by C J Murphy
A sudden tiredness overtook her. She stretched and yawned, while she rolled her neck left and right. Jordan rubbed her own neck to relieve the tension. She stood and walked to the windows to watch the day fade into evening. The waves crashed into the shoreline, pounding rocks smooth and opening crevices into wide yawns.
Lately the quest had overtaken everything in her life. Taking this vacation with her family was breathing life back into her soul. Living vicariously through the list Aggie had created for Noeul was feeding Jordan, and yet part of her soul still felt raw. She was alone, experiencing these incredible things. Tina had taken, no stolen, something from her that she had yet to find again.
Jordan put her hand over her heart. In this single organ lies the alleged center of our ability to connect to someone on a level beyond outward appearance. Beauty is skin deep, but love? True love is supposed to be molecular, something so deep we feel it in the marrow of our bones. Love isn’t perfect. I only hope that true love is honest and will rise above the din of life, above the noise and the doubts. She was watching what she was sure was true love grow between Dava and Sarah. She wished for them a long life full of adventure, good health, and children if they wanted them. I’d totally rock at being an aunt.
Jordan stepped back to the computer and the other clues. One looked like it might be in German, and another was likely a letter shift that would definitely take Dava’s skills. Her cellphone rang. “Come on over to our room,” Sarah said. “Dava has most of your clues worked out.”
Jordan wanted to check on Sarah first. “Am I on speaker?”
“Nope.”
Jordan laughed and proceeded to try and help settle Sarah’s nerves. “Take a deep breath. She’s going to say yes. Dava loves you. I’ll be right over.” She heard Sarah take a deep breath, and then laugh.
Jordan tried hard not to smirk as she walked through the door Sarah opened. “Whatcha got, Watson?”
“Get over here, smartass. Figure any of it out by yourself, Sherlock?”
Jordan squeezed her sister’s cheek. “I did. I used that pigpen cipher to come up with that bizarre saying about north, south, east, west. I haven’t looked it up yet. The symbol…I haven’t been able to check out. There’s something familiar about it.”
“Well, it’s far from the current logo that it’s associated with.” Dava pulled up the symbol. “That,” she pointed to her screen, “is the logo for the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 1958. It’s been through a few renditions, most recently in 2016 when they adopted the red logo.”
Jordan watched the screen flip through various renditions of the logo. “Ok, so I also translated the Roman numeral code ninety-seven point five. Any idea about that?”
Dava shook her head and reached out for Sarah’s hand. “Some. Sarah actually figured out a little of this with some firsthand knowledge. There is a reference to a Gustave Jacob Stoeckel that came into play.”
“We worked that out in Morse code. My mom is a classical pianist who studied at both Yale and Julliard. I remembered his name from one time when we went to her performance at Yale.” Sarah pointed to the screen. “This guy was Yale’s first music professor. We had to figure out what connected him to a place called, 'The Music Shed.' It was his son, Carl and his wife, Ellen, that founded the music venue. In the next clue, Dava found a word shift that gave us Thomas Hovenden. He was commissioned by Gustave’s daughter-in-law, the same Ellen Stoeckel, to create a painting called, The Last Moments of John Brown which…”
Dava continued, “The Met just happened to assign the ascension number 97.5 when they took it into their collection. That painting depicts the abolitionist John Brown’s last moments before his execution. You remember what he did right?”
Jordan nodded as she sat at the desk. “I do. He was the abolitionist who seized the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, although it was Virginia at that time.”
Sarah pointed to Jordan. “Bingo.”
Jordan furrowed her brow. “What?”
Dava turned the computer to her. “Remember that phrase you said you decoded? Most southern of the northern, the most northern of the southern, the most western of the eastern, and the most eastern of the western?”
Jordan indicated that she did. “Yes.”
“Well, you can’t do much of a search for it in modern day. Try to think about the time period of the Civil War. West Virginia became a separate state in 1863, four years after John Brown was hung. The final reference I had was in a shift, Fredrick Douglas, Storer College. My dear sister, I think you are headed to Jefferson County, West Virginia. More than likely the national park at Harpers Ferry.”
Jordan looked at Dava, and Sarah sitting beside her holding her hand. In a few more hours, she had every confidence that they would take their relationship to the next level. She welcomed the addition to their family and couldn’t wait to congratulate them.
Jordan stood up and hugged Dava and Sarah. “Okay you two, I’ll start doing some research on that…tomorrow. Tonight, we have dinner plans. I’m going to go get ready. I’ll see you guys in twenty minutes.”
***
Jordan saw Sarah wipe a bead of sweat off her upper lip. Sarah’s bouncing leg was hitting the back of the driver’s seat. The reassuring smile Jordan tried to send in her reflection didn’t seem to bring any comfort. If Sarah couldn’t find some control Dava would soon notice.
“Is the tag in your shirt bothering you, Sarah?” Dava reached over and pulled slightly at the crisp collar of the light-blue, button-down shirt Sarah was wearing with a matching tie.
“Uhm, maybe a little, I’m warm.” Sarah leaned up, meeting Jordan’s eyes in the mirror. “Can you turn the AC on? I’m sweating like a gambling addict in front of his loan shark.”
Jordan couldn’t stifle a laugh. There was little doubt in her mind that Sarah’s sweating had more to do with the small velvet box in her pocket than the temperature of the van. “Sure, we’re almost there. A few more minutes.”
Dava used a magazine to fan Sarah. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay? Your face is flushed, and your ears are beet red. Why’d you dress up so much anyway? I didn’t think dinner outside constituted a state affair. I’m not complaining, because you do look sexy as hell. That robin’s egg blue has always been my favorite on you.”
Jordan bit her upper lip and, without moving her head, shifted her eyes briefly to her mother, who was biting her own lip. Little sister you are going to be blown away.
They arrived at the restaurant and were shown to a semi-private table with Jordan’s Pond and the Bubble Mountains clearly in view. Jordan knew that Sarah had made special arrangements with the restaurant to provide them with a modicum of privacy for what she had planned. The manicured lawn looked like carpet, as Sarah pushed Dava’s companion chair up to the teakwood table and took a seat beside her on the hunter-green bench.
A waitress brought menus and glasses of water to their table. “You all are in luck. With these unseasonably warm temperatures, it’s comfortable enough to sit outside at night. I’ll be back in a minute to take your order.”
“So, tell me about the clue you found. I watched the dive video and it was spectacular. It’s hard to believe the world that exists below the waves.” Dalia picked up her water glass and sipped.
Jordan winked at Sarah. “I’ll let Dava and Sarah tell you since they figured out the majority of it.”
Dava proceeded to lay out the clues, with Sarah adding commentary. She was unable to stay away from a physical connection to Dava. The gentle touches, the way she held Dava’s hand, even the way she turned herself so as not to miss even an accidental touch, was truly a beautiful sight to behold.
Jordan’s mind was so lost in her thoughts, she missed what had been asked. “What?”
Dava’s amusement made Jordan’s face flush. “I asked you what your plans are for Harpers Ferry?” Dava turned to Sarah. “I think that cold water froze both your brains.”
“Very funny.” Jordan took a sip of her water. “
I honestly don’t know. Should be an easy trip once we get back to D.C. I’ve never spent much time there, other than a research trip over to West Virginia University’s orchard. I did some long-distance projects with Dr. Kallie Nelson.”
Dava raised an eyebrow at Jordan.
“Don’t start. Here comes our waitress.” Jordan was glad for the interruption. Dr. Kallie Nelson had never made any secret of her interest in Jordan. The two had graduated together and gone their separate ways after receiving their doctorates. The brief relationship had burned hot and quickly incinerated.
The group placed their orders and looked out over the tranquility before them. Diners carried on conversations that drifted on the evening air. “So, have you talked to Kallie lately?” Dava asked.
Jordan sent a piercing look Dava’s way that seemed to only increase her sister’s persistence. Dava narrowed her eyes at her. “I know we share a brain sometimes. Right now, I’m having trouble reading anything in your head other than the daggers you’re throwing my way.”
Jordan sighed. “No, I haven’t. The last time Kallie called was an invitation to her wedding, as much to show how her life turned out without me as it was to have me there as a friend.”
“She was crazy about you, JJ.” Dava reached out and held her sister’s forearm.
“I know. We wanted different things and were completely incompatible in most of our choices, Dava.”
“Well, at least you had fun while it lasted.”
Their meals arrived, but Sarah barely touched her food. Even the delicious dessert menu didn’t seem able to tempt her. Dava placed a hand on Sarah’s cheek. “Are you feeling ok? You’re not getting sick, are you?” She put the back of her hand on Sarah’s forehead.
Sarah clasped the hand and kissed the fingers she held. “I’m fine.”
Dava’s brow creased. “Well, something must be wrong with you. You didn’t eat even half your dinner. Scallops are your favorite.”
Jordan decided it was time to help Sarah out with a small push. “Maybe she has something important on her mind.”
Dava looked over at Jordan, missing the shocked expression on Sarah’s face. “What’s going on with you two?” Dava waved her finger back and forth between the women. “I know that look, and it means you’re up to no good and you…” she turned to her girlfriend, stopping midsentence at the ring held between Sarah’s thumb and index finger.
One glance at their mother had Jordan pulling Dalia close and reaching for her hand. They watched as Sarah got up from the bench, turned Dava’s chair to face her, and dropped to one knee.
“Dava, I’ve searched my whole life for someone who accepted my head for what it is, a giant jumble of thoughts and ideas. The day we met, my heart stuck in my throat. I thought you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. I knew I’d met my equal when you showed me a possible enhancement to my program I hadn’t even considered. Ever since that day, I’ve dreamed of a life with you by my side. Now, before you lay out all the objections as to why this can’t work on a permanent basis, save it. I’ve thought of every one of them, and my answer is still the same.” Sarah pointed to the wheelchair. “This doesn’t matter. It doesn’t define who you are. Your mind and heart aren’t confined to this method of mobility.” Sarah placed her hand on her own heart. “This doesn’t need you to stand, for me to love you.” She touched the side of Dava’s head. “All it needs is this to believe that I’ll love you unconditionally for a lifetime, no matter what’s to come.” Sarah held up the ring again. “Dava, will you marry me?”
Jordan held her breath, as she watched her sister bring her hand up to rest against Sarah’s cheek, their gaze unbreakable. Slowly, Dava shook her head up and down, while quietly mouthing, “Yes.” Sarah leaned forward to kiss her and slipped the diamond ring on her finger.
Dalia couldn’t contain herself anymore and rose to hug and congratulate them both. Jordan followed suit and put her arm around Sarah’s shoulders. She leaned close and whispered into her ear. “Told ya.”
***
The next few days, the group continued to tour Bar Harbor and the surrounding areas. Jordan was beyond ecstatic to see the love and happiness between Dava and Sarah. Dalia had already gone into wedding planning mode, thrilled to finally see one of her daughters engaged. Jordan’s memories of a marriage proposal no longer revolved around the disaster of her own. Now she could see how they were meant to be, full of love and promise.
They were enjoying lunch at the Terrace Grille before their afternoon flight. A bright yellow umbrella flapped in the breeze coming off the harbor, where sailboats of every size glided through the water and provided quiet entertainment.
Jordan speared a forkful of her lobster salade Niçoise while the others enjoyed similar light fare. She chewed and wiped her mouth with her napkin before taking a drink of her iced tea.
Dalia was looking out into the harbor. “I’m going to miss having my whole family around every day. This has been wonderful.”
Jordan reached out and squeezed her mother’s hand. “And now you have a wedding to plan, along with all your playground designs.”
Sarah beamed at the comment and leaned over to kiss Dava’s cheek. “Now that I’ve got the girl on the hook, what do you think about a rainbow tux?” Sarah wagged her eyebrows up and down.
A resounding no came from the other three seated around the table, sending them all into fitful laughter. Dava patted her arm. “Honey, if you want to actually get me down the aisle, you’ll settle for your rainbow bow tie.”
“And so, the compromises begin.” Sarah smiled, leaving little doubt her intention had only been to get a rise out of Dava.
Jordan’s phone rang, with Sam’s name and picture displayed on her screen. She’d talked with the couple less than a week ago. Icy fingers of fear gripped her throat in a choke hold. She swiped to answer. “Sam?”
“Jordan, I’m sorry to call you on vacation.” Sam’s voice sounded thin and worried.
“No, No. You’re not bothering me, what’s wrong?” Jordan’s heart began to pound in her chest.
“It’s Max, he apparently got confused this morning and walked away from the house. He fell over the hill at the neighbor’s house.”
Jordan stood quickly and pushed her hand into her hair. “Sam, is he okay?
“He’s alive, Jordan. We’re at the hospital. He has a skull fracture. He isn’t conscious right now, and things don’t look good. I knew you would want to know. Bandit was with him. It’s the only way we even knew something was wrong. He kept running up and down the hill, barking until someone noticed. If it hadn’t been for that dog, who knows how long it would have been. Max’s got that bracelet that tells us where he is with the machine. To do that, I had to know he was missing and I didn’t.” Sam’s voice broke.
“Sam, we are leaving Maine today. I’m changing my flight, and I’ll be home as soon as I can.” Her heart was frozen with fear, her limbs grew numb, and her lips tingled. Her mother had come to stand beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist. “You tell him to hang on. I’m coming, and you give Bandit the biggest treat you can find from me. I’ll be there as soon as I can get a flight. I’m coming, Sam.” Jordan hung up the phone and covered her mouth with her hand, momentarily unsure of what to do.
Dalia’s voice broke through her haze. “Jordan, what happened? Sit down and talk to me.”
Jordan allowed herself to be guided back to her chair, while she relayed the details of the phone call. Dalia picked up Jordan’s phone and found the airline contact. Dava pulled out her own and arranged a rental car for Jordan, as her Jeep would still be in D.C. Within minutes, flight arrangements had been made.
Dalia held her hand out to her daughter. “Come on, let’s pay for our lunch. We need to get you to the airport for your flight back to Boston. After that, you have a small layover and a flight to Ithaca. It’s all arranged. We just need to get you there.”
Jordan started to protest until she saw the no-arguments look
on her mother’s face and acquiesced. Within thirty minutes, they were pulling into the airport. She hugged Sarah goodbye, and then leaned down and held on to Dava for a few extra seconds. “I’m so happy for you, Watson.”
Dava’s hug belied the weakness others expected of her. “I love you, JJ.”
Dalia walked Jordan to the gate, handing her the ticket she’d printed off at the kiosk. “I love you, honey. Hug Sam for us and tell him we are all pulling for Max.” She took Jordan by the shoulders. “Before you start playing the ‘what if’ game, stop. This wasn’t your fault and you couldn’t have prevented it. You could have easily been there in New York and at work. Concentrate on being strong for Sam. He’s going to need you.” Dalia hugged her again, looked her in the eye and released her.
Jordan waved at all of them as she slung her backpack over her shoulder and handed her ticket to the gate attendant.
***
A few hours later, Jordan walked into the third floor of the Cayuga Medical Center. Sam sat in the waiting area outside the critical care unit. She took a good look at him before he saw her. His normally perfectly combed blond hair was ruffled, as if he’d been running his hand through it continually. Sam’s ever-present chef’s coat lay wadded up beside him. Eyes closed, his head was tipped back against the wall. She didn’t want to startle him, choosing instead to softly call out to the obviously distraught man.
“Sam?” Jordan watched as he opened his eyes, recognition immediate. He jumped to his feet and nearly melted in her arms. Engulfing him in a tight hug, she choked back her own anguish and allowed him to release his. They stood there for a long time before he pulled away and wiped at his eyes.
“Jordan, you came.”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else. I’m sorry I wasn’t here from the beginning.” Jordan led him back to his seat and sat down beside him holding his hands in hers.
He tilted his head back to look at her. “Jordan, don’t take this on yourself. It’s no one’s fault. Max wanted to be as independent as possible. If it’s anyone’s fault it’s mine. Trying to keep the restaurant going and keeping track of Max hasn’t been easy. Thank heavens for Bandit. If he hadn’t been with him, it would have taken longer to find him, because we would have needed the Sheriff’s department. Bandit left him to get help.”