Flowers from Iraq (The Storyteller and the Healer Book 1)
Page 29
“It’s splendid,” she said softly.
Kathleen spoke huskily, “I was hoping… I was praying, you’d be here.”
Claire nodded. “Me too.”
They carried bags, boxes, and luggage to Kathleen’s room. Kathleen thought it was time to make Claire’s bedroom into an office and make her bedroom their permanent nest.
Oscar came in, meowed loudly at Claire, and snuggled up to Kathleen. Claire was hurt but Kathleen knew exactly what he was doing.
“Oscar’s like a child whose mom has gone away on an extended vacation,” she said.
“He’s letting you know he’s angry. He’s really trying to tell you how much he’s missed you.”
Kathleen was right. In a few minutes Oscar jumped on Claire’s lap for his hugs and kisses.
Kathleen held Claire’s hand. “Let’s go downstairs to the solarium. I made some lemonade.”
They sat on a wicker couch, close to each other, still searching for a new balance.
Kathleen said, “I got you something.” She brought out two boxes. “I hope you like these.”
Claire opened the first box and her face lit up. She held a sleeveless summer dress with a scooped neck. The dress had been embroidered with colorful flowers around the neckline. “It’s a Gypsy dress. The embroidery is beautiful. I love it! Thank you.” She snuggled up to Kathleen. The tension was melting.
“I’m glad you like it. I did the embroidery and didn’t stick my fingers once.”
“It’s lovely, I’ll treasure it.”
“I can’t wait to see you in it. It reminds me of your story about Deborah and Ferka. Are you ready for gift number two?”
“I’m always ready for presents.”
Claire opened the second gift and started laughing. She threw her arms around Kathleen and spoke excitedly as she put on her gray Sherlock Holmes deerstalker cap, complete with bills in front and back and earflaps that tied on top, and held the magnifying glass up to her eye, enlarging it comically.
“I’ve always wanted these. I love them; it’s the best gift ever! Now I’m ready to solve any crime.” Claire was finally wearing the perfect outfit: her 501 Levi’s, a flannel shirt, hiking boots, and an official Sherlock Holmes cap.
Claire said, “I have two things for you, too.” She got up and came back with a beautifully wrapped gift and a bag filled with brightly colored tissue. “Open the bag first.”
Kathleen reached into the bag and found a soft package wrapped in Christmas paper. She opened it and looked at the contents quizzically. “A fanny pack?”
“You have to see what’s inside.”
Kathleen opened the fanny pack and began to laugh.
“Put it on,” ordered Claire.
Kathleen stood up, shook the gift out, and swung it around her back.
“Fabulous!” said Claire. “We’re both ready for Halloween. You’ll wear your red cape emblazoned with the words Super Doc, and I’ll go as Sherlock Holmes. Now, it’s time for gift number two.”
Kathleen savored every moment, carefully and slowly removing the black-and-white paisley wrapping paper. She carefully lifted one end of the box and peeked in. She shook her head. “How did you know?”
“Well, I’m not a super-sleuth for nothing. I just followed the clues. A book on your shelf with well worn, dog-eared pages and a card inside with the name of an antique shop.”
Kathleen held the Alice in Wonderland doll next to her heart. “I’ll put Alice on the bed, but you have to promise not to play with her.”
Claire chuckled. “I promise. Alice is for you and only you.”
Kathleen put her arm around Claire. This time she didn’t need any prompting. “I have one more gift for you.”
“You’re spoiling me, but I have to say I really like it.”
“You’re going to have to wait a bit for this gift. Would you mind wearing the Victorian dress you wore at the party and meeting me here at six?” Kathleen spoke sternly. “Not a minute before, Claire—and no snooping!”
“Is this another mystery, like the attic?”
“Everything is a mystery to you, but this is more of a surprise.”
Kathleen had planned this gift for weeks, counting the days when Claire might be returning home. She hoped she wouldn’t truly faint during the process.
Kathleen walked into the solarium at five-thirty. She made certain that the room was perfectly arranged and turned on the music. When she heard Claire walking downstairs, she stepped behind one of the big palms and, as Claire entered the solarium, told her to close her eyes. As one of Claire’s favorite songs, “The Way You Look Tonight,” began, she walked over and put her arm around Claire’s waist.
“Dance with me?”
Claire opened her eyes. Kathleen was wearing a tuxedo, complete with tails, top hat, and boutonniere. “You did this for me?”
Kathleen pulled Claire closer, kissing her passionately. “For you, for us, my darling,” then broke out in a broad grin. “Outfit and dance lessons included.”
She thought about what her dance instructor, Miss Margo, had said: “Take Claire in your arms and let the music enter your soul.”
With Kathleen leading, they floated around the solarium like two feathers caught on a gentle breeze.
Claire looked at Kathleen with shining eyes. “You’re exactly who I have always wanted,” Claire murmured in Kathleen’s ear, “and you are so much prettier than Fred Astaire.”
Acknowledgments
My deepest appreciation to my children for their support as I do the dance called, My Life.
To my grandchildren, you are my special blessings.
To my brother, Howard—you will always be Howie to me. Thank you for believing in me and giving me hope.
I feel fortunate to have Proofed to Perfection as my editors. Pamela Guerrieri and Kevin Cook gently nudged me toward a greater depth of writing and enriched Flowers from Iraq, in every way.
Marc “Sid” LaBarbera, Paramedic Intensivist, CC-EMTP, contributed invaluable technical research on the medical scenes for Flowers from Iraq. Marc, I am so grateful for your help and for having expressed your wish for all our troops to return home safely.
D.P. Lyle, MD, reviewed and edited the medical scenes in Flowers from Iraq, for content and accuracy. Doug, thank you for your feedback and for helping to make the medical scenes workable and realistic.
Donna Casey created the cover for Flowers from Iraq. She is amazing. A cover does speak more than a thousand words.
I would be remiss not to thank my characters that made my fingers hit the keyboard for hours and hours each and every day. You taught me never to give up.
May we meet again in the sequel to Flowers from Iraq: God Laughs: The Storyteller and The Healer.
About The Author
Sunny Alexander is from Los Angeles, and was born into a time when men and women followed their proscribed social roles. In her own case, she married at an early age in the 1950s. Impacted by the social revolution of the 1960’s and ’70s, Sunny Alexander returned to school and became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Fascinated by the power of dreams, she continued her education and received her doctorate in psychoanalysis. In private practice since 1988 she often treats adults abused as children.
Flowers from Iraq was born from her own introspections at a time when the Iraq War was raging. As a gay woman herself, she sought to portray the suffering of those who feel compelled to hide their identity.
She is currently writing The Girls, a novel that follows a group of gay women from the 1970s to 2020, a hypothetical future when the United States Senate passes the Freedom to Marry Act.
Sunny Alexander can be contacted at: www.sunnyalexander.com
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