Addie Mae by Addison M. Conley

Author:Addison M. Conley [Conley, Addison M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cold Run Valley Publishing, LLC
Published: 2020-10-26T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Maddy parked several blocks away from Jessie’s tiny house. As she strolled up, the scene looked like all of Jessie’s friends and the entire neighborhood had congregated in Jessie’s front yard. There wasn’t a patch of grass untouched.

She scanned the crowd but didn’t see Jessie. After fixing a plate of food, she walked to the backyard where lawn chairs were arranged around two cornhole sets. Jessie was playing the game with Gramps.

“Hello, dear.” Delilah’s eyes peeked out from under a gigantic, pink floppy hat with a polka-dot bow.

Maddy leaned down and kissed Delilah’s cheek. “I see you’re both alive after talking to my parents.”

Shrugging, Delilah said, “Your mother wasn’t as happy as you and Jessie. She cried and said she would like to have attended our ceremony. We didn’t stay long. Gunther’s called them and chatted more. They’re coming to dinner next weekend.”

“Well, that’s good news.” Maddy grinned. “I love you guys.”

“Oh, Gunther has some notes for you and Jessie on the diving book you’re writing. He couldn’t hold his excitement. And when he heard Jessie fixed her Mississippi pot roast, we had to come over early. It is delicious, but a little too much sodium for me.”

“There’s a crowd milling around the food. He better hurry, or there might be nothing left.”

Delilah made a face and picked up a plate from Gramps’ empty chair. “He’s already had one serving. You’ll notice there are still green beans left, but he wolfed down the roast. He’s supposed to be cutting back on red meat, but I know he’ll go for seconds.”

“It’s only one day of splurging.” Gramps hugged Maddy and jabbed his finger toward Jessie. “That’s a warm-up, kiddo. I’ll clean your clock next time.”

“Look what Gunther brought us.” Jessie reached for a folder on a table and flipped it open to reveal drawings of several shipwrecks. “They’re fabulous, but Gunther wouldn’t tell me the story until you arrived.”

“They’re exquisite.” Maddy traced the lines of artwork with her finger.

“A buddy of mine drew them. After every dive, he would add a little more detail. Once he gathered enough sketches, he’d draw a master and add a little watercolor to give it life.”

“I love them. Do I know him?”

“You weren’t even born when we started diving together.”

“Does he want to be compensated?”

Gramps furrowed his brow. “He’s gone now.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Maddy placed her hand on Gramps’ shoulder.

“Delilah and I visited his granddaughter’s art studio in Maryland and mentioned your project. She’d like them to be featured in his memory.”

Jessie said, “If you tell us a little more, we could have a couple of pages dedicated to him, along with a picture, talking about his work and diving adventures.”

Gramps took a photo from the bottom of the stack. Everyone crowded together. Someone had swum out and snapped the picture, capturing the profile of the boat.

“That’s us on the bow. Rick was a good man. Always cheerful. He dove wrecks up to his fifty-third birthday. He joked about having to stop because the cold water and all the gear was giving him fits.

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