The girls smiled at each other with the wonder of it all.
The moment was broken by the toot of a car horn.
“I think Dad has everything packed and ready to drive you home. Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”
“No, I think it’s best I go back by myself with Chloe. I think Mom will be more comfortable with just me and the baby to deal with.”
“Your mom will love Chloe in no time, she’s so adorable.”
“I know she will too. I just wish Robbie would’ve come to see her already. The thought that he doesn’t love or care for Chloe or…me—”
“Oh, Tammy, I know how hard that is on you. Perhaps it’s for the best. But time will tell…” Jenny’s words trailed off.
Tammy gave Jenny a huge, warm hug. “You’re such a good friend. I love you dearly.”
“I love you too, Tammy. Please call me tonight and let me know how things are going. If it’s okay, I’ll come over this weekend.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Jenny walked Tammy and the baby out to the car.
Edith was out on the front steps, giving Ted a list of items to pick up on the way home.
“Thank you again, Mrs. Sarsky.”
Edith smiled and gave Tammy a hug. “We’ll miss you both. I never realized how much I’d enjoy having a little one around again.” She looked at Jenny and then quickly away.
Tammy got into the car and waved as she and Ted drove off.
Jenny and her mother went in to the quiet stillness of the living room. They didn’t speak and their sudden awareness of the silence in the huge house amplified loud and clear what they had missed.
Chapter Forty-Five
The phone rang, jarring Henry from a deep sleep.
His mother knocked on his bedroom door. There was panic in her voice and the rapidity of her knock.
“Henry? Henry, wake up!”
“What’s is it, Mom? Come in.”
She opened the door enough to poke her head in.
“Henry, Mrs. Kartusch just called. She says a big machine is on the lot beside Engelmann’s Grocery Store and they told her that they were getting ready to tear it down.”
Why couldn’t they have waited another week when Mr. Engelmann would be in Gravelbourg.
“Phone Mr. Engelmann and let him know. He might want to see it.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Yeah, for sure, Mom. We should at least let him know and then he can decide for himself.”
While Henry quickly got dressed he strained to hear his mother’s conversation with the rectory.
“Good morning, Father. Is David up yet? … Oh, he did? … When? … Oh, Mrs. Kartusch phoned him already, too … Yes, she just let us know … Okay … Well, we’re going, too. We’ll see him there. ’Bye, Father.”
Henry landed in the kitchen as she replaced the receiver.
“David’s already there.”
“Well, let’s go, Mom. I want to see it, too, before it goes down. Is Dad coming?”
“No, he’s on a service call. He left an hour ago.”
“I better call Julean and tell her I’ll probably be late.”
The grinding of the Caterpillar’s chains greeted them when they arrived at the store. Mr. Engelmann and several other neighbours were watching the demolition from the other side of the street.
“They sure didn’t waste much time getting rid of it, did they, Mom?”
“No, they certainly didn’t.”
They waited for the light to turn green and hurried across the street. Henry studied Mr. Engelmann as he approached. His mentor stared at the store and the huge mechanical monster about to destroy what had been his livelihood and home for almost twenty years. Henry thought he was stunned.
What was going through his mind?
“’Morning, Mr. Engelmann.”
“Good morning, Henry. Mary. Come to watch, too?”
“Yes, David, we had to take one last look. I see we’re not the only ones.”
More and more people had gathered. At least two of the spectators were snapping pictures. Henry made a mental note of who they were so he could get copies for his scrapbook.
The Caterpillar inched its way towards the store, raising its bucket as it approached, looking for the right spot to attack. The operator’s strategy appeared to be to knock down the second storey first, then work his way lower. However, as the Cat pushed, the main floor began to buckle and part of the second storey threatened to fall out towards the machine, almost as if to ward it off from going any further.
The operator backed off and studied the structure for a moment, then manoeuvred the Cat around the back and disappeared around the south end towards Mr. Engelmann’s school of life. Henry had a sudden impulse to get the old grey crate and save it as it held so many memories for him.
Neither he nor Mr. Engelmann made any attempt to cross the street so they could see what the machine was up to behind the building, like some of the other spectators had done. Neither of them could bear to see their classroom go.
The sound of the Caterpillar motor grew louder as the engine revved. They held their breath, anticipating the store would suddenly fall in. They saw the building shift, but still it didn’t collapse, almost as if it didn’t want to fall. The Cat inched its way over to the north side of the building, prodding it, looking for just the right vulnerable spot that would cause it to cave in on itself. The Cat eventually appeared on the south side again as it worked its way back. The building showed more signs of weakening towards imminent collapse.
Barricades blocked off traffic and pedestrians from the east side of the street, and the operator patiently and methodically worked on the north and west sides, keeping away from the spectators.
The operator raised the bucket towards the second floor again and prodded at the store like a cat toying with a mouse. Then, almost in slow motion, the store gave way, collapsing inward, exposing the interior walls, Mr. Engelmann’s bedroom, then the kitchen. Mr. Engelmann flinched and shifted his weight from foot to foot. Part of him, too, was being destroyed.
Finally, the first floor could no longer support the weight of the upper storey and buckled. A huge cloud of dust rose as the second floor dropped into the first, gushing out its breath.
The Cat operator backed off and waited for the dust to settle. Some of the spectators took out their handkerchiefs and held them over mouths and noses as the dust rolled towards them. When it had cleared, they could see part of the second floor was still intact, though hovering dangerously, held together and propped up by one or two 2 x 4’s on the main floor. The Cat pushed the rubble into a large heap. More of the dust settled, eerily, like mist burning off in the advancing morning sun. Incredibly, the chair that had sat by the south window was perched on the very top of the pile of twisted and broken boards and rubble.
Then a 2 x 4 stud splintered, letting go of the portion of the second floor wall that was still standing, and fell down across the top of the chair. Attached to the 2 x 4 by an electrical cable was another broken 2 x 4, which javelined forward in a sudden thrust, flying through the air like an arrow, its sharp splintered end piercing the back of the chair and coming through on the other side. From the angle from which Henry and Mr. Engelmann watched on the sidewalk, the two boards formed a cross over the chair.
There was a gasp amongst the spectators. Even Mr. Engelmann grabbed Henry’s arm in reaction. It was so symbolic of the cross the Engelmanns had picked up every day and carried. The very chair they had used in their spiritual talks with the Lord was now holding up the cross. It was a reminder of Christ’s suffering, and Anna’s own pain. And just as Jesus had shed His blood, pierced by a spear when hanging on the cross on Calvary, so, too, did the chair spill its inner heart and soul in the only way it could. Cotton, felt and spring parts protruded from the chai
r as its worn, fragile fabric tore open.
The chair with its cross sat high on the rubble as the Caterpillar worked all around it, almost defying destruction. Those watching silently cheered it on, praying for some kind of miracle. Mrs. Kartusch, next to Henry, made the sign of the cross. Mr. Engelmann stepped forward as if to get ready to go over there and ask the Cat operator to salvage the chair.
The operator, completely unaware of the dramatics, lowered the Cat’s bucket to ground level and scooped up debris which had fallen onto the fringe of the site and pushed it towards the central heap. As it did so, the chair toppled from its perch and the cross fell off to the side, both in front of the Caterpillar. The operator, oblivious to what had happened, drove forward. The metal studded chains of the Cat crushed both chair and cross instantly.
Within ten minutes, the store was nothing more than a pile of rubble. A huge truck at the end of the lot fired up, belching black smoke out of its vertical exhaust pipe. The truck ground into gear and rumbled towards what remained of Engelmann’s Grocery Store to park beside the Cat. The operator scooped up the debris and dumped it into the truck.
Henry turned to see how Mr. Engelmann was holding up, but he was no longer there.
“Where’s Mr. Engelmann?” Henry asked his mom.
“He left right after his favourite chair was destroyed. I guess he could no longer bear to stand here and see all those memories demolished right before his eyes.”
“If only they’d waited another few days until Mr. Engelmann was at the seminary, he wouldn’t have had to witness all this.”
Concerned about his mentor, Henry walked to the edge of the crowd. He saw Mr. Engelmann about a half block down Broder Street, plodding north rather than south towards their place. He debated running after him but knew it wasn’t what Mr. Engelmann needed. He needed to be alone to sort through what had just happened. When Mr. Engelmann reached the end of the next block he turned left and disappeared.
Henry worked his way back through the crowd and stood beside his mother. Her eyes were moist as she stood there, absorbed in her own thoughts.
The truck was filled and piled high. The Caterpillar had crushed the rubble so much that the truck held almost the entire remains of the store. As the truck, like a hearse, lumbered off the lot on its way to the burial grounds, Henry thought, ‘Dust thou art and to dust thou shall return.’
A few minutes later, another truck carrying a load of dirt pulled into the lot. The driver backed towards the open hole of the store’s basement. The back end of the truck tilted up and dirt slid out of the tailgate into the basement. The Cat returned as soon as the empty truck pulled away to push the dirt into the basement. More dirt and gravel would be needed to completely level it off.
Henry felt sad and nostalgic, and as he thought about it, his eyes filled with tears. His mother, too, was wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
“Let’s go, Mom.”
They took one last look, trying to visualize the store, but all they saw was emptiness.
The Cat idled nearby, quietly licking its chains.
Chapter Forty-Six
It was almost nine-thirty by the time Henry pulled up in front of Julean’s house, two hours later than they’d planned. Julean already knew where she was staying; her parents knew people in Saskatoon and had made arrangements with them for her to stay there. Julean wanted to meet them and also see the room she would be sharing with her friend. Henry was hoping to find a place he could share with Travis. Of the places on the list of boarding houses the registrar had sent him, Henry had underlined the ones he wanted to check out.
“G’morning, Julean,” Henry said as she ducked into the car.
She slid up beside him and kissed his cheek.
“Good morning to you, too! Well, do you think your new car will make it okay?”
“I certainly do.”
“So I heard they tore down Mr. Engelmann’s store?”
“Yeah, it’s all gone. I’ll tell you about it on the way.”
As Henry let out the clutch and sped off, Julean said, “Well, you seem to have that down pat.”
“Yeah, I’m getting used to it. I feel like a race car driver.”
“Just remember the speed limit.”
It was a beautiful summer day. Henry rolled his window down and let in the warm, fresh morning air. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It made him think “blue skies, smiling at me, nothing but blue skies do I see,” and he started to hum. He loved Louis Armstrong’s version. Henry lowered his voice, trying to make it sound as gravelly as possible, and began to sing like Satchmo.
“Gosh, Hank, I forgot about the impersonations you do! Boy, do you ever sound like him. Sing it again.”
After his Louis Armstrong encore, Henry impersonated James Stewart, Jimmy Cagney and several other famous movie stars. Julean laughed and gushed at his talents.
Julean studied the map as they exited Regina. Lumsden, the first town, was in the valley. The highway went right through town. The streets were deserted except for a gas jockey filling a half-ton truck at the corner service station. They had to slow down a bit for a dog loitering on the street in front of them. They passed through town in about two minutes, then started up a steep hill that would take them back to the flat prairie. Fourteen thousand years before, during the last ice age, glaciers had cut through the flat prairie and gouged out that beautiful valley. Henry vowed that someday he would own a slice of it.
The town of Davidson marked the halfway point between Regina and Saskatoon so they decided to stop and fill up the gas tank and have a Coke and a muffin. The café was packed, mainly with farmers and local residents. The locals followed their progress through the café as a waitress showed them to a booth.
When they arrived in Saskatoon, an hour and a half later, Henry recognized some of the street names he had memorized from the registrar’s list the night before. Within fifteen minutes they had found the campus of the University of Saskatchewan.
It was old and beautiful. All the buildings had been built with greystone and had a rich heritage look about them. As they drove in and out and around the various buildings, they located the College of Education Building and the Nursing Building. Beside the University Hospital on the edge of campus was the dean’s residence. It was a regal-looking home, a three-storey mansion overlooking the Saskatchewan River.
A beautiful view met them when they stopped at a stoplight at the top of the hill leading down to a bridge. The South Saskatchewan River divided the city in half, spanned by several bridges. Downtown Saskatoon began on the other side.
As they made their way over the bridge, Henry drew Julean’s attention to the city’s famous Bessborough Hotel, one of the last big hotels built by the Canadian National Railway, and imagined walking with Julean among the tall, well-established trees on the edge of the river beside it.
“Very picturesque,” Henry commented to Julean, who nodded.
Except for the campus and beautiful river, Saskatoon was pretty similar to Regina, and Henry found that a comfort. It had the main department stores: Simpsons-Sears, Eaton’s and The Bay. Like Regina, it had some really nice restaurants and neat shops. Julean and Henry decided to have lunch at Golf’s Chocolate Shop and Diner on 2nd Avenue. Julean said anyplace with the word “chocolate” in the name had to be good. And she was right.
After lunch they set off to look at the homes Henry had marked off on his list. He decided to put a deposit on one on Munroe Avenue, only two blocks from the campus. The lady seemed nice and very friendly. The room Henry rented was clean, with two small cots and two desks. A makeshift bookshelf spanned the space between the desks.
They were way ahead of schedule. It was only three-thirty. The next stop was Julean’s room in a home around the corner on Temperance Street.
“There it is!” shrieked Julean as the house came into view. “It’s
that white bungalow with the picket fence. Oh, I can hardly wait to see what it’s like, Hank.”
Henry parked the car at the curb, then he and Julean stepped out. Henry opened the gate and they walked into the yard.
A middle-aged woman greeted them at the door a minute after they pushed the doorbell. She was short, and her weight testified to her enjoyment of food. Her hair was mousey white and her round-rimmed glasses complimented her chubby face.
“Hi,” Julean greeted her, “I’m Julean Carter. I think my parents called to say I’d be coming today to look at the room I’ll be sharing with my friend Louise.”
The woman stared at Julean and then at Henry for a long moment. “Hello, Julean. I’m Mrs. Saunders. Yes, your parents called to tell me to expect you,” she finally said, and then looked at Henry again.
“Oh! Pardon me. This is Hank Pederson. He’s boarding at a place a little closer to campus.”
“I see,” said Mrs. Saunders. She stepped back and gestured for them to come in. “Please take your shoes off. I’ll show you to the room where you’ll be staying.”
She introduced them to Mr. Saunders when they passed the living room and their daughter, Martha, when they passed her bedroom.
Julean’s room was surprisingly spacious. It was set up the same as the one Henry had rented: two single beds, two desks and a high bookcase on the far wall. The room, however, was nicely decorated with frilly curtains and bedspreads. Julean opened the closet to see how big it was, then did the same with the drawers in the dresser and small chest.
“Oh, this is very nice,” Julean finally said, breaking the uneasy silence.
“I’m glad you like it,” replied Mrs. Saunders. “We don’t allow boys in the room and no alcohol, either,” she added, surprising them with her frankness.
Julean and Henry looked at each other.
“Oh no, Mrs. Saunders—you don’t have to be worried about that,” Julean said.
“That’s good,” Mrs. Saunders said, leading them back to the kitchen. “Breakfast is at seven-thirty every morning. Lunch will be prepared for you to take to university,and dinner will always be at five-thirty sharp.”
Another Angel of Love Page 40