Field of Blackbirds - Clayton Jeppsen & Lindsey Jeppsen (me reader txt) 📗

still out there.”
Reddin looked at Reed in amazement. He felt a knot in his chest. He was feeling so much right now. He loved Reed and would always look up to him.
“Reed,” he said. “I hope there are men like you still out there.”

Gracie laughed as she put her mom’s famous peach cobbler into the oven.
“This was obviously Reed’s request.” she said. “Do you remember the time, mom, when you found peach cobbler in his pocket while doing his laundry?”
“Yes, he brought it to school and wore the pants the whole day and it never bothered him.”
Lindsey couldn’t believe it. “My Reed” she said. “He’s too bright to do something like that.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what he would want you to think.” Gracie replied.
“Actually, Reed is one of the brightest people I know.” Mrs. Beckly proudly added.
“Anna,” asked Lindsey. “Did Reed tell you about the talk we had?”
“Yes,” Mrs. Beckly smiled.
“I really do love him, so much. He has made me so happy,” explained Lindsey.
“Reed has felt that way about you for a long time Lindsey. I’m glad that you told him that you love him. It has meant a lot to him, I mean, to hear it anyway.” Mrs. Beckly assured.
“I have felt that way for a long time now, I just didn’t want to make it hard on him when he left. But now that it has come down to it, I couldn’t bear the thought of us being apart and him not knowing that.”
Gracie looked at Lindsey as if she were soaking in everything she was saying.
“I don’t want you guys to think that I won’t wait for him. I am going to wait, I can promise you that.”
“Lindsey,” Gracie interrupted. “If Reed treats you anything like he treats me and Mom, then you are one of the three luckiest girls in the world. I would wait for him if I were you too.”
Lindsey smiled, but she quickly turned emotional. Mrs. Beckly walked over and wrapped her arms around her.
“Lindsey, we love you just as much as Reed does. It is going to be hard, but we’ll help you. I know you are a strong girl, Reed has told me so. You’re exactly what I want for him.”
“Thanks Anna,” said Lindsey as she finished smearing her mascara with the back of her hand.
Now Gracie joined the circle of emotion, wiping away some tears of her own.
“Lindsey, when Reed met you that night at the beach, I was in the kitchen, skipping out on my beauty rest, when he came home. He looked so happy, so I knew exactly what happened. He met a girl. So I pushed aside my bowl of ‘Lucky Charms’ cereal and told him to sit down. You know we talked about you until four o’clock in the morning. And you know what I remembered the most? It wasn’t anything he said. It was the way he looked when he said it. And then I couldn’t wait to meet you. You’ve been so good for him Lindsey. I know it sounds cheesy, but I think you and Reed really were meant for each other.”

Mr. Beckly got up from the table and walked over to where Reed and Reddin were sitting in the grass.
“So boys, which one of you two is going to take over the farm when I want to retire?”
“Retire?” Reed laughed, “Mom can’t even get you to take a day off. She prays for rain just so you’ll come in for the day.”
“That’s true, but I pay her an awful lot of money to put up with me,” articulated Mr. Beckly. The boys laughed.
Mr. Beckly walked over to his tractor that was sitting at the edge of the cornfield. Reed and Reddin both followed him. Mr. Beckly sat in the seat sideways. Reed sat down on the back disc. Reddin sat next to him. Kyle even made his way over and climbed up onto one of the wheels. The four of them sat under an unforgettable chameleon sky, passing around a bottle of life’s small understandings and shuffling from one masculine topic to another. But perhaps the most important, was a father’s verbal approval of how his sons were shaping up to be.

Chapter 5 - Disneyland


Disneyland, Anaheim, California 1992

Reed dropped a quarter in the slot. He watched the Gypsy behind the glass move her finger slowly as she read his fortune. The truth was; ‘Esmerelda’ was worthless. Nothing she had ever predicted was even remotely related to Reed’s life. But it was tradition to pay her a visit. Lindsey laughed as she read the first sentence.
“You are one who is easily misunderstood. This has complicated your relationships with others.”
Reed was probably the simplest, down to earth, person Lindsey had known. The two of them waited in a large crowd behind a rope for Disneyland to open. After Walt Disney gave his time-honored welcome speech, the crowd stormed the park.
Reed and Lindsey headed for ‘New Orleans Square’. Lindsey suggested the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ first. They both agreed that, “Yo ho, Yo ho, a pirates life for me” was perfect note to begin on. The musty smell was so familiar. It was a signature smell. ‘Pirates’ was a long, slow ride, perfect for planning out the next hour or so of activity. Lindsey placed her hand in Reed’s as they passed the fireflies and the old man on the porch. She squeezed as they plunged into a musty pit, under a talking skull and cross bones – “Dead men tell no tales.”
They planned on taking a tour of ‘The Haunted Mansion’ next, but they could see that it was closed down. Reed overheard some people talking about how a young man was escorted off the ride by security. Apparently, he had brought a pellet gun on the ride to shoot the ghosts and he ended up damaging a large piece of glass over the ballroom banquet. So they settled for Splash Mountain instead. Lindsey took the brunt of the water assault and Reed had a souvenir picture to prove it. Half of her body was soaked and the other half was dry. This was when Reed noticed that when her hair was wet, it curled.
“I didn’t know you had curly hair. It’s cute.” Reed blurted out.
“It’s naturally curly, I straighten it everyday. I don’t like it.” Lindsey disputed.
Actually Reed thought it was quite sexy. “Well I think you should wear it curly sometimes.”
After a quick visit to ‘Fantasy Land’ for a ride on ‘It’s A Small World’, Reed and Lindsey passed by a concession stand on wheels.
“Mmmm! Do you smell that?” asked Reed.
“Yeah and it’s tradition. Let’s get one.” Lindsey suggested.
“Two churros please!”
Reed was surprised to see that a churro was two dollars. The price goes up every year he thought. Reed was just finishing the last bite of his churro as they were exiting ‘Fantasy Land’ through the Castle.
Lindsey thought she would woo Reed with some Disney trivia. “Hey look!” she pointed to a gold colored spike that was embedded into the ground. “Did you know that Walt Disney drove that spike into the ground himself, in 1955? It was supposed to mark the exact center of the park. The place has really grown since.”
Reed returned fire with, “Well, did you know that Walt’s pride and joy was ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, but he died before its completion?”
After their exchange of little known Disney facts, Reed and Lindsey sat down just outside of the Castle on the bridge. There was a little half-moon shaped bench around a flagpole where they sat. For a while they just watched the interesting people as they passed. They laughed as they saw so many Oriental people with their video cameras. It was as if they had just landed on Mars. They joked about how many Oriental home videos they could be starring in. Or that their faces could end up on some large billboard in China and never know it.
Reality began to set in that Reed would be leaving for Basic Training in the morning and then after that he would be stationed in Hamburg Germany for eighteen months. And if things went as planned, he would spend the last year and a half stateside. It was uncertain whether or not he would be granted a short leave after Basic Training. They decided it was best not to get their hopes up. Reed and Lindsey both agreed that after the light parade they would leave Mickey and friends behind for somewhere more private.
When the sun finally tucked itself in for the night the air got pretty chilly. Lindsey was prepared more adequately for the cold than Reed was. She sported a light wool jacket, while Reed was left with his tight-white, Hurley t-shirt. Hot chocolate was definitely in order. The two sat nestled together on a curb of ‘Main Street’ and waited for the parade. Lindsey commented on how cute all the Princesses were, but wondered how they could keep a smile for that long.
When the parade was over, Reed and Lindsey were able to get one of those nice, Oriental visitors to take their picture. The crowd began to make their way to ‘New Orleans Square’ for the ‘Fantasmic Light Show’ and fireworks. Reed and Lindsey headed in the opposite direction toward the exit. The lady at the turn-dial stamped both of their hands with fluorescent yellow ink. It was hard to tell what it said.
“In case you want to return.” She barked, clearly annoyed at the redundancy of her assignment.
They found the ‘Daffy Duck’ isle where they were parked, got into the Buick Skylark and began driving down Harbor Boulevard. The low rumble of the Skylark helped drown out the busy night life around them.
While they were engaged deeply in conversation, Lindsey noticed a sign that read, ‘Beaches - Huntington, Newport’ and an arrow signaling straight ahead. Huntington was the first beach they came to.
“How ironic,” declared Reed.