down to mah last five dollars. Ah went through this angry, rowdy, drunk crowd. Suddenly, a bell signaled the end of some kind of fight, and there he was…” Marie paused dramatically and put her clasped hands to her heart, “Mah future husband, half-nekkid, and smokin’ a cigar. Rollin’ his shoulders lahk he owned the place. Ah was in love then. Ah knew he would save meh… He wasn’t on no white horse or anythin’ lahk that, but he had a white truck. That was good enough for meh.”
Logan’s eyebrow went up at this interesting story Marie had concocted for her mother. He smiled at her little theatrical telling of how they met.
“Go on…” He encouraged her.
“Well then, we were on the road, Logan fed meh, and ah was about to tell him he needed a seatbelt, when we crashed into somethin’ in the road.”
“Wait, wait, wait… You forgot about the trailer…” He teased.
“Okay, okay. We were in the bar and some guy was tryin’ to pick a fight with Logan. Ah saw the man pill out a knife and was about to stab him, when ah screamed for him to look out.”
“Then she proceeded to get me kicked out of the bar, so I didn’t get to finish the beer I paid for, and I left.”
“So ah snuck inta his motorcycle trailer and hid under the tarp. Ah thought if a huddled down ah could make it through the cold to the next town at least.”
“She had no idea that the next town was a five hour drive through untouched, wild, snow-covered wilderness.”
“Well, he stopped and made meh get out. He was gonna leave meh on the road after ah saved his life.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Yes, ah did. Anyway, we found out much, much later that it was Logan’s half-brother that caused the accident and tried to attack Logan. Then our friends from the school came and rescued us.”
Logan could tell that Priscilla was into their story. He wondered if she was a romantic at heart.
Marie carefully skipped an important event because she didn’t want to turn off the good flow of compassion she sensed her mother was having for Logan by telling her that he’d stabbed her. That wouldn’t be good, at all.
“Then you know that man that attacked San Francisco, well he tried to use meh to power his machine at the Statue of Liberty. Logan and mah friends came and rescued meh. Ah nearly died, but Logan saved meh again. He nearly died himself if he’d held onto meh any longah. Ah was really scared then too.”
Marie took Logan’s hand under the table as she looked into his eyes.
“Ah know this may sound cheesy, but ah don’t know what ah would have done if ya hadn’t made it back.”
“It’s not cheesy, darlin’, it’s forgotten now, because I came back.”
“Is there more?” Her mother asked.
“Plenty,” she replied. “Ah won’t go into details cause it’s a bit painful for us.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, mama. Someday, we’ll share when we’re ready.”
“So, how’d you propose to mah daughtah?”
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Hi all, just in time for the weekend... An update!!!
I forgot to mention that the song is Mama, He's Crazy - The Judds. I will put the lyrics up after chapter 25.
Hope you like it!!!
I forgot to mention that the song is Mama, He's Crazy - The Judds. I will put the lyrics up after chapter 25.
Hope you like it!!!
Chapter End Notes:
Well, how do you think Logan and Marie will get through this visit? Let me know!!!