Teardrops on my Cowboy Hat

It was in the late spring of 1984 when she died.  She had a disease that no doctor knew the name of or how to cure it. Her family tried everything.  But she died on a Wednesday.  Her name was Abigail Winters, the mayor’s daughter.  Abigail knew her daddy hated me, and that was the reason she loved me so much. She always went against Mayor Winters’s advice to stay away from me, but she never did.  She was my everything, my world, I would give anything to be with her one last time.  But that was never gonna happen…..she was gone…..forever, and I wasn’t going to get her back.  

It’s been almost five years since she died, and every single day I keep wondering what I could of done to keep her alive longer.  I tried dating again, but everytime I thought I loved a girl, it was because they would remind me of her.  Every Time I went to visit her grave, my father would tell me, “Son, when are you gonna move on? It has been five years!”, and I would just walk away.  But the last day I was with Abigail, she told me not to get caught up with the wrong girl, that I deserved more than someone who would use me. I listened to everything she said.  She was, and always will be my first love, even if I find someone else.  

Then when I was at Abigail's grave one night, her spirit came to me and told me, “Cameran, you will find love one day, but don’t forget me, my love, and I will always be your guardian angel until you wish me away or until you do not need me anymore.” And before I could tell her that I loved her one more time she was gone with a gust of wind that smelled of Abigail's favorite perfume, lavender lilac.  When she left I felt a tear rolling down my face.  I wiped it away and got in my truck and drove to my tiny apartment and went to bed.

I got up in the morning at nine-o'clock and made breakfast and washed dishes and cleaned house until eleven, then I went to find a another job so I could stop working at my mother’s diner washing dishes.  At twelve I got an interview at a garage and when I got the interview I went to my mama’s diner called Mama's Place and told her.  She has always been supportive of me off whatever I do.  Whether it’s being in love with Abigail and not moving on or getting a real job.  My dad on the other hand didn’t want me to get my own job, he didn’t want me to be in love with Abigail or anything.  I knew why he didn’t want anything to happen to me, it was because of my oldest brother, John, died in a crash after my dad and him got into a fight over John wanting to go to Texas and my dad saying no.  

It was twelve on the dot when I got to my interview.  The guy inside looked about he was in his late forties or early fifties with gray straggly hair and a beer belly, he told me his name was John Mickinson, the son of Mick Mickenson, the founder of Mick and Son’s.  I just had to laugh at this because of the name of the garage and their last name.  When John Mickenson asked what was so funny I told him, “well, sir, it’s just ironic that your last name is Mickenson and the name of the garage is named Mick and Son’s. It sounds the same, you see.”  and he replied with a low laugh coming from his beer belly, “huh, i guess you’re right `bout that.  Anyways shall we get started with your interview?”

“Yes sir.”  I said excitedly.

“And will you please stop calling me sir?” he asked grumpy.

“Sorry.” I said

“So have you worked with cars ever before?” he asked a little nicer this time

“Yes, I found a old truck out in the woods by Rochester and it didn’t run at all, but I fixed it up all by myself.” I said.

“Well may I go look at it and see how nice it runs and looks?” he asked excited to see it.

“Yes, you sure can!” I said back to him.

“Well, this is a nice machine you got here...uh...er... I never got your name.”   He said.

“Oh, I am so sorry about that. My name is Cameron Puckett”  I said putting my hand out.

“Well, Cameron, I see that you did a very good job at rebuilding this truck, you got the job.” He said with a smile putting his hand out to seal the deal.  I took his hand in a firm handshake and said thank you and gave him my number and walked away.

Later when I walked into the diner I felt like I was on top of the world because of my recent success.  “Mama!?!”  I said walking into the kitchen where she was washing dishes, “Mama, I go the job! Here, mama, I’ll help you with that.” I finished taking the dish rag from her and helping her sit down by my nana Lou at the little table in the breakroom.

“Oh that is so wonderful news! Did you hear that Nana? Our little Cameron got his first job!” My mama said to me and nana Lou at the same time.

“So, you got a job, huh?” My father, Silas, said.

“Yes, sir! All I did was tell him that I found an old truck and started working on it, he went out to look at it and said I must be really good at the fixing part and he gave me the job!  Ain’t that great, daddy?”  I said to my father.

“And where is this garage at?” My father asked.

“Uh..Mick and Son’s.  Owned by the late Mick Mickenson.”  I said to him.

“Oh I know where that is. Mick used to be an old friend. Also he has a granddaughter, uh, what’s her name, uh, Mary Lou. She’s about your age. What are you now, 25 or 26? Yeah, I think she’s 24. She’s Mick’s son’s daughter.”  He said to me with a grim smirk obviously trying to set me up on a date with her.  “You should really meet her she’s nice. Used to bring her father and I a drink or two when I was over playing poker.”  He finished with a chuckle that made his mustache move.

“Daddy, I don’t need to date anyone.” I said turning red.

“No, I’m not trying to set you up on a date.  I just saying that she doesn’t have many friends and you should go meet her and try to be nice, ya know.”  He said   My phone started to ring and I answered it and John Mickenson was on the other line he said he needed me to come over to work as soon as I could.  I kissed my mama and nana Lou goodbye, shook my father’s hand and left out the back door.

I got to the garage and as soon as I walked into the door I saw Mary Lou.  I told her that I was here to see John and she got up and as soon as I saw how beautiful she was, I couldn’t look away.  She started to blush when she saw me smiling at her, she flipped her hair which made me think of Abigail.  I didn’t stop smiling though, even though my heart started to ache.  Because I wouldn’t want to make her feel like she did anything to upset me.  

“Well, Mr. Puckett, Mr. Mickenson has been waiting for you.” Mary Lou said with a smile flashing her beautiful white teeth at me.  It took me a moment to answer her.

“Um...Ya...um, well I better go in there and see what he wants.”  I said.

“Okay, good luck!”  She said as I walked away.

“Mr. Mickenson?” I said knocking on the door and walking in.

“Oh, yes, Cameron!  I have a big favor to ask you! Do you know the Barber?”

“Yes, sir, I do.”  I said.

“Well, you know how he got a new really nice car? He wants us to fix it.  He crashed it this morning and he doesn’t think that it’s that bad so he asked me to fix it and I need your help. Can you help me?”  He said.

“Yes, I can! I love fixing cars!” I said.

“Well you start tomorrow. I’ll have Mary Lou show you around and where to put your stuff.” He told me walking with me to Mary Lou.

“If you would, Cameron, follow me to your locker and office.”  Mary Lou said as she started to walk towards a small cubicle in the corner.

“Wait,” I started, “my own office? What for?” I asked.

“Well you would have to do paper work and write down everything that you put in the car so I can add all the prices up and give people their bills.” Mary Lou replied.

“Oh okay.  Well, Mary Lou, I will see you in the morning.  Have a nice day.” I said and walked out.  So I went home to my tiny apartment, ate, set the alarm clock and went to bed.  

When I woke up in the morning I looked at the alarm clock and it was quarter to eight and it took me ten minutes to get there, so I got up and got dressed really fast and got into my car carrying my boots and it was still only 8:47.  So I took about three minutes putting on my boots and I drove to the garage and when I got there, Mary Lou told me that I didn’t have to be there until nine.  I turned red after that feeling embarrassed in front of her and she knew I was embarrassed so she walked up to and told me that I could be put to work or I could eat breakfast with her.

While eating we started a conversation and the subject ended up being about our dreams so I told her that it was always my dream to work in a garage and one day I hoped to own my own.  Her dream was she wants to go to law school and get out of this town.  By the time we were done talking about our lives it was almost nine.  So I asked her if on my lunch break we could finish our conversation.  She said yes and blushed and flipped her hair and by her doing that made me think of Abigail.  So even though I was thinking about Abigail I smiled and walked away.  

About noon I walked up to Mary Lou and asked her if she would like to go to Mama’s Place with me, not mentioning that my mother owns it.  Since it was only two blocks away and we had a hour I asked if she would mind walking.  So we walked to the diner and sat down and I remembered that my mama would probably be our waitress so I went up to the counter and told my mama that Mary Lou and I were just co-workers having lunch together and nothing else.  Then my father came to the table to wait on  us with that intimidating smirk he always had when I had a friend that’s a girl at the diner.  The first time he had that smirk was the day after Abigail's funeral when I was with Abigail's best friend trying to cheer her up.  So when he came to table he was doing tricks on the roller skates my mama made waiters or waitresses wear while taking orders.  And then he said something that made Mary Lou blush and me get really mad.

“So, Cameron, is this your new girlfriend?” My father said.

“No, daddy.  This is Mary Lou…My co-worker.” I replied trying to keep my cool.

“Yes, sir, we are only co-workers.” Mary Lou said through her red faced grin.

“Oh. Carry on then you two. What would you like to eat...It’s on the house.” My father said embarrassed.

“Surprise me.” Mary Lou said.

“Just give me my regular.” I said to my father. “Mary Lou I am so sorry for my father…..He’s just a little outgoing and waiting for me to find a girlfriend after…” I trailed off.

“After what?” Mary Lou asked.

“Well, it’s a long story…” I said.

“We got 40 minutes.  But if you don’t want to tell me I understand.”

“No, it’s fine. I can tell you.  OK, so five years ago this girl...I really loved her and well she had this disease.  No doctor knew what it was or knew how to cure it. Then one day me and her were driving and she started shaking and blood was coming out her mouth and I didn’t know what to do. She died later that day.” I finished just as our food came.  It was a very brief description of what happened and I wanted to finish the story before I started crying because I still miss her so much it hurts and I felt the tears coming on.

“Hello, kids.” My mama said.

“Hey, mama. This is Mary Lou, my co-worker.” I said.

“Hello, ma’am.” Mary Lou said putting out her hand.

“Well ain’t you beautiful!” My mama said putting our food down and shaking her hand.

“Mama…” I said turning red faced again.

“Oh well I better go.” My mama said as she walked away.

We finished eating and Mary Lou left $10 on the table and we left. As we were walking back to the garage, I accidentally brushed my hand against hers and I felt butterflies in my stomach for the first time since Abigail died.  I looked at Mary Lou to say sorry and she was already looking at me.  She looked so beautiful with the sun gleaming in her hair.  I smiled at her and she smiled back.  When we got back to the shop and we went back to our jobs.  The whole entire time that i was working on the barber’s car, I was thinking about Mary Lou.

The next two days I was thinking about Mary Lou.  How the sun looked in her hair, and how her smile made me turn red.  On Wednesday I thought about asking her to go out with me. When I told my mama that I was thinking about asking her out she told me to be careful because she was my boss’s daughter.  “I know mama.” I told her.

So i did what every man should do, I went to John Mickenson’s office and said, “Sir, I admire your daughter very much. I know that this is a big thing to ask but, may I ask you daughter to go out on a date with me?” John then stood up. He looked me straight in the eye and said, “I appreciate you coming to me. You know you’re the first of the guys who liked my daughter to actually come to me and ask permission to date her.  I respect you coming, Cameron. Yes, you may date my daughter.”  I smiled and shook his hand and said thank you and left.

Since it was saturday and I didn’t work that day I went to the flower shop and got one dozen red roses.  I got into my pickup in my best jeans and shirt and tie and nice boots and drove over to Mary Lou’s apartment over on the other side of town and knocked on her door. She answered and I smiled.

“Cameron?” she said “what on earth are you doing here?” she continued even though she knew exactly why I was there.

“Mary Lou, will you go out with me?” I said handing her the flowers.

“Yes.” she said with her beautiful smile.  In my head was freaking out but on the outside I was also freaking out.

“Really? That’s great!” I said smiling.

“Yes, it is, Cameron!” Mary Lou replied still smiling.

“Well, Mary Lou, I will see you tomorrow night.  I’ll be here at 6-oh-clock sharp.” I said as i said bye.

When I got home that evening I sat down at my kitchen table with a pen and a piece of paper and got down to planning. First I called my daddy and asked him about having the picnic date in his wheat field at sunset. He said yes.  Then I planned the food and drinks. Since I don’t drink alcohol, I put sparkling grape juice on the list, thinking that would be close enough to champagne that I could find.  For the food I put down ham and cheese sandwiches. Because honestly that’s all i know how to make.  Next i went to the diner and borrowed one of my mama’s nice two person tables to bring out there.  Then I called my cousin who lived a couple towns over and she was really good at playing the violin asked if she would play the violin as Mary Lou and I sat at the table and ate.  Finally I went to the local supermarket. Got everything on the list and went back home.  My plan was to set up in the morning after church.  

I got home from church at around 11.  So it was a mad dash from there. First I got changed and went to the diner and grabbed the table, threw it in the back of my truck and left for the wheat field to go and set up.  It was two-oh-clock when I was done with setting up the table in the center of the field.  The table had a white tablecloth and three candles on it.  The day was perfect.  It was the perfect forecast and the perfect heat.  It just seemed like that day was magical.

It was almost 4:30 when my cousin, Georgia, showed up. And she said that she had to warm up for about an hour.  I told her that as soon as she’s done warming up to get her but down to the wheat field to start playing because I was going to be there with Mary Lou at 6:30.

When the grandfather clock in my livingroom struck 5 I started to get ready.  Since I didn’t own any dress pants other than the ones I wore to Abigail’s funeral, I just wore my nicest jeans. I wore my black boots, (the ones I had for special occasions) and a white shirt and as I was looking through my ties for the perfect one I realized that my dad still had my black one so I had to wear my purple one I wore for my cousin’s graduation.  It was 5:30 when I started driving over to her apartment.  

I got to Mary Lou’s apartment at 5:47 and called my cousin to make sure she was there.  She said she was there and ready to go.  It was 5:55 when I got off the phone with my cousin so I turned off my pickup and went into the apartment building.  I walked up the stairs and I got to Mary Lou’s door at 5:59 so as soon as it turned 6 I knocked on the door.

“6:oo on the dot, Cameron.” Mary Lou said as she opened the door.

“As I said. Shall we?”  I said holding out my arm for her to take it.

“We shall.” She said giggling.

We arrived at the field at 6:27 and I got out of my pickup and ran around to the passenger door to open it for Mary Lou.  Then we started walking to the center of the field. When I saw the table I covered up her eyes and lead her to it.  As we approached the table I singled to my cousin to start playing and when she did I uncovered Mary Lou’s eyes, placing my hands on her shoulders and she gasped.

“Oh, Cameron!!!” Mary Lou said as she turned around to hug me. “It’s beautiful!!!”

She hugged me and I hugged her back leaning my head on hers.  We sat down after we hugged for about 5 minutes to eat.  It was then that I remembered that I didn’t bring the picnic basket.  “Um, Mary Lou, slight hiccup in my plan.” I said with a nervous smile. “And the slight hiccup is?” she asked flasking me that beautiful white smile. “Ya, so, I forgot the picnic basket.” I replied with slight chuckle. “Oh, well that don’t matter! It’s almost dark out anyway and I’m not that hungry. We can just lay here and watch the stars if that’s ok with you, Cameron.” Mary Lou said as she layed down on the blanket I had put out earlier. She motioned to the spot next to her for me to sit down so I did and we looked at the stars.

Awhile later I finally got up enough guts to grab her hand. As I grabbed her hand we I looked over and she was already looking at me with eyes as bright as the stars above us. I sat up on me elbow and looked her in the eyes and told her that she was the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. That’s when I started thinking about Abigail. But the way Mary Lou was looking at me made the sad feeling go away. I looked her in the eyes once again and leaned in and kissed her. I pulled away about 5 seconds later and I was thinking in the back of my mind that I hope I didn’t scare her away. But when I pulled away she wrapped her hands around my neck and pulled me back into a longer kiss. I brought her back to her apartment at about 11 and we were both smiling from ear to ear. I told her goodnight and kissed her one last time and then went home.

The next morning when I woke up I was still smiling. The night before was the best night I have had in a very long time. It was then that I realized that I loved Mary Lou.

It was 5 months after I realized that I loved Mary Lou that I told her. It was the best five months of my life. Finally I decided to ask her to marry me. So I got up enough guts to go into John’s office and look him straight in the eye and ask him the most important question I have and will ever ask. As I walked into his office he was just finishing up a phone call and he said “Ah, Cameron! I was just calling your house. You don’t work today. So why are you here?”

“Um, well, um, Mr. Mickenson, I came to ask you a very important question.” I said nervously.

“And that question is?” He asked with a question in his eye.

“Um, sir, um, I came to ask your permission to ask your daughter to um, marry me?” I asked holding back vomit. Then John stood up almost angry and then smiled. He looked me straight in the eye and shook my hand and said “Well it’s about dang time! I was wondering when you were going to ask me!” I sighed a big breathe of relief. “Thank you, sir!” I said leaving his office to go to the jewelry store. I walked in and out because I have been looking at one ring for the past 2 months. Then I went home and called my mom because I tell her everything. She laughed and cried and I think she might of jumped for joy.

I was so excited that I didn’t even plan anything big I went right over to Mary Lou’s apartment and when I knocked on the door and as soon as she opened it I got down on one knee and said “Mary Lou Rose Mickenson, these past 5 months have been the best of my life, will you make me the happiest man alive…” and when I pulled out the ring box she gasped and I finished saying “and marry me?” “Yes, Cameron, yes!!!” she said as I stood up and she hugged me and I slid the ring on her hand. “Oh my gosh, Cameron! I can’t believe that this is actually happening!” Mary Lou said as she admired the ring. “Well that’s just how much I love you! I want to spend the rest of my life with you!” I replied hugging her again. “Well, Cameron, tomorrow at 8 am sharp meet me at Mama’s place and we shall start planning” she said kissing me and telling me goodbye.

The next morning I woke up at six to go to Mama’s place and get everything ready even though Mary Lou wouldn’t be there for another 2 hours. When I got there my mama was in the kitchen and I ran up to her and gave her a big hug and said “Mama! She said yes!! Mary Lou said yes!!” when I told my mama she got teary eyed and said “That is absolutely wonderful! I cannot wait!” I ran out of the kitchen and went over the the corner booth and set up two cups of coffee and two muffins and two pens and two notebooks I made that night before that said Our Wedding Plans. Because now everything was going to be the two of us. All the time for the rest of our lives.

At 7:59 I saw Mary Lou pull in in her cherry red G6. she walked into the door and I greeted her with a big kiss and I grabbed her hand and led the way to the booth that everything was set up at. “Wow, Cameron! Does everything have to be perfect?” she asked with a joking smile. “For you, my love, everything does have to be perfect!” I said back kissing her again. “Cameron! You made us special notebooks?” she asked as she smiled her beautiful white smile. “I made them so we can every single little detail for our wedding!” I said as we sat down. “Ok, well one thing that I really want is to wear my mother’s wedding dress! It was always her dream for me to wear her dress. It was one of the last things she asked me to do before she passed away.” She said with a sad smile. After that we started planning every single little detail. The date was on April 14th and it was March 29th the day we started planning. We planned everything from the candy bar to the guest list. We booked a venue and a photographer and a caterer and everything else we needed. It was almost midnight when we were done planning and we planned every little detail.

The next morning I woke up at 10:00 and I had 3 missed calls from Mary Lou. I called her back and when she answered she was panicking and told me that she told all the people we booked for our wedding that the wedding was on the 4th not the 14th. That means we had four days to get everything ready for our wedding. I told her not to worry because we will get it perfect.

So over the next three days we were calling everyone we wanted at our wedding and after we called everyone there were over 160 people coming. On the 3rd of April we were setting up down at the barn where we were having our wedding and I was making the altar and setting up the black silk rug and the chairs around it. While I was doing this Mary Lou was making the wedding programs and when I walked over to her she was done making 200 of them.

I couldn’t wait until the wedding was over because I was planning a big surprise honeymoon and I secretly bought a house on a farm for Mary Lou and I to raise our family one day. For the honeymoon we were going to Barbados. I have been planning the perfect honeymoon for us. We were flying down there in a first class plane and when we get there I will have a presidential suite ready for us. I was so excited. I have been saving money since I was 10. Before the wedding I had over $500,000 and now I only had $3,000 in my saving account. I told Mary Lou that I have only spent $10,000 so she wouldn’t know about my surprise. It was about 6:00 pm when we were done setting up down at the barn and Mary Lou and I said that we were not going to see each other on the wedding day. So we kissed each other goodnight and went to our own homes one more time and then never again for the rest of our lives.

The next morning I woke up at about 7:00 and the wedding was at 1:00. So I went to the groom’s house on the left side of the barn while the bride’s house was on the right. I smiled when I saw Mary Lou’s G6 parked behind the barn. I parked right next to her and walked over to the groom’s house and when I walked in I saw my father. He was dressed in a tux and a bow tie and he said “with all the excitement of the wedding your mother told me you forgot to get a best man. So here I am. But I will only stand beside you at the altar if you want me to.” I walked up to him looked him in the eye and said “I would love that, daddy!” and I hugged him for the first time in ten years. I started to get dressed. When I finished getting dressed it was 12:30. And I knew that this was it.

I sat down with the pastor and talked about every fear, hope, and joy I had today. Then he told me it was time. So I walked out to the front of the barn and and the music started to play. As I got to my spot at the altar I turned around when I heard the music start up again. I saw the most beautiful site I have ever saw. Mary Lou was walking down the aisle in a long sleeved lace gown with a three foot long train and a veil that covered her face and trailed behind her. I was holding back tears as she walked towards me. She smiled as she walked up to me and we started. The wedding was perfect. “Do you” the pastor began, “Cameron John Puckett take Mary Lou Rose Mickenson to be your lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, and to love till the day you each part in death?” “I do!” I said. He said the same thing for Mary Lou and she said I do. “It is my honor to introduce for the very first time Mr. and Mrs. Cameron John Puckett! You may now kiss the bride!” the pastor said as I grabbed Mary Lou around the waist and swung her around dipped her down and kissed her. When I was done kissing her we held hands as we ran down the aisle and everyone clapped.

At the reception we were dancing all night and Mary Lou and I danced our first dance as a married couple to A love like no other. It was a song that my cousin wrote. At midnight everyone was starting to leave. Then Mary Lou and I went over to my pickup and started to drive. When I drove past my apartment building Mary Lou asked where I was going and I said you will find out with a grin on my face.  We pulled into the driveway of our new house and she asked where we were and I said “This is our new house!” she looked at me and smiled and said “Cameron! This is wonderful!” we got our of my truck and we walked over to the door and I picked Mary Lou up and carried her into the house. I put her down when we walked into the entryway. Then I gave her the tour. I showed her every room and I grabbed her hand and led her to the master bedroom and it was perfect. I’m not going to go into detail but I’m just going to say we didn’t sleep that much that night.

The next morning I woke up before Mary Lou did. So I snuck out of the room and went into the kitchen and made breakfast for us. Right as the coffee started to smell strong I heard Mary Lou coming down the stairs. She walked into the kitchen in her night gown and said good morning and sat down at the table as I brought her a plate of eggs and bacon and a cup of coffee and I kissed the top of her head. I sat down with her and ate and then when we done I told her to go pack her bags. She put her dishes in the sink and went to pack her bags.

I washed the dishes and grabbed my bags and put them in the back of my pickup and came back inside and Mary Lou was sitting at the table waiting. “Are you ready, Mrs. Puckett?” I asked putting out my hand for her to take it. She took it and said “Absolutely, Mr. Puckett!” I turned off the lights and we walked out to my pickup and we drove to the airport. When we got on the plane Mary Lou started to go into the regular part of the plane but I grabbed her hand and pulled her to our seats in the first class section. She didn’t know that we were going to Barbados until the pilot said over the intercom “We will be taking off shortly! Enjoy your flight! Next stop, Barbados!” Mary Lou looked at me and smiled her beautiful white smile and kissed me and layed her head on my shoulder and fell asleep.

When she woke up we were halfway to Barbados. I was watching a movie and she was eating when the pilot said over the intercom “Please fasten your seatbelts because we will be landing shortly!” So everyone did. When the plane landed we got off and we got in a taxi that took us to our hotel and I checked in while Mary Lou sat down and waited. As I got done checking us in I picked up our bags and walked over to the elevator. We were on the 11th floor and the last room at the end of the hall. We walked into the room and changed into our vacation clothes and went down to the beach. We were in Barbados for two weeks.

When we were packing to leave Mary Lou ran into the bathroom and puked. “Honey?” I said as I knocked on the door. “Are you alright?” I finished as she opened the door. “Yeah, I’m ok. I just got a little stomach ache.” she said as she grabbed her bags and walked out of the room and I followed her. We got on the plane to go home and Mary Lou slept the whole way. When we got back to our house in Minnesota it was midnight. So we went to bed.

I woke up in the middle of the night to Mary Lou puking again in the bathroom. “Mary Lou, maybe we should get you to a doctor.” I said and she nodded and I picked her up and carried her to the pickup and brought her to the emergency room. I carried her into the ER and a doctor asked what was wrong and I said “My wife has be puking nonstop since we got home about 3 days ago from our honeymoon.” the doctor had me put her in a wheelchair and he brought her to a room. I waited in the waiting room all night and in the morning at about 5:00 am and he said “Mr. Puckett, the reason your wife has been sick is because she is pregnant!” I gasped and I cried and I was so happy. “Does she know yet?” I asked. “No, we were waiting to see if you would like to tell her.” the doctor replied.

I walked into Mary Lou’s room and she was just waking up and I walked up to her and I grabbed her hand and said “Honey, we’re having a baby!” she gasped and smiled and cried and said “really? That’s wonderful! I love you!” I hugged her and kissed her and we cried together.

Eight months later Mary Lou walked out of the bathroom and told me that she was having really bad contractions. “What? You’re only eight months!” I said worried. So I grabbed her hand and we walked out the door and I drove really fast to the hospital. By the time we were to the hospital Mary Lou was in tears because she was in so much pain. I ran into the hospital and told the nurse at the front desk that my wife was in the pickup and couldn’t walk and she was having really bad pains and she needed help right away. We ran out of the hospital and the nurse helped me get Mary Lou out of the pickup and brought her into the ER. I stayed by her side through the whole process of testing and getting ready. “The baby needs to come out now.” the doctor told me and Mary Lou.

When we were told this we got really worried. Then the doctors came into the room that we were in and told Mary Lou that she needed a c-section. They got her ready and then brought her into the room that she would be operated on. They were starting on taking the baby out when Mary Lou started to cry. “What’s wrong, Mary Lou?” I asked Mary Lou with worry in my voice. “I’m scared, Cameron! I am so scared!” she answered still crying. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine!” I told her as we heard a little cry. “Congratulations!” the doctor began “it’s a girl! And she is healthy!” When we heard that we started to cry again. They cleaned our baby up and wrapped her in a blanket and handed her to me. I saw those little eyes looking up at me and and I smiled. “Hello, princess! Welcome to the world!” I said. I turned around to show Mary Lou our little girl and she was already looking at me. “Cameron, we’re a family now!” she said.

We stayed at the hospital for two days to make sure our baby was ok and we still didn’t have a name for her. We looked at our baby and thought about names. We decided on Olivia Mary. We were blessed that even though our baby was born one month premature that she was healthy and happy.

We finally got home on a Sunday and when we pulled up and walked in the door my parents and Mary Lou’s dad were waiting for us. They didn’t have time to come see us at the hospital so they came to our house. “Oh, I am so happy for you three!” my mama said as she hugged Mary Lou and I. I went into the living room and set the car seat down and took my little girl out of it and cradled her in my arms for a little bit until my dad came into the living room and said “So, Cameron, you’re a dad now! Congrats, son!” while slapping me on the back. “Now, let me see my little granddaughter!” he finished. I handed Olivia to my dad and he cooed at her.

I walked into the kitchen where Mary Lou was standing talking to her dad. “Well, Mr. Mickenson, would you like to see the house? You’ve only been in the living room and the kitchen.” I said to Mary Lou’s dad. He said sure and I showed him around. It was around 8:00 pm when they all left. So we walked upstairs to the nursery and put Olivia on the changing table and changed her diaper and put her pajamas on and Mary Lou sat down in the rocking chair and sang You are my sunshine to Olivia and she fell fast asleep. Mary Lou put her in the crib and closed the door quietly and walked down stairs to where I was sitting on the couch.

Mary Lou sat down next to me and laid her head on my shoulder and said “we did it, Cameron. We actually did it. We have our family!” “Well we did it together!” I told her as I kissed the top of her head. Mary Lou stood up and put her hand out and I grabbed it and we walked upstairs to go to bed.

Olivia woke up seven times the first night we were home. Mary Lou and I both went into the nursery every time. We were in this thing together. At 7:00 am I woke up to go to work at 8:00. Mary Lou was on maternity leave so I was working two jobs. I was working at the garage and at my mama’s diner. When I got up I went and checked on Olivia and she was awake and looking around. “Hello, Olivia!” I said as I walked into the room and picked her up. “How’s my girl?” I finished as I rocked back and forth with my little girl in my arms. Mary Lou walked into the room then and told me that I should probably get to work. So I kissed Olivia and handed her to Mary Lou and kissed Mary Lou and went to get ready.

When I left I got into my pickup and drove to the diner. I worked there till noon then I went to the garage and worked till 5:30. Then when my shift was over I walked into Mr. Mickenson’s office and asked if he would like to come over for dinner that night. He told me possibly and I said goodbye and I left to go home to my family. When I got home I walked into the house and Mary Lou was sitting at the table writing something down. “What you working on, Dear?” I asked as I sat down in the seat next to her. “Oh, just bills and figuring out how much we can spend this week.” she said as she punched some numbers into the calculator. “I invited your dad to have supper with us tonight.” I said. “Ok, what are we making?” she asked not looking up. “I don’t know. I was thinking tacos.” I said back. “Oh, that would be wonderful.” she said still not looking up. “Hey, why don’t you take a break and help me cook.” I said as Olivia started to cry. “I got her.” I finished.

I walked up the stairs and opened the door and saw Olivia squirming and crying. “Hey, Olivia, don’t cry, sweetheart. Daddy’s got you. Let me tell you a little story. Before I met your mommy, I knew this girl. I loved this girl so much. One day she told me she was having a baby. But she was very sick. One day we went to the doctor’s office and the doctor said that the baby had died. The girl I loved got even sicker. And one week after we heard the news the girl I loved died too. I lost two very important people in my life. But now I have you and your mommy and I couldn’t be more happy! I love you, babygirl and I’ll never let you go.” I told my baby the story I have never told anyone. Not even my parents. “You never told me this.” Mary Lou said as she wiped away tears. “I was too scared that you would be mad.” I said as I put Olivia in her crib. “I would never be mad. Everyone has a past. But the past is the past and we’re here now. This is our future!” Mary Lou said hugging me.

We went downstairs and started cooking supper. I cooked the meat and Mary Lou made the salad. I put everything out that we needed for the tacos and Mary Lou set the table. When we were done the doorbell rang and Mary Lou went to answer the door. Mary Lou and her dad walked into the kitchen and I went to go get Olivia to put her in her chair by the kitchen table so we could keep an eye on her.

We got done eating and went into the living room and watched the football game while Mary Lou nursed the baby.  “Well, I think it’s time for me to head on home.” Mary Lou’s dad said. “Ok, bye daddy!” Mary Lou said as she stood up and hugged him. He waved and walked out the door.

“Have you noticed that your father isn’t very happy about the baby? I mean he hasn’t even held her yet.” I said to Mary Lou as she picked up Olivia. “Well, he needs to get used to the fact that I’m not a baby anymore. I think he’s just not over that.” Mary Lou said. “Well maybe he just doesn’t like me” I said as I walked out. “Cameron, don’t be like that! He never said that! Maybe it’s just you that is the hater around here!” Mary Lou yelled at me. This was our first fight we have ever had. I realized that we were fighting so I walked up to her and I grabbed her waist and I kissed her. When I was done kissing her I turned around and walked upstairs and went to bed not saying a word.

The next morning I woke up and turned over and put my arm over Mary Lou and laid by her for awhile then I got up and went to work. I came home later that day and Mary Lou was waiting for me at the door. Before I could even say hi she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. We stood in the entryway just kissing for about 10 minutes. Then she grabbed my hand and pulled me to the kitchen and we started talking. We talked for what seemed like hours but it was only 45 minutes. I knew then that my life was complete. Everything was perfect. That was just the way it always supposed to be. I loved my family and nothing was going to change anything.

It has been six months since my baby girl was born and I have savored every single moment I got to have with her.  One morning I woke up to Olivia crying and Mary Lou wasn’t in bed next to me. So I walked into the nursery and I saw Mary Lou holding Olivia and crying. “Mary Lou, what’s wrong?” I asked concerned. “I have tried everything to make Olivia go back to sleep but she just keeps on crying. It’s just so stressful!” Mary Lou answered wiping away tears from Olivia’s face and her’s. “Here, let me take her.” I said grabbing Olivia. “Hey, princess! It’s okay! I’m here, and you’re alright.” I finished saying as she stopped crying. “How do you do that, Cameron?” Mary Lou asked. “I honestly don’t know.” I said back.

The next day as I was sitting down to eat lunch with Mary Lou she walked into the kitchen and said “Cameron, I need to tell you something. I’m pregnant!” I stood up and picked her up and twirled her around and said “Really? That is so wonderful! I can’t wait!” I went into Olivia’s room where she was rolling around in her crib and I picked her up and even though I knew she couldn’t understand me I told her that she was going to be a big sister. She just smiled at me.

After I went to work later that day I went straight to the diner and when I walked in my mama was washing dishes. “Mama, I need to tell you something. Mary Lou is pregnant!” I said as my dad walked in. “Congrats, Cameron!” my dad said smiling. “Oh, honey, that is so wonderful! How far along is Mary Lou?” my mama said with the biggest smile on her face. “Oh, I think she is about two months.” I replied. “She was so scared about this pregnancy because of what happened the last time. But I told her she has nothing to worry about because Olivia is healthy and happy.” I said. “Well that is wonderful!” my mama said and my dad smiled and slapped me on the back and left. “Bye, mama! I’ll see you later!” I said as I left to go to work.

I still worked at the garage and when I walked in I saw Mr. Mickenson laying on the floor. “Mr. Mickenson!” I said rushing up to him and kneeling by his side. “My pills, grab my pills!” Mr. Mickenson said gasping for breath. I ran over to his office to grab his pills and I brought them back to him with a cup of water. I lifted his head and put the pills in his mouth and poured water down his throat. He took the pills and then he passed out. I got scared so I called 911. “911, what is your emergency?” the lady on the other line asked. “Please send help, my father-in-law is having heart problems and he’s unconscious.” I said. “Help is on the way.” the lady said as I hung up. Five minutes later I heard sirens and they brought him to the hospital and I rode with him.

When we got there Mary Lou was waiting there with Olivia and when she saw her father on the stretcher she started crying. I ran up to her and hugged her and told her everything will be ok. She wrapped her free arm that wasn’t holding Olivia and hugged me. “I am so scared, Cameron!” She said throughout sobs. “I know, honey!” I said back to her stroking her hair.

We sat down in the waiting room and about four hours later the doctor came out. Mary Lou stood up and asked if everything was ok and the doctor said with a sad look on his face “I am very sorry, Mrs. Puckett, but your father has passed away.”  Mary Lou just stood there for a couple seconds not doing anything then she started crying. I walked up to her and she took Olivia out of my arms and hugged her and hugged me and said “I think I want to go home.” I shook my head agreeing and put my arm around her and we left.

When we got home Mary Lou didn’t say anything and went to bed. I felt so bad because Mary Lou was really close with her father and he hadn’t even held Olivia once. I also felt bad because I felt like if I wouldn’t of shown up to work late I could’ve saved him. I went to bed a little bit later and Mary Lou was just sitting in the bed staring at the wall. “Honey, look I know this is hard. But you have to think of our baby coming and think about how happy Olivia is and how happy we are.” I said to her as I sat down next to her on the bed. “Babies.” Mary Lou said quietly. “What? Did you just say babies? As in more than one?” I asked half nervous half happy. “Yes, Cameron. I’m having twins.” Mary Lou looking at me kind of smiling. “Mary Lou, are you serious?” I asked with a racing heart. “Yes, I am serious! We are having twins!” She said smiling even bigger. I hugged her and kissed the top of her head and she scooted closer to me and we both fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up and heard a little voice yelling “Dada”. So I walked into Olivia’s room and when she saw me she was holding on to the side of her crib and she smiled and said “Dada?” I smiled so big because her first words were for me. “Hello, Olivia! How are you?” I asked as I picked her up and twirled her. “Dada!” Olivia repeated as she grabbed my nose. “Yes, darling that is me!” I said smiling. Mary Lou walked into the room and asked what all the excitement was today. I told her that Olivia said dada and Mary Lou smiled and said that’s awesome.

I called my mama right away to tell her the two very important things that happened. When I told her she couldn’t believe that we were actually having twins and I told her that Olivia said her first words and they were dada. Then I told her about Mary Lou’s dad and she said that she was very sorry. I said that we were going to be ok and hung up. When I got off the phone Mary Lou was standing behind me. “Man, you’re good at standing behind people without them knowing ain’t ya?” I asked in a joking manner. “Well, if people knew I was there they would just push me away like it was before I met you.” she said with a sad smile. “Mary Lou, you know for a fact that I was just joking and that I would never push you away.” I said as I hugged her. “I know. But when I was younger and before my mom died she was the only one that knew how to handle it.” Mary Lou said. “Handle what?” I asked wondering what she meant by handle it. “Ok, so I never told you this but I have asperger’s syndrome. It isn’t very bad now but when I was younger it was. So everyone always pushed me away because they couldn’t handle me. My mom always told me that there was nothing wrong with me but I knew there was. That’s why I was so scared when I met you because the moment I saw you I knew that I liked you. I’m sorry, Cameron. I should have told you sooner but I didn’t know how you would take it.” Mary Lou said looking away embarrassed. “Hey, darling, nothing you ever tell me will ever scare me away. Ever, I promise!” I told her as I kissed her.

Two weeks later Mary Lou had a doctor’s appointment to check on the babies. I went with and my mama was watching Olivia. When we got into the sonogram room Mary Lou laid down on the bed and they put the gel on her stomach and they were looking for the heartbeats and when they found them I got tears in my eyes. Mary Lou squeezed my hand and said “That’s our babies, Cameron!” “Would you like to know the genders?” the nurse asked. “Actually, I want to know them but Cameron can’t know. I am going to have a gender reveal party. Because only me and Cameron and his parents know.” Mary Lou said smirking at me. “Ok, Mr. Puckett do you mind stepping out of the room and sitting in the waiting room and when Mary Lou is done she will come out.” the nurse said.

I walked out to the waiting room and waited there for about ten minutes and when Mary Lou was smiling from ear to ear. On the way to pick up Olivia from my parents house Mary Lou said “So this time, Cameron, I will be planning the big event. All you have to worry about is the invitations, alright?” “Alright, love.” I said back grabbing her hand and kissing it. When we picked up Olivia we told my mama and dad about the gender reveal party and told them they couldn’t tell anyone about Mary Lou having twins. They agreed and we left.

When we got home Mary Lou went into our office room and told me not the come in unless there was an emergency. So she got down to planning. So while she was planning I went into the living room with Olivia and turned on the Monday night football game. It was the Vikings versus the Green Bay Packers. The game was just about over when Mary Lou came out and told me what she wanted the invitations to look like. She wanted them to say You’re Invited to Mary Lou and Cameron’s Gender Reveal/Baby-shower! Hope you can make it! But what really shocked me was that it was on me and Mary Lou’s 2 year anniversary. “Sweetheart, did you realize that you scheduled the party for our two year anniversary?” I asked smiling. “Yes, I did realize that.” Mary Lou said back.

I made the invitations the next morning and mailed them the same day. We invited 50 people to our gender reveal and when April 4th finally came I was so excited because Mary Lou had this big whole schedule that we were supposed to follow and the gender reveal was at 4 and the party started at noon. Only about 35 people showed up but that was ok because I knew that when the day ended that I would know what the babies’ genders were and everything was going to be perfect.

I woke up at 8:00 am and started setting up for the reveal. Mary Lou was about 6 months pregnant this time so the only thing she put out was the reveal box. The only thing she told me about the reveal was that it was balloons. I really hoped that the party would go by fast because I couldn’t wait. I set up the table for the gifts and the snack and drink table and the games for the kids to play. When I was finally done it was 10:00 and I walked into the house and I didn’t realize Mary Lou was still sleeping so I ran upstairs and woke her up and woke Olivia up. I got Olivia ready and I dressed Olivia in a blue shirt and blue pants because the babies could be either a boy and a boy or a boy and a girl or a girl and a girl.

People started showing up about 12:30 to the party and hugged Mary Lou and I and put their gifts on the table and a lot of people also brought Olivia a gift too. Most of the gifts for Olivia were shirts that said big sister. At one Mary Lou scheduled the baby-shower games and the gift opening for the new babies. Even though no one knew that it was twins they still gave two presents because they thought it was only one girl baby or one boy baby. But everyone was in for a big surprise.

Finally it was almost 4:00 and I helped Mary Lou stand on a chair so she could announce that it was almost time for the gender reveal. She got off the chair and went over to the big box our old fridge was in and it was painted pink and blue. I started counting down from 10 everyone joined along and when we got to zero Mary Lou opened the box and pink and blue balloons came out. Everyone was confused but I started crying and I hugged Mary Lou. Finally my cousin, Georgia, yelled out “Oh my gosh! It’s twins!” Mary Lou and I started laughing and everyone ran up to us and said congratulations or hugged us or cried. We gave everyone their thank you bags and then everyone left.

When we went inside after cleaning up outside Mary Lou went to the living room to play with Olivia and I went upstairs to move Olivia’s stuff out of the nursery and into the next room. Then I started setting up the cribs, changing tables, rocking chairs, and dressers in the room. It was about 8:00 when I was done and Mary Lou came upstairs to put Olivia to bed and came into the nursery and she put away the girl’s clothes and I put away the boy’s clothes.

We got done about an hour later and we started making a list of stuff we needed for the babies that we didn’t have. “Ok, so for a boy’s name I was thinking John Silas. John was my brother’s name and you already know that Silas is my dad. What do you think, sweetheart? Is that an ok name for our son?” I asked Mary Lou as she looked up from the paper she was writing on. “I love it, honey! For a girl I was thinking Abigail Rose.” she said with a smile not knowing that my first love’s name was Abigail because I always just called her this girl. I looked away and a tear rolled down my face because it was the first time I thought about Abigail in a long time. “Cameron? What’s wrong? Did I do something?” Mary Lou asked worried. “No, nothing is wrong. But there is something I never told you. You know the girl I sometimes tell you about? Well her name was Abigail. But yes, Mary Lou, I really love the name Abigail Rose.” I said wiping away my tears. “Oh, well that gives even more reason to name her that.” she said with a smile that took my sadness away.

The next morning we woke up and got ready to drive two hours to the next town to get baby stuff since there were no baby stores in the small town we lived in so we dropped Olivia off with my parents and we went to town. When we got there Mary Lou was sleeping. So I woke her up so she could go into the store with me. We went into the store and we got two car-seats and a bunch of boxes of diapers. When we got to check out we got a lot of other stuff that we didn’t need but Mary Lou thought was cute. So we bought the stuff and we went to the car dealership since my pickup was only a three person bench seat and Mary Lou only had her G6 we had to go get a van. When we bought the van we traded it in for Mary Lou’s G6.

When we got home we brought everything inside and while I put the stuff away Mary Lou went to go get Olivia. I went into the nursery and put everything away and then I went out to the garage where all of my projects I was working on were. The latest thing I’ve been working on is boards that say our babies’ names. Abigail’s said Abigail Rose  and John’s said John Silas.  I was painting them when I saw Mary Lou pull in the driveway so I quickly hid the projects because it was a surprise. She walked into the garage about 20 minutes later and told me that supper was ready so I went inside.

I finished eating and then I took Olivia out of her high chair because she fell asleep and I walked upstairs to put her to bed even though it was only 7:00. I came back downstairs and Mary Lou was sitting at the table crying. “Mary Lou, what’s wrong?” I asked sitting down by her. “Everything, Cameron! How are we supposed to handle twins? How are we going to make time for Olivia and both the twins? Because with the twins it’s going to be twice the waking up at night and twice the money and twice the responsibility! I had a rough enough time with Olivia. I don’t think I can do this, Cameron.” Mary Lou said through sobs. “Hey, we can do it! We made it through everything in the past two years. We can make it through this too. I promise! But now let’s just go to bed, ok?” I said kissing her. She nodded and we walked upstairs to go to bed.

Three months later it was finally time. I was in the shower and I heard Mary Lou scream my name. I got out of the shower and got dressed and ran downstairs and she was sitting at the table breathing really heavy and she told me that it was time to go to the hospital. I hurried and grabbed Olivia out of her bed because it was only 6 in the morning and she was still sleeping. I grabbed Mary Lou’s bags and the car-seats and ran out to the van and went back inside and helped Mary Lou out to the car. We got to the hospital in about five minutes and Mary Lou was brought into the delivery room and the nurse took Olivia to the kids room and I went with Mary Lou. Ten minutes after we got there Mary Lou was told it was time to have the babies.

Mary Lou was in labor for seven hours. But it was all worth it. Because our babies were the most beautiful babies I have ever seen except for Olivia. John was born at 1:13 pm and Abigail was born at 1:34 pm. I was so happy. They wrapped our babies up in a blue and a pick blanket and handed me John and they handed Mary Lou Abigail. We stayed at the hospital for two days after they were born and we had about five visitors everyday. We had so many stuffed animals and bouquets of flowers it was insane. We brought the babies home and when we got home we were so happy.