37
T
he forecasters had all been correct. New England got almost two feet of snow, and the farthest north states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont got the most. Great for skiers, bad for travelers.
My aunt ended up staying on the island a few days longer than she had intended. I couldn't help but wonder if this was due to Doyle. She didn't say anything. I didn't ask.
By the time she left, though, it was obvious that some sort of attraction was going on with her and Doyle. He had taken her out to dinner a couple times, and one day they even drove into Gainesville together for a movie.
Walking down Second Street to Yarning Together for our Thursday night knitting group, I smiled. It was nice when people hooked up. People who enjoyed each other's company, enjoyed doing the same activities together. This made me feel sad for my mother. She had a chance to have thisâbut for some reason, she made a different choice.
I walked into the yarn shop to find most of the women already gathered and knitting away. I was always impressed with the level of expertise they displayed. Flora was working on a very intricate lace sweater for her daughter in the most yummy shade of pistachio green. Dora was working on an entrelac hat in vibrant colors of peach, pink, and lavender. And I saw Grace knitting away on a pink baby sweater that had small white lambs across the top.
“Hey, good to see you, Berkley,” Chloe said, looking up from a pink basketweave blanket I knew was for her sister's baby.
I settled down beside Dora and removed the beige cable mittens from my bag.
“For Jill?” Dora questioned.
“Yup. With all that snow up there, I'm sure she can always use more mittens.”
“But what happened with your trip?” Flora asked.
“We've postponed it till March. Looks like it's going to be a bad winter up there, and we don't want to have to cancel again.”
Flora nodded. “Right. Why give up this gorgeous weather here for snow and ice,” she said, and everyone laughed with agreement.
“It's getting to be that time of year again,” Dora said. “We need to start thinking about our vendor's table for April and the Arts Festival. Any ideas what we should make?”
“I think the Cedar Key scarves were a big hit,” Corabeth said. “Maybe we should make those again.”
“I agree.” Raylene took a sip of her tea. “We ran out in practically no time.”
“That's fine with me,” Dora said. “It's such a nice pattern. Okay. If everyone is in agreement, then we'll do the Cedar Key scarves again this year.”
“Oh, did you hear?” Raylene asked. “I'll be leasing my property to Leigh for her day care center.”
“That's wonderful,” I said. “Where is she tonight?”
“Said she had a lot of things to get in order. She's really going to have her hands full getting the property in shape, I'm afraid.”
Dora nodded. “But a lot of people have volunteered to help. We should set a date on a weekend and we can all pitch in.”
“I know she'd like some murals done on the walls,” Raylene said. “Maybe we can see if somebody at the Arts Center would be willing to help.”
“Right.” Chloe reached for another skein of yarn to attach. “We should plan on next month. I think Leigh said she hopes to have her inspection by the state around May and possibly open in June.”
After an hour of knitting, Dora announced it was time for snacks. “Raylene brought brownies tonight.”
“I wanted to make something more fancy, but . . . well, Carl and I have been so busy.”
“Right,” Flora said with a snicker. “Newlyweds are usually pretty busy.”
The room erupted in laughter as Raylene got up to assist Dora.
Her face had turned beet red as she stammered, “Oh, no. Well . . . that isn't what I meant. . . .”
“Come on, Raylene,” Dora said, pulling her toward the back room. “They're just teasing you.”
When we got situated with tea, coffee, and brownies, Maybelle announced that she had some news.
“You know my goddaughter, Victoria, who I've mentioned?”
“Oh, right,” Corabeth said. “The one you haven't heard from in so long.”
Maybelle nodded. “Yes. Thirty years it's been.” She took a sip of her tea and sat up straighter in her chair. “Well . . . I have heard from her.”
“That's wonderful,” I said. “Any chance you'll be getting together?”
I saw the look of happiness that crossed Maybelle's face. “There is. Victoria is single with a four-year-old son, Sam. They live in upper state New York, where Victoria owns a needlepoint shop. She said with the economy so bad things have gotten pretty slow, but she's holding on. Victoria told me she always remembered me, but because of the bad feelings on her mother's part, she never pursued getting in touch. When Dorothy passed away last summer, Victoria said she felt the time had come for us to reunite.”
“Such a shame that feud caused Victoria to drift away,” Dora said. “When do you think you'll see her?”
“She's hoping to visit this summer with Sam. It would be so great. She was only ten the last time I saw her.”
“That's wonderful news,” Flora said. “I love to hear about people reconnecting. And you and Dorothy couldn't patch up your differences, huh?”
Maybelle shook her head. “I'm afraid not. I was certainly willing, but she could be pretty stubborn. We disagreed on something and . . . well, that was the end of our friendship.”
“What a shame,” Grace said, looking at her sister. “I'm sure glad that Chloe and I were able to get through our differences.”
“You and me both,” Chloe replied. “Friendships and family are so important. Holding grudges and being stubborn certainly accomplishes nothing.”
“And you said she owns a needlepoint shop? That's interesting. I've been tossing around a few ideas with Chloe.” Dora winked in her direction.
“Hey, no holding back,” Flora said. “Come on. Tell us what you two have up your sleeve.”
Dora laughed. “Well, nothing is definite and it's all in the planning stages right now, but . . . I'm thinking of purchasing the empty shop next door. Breaking through the wall and adding a needlepoint shop to Yarning Together.”
“Really?” I said. “I just recently returned to doing some needlepoint. That's a great idea. Many yarn shops carry both.”
“Oh, I agree,” Corabeth said. “I haven't done needlepoint for years, but it would be nice to have a different project when I want something other than knitting.”
Chloe smiled. “See, Dora, I thought it would be well accepted. And you said that Marin is quite accomplished with needlepoint. She might be willing to help out. I think we should do it.”
“You could be right. Well, when I get a chance I'll look into it. The property is listed with Pelican, so we'll start there and then . . . who knows. This could turn into a very exciting new venture for me.”
The look on Dora's face made me hope that she'd be able to make the addition happen.
Before I left the shop I purchased enough of a yummy shade of ocean blue cotton to knit my required Cedar Key scarves for the Arts Festival, and then headed home.
As soon as my key hit the lock I heard Brit yipping. I certainly loved Sigmund, but the wagging of a tail and excited barks surpassed a nonchalant feline greeting.
“Hey, sweetie,” I said, opening the door to release my little bundle of black fur. No doubt about it, I was a proud dog owner and Brit was the best gift that Saxton could have given me.
“Let me get your leash and we'll take a walk,” I told her before scooping her up and heading back downstairs.
As we strolled along Second Street, thoughts of my mother floated into my mind. She had walked this very street, lived where I did, and had even met some of the people that I now knew. Once again, doubts nagged at me. Would I be sorry for delving into the past? Her past. Or would my mind finally be at ease with something that had haunted me for so long? No matter what, within eight weeks I'd have my answers.
38
O
n a Saturday morning in mid-February residents of the community came together to work on Leigh Sallenger's new day care center.
I arrived on the golf cart with Saxton to find quite a crowd had already assembled, and I saw Doyle and another man hanging the brightly colored wooden sign S
UGAR AND
S
PICE
D
AY
C
ARE
from the porch eave.
“Looks like the work is well under way,” I said, getting out of the golf cart and balancing a box of muffins while Saxton grabbed the second box.
“Mornin',” Doyle said. “How's the sign look?”
I nodded. “Terrific. I think you earned yourself a muffin and some coffee. We stopped at Island Girl Cakes to pick these up for the crowd.”
Leigh greeted us at the door with a huge smile. “Lord, did I hear you say Island Girl Cakes? You mean to tell me I get all this help plus those yummy muffins?”
“You do,” I said, walking in and placing them on a table. “Coffee ready?”
She pointed to the large coffee urn and nodded.
I looked around and saw people painting walls, hanging border print, and doing other assorted tasks.
“Hey, Berkley,” Chloe said, coming from a back room and spying the box of muffins. “Oh, tell me those are from Island Girl Cakes!”
I laughed. “Yup, they are. Come and help yourself.”
“Everybody,” Leigh hollered. “Time for a coffee break before we continue working.”
I marveled at how many people had showed up to help both inside and out. I saw Dora through the window with Maude. They were busy planting some flowers and bushes between the two cottages. I rapped on the window and motioned for them to come inside.
“Grace and Lucas will be along shortly,” Maude said, reaching for a muffin. “Berkley, you have to come and see the beautiful mural that Josie's working on in one of the back rooms.”
I grabbed a muffin, filled a cup with coffee, and followed her.
“Oh, wow,” I said as my eyes took in the pastel colors of what was going to be a meadow filled with lambs. “Josie, this is gorgeous. I had no idea you were such an artist.”
She laughed as she brushed a strand of hair from her face. “Yeah, my mother might be the author but I got my creativity with drawing and painting. I think this wall will look great when I finish. Leigh said this is the room where the cribs will be for the babies, so she wanted the softer colors in here.”
“It's going to look super. Go grab a muffin and some coffee though. Everybody's taking a break.”
I wandered into another room and saw somebody at work using primary colors to paint numbers and letters on the wall. And on the other wall Suellen was painting the animals from Winnie the Pooh.
“I'm amazed at the talent here,” I said. “Suellen, you're a born artist.”
She stood up from kneeling to work on Pooh's honey pot and stretched. “Oh, not really. I've been drawing all my life, but I wouldn't consider it prize material.”
I shook my head. “I don't agree with you. Geez, I'm not sure what I can contribute. I can't even draw a straight line.”
“You said you can swing a paintbrush. Your job is to paint the other two walls in here. Leigh wants one in a bright red and the other one yellow. Paint cans and brushes are in the corner.”
I took the last bite of my muffin and nodded. “That I can do,” I told her, and set to work.
I was halfway through the second wall when I felt Saxton come up behind me and place a kiss on my neck.
“How're you doing here? The walls look great. But it's going on two o'clock. Ready for lunch?”
“Two o'clock? I've been working for five hours? No wonder I'm hungry.”
He laughed. “I've been helping the guys put the fence up in the backyard. We have it just about finished. Let's go grab something at the Pelican and then come back for a couple more hours.”
“Sounds good, but I'll probably need a massage after all this bending and stretching.”
He grabbed my hand as we walked outside to the golf cart. “I think that can be arranged for later this evening,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.
After a quick lunch we returned back to Third Street, where Leigh greeted us with the news that Ava had delivered her baby that morning.
“Did you hear?” she asked. “Ava had her baby boy this morning.”
“Are they okay? Isn't she too early?”
“Just two weeks early, and both mother and little Jonah are just fine. He might have to stay a day or so longer, but he's in good health.”
“I'm so happy to hear that. And I love the name Jonah. Ava must be so thrilled.”
“She is,” Grace said, coming from a back room. “I just got off the phone with her. She assures me childbirth is a piece of cake.”
I looked up to see Dora, Chloe, Maude, and Leigh exchange a glance.
“Right,” Grace said. “I know enough to know that all new mothers say that. I think once that baby is put into your arms all thoughts of the labor and delivery seem to vanish.”
Lucas put his arm around her. “You'll do just fine,
ma chérie
. I'll be there with you for all of it.”
Seeing the love that they shared made me realize that maybe there was something to this parenthood stuff after all.
“Congrats to Ava and Tom,” I said, heading back to my wall. “But I have to get that painting finished up.”
Â
By the time all of us returned to the day care center on Sunday morning, we had made quite a dent in the remodeling. The rooms looked cozy and inviting for babies and toddlers alike. Somebody had built a window seat in one of the rooms with bookshelves to each side. Floors had been sanded and polished, and in the toddler room Doyle and Saxton were helping to lay the tile. I had managed to help with the border print that now hung around the top of the various walls. All with a baby or storybook theme.
“This looks incredible,” I told Leigh.
“It does, and I never could have accomplished any of this without all the help.”
“When does the furniture and stuff arrive?”
“I still have a lot to get done here on my own, so there's no rush yet. I'll have my inspection in May and then hopefully open in June as I planned. But I'm thrilled that I was approved for my small business loan. I've managed to get some cribs and things from people in the community. That's been a big help financially. I have to go to Toys R Us and get toys and games and that sort of thing.”
“How many children are you planning to have?”
“I'll be approved for ten, but that won't be for a while, until I can hire more help. Paula will be able to help me only part time while she's working on her degree. So when I open I'll start with just four or five. A couple of the girls who are graduating in June approached me about working as an assistant. I could use the help, but first I'll have to see if I'll be able to afford their salaries.”
“So it'll all take time,” I told her. “But I'd say you're on your way. A year from now . . .”
I was interrupted by the sound of Dora crying in the next room. “Oh, dear Lord,” she screamed.
Leigh and I ran in to see Dora clutching her cell phone, surrounded by Monica, Sydney, and Grace.
By the look on their faces, I knew it wasn't good news.
“What's wrong?” I asked.
“That was Marin on the phone,” Sydney explained. “She's at Shands Hospital in Gainesville. Andrew was rushed there about an hour ago . . . and . . . they lost him. A heart attack.”
My hand flew to my mouth as Sydney escorted Dora to a chair.
“Oh, my God! What can we do?”
The room began filling with other volunteers who heard the commotion.
Dora took a deep breath as tears streamed down her face. “Marin. I have to get to Shands and be with Marin.”
“None of you are in any condition to drive,” Doyle said. “Come on, I'll drive you.”
“I'll call Noah. Monica, can you go with Aunt Dora? Noah and I will be right behind you.”
“Yes. I'll call Adam on the way to let him know what's going on.”
We watched helplessly as they rushed out to Doyle's car. Within minutes Noah pulled up to get Sydney.
“Here,” she said, passing me a set of keys. “Could you do me a huge favor and go to Aunt Dora's and feed Oliver?”
“Of course I can,” I assured her, giving her a hug. “Just go. We'll take care of Oliver.”
Just like thatâa life was snuffed out, leaving behind sorrow and grief.
Â
An hour later Saxton and I pulled into Dora's driveway. When I unlocked the door, we were greeted by Oliver.
He sniffed and looked behind us, and I knew he was looking for his beloved Dora.
“Come on, fellow,” I told him, leading the way to the kitchen. “Time for your din din.”
Monica had quickly instructed me on his food before she left, and I got his bowl, dry mix, and a can of Pedigree.
While I got it ready Saxton patted Oliver and tried to make him feel better. “Dora will be back later, buddy. Not to worry. We won't abandon you.”
Oliver's curiosity about Dora's absence didn't diminish his hunger. He chowed down every morsel and then sat in the middle of the kitchen floor looking at us.
“Let's get his leash and take him for a walk,” Saxton said.
We walked slowly around Andrews Circle with Oliver sniffing here and there.
“Poor Marin,” I said. “This had to have been such a shock for her.”
Saxton nodded. “Yeah. She knew he wasn't feeling well, but I'm sure she didn't expect this. He didn't even get a chance to get in there for those tests that were scheduled for the end of the month.”
I shook my head. “I know. It's so sad. Life can change in a heartbeat.”
When we got back to Dora's the phone was ringing. I grabbed it to hear Monica's voice.
“I thought I might catch you there. Thank you so much, Berkley, for going to take care of Oliver.”
“I'm glad I could help. How's Marin holding up?”
“Not good, I'm afraid. It all happened so fast. We'll be leaving here shortly. Marin is coming back to Aunt Dora's to stay. So I wanted to let you know we're on our way and you don't have to stay there.”
“Okay. We fed Oliver and took him for a walk, so I think he's all set.”
“We really appreciate your help. We'll be in touch soon.”
I hung up the phone and realized that
this
was what being part of a community was all about. Something as simple as helping out with a dog during a time of crisis.