The Mirror (Northwest Passage Book 5)

by John A. Heldt

  Katie turned to Mike and saw a young man with an ashen face.

  "You've never mentioned an interest in college."

  "There are a lot of things I've never mentioned," Mike said.

  Katie looked at him thoughtfully.

  "Why haven't you mentioned college? That's pretty important."

  "It's complicated."

  Katie didn't care for that answer, but she knew she didn't have a right to anything more. She was an interloper, after all, a time-traveling intruder who would be gone in a matter of months. Even so, she wanted to know. She cared about Mike and wanted to know everything about him.

  "It's all right, Michael. If you don't want to say anything, you don't have to," Mary said.

  "Say what?" Katie asked.

  Mary put her fork on her plate and pushed it away.

  "The reason Michael hasn't enrolled in college is because he's been taking care of me," Mary said. "He's been working nearly full-time since January to help pay the bills."

  "Are you OK?" Katie asked.

  "Right now I am. I feel pretty good. Today has been a good day."

  "I'm not sure what you're saying."

  Mary glanced at Mike, as if awaiting a signal. When he nodded, she smiled at him sweetly and then returned her attention to Katie. She took another deep breath and continued.

  "About a year ago, doctors here found tumors in each of my breasts," Mary said.

  Katie stiffened in her seat.

  "They didn't know whether they were malignant, so they sent tissue samples to a lab back east. When the results came back, I learned the worst. I learned that I had cancer."

  "I am so sorry," Katie said.

  "Don't be. There's more to the story," Mary said. "I was shocked at first – and depressed, of course. I knew the odds weren't with me. My grandmother and two aunts died of breast cancer at a young age. I knew I was up against it, but I didn't want to just roll over. I wanted to stick around as long as I could for Patsy and Michael, so I did the only thing I could do. I had a double mastectomy and had my lymph nodes removed."

  "Are you better?"

  "'Better' is a relative term, Katie. I feel better. Believe it or not, I look better too. Last fall, I didn't think I'd make it to the summer. I didn't think I'd make it to May, but I'm still here. Whether I make it farther depends on God and the doctors. Fortunately, I have an understanding employer and compassionate children. I like my chances."

  Katie sat in stunned silence as she tried to process Mary's words – both the good and the bad. She wondered why awful things happened to nice people. She hated that life could be so randomly cruel and unfair.

  "Is there anything I can do?" Katie asked.

  "There is," Mary said.

  "What?"

  "You've already done it."

  "I don't understand."

  "You've brought a smile to my boy's face."

  CHAPTER 31: GINNY

  Saturday, May 23, 1964

  Sitting in her recliner in the living room with a bowl of cereal in her lap, Ginny stared at the television and shook her head. She was OK with flying rodents that saved the day, but not if they had to do so in black and white.

  "I miss color," Ginny said.

  When she didn't get a reply to her thoughtful admission, she glanced at the duplex duchess in the other reclining throne. Katie, dressed in a bathrobe, stared blankly out the window.

  "You came in late," Ginny said. "How was your night?"

  "Mike's mom has cancer."

  Ginny dropped her spoon in her bowl.

  "She has what?"

  "She has breast cancer," Katie said matter-of-factly. "She's already had both breasts and her lymph nodes removed."

  "Oh, Katie, I'm sorry. Is she better now?"

  "She seems to be – for the most part, anyway – but you know how cancer works. It goes away for a while and then usually comes back. If it does in her case, then there's not a lot she'll be able to do. She's treating each day like a blessing."

  Ginny put her bowl on a table, jumped out of her chair, and walked to the TV, where Mighty Mouse had yielded to a Slinky commercial. She turned the volume to low. When she returned to her chair and looked at Katie, she saw a sister who appeared to have a lot on her mind.

  "Dinner must have been awful if you had to talk about that," Ginny said.

  "It wasn't bad. In fact, it was kind of nice. It was nice having dinner with real people. Mary Hayes is a sweet lady," Katie said. She sipped tea from a mug. "She made me appreciate how lucky I am to have my health. We can never take that for granted."

  "We should do something special for her."

  "I'm already on it," Katie said. "I'm going to bake her something once a week."

  Ginny looked at her twin with puzzled eyes.

  "We don't have baking pans, Katie. You need baking pans to bake."

  "I know. I'm going to buy some."

  "Don't forget a smoke alarm."

  "Very funny," Katie said.

  Ginny smiled as she remembered the time in 2010 when Katie, age nine, had nearly burned down the Smith house by putting cookies in the oven and forgetting about them. She had left the kitchen to play with her dolls.

  "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist."

  Ginny settled into her chair. For more than a minute, she stared blankly at the TV screen and tried to digest what Katie had said. What an evening she must have had.

  "We should do something for Mike too," Ginny said. "We should be extra nice to him."

  "No," Katie said. "That's the one thing we shouldn't do. He said specifically that he doesn't want me to treat him differently. He doesn't want anyone to treat him differently. He wants us to treat him just as before. James has been doing that since the beginning."

  "So we shouldn't do anything?"

  "I didn't say that. I'm just saying we shouldn't pity him. What we should do is try to bring him joy. He hasn't had a happy life, Gin. I want to show him that life can be fun."

  Ginny stared at her sister. She agreed with Katie but wondered if she wasn't inviting trouble. She wasn't Mike's keeper. She was a friend – a friend in no position to make commitments, a friend who would undoubtedly break Mike's heart in September.

  "I suppose you're right. We need to be careful though. We're not going to be here forever. We don't want to mess with people's lives. You're the one who told me that. Remember?"

  Katie turned her head.

  "I remember. I thought about it last night," Katie said. "I thought about it a lot. I'm going to be a good friend to Mike this summer, but only a friend. I'm not going to add to his troubles by making promises I can't keep. I'm going to act responsibly."

  "I'm glad to hear that. I was starting to worry. I know you like Mike, Katie. I just don't want you to get too close to him."

  "Don't worry. I won't," Katie said. "What about you? What about Steve?"

  Ginny smiled.

  "You mean my 'boy toy'?"

  Katie laughed.

  "I thought your 'boy toy' was standing on your dresser."

  "He is," Ginny said. She smiled smugly. "I have two boy toys. Harry is my first love."

  Katie raised an eyebrow.

  "Harry?"

  "Yes, Harry. Do you have a better name for a troll doll?"

  "Dopey works for me," Katie said.

  Ginny laughed.

  "Go away. You're spoiling my morning."

  "You've been watching cartoons, Gin. What's to spoil?"

  "Stop it now. Your negativity is bringing me down."

  Katie smiled.

  "Who was our visitor this morning? I thought I heard a knock on the door before I got up."

  Ginny sighed.

  "You did."

  "Well, who was it?" Katie asked.

  "It was our landlord."

  "You're being evasive."

  Ginny shot Katie a glance and then stared again at the television. She wasn't quite sure how to break the news to a sister who worried about everything.

  "Vi
rginia stopped by."

  Katie sat up in her chair.

  "What did she want?"

  "She didn't want anything, except maybe our company tomorrow," Ginny said.

  "You're still being evasive."

  Ginny abandoned Mighty Mouse and turned to face her twin. She knew Katie wouldn't let up until she had an answer – and a good one at that. She took another breath and continued.

  "She wants us to come over at two. She said she has some photos she wants to show us."

  Katie stared hard at Ginny.

  "What kind of photos?"

  "She didn't say," Ginny said. "She just said she thought we'd enjoy them."

  "I feel sick. You know she knows, Gin. You know she does."

  "I know nothing of the sort. I looked at her closely, Katie. I looked for a smirk or a wink or an expression that might suggest she'd gone through your purse. I didn't see one."

  "That's because she has a poker face. She's not going to tip her hand on something like this. Maybe we should just tell her the truth. This is really starting to bother me."

  Ginny looked at Katie sympathetically but didn't respond immediately. She instead grabbed the bowl and spoon from the table and rose from her chair. When she got to her feet, she looked at her sister thoughtfully.

  "I know you think this is an ambush, but it's probably nothing more than a friendly visit. She likes us and wants to know more about us," Ginny said. "She knew the purse belonged to one of us. She didn't have to open it to know that."

  Ginny cocked her head.

  "Mrs. Jorgenson strikes me as a classy lady, Katie, and classy ladies don't snoop in other people's purses. Until we know more, I think we should give her the benefit of the doubt."

  Katie glared at her sister for a moment, sighed, and then pouted. It was her way of saying Ginny was right without actually saying Ginny was right.

  "You really think she just wants to show us some pictures?"

  "Yeah. I think so," Ginny said. "She knows we like her photos. You blubbered over one. She probably wants to show us some better ones – and maybe a few we'll never forget."

  CHAPTER 32: GINNY

  Sunday, May 24, 1964

  Virginia Jorgenson's living room was a tribute to the mid-twentieth century. Photographs from the late thirties and forties hung on one wall, while pictures from the fifties and early sixties hung on another. If there was an important local event from the past twenty-five years not represented in the gallery, Ginny didn't see it.

  "I like this one of the girl with the cotton candy. Where was it taken?" Ginny asked.

  "It was taken in Maple Valley," Virginia said. "It's a town about thirty miles away. It hosts something called the Cedar River Country Fair. Perhaps you've heard of it."

  Ginny looked at Katie and smiled.

  "As a matter of fact, I have. I saw a flier advertising it in the motel office."

  "What do you think of this one?" Virginia asked.

  Virginia walked to the first wall and pointed to a photo of a young Japanese couple on their wedding day. Appearing with six others, the newlyweds stood not in a church or a garden or a country estate but rather in what appeared to be a military installation or a prison.

  "I like it," Ginny said. "I like the expressions on the faces of the bride and groom. They look both happy and sad. Is there a story behind this picture?"

  Virginia smiled.

  "Yes, there's a story behind it – a very interesting story. I took that photo in 1943 at the Minidoka War Relocation Camp in Idaho. I had to lobby officials there for days to let me take pictures at the wedding. The reason they finally relented is because I was a journalist and a close friend of the bride."

  Ginny closed her eyes and sighed. She had suspected as much. She knew the rest of this tale. So did Katie. Ginny glanced at her sibling and saw that she was as white as a sheet. Katie also knew what Virginia was saying and where she was going.

  "Do you remember me telling you about my friend in Portland, the one with the delightful sense of humor?" Virginia asked.

  The girls nodded.

  "Well, that's her. That's Katherine Kobayashi Saito. She was one of my housemates in college and one of my dearest friends. She and her immediate family were taken to Idaho shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. They spent the balance of the war in that facility."

  "That's sad," Katie said.

  "Yes, it is. Many families, including Katie's, lost their homes and businesses during the war. Fortunately for Katie and her husband, Walter, they were able to rebuild their lives. They're doing quite well now."

  "That's good," Katie said.

  Ginny watched Virginia with growing concern. She wasn't yet ready to believe she was wise to the time travelers, but she admitted to fresh doubts. By drawing attention to the photo of Katie's namesake, she had legitimized Katie's concerns. Deciding to find out whether the gallery tour was a friendly gesture and not an attempt to get the girls to talk, Ginny made the next move.

  "I see a lot of photos from the forties, Mrs. Jorgenson, but none from your college years. Did you take many pictures back then?" Ginny asked.

  Virginia smiled in a way that made even Ginny uncomfortable.

  "As a matter of fact, I did. I took dozens," Virginia said. "I didn't have the kind of equipment I have now. I had a boxy little thing called an Argus C3. It wasn't much to look at, but it took very good photos. Let me show you a few that I took in 1941. They're hanging right over there."

  Virginia guided the girls to a section of the house they had not yet explored, a short stretch of a hallway that linked the living room with the kitchen and dining area. Hanging from one of the walls were four photographs of college-age women.

  "These are photos of my sorority sisters. I haven't seen most of these women in years, which is one reason I still display pictures of them. I want to remember them as they were – when we were all young and naïve, before the war changed our lives."

  Ginny heard the words but didn't respond. Like Katie, she was fixated on the photo at the upper right – a photo that displayed two coeds sitting in lawn chairs. The first was a mischievous-looking girl with shoulder-length hair and freckles. The other was a sunny blonde that Ginny had thought about every day for more than three weeks.

  "Do you like that one?" Virginia asked. "That's my favorite."

  When Ginny looked at Virginia and saw the same knowing smile, she knew that Katie had been right all along. Great-granny had gone through the purse.

  Ginny pondered that for a moment as she glanced again at the picture. She had every right to be upset, but she was more flattered than offended. Virginia had put some effort into this charade. Ginny thought about playing along a little longer but decided against it. It was time to cut to the chase and force the landlord's hand.

  "I assume you took a lot of pictures of your friends, Mrs. Jorgenson."

  "I did, Ginny. I took quite a few. Why do you ask?"

  Ginny smiled and stared at Virginia with eyes that could bore through steel.

  "I'm curious, that's all. I like pictures of friends. I particularly like pictures of friends you haven't seen in a very long time – you know, friends with names like Grace and Joel."

  Ginny raised an eyebrow.

  Virginia laughed.

  "I do too, Ginny. I do too."

  Virginia took a moment to look at the girls. This time she looked at them with thoughtful eyes and smiled in a way that did not make Ginny uncomfortable.

  "I've always wondered what it would be like to meet a great-grandchild. It's a pleasure denied most and one I never expected to have at this or any age," Virginia said. "My name, in case you didn't get it the first time, is Virginia Jorgenson – wife of Joe; mother of Rick, Cynthia, and Joan; and future grandmother of your father. It's nice to meet you."

  When Virginia smiled and tentatively extended her arms, Ginny glanced at Katie and gave her the sign in the form of a nod. She fell into Virginia's embrace a second ahead of her sister.

&nb
sp; "I'm sorry for being blunt, but I don't like head games," Ginny said.

  "I don't either, dear," Virginia said. "That's why I thought it was best to clear the air today. I just didn't know how to go about doing it."

  "Do you have more pictures to show us?"

  "I do, Ginny. I do. Most are in the box on the coffee table."

  Virginia relaxed her hold on the girls and lifted her hands to their shoulders.

  "Let's sit on the sofa and open that box," she said. "Let's all say hello to your relatives."

  CHAPTER 33: VIRGINIA

  Virginia guided the twins to the edge of the living room and sat between them on a large, overstuffed sofa. She paused a moment before reaching for a covered box in the middle of the coffee table. Though she could feel the tension leave the room, she could also sense that at least one of the girls had not entirely moved on.

  "Please accept my apologies for going through your purse, Katie. It was wrong and morally indefensible. I promise both of you now I will never do something like that again."

  Katie slowly lifted her eyes from the floor and met Virginia's gaze.

  "If you feel that way, then why did you do it the other day?" Katie asked.

  Virginia smiled sadly.

  "Because, Katie, I had to know. I had to know for certain whether my charming new tenants were, in fact, the time-traveling children of the two dearest friends I've ever had."

  Virginia glanced at Katie, who sat at her left, and then at Ginny and noted their differing expressions. Katie frowned and watched her host with wary eyes. She was apparently still not ready to trust the woman who had violated her privacy. Ginny, on the other hand, smiled and nodded. She seemed visibly relieved that the charade had run its course.

  "So when did you know?" Ginny asked.

  "That's easy," Virginia said. "I knew the moment I perused the credit application in Katie's purse. She had listed each of your parents as contacts."

  "Something still doesn't make sense. Why would you suspect we were related to them in the first place?"

  "That's easy too, Ginny. You girls are the spitting image of your mother. When I first saw you at Greer's, I thought I had run into ghosts. The Grace Vandenberg I knew was a strikingly beautiful woman. I could have picked out you two from Tacoma."