Joy in the Journey

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  "She sent me a message last night," Lydia said. "Len is having a grand time." She giggled. "Get it? He really is enjoying the training. She keeps saying that he's astounded at his age he has so much that he can learn."

  Len and Andy had gone to Kentucky to learn how to restore grand pianos. The piano that Polly found over a year ago was in storage at their shop until he had time to work on it. While it wasn't the best time for him to leave, when an opening for the training occurred, he grabbed it.

  Polly had offered to care for their dogs, but they'd taken them along after Andy found a hotel that was dog-friendly. They'd be gone for another two weeks. It felt strange not to see Andy or the dogs when she walked with Obiwan and Han in the cemetery, but she couldn't wait to see what Len came back with. He looked forward to expanding that part of their business. Of course, that meant more employees would need to be hired.

  She was shaking her head when Lydia tapped her forearm. "You did it again. What has you so distracted?"

  "Just finding employees. Henry is so stressed out right now. He was looking forward to bringing that Keenan Baxter on. He says he's looked everywhere. I can't believe that's true, though. And now, with Len moving into another area of restoration, they're going to need more people. They were already stretched thin. It's so frustrating to be at this point." She took a drink of coffee. "I'm sorry. I need to let this go. It will all work out. This is temporary and I know better than to get worked up. It isn't like my bad attitude will make it any better." She smiled at Lydia. "Tell me about your kids. Anything about your kids."

  "Don't do that," Lydia said. "You don't have to set aside your stuff to ask me about my children. You know I'll tell you anyway when it's the right time. Everybody is good. We'll leave it at that."

  "Maybe we need to take her out on the town one of these evenings," Beryl said. "Get her all likkered up and find some pretty boys in kilts."

  "Wait, what?" Polly asked, stuttering as she laughed. Then she shrugged. "I'm for it. Do you know where we could find any of those pretty boys in kilts?"

  "You'll have to come with me and Rebecca when we go to Scotland next year."

  Polly blinked. "You're going to Scotland next year?"

  "Why not? It's the summer before her senior year in high school. She should go somewhere fun and I've never been there."

  "Oh my," Polly said. "Have you talked to Rebecca about this?"

  "No way. You should know me better than that. Once you and Henry discuss it to death, we'll all sit down and start making plans. After she graduates from high school, if she still wants to travel with me, I'd like to take her to either Brazil or Australia."

  "Uh, wow," Polly said. "I've always known that this was going to happen, I just didn't expect that we were talking about it happening so soon."

  "She's growing up," Beryl said.

  "I didn't think that was going to happen so soon, either." Polly let a tear fall then brushed it away. "What in the world? Life is moving too fast and I can't make it stop." She tugged Cassidy's chair closer to her and wrapped her arms around the confused little girl. "My kids are so busy, I never see them and I miss them. I miss fighting with Rebecca and I miss easy laughter in the early mornings with Hayden and Cat. I miss watching Heath try to figure out how to grow up. They're doing everything on their own now."

  "It gets easier," Lydia said. "I promise. You're going to hate the transitions, but you'll love the people they become."

  "The transitions weren’t supposed to happen right now."

  Lydia gave her a gentle smile. "They aren't. Things are just busy. It will settle down. Don't they have spring break next week?"

  "Yes."

  "They'll all be home. Fight with your daughter. Make her clean a bathroom or something."

  Beryl cackled. "That'll make her want to spend time with you."

  "It will go back to normal soon. Things are just high stress right now," Lydia said.

  "Promise?"

  "I promise."

  CHAPTER SIX

  Every Thursday morning, Polly took Cassidy with her to Sycamore Inn. This morning, Cassidy hummed to herself in the backseat. Polly glanced in the rear-view mirror to see her muttering to her baby doll while pointing at things they passed. At least the little girl was having full-blown conversations with someone.

  "We're going to see Miss June," Polly said out loud. "What do you think of that?"

  Cassidy smiled and then went back to conversations with her doll.

  Polly expected more of a response than that. June doted on Cassidy, bringing her little gifts more often than not on Thursdays. She kept telling Polly that one day she had to invite the two of them to their house so her mother and aunt could meet the little girl. Especially since June had told the two older women stories about Cassidy for months. Last week June had brought a little knitted blanket that her Aunt May had made for Cassidy's doll. Now, wherever the doll went, it was securely wrapped in a pretty blanket.

  Unless the hotel was busy, June and Cassidy went through the front lobby with their dust rags, wiping down counters while Polly worked. Since Cassidy was so low to the ground, June asserted that she was the perfect height to dust the lower rungs of the wooden chairs. Teaching the little girl how to clean wasn't something Polly was ever going to protest, and Cassidy loved following the older woman around, especially since June was completely in charge of every conversation. The two were made for each other. Cassidy listened intently to everything June said, and was never expected to speak.

  For Polly's part, it kept both of them out of her hair most of the morning. She adored June Livengood, who had a heart of gold. But the woman didn't have enough people in her life who listened to her, so when she had a ready audience, she had plenty to say. She'd tried to talk June out of bringing gifts to Cassidy each week, but at the look of chagrin on the woman's face, Polly backed off. It certainly wouldn't hurt for Cassidy to associate gift-giving with a woman who desperately needed someone to shower with love.

  They walked into the front door of the lobby at Sycamore Inn and as soon as Cassidy saw her friend, she dropped Polly's hand and ran for the counter.

  "Good morning, Princess Cassidy," June said. "Look what Aunt May made for you. Every little girl your age should have a crown, don't you think?" She held out a beautifully crocheted crown made of iridescent yellow, pink, orange, and green variegated thread that had been stiffened into shape.

  "That's amazing," Polly said. "Wow."

  "It was just a doily pattern that she expanded on," June replied as she bent down to fit the crown over Cassidy's head. "She has so much fun making little things for this little girl."

  Polly took out her phone and snapped a photo, then brought it up. "This is what you look like, Cassidy."

  Her daughter gaped at the image on the screen, then patted her head, feeling for the crocheted crown.

  "That's right," June said. "You're a princess and now you have the crown to prove it."

  "June, thank you so much," Polly said. "I worried that we'd be in the way when I first brought her with me, but I didn't know what else to do. You've made this such a welcoming place for her."

  June knelt back down and gave Cassidy a hug. She'd intended for it to be quick, but Cassidy threw her arms around the woman's neck and held on. "Oh my," she said hoarsely and tightened her hold on the child. "Oh my."

  When June cocked her head, Polly waited, wondering what had happened. Then, June gave Cassidy a squeeze and they released each other. "You're welcome, Miss Cassidy," June said. "You're very welcome." She gave herself a quick shake and reached for Cassidy's hand. "While your mama works on the computer, we have things to do. Even princesses have to earn their keep. Are you ready to clean and dust?"

  Cassidy obediently followed June behind the counter, holding her head up high as if she were afraid the crown might fall off, but it was tucked in and around her curls and if nothing else, Polly had bobby pins for her at home. She picked the dust rag up from its home on a shelf, then waited as
June sprayed it with a little furniture polish.

  Polly chuckled. Cassidy hadn't yet heard the story of Cinderella. At least there were no wicked stepsisters in her life.

  ~~~

  When Polly buckled Cassidy back into her seat in the Suburban, the little girl took the crown down and handed it over.

  "What's this?" Polly asked. "Don't you want to wear it?"

  "No," Cassidy said, shaking her head.

  "Why not?"

  "Break."

  "Oh, honey, this crown won't break. It's made for little girls like you."

  Cassidy shook her head and pushed it to Polly.

  "Are you worried it will fall off?" Polly had watched her hold her head erect throughout the morning. It couldn't have been comfortable. But that crown had never once fallen to the floor. A couple of times, Cassidy had rearranged it on her head. Maybe she felt it slipping, which would have been a surprise, considering the light weight of the crocheted crown and the thick hair on top of the girl's head.

  "Break," Cassidy repeated.

  "Tell you what. When we get home, I will put some bobby pins through it and that will make it stick very nicely to your hair. It will never fall off."

  "No," Cassidy said, clearly worried that something awful might happen to her beautiful crown. She patted it gently and then pushed Polly's hand away with it.

  "It's very special, isn't it," Polly said.

  Cassidy's eyes grew wide as she nodded her head slowly up and down. She looked at the crown with something like awe and reverence. It broke Polly's heart and she gave her daughter a quick hug. Cassidy didn’t seem to want to let go, but she finally did.

  "I understand. We'll take good care of it so you can keep it forever. Maybe you can wear it sometimes when we go to the hotel. I'll show you how we can make it stay on your head and you won't have to worry about it falling off and getting dirty. How does that sound?"

  She received a short little nod, but wasn't sure if Cassidy believed it would truly be okay. Until she’d arrived at the Bell House, her daughter hadn’t been able to save a single thing in her short little life. Treasures that ended up in her room were treated with exquisite care. Henry's father had built a bookshelf that was the perfect height and every gift she'd been given had a place on those shelves. Cassidy didn't have any problem playing with toys that came in for the family, but those dolls, stuffed animals, and books that she'd been given were held in high esteem and kept safe from brothers who liked to play hard with their own toys.

  "Shall I put it up front with me?" Polly asked. At Cassidy's firm nod, she caressed the girl's cheek, checked the seat belt once more and then got into her own seat.

  "While I was working, I thought about making something special for dinner. It sounds like everyone is going to be in the house at the same time tonight. I don't know about Henry and Heath, but I bet if I let them know it's a family meal, they'll make an effort. What sounds good to you?"

  When she looked in the rear-view mirror, Cassidy was just smiling at her.

  "A lot of help you are," Polly said. "You're just happy they'll all be there, aren't you?"

  Cassidy nodded.

  "We need to run a few errands to get everything ready. I want to go to the coffee shop and see what Sylvie has made for pies. I suppose I could call. If she doesn't have anything, we don't have to go." She said that last, knowing it would elicit a response.

  Cassidy grunted.

  "You want to go to the coffee shop?"

  "Yes." Aha. A vocal response.

  "Okay, so do I. We'll also go to the grocery store and see what they have at the meat counter. I'm kind of thinking about chicken and noodles. I know I don't have enough chicken at home for that. We're also nearly out of cereal and I don't want to have to place my big grocery order until I've heard from the rest of the family. Next week is spring break and they should all be home."

  Cassidy clapped her hands at that.

  "Do you miss them as much as I do?" Polly asked. "These last two weeks have been crazy."

  All of a sudden, Cassidy gave a yelp and kicked the back of Polly's seat.

  "What?" Polly asked. This was new behavior.

  "Stop! Lady!" Cassidy yelled.

  Polly looked around, trying to see what Cassidy had seen, but if her daughter was using words to get her to do something, she was definitely going to obey. She checked for other vehicles and since there were none, slowed as fast as she could and swerved into the parking lot of the medical offices. She turned to look at Cassidy. "What did you see?"

  The little girl was desperately trying to crane around in her seat.

  "Lady," she cried, turning back to Polly with wide frightened eyes.

  "Where is the lady, honey?" Polly asked. Her stomach clenched at the thought that Cassidy had somehow gotten Polly's talent for finding bodies. Surely that couldn't be true.

  Still frantic, Cassidy pointed back the way they'd come, so Polly turned the Suburban around. She got to the entrance onto the highway and said once again, "Where is the lady?"

  Cassidy pointed, wagging her hand in an attempt to get Polly to hurry.

  Since Polly couldn't see exactly where she was pointing while trying to keep an eye on the road as well as look for a woman in distress, she hoped Cassidy would find a way to let her know.

  "Stop," Cassidy yelled again.

  Polly glanced in her rear-view mirror and was grateful there still weren’t any vehicles coming her way and hit the brakes. "Where is she, honey?"

  Cassidy was desperately pointing south on Walnut Street and Polly backed up enough to make the turn. She only had to drive a few moments before Cassidy yelled again. "There. Lady."

  That's when Polly realized someone was lying in a mess of old brush and dead hedges. She pulled off to the side and said, "Cassidy, you are wonderful. Stay in your seat while I check to see if she’s okay. Thank you for telling me."

  She jumped out of the Suburban and ran in front of it over to the woman who was trying to thrash her way out of the brush.

  "Let me help you," Polly said.

  "Damnable thing," the woman said. "I thought I had it, then whoops, over I went. These hedges won't let me go and I don't know how I'm going to get back up. Old friggin' legs. Did me a lot of good when I was young, but the minute I need them to help me through my old age, what do they do? Give up on me."

  Polly tried not to chuckle, but this very prim and proper looking woman was furious. She put her hand out and let the woman take it, but there was no way she had strength enough to pull herself up.

  "Will you let me help you?" Polly asked.

  The woman sagged and dropped back into the brush. "I probably ought to. My body won't offer me the succor I need." She slapped her hip. "Damned hip. If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times that falling is a stupid thing to do."

  "Do you think you've broken anything?" Polly asked, pulling back just before reaching in to lift the woman.

  "Hell, no. It's just aches, pains, on and on."

  "Then I'm going to lift you up."

  "Child, if you lift me up, you'll be my hero."

  "Hero it is," Polly said with a small laugh. "Are you ready? Lock your arms around my neck."

  "That I can do, but please don't kiss me until we've exchanged names, okay?"

  Polly laughed out loud. "I'm Polly Giller."

  "Well, slap me silly, yes you are," the woman said. "I should have recognized you." She wrapped her arms around Polly's neck and held on as Polly pulled. It took some grunting and groaning from both of them and Polly had a moment of worry when the woman's dead weight almost pulled them both back down, but once she was upright, she seemed to find her balance. Even so, she didn't let go.

  "Does anything hurt?" Polly asked.

  "Hell, everything hurts these days, but no, nothing new. If you'll give me just a minute, I'll catch my breath."

  "Can you walk over to my Suburban? I'll give you a ride wherever you'd like to go. I have plenty of time."

&
nbsp; "You have time, eh? With everything you have going on, you have time to drive an old lady around like her chauffeur?"

  "Sure I do. Where were you going?"

  "I was a fool. Thought I could walk up to the grocery store and make it home without incident. You know, I’ve managed to do that on a regular basis for the last twenty years. But today? Stupid damned squirrel."

  "Squirrel?"

  "That's who I'm blaming," the woman said, flashing bright eyes at Polly. "You aren't challenging me, are you?"

  "Not on your life," Polly said. "A squirrel tripped you?"

  The woman cackled. "Yes. That's my story and I'm sticking to it."

  "Okay. Whatever you say." They stopped beside the passenger door and the woman finally let go of Polly’s arm.

  "It was a squirrel, but I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I was la-de-da-ing down the sidewalk, thinking of my oh, so exciting life when it darted out of a tree, cut in front of me and scared me to death." She looked sheepish. "I must have caught my foot on something and suddenly, I was toppling over and knew I had two options. The first was face first onto the sidewalk or sideways into the hedge. The hedge looked softer, but then it attacked me and held on. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up." She peered at Polly. "Why did you show up?"

  "See that little face in the back seat?" Polly asked, pointing inside. She waved and Cassidy waved back. "My daughter must have seen you fall because she yelled at me to stop and made me come find you."

  "Well, that little sweetheart deserves my undying gratitude," the woman said. "She saved me all sorts of embarrassment and awful business. I can only imagine the pandemonium that would have resulted in someone else finding me and deciding I was a confused old bat who needed emergency help." She rolled her eyes. "Oh, the horrors."

  Polly laughed again and opened the passenger door. She let the woman hold on to her as she stepped in.

  Once she was safely in the seat, the woman breathed out a sigh of relief. "I'm alive."

  Closing the door, Polly walked around to her side. By the time she got in, the woman was turned in her seat, talking to Cassidy.