"Well, there might have been a little Pretty Woman mixed in there, but the rest was mine."
The days and the months went by and Kit, David and Julia settled into a satisfying routine. David still stayed at Julia and Kit's home, and though there was some resistance on the part of Joel, with work taking him out of town, sometimes, for days on end, he felt better knowing that he was with people that loved him.
The three of them, continued to enjoy their movie nights, and Julia and Kit would often work in the studio until the wee hours of the night. Kit's work was in high demand, and she was soon banking a considerable nest egg. Sybil was ecstatic! Kit still saw Alicia, Lizzie, and the gang on a regular basis, and surprisingly to Kit, the neighborhood had yet to fall back under its previously corrupt influences.
Things might have gone on like that, had Kit not been hatching a plan of her own. She kept it entirely to herself, not telling either Julia or David. Then one Thursday night she invited Joel to join them all for dinner the following day, where she would reveal her grand proposal,
Julia was intrigued, and pressed Kit for details; David refused to kiss her in a show of protest, but Kit stuck to her guns, saying only, "you'll see." The day came and Julia and Kit prepared a fine meal. After dinner, they all enjoyed a simple desert of peach cobbler with a scoop of ice cream, then retired to the balcony.
"Okay, Missy," Joel began, "what's up!" both David and Julia chimed in with similar sentiments.
"Alright, here's the deal. You and David are saving up to buy another ranch in Montana, right? But at the current rate you're putting money aside, you're still years away from your goal.”
"So what's your point Kit?" Joel interjected.
"The point is, I want to buy a ranch in Montana too, and I want all of us to go in on it, and live there."
"But Kit," Julia pointed out, "What about your artwork? The art world is New York, and New York is the art world."
"I don't buy that, Julia," Kit said, "maybe that was true at one time, but things are different now. With e-mail, and skype, and easy flights back and forth, there's no reason we couldn't live anywhere we wanted to. Joel and David know the ranching end of things, and you and I could build a kick-ass studio. Just think of all the new sights and experiences we would have, and how that would inspire our artwork. I just know that it would be a great life for all of us, but for it to really work; it would have to be unanimous.
"Sounds like you've put a lot of thought into this, Kit,” Julia said, considering her plan.
"I have," Kit said, "six months to be exact!"
"David, you're awfully quiet, what do you think?" Kit asked him.
"Hey, you're preaching to the choir here. I've dreamed of taking you to settle down in Montana since I met you. I'm just having a hard time believing that a city girl would want to leave New York to live on a ranch. I'm blown away! This just speeds up the timetable, and that's just fine with me."
Kit turned to Joel for his response. He was quick to give it.
"Hey, I'd much rather be bustin my hump for myself, then a bunch of uppity rich folks," he said, "and don't go telling Jessie I said that, because she is a very special exception." Everyone nodded his or her agreement.
Kit turned last to Julia.
“How about you Scarecrow, you ready to go down the yellow brick road with us to Oz?” Kit asked, smiling, obviously pleased with her analogy.
"But Kit, you don't need me to make your dream come true. Whatever I decided shouldn't stop you from going after the life that you want."
"Julia, next to David, you're my best friend in the whole world, and you've been the mother to me that I needed, when I lost my Mom. I can't imagine, knocking around that big beautiful studio we’re going to build, without you beside me, to share it."
"Well, I was going to say, yes, anyway, but that little speech just clinched it. I'm in!"
"Folks, we're going to Montana!" Kit yelled, and raised her glass. Joel joined in with a hearty, "Yee-haw!"
"To Montana!" Julia said, loud and clear, as they all chinked their glasses together in a toast.
Joel and David flew ahead to Montana to begin their search. They all agreed that if they found an existing ranch for sale, that fit all their unique requirements, they would buy it. Otherwise, they would buy the raw land and build it from scratch. Several prospects came close, but all fell short in one way or another.
Julia decided to keep her home in New York, so she and Kit would always have a familiar place to stay when they had to go back for art-related business, or visits with friends.
"You're not getting discouraged, are you?" Julia asked Kit.
"No, it's just that my sixteenth birthday is coming up in a few weeks, as you know, and I was hoping that we would have found a place by then."
"Don't worry; I believe that they are close!"
The next day Kit got a call from David. He could hardly contain his excitement. They had found the perfect place.
"Tell me about it!" she begged.
"No," he said, "you and Julia need to fly out as soon as possible. Words just don't do it justice. You have to see it yourself."
Continuous prodding and cajoling didn't work. David was as tight-lipped as she had ever known him.
The flight landed in Billings and David and Joel met the girls at the gate. They all piled into the rented SUV and headed out. A few hours later, Kit impatiently asked how much further. "Not much further," they both replied. Now off the main highway, they turned onto a recently graded dirt road that climbed further into the mountains. Finally, the road stopped at a hilltop and they all got out.
"Joel, David," Julia was the first to say, "it's just beautiful. However did you find it?"
"Well it wasn't easy," Joel remarked. See I figure the hilltop for the house site, over there would be the barn and stables, over there the corral, and over there, yours and Kit's studio. Good water, good grass, good drainage, the hills over there, provide protection from the cold north winds in the winter. A fella, or a gal, couldn't ask for much more.
"Sounds like you have it all planned out," Julia said, truly impressed with Joel's foresight.
Kit couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity she had. There was something about the property; something that sent a chill up her spine.
"We'll be back in a few, guys," Kit said to Julia and Joel. "Come on, David, take a walk with me."
Holding David's hand, Kit set off in a direction, as if she had walked it every day of her life. They came to the edge of a small valley with a meadow below. A carpet of wildflowers, ablaze with color, stretched before them. The daisies, bachelor buttons, and the wild clover sent up a rich aroma. Off to the left, a wild roan stallion stood on a rocky overhang watching over his harem of mares. The rolling hills gave way to the titanium white, snow-capped peaks of the Rockies, looming high above them.
"David, this is it," Kit said, intensely happy, but not understanding, "this is just the way it was in my dream."
"Your dream," he said, "this is just the way it was in my dream. The one I had when I was in a coma. I had forgotten about it, but it all came back to me again, when I saw it. That's when I saw Emily and talked with her!"
"You saw Emily," Kit asked.
"Yes," David said, "she said that if our love was pure, anything was possible!"
"David, we're home!"
Chapter 35 - Riding Camels & Elephants
Four Years Later
Kit and Julia looked out the floor to ceiling windows from their shared artist studio. The valley below was ablaze with the first wild flowers of spring. The roan stallion still stood on alert on his overhang and surveyed his harem of mares, ever vigilant to any perceived threat to his domain. Kit saw him eyeing her on numerous occasions. Once he had allowed her to come within ten feet, before he spooked and galloped off. The fresh new generation of foals nursed at their mothers teats, and one rambunctious colt kicked up his heels, as if in an attempt to impress his sire.
Above the lower foo
t hills, the majestic crown of the Rockies soared in the background, its peaks still coated in titanium white.
"I never get tired of this view," Julia said.
"Yeah, me either," Kit agreed.
"You miss him, don't you?" Julia said, already knowing the answer to her question.
"Like crazy!" Kit replied.
"What time does his plane get into Billings?"
"Ten-thirty this morning," she replied, deep in thought, "Seems strange, doesn't it. Thirty-six hours ago, he was still in Kabul."
"Yes, that does seem strange," Julia said, "Sometimes the world is a very small place."
"I heard from everyone back in New York. They're all in the air as we speak. Alicia, Gwen and her husband, Lizzie and her daughter, Jessie, Laura was the last holdout. Oh, this will blow your mind; Mr. Carducci's coming. I nearly fell over when I heard that! Says he thinks of me as a daughter; me, can you believe that! He sold the store last year and retired. He says he's looking forward to the trip, has never been outside the five boroughs. Stephanie won't make it though. She's still with that U.N. clean water project in Africa, and Sybil's opening her new gallery with husband number three, (or is it number four); I can never keep that straight, in London, so she will be a no-show also. Even so, she's still begging me to send some pieces over for her grand opening."
"You know Sybil; she still thinks of you as that naive fourteen year-old girl, she met way back when. She still thinks she can manipulate you and get her way."
"Yeah, I know Sybil. I still can't believe that I used to have you handle all of my dealings with her. I think she's such a pussycat now."
"You were much younger then, and a lot less savvy about business and the art world. And I dare say, Sybil might have mellowed a bit with age, as well."
"I still can't believe that we coordinated all the New York people to arrive on the same flight. So if the transportation from Billings to the ranch goes off without a hiccup, and the minister and local guests arrive on time, everyone should be here about two hours after Joel gets back with David. I wished I could meet them at the airport, but somebody has to make sure this wedding gets off the ground.”
"That's great; I know how much you've been looking forward to seeing them all again."
"Yeah, I knew all those bedrooms would come in handy some day."
"And here I thought you built such a big house so you and David could fill them with babies," Julia joked.
"Yeah, and here all the locals thought I was building a hunting lodge," Kit said, with a chuckle.
"No, one boy, one girl, that's the plan." Kit said firmly.
"Plans have a way of changing, Kit."
"Sorry, that one's non-negotiable."
Julia ran her hand down to feel her baby-bump. She was now five months along.
"Kit, give me your hand,” Julia said, "there, he, or she, just kicked, did you feel it?"
"Yeah, wow, looks like you've got a potential first-round draft pick, a place kicker for the NFL, perhaps.”
"Or a high-stepping prima ballerina," Julia ventured.
"Or a future high kicking Rockette," Kit countered, laughing at the New York reference.
"Ouch, you really know how to hurt a girl!"
"So what do you think Joel's hoping for?"
"I honestly think he doesn't care. You know Joel; all he can think about is getting, him or her, in the saddle."
"So you two still don't want to know the sex ahead of time?”
"Where's the fun in that?" Julia said, "All I know is whatever it is, it will be loved, and whether you want to call yourself the big sister, or the auntie, you are going to have a great relationship with this child."
"Strange isn't it, in just a few hours, after living together here, for four years, you and I will share the same last name," Kit said, buried in thought.
"Yes, two Mrs. Tyson's. However will the world survive?" Julia managed to hug Kit in spite of her baby bump.
"So David didn't go for getting married in the uniform, eh?”
"The uniform wasn't really the issue. He just said he would only get married in his Stetson, and no way would the uniform work with that. My dress was made from the one I saw myself in, in my dream, when I was fourteen. And I'll be wearing a crown wreath of wild flowers in my hair, just like in the dream. If David wants to get married in his cowboy hat, jeans and boots, then I'm perfectly happy with that. He's coming home from Afghanistan, whole and healthy. And after five years, he still wants to marry me. I count my blessings every day. The only thing I wish was that my Mom could have been here to see it."
"She is here, Kit. I know it. Just as my Paul and Emily are here, looking out for you and me, Celeste is here too, wishing us nothing but happiness and a good life."
Kit saw it first, the dust trail that signaled the arrival of the red pickup truck; David's pickup truck. The two women watched it get closer. Kit's heart was in her throat.
"He's home!" Kit said, and ran to greet him. Like so many times before, she jumped into his arms, those beautiful arms; her legs wrapped around his waist. She tasted his mouth with her tongue, and wondered how she had ever survived all these past months without him.
"Hello Darlin, wanna get married?"
"Bet your ass, Cowboy!" she replied, playfully biting his earlobe.
They walked, arms around each other, up to the house. Joel carried David's duffel to the porch, gave Julia a kiss, then joined her seated in the porch swing. Joel and Julia held hands as they watched David and Julia walk to the house. Julia placed one of Joel's hands on her stomach. The baby's kick brought a broad smile to both their faces.
"Well hello Mrs. Tyson!" David greeted Julia with a loud exaggerated holler.
"Well hello Mr. Tyson!" Julia hollered back.
"Hmm, in a few hours there's going to be another Mrs. Tyson," David joked, "whew; this could get confusing! By the way, anyone seen my hat?"
Kit retrieved David’s signature black Stetson hat from the rack just inside the door, “This what you’re looking for, Cowboy?” Kit said, expertly tossing it to him.
David placed the hat on his head, squared its position, and let out a long sigh. “Now that… feels like home,” he said.
"I don't think the reality will be quite that formal," Joel interjected. "I expect we'll be dropping the Mr. and Mrs., part of our greetings."
"Like hell, I will," Kit complained, "this is my wedding day, and I'd better hear plenty of people call me, Mrs. Tyson, thank you, when that preacher says; you may now kiss the bride."
"You two give any more thought to a honeymoon destination?" Joel asked, inquisitively.
"David just got home." Kit said, "I expect that sticking around here will be just fine for a while. Later, who knows? I'll have a husband who still wants to ride on the back of a camel and an elephant, so it's either Africa or India, for the elephant, and I guess Egypt or Mongolia for the camel. One hump, or two, dromedary or bactrian, who can say. Although I hear they also have camels in Australia."
"You remember that?" David said, truly impressed with Kit's recall. "In any event, whenever or wherever we go, we'd better get to it, because we have to get back here in the fall when I register for college.”
Epilogue - A Celebration of Life
I took David out to where the yard was set up for the wedding. All the decorations were in place; rows of seating would accommodate the guest list of sixty or so, and a barbecue, Celebration of Life, style reception was planned as homage to my mother. The wedding alter where the ceremony would be performed, overlooked the wild mustang valley below.
The New York guest began to arrive, and I could hardly contain myself as I greeted Alicia, Gwen, Lizzie, Laura, Mr. Carducci and Jessie.
Lizzie has the sweetest two-year-old daughter named, Chloe, and remains a single parent, Gwen and her husband, Ted, are now expecting their first child, a son. Unlike Julia, Gwen has no problem knowing the sex, in advance. Alicia, is attending NYU on her way to a career in social work and is still
single, but looking. Laura, my sweet Mrs. Shay, is now Mrs. Conley, divorced and remarried, and still, happily, teaching art to a new generation. Her very successful art-mentoring program has been duplicated by numerous school districts throughout the country. Jessie is still married to Carl, and he still puts up with her horses. He has made more use of the shooting range of late, to blow off steam with her, every chance they get. I still keep the derringer she gave me, more a keepsake, then any notion of protection. I am also the proud owner of one of Xanadu Princess’s foals, a wedding gift from Jessie. Mr. Carducci was a delight. The crotchety curmudgeon of a man I knew as a teenager, was gone, and in his place, the sweetest and most charming gentleman. He so enjoyed his visit, that he is now planning a trip to Italy very soon, and after that, Israel or Greece.
The wedding was beautiful. Predictably, Julia, probably the greatest catalyst in my life, was my Maid of Honor; Joel did double-duty, serving both as David's best man, giving the bride away, and walking me down the aisle. Naturally, Lizzie, Alicia, Gwen and Laura were my bridesmaids. David's Uncle Ray would be one of his groom's men, along with some of his old friends from high school.
The look in David's eyes when he saw me coming down the aisle touched my heart like nothing ever had before. That day I shed my second tears of joy. The first were, years earlier when David came out of his coma. Not the anguished tears I shed at the loss of my mother, but the tears of happiness so intense and fulfilling, that I could not contain it. Here was a man who knew his heart, years in advance of this day. His steadfast love for me, served as my rock and my compass. He never wavered in his expression of love for me, and he never gave me reason to doubt. I have never loved another man, and I know I never will.
I could not have felt like a more beautiful bride. My dress of my dreams was stylishly old-fashioned, yet elegant. My hair was crowned with a wreath of wild flowers, and I wore a beautiful antique gold locket around my neck, a locket with a history and a power all its own. A symbol of the love common to its wearers, that would, one day, be passed to my daughter; a fearless and strong-willed girl, fiercely loyal, extremely protective of her friends, with a penchant for art, like her mother.
The Ghost Locket Page 22