1929

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1929 Page 36

by M. L. Gardner


  “Would that be so bad? It’s clean and quiet, I’d have plenty of help while you’re gone, and you know it would make your mother happy to have her grandchild born in the same house you were. She’s sentimental.”

  “Ahna, you’re not realizing what this really means.”

  “Then enlighten me.” He looked frustrated and looked away. “I’ll tell you what this means, Caleb. It means you will have to face your father, and I know you don’t want to do that.”

  “I really don’t,” he admitted. She couldn’t see the conversation going anywhere, and she was growing tired.

  “I’m going to bed. We can talk more tomorrow.”

  “They want a decision tomorrow.”

  “Then make one, Caleb.” He looked over at her; how docile she looked, her facial features soft and her eyes kind. “I love you. I think you know what I want to do, but you have to be okay with it, too. I will be right here, by your side, no matter what you ultimately choose to do.” She kissed his cheek, and he watched her leave the room, still amazed at how much she had changed in the last few months. He wondered if this more humane and devoted side of her recently was what her family spoke of years ago when they referred to how she used to be.

  He sat for many hours in the dark, debating and sighing, weighing possibilities and organizing priorities until finally he made a decision he could live with. After flipping on the light and getting a pen and paper, he wrote a telegram.

  ‘Mom and Dad. Clean out my old room. Coming home.’

  February 20th 1930

  Caleb fell in with Aryl and Jonathan, who were waiting outside and talking about details of the move back to Rockport. They quieted when he walked up, watching him anxiously, waiting for his decision.

  “I’m going to need to stop and send a telegram on the way home from work today.” Caleb pulled out the edited paper from his pocket and looked it over.

  “Does that mean you’re in?” Jonathan looked hopeful. His reply was less than enthusiastic.

  “I’m in.”

  Visible relief washed over Aryl, and Jonathan set right in on reassuring him that everything would work out with his father.

  “The only question now is when should we go?” Aryl wondered aloud. The contrast of the city was so stark; the smell, grit, and commotion of the city grated on his nerves and gave him a headache. He would be happy to leave today.

  “Why don’t we finish the week,” Jonathan suggested, “collect our pay and leave on Saturday?”

  Caleb was surprised. “That fast?”

  “Why not?” Aryl said. “What’s holding us here?” They passed by a secondhand store and Jonathan looked in the window and added to ideas he had jotted down the night before. “We should buy a few of those steamer trunks for moving.” He started walking again and handed Caleb a list.

  “What’s this?” Caleb asked, reading off the note to himself.

  “A list of things I need you to take care of before we leave,” Jonathan said.

  “Really? Who made you the boss?” Aryl teased.

  “You did.” Jonathan held a list out to him with a smirk.

  “Well, then, boss–” Aryl took the paper and glanced over it. “It’s nice to have you back.”

  He looked at Aryl with immeasurable gratitude in his eyes. “It’s nice to be back.”

  They started walking again and Caleb was completely distracted by the stress of imminent reunion with his father, and he didn’t notice when Aryl handed something to Jonathan.

  “I know you have another one, but it’s probably time to give this back.”

  Jonathan didn’t say anything as he took his straight razor from Aryl’s hand and slipped it in his right pocket, next to the straw cross he carried with him everywhere.

  ∞∞∞

  “What’s this?” Ava had handed Claire a piece of paper when she opened her door.

  “These are things we need to do before the end of the week. Jonathan was up half the night planning and this morning asked me to give these to you and Arianna and see to it that these things get done.”

  Claire read over the list, nodding her head. “These are good ideas, actually. Let’s go get Arianna and get started.”

  “Get rid of the furs!” Arianna looked horrified. Claire and Ava had had a feeling this wouldn’t go well.

  “It’s the practical thing to do, Arianna,” Claire said. No matter how domesticated Arianna had become recently, she was still, to her core, Arianna. “We’d look ridiculous wearing furs around Rockport, and it makes more sense to barter them for things we’ll need more.”

  She huffed and fussed but went along, carrying the two fur coats she had smuggled out of the house last October down the street. The others each carried a carpetbag of fancy dresses and uncomfortable shoes that would be nonsensical to bring to their new life.

  Ava pulled Arianna aside before they went into the shop with the ‘Barters Welcome’ sign in the window.

  “Jon specifically said to tell you to be sure to trade not only for sensible clothes now, but for when you’re, well, bigger. It will be easier to find the things you’ll need here rather than there. Thankfully, you’ll be your biggest in the summer, so you won’t need to buy a second coat. Try to get some baby things as well, if they have them.”

  Arianna rolled her eyes and walked inside. The shop owner’s eyes lit up when she saw the white, floor-length and black, thigh-length furs draped over her arm. Ava and Claire had one fur each and a half-dozen dresses that were far too elegant to be of any practical use. They saved out one nice dress for holidays and family gatherings, and traded the rest for practical clothes; cotton dresses, gingham skirts and wool sweaters. Ava suggested they each get two pair of practical and, dreadfully hideous, according to Arianna - shoes that would be more useful than the delicate and uncomfortable heels of their previous life.

  Arianna argued with the shop owner repeatedly, demanding more store credit for the shoes that had been purchased in Paris and the dresses bought in London, and Ava intervened to help them come to an agreement. By the time they were finished, they each carried two large bags of clothes, with Ava offering to carry a third bag of baby clothes and a dozen cloth diapers for Arianna.

  “Well, we can check that off our list,” Ava said. “Tomorrow we’ll go to the safe deposit box together.”

  They passed by an open door where a woman with an Irish brogue was bantering loudly. Ava stopped walking abruptly.

  “Maura,” she breathed. Claire could see all of the happiness and excitement drain from her face, and Ava turned to look at her helplessly. “What about Maura?”

  ∞∞∞

  “Ava, what’s wrong?” Jonathan came home to find the apartment dimly lit, Ava on the couch, her arms hugging herself and her head slumped over on the arm of the couch. He looked at the bags of clothes, which were still sitting where she set them by the door, as he walked in quickly and sat down next to her. “Are you sick?” He touched her forehead and noticed her despondent, red-rimmed eyes. “What happened?” He pulled her up and over him in one graceful motion, wrapping his arms around her. “Talk to me, Ava.” She sniffled and tears welled up as she spoke.

  “We have to leave Maura,” her voice cracked as she cried. Jonathan looked down, holding her against his shoulder and sighed heavily.

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” he whispered. He put his head on hers and began rocking her lightly. “I’m going to miss her, too, sweetheart,” he said quietly. “She has become a very special person to us, hasn’t she?” Ava nodded against his shoulder. He felt the corner of the cross pressing into his thigh and shifted so it wouldn’t be damaged. He had shown it to Aryl once, who commented that it was beautiful.

  It’s so much more than beautifully woven straw. It’s Maura’s legacy. A symbol of her love and devotion to those she cared about, he thought. He blinked away tears as he recalled that fateful night. It was Aryl who pulled me out of that bathtub. But it was Maura who kept me out through the telling of her fa
mily legend and selfless gift. She made me open my eyes, really see things for what they were and stop the cycle of self-pity that nearly destroyed me. And that brought my Ava back to me.

  He hugged Ava tighter and kissed her forehead. He was unsuccessful at evading tears and discreetly wiped his eyes before setting Ava up straight in front of him.

  “Let’s go see her.” He wiped under each of her eyes and kissed her forehead. “Let’s go right now. And while we’re there, we’ll plan her first visit to Rockport.”

  “Really?”

  “Why not? We’ll work hard and help her with the train fare. Maybe she can come this summer. How does that sound?” He smoothed her bedraggled hair and settled his hands on her shoulders.

  “Oh, Jon, that would be wonderful!” She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him for a long time before she whispered to him, “You always know just what to say to make it better.”

  He smiled, almost blushed, but mostly felt overwhelmingly grateful; to Aryl for finding him, to Maura for breathing life back into him, to Ava for forgiving him, and to the cross for being a constant reminder of each of those things.

  “Get your coat. We’ll grab a sandwich on the way.”

  Happiness was restored with the hopes that there would be a visit soon, and Jonathan and Ava began planning it before they even got on the trolley. It was crowded with only one seat available, and Ava looked slightly shocked when Jonathan took it. He gave her a teasing look and to her great embarrassment, pulled her by the hand to sit on his lap.

  “Jonathan, really!” She looked around nervously for judging faces.

  “What?” He pulled her closer as the trolley wobbled down the track. “No one cares. See.” She relaxed a little, and he slipped his arm under her coat around her waist so she wouldn’t be jostled off his lap. “I’ve been thinking about you all day.” The mix of breath and growl indicated just how he had been thinking about her, and she swatted at him, embarrassed.

  The trolley made several stops, and it wasn’t long before the seat next to Jonathan was free. Ava glanced at it and then back to Jonathan, snuggling in closer, content to stay where she was.

  ∞∞∞

  “I'm so sorry, Jon, Maura’s not here.” Ian stepped aside to invite them in. “She went upstate with the family she works for on their winter holiday to the country. She won’t be back until next week.”

  Ava stared at Ian in disbelief. “But we’re leaving.”

  “Is that so? Whereabouts to?”

  “Back to my hometown in Massachusetts,” Jonathan said, not hiding his disappointment of missing Maura.

  “Well, she should be back mid-week. Come back then, I know she’d love to see you. Would you like some tea?”

  “No, no, thank you. The problem is, Ian, we’re leaving Saturday.”

  “Oh, I see. Well, that’s a problem. She’ll be awful sad she didn’t get to say goodbye.”

  “We wanted to talk to you both about coming to see us in Rockport. So, this isn’t so much a goodbye as we’ll see you this summer.” Jonathan looked around as he spoke, remembering the crowded Christmas Eve and Tarin’s exquisite voice.

  “I’m sure she’d love to. I’ll bring it up to her when she gets home.” Ava looked on the verge of tears, and Jonathan squeezed her hand.

  “Ian, I’ll write down my parents’ address, so she can write us. And we’ll drop a letter in the mail before we get on the train. And please ask her to pass this on to Charles and Sven.” Jonathan jotted down the address and stood for a moment, as if waiting for Maura to walk through the door. “Well, I guess we better get home.”

  “I'll tell her you came by and about visiting this summer. Maybe me and Scottie will stow away.”

  “We’d love to have you all.”

  “Have a safe trip now.”

  Jonathan shook his hand and turned to leave with Ava under his arm.

  ∞∞∞

  “Sorry we’re late.” Jonathan shook off his coat. Everyone was waiting at Aryl’s house when Jonathan and Ava returned. “We went to say goodbye to Maura, but she wasn’t there.” He joined the others at the table. “She won’t be back until next week.” He tried to distract himself, pulling out a list from his pocket and reading over it.

  “You’ll see her again,” Aryl said. “I’m sure of it.”

  “And we can give you your baby shower, Arianna.” Claire looked at Ava, who nodded in agreement, but while thinking about Maura, she was unable to get excited about a party.

  “So, take our pay tomorrow, add in what we’ve saved and subtract train fare, and this is what we’ll land in Rockport with.” He passed the paper around the table.

  “Not bad.” Aryl leaned back. “We shouldn’t have to stay with family long at all.”

  “Here’s a list of things we need to do tomorrow after work. Ladies, here’s what you need to be doing during the day and a list of things to pack. We’ll be trading the radios for steamer trunks tomorrow. If you could have these things ready to pack, that would be wonderful. How did today go?”

  “Good.” Claire spoke up for the three of them. “Arianna is quite the haggler. She even walked away with some baby things.”

  “That’s great. Tomorrow, we’ll send a telegram during lunch to Aryl’s parents. They can inform the others of our arrival time. That way we only have to pay to send one. Saturday morning, we’ll finish packing and catch the two o’clock train.”

  “We have to say goodbye to Shannon and Patrick,” Arianna said with a sigh. “And no one has mentioned my vanity. I know we can’t take it with us, so I’d like to give it to her. She’s helped me a great deal.”

  Caleb put an arm around her, encouraging her generosity. “I think that’s a great idea. She would love it.”

  Ava wasn’t sure, but she thought for a moment that Arianna was blinking away tears. She assumed that Shannon was to Arianna what Maura had become to her.

  Escaping this depressing life was going to be bittersweet, after all.

  February 21st 1930

  The three women took a whole hour before lunch to visit with Shannon and say goodbye. They exchanged addresses and promised to stay in touch. Shannon talked of visiting, but everyone knew, due to finances, that it was very unlikely. Claire noticed the unframed painting of the angel, which hung above the fireplace and decided that she would send Shannon a beautiful wooden frame for it as soon as she could.

  Ava gave Claire a certain look, and they excused themselves, claiming piles of work to do. It was only partly true. They wanted to give Arianna time for a private goodbye. They each gave Shannon a long hug, and nearly all managed to remain composed.

  “I’m just goin’ to miss ye so much. I know the next neighbors won’t be so wonderful.”

  “We’ll keep in touch,” Ava reminded. “And maybe you can visit when Arianna has her baby?” Shannon smiled, but knew deep down that this was most likely the last time she would ever see them.

  After Ava and Claire left, Arianna relaxed, letting her shoulders slump forward. Roan started to cry in his cradle and Arianna automatically went to pick him up, bouncing him gently as she walked. Aislin scrambled up onto her mother’s lap. Arianna gazed at Roan as she spoke to Shannon.

  “I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve taught me.” She gave a little laugh as she shifted Roan up to her shoulder. “I know I must have been terrible in the beginning.”

  “Twas no trouble. I enjoyed it. And no, you weren’t terrible. I was impressed with how quickly you learned. Yer a natural, you know. You’re going to be a wonderful mother.”

  “I guess we’ll see,” she said wistfully. “I wish you could be there. For the first few weeks, you know.”

  “I do, too.” She set Aislin on the couch beside her and went to the kitchen, trying not to sound too emotional. “You have your good friends, though. Don’t forget that. They care about ye so much, ye know.”

  “I know,” she said quietly. “I couldn’t have gotten through this without them eith
er.” It was quiet for a few moments with Aislin’s giggles and Roan’s cooing the only occasional noises.

  “Will you stay for another cup of tea? I know ye have a lot to do.”

  “It can wait.” She laid Roan down in his cradle again and walked to the kitchen doorway. “I have questions about the baby. When it comes, I mean.” Shannon turned and saw her eyes full of tears.

  “I’m really scared,” she whispered.

  ∞∞∞

  “I think Columbus might have used these,” Aryl joked. It was a bustling evening as they carried three old trunks down the street after trading the radios. Once home, they set them in the center of the room, and the women packed a fraction of their belongings in the order of importance as laid out in a list by Jonathan.

  Caleb and Jonathan carried the vanity down the hall to Shannon, who cried and gushed over the beautiful piece. They helped squeeze it into the small bedroom and said their goodbyes to Patrick.

  After they left, Shannon opened a drawer and found a few postcards Arianna wanted her to have, a picture of her and Caleb, one of Arianna’s finer dresses she had saved back and a lace chemise with a note pinned to it.

  For your week

  February 22nd 1930

  Shannon heard scuffling in the hallway. Caleb had told her the night before that Arianna was too emotional for a second goodbye, but she couldn’t help but run out to catch a glimpse of the group at the bottom of the stairs.

  “Thank ye for the dress,” she called out. Arianna stopped and took a moment before she turned. She managed a half-smile and raised her hand, but nothing more. “I’ll come see you in Rockport, I promise,” Shannon said with tears in her eyes. She watched them walk out the door and turned slowly to her own apartment as the beady-eyed one eavesdropped through her door.

 

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