“What are we doing – you and me?” Diane said.
“You mean today?”
“I mean what are your intentions for the two of us – long term?”
“My intentions?”
“Charlie I’m about to let my defenses down, ‘cause I’m really starting to get feeling for you, but if I’m just your plaything for the week, then let’s stop now, because my heart won’t survive when you dump me.”
“It might scare you if I told you.”
“Try me,” Diane said. Charlie took a deep breath and pointed to the bed.
“Let’s sit down.”
Diane knew what generally happens when a guy starts out by asking a girl to sit beside him on a bed, and she wasn’t ready for that. But she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. She sat down slowly on the edge of the bed, and Charlie joined her. They got comfortable as Charlie collected his thoughts.
“Here’s the truth of it,” he began. “I felt something the moment I laid eyes on you in that market place. I don’t necessarily believe in love at first sight, but it was like you touched a live wire in me and the current went right through my whole body. I knew right then I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“But that’s crazy. You hardly even know me.”
“Some things just don’t figure logically. I can’t explain it. I just know it,” Charlie said. “Tell me you don’t feel the same thing.”
“Maybe I do. But still, you’re asking me to jump off a cliff and expect you to catch me.”
“No – I’m going to jump off that same cliff with you and we’ll catch each other.”
“But that’s nuts,” Diane said. “People don’t do that.”
“I know, but I say, what the hell – let’s get our hearts stomped flat by that thief called love,” Charlie said. Diane replied with a kiss, more sincere than a signature on a contract. When they came up for air, she looked into Charlie’s eyes and nodded.
“OK,” she said. “Let’s go.”
“Have you eaten yet?” Charlie said.
“No.”
“You hungry?”
“Hungry for you.”
“Well, besides me. The hotel has a great buffet,” Charlie said. “Let’s go downstairs.” As they walked down the hallway to the elevator, Diane gave Charlie new respect that he didn’t attempt to turn their bedside conversation into a romp under the sheets. She gave him every chance and he restrained himself.
“He really is an officer and a gentleman,” she thought.
The hotel restaurant offered patrons a wide selection from the “all-you-can-eat” buffet bar. Their mouths watered at the sight of scrambled eggs, fried eggs, omelets, blintzes, bacon, Canadian ham, sausage links, hash browns, pancakes, biscuits, fresh fruit, pastries, and fruit juices. Charlie went for bacon, fried eggs, toast, and coffee. Diane fixed herself some oatmeal and a fresh fruit bowl. They found an empty table in the outdoor patio dining area.
“I love eating outside whenever I can,” Diane said. “It’s always warm, and I love the smell of the ocean.”
“Yeah – May in Montana is usually 60s in the day and 30s at night. And forget about an ocean breeze,” Charlie said. They took a few bites in silence.
“How long do you think you’ll stay in the service?” Diane asked.
“I don’t know. It seems like the war is winding down. I may just cut and run when it makes sense.”
“What’ll you do?”
“I’m helicopter rated, so I might see if I can work for the Forest Service in Billings. They need pilots to monitor the mountain terrains, emergency rescue, forest fires, stuff like that.”
“That sounds pretty exciting,” Diane said.
“How about you?” Charlie said.
“I’m pretty open. Nursing is a portable career,” Diane said. “I can pretty much name my landing zone.”
“You won’t stay in Hawaii?”
“I already feel a little cramped here,” Diane said. “I think they call it ‘island fever’. Oahu has a freeway, which is kinda silly. The speed limit is only 45 miles per hour, because by the time you reach 45 you gotta hit the brakes, ‘cause you’re already at the end of the freeway.”
“I get that – you could get stir-crazy here, especially folks like us from Montana.”
Diane ached to know Charlie’s dating history. Ordinarily, that would be a topic for week four or five in courtship disclosures, but the clock was ticking, and inquiring minds needed to know. She boldly dived in head-first.
“Have you ever been married before?” she asked. Charlie chewed a little extra long on his strip of bacon.
“No.”
“Ever got close?”
“I had a high school sweetheart back in Billings that broke up with me when we graduated. Said she had big plans for herself that didn’t include marriage – she assured me that college and a fulfilling professional career awaited her. Before the summer was over, she hooked up with a college letterman and got pregnant.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. Last I heard, she’s raising two kids and her husband is working for her dad at the hardware store.”
“At least you got the last laugh,” Diane said.
“Live and learn. Anyway, I’ve been pretty careful about dating ever since. It’s a mine field. How about you?” Charlie said. Diane finished sipping her orange juice.
“Never been married – let’s get that out of the way,” she said. “But I came close.” She paused to decide whether or not Charlie needed to know the whole story. Under the circumstances, she felt he deserved to hear the entire sordid truth.
“This is definitely not a ‘first date’ topic,” Diane said, “But you might as well find out now so you can decide whether I’m worth keeping or not.”
“Hey, nobody’s perfect. You just let me decide,” Charlie said. “You didn’t murder somebody, did you?”
“No, but two years ago, I thought I was in love. We planned to get married after I graduated nursing school. I was on birth control, but it didn’t work and I got pregnant. He was OK with that – we were going to have kids anyway. We just figured we got started sooner than expected. But three months into the pregnancy I miscarried. It was rough, and they had to do a D & C to clear out all the damaged tissue. During the procedure they ran into complications and ended up having to do a complete hysterectomy. When I woke up, they broke the bad news. I can’t have kids. My boyfriend freaked. He came from a big family and always wanted kids of his own. I told him we could adopt, but that wasn’t his idea of a family. So, he walked away, dumped me. I was a mess. I felt like I lost everything at once. I had to get out, as far away as possible. That’s why I moved to Hawaii.” She paused to get a read on Charlie. His expression was dead-pan. “So, if you want me, this is what you get.”
“You can choose who you love, but you don’t get to choose who loves you,” he said.
“What do you mean?” Diane asked.
“Your guy didn’t choose to love you, and you couldn’t force him to. He was a jerk, and good riddance. He didn’t deserve you.”
“I agree,” Diane said.
“I choose you. I don’t care about the rest. Whatever life dishes out, we’ll deal with it head-on.”
“Do you mean that?”
“Absolutely. That was a heavy load of guilt for you to carry. I’m glad you shared it. So, let it go, and let’s get on with life.” Diane suddenly felt that crushing weight lift from her heart, and she could breathe. The relief brought tears to her eyes. They finished breakfast and headed for the car. Charlie reached out for her.
“Let’s go check out the Arizona Memorial,” Charlie said.
“Wherever you want to go,” Diane said, as she took his hand and gently squeezed it.
Chapter 7
Billings, Montana 2021
While Annie filmed her scenes in South Carolina, she and Phil made sure to end each day with a phone call.
“How’s it going?” Phil asked.
<
br /> “Well, it’s not like filming a TV series. It’s been hurry up and wait here. It takes forever to set up a scene that only lasts a couple of minutes,” Annie said.
“Are you just about done?”
“Yeah, I should be home before Christmas.”
“You got a package in the mail – it’s from your agent. You want me to open it?” Phil said.
“Yeah, go ahead. It’s probably our Golden Globe stuff.” Phil opened the stuffed envelope and pulled out the contents.
“Yeah, it’s the Golden Globe stuff,” Phil said. “Printed invitations for Annie Belmont and Guest.”
“What else?” Phil pulled out more items.
“We got two name badges attached to a lanyard, one for you and one for me. I guess security is tight – gotta have ID,” he said.
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s true. Anything else?”
“You got your airline ticket, hotel reservations, limousine transportation details, and your itinerary of media interviews for a full three days prior to the ceremony. Then you’ve got gown fittings scheduled and hair appointments.”
“I still wish we could fly down together,” Annie said.
“We already talked about this. I’ve got a state health inspection survey that week, and I have to be there for that. I can’t leave until the morning of the 9th,” Phil said.
“But that’s the day of the ceremony,” Annie said.
“I know,” Phil said.
“Have you gotten your tickets yet?” Annie said.
“I will get them tonight,” Phil said.
“Call me when you get them,” Annie said.
v
That night Phil got on his home computer to book his airline ticket for Los Angeles. Because of his narrow travel window, and limited number of air carriers that flew that route, he knew his options were few. His only travel day could be January 9, and he had to arrive in LAX before 4:30 p.m. to leave him enough time to travel by taxi from the airport to the Beverly Hilton, the Golden Globe venue. He searched for the earliest flight possible, but the only available flight leaving January 9 and arriving around 4:30 was a Delta flight leaving Billings at 1:00 p.m. connecting through Denver and arriving in LAX at 4:40 p.m. That would be cutting it close, especially with freeway traffic from LAX to Beverly Hills at the worst time of day – when people are driving home from work. But there was a seat open, so he took it, and prayed that God would part the freeway traffic like the Red Sea for the Children of Israel fleeing their Egyptian oppressors. He called Annie in South Carolina with the good news.
“I got a flight,” he announced.
“When do you get into Los Angeles?” Annie said.
“January 9 at 4:40 p.m.,” he said.
“Is it nonstop?” Annie said.
“No, it connects through Denver,” Phil said, biting his lip.
“What happens if your flight is delayed out of Billings? It could snow on January 9 and shut down the Billings Airport,” Annie said.
“I’ll bring a snow shovel and help the ground crew clear the runway,” Phil offered.
“And what if you are delayed out of Denver even a half hour? You won’t make it in time,” Annie said.
“I don’t know. And what if lightening hits the plane and we all go down in a ball of fire?” Phil added for emphasis.
“Oh, Phil, this is just another stress I don’t need. You have to be there for the ceremony. I can’t do this by myself,” Annie said.
“I’ll be there,” Phil declared with as much certainty as he could squeeze out of his throat. There was nothing more for Annie to say. She changed the subject.
“I miss you,” Annie began. “Are you Ok?”
“I just hate being apart, especially this time of year,” Phil said. “But if you can be home for Christmas, that would really be nice.”
The movie production stayed on schedule, and it looked like Annie would be home two days before Christmas. She called Phil with the good news.
“Hi, babe, what’s up,” Phil said.
“Good news – we’re wrapping up my scenes tomorrow, and I’ve got a flight back to Billings on December 23.”
“That is great news,” Phil said.
“So, how is your day going?” Annie said.
“Well, we got the Billings High School Choir lined up for our Christmas dinner. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
“That sounds great,” Annie said. “Who’s going to be Santa this year?”
“I was afraid I was going to get stuck with it, but I managed to persuade Hank to do the honors,” Phil said. Annie grinned.
“Leave it to our maintenance director to step up,” Annie said.
“He’ll be perfect,” Phil said. “I’ve got the tree up in the living room and the house is decorated. You’ll be impressed.”
“Did you put the big bulbs in the tree?” Annie said.
“Yes, just how you like it. And we’ll probably have snow when you get here, so be ready for a white Christmas.”
Phil picked up Annie from the airport right on schedule on December 23. The city shimmered in a white blanket of snow, reminding Annie there’s no place like home.
“How about dinner at Juliano’s,” Phil said.
“Sounds great.”
v
The next morning at the breakfast table, Phil and Annie finished a short stack of pancakes.
“You remember Mrs. Stoddard?” Phil said.
“Sure, she’s a sweetheart,” Annie said. “Why? What about her?”
“She’s been in the hospital under observation for a few days.”
“What happened?” Annie said.
“She had another fainting spell. I’m going to go visit her this morning,” Phil said. “Would you like to come along?”
“Yeah, I’d love to see her. She was always one of my favorites.”
Gayle Stoddard was a gentle lady in her mid-70s, who’d been placed in The Sanctuary three years earlier due to her heart condition. Her assisted living apartment sat next to the nursing station, with built-in monitors to alert the staff to any medical emergencies. She occasionally experienced fainting spells, and had already been in and out of the hospital a couple of times since she moved in. Phil and Annie stuck their heads in her door.
“Mrs. Stoddard, can we come in?’ Phil said. Mrs. Stoddard looked up and grinned at the sight of two familiar faces. She waved them in.
“I’d love company.”
“Now, what did you do to get banished to a hospital bed?” Annie said.
“Oh, everyone is just fussing over nothing,” Mrs. Stoddard said. “I just had a dizzy spell.” Phil sat down beside her and held her hand.
“Mrs. Stoddard, we’re just not taking any chances.” Mrs. Stoddard gave Annie a sly grin.
“I’ve been watching your show on TV. I just love your show. I never miss it.” Then she turned to Phil. “Why haven’t you married this girl yet?”
“It’s on my to-do list,” Phil said. Mrs. Stoddard scowled.
“To-Do list? She’s not a squeaky door hinge.” Mrs. Stoddard turned back to Annie.
“I’ve been pestering him for over a year now.” She turned back to Phil.
“Honestly, I don’t know what you’re waiting for. You both love each other and you know you belong together. Don’t wait – you never know what could happen.”
“Listen to you - aren’t you the matchmaker,” Phil said. He decided it was time to change subjects. “I asked the nurse, and she said they’re discharging you in a couple of days. But you’re going to miss our Christmas show,” Phil said.
“I know. I just hate that. Who wants to be in the hospital on Christmas day?”
“Maybe we’ll come visit you and bring some holiday cheer,” Annie said.
“That would really be sweet if you did.”
“Count on it,” Phil said.
v
The Sanctuary Christmas dinner capped off another blessed year. The community boasted 100% occupancy and residen
ts gave the facility an “A” in its annual satisfaction survey. Everyone looked forward to this special night. The kitchen pulled out all stops with a tantalizing menu, the dining room looked like a Norman Rockwell painting, and rumors abounded that Santa would make a special appearance. But before that, the Billings High School Choir entertained the residents with sentimental songs of the season. For the final song “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” the choir director invited everyone in the dining room to join in and sing along. The room echoed with the thankful voices of seniors who truly sang from the heart, glowing with the precious memories of Christmas past. Phil and Annie stood in the back, arm-in-arm, grateful for their blessings.
As the final refrain resonated through the hall, a loud and jolly voice drew the attention of everyone, as Santa himself marched into the dining room, with a giant sack over his shoulder, followed by dozens of Billings Elementary School kids dressed as Santa’s elves.
“Ho-ho-ho,” bellowed Hank, the maintenance director, dressed as Santa and playing his part with unexpected gusto. The residents all became kids again, willingly suspending disbelief, because Santa and all that he represented stood among them. Santa walked from table to table calling out residents by name from his “naughty and nice” list, and happily reported that no one tonight would receive a lump of coal.
Santa’s little elves circulated around the tables and handed out candy canes and parting gifts for everyone. Santa posed for selfies with residents, then gathered up his elves to bid everyone “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.” Phil turned to Annie, and gave her a Christmas kiss.
“Merry Christmas,” he whispered.
“Merry Christmas to you, my love,” she replied.
Chapter 8
On Christmas day itself Phil and Annie slept in. A light blanket of snow gave their front yard to the look of a cozy Thomas Kincade painting. They gathered around the fireplace in the living room, where Phil tossed another log into the hearth. Annie wrapped herself in a warm blanket and cozied up on the couch. A Christmas tree stood by the window, filled with various ornaments and candy canes. Phil joined her with a hot coffee in his hand. For Christmas they treated themselves to a brand-new entertainment center with a large flat screen TV, turntable, CD player, AM/FM radio, and a 3000-watt stereo speaker system. Phil felt particularly nostalgic this morning. He put the classic 1945 Bing Crosby “White Christmas” record on the turntable and let the old crooner fill the room with songs of the season.
The Sanctuary II: Lost and Found Page 5