Rising Above

by Genevieve Fortin

  Melodie straightened up and looked at her with red-rimmed eyes. “You’re right. Let’s go back inside.” But she didn’t move. She kept staring into Ana’s eyes, who held her gaze. “Thank you,” Melodie finally said before she averted her eyes and walked toward the front door.

  “You’re welcome,” Ana replied to no one.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  It was mid-afternoon before the power came back and the road that led to the inn was accessible again. Melodie and Ana had spent the time walking on the beach and helping neighbors find and gather the belongings the wind and tide had taken from them. They couldn’t find everything, of course, including Mrs. Vezina’s cat, who’d never come home last night. They also made neat piles of broken trees, branches, broken furniture, and other debris. Some homes were damaged far worse than the inn. Others had remained practically untouched. The physical work helped Melodie keep her mind off the inn and the tasks ahead, starting with cancelling the few reservations they had for the upcoming weeks. The holidays would be spent mending their broken property.

  Once they were thoroughly exhausted, they came back to the inn and shared ham and cheese sandwiches. They didn’t talk. Their gaze met a few times and they exchanged understanding smiles, but they remained silent. Melodie wondered if Ana was as preoccupied as she was, or if she was simply giving her space. Either way she was grateful for the quiet companionship. They were finishing their sandwiches when the electricity came back on. She hadn’t turned on the light, but Melodie recognized the distinctive sounds of the fridge, the heat, all of that reassuring background humming one doesn’t notice until it’s gone. It was as if the inn was coming alive again, and she couldn’t help but smile.

  “That’s a relief, huh?” Ana said as she covered her hand on the table. Their table. Melodie met her gaze and thoughts of the last meal they’d shared at this table rushed through her mind. That fight seemed so far away now. And so pointless. She smiled at her and nodded in agreement. “Would you mind if I went to my room for a hot shower?”

  “No, of course not. I have phone calls to make. I’ll be fine.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yes. There’s no reason to be scared anymore, right? Go ahead. I’ll clear the table.”

  “Okay. I’ll be back in a few.” She watched Ana walk to the stairs, still dressed in her sweatpants and Save the Belugas T-shirt. She’d put on a brave face, but she missed Ana’s presence the minute she disappeared up the stairway. She realized she was being childish, but she couldn’t help it. She cleared the table and turned on the lights of the lobby and computer. She was opening up their reservation software when her grandmother arrived with Miller. She almost ran around the reception desk to fall into her embrace. She thought she was done crying, but she sobbed as soon as she felt the strength of her grandmother’s arms around her.

  “It’s all right, love. It’s over now.”

  Ana got out of the shower feeling refreshed and ready to go. She wasn’t sure what they’d do next, but she knew she wanted to do all she could to help Melodie and Yvonne recover from the storm. She couldn’t explain why, but she felt responsible for what had happened, as if predicting it or even just talking about it had given her power to make it come true. She knew it was ridiculous, but she couldn’t help it.

  Melodie probably thought that now that she’d seen the storm, now that she’d lived through it, she’d simply leave and write about her experience and use it to prove that everyone needed to relocate away from the coast as soon as possible. She couldn’t blame her for thinking that way. If the storm had hit at her arrival, that’s probably exactly what she would have done. She’d be talking to governments and to various environmental organizations. She’d be using the sense of urgency the storm had created to make concrete plans, accelerating the process forward. She still planned on doing all that, but things were different now. Her priorities had changed. She cared about these women, about Thomas, about this place. She wanted to help them, to be useful to them first and foremost. She wanted them to know they could trust her. She wanted Melodie to keep relying on her.

  She placed Melodie’s sweatpants and T-shirt in a laundry bag. She’d wash them before returning them. She felt more comfortable in her own jeans, button-down shirt and sweater. She felt like herself again, yet she strangely missed the scent of Melodie’s clothes on her and how close she’d felt to her while she was wearing them.

  She heard Yvonne’s and Melodie’s voices as she went down the stairs. The first came from the dining room while the second came from the reception area. Miller greeted her at the bottom of the stairs with a wagging tail and she sat on the bottom step to pet him as she assessed the situation. Yvonne was on her cell phone, pacing back and forth in the dining room as she spoke in French. Melodie’s conversation was in English, so she focused on her. “Again, I’m really sorry, Mr. Smith, and I hope you’ll consider the White Sheep Inn for your next trip…right. Thank you and happy holidays.”

  She hung up and turned to Ana. “Feeling better?”

  “Much, thank you. It sounds like that call went well.”

  “It did, but unfortunately they’re not all as understanding as Mr. Smith. Some are downright nasty about it. No fucking compassion at all.”

  She raised her voice and Ana saw her eyes fill with tears. She rushed around the reception desk and put her hands on Melodie’s shoulders. “Hey, why don’t you take a break, huh? I’ll call the next one.”

  “No, it’s fine. It’s not your job—”

  “I insist.”

  Melodie met her gaze and took a deep breath before she smiled. “Thank you.”

  “No need to thank me. We’re in this together.” She picked up the phone but waited before dialing, distracted by Yvonne, whose tone had also changed. She sounded angry. “What’s that about? She doesn’t sound happy.”

  “She’s with the insurance company. And you’re right; it sounds like the conversation took a turn for the worse.”

  Melodie didn’t explain further and she looked worried as she listened to her grandmother. Soon she joined her in the dining room and they both became more and more upset as the conversation went on. Ana called the next name tagged as English speaking on the list of reservations, a nice lady who wished them the best and promised to stay at the inn on her next visit. When she hung up, Yvonne was finishing up with the insurance company and both women looked completely defeated.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Apparently those fuckers haven’t covered flooding caused by natural disasters in this area for over two years. They say they sent a letter but Mammie doesn’t remember seeing it and I sure haven’t seen it.”

  “Did you pay for it?”

  “We thought we did, but they say our premiums should have gone up and didn’t because they stopped covering natural disasters. They say that alone should have raised a flag even if we didn’t receive the letter, which they maintain isn’t possible,” Yvonne answered.

  “Assholes,” Melodie mumbled.

  “Well, I’m sure the government will help in a situation like this. Right?” Ana suggested in an attempt to comfort them.

  “It probably will, but that will take ages, like anything that comes from the government. If we wait for that money to fix this place, we won’t be ready for the spring. Our busy season is short. We can’t afford to be closed for any of it,” Yvonne replied before she threw her cell phone to the floor.

  Ana had never seen Yvonne so angry. For the first time, she recognized some of her granddaughter’s temper. She didn’t know what she could say to alleviate the tension, so she remained quiet. The silence soon became heavy as both women brooded over the problem. Ana stared at the next number on the list but didn’t dare to dial it, waiting for someone to talk.

  What broke the silence, however, was a meowing sound from outside. Ana immediately looked at Melodie, who met her gaze briefly before they rushed outside. They saw a black-and-white cat sitting less than ten feet from them an
d Ana instinctively grabbed Melodie’s hand. “Do you think…”

  “Yes, it’s Mrs. Vezina’s cat,” Melodie answered as she squeezed her hand.

  “Oh my god, I thought…”

  “Me too.”

  They looked at each other and laughed nervously before they both crouched down and called the cat. “Here, kitty kitty,” Ana called while Melodie simply clicked her tongue repeatedly. The cat ran straight to her and she picked him up. Ana caressed the fur on his back and felt him tremble. “Mrs. Vezina will be so relieved.”

  “Yes,” Melodie said with determination in her eyes. She took a deep breath and massaged the thick fur around his neck. The cat stopped trembling and purred at the touch. “Everything will be okay,” she added. Ana wasn’t certain if she was talking to her, to the cat, or to herself, but she liked the assurance in her voice. She followed her inside and watched her take charge. “Mammie, call Mrs. Vezina and tell her we found her cat. I’ll finish cancelling our reservations and then I’ll call Kevin and Ana and I will go pick up dad. We’ll get this place back in shape in no time. I promise.”

  “Come on, love. Do you really think we can count on Kevin and your dad to help us?”

  “I won’t give them a choice, Mammie. They owe us that much, don’t you think?” She grinned mischievously and Ana couldn’t help but smile in return, a strange mix of attraction and admiration brewing inside her.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Ana didn’t know why she was needed to go pick up Melodie’s dad until Melodie parked her Honda Civic in front of an old decrepit bar and explained. “I may need your help to drag him out of there. Depends how long he’s been drinking already.”

  “What if he’s home?”

  “Oh he’s here.” She sighed and got out of the car so Ana followed. They entered the bar and were welcomed by a vile odor of stale beer and humidity. The ceiling was low; the room was dark. Ana tried to hold her breath as she followed Melodie to a round table where four middle-aged men played cards and laughed too loud. She recognized Melodie’s father even before they got to the table. Those light blue eyes had to be related. “Salut, Papa.”

  “Ma belle fille,” he exclaimed before he pulled her down into a hug, obviously happy to see his daughter.

  “This is Ana, my friend.” Melodie continued in English for her sake, which she was grateful for.

  “Nice to meet you, Ana. Any friend of my daughter’s is a friend of mine,” he said with a thick accent as he stood up and shook her hand, holding on to the table with his other hand to steady himself.

  “Nice to meet you too, Mr. Beaulieu.”

  “Please, call me Jerome.” One of the other three men said something in French and they all burst out laughing again. “Don’t listen to them. They’re assholes,” he added for Ana, slurring his words.

  “I can’t understand a word they say, so don’t worry about them.” They laughed again and Jerome fell back into his chair.

  “Ana and I are here to take you back with us, Dad. We need you at the inn.”

  “You what?”

  “I need you,” she repeated, looking straight into his eyes. Ana knew enough about Melodie now to guess her father hadn’t heard those words often in recent years, if he’d heard them at all. In fact, she would have been willing to bet that Jerome had needed his daughter much more than she’d needed him. The way they stared at each other confirmed her suspicion. Jerome finally nodded and stood up again, holding on to the table as he bid farewell to his drinking buddies in French. As soon as he walked away from the table, he staggered and grabbed a hold of Melodie to keep from falling. Ana rushed to his other side and put his arm around her shoulders. They carefully and slowly made their way to the car where Jerome quickly settled into the back seat and let Melodie secure his seatbelt.

  Ana stood by the car and observed, shocked and saddened by the man’s appearance in the light of day. His grey hair and beard were long and shaggy. His plaid shirt and faded jeans were crumpled and dirty. The smell of the bar clung to him. She focused on his eyes, the only part of him she found familiar and comforting. The sound of the car door closing startled her and she realized she’d been caught staring. “He’s a different man when he sobers up, you’ll see,” Melodie declared before she walked around the car to the driver’s side.

  Ana took her place in the passenger’s seat and offered Melodie a compassionate smile before she drove away. They’d barely made it two blocks when Jerome started snoring in the back seat. “He hasn’t always been this bad, if that’s what you’re wondering.” Melodie’s words interrupted her thoughts. That was exactly what she’d been wondering, imagining her own childhood, as loveless as it had been, might have been a picnic compared to Melodie’s. “He’s always been a heavy weekend drinker, but he always found a way to keep a job while I was growing up. We always had a roof over our heads and food on the table. He was a great dad. The drinking wasn’t out of control before I left home.”

  “Do you think he might be lonely?” Ana asked, not realizing her question might sound accusatory before it came out of her mouth.

  “I know he is,” she answered with a deep sigh. “What was I supposed to do? Stay with my dad and take care of him for the rest of my life?” she added more defensively, raising her voice.

  “Of course not,” Ana hurried to say as she placed a hand on Melodie’s knee to soothe her. “Your father’s an adult. His happiness is not your responsibility any more than my mother’s happiness was mine.” Melodie covered the hand she’d put on her knee but Ana jerked it away and focused on the sea view out of the passenger’s side window. She couldn’t believe or understand why she’d brought up her mother into this conversation. Constance’s voice came back to her, replaying the words she’d spent the last days of her life repeating over and over again. Words that had validated Ana’s impressions of her childhood. Words she’d thought she’d buried for good when she’d buried her mother. “I might have won a Tony award if I didn’t have to drag you around with me everywhere. The least you can do now is take care of your dying mother. You owe it to me.”

  Ana remained quiet for the rest of the drive. Melodie gave her the space she needed. There were hundreds of questions she wanted to ask about Ana’s mother, but now was not the time, not with her drunk father in the back seat of her car. She wasn’t ashamed of her father. She knew he and Ana would get along once he sobered up and she would see what a great man he could be. Yet she couldn’t help but feel embarrassment from the situation. She was still surprised she’d asked Ana to come with her. She knew she’d find her father in that bar, and she knew he’d be drunk. She could have asked Kevin to come with her. He was used to seeing her father that way and wouldn’t have thought anything of it. But she’d asked Ana.

  Kevin’s pickup truck was parked in the driveway when they arrived at the inn and she rushed inside, followed by Ana. They found Kevin and her grandmother sitting at a table in the dining room, drinking coffee. “Kevin Cloutier, I told you that truck isn’t safe for Thomas.” She looked around for her son but couldn’t see him anywhere.

  “Relax, Mel. Thomas stayed home with my family. I wasn’t sure what I’d walk into when I came here. I’ll bring him back in my parent’s SUV tomorrow.”

  “Oh, good,” she said to express her relief, hoping she’d managed to cover her disappointment about his absence.

  “Where’s your dad?” her grandmother asked, worried.

  “Sleeping in the car.”

  “Figures,” she added as she shook her head. “I don’t see what kind of help you think he can be.”

  “He will be fine, Mammie. We can put him in a room while we work on the repairs. He’ll do the right thing. Have some faith in him, will you?”

  “Stay here? With you, Ana, and the baby? No. I told you I’d take him in with me at the duplex. It’s not your job to take care of him, love.”

  “It’s not yours either. And it will be more convenient for him to stay here. Did you get a chance to look
around, Kevin?” She closed the debate over where her father would live.

  “Yes,” Kevin said hesitantly.

  “And can you help us fix things?”

  “Yes. If your dad can give me a hand, we can get everything taken care of by the time I have to go back to Calgary in three weeks. Well, everything but the paint outside. You’ll have to wait for summer to do that, but at least everything will be secured before I leave.”

  “Great. But you know we might not be able to pay you before we get money from the government. Will that be a problem?”

  “Come on, Mel. We might not be together anymore, but we’ll always be family. My time is yours. Just find money to pay for the building materials.”

  Her eyes filled with tears as she watched her grandmother hug Kevin to express her gratitude.

  “I know nothing about construction, but I’ll be glad to help any way I can,” Ana added. Melodie turned to her and wiped the tears out of her eyes, unable to speak.

  “I’m sure we’ll find stuff for you to do,” Kevin said as he approached Ana and introduced himself.

  Melodie watched them shake hands and exchange pleasantries. She saw them laugh with her grandmother and surprised herself thinking everything might very well be okay after all.

  “Want me to help you get your dad inside before I go?” Kevin asked, interrupting her thoughts.

  “I can help,” Ana offered, standing by her side.

  Melodie met her gaze and had no doubt that she really did want to help. Although getting her father inside would be much easier with the help of Kevin’s physical strength, she’d decided to share this difficult and sensitive part of her life with Ana today, and she didn’t want to back out of that decision now. “You go back to Thomas and your family. Ana will help me with Dad.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three