Danny Ray (Ray Trilogy) (24 page)

“Nothing would suit me better, Jeremy,” Danny agreed. “Thanks.”

They walked outside for Jeremy to explain his landscaping ideas. Finally, Danny glanced at Uncle Art and asked, “I notice you have gotten very quiet. What are you thinking?”

“Well, I hated to bring it up without you mentioning it,
” Art said, “but I was thinking about building a barn over there for your thoroughbreds you plan to buy next year.”

“I have drawn up a tentative plan,
I’ll bring it over some time and we’ll discuss it.”

“Also, you need a tractor and a plow so you can start growing some of your own feed. You need a hay baler and a brush hog to keep your pasture under control.”

“Okay, okay, Uncle Art,” Danny laughed. “You need to help me figure a plan to make all of this work. Somewhere along the line, I need to start making a profit before I run out of money.”

“
Anytime, Son,” Art answered with a grin. “We’ll put all our heads together on this, and we’ll come up with a plan.”

In the kitchen
where Laura and Nora had the opportunity to talk without Danny hearing their conversation, Nora mentioned, “I think we need to bring Aimee in on this. Who better knows what Angela would like?”

“You’
re right. That’s a good idea. I’ll talk to her,” Laura decided.

“She lives just down the road,” Nora said in anticipation.
“Let’s call her and ask her to come over.”

“Okay, I’m excited about this.” Laura agreed. “I’m ready to get started on this right away.”

In California, Angela had received the word that AFFINITY
liked her performances and she had starred in two commercials already and now they had a spot as a guest star in one of the soaps. She jumped up and down with excitement after she hung up the phone with them. She was so tired of waiting and watching television. She wished she had a dog she could walk or a cat, or both. She was so tired of being lonely. There was nobody with whom to celebrate. Sam downstairs was her closest friend, if you could call the doorman your best friend.

She called her mother, Aimee, “Mom, guess what? I’m going to star in two commercials. Isn’t that great?”

“Angela, I’m so glad you called. I think that’s wonderful news. Wow! Two commercials and now a guest star on a soap.” Aimee rejoiced with her over the phone. “That’s a start!”

“Yeah, they also said
today that they have a part as a guest star in one of the weekly sitcoms for me. What do you think of that?”

“I always knew you had it in you. You’ll remember that we prayed about it, too,” Aimee reminded her.

“That’s right! I do remember. I’ll send up another prayer of thanks.”

“Angela, I was fixing to call you, but you beat me to it. I have something I want to get your opinion on.”

“Sure, Mom.”

“If I were to remodel my kitchen, which appliances would you suggest?”

By the time the conversation was over, Aimee knew exactly which appliances to buy and what color. She finagled what color of tile to put on the wall behind the counter, what color and style of tile to buy for the kitchen and bathroom floors. She knew that Angela preferred hardwood floor for the living room. She also knew what color of paint to put on all the walls.

Aimee called Laura and said laughingly, “I just hit the mother lode. I got Angela to give me all the information we needed to decorate the house. I don’t think she had a clue that I wasn’t talking about my own house.”

Laura laughed and said, “Aimee, I had no idea you could be so devious.”

“Well, a mother has her ways and I’ve had lots of experience,” Aimee admitted.

“Good for you. You just made our job so much easier. Now all we have to do is pick it out.”

“I’ll meet you and Nora at the paint store in the morning and we’ll get started, if that’s okay with you.”

“Yes, we’ll be there,” Laura assured her.

When Danny heard the news that Angela had done a couple of commercials, he immediately went to Western Auto and bought himself that television he had promised himself months ago. Even though he was very busy everyday with the house construction and his farm duties, Danny turned the television on and let it run all day just in case he could get a glimpse of her.

The completion of construction drew nearer. The dry wall men finished the ceiling texture and the painters were due to start the next day.
The tile installers would come as soon as the painters finished their portion. Soon the trim people would make the house have some of those finishing touches that made it look ready to be lived in.

Thanks to the ladies, all the light fixtures waited in an unused bedroom of the old house. The lumber yard had all of his appliances ready for him to say the word for them to be delivered.

Danny was getting excited. It could be that within the next month, he might be able to move into his new house.

He had spent the morning plowing and seeding
his back pasture on his new tractor. He came in for some lunch and that’s when he saw her. He was walking through the living room when he heard her voice. He glanced down at the television and there she was. Angela spoke softly to the leading star of the show, “I promise you. I am innocent of all charges against me.”

He looked sternly at her, “How can I know that you had nothing to do with it?”

She grabbed the lapels of his coat and pulled him to her, “Because I love you. I would never do anything to betray you or cause shame to your name.”

He roughly kissed her and said, “You are a vixen and I’m smitten.”

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with passion. He returned the kiss with equal passion and a commercial came on.

Danny sat there on the couch in shock with his mouth open.
She’s really good, he thought. It’s not every day you see the girl you want to marry kissing another man on television. He sat there on the couch leaning over with his elbows on his knees and hung his head in thought. He had not yet spoken to her about his intentions. She may have found somebody in Los Angeles by now.

Soon the commercials were over and he watched the rest of the show but he never saw Angela again. He went in the kitchen
, made a couple of sandwiches, and poured a tall glass of milk. He thought about last summer when she was always there for him, how much fun they had every weekend, and how comfortable they had been with each other. They understood each other.

He finished his sandwiches and thought a minute leaning his chin on his hand. Why did they stop dating? Oh, that’s when th
e reporter Eve came and caught his attention. He remembered how she captivated him with her perky attitude and engaging smile. He excused himself with the thought that if Angela had not left town that weekend, he would have taken her instead of Eve to Aaron’s house to play cards that night.

He finished his milk and got up for an apple and some cookies to finish off
his meal and refilled his glass. Actually he should be ashamed, because he knew in his heart that he had been secretly glad that she was gone so he felt free to call the exciting reporter. After that night he rode on an exhilarating tide of emotions. Maybe their relationship could have gone somewhere if she hadn’t gotten that job in Chicago. He couldn’t begrudge her the opportunity to further her career. In her circumstances, he knew that he would have done the same thing. After Eve left, he felt a little embarrassed to call Angela again.

He had hurt Angela by going to New York, but he didn’t regret going except for hurting her. Lisa, being the beautiful fairy princess of his dreams, tantalized and lured him in his dreams. Now, that the relationship was over, he could look back and see it for what it was. Lisa thrilled him and represented the trophy that every young man desired on his arm. He knew that they both cared deeply for each other, but once it wasn’t convenient, it wasn’t as real as it seemed. He hadn’t dreamed of her since leaving New York and didn’t expect that he ever would again.

He went
out to his new house to see how the workers were coming along and wished they were finished so he could go to Los Angeles and bring Angela back with him. If she would come, that is.

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

Angela looked back at the accomplishments she had made since she first went came AFFINITY as she drove toward the mountains on her rare day off. Thankfully, she had made a few commercials when she first came to Los Angeles. That kept her going in fast cash for a while, but the role of playing a guest star in the soap became a welcome challenge. She had always been a hard worker but the hours required to fulfill the role of Tari Martin kept her on her toes daily. Somehow, through it all she had accomplished starring in a sitcom as well.

She definitely wasn’t complaining, nevertheless she wanted to get out of the city and breathe some country air. She opened her windows and let the wind blow her hair and turned the radio up. She smiled and thought, ‘you can take the girl out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the girl.’ She sang along with the songs on the radio as she enjoyed the drive.

The country station started playing Hank Williams tunes and the song,
Hey, Good Lookin’
came on and she couldn’t sing for the lump in her throat. That’s the song that her Dad sang to her Mother.

She sure missed them. She still sometimes had to push down the guilt that they needed her at home. She furrowed
her forehead in thought excusing her actions. Her parents were definitely in their sixties, but still in relatively good health. Why did she feel such a burden that they needed her so much when they had other daughters and sons who lived nearby? They could call on one of them anytime they needed some extra help. Then the thought crossed her mind that maybe she needed them more than they needed her. She needed to be needed and maybe she used them as her excuse.

When she had come home from college, she had other opportunities to put in applications for jobs but she followed her desire to move back to Pryor to be near family. If she could get a business going where she could use her skills, she could work anywhere she chose.

Then the song
I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry
played next. Now the tears really ran down her face. She came to a bridge where a river flowed down from the mountains. Over to right of the bridge, a small beach where a lot of umbrellas with families had come for a small vacation or at least a day to enjoy the water and sun. She slowed down and pulled over onto the access road. Several campers nestled under the trees at the edge of the beach.

Angela parked her car and walked along until she f
ound an unused park table. She sat there and watched the children play. Finally she could resist the temptation no longer. She kicked off her sandals and waded in the water. She wore shorts and a sleeveless blouse so with her long legs she didn’t worry about getting her clothes wet.

Some children the same age as Sarah and Janie back home played catch with a beach ball not far from where she waded. One of the children tossed the ball too hard and it landed on the water near Angela’s knees. She picked up the ball and threw it back to them with a smile.

They giggled and soon the ball landed next to her quite frequently. Once one of them missed the ball and she quickly splashed out into the deeper water to retrieve the ball before the current swept it out too far. She poised into one of her old basketball free throw tosses and it landed splat, right in the middle of their little circle of catch. They squealed as the water splashed all over them. “Okay, guys, I’m all done,” she called out as she laughed walking out of the water.

S
he walked back toward the table where she left her shoes to sit down and let her legs dry. A couple which looked to be in their early thirties approached her. “Thanks for playing with the children. They really enjoyed watching you catch the ball.”

Angela smiled and said, “It was my pleasure. I have nieces and nephews their age at home. I really miss them.”

“By the way, you threw that ball like a basketball player,” the man indicated with a tilt of his head.

Angela nodded
and replied, “I played basketball for Arkansas University a few years.”

The woman sucked in her breath and put her hand over her mouth. “Oh
! My God! You’re Tari!” she exclaimed.

Not used to this kind of recognition she felt flattered, “Yes, I play Tari Martin.”

The woman ran up and down the beach telling everyone that they had Tari Martin with them. They begged Angela to stay for a cookout in a couple of hours. Angela had been so lonesome earlier in the day that she agreed to stay.

By the time that the cookout was prepared, the beach became so crowded with fans and family of fans that Angela wished she had at least put on some make-up and styled her hair
instead of her usual at home ponytail. Many pictures were taken and she was the center of attention until she excused herself and left as soon as she could after the meal.

On her drive back to Terry’s apartment she reminisced about the unusual impromptu cookout. She smiled and shook her head.
It never occurred to her that she might be recognized by strangers. She knew of television stars being the objects of the paparazzi. Thank goodness, they have much more popular stars than me to chase, she thought.