Alaskan Summer

by Marilou Flinkman

  “I’ll do it the next time I can get away for a couple hours.”

  An opportunity presented itself the following week. Ruth did enjoy seeing the longhouse. People there seemed to know her and showed her where some of her late sister Esther’s baskets were displayed.

  Ryan met them when they got home. He had come by to barbecue salmon. They enjoyed a fine meal together.

  “You come rest, Ruth. I’ll help Rette with the dishes,” Ryan offered.

  That evening Ruth regaled them with stories of her sister’s beadwork and baskets. “She did beautiful work,” she said with a deep sigh.

  “The ones we saw today were very nice. Did you make baskets, too?” Laurette asked.

  “Not the perfect ones like Esther. She’s the artist in the family. I miss her so.”

  The excitement had tired Ruth, so she kept the evening devotions short. Ryan stood when she pushed herself up out of her chair. She reached up to pat his cheek. “You did a good job on the salmon.”

  He gave her a hug as Ruth bade them good night and went to her room.

  “She did well today,” Laurette said, putting her Bible away. “Everyone was so kind to her. Even when she kept forgetting their names.”

  “Must be hard for her here alone day after day. We should try to get her out more often.”

  “I worry about how much longer she can stay alone.”

  “You’re here for her now. She’ll be okay for a while, but she sure will miss you when you go back to Seattle.” Ryan brushed the stray curls back from her forehead.

  Laurette couldn’t read the look in his eyes. “I’m going to miss a lot of things about Sitka,” she murmured.

  Ryan stood up. “I should get going.”

  She walked him to the door. His kiss started softly and quickly intensified, causing her to lose all sense of reality. She felt like she was floating off into the clouds.

  He broke away after a gentle hug. “See you in the morning.” And he was gone.

  Laurette stared at the empty driveway before finally going back into the house and preparing for bed.

  His kiss lingered in her memory. Even when they were busy in the office, just being near Ryan left her with a flush of happiness.

  “Got time to stop for supper tonight?” he asked a few days later.

  “I need to get home to Ruth.”

  “She doesn’t watch the clock,” he reminded her.

  “You’re right. I can come in an hour late. Want to grab some fish-and-chips?”

  “You’re as addicted to fish-and-chips as I am to chocolate milk.”

  “They don’t have fish this good where I grew up.” She poked his arm on their way to the parking lot.

  They enjoyed their supper, and Laurette ordered a take-out meal for Ruth. When they got back outside, she reached over to give Ryan a quick kiss on the cheek and ran for her truck.

  ❧

  The house was quiet when she entered. “Ruth, are you sleeping? I’ve brought you some fish-and-chips.”

  There was no answer. Laurette went into the living room, then hurried into Ruth’s bedroom and all through the house. “Ruth? Ruth, where are you?” she called frantically.

  Grabbing the phone in the living room, she called Ryan at home. While it rang she prayed. Please, Jesus, let him be home.

  “Hello.”

  “Ryan, I need you. Ruth has disappeared.”

  “Is she with John?”

  “He’s out fishing, and her friends always leave me a note if they take her out. I don’t know where she is.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  TWELVE

  Laurette grabbed the phone directory. First she called Ruth’s church. She got the office recorder. Desperate, she called John’s cell phone. She got the “out of service” message. She put the phone down and paced the living room. Where could Ruth have gone?

  Racing through the house again, Laurette checked and found Ruth’s jacket gone. Her pocketbook that usually sat on her dresser was also gone.

  When she heard tires crunching on the driveway gravel, she ran to the door. Ryan jumped out of the car almost before it stopped. He pulled her into his arms. “Now tell me what happened.”

  “I came home and found the house empty. I’ve looked and looked, but there’s no note. Her coat and purse are both gone, so I know she’s gone out.”

  He smoothed her hair. “Let’s assume she took a walk and got lost. We’ll go down the hill to the street and starting asking people if they’ve seen her. Do you have a picture of Ruth?”

  His quiet voice calmed Laurette’s fears. “I’ve got a snapshot I took a few weeks ago.” She quickly turned to find the picture.

  “We’ll take my car.” He touched her cheek tenderly. “We couldn’t get the three of us in your truck.”

  “Thanks. I’m so worried I don’t think I should be driving, anyway.” Laurette slid into the passenger seat. She pressed her nose against the window trying to search the side of the road as Ryan drove down the hill to Katlian Street. “Where do we start?” Her heart stayed in her throat, making it hard to speak.

  “I’ll park here and we’ll go down one way and back the other.”

  “Should we call the police?”

  “Wouldn’t hurt.”

  Laurette pulled out her cell phone. The officer who answered told her they couldn’t take an official missing person report this soon. When she said it was Ruth, he told Laurette, “I know John Stevenson. I’ll send word out for the policemen on duty to be looking for his mother. Will you please keep us informed?”

  Shutting the phone, Laurette relayed the message to Ryan. “Here.” She handed him Ruth’s picture. “Could you do the talking?”

  As they walked the nearly deserted street, Laurette peered into the shop windows. It was after seven in the evening, and nothing was open. The farther they went, the more guilt plagued her. I shouldn’t have stopped for dinner on the way home without calling to see if Ruth was okay first. Where has she gone?

  They had walked all the way to the Pioneer Home. “Maybe she came here looking for Esther.” Laurette pushed open the door.

  “We haven’t seen Mrs. Stevenson today,” the receptionist told the couple. “Her son brought her by a week or so ago, but she hasn’t been back.”

  “Let’s turn around and check the other side of the street.” Ryan took Laurette’s arm as they started back toward the car.

  ❧

  Ryan stepped in front of her and took hold of her shoulders.

  He looked into Rette’s fear-glazed eyes. He took her chin and raised her face so she had to look directly at him. “You told me that we have to let go. We have to let the Lord take over,” he said sternly. He watched her swallow. A faint smile curved her lips.

  “You’re telling me to have faith?”

  “I am repeating what you told me. Now can we say a prayer and put Ruth in the Lord’s hands?” He let his hands drop from her shoulders.

  She nodded faintly.

  Ryan had never felt so protective of someone. And he had never seen Rette like this. She had always been in total control. In the moment he knew she could be soft and vulnerable, he knew he loved her even more. He wanted to take care of her forever.

  Laurette took his hands. “Can you say a prayer for us to find Ruth?”

  He squeezed her hands and prayed, “Dear Lord, we put Ruth in Your hands. If it is Your will, guide us to her. Amen.”

  “Amen,” Laurette whispered.

  Ryan turned and saw a man walking toward them. “Pardon me, but have you seen this woman? She’s lost.” He held the snapshot out to the stranger.

  “I think she’s the one in the P Bar. Looked like she was sleeping off too much to drink.”

  Ryan still held one of Laurette’s hands and gripped her tighter. “Thank you, sir. We’ll go check it out.”

  “Ruth in a bar. What’s a pea bar?”

  Ryan smiled. “It’s been here forever. It’s the Pioneer Bar, but the sailors call
it the P Bar. It’s not far from here. Let’s go.”

  Neon lights reflected on the sidewalk, and noise poured out the door. Ryan gave Laurette an encouraging hug as she moved ahead of him into the tavern. They peered through the smoky haze but saw no one resembling Ruth. They’d turned to approach the bartender with Ruth’s photograph when Ryan suddenly spotted a back booth that looked empty. Two men had started toward it, then turned and took a vacant table instead. He nudged Laurette toward the booth. As they got closer, they saw the top of a gray head just below the back of the seat.

  “Ruth,” Laurette gasped. She slid into the booth next to her friend. Ruth’s chin had rested on her chest as she dozed. Now she sat up with a start.

  “Oh, Ruth, I thought you were lost.” Laurette put her arm around the woman’s shoulders. “How did you get here?”

  Ryan had slipped into the other side of the booth. Ruth’s eyes looked glazed. He saw the concern in Rette’s face and longed to comfort both women.

  “You know this little lady?” a waiter asked.

  “Yes,” Laurette and Ryan spoke at once.

  “We saw her walking up and down the street. She looked lost and cold, so we brought her inside for some hot tea. Your friend couldn’t seem to remember where she lived or tell us who we should call. I asked if she had any ID, and she said she couldn’t find any in her purse.” He wiped his hands on his apron. “My boss thought someone would come looking for her. Glad to see he was right.”

  “Has she been here long?” Ryan asked.

  The waiter looked at the clock. “Got busy in here and we kind of forgot, I guess. Must be a couple hours.” A sheepish grin spread across his face.

  “Thank you for looking out for her.” Laurette smiled at the man, her arm still wrapped around Ruth. “Where were you going today?”

  “I came to find Esther. We go to the antique shops around here.” She looked puzzled. “They weren’t open and Esther didn’t come.”

  Ryan reached across the table and took the woman’s wrinkled hand. “It’s late, Ruth. The shops are closed for the night. It’s time to go home now.” He then spoke to Rette. “I’ll go get the car and pull up out front.”

  She nodded as he got out of the booth.

  Ryan pulled a couple of bills out of his pocket and gave them to the waiter on the way out. “Thanks for taking care of her.”

  “Is she your grandmother?”

  “She’s a dear friend,” Ryan said, then headed for his car.

  When they got Ruth home, Laurette helped her get ready for bed. Ryan started the teakettle, but Ruth was too tired to eat or drink. He had the teapot on the table when Rette came back from tucking Ruth in.

  “Sit down and relax. It’s over.”

  “I have to call the police back.” He watched as she sat down and pulled out the cell phone. When she hung up, she said, “The officer told me to have John come in and register his mother. If this happens again and anyone calls, the police will know who she is. He also said we should get an ID bracelet for her to wear with her name and address, who to call, and all that.”

  Ryan poured her a cup of tea. “What will happen to her when you move back to Seattle?”

  “I don’t want to think about it.” Rette sipped her tea. “It will be hard to leave here,” she whispered, putting the cup down. Ryan felt like he could drown in the depth of her eyes when she looked up at him. Could he be part of the reason she didn’t want to leave Sitka?

  “You should stay with her tomorrow. This outing has probably been quite a trauma for her, and she shouldn’t be left alone after this. At least not until you’ve told John.” Ryan carried the cups to the sink.

  Laurette followed him to the door and put her arms around his waist. “I don’t know what I would have done without you tonight.” She pressed her face against his chest, and he pulled her into his embrace.

  “You always try to take care of others. I’m glad I could help this time.”

  She looked up with tears in her eyes. He gently kissed her forehead. I always want to be there to help. His hands slid up to tangle in her curly hair. Ryan slowly tipped her head farther back so he could kiss her lips, then released her and whispered, “Call me anytime.” He touched her face one more time before he went out the door.

  ❧

  Laurette stood in the doorway. She waved as he got in his car and drove away. Tears streamed down her face. I feel so safe in his arms.

  Absently she went back to the kitchen to rinse out the cups. She checked on Ruth and found her old friend sleeping soundly.

  Sleep wouldn’t come for Laurette, so she took out her laptop and wrote to her mother about Ruth getting lost. She explained how much help Ryan had been in finding her. She admitted to her mother that Ryan had become more than a friend. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she confessed to her mother. She read the message over but decided not to send it yet. “I’m not ready to share my confusion—not even with my mother,” she murmured.

  Laurette spent a restless night. Several times she got up to check on Ruth, who slept peacefully. When her housemate woke at nine, Laurette had been up for hours. She had cleaned the bathroom and kitchen and done all the laundry. She had called Ryan and assured him she would come in as soon as she knew Ruth would be all right. Next she called Ruth’s pastor.

  “John has talked to me about his mother,” the vicar said. “He tells me what a wonderful job you do taking care of her, and he knows you must leave when your job ends. We are all grateful to you for helping Ruth stay in her home a while longer. We also know the time will come when she will need more care. I’ll talk to the pastoral care committee and have them call morning and afternoon to check on Ruth. If there are times when you want to be away, let us know and we will be there for Ruth. We’ll keep you and Ruth in our prayers.”

  Laurette thanked the man and hung up. She had written down his private number in case she needed him when the church office was closed.

  “Oh, you’re home.” Ruth came into the kitchen wrapped in her robe. “I was just going to make a cup of tea.”

  “Are you hungry? I could scramble some eggs and make toast while you make us some tea.”

  “That sounds good.” Ruth put the teakettle on to boil, hummed happily while she set the table, then sat down, but she looked puzzled.

  “Why are you home? Do you have a day off?”

  “I stayed to make sure you were all right. Do you remember going for a walk yesterday?”

  Ruth nodded. “I got confused and couldn’t remember where I was.” She looked up with a radiant smile. “But you came and got me.”

  “You scared me, Ruth. I didn’t know where you were. Please don’t go out alone anymore. I’ll take you anyplace you want to go.”

  “You are so sweet. You shouldn’t worry so much.” She looked at the plate of breakfast Laurette put in front of her. “It’s wonderful having you here, and you’re such a good cook, too.” Ruth smiled and picked up her fork.

  THIRTEEN

  The weather stayed clear. Ruth stayed home.

  “Does she remember being lost?” Ryan asked a few days later.

  “Yes, but she doesn’t seem concerned, because we found her. Who knows how long she slept in that booth. She may think it was only a matter of minutes.” She took the coffee Ryan had poured for her. “John is due back anytime. I don’t know what he’ll do.”

  “You don’t think he would be angry with you, do you? You’re there for Ruth every day.”

  She shook her head. “It’s not that. My thoughts are selfish.” She sipped the coffee. “If John puts her in the Pioneer Home, I won’t have a place to live.”

  “Oh, I hadn’t thought of that.” Ryan turned as Debbie called him to the phone.

  They didn’t have time to talk about personal problems again that day. When Laurette got ready to leave for the night, Ryan still had not come back to the office.

  “He had to take a harbor pilot off a cruise ship with the company boat. Said he’d
be back late,” Debbie told her. “Tyler’s been called up to Hyder to load a log ship again. It’s just you and me. Let’s go home.” She pushed the button to put the phone on record.

  ❧

  John’s truck was in the driveway when she parked. “Good, I need to talk to him.”

  “Smells good in here,” she called, entering the kitchen.

  John came from the living room. “Came home with a boatload of sockeye salmon. Thought we’d have some for supper.”

  “What can I do to help?”

  “Would you set the table?”

  “John, I need to talk to you,” she said quietly as she took plates from the cupboard. She told him about Ruth getting lost, then said, “The police want you to register her with them. If she wanders off again, they can officially start looking right away instead of having to wait as though she were a missing person.”

  John looked stricken. “I knew it was coming, but she seems so good when I’m here. I do appreciate all you’ve done for Mom. She would have had to go into the Pioneer Home by now without you living here.”

  Laurette longed to know if he would make that decision now but didn’t ask. “I took the liberty of ordering an ID bracelet for her. It has her name, address, phone, and your cell phone number—and the pastor of her church suggested including his private phone number, too. If it happens again, whoever finds her will be able to contact someone to come get her.”

  “Thank you, Laurette. Did Mom say why she went out alone?”

  “She went to find Esther so they could go shopping together. It’s so sad that she sometimes forgets her sister passed away.” Laurette’s heart ached with pity. “We have no idea how long she walked up and down the street. The waiter in the bar said she had been there for possibly two hours.”

  John rubbed his hands together and sighed deeply. “Do you think she understands she isn’t to go out alone anymore?”

  “Yes, I think she does. But I don’t know if she’ll always remember that. People from her church are calling her in the morning and afternoon now, just in case. They probably interrupt her afternoon nap, but at least we know where she is.”

  “What are you two doing in the kitchen? Did you burn the fish, John?” Ruth called from the living room.