Archie of Outlandish

by Lynnette Kraft

  “Oh, okay,” she said. “Why?”

  “I’m not quite sure . . . but I can dance,” he said.

  Tallie laughed. “Can you really . . . or is that a joke?”

  “No, I really can. I love dancing, at least with Mother . . . in our living room. I thought it might be a good time to bring it up since . . . well, since I don’t talk on the phone. You know how some people don’t dance? Well, I do . . . but I don’t talk on the phone. See the humor in that?”

  “Totally,” Tallie said with an exaggerated nod. “Yeah, I get it. See how funny you are?”

  Tallie put her head down and started digging in her purse. She pulled out a little notebook and quickly wrote down her address as well as her phone number. “I put my number there just in case you get brave and decide to call me.”

  Archie took the paper and put it in his pocket. “Not likely, but I will write to you.”

  “And I’ll write back.” Tallie surprised Archie by moving forward, standing on her toes, and kissing him on the cheek. When she stepped back, he reached out with his free hand and took her hand into his.

  “Thank you for spending time with me while you were here.”

  Tallie kept ahold of Archie’s hand and used her other arm to hug him around the neck—the umbrella shaft between them.

  She whispered to him, “I’ve never met anyone quite like you, Archibald.” Stepping back, she added, “I’ll think of you every time I admire my sea glass.”

  Archie smiled crookedly.

  Tallie continued. “And keep writing those children’s stories. You’re talented. I really think you could get your work published.”

  Archie took Tallie’s words to heart. “We’ll see. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

  “Maybe you could start by contacting some agents? I mean, I don’t know anything about publishing, but I’ll bet an agent could really help.”

  “Perhaps,” said Archie with a shrug.

  “Promise me you’ll give it some thought?”

  Archie nodded and smiled at Tallie. “I appreciate your confidence in my writing. It does provoke some courage.”

  Without Archie or Tallie realizing, Gemma had walked back outside. When she saw them holding hands under the umbrella, she couldn’t resist lifting her camera and quickly snapping a photo of the two of them.

  Archie heard the click of the camera and looked up to see Gemma putting the lens cap on. He quickly let go of Tallie’s hand and stepped back.

  “Um, I guess I should be getting back,” he said. “I hope you have a nice trip home.”

  He was speaking to Tallie, but it was Gemma who responded. “It was nice meeting you, Archie.”

  “Yes. You, too, Ms. Perrelli. Tallie, safe travels.”

  With that, Archie and his umbrella turned to leave.

  Tallie watched Archie until she could no longer see him. Suddenly she turned to Gemma. “Would you mind if I ran a quick errand before we left?”

  “No, that’s all right. I need to make a couple of phone calls. I’ll get a cup of coffee and meet you back here in, say, half an hour?”

  “Yes, that would be great! Thanks!” she said before rushing off.

  Tallie thought Archie might have gone to the beach. She thought she might follow him there and get photographs of him before she left. She knew she would have to catch him unaware or the photos would never be successful.

  She walked by his house and scanned the beach to see if he was there. He was. It was early and the beach was still fairly deserted. She saw some runners along the path as well as a few collectors here and there, but where Archie stood, he was alone staring out at the water.

  Tallie walked down the wooden stairs, pulled her telephoto lens out of her bag, and snapped a few pictures. What she couldn’t observe from her view was the prayer Archie was directing upward. “Lord, I’m about to ask you something I’ve never asked before. It’s caught me quite off guard, and I’ll admit I feel a little confused by it all, but do you think you could send Tallie back to me?”

  When Tallie felt satisfied she’d taken enough pictures, she smiled, mouthed the words, “I’ll miss you,” and turned and walked back to Central Circle to meet Gemma Perrelli.

  8

  Archie wasn’t at all himself. It had been two weeks since Tallie had gone back home and not only did his days feel long, but his routine seemed tedious and even boring. He had tried to write to Tallie but everything he wrote seemed either too presumptuous or too general. He tried to write for his column as well, but that meant he had to observe what was going on around him, and being distracted by his own thoughts made the task extraordinarily difficult. It was a good thing he had a stash of writings he hadn’t yet submitted to the paper. They gave him something to fall back on until he could clear his mind.

  It was three o’clock in the afternoon, and Archie would normally be writing, but instead he was lying on his bed, deep in thought.

  “Archie!”

  It was his mother’s voice, and he could tell she was coming up the stairs. He quickly got off of his bed and grabbed his notebook so his mother wouldn’t suspect anything. She knocked on the door, and Archie answered as casually as he could. “Uh, come in.”

  Rather than entering his room, his mother just opened the door and bent down to hand him a letter. “Look what came for you!” she said in a singsongy voice.

  Archie moved over to the door and took the letter from his mother’s hand. When he saw it was from Tallie, he looked up in confusion.

  “Well,” she said, “don’t look so surprised.”

  “I am surprised though. I haven’t written to her, and I didn’t give her our address.”

  “Well, Archie, she didn’t have to be a genius to figure that one out.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “Of course, I’m right,” she said with a chuckle. “I’m off to work. Your father is traveling tonight, so would you mind, very much, coming to the restaurant for dinner?”

  “No, not at all. I’ll come by later.”

  Archie’s mother blew him a kiss. “Enjoy your afternoon . . . and your letter,” she teased as she walked away.

  When his mother walked out, Archie pushed the door shut and sat against it. He turned the envelope over in his hands and tried to guess what it might say before opening it. When curiosity finally won, he opened the envelope carefully.

  Dear Archibald,

  You haven’t written to me! I really hoped you would. I hope it’s okay that I decided to write to you.

  I had such a great time when I was in Outlandish and I really miss spending time with you, but I’ve been keeping busy with Ms. Perrelli.

  Since she didn’t really make any connections last time we were there, she mentioned going back to Outlandish. Of course, that’s great with me, as long as I get to go with her.

  I’m enjoying my beach treasures. I keep them in a box, and as promised, I think of you when I’m admiring them. I’ve even photographed them (although the photographs aren’t nearly as pretty as the real thing).

  I’m not sure why, but Ms. Perrelli decided to teach me close-up photography, and I mean really close up. It’s called macro photography and requires a special lens (which I bought, even though it was more money than I’m used to spending on lenses). Since she’s my teacher, I justified it by calling it an investment in my future. That makes sense, right?

  We went to a Japanese garden in Portland to get our photos. I’ve always liked flowers, but have never taken time to learn the names of most of them. Ms. Perrelli, however, knew the names of all of them. I couldn’t believe it! I asked her if there was anything she didn’t know, and she just laughed. Really, though, I was impressed.

  Just looking through the lens was an experience. You wouldn’t believe how different things look that close up. I’m not very good at it yet, but
you should see her photographs. They are stunning, and I’m very excited to learn more. It’s like having a completely different view of life.

  I guess that’s enough about me. I’m looking forward to hearing back from you. I hope you have been busy writing stories and that you are seriously considering what I said. I really think you could be famous. I know you’re laughing right now, aren’t you? But one of these days I’m sure you’ll be thanking me for helping you discover your destiny.

  I’ll wrap this up. I’m off to dinner with Patrice. We’ve both been missing Mom, so we decided we needed some time out to rehash some good memories. We’re eating at Upmarket Donuts. I know it sounds like a weird choice for dinner, but these aren’t your typical donuts. Last time I ate there I had a ham and Swiss. Tonight I think I’ll try their macaroni-and-cheese donut topped with bacon. I’ve heard they’re delicious. (Don’t tell your mother about my dinner choices. She probably wouldn’t understand.)

  I hope you’ll write back and let me know how you are and how the writing is going.

  Thinking of you,

  Tallie

  Archie was smiling when he folded the letter and put it back inside the envelope. He moved over to his shelf and found a piece of paper and a pen. He now felt he knew what would be appropriate to write, so it took him no time at all to formulate a two-page letter. He felt anxious to get it in the mail, so he addressed and stamped it and decided to walk it to the post office.

  On the way, he heard from behind, “How’d you manage to make the front page, Arch?”

  Archie turned around, knowing it was his friend Luke. Luke was almost as tall as Archie and even a little more slender. The thing everyone noticed first on Luke was his wide smile. After that, you would see his suspenders over his white button-up shirt, along with his black porkpie hat worn on top of shoulder-length black hair.

  Archie walked toward him and put out his hand. “Luke. How are you?”

  Luke was holding a newspaper in his hand and said with a chuckle, “Apparently not as well as you, brother.”

  Archie tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

  Luke held up the newspaper that was folded in half. On the front page was a photo of Archie and Tallie underneath his umbrella.

  “What’s this?” asked Archie.

  Luke showed Archie the other side of the folded paper.

  “The Pacific Coast Buzz! What? How?” Putting out his hand, Archie asked, “May I?”

  Luke handed him the paper and said, “Sorry, Arch. I assumed you knew. What’s up?”

  Archie shook his head and read out loud, “Ten Ways to Romance Your Lady by Eagen Finney. Who’s Eagen Finney?”

  Luke shrugged his shoulders. “Never heard of him.”

  Archie took a few minutes to scan the article and was grateful to discover there wasn’t any mention of him or Tallie, and that the photo was only a prop, but he was still unhappy about it and knew exactly who was behind it. Underneath it read: Photo credit: Gemma Perrelli.

  “Is everything all right, bro?” Luke asked.

  “Yes, yes. Fine. Sorry. I just—”

  Before Archie could finish, Luke put up his hands and said, “Hey, it’s none of my business . . . but who’s the girl, Arch?”

  Archie said as casually as he could, “Oh, she’s, um, just an acquaintance.”

  Laughing at Archie’s choice of words, Luke said, “Just an acquaintance? Mm-hm.”

  Archie dropped his head to the side and offered a one-sided smile. After that, he changed the subject. “How’s the magic business treating you, Luke?”

  Willing to let the conversation change directions, Luke responded with, “Good. We’ve had some decent crowds.”

  “I’ve noticed,” said Archie. “And summer hasn’t even arrived. Just wait till the vacationers come.”

  “Summer’s definitely the moneymaking season for us,” said Luke.

  “How’s Lily?” asked Archie. “Have you set a date yet for the wedding?”

  “Yeah, we did, but . . .”

  When Luke didn’t finish, Archie cocked his head. “But what?”

  Luke looked away from Archie. “Arch, she changed her mind.”

  “Changed her mind? About marrying you?”

  Luke looked back at Archie, pressed his lips together, and nodded.

  Archie put his hand on Luke’s shoulder. “Ah Luke, I’m sorry. When did this happen?”

  “About a week ago.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Archie asked.

  Luke shook his head. “I haven’t been coping very well, Arch. I thought if I just hid away for a while, I might eventually get a grip, you know?”

  Archie felt a great deal of compassion for his longtime friend and responded with an uncharacteristic one-armed hug. While he had Luke there he said, “I don’t know what I can do, but I’m here for you, all right?”

  Luke didn’t answer, but Archie felt him acknowledge his words with a nod. He patted him affectionately on the back and backed away. Luke turned his head away again and Archie knew he was trying to pull himself together.

  “Why don’t we go for coffee?” Archie suggested.

  “I’d love to, Arch, but I’m pretty sure I’m late for rehearsal.”

  Archie laughed. “Luke Pindabrook late for rehearsal? No! That can’t be.”

  Luke sneered at Archie. “What?”

  They both laughed. Archie hit Luke on the arm and said, “Take care of yourself, Luke. Let’s get together soon.”

  Archie began his walk toward home, but quickly remembered the letter. He pulled it out of his pocket, held it up in front of his face, and said under his breath, “Archibald, you’ve lost your mind.”

  He turned back toward the post office but decided he would like to add the photograph from the paper to his letter. So instead of mailing the letter, he went to buy two papers. One to keep and the other to send to Tallie.

  A part of him wanted Tallie to have the photo so she could remember their time together, but another part of him wanted to send it with a note scolding Gemma Perrelli. He decided it would serve both purposes.

  Once home, he cut out the photo and stared at it for a while. In the photo his umbrella was slightly slanted and hiding most of his head. You could only see his face below his eyes, and Tallie could only be seen from the side. It was a charming photo. He could see how nicely it fit as a prop for the article, but he couldn’t help but feel violated and a little cross.

  He carefully opened the sealed envelope and removed the letter. He sat down and added a postscript.

  P.S. Evidently Ms. Perrelli snapped a photo of us in the moments before our parting. I was surprised when a friend of mine brought it to my attention by showing me the article it was placed with, in the PC Buzz. I understand she’s a photographer and snapping photos comes easily for her, but please remind Ms. Perrelli that I declined her offer to be photographed, and I hope she will respect my wishes in the future. I’m sure her boldness benefits her in her career, but I’m pretty sure it makes her few friends. (Don’t tell her that part.)

  When he was finished, he folded the letter around the photo, put it back into the envelope and used a little glue to reseal it. After that, he walked it back to the post office and dropped the letter in the box.

  9

  When the sun was up, Archie usually was, too, but on this day four weeks after Tallie’s departure he was still in bed staring up at his close white canopy. He rubbed his eyes with his palms and left his fingers resting in the clump of hair on his forehead.

  He had hoped time would naturally rekindle his desire to write and to carry on as usual, but when he awoke that morning, he felt certain it would be another day of the same struggles. He scolded himself, “Good grief Archibald! It would be totally pathetic to lose such a little job.”

  He lif
ted his hands into the air as if surrendering to fate.

  If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously.

  The words came to him without any effort at all . . . and when they did, Archie felt a great sense of guilt. He had always been one to pray about things, but in the midst of boredom and a preoccupied mind, he’d forgotten to.

  “Of course!” he said out loud.

  Rolling out of bed, he got on his knees, and prayed.

  God didn’t always answer Archie’s prayers the way he desired, but He did always answer his prayers, and that knowledge gave him the courage to hope for some insight in the days ahead.

  It was the morning after Archie’s prayer that he woke up with a new resolve. Although he was the type who thrived on routine, on this morning, he wondered if God might be telling him to keep an open mind—to be willing to move away from his routine and explore life a bit more. He usually spoke to his mother about issues of the heart, but since this was something a little different, he decided to talk to his father.

  It was early evening when Archie approached his father. Albert was in his usual chair, smoking his favorite pipe, drinking his evening tea, and reading the newspaper.

  “May I talk to you, Father?”

  Albert looked up from his paper. “Of course.”

  Archie grabbed an umbrella stand and moved to the chair opposite his father. He sat down, placed his umbrella in the stand, and adjusted it until it was positioned correctly. When he looked at his father, he realized he had his full attention.

  “I think I have a problem,” Archie said.

  His father remained quiet while Archie tried to choose the best words to express his dilemma.

  “You remember Tallie?”

  “Of course I remember Tallie,” his father said with a chuckle.

  “Well, since she left, I haven’t been myself. I assume I have feelings for her, but it’s changed me . . . in unexpected ways. I can’t seem to figure it out.”

  Archie’s father smiled. “That’s no surprise. She took a bit of your heart with her, didn’t she?”