by Lynn Hones
“Close the gate,” Ruth yelled through car keys gripped firmly in her teeth. Balancing a cup of coffee and the box of cupcakes, she hurried to the garage. She threw Pearl an impatient glance. “Make sure it’s closed all the way. Puddles keeps getting out.”
Pearl reached up and hooked the latch, turned and stopped. Her intent gaze locked onto something in the driveway.
“Come on, kiddo, get in. We don’t have all day.” Ruth leaned her hip against the car and placed the box of cupcakes on the roof of the van, then took the keys from her mouth and unlocked the driver side door. “Pearl, are you going to stand there all day? Come on.”
Pearl’s almond shaped eyes slowly turned toward her mother, and the exuberance she’d been displaying all morning disappeared. Whatever had transfixed her let her gaze escape and she ran to the garage, opened the back car door and quickly hustled into the seat.
Ruth started the engine and jumped as Paul’s classic rock music blared out. He’d dropped Lotus off earlier and liked his music loud. She flipped the radio off and turned to gaze over the seat. “What’s wrong, hon? Why so sad, suddenly?”
Pearl played with the mini decorations attached to her backpack.
“Earth to Pearl.”
Quietly, she turned her focus to her mother. “Why does he just stand there staring at me?”
Ruth studied her daughter. “Who?”
“That man in our driveway.”
“What man?”
Pearl looked out the back window and pointed her index finger. “He was standing right there.”
Long and curving, their driveway led to Rural Route Six, which twisted and turned until it intersected with the downtown section of Eberstark.
“Honey, I didn’t see anyone. Are you sure?”
She nodded her head.
“What did he look like?”
“He…um, he looked sorta mad.”
“Mad?”
“Yeah. And he wears a gray suit.”
“Okay.” Ruth felt the color drain from her face. “Maybe you dreamed him.”
“Mommy, I was wide awake in the driveway?”
The hair on Ruth’s arms rose.
“He’s mad, Mom. He’s really, really mad.” Pearl’s sweet face winced.
“Why? Why is he mad?” This conversation, so foreign to any she’d ever had with Pearl, caused her throat to tighten up.
“I don’t know, but he is. I don’t think he likes you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Sometimes he smiles at me. His teeth are crooked looking. But then he looks at you, or if I’m with Dad, he looks at him and his face gets—I don’t know, kinda mean.”
“You see this man with Daddy, too?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Did you ever tell Daddy?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
She shrugged, her eyes wandering out the car window.
Her heart racing, her body cold, Ruth asked, “Do you see him, now?”
Pearl’s glance reverted quickly back to her mom and she shook her head, no.
Her back rigid, Ruth attempted to relax. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, just as she’d learned in her yoga class. Not liking the present conversation, she didn’t understand where it was coming from. Their big house on the hill sat far back from the road and was completely isolated from neighbors by a thick patch of trees on either side. Far off, behind their backyard, a bird sanctuary existed, no neighbors at all. Maybe she saw a man from the sanctuary?
“Well,” she said in hopes of turning her world back to normal, “we’ve got some cupcakes to deliver to someone’s class now, don’t we?” Her voice chipper, she forced a smile and turned forward. “And I don’t think your friends want us to be late, so let’s get going.”
“Mommy!” Pearl screamed as Ruth pulled out of the garage. “The cupcakes. You left them on the roof.”
Slamming the brakes, Ruth opened the door and got out to get them, but they were gone. “Where are they?”
She looked under the car, all over, but the box of cupcakes was gone, nowhere to be found.
With a twisted face, Pearl started to cry.
“No, baby. Don’t cry. We’ll stop at Swenson’s Bakery on the way. Mommy will buy your cupcakes there. We’ll get the real fancy ones, okay?”
“Okay.” Lower lip trembling, Pearl wiped a tear off her pink cheek and stared out the window.
“What the hell is going on?” Ruth mumbled under her breath.
After Ruth stopped for more cupcakes, she dropped Pearl off. She turned the car down a little dirt road just off the main one to their house. Having grown up in the city, both Paul and Ruth wanted to raise their children in a country environment. One of the best parts of living in the small village of Eberstark was the little mom-and-popshops dusting the landscape.
It wasn’t too long ago that Ruth had discovered one such store. Having gotten lost, she’d taken a turn down an old dirt road and came upon a charming farmhouse. A sign out front promised the freshest brown eggs available anywhere. Goat’s milk cheese and fudge were also prominently offered.
When she pulled into the driveway of the modest cottage covered in vines, she didn’t expect to be greeted by the two owners as if she’d just come home from an extended stay at college. A sweet couple, at least in their mid-sixties, greeted her warmly. The woman possessed a head of salt-and-pepper hair pulled back in a loose bun, escaped tendrils draping over her neck and back. Her dress, baggy, obviously hid her wide girth. He wore suspenders, smoked a pipe and wore a black hat over his gray hair.
Ruth instantly fell in love with them. Sarah and Simon Schuster were the epitome of hospitality. They offered her a glass of lemonade and took her on a tour of their small farming enterprise. After buying some cheese and eggs and a delicious smelling loaf of homemade rye bread, she told them that she’d be back often.
And that’s where she found herself heading. She needed more than eggs…she needed the warmth that the Schusters offered in a world that no longer considered kindness a necessary staple for life.
She pulled into their drive, her mind going in a thousand different directions. She wondered if she should ask this wizened, elderly couple their thoughts on the matter of Pearl, but thought against it. But what did Pearl see? Is she having hallucinations? Does she have Schizophrenia? Oh, God, does it ever end?
“Ruth!” It was Mrs. Schuster. “How wonderful for you to visit again.” Her deep accent charmed Ruth as she stepped out of the car unsteadily and hugged the woman who was at least a head shorter than her.
“Come, come in before you catch your death. It’s freezing out here. I have some homemade chicken and dumpling soup simmering on the stove. Mr. Schuster’s favorite, you know.”
They settled in the homey kitchen. Ruth savored a bowl of the soup while Mrs. Schuster questioned her.
“You seem troubled. What is worrying you so?”
In a change of subject, Ruth quickly asked. “Your accent, is it German?”
“No, Polish. My husband and I came from Poland after the war. We needed to get away from all the hate.”
Ruth remembered watching a news program years before about a certain group of people who lived long, healthy lives. It was somewhere in Europe, but she couldn’t remember exactly.
“It was an awful time in history,” Ruth added. “I don’t mean to insult you by saying this, but you look wonderful for a woman who remembers living through the nightmare that was World War II. And `the fact that you were old enough to have children then, too, I mean, wow.”
“Yes, Mr. Schuster and I are very blessed to be called centurions. I think we took such good care of ourselves that we aren’t able to die.” She started to laugh. “Or, perhaps, heaven is not ready for us.”
Smiling at the elderly woman’s cute joke, Ruth continued her questions. “Mrs. Schuster, are you Jewish?”
“Yes. Here, have more bread.” She pushed a plate toward Ruth.
�
��And you survived the horror.”
A sorrowful look overtook Mrs. Schuster’s face, as if she was watching a movie projected just over Ruth’s head. “It is wonderful we survived the unspeakable crimes we witnessed. Some had to survive to tell about it. No one can comprehend the terror of the camps unless they were there. No one can grasp the feeling of neighbors turning their backs on you when just the day before they would invite you over for a lovely chat over coffee and cake.”
Mrs. Schuster spoke with strong conviction. Ruth was amazed at her fortitude and her bravery.
“Our entire village, once home to hundreds of Jewish families for centuries, was wiped out in a matter of weeks. Gone. They were all killed.”
“I don’t even feel worthy to be sitting here with you,” Ruth said truthfully. “I don’t know how anyone could carry on as you and your husband have done after the disgusting events in your life.”
“My kochanie, that means sweetie in Polish,” she said smiling, “you are so kind with your words. But with God, anything is possible. There is still good to be found. If we let evil quiet us and turn us bitter, then it has won.” She poured Ruth some milk out of an earthenware jug. “Mr. Schuster still cannot talk of it. And this I understand. But he is not bitter. He won’t allow himself to be.”
Ruth, mesmerized by this powerful force in front of her could barely breathe. A living testament to one of the most horrific moments in history sat before her and trusted her enough to open up.
“One day our little ones were amusing themselves on the playground with all the other children, laughing and being silly and the next they are told to stay off the swings and to not sit on the benches. All the Jewish children were told to stay home from the schools.” A melancholy washed over her confused expression. Her wrinkled hand wrapped tightly around a cloth napkin, the only indication of the immense trauma she was remembering.
She shook her head. “Ahh, I cannot go there right now. I’m sorry.”
“No, please don’t apologize. I understand.”
“I missed out on having a mother,” Ruth said sadly. “You remind me of what I’ve missed. But, if she were alive, I’d tell her something about my youngest daughter. If I tell you, please promise not to think me insane.”
“I’ll try.” Mrs. Schuster smiled, the crows-feet in a face that had not only seen its share of rain, but also sun, making her appear even more beautiful.
“My youngest daughter, Pearl, she sees a man in our driveway, but no one else can see him.”
Mrs. Schuster leaned back and crossed her arms.
“Hmm? How long has this been going on?”
“A while now. But she only told me about it this morning.”
“And she is frightened of him?”
“Yes—I mean, I don’t really know.”
“It is not unheard of. I’ve known gypsies in the old country who swore they could talk to the dead. I’m not a firm believer, but that is not to say that I don’t think it possible.” She sat straight, reached and took Ruth’s hands in her own care worn ones. “You must believe your daughter. She wouldn’t lie about something like that. Listen to her, but be warned. Evil energy takes many forms. When evil of the flesh dies, the evil energy takes on a new appearance. Be careful, but be brave. Loving energy takes many shapes and that, too, surrounds us.”
At that, Ruth bid goodbye to a woman she had fallen in love with. A woman anyone would be proud to call mother.
Chapter Three
The minute she got home, she walked into their wide foyer and sat on the bottom step of the staircase. Excruciatingly aware something unexplainable was occurring, she put her head in her hands, her mind swirling with racing thoughts.
She noticed her purse next to her, reached into it, grabbed her cell phone and called her friend.
“Laura, hi, it’s me.” After explaining the morning’s experiences, she took a deep breath and waited for Laura’s input. “I’m freaking out here. I mean, what the hell?”
“Okay,” Laura said. “You’ve never heard of imaginary friends?”
“Yeah, sure, everyone has.” Ruth’s arm rose in exasperation. Determined not to let this get the best of her, she took a deep breath. “But how many kids have an old man in a gray suit for a friend? Why couldn’t she have like—oh, I don’t know, maybe a little bunny named Peaches she has tea parties with, or a cute fairy that helps her with her homework?”
“Good Lord, Ruth, the kid thinks she saw some guy. If you’re so upset, take her to the doctor. You told me yourself she said her eyes hurt lately and she’s been squinting. She probably saw the mailman and needs glasses.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right. I just…” She shivered and felt the flesh on the back of her neck crawl. “I hate anything to do with this crap. You know that.”
“I thought you just didn’t believe in it.”
“That, too,” she said. She could tell Laura was doing her best to reassure her.
“Pearl is the most charming, outgoing, normal kid I’ve ever met. She’s hysterical and has a good head on her shoulders. Quit freaking out.”
“Okay. I’ll try—Oh, my, God!” At that moment, Ruth remembered the night of Laura’s party eight years before and what the psychic had said. “That lady, that Sheila the Shaman you had at your house. She told me that ancestors would surround my kid. Do you think this has something to do with that? She said she’d have spirit eyes.”
“You’re right. I forgot about that. But was this an Asian old man in a gray suit?”
“I don’t know. It never occurred to me to ask her.” Ruth rubbed her eyes. “Could you call that Sheila lady and—”
“Ruth, please, chill out and see what happens next. I’m not going to call her for that. See if anything else happens, and for goodness sake, take her to the eye doctor.”
Ruth let out a long, hollow, sigh. “Yeah, okay. Maybe you’re right. I’ll um—try not to talk about it again to Pearl.”
“I think that’s best. She’s only mentioned it once, right?”
“She did say she’s seen him before, though.”
“But she never told you?”
“No.”
“Let it pass.” Laura’s voice, casual, didn’t help her anxiety. On the contrary, after she hung up, it brought out the frightening truth of how alone she felt.
Rising, she strolled into the kitchen to make another pot of coffee. She removed the old filter from the machine and started to throw it into the garbage—there, in the trash, was the box of cupcakes, smashed. She opened the lid and saw the remains of the sweet treats. She removed the garbage bag, tied it up and threw it out the back door.
What is going on?
Later that day, she picked the girls up from school.
“Mommy.” Pearl hopped into the back of the van. “Mr. Phillips hates me. He said I talk too much and he gave me a detention. He blows.” She hooked her seatbelt and leaned her head back in obvious exasperation.
“How many detentions does that make now?” Ruth asked. “And don’t say blows.”
“Six,” Lotus said.
“Mind your own beeswax,” Pearl mumbled.
“Mother, I’ve gone through school and never once had a detention, and yet little Miss Mouth here gets at least one a month. And is she punished? No.”
“Mind your own business, Stupid.”
“Pearl!” Ruth snapped. “I’ve told you a million times not to call her stupid.”
“Yeah,” Lotus said. “I’m an A-plus student, if you don’t remember. You’re the one hanging onto a thread of dangling C’s. So, that means I’m smart enough to know I’m not the stupid one, you are.”
Ruth’s flesh crawled at their incessant bickering. “Knock it off.” She let out a deep sigh, blatantly aware that the man-in-the-driveway episode was playing havoc with her mood. “Did everyone like the cupcakes?” she asked, trying to sound calm.
“Yes, but I’m sure mad that I let Mr. Phillips have one. He’s so mean. And Celina Tucker said they wer
e okay, for store bought. She’s such a little brat.”
Ruth maneuvered the van out of the parking spot in front of the school and turned onto Park Street.
Defiantly, Pearl continued the argument with her sister. “By the way, Lotus, I have more important things to do than study.”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she screamed, “Mom, stop! Watch out.”
Shocked, Ruth slammed on the brakes and came to a standstill. “What the hell?” she shouted.
“You almost hit her,” Pearl said.
“Hit who? For God’s sake, Pearl, there’s no one in the street.”
A car behind them beeped and after checking around to be sure it was clear, Ruth stepped on the gas.
“What’s wrong with you?” Lotus said.
“I saw a girl in the road.”
Exasperated, Ruth moaned. “That’s it. When we get home I’m calling Dr. Conley. You need your eyes checked.”
“Is that why I keep seeing people, Mom? Is it just cuz I need my eyes checked?”
“What are you talking about?” Lotus quizzed, suddenly appearing interested in her sister as something more than a buffoon to berate.
“Nothing.” Pearl laid her head back once again.
“I’m always the last one to hear about anything in this family.” Lotus dramatically opened a book to read.
“There’s nothing to hear,” Ruth said. “Your sister needs her eyes checked. Sorry I didn’t run it by you first.”
“What’s for dinner?” Lotus asked, changing the course of the conversation, much to Pearl’s relief, or at least that’s what Ruth saw when she looked at her daughter’s sad face in the rearview mirror.
“Chicken,” Ruth said. “Pearl’s favorite.”
“Chicken and what?” Lotus asked. “Fear,” Ruth whispered to herself. “We’re having a heaping bowl of fear.”
“Daddy’s home.” Pearl came around the corner, into the kitchen and grabbed a few croutons out of the salad.