Anna's Visions (25 page)

Tori swung her legs off the bed. “No, I’ll talk to
her. Tell her to hang on while I use the bathroom.” A few minutes later, Tori
sluggishly made her way downstairs and picked up the receiver that was dangling
beside the phone. “Hi, Grammy,” she said without the usual pep in her voice.

“Hi, sweet.
I know it’s early, but I had to call because I’m so
excited.” Grammy paused as if waiting for a comment. When Tori didn’t say
anything, she continued. “I had a vision this morning as I looked out the
kitchen window. It was clear as day – you’ve got a little one on the way!”

Tori instantly snapped awake.
“Really!
You saw a baby? But Dr. Harrison said I probably wouldn’t be able to carry
another baby. Oh, Grammy, what if I miscarry? I don’t think I could go through
that again.”

“Tori Ann, you should know by now not to doubt me,” Grammy
scolded. “I’m telling you that I saw a newborn baby in your arms. You’re not
going to miscarry. It was a clear vision! God is going to send your baby son
back to you.”

“
I’m not doubting
you,
Grammy. Your word’s good enough for me. Oh, my. Wes is going to be so happy – I
think. We haven’t talk about children, but things are much different this
time.”

Grammy chuckled. “Wes will be proud as punch. Trust me
on that, too.”

“Okay,” Tori said, doing her pee-dance. “Thanks,
Grammy. I’m going to tell Wes now. If you hear a loud whoop out at your place,
you’ll know it’s us.” Tori place the receiver back on the phone and yelled,
“Wessss!”

Wes walked into the kitchen, smiling broadly. “I heard
your end of the conversation, and I have a pretty good idea of what Grammy was
telling you – and yes, sweetheart, I’m very happy.”

Wes enfolded Tori in his arms and she returned his hug
with all her strength. “No wonder I’ve been feeling so puny lately. I don’t
guess I’ll ever figure out when I’m pregnant, but Grammy always knows.”

Wes picked Tori up, swung her around, and then kissed
her as he let her feet touch the floor. “We’ll be the best parents in the
world. Just wait until Mona and Ed hear the news. They’ll be out tomorrow
buying baby clothes. And my parents will be thrilled. Ours will be their fourth
grandchild, but they’ll be excited. They were broken-hearted last time.”

Tori placed her index finger over his lips.
“Shh…that’s all in the past.” Just as she said those words, she was overwhelmed
with a wave of nausea and had to run for the bathroom. That cinched it –
Grammy’s vision was right again.

When her mother came home after her Saturday morning
shopping trip with Rose Moss, Tori told her that she was going to be a grandma.

Laughing and crying at the same time, Momma said,
“That settles it. You and Wes have to stay here until the baby is born because
you’re going to have to buy a bigger house than you first planned on.”

Tori laughed and gave her mother a warm hug. “Any
excuse
to keep
us here, huh? But you’re right. We’ll
need a big house. After all, we might have a whole bunch of kids before it’s
all over.”

That night Wes and Tori decided that they would stay
with Tori’s parents until the baby came.
Tori was
happy that Wes agreed. She wanted to be close to her momma for the next nine
months.

Anna’s Note

May 12, 1978

Tori’s wedding was beautiful. Exactly the kind of
wedding she’d been dreaming of since she was a little girl. I asked the Lord to
let me live long enough to see Tori back home and He did. I didn’t ask for any
more time after that. I figured He had kept His end of the bargain and I wasn’t
going to ask Him to extend my stay, but He gave me time to see Tori marry her
soul mate.

June 16, 1978

Tori just turned twenty-one. I hope the Lord will let
me stay long enough to see my great grandbaby. But if my time is about up and
the Lord is ready. I’m ready.

Anna West-Morgan

Chapter Eighteen

Tori was
in her seventh month, tired of being pregnant, but
thankful there had been no complications. Dr. Harrison had requested that she
take a leave of absence from work her last two months, and she planned to start
the paper work the coming Monday.

Tori pulled her
blue Chevy Nova into the driveway, glanced out the window, and smiled as she
saw Jill pulling her trusty old Pinto into her parents’ driveway.

Jill stepped out
and yelled, “Hey, meet me in the front yard in ten minutes and I’ll drive us to
Grammy’s.”

“Okay, ten
minutes,” Tori yelled back, and then headed inside to change clothes. Her feet
were swollen and the only shoes that were comfortable were her slippers. She
didn’t bother to grab anything to eat. She knew Grammy would have lunch ready
as she always did when she came for her Saturday visit.

When Tori
was
ready to go, she headed for the Moss’ driveway. Just as
she opened the door of the Pinto, Jill came running out of the front door. As
Jill slid behind the steering wheel, she patted Tori’s stomach. “How’s the
little fellow doing?”

“He’s doing
fine. Dr. Harrison says my measurements are what they should be for a seven-month
fetus, my blood pressure and urine are normal, but he wants me to stop work for
the next couple months. He doesn’t like any of his expectant mothers to work
during their last two months. So I guess I’ll be retired until little Wes is
six weeks old. I hope I don’t go crazy from boredom.”

“I don’t think
anyone would notice the difference,” Jill said with a laugh. “You’ve always
been crazy.”

Tori gave Jill a
playful nudge, and on the drive to Grammy’s they talked about the baby and all
the plans they had for him as he grew up. They knew those plans would probably
irk him, just as their parents’ plans had irked them.

Jill pulled the
Pinto to a stop in front of the familiar old farmhouse. The Morgan Farm was
still their favorite place on earth. As they opened the screen door and stepped
inside, Tori called out, “Grammy, we’re here.”

“In the kitchen,
girls,” Grammy called back. “Come on in.”

Tori and Jill
walked into the kitchen and found Grammy taking biscuits out of the oven.
“Poppy will be here in a few minutes. He wanted me to make some fresh biscuits
to dunk into his sorghum molasses he bought from Mr. Thompkins this morning.
You know how he loves his molasses,” Grammy said, setting the hot pan on top of
the stove.

“I love
molasses, too.” Tori reached for a biscuit, expecting Grammy to slap her hand
and tell her to stop acting like a heathen. “Mr. Thompkins makes the best. I
think little Wes must have a sweet tooth because I’ve sure been craving
sweets.”

Grammy laughed.
“I think we all have some unusual cravings while we’re pregnant. With me, it
was apples, but not just any apples. They had to be from that one particular
tree by the chicken house. I just couldn’t get enough of them.”

Jill reached
into the cabinet and took out a bowl. “Well, I may not be pregnant, but I’m
definitely not about to pass up a chance to dunk one of your biscuits in
molasses, Grammy.”

After Poppy came
in and they’d all finished their snack, they headed for the living room. Grammy
sat in her rocker, reached down, and when she raised her head, she handed Tori
an unfinished sweater she was knitting.

“It’s only half
done,” Grammy said with a smile. “But it should be ready by the time he needs
it.”

Tori caressed
the soft yarn, knowing every stitch had been handmade with love. “He’s going to
be a handsome dude in this,” she said, hugging it to her heart, and then
handing it back to Grammy.

* * * *

The next two
months were the longest of Tori’s life, but the last week had finally arrived,
and one afternoon she was sitting on the sofa, staring at some inane program on
TV in a vain attempt to keep from being overwhelmed by boredom. Her feet and
ankles were badly swollen, making it almost impossible to wear shoes.

She heard Jill’s Pinto pull into the driveway next
door, so she got up and waddled to the front door to say hello and invite Jill
over to keep her company for awhile. As she watched from the front stoop, Jill
got out of the car and headed straight to Tori’s house carrying a large sack.

Jill loved to buy stuffed animals for the baby, and
Tori couldn’t bring herself to ask Jill to stop, even though she had no idea
what they were going to do with them all.

Jill hurried up to Tori and gave her a hug. “I bought
a bag of seed so we can fill the bird feeders. Do you feel like helping me?”

“Sure,” Tori said, eager to get outside. “Let me get a
coat. That was a good idea. I know the birds are having a hard time finding
food after all the snow we got last night.”

They stepped inside, where Tori slipped on Wes’ goose
down coat, some gloves, and her dad’s snow boots. Then she announced, “I’m
ready. Let’s go feed some birds.”

As they filled the feeders, first in the Moss’
backyard, and then in the Hicks’, Tori blew a hard breath. “Wait until you see
my ankles. I look like I’ve got elephantiasis. I know it’s natural for pregnant
women to have swollen ankles, but this is ridiculous. Momma wants me to stay
off my feet until I go into labor, so she’s taking a week off from work so she
can pamper me.”

“I’m glad she’ll be home with you.” Jill nodded her
head. “You could go into labor any day now. Billy and I will come over a few
nights and the four musketeers can play cards. Maybe that’ll help keep your
mind off your elephant legs.”

“That just might do it,” Tori said.

“And if you go into labor while we’re there, we can
all go to the hospital with you.” Jill’s eyes widened as if she had come up
with a master plan to alleviate all of Tori’s misery.

“That sounds good to me.” Tori shivered. “Man,
it’s
cold out here. Come on in the house with me for a while,
will you?”

Jill stayed with Tori until Billy came to get her
about an hour later. Momma invited them to have supper with them, but they had
plans to eat with Billy’s parents.

Tori was
exhausted and went to bed after dinner.

The next day, her mother stayed home and insisted that
Tori keep off her feet. She also wanted Tori to elevate her legs on pillows,
but Tori just couldn’t stand to sit still for very long. She waddled through
the house, helping as best she could while Momma did a little cleaning. Then Tori
slowly made her way upstairs and packed a suitcase for the hospital.

For the past week, Jill had been coming over in the
afternoon to help Momma cook, and most nights she and Billy ate with them. Tori
usually headed for bed by nine o’clock. She was so tired of being pregnant and
sometimes she found herself wishing she were still a little girl without a care
in the world, spending weekends and summers with Grammy and Poppy on the farm.
Life had been so simple back then.

Tori awoke the next morning, rolled out of bed, rushed
for the bathroom, and bumped into the grandfather clock that stood midway down
the hallway. She chuckled at the thought of how many times that had happened
during her life. Maybe someday she’d remember how far that clock stuck out and
wouldn’t keep running into it.

After her trip
to the bathroom, she got dressed and headed downstairs, holding onto the
railing with one hand and her aching back with the other. Her back pain had
gotten worse over the past two days. She finally made it into the kitchen,
where her mother poured her a cup of coffee.

“It’s about time
you got up, sleepyhead,” Momma said playfully. “Wes and Daddy ate everything I
cooked this morning, but I’ll fix you whatever you want. Would you like some
bacon and eggs, or would you rather have pancakes?”

“I think I’ll
have all three.” Tori laughed and patted her belly. “One nice thing about being
pregnant is that I won’t have to worry about my weight until after little Wes
gets here.”

After breakfast,
Momma and Tori spent much of the day sorting through Tori’s old baby clothes –
receiving blankets, undershirts, sleepers, socks, and booties. Momma had
carefully hand washed each item and as she held them up one by one, she told
stories of dressing Tori in those same clothes.

“Now it won’t be
long until I’ll be dressing my first grandchild,” Momma said.

“And it won’t be
a moment too soon for me.” Tori laughed. “I’m ready to stop being pregnant and
start being a mother.”

When they
finally had all the baby clothes folded and placed into the baby chest, Momma
made Tori sit down and elevate her feet while she started supper.

After they had
all eaten, Tori walked into the living room, hoping Wes wouldn’t be too late.
Being an assistant football coach required a lot of hours after the last bell
rang and the other students headed home. She walked over to the window and
looked out at the night sky. She couldn’t remember when she had seen a more
beautiful moon, and its reflection off the snow made the world outside as
bright as day.

She walked back
into the kitchen, picked up the receiver of the wall phone by the door, and
dialed Grammy’s number.

“Hello, sweet,”
Grammy answered.

“You always know
it’s me before you answer, don’t you?” Tori said with a chuckle. Then a tidal
wave of love and warmness flowed through her. She wanted to be beside Grammy at
that moment, caressing her crooked fingers, and looking into her gentle, wise
eyes. Tori drew her emotions in check. “How are you feeling, Grammy?”

“I’m fair to
middling,” Grammy answered, her usual response when someone asked about her
well-being.

As Tori listened
to Grammy’s sweet voice, she suddenly had an overwhelming urge to cry. “Grammy,
I love you so much,” she blurted out. “You’ve always been my idol, my teacher,
and my protector. You’ve made my life so rich – and Jill’s, too. No two girls
ever had a Grammy as wonderful as you. We’ve been so blessed.”

Grammy’s voice
broke as she responded. “Tori, you’ve been the hub of my life, the air I
breathe, and the sunshine of my days. I’m the one who has been blessed.”

Suddenly, a pain
ripped through the lower part of Tori’s back and sweat broke out on her
forehead an upper lip. She leaned against the door. “Thanks, Grammy, I just
wanted to call and say I love you, but now I think I need to get my feet up.
I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Love you too, sweet,” Grammy said as they hung up.

Tori put the phone on the hook, pushed back the
curtains on the door, and peered outside. Snow had started to fall in large
flakes and there were several inches on the ground. Then she thought she saw
some movement between the shrubs on the far side of the carport. She dropped
the curtain and cold shivers ran up her spine.
“Foolish
,
just
foolish,”
she mumbled.

“Are you okay?” Momma asked.

“Yes,” Tori said, turning around. “I just thought I
saw something outside. It was probably my imagination.”

“Well, come and sit down,” Momma said as she placed a
chocolate cake on the table and then turned toward the fridge to get ice cream.
“This will take your mind off whatever it was. It was probably a rabbit. They
love to play in the snow.”

“That’s what it was,” Tori said, feeling even more
foolish. “I love to watch the little rabbits run and kick up their hind legs as
they play in the snow. They’re so sweet.”

Her dad joined them in the kitchen and they all ate
cake and ice cream. Then Daddy leaned back in his chair and patted his belly.
“Good grub, honeybunch.” He stood, gave Momma a hug and a gentle pat on the
rear end, and
added,
“Now I’ve got to go back to the
store and finish some of the bookwork. My partner took a couple weeks off to
loaf around with her daughter, you know.”

“Okay.” Momma smiled. “But try not to be too late.”

“Night, Daddy.” Tori hugged him before strolling into
the living room. She turned on the television and flipped through the channels,
but there was nothing interesting, so she picked up the phone and called Jill,
but got no answer. Then she remembered that Jill told her that she would be
coming home late that night.

Tori’s back pain was getting worse, so she decided to
turn in, even though it was only seven o’clock. “I’m going on to bed, Momma.
See you in the morning.”

“Goodnight, sweet. Get some rest,” Momma called out.

As Tori slowly lumbered up the stairs, she prayed that
little Wes would come soon.

Anna’s Note

February 12, 1979

I just received the best phone call of my life, except
the one I received when Jill called to let me know she and Tori were coming
home. My heart has been heavy many years with worry about Tori. But she has
given me much more pleasure than heartache. I’ve truly been blessed with a
wonderful husband, darling daughter, precious granddaughter, and Jill. A body
couldn’t ask for a better life than I’ve lived. Thank you God for all
Your
blessings.