by Londyn Skye
Though these material things will never replace the love that our father deprived you of, it is the least he could do to atone for all the injustices he committed against you and your mother. I am so sorry that it took my brothers and me a long time to reconcile that. We understand that it may take you even longer, or perhaps never. At the very least, we are hoping you will accept these tokens of his love that he has left for you. With his dying wishes now fulfilled, I hope our father’s heart and soul will finally be settled, and he can truly rest in peace. We hope that you, too, can one day find some semblance of peace with the past and maybe, just maybe, find the strength to forgive him.
PS. In these journals, my father wrote that you were the most adorable of his brood. After looking at these pictures, I’m afraid I have to agree with his assessment. You were an awfully cute little baby. And you clearly grew up to be just as beautiful, talented, and as special as he had predicted.
With Love,
Your oldest brother, Wyatt
Love ya sis,
Your big brother, Colt
With love!
Your brother, Lucas
Love ya’ Lily
Your brother, Bo
Love you little sister
Your big brother, Dylan
With love,
Your little brother,
Dallas (hope to catch lizards with you again one day!)
In the midst of her tears soaking the pages of the letter in her hand, Lily heard her name called from behind her. Startled, she and James both turned to find Isabel towering above them, seeming to have quietly appeared out of nowhere.
Lily could tell by the somber tone in her voice and the brimming tears in her eyes that something was wrong. “Isabel, what is it?” she asked, her heart racing after seeing the sullen look on her face. “Is it William?!” She sprang to her feet. “Is it William?” she asked again, knowing he had not been well as of late.
Isabel swallowed hard. “Just please. We need you inside,” she replied as a tear slid down her cheek.
Without another word, Lily and James both hurried into the house.
Chapter Thirty-two
William had his back to Lily staring at the double doors of his library. The doors were closed. But, still, he just stood there staring at them in a trance. Even when he felt Lily’s presence behind him, he refused to turn and look at her.
“William? Are you alright?” Lily asked, approaching him cautiously.
He did not speak until Lily was standing beside him, staring at the profile of his face. “When I found you, I remember you telling me that you felt as though you didn’t know who Lily was anymore,” William responded. He finally turned to look at her.
Lily lowered her head shamefully. “Yessa’. That’s the truth.”
William took one of her hands in his. “Well, I wanted to introduce you to her again.” He turned and opened the massive double doors to his library and escorted her inside. “This,” William said, motioning his hand out in front of him, “is who you are.”
The visual that William had motioned his hand toward nearly stole all of Lily’s breath. She refused to blink as she absorbed the sight of beautiful dancing shadows, a dragon, a knight, an ethereal floating angel, the student orchestra, and William Werthington. In the center of them all was the composer of that grand show, seated on her instrumental throne in vivid color. Musical Dreams, the one-of-a-kind masterpiece that Piers LeRoux had created in honor of The Dream Symphony, now hung above the fireplace of William’s library. On nearly every shelf around it were framed ticket stubs, newspapers, and pictures from that groundbreaking year of Lily’s life.
“William,” Lily whispered, when she was finally able to catch her breath enough speak.
William took Lily by the hand, walked closer to the portrait, and gazed at it along with her. “Meek, shivering, submissive, unsure of yourself, cloaked in heavy layers of fear, seemingly content to remain invisible for the extent of your life.” William turned toward Lily. “That was my first impression of you. But it wasn’t long after spending time with you that I realized that those things did not truly define you. Those things were what the world expected you to be. It was the world that had cloaked you in those filthy layers. It was the world expecting you to remain invisible. Those who expected that from you, had driven their expectations so deep into your psyche that even you began to believe that that’s who you were … meek, submissive, and only meant to be in the shadows. But, day by day, these old eyes of mine had the honor of watching you slowly shed every filthy layer ever laid upon you. I watched you step out from beneath the darkness and bathe in the sunlight where you belonged. I watched you crawl, then walk, then run, until you gained the strength and confidence to become like an unstoppable steam train. I must say, I’ve travelled the world and have been blessed to see a great many things over my lifetime. But watching you during that grand year of your life, as you morphed into the domineering woman you were born to be, has been far and away the most inspiring thing these old eyes have ever witnessed.”
Lily thought she had not a tear left after her emotional day, but William’s words easily tapped into the well of her emotions and had them flowing once again.
William sighed. “But now, for reasons beyond your control, that steam train has derailed. After everything you’ve been through over the last few years, I do not blame you for feeling lost, confused, and for questioning the purpose of your life once again … and for questioning who you really are. And so I had hoped that this portrait could be a reminder that there was once a time when the world had beat you down, buried you under layers of oppression, and forced you to live far beneath human standards. But despite all the hell you’d been put through in your past, you were fearless enough to crawl out of subhuman conditions and let who you really were inside emerge. Night after night, you shined on stages like this one, and became the Lily that the masses grew to respect … and to love.”
William turned toward the portrait again. “The composer of this mystical symphony moved seas of people to tears, moved stubborn men to break down barriers on your behalf, and completely annihilated an old man’s incessant thoughts of suicide after losing his wife,” William solemnly confessed, momentarily lowering his head. He looked up again at the portrait. “And she even moved genius artists to create awe-inspiring masterpieces.” He took both of Lily’s hands and looked her in the eyes. “That is who Lily Adams is.” He gently touched Lily’s tearful face. “She’s still in there, maybe a little lost and afraid. But I promise I will expend every last breath in my old body to help you find the courage to let her emerge once again.”
“And so will I.”
Lily turned around to meet the face of the person who had just uttered that promise. An explosion of tears instantly erupted from her eyes. “Somebody pl-please convince m-me that I ain’t hallucinatin’.”
Maya stepped forward and gently touched her daughter’s face. “I’m here, Lily,” she whispered tearfully. “I’m here,” she said again as she embraced her only child.
Lily was far too overcome with emotion to verbally respond. But the way she wept in her mother’s arms said enough. Everyone surrounding them fought their own swell of emotions as the pair silently conveyed their love for one another. A sudden fear made Lily reluctant to let her mother go on this occasion. “H-How long do I have with you?” Lily asked, wanting to keep her expectations at bay this time.
Her mother opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted before she could say a word.
“She’s here for good this time.”
Lily glanced over her mother’s shoulder and looked in the doorway at the man who responded. He then walked over and took her by the hand. “She ain’t goin’ anywhere this time, Lily. I swear that on my fatha’s soul,” Wyatt expressed with a tone of honorable sincerity.
Lily nodded as tears of appreciation streamed down her cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered, squeezing his hand in return.
James looked over
at Wyatt and nodded, silently conveying his appreciation for responding to the letter he had written to him days ago. His letter was simple and straight to the point:
Wyatt Collins,
I have found your sister. She is safe. As promised, I have passed on the contents that you and your brothers wished for her to have.
It seems we are all in consensus that Lily was deprived of her father’s love. For far too many years, she has also been deprived of her mother’s. It is my sincerest hope that you and your brothers will be willing to remedy such a tragedy, as soon as is possible, by bringing Maya here to our residence at Werthington Estate in Athens, Ohio. Your reply to this matter will be greatly anticipated.
James Adams
Wyatt’s reply was just as simple:
James Adams,
Honoring our father’s dream of reuniting Maya and Lily has been long overdue. Our arrival time at the Athens’ train station is scheduled for this Saturday afternoon at 2:30pm. Transportation from the train station to your residence would be appreciated. I look forward to seeing my sister again. I’m confident Maya is too.
Sincerely,
Wyatt Collins
James had received that letter via Pony express just days earlier. He shared the news with William. The very second William finished reading it, preparation for their arrival began. For days, Lily had been so engrossed in her father’s journals that the library transformation and the preparation for her mother’s arrival had all taken place without her noticing a thing. While James was sure to keep Lily occupied out by the lake, Isabel and Ryla were in the midst of preparing a special dinner, the twins were hard at work preparing Maya’s room, and Griff had polished his carriage, groomed his horses, and headed to pick Maya and Wyatt up at the train station. Despite being slightly under the weather, William waited proudly on the porch, ready to welcome Lily’s mother with open arms. Wyatt never uttered a word to Maya about their destination. He had simply helped her pack all her belongings and boarded a train with her bound for Athens, Ohio. The way Wyatt struggled to hide his joy during their trip hinted to Maya where she may be headed. But she kept her expectations at bay. On Isabel’s cue, Maya quietly entered William’s library to finally see with her own eyes that her suspicions for Wyatt’s joy were accurate.
The joy Wyatt felt was magnified by a million inside Lily the moment she embraced her mother. After thanking Wyatt for bringing her, Lily walked over to the man she knew deserved the rest of the credit for yet another magnificent surprise in her life. “You and your grand gestures,” she said to James, as she placed her hand in his.
“I just don’t eva’ feel completely settled inside until I fulfill my promises to you. I’m only eva’ at peace when I know you are, Miss Lily.”
“That’s one thing on a looong list ‘a reasons why I love you as much as I do, James Adams,” she said, kissing him lightly on the lips. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“It’s an honor,” he whispered back.
Lily then turned in a circle to look at all of the amazing people in her life. “Thank you to all of you …” She took her mother by the hand. “For welcomin’ my mama home.”
William walked up and held Maya’s other hand. “And anyone making this place feel like anything less than your home will have to answer to me,” he teased, evoking light laughter from everyone.
“I can assure you that’s nothin’ you’ll eva’ have to worry about around here, mama,” Lily replied.
“I thank you all for makin’ me feel so welcomed here,” Maya smiled.
James hobbled over on his cane and hugged Maya. “Glad to have you here. It’s so wonderful to see you again.”
“You too, sweetheart,” she replied, reciprocating his hug.
“I’m quite sure you two have lots ‘a catchin’ up to do, so we’ll leave you to it,” James told her.
Maya nodded.
Lily then took her mother by the hand again. “C’mon mama, I’ll show you around,” she smiled.
After watching the pair walk out of the library, Wyatt turned to James. “I’ll take that beer now,” he said, recalling that James had offered him one the first time he brought Maya to see Lily. His sarcasm was a peace offering for their contentious interaction that night.
James smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “I think that can be arranged.”
Wyatt followed behind James as he hobbled out of the library toward the kitchen. As they headed there, a delivery sitting in the foyer suddenly stopped James in his tracks. Wyatt froze too, looking puzzled by the strange look on James’s face. William walked up behind James as he stared at the new portrait of Emma that Piers LeRoux had duplicated. As James gazed at it, he had an instantaneous flashback of the older woman from the cabin, who had accompanied him to church.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” William joked, after noticing the bewildered look on James’s face.
“More like an angel,” James murmured, still gazing at Emma’s picture with a perplexed look on his face. “What did your students call your wife, William?”
“I’m confident you already know the answer to that,” William said, patting James on the back. With a grand smile on his face, he then walked away. When Emerson and Wilson returned home from the war, they both separately told their father that their mother had sat vigilantly beside them during times they were sick. By the look on James’s face, William was convinced that Emma had indeed been a guardian angel to him in his time of need as well.
I’ve been hangin’ around here for years. I’m certain you’ve seen me before, James recalled her saying. “She damn sho’ wasn’t lyin’,” he whispered, laughing lightly. “Thank you, Miss Em.”
“What?” Wyatt said, confused by the entire situation.
“Nothin’. Let’s grab those beers. I think I definitely need one now,” James said.
Wyatt shrugged and continued following him to the kitchen.
After filling their cups with Irish ale, James and Wyatt stepped out onto the back porch. They leaned on the railing with beers in hand, looking out at Maya and Lily walking arm in arm in the distance.
“I finally get a chance to thank you for what you did to get me outta that prison,” James said. “Still can’t believe you had me runnin’ through those woods ass naked, though,” James joked.
Wyatt nearly choked on his beer he started laughing so hard. “Had to give you motivation to stay the course.”
“Yeah, your brotha’ told me. Damn sho’ worked!” James laughed. “The humiliation was worth my freedom, though.”
“I’m sure men would be willin’ to do far more for such a thing.”
“No doubt. I know I make light ‘a what you and your brotha’ were willin’ to do, but I don’t take it lightly by any means. You sacrificed your career and your livelihood. I certainly appreciate it.”
“I had a damn good reason to take the risk,” Wyatt said, staring at his only sister in the distance. “She was so worth it.”
James raised his beer. “That she is.”
Wyatt turned to James. “Lily ain’t the only one I owe an apology to, ya’ know. I owe you one as well.”
“Why’s that?”
Wyatt sighed and turned to stare at the beer in his hand as his thoughts drifted away. “I let my fatha’ down when he asked me to help ’em search for Lily and reunite her with Maya. I angrily refused.” He paused and swallowed his quickly rising emotions as he thought about the end result. “I’s angry at myself for years ova’ that. I took my anga’ out on everyone around me … includin’ you.”
James looked confused. “How so?”
“I rememba’ the day you showed up at my fatha’s house, tryna’ do the very thing my fatha’ had asked me to help ’em do. And then, goddamn it, of all the prisons in Virginia, you ended up at mine. Felt like God was punishin’ me again. You were a reminda’ of the compassion that I lacked. So, I purposely left you in that prison dungeon for days, because I’s too much of a coward to see your face and be
reminded of my astronomical failure as a son. I didn’t even have an ounce of your courage. It hurt to accept that fact, and I wanted you to hurt too … so I let you rot. For that I sincerely apologize.”
James raised his glass again. “Apology accepted.”
Wyatt nodded. “Back then, I’s envious of your bravery.” He looked out at Maya and Lily when he suddenly heard them laughing. He then turned to look James in the eyes. “But now I’m grateful to you. I love the way you love my sista’. I have no doubt my fatha’ would say the same. I know he’s lookin’ down proud to see there’s a man in his daughta’s life willin’ to go to the ends of the earth to take care ‘a her the way she deserves.”
James nodded his appreciation. “And as a son, you’ve certainly gone to the ends of the earth to atone for the mistakes you feel you’ve made. I’m sure your fatha’s lookin’ down on you, feelin’ just as proud ‘a you for that too.”
Wyatt sighed. “I sure hope so.” He and James then turned back toward the sound of Maya and Lily laughing together in the amphitheater seats.
Having never ventured too far outside the Virginia town she was born in, Maya was overwhelmed with nervous excitement during her first train ride to see Lily. She was spellbound by the beauty of the countryside as she rode. The warmth of William’s hospitality and the grandness of his home further deepened her feeling that she was in a dream. The surrealness continued as Lily took her on a tour of William’s mansion. Lily had then led her out to the amphitheater, explaining the controversial reason the stage had been erected, and how James had worked tirelessly to help build it. They then sat down in the theater seats, and Lily proceeded to describe the Dream Symphony in a way that made Maya feel as though she was there watching it unfold before her very eyes. She was nearly in tears envisioning her only child centerstage, not to be sold, but mystifying a sea of people.