A sharp clap of thunder and lightning caused her to jump, upending the rest of her soup. Coco raised her big head and looked around sleepily.
“Ugh, what a mess! At least it was almost empty.” Julia sighed at the red stain on the blanket. “Man, that was close by, wasn’t it, girl? We might find a dead tree somewhere tomorrow.” Julia got up and tossed the blanket in the laundry room on her way to the kitchen. Rinsing her bowl in the sink, she heard Coco’s nails click across the linoleum behind her. “Hey, girl, you want something?”
Woof! Woof! Coco stood by the back door staring at it.
“What’s wrong, Coco? I know you don’t want to go outside.” It was then that Julia looked out the window and saw the flames.
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Marley settled into the small apartment above the hardware store and tried to relax. He was scheduled to start work Monday and wanted time to familiarize himself with the layout, so Joe okayed him to move in a couple of days early. It was only temporary until he could think about what he wanted to do next. His future was previously laid out in front of him at the farm, until Julia showed up and blew it all to..., well, blew it up. He didn’t think he’d be there forever, but a few years, at least. The produce was good, and his sales to the big farmer’s market in the next town over were keeping things afloat. That, along with the inheritance from his grandmother, kept him comfortable. He didn’t need the job, but he did need to keep busy and his mind occupied.
And therein lay the current problem.
No matter how many times he tried to read, or pray, or do crossword puzzles, his mind wandered to Julia. He felt as though he’d abandoned her, but at the same time, he didn’t believe he had a choice. Their relationship could not work, and it wasn’t fair to either of them to prolong the agony. The temptation was too much. Marley thought he had willpower until he found himself falling in love with Julia.
But tonight was different. His thoughts weren’t romantically inclined but more of concern, as though something was wrong. Maybe it was the storm. The rain lessened, but the wind and thunder and lightning were fierce. He hoped the animals were okay. Old Jake, the mule, was not fond of storms and had been known to kick his stall open and escape into the fields. He could only go so far because of the fence, but it wouldn’t do for him to be tearing around out there in the dark.
Maybe I should call just to be sure everything’s okay.
Marley then realized he’d have to go down into the store to call, so he told himself to stop imagining things and go to bed. Turning out the light, he fluffed his pillow for the hundredth time and turned on his side. Unable to get comfortable after a few minutes, he turned the other way. Julia’s face kept appearing in his mind.
Go.
“What?” Marley sat up straight, switched on the light, and looked around. Seeing nothing, he hesitated a moment before turning it off again.
Go.
“Lord, is that You?” He asked even though he instinctively knew. Grabbing his clothes, he dressed quickly and hurried downstairs. Before heading out the back door, he stopped long enough to call the farm. It rang and rang. No answer. Julia should be there this time of night. Something was wrong. Running across the rear lot, Marley jumped in his truck and took off. The rain was steady, the wind blowing it sideways. Lightning flashed in the distance, reminding him of a scene from that new sci-fi movie, The Doomsday Machine. Weirdest thing ever. Who watched that stuff?
Focusing his attention on the highway, he took the turn to the farm road on two wheels, skidding on loose gravel before righting himself. Lord, please let Julia be okay. Marley barely slowed as he drove towards the house. There were a few lights on, and he smelled smoke, but it wasn’t until he pulled around the side that he saw the flames leaping from the barn. Somehow, he knew she was out there. “Julia!”
Chapter 37
“Julia! Julia!” Marley shouted as he ran towards the building. Coco barked and danced frantically in front of the structure. She ran to Marley, nearly tripping him as he grabbed an old towel from a hook and dunked it in the water barrel that sat in the corner. Covering his head but leaving space to see, he pulled open the double doors and was immediately driven back by the smoke that poured out. “Julia! Are you in here?” He doubted she could hear him over the roar of the fire.
He couldn’t hear the animals and didn’t know if that was good or bad. Turning to the right, he made his way around the tractor and up the stairs to the loft. He couldn’t imagine she’d be up there, but he had to be sure. The door was closed, and smoke engulfed him as soon as he opened it. “Julia! Julia!” Inadvertently sucking in the toxic air, Marley’s lungs spasmed, sending him flailing backwards down the stairs.
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Julia was shaking so badly she could hardly tie off the rope around Old Jake’s neck. When she’d rushed into the barn, the flames had not yet broken through the roof, so she’d immediately freed the mule and Dolly, the horse from their stalls, leading them to the old stable that was only used now for storage. Slipping several times in the mud, she thought she’d never get them there safely. Checking their ropes again, Julia took a deep breath and opened the door. They were far enough away from the barn not to be concerned as long as the wind didn’t blow that direction.
Hurrying to the house to call for the fire department, she was stunned to see Marley’s truck. What is he doing here? He must be inside calling. And looking for me!
“Marley? Marley!” Not finding him anywhere, Julia rushed upstairs, continuing to call out, “Marley! Where are you?” Where could he be? The barn! Oh, God, no!
Julia ran down the stairs two at a time, hurtling through the kitchen and out the door. Unable to approach the double doors, she covered her mouth and crawled around the tractor to the loft access.
“Marley! Are you up there? Marley, please answer me! Please!” Oh, dear Lord, please let him be okay. Please, Lord, please. I love him.
A gut-wrenching cough sounded through the darkness.
“Marley? Marley!” Julia removed her jacket and put it over her head, feeling her way up the smoke-filled steps. Only two up, and she tripped over something. “Marley? Oh, God, Marley, please answer me.” Tears streaming down her face, she was virtually blind. Reaching down, she moved her hands around until she found Marley’s face. There was something stuck to it, but she’d worry about that later. She got her hands under his shoulders, and using the angle of the stairs, managed to shift him slightly. “Come on, Marley, I need you to help me.” No response.
“Lord, I need You to help me,” she cried out. Marley coughed again, causing his body to spasm and slide down the stairs.
“Okay, we’re down, that’s good.” Julia was able to roll him over and get him to his knees. The towel, now completely dry, fell off.
Gagging and coughing, Marley vomited violently.
“Marley, we’ve got to get out of here! You need to stand up. Marley, stand up!”
Without answering, Marley reached a hand out towards the tractor, but jerked it back immediately. The metal was too hot.
“Here, hold on to the wall. Can you do that? Here, put your hand here.” Julia pulled on his arm with every ounce of strength to get Marley to his feet. Finally, they staggered along the back wall of the shed out into the cold night. The wet air felt wonderful, and they gulped fresh air which caused them both to start coughing again.
Gasping and crying, Julia looked at Marley. “Are you okay? Are you okay? I thought you were dead. I thought I was going to lose you.” Julia sobbed uncontrollably. Sirens screamed in the distance. Someone had obviously called the fire department.
Unable to speak, Marley simply nodded. Red lights broke through the darkness as a tanker truck roared up beside them. An ambulance followed close behind. As the paramedics put oxygen masks on them, they watched silently while the firemen doused the rest of the fire, leaving a wet mess behind. Only the covered shed remained partiall
y intact, the tires on the tractor and old farm truck melted.
Insisting they be checked out at the emergency room, the paramedics begrudgingly allowed Julia to drive them in while the ambulance followed. They were both given oxygen for a couple hours, and Marley was sent home with an antibiotic and medicine for his throat. They would both be whispering for a few days.
The trip home was silent. Their scratchy throats made them want to choose their words carefully. Pulling into the drive, the scene before them was surreal. Dawn was breaking over the horizon, and the soft sunrise spotlighted the devastation before them. Based on Julia’s report, it seemed clear that lightning had struck the barn, so there was no need for the fire department to return. Marley parked his truck near the back door, reached for Julia’s hand, and squeezed.
“You saved me,” he whispered, tears in his eyes. “Thank you.”
“No, Marley, I didn’t save you. God did. He saved us both. He saved me.” Julia returned the squeeze, and they sat together watching the day arrive.
Chapter 38
March 2, 1973
Having cleaned up and gotten a few hours of sleep, Marley rose to put on the coffee. His throat felt raw, so he gargled with the solution he’d been given before heading to the kitchen.
“Yuck! That is nasty!” he exclaimed, though not very loudly.
Making his way down the short hall, he caught the smell of coffee and was surprised to find Julia on the back porch.
“Hey,” he croaked.
“Hey, yourself,” Julia whispered and smiled. “How’d you sleep?”
“Like the dead. You?”
“Yeah, the same,” she returned.
“More coffee? I’ll get it.” Marley stood up.
“Thanks.” Julia watched him. Her throat closed up at last night’s memory, and tears threatened. Marley returned with the steaming mugs and set them on the small wooden table between them before settling himself again in the rocker.
Picking up his mug, he sipped carefully. “Ouch. That hurts. Oh, man, I may have to put ice in there before I can drink it.” He set his mug down and looked at Julia. “You don’t seem to be having any trouble,” he said, grinning.
“I didn’t take in nearly as much of that nasty smoke as you did. My throat’s a little sore, but nothing like yours, I’m sure.” Julia teared up again.
“Hey, it’s okay. We’re okay.” Marley reached for her hand. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Julia turned her gaze to what was left of the barn and took a deep breath.
“I was sitting in the family room with a fire going, and I spilled my soup...”
“What?” Marley interrupted.
“Not much, it was almost empty, thank goodness. But the lightning strike startled me, and I jumped. Anyway, it got on the blanket, so I got up to put that in the laundry room, and then I took my bowl to the kitchen. I was rinsing it out when Coco walked over to the door and started barking. Coco! Oh, my gosh! Marley, where’s Coco? I forgot all about her! How could I be so stupid?” Julia was becoming hysterical as she tore out the screen door, Marley on her heels. “Julia, wait! Hold up!” He croaked as loudly as he could. Catching up with her, he grabbed her arm. “Hold on, okay? When did you last see her?”
“I don’t know! I can’t...wait, in the kitchen! When she was barking. But she wasn’t in the house when we came home this morning. She must have run out the door behind me last night! Oh, Marley, we’ve got to find her!”
Since neither of them could yell, they first checked the old stable where Julia had safely secured Old Jake and Dolly. They were fine but no sign of Coco. After returning to the house for rubber boots, they slogged their way through the fields, calling as best they could without success. Exhausted, they staggered home and collapsed on the picnic table under the large oak tree.
Marley started to speak, then stopped and started again, “Wait! I just remembered! Coco was outside the barn when I got here. She was barking like crazy and running around which is why I thought you were inside.”
“But I didn’t see her when I came to the barn. I went in the house first because I thought that’s where you were after I saw your truck. I couldn’t find you, so I ran back outside to the barn. Marley, I never saw Coco after I ran out of the house the first time. You’re sure she was at the barn when you got here?”
“Absolutely. I nearly fell over her when I headed up to the loft.” Marley’s heart sank. They both looked towards what was left of the barn and shed. Julia moaned, “Oh, no, no, Coco, noooo! Coco!” She jumped up, but Marley grabbed her and pulled her back down.
“No, Julia, you stay here. Let me go.”
JuJu struggled against him but relented at the look on his face.
Marley stood up and walked towards the mess. There was hardly anything recognizable of the main structure. The rain had cooled everything off, but he could still feel the warm ground through the soles of his boots. He poked around with a long stick he’d picked up. Thankfully, he found nothing. Looking towards Julia, he shook his head.
Moving to the shed, he carefully checked the support before stepping under it. Disappearing from Julia’s view, he walked behind the old truck, checking the corners, then coming up short when he saw what he’d dreaded to find.
When Marley didn’t return, Julia got up and hurried over. Before she reached it, she heard him. The sound of his crying undid her, and she fell to her knees sobbing.
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Marley laid the last stone in place, and Julia knelt to place camellia branches over the dark mound of wet dirt. Water still dripped from the oak leaves above their heads, but neither of them noticed. It started sprinkling again when Marley went in search of a shovel. All of the tools were destroyed in the fire, but one lone shovel had been left outside by the back door for some unknown, or unremembered, reason. Digging Coco’s grave winded him badly, but he was determined to do it himself. Putting his arm around Julia as she stood up, he rubbed his chest absentmindedly.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” he croaked. “I should gargle with that throat medicine again soon, though. Not looking forward to that.”
Julia returned her gaze to where the crimson blooms rested against the dark green foliage. “I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it.” She looked up at Marley. “Could you tell what happened?”
Marley hesitated for a few seconds, pondering how much to tell, but Julia deserved to know.
“It looks like she crawled under the truck, and her collar got caught on something. I’m guessing the smoke...” Marley’s voice cracked, “got to her.”
“Oh, no, poor Coco.” Julia’s tears fell freely as Marley hugged her to his chest.
“She died instantly. I promise she didn’t suffer.” He wasn’t sure of that but said it anyway. Julia didn’t need a painful image of the sweet dog’s last moments.
“Thank you for taking care of her. I’m not sure I could have handled it.” He’d also taken a blanket from the back seat and wrapped Coco in it before bringing her out to Julia.
“You ready to go inside? We need to get out of this cold.”
Julia nodded as she reached for Marley’s hand, which she held tightly as they walked to the door.
Chapter 39
Exhausted by the events of the last twenty-four hours, Marley and Julia sat quietly by the fireplace, sipping hot chocolate. The empty spot in front of the hearth filled them with sadness. They sat side by side, not touching but each comforted by the other’s presence. Julia sighed.
Marley reached for her hand and squeezed gently, words not needed. People from church had brought dinner, so earlier they ate beef stew and cornbread. Empty dessert plates, licked clean of lemon meringue pie, sat on the coffee table. Julia leaned against Marley’s arm and put her head on his shoulder.
He spoke first. “What you said earlier, in the truck, you know, after we got back...was that true?”
�
��Was what true?”
Marley turned to face Julia. “When I thanked you for saving me, you said you didn’t. You said God saved me. That He saved us. That He saved you.”
Julia smiled. “Yes, it was true. It is true.”
“Will you tell me what happened?”
“I would love to.”
For the next two hours, Julia shared how she occasionally felt as though she heard a voice when no one was around, and while reading her old diary, she’d come across her grandmother’s journaling inside it. As Julia’s voice occasionally caught with tears of sadness and joy, Marley put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. The fire crackled and gradually died down as Julia recounted some of her painful childhood. Marley stroked her hair and brushed away the tears when she cried and held her hands when she laughed.
He could not deny that he was deeply in love with this woman, had been almost from the start, although he tried to stuff his feelings. Her stubbornness made him crazy at times, but he loved her anyway. Marley realized Julia had stopped talking and was gazing at him.
“What?” he asked.
“I was just wondering what you’re thinking?” Julia’s green eyes glittered in the dying firelight.
Marley returned her gaze. “I was actually thinking about how crazy you make me, and how you have completely turned my life upside down.”
Julia blushed and looked away before speaking, “So, is that a good thing, or a bad thing?”
Marley leaned closer, not breaking eye contact. “It is most definitely a good thing. A very good thing.”
Julia held her breath as Marley brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek. His touch sent a shock through her, but she didn’t move. She knew it would be different this time. This time was right. And good.
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