Chapter 4

                That night, as promised, she went to see Gussie.  Elynne really hoped this was going to be a true fresh start.  She’d had these conversations with boyfriends in the past, but they never really worked.  Gussie wasn’t her boyfriend yet, but she had hoped he would be.

                Before she could say anything, Gussie shook his head at her with a little smile.

                “Hi, I’m Gussie.  Have we met before?” He smiled

                “I don’t believe so,” Elynne giggled.  “I’m Elynne, and you look absolutely dashing.”

                Instead of the never ending conversations, they had had the other two nights, this time, Elynne couldn’t help herself.  She flirted and did all those cheesy things she had seen people in movies do on their dates.  Gussie seemed to enjoy it though.  He even flirted back.

                They spent the rest of the night watching the stars and talking about their lives.  Elynne really enjoyed listening to Gussie talk.  It was nice to hear someone else’s story for a change.

                After hours of just being together, Elynne was finally way too tired to keep the night going.

                “I guess it’s time for me to go home.” Elynne moped. “I have been enjoying myself though!”

                “Me too,” Gussie smiled and pulled her close.

                And that’s when Elynne found out he was a great kisser.  Over the next couple of weeks, they spent all of their spare time together.  It was hard for Elynne to see him as much as she wanted because she had her garden to tend to, and her appliances kept breaking.  It also seemed like Gussie was the bouncer at The Watering Hole every single night!

                The only dates they ever had time for were afternoon lunches if Elynne got up at the crack of dawn to finish her chores, but it was worth it.  Everything was going according to plan until Gussie decided he wanted to see her house… if you could call it that.  It was more like a shack.

                Lunch wasn’t the only thing on the menu that afternoon…

                After that afternoon, they met more often at Elynne’s house.  They mostly stayed indoors, and Elynne cooked their lunches improving her cooking skills.  She showed Gussie around her garden, and he taught her how to play chess.  After a couple of weeks, Elynne knew something was amiss.

                She had been feeling queasy lately, and had missed a very important monthly event.  Sure enough, she was expecting…  She wasn’t quite sure how to feel because she was having a hard time supporting herself.  And what was Gussie going to do?  He was a bouncer, not a surgeon.

                After she broke the news, he proposed on the spot.

                She knew it wasn’t the right time, but the fact that he wanted to help made her burst into tears of joy.  She did love him after all didn’t she?  They made a few additions to their house, and Gussie promised he would work hard to build a comfortable life for the three of them.  After he gave his job at the Watering Hole two weeks notice, he signed on to work for the hospital doing anything they wanted him to.  By the time Turner Beckett came into the world, Gussie had received three promotions!  Things weren’t comfortable yet, but they were getting there, and there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

                Turner Beckett was born brave, and he loved it when his mother carried him around the garden.  Elynne told him everything she was doing, and how to tell if the produce was ripe enough for picking.  Of course none of it stuck, but Turner loved the time she spent with him.

                To make ends meet until Gussie made it to the top of the medical career, he did some side work for the science lab.  He researched planets, stars, and anything else they could think of to keep him busy.

                Not too long after Turner was born, Elynne felt that nauseous feeling again.  Hadn’t they been careful?  It was hard enough caring for one baby.  She brushed those feelings aside and hoped, that she was just exhausted from keeping up with an infant.

                Eventually, her pregnancy was confirmed, and she had to tell Gussie.  He already worked so hard to help feed their family…  How was this going to affect him?

                When she told him, he didn’t even hesitate.  He was so excited to be a father again that he didn’t once think about where the money was going to come from even though they still owed the hospital money from Elynne’s first pregnancy.

                Taking care of a needy infant and battling morning sickness was not an easy task, but Elynne persevered.  If Gussie was working hard, she would strive to work harder.  This wasn’t the worst thing she had ever been through.

                As a surprise, Gussie took a vacation day off in the middle of the week.

                “Elynne, you’ve been working so hard, go treat yourself.  I’ve gotten some extra money from the science lab, and I think you deserve a spa day.” He squeezed her tight.

                “Oh Gussie, we need so many things for the new—“ Elynne started, but Gussie waved her off.

                “Get out of here!  I need to spend some time with Turner without having to compete with you for has affection!” Gussie laughed.

            

                After her massage, Elynne felt refreshed.  Motherhood wasn't so bad, and didn’t someone tell her once that two children were easier than one child because they played together?

 Oh how wrong they were.