The Mill River Redemption

by Darcie Chan

  “Well, yeah. This will definitely help.” Emily smiled up at Alex, and he was beaming back at her. She leaned back against the trunk of the oak tree as she took a moment to study the spreadsheet. It went on for pages. If one, or both, of the clues was a book, how would she and Rose know? It would take forever to go through them all.

  She had to admit that if her mother’s goal had been to force her and Rose to interact, to work together, she had devised a brilliant plan to achieve it. Then again, she wasn’t technically interacting with Rose herself, which was just as well. Alex was endearing, and she was grateful for the opportunity to build a relationship with her only nephew.

  “This is just great, Alex,” she said. “I’ll go over it tonight, as soon as I’m done out here. And when you show this to your mom, ask her to mark which books she’s read and which she hasn’t. I think she and I should focus on those we’ve read first.”

  Alex nodded. “I’ll talk to her about it as soon as she wakes up.”

  “All right,” Emily said. She folded the papers and slipped them into her back pocket. “I should get working on the swing while it’s still light.”

  “I can’t wait until you’re done,” Alex said. He grasped the binoculars around his neck and traced a finger around the circular lenses. “Aunt Emily, is it okay if I don’t tell Mom you gave these to me? She wouldn’t like it if she knew.”

  “Sure,” Emily said, “but what will you tell her about how you got them?”

  Alex thought a minute. “I can always say I found them in the house somewhere. I can even have her put them on the list.” He gave her a sly grin, much like her earlier one, and she smiled.

  I’m really starting to like this kid, Emily thought.

  “I suppose there’s no harm in that,” Emily said. She didn’t exactly want to encourage her nephew to start lying, but she didn’t want Rose to take away the binoculars, either.

  “I should get home in case Mom wakes up,” he said. Alex stood up, but instead of leaving, he stood next to Gus, patting the dog’s head. He didn’t look at her as he spoke. “You know, I really want to help Mom find her clue. She’s been worried about it … she and Dad argue about it on the phone, and it upsets her.”

  “I’m sure it does,” Emily said, and her nephew’s words made her heart ache. “It’s frustrating for me, too, and I know how flustered your mom can get. It can’t be easy for you to deal with that, either. I was always the one keeping her in line and trying to make her feel better about things while we were growing up, just like you are now.” It occurred to her that this sheltered, loving little boy had unwittingly assumed her still-too-familiar role as Rose’s keeper.

  “They’re having money problems,” Alex continued. He made eye contact with her, and she tried her best not to tear up at the sad expression on his face. “Dad lost his job a long time ago, and he hasn’t been able to get another one. I hear them on the phone when they think I’m sleeping. They’re going to lose our apartment in New York unless they get money from Grandma’s lawyer.”

  Although it was difficult to feel sorry for her sister and Sheldon potentially losing what was most likely a multi-million-dollar apartment, she realized that it was probably the only home Alex had ever known. She was increasingly concerned about her little nephew, and she would do her best to serve as a compassionate outlet—one that wouldn’t ignore him in favor of sleeping on the sofa.

  “Money problems can be really stressful for parents,” Emily said, “but I know they wouldn’t want for you to worry or be upset about it. Your mom and dad love you, and your mom will do whatever she has to to take care of you. She’s super-protective of people she loves. She always stuck up for me when we were little.” Emily was surprised to hear herself say such positive things about her sister. She hadn’t thought about her childhood relationship with Rose in years.

  “Mom is stubborn,” Alex said with a sheepish grin. “Dad sometimes calls her a mule to tease her.”

  Emily couldn’t help but chuckle. “Even if they have to find another place for all of you to live,” she continued, “your mom and dad’ll work it out. You should just focus on enjoying your summer, your books, your binoculars. You’ve got the rest of your life to worry about grown-up problems.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “And, I’d love your help in sorting out this mess Grandma got us into. Maybe together, we can figure out what the clues are and find out where she hid her key.”

  “That would be cool,” Alex said.

  “All right. I’ve got a few jobs lined up—one at Turner’s Hardware, and another that’ll be starting soon, remodeling that big white house on the hill,” Emily said, pointing in the direction of the McAllister mansion. “But, let’s try to meet toward the end of the week, so I’ll have a few days to study the lists and you have time to go over yours with your mom.”

  “Okay.” Alex half smiled, turned as if to walk back to Rose’s house, and suddenly rushed forward and threw his arms around her. “Thanks, Aunt Emily, for the binoculars and, uh, everything.”

  “You’re welcome.” She returned his hug and grinned as he detached himself. “You know where to find me if you need me,” she added. “And Aunt Ivy’s here for you, too, don’t forget.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Alex said. “She’s offered to loan me some new books if I don’t like the ones in our house, and she said I can come over to The Bookstop anytime.” He grinned and patted Gus one last time before he left. “See you, boy.”

  The sun was beginning to go down when Emily finally stood back and looked at the finished tire swing. “Here goes nothing,” she said to Gus, who had been dozing while she worked. She grasped the rope of the swing, pulled it back, and stepped up and onto the tire as she pushed it forward. In that instant, as she gripped the rope with both hands, her feet tucked down inside the center hole and the tire spinning and swaying in the warm evening air, she forgot her sad, lonely, nomadic life, her problems with Rose, her mother’s death.

  She was a child again, and there was only joy.

  CHAPTER 20

  1992

  TIME CONTINUED ITS INEVITABLE MARCH, SEEMINGLY faster and faster, as Josie became more successful with her brokerage and the girls started middle school. Even though she added a receptionist, several new agents, and an assistant broker to her staff, she rarely had a free moment. Those that she did have were almost always spent with or for Rose and Emily. The girls were good students and well liked at school, and there were more and more school functions and after-school activities in which they became involved. Despite Josie’s best efforts, though, her attendance at spelling bees, school plays, and softball games was never a sure thing. That first time she had failed to arrive home in time to enjoy the supper her girls had prepared became the start of an inevitable parade of missed events. Her schedule was often at the mercy of her clients, and she felt compelled to give deference to a professional obligation if a conflict couldn’t be avoided.

  She had to make sure she could pay the bills, so her job had to take priority.

  Things were especially difficult on weekends and during the spring and summer, when the real estate market was most active. During those busy periods, she resorted to scheduling her day in thirty-minute increments, trying to make time for the girls in the mornings and evenings and between appointments. Their tradition of reading aloud together at bedtime was almost sacred, and Josie was pleased that she managed to be there most of the time.

  Still, she worried it wasn’t enough.

  Josie kept a running mental list of everything she’d missed. The most recent entries were Rose’s first starring role in the school musical and Emily’s winning exhibit at the school’s art show. Every time the list grew longer and she had to face the dejected face of one of her daughters, she felt as if a small piece of her heart was sliced away. Her hugs and the apologies she murmured into the girls’ ears were hardly enough to make up for her absences. She wondered how other single parents managed.

  One night, when the girls
were thirteen and eleven, she arrived home late and went up to their room. They were still awake. Rose was sitting in her bed reading from a book in her lap while Emily lay on her own bed, her head propped up on one elbow, listening. Josie knocked softly on the open door and smiled as she came in and sat down at Emily’s feet.

  “Keep going, don’t stop,” she said when the girls looked up and saw her. “You’re getting to one of the really good parts.”

  The book on Rose’s lap was To Kill a Mockingbird, and she had almost reached the part in the story where Atticus Finch guns down a rabid dog. As she listened to Rose’s voice, Josie mused over how much she and the fictional father in the story had in common. They’d both lost their spouses and were single, working parents of two children. They were both determined to protect and raise their children well.

  “Mom?” Rose’s question jarred her from her thoughts.

  “Hmmm?”

  “Will you tell us … well, Em and I were wondering if you would tell us about Dad.”

  “About how he died,” Emily added.

  The question took Josie by surprise. Her girls knew, and had known from the time they were old enough to understand, that their father had passed away when they were very young. She had never talked much about it, though, and the girls didn’t know the details.

  “Where did this question come from, out of the blue?” she asked them.

  “I was asking Rose about it before you got home,” Emily replied. “You’ve never told us.”

  “Don’t you think we’re old enough to know?” Rose asked. It was clear from her tone that she felt she was plenty old enough to hear what had happened.

  Josie exhaled slowly, trying to decide how to answer. The girls were older now, but they still weren’t adults, and there was no way she would tell them the whole truth. Not yet, anyway. “He died in a fire,” she said. “I was out running errands and came home to find the house burning. Your father was in the kitchen when I found him. He was already gone. You girls were upstairs in your room, and I managed to get you out.”

  “What started the fire?” Rose asked.

  “It was ruled an arson,” Josie said. “The police finally made an arrest about two years after we moved here.” It had been a long time since she had remembered the sheer terror of seeing the flames, of struggling to breathe as thick smoke twisted down her throat and seared her lungs while her babies cried out for her.

  “Is that why we left New York and came to live with Aunt Ivy?” Emily asked.

  “Yes. The authorities told me our house had probably been targeted for some reason, and it wasn’t safe for us to stay in New York.”

  “I remember that night, when Aunt Ivy came and we all got in the car,” Rose whispered.

  “Is the man still in jail?” Rose asked.

  “Yes, honey. He’ll be in jail for the rest of his life.”

  “Tell us about Dad,” Emily said quietly, after they had all sat in silence for a minute. Josie saw the longing expression on her younger daughter’s face, whose blue eyes matched those of a father she didn’t remember at all. “What was he like? Where did you meet each other?”

  “He was a wonderful person, in every way, and he loved you girls so much.”

  “Tall, dark, and handsome, right, Mom?” Emily asked, and Josie laughed and nodded. She wished again that she had a photo of Tony that they could see, especially now that his features and expressions were showing up more and more on their adolescent faces.

  “We met on a blind date,” she began, relieved that Emily’s questions had changed the subject to one that was somewhat easier for her to remember and talk about. “My old roommate, Darlene Giordano, set us up. She was constantly trying to find dates for me, but the guys she wanted me to meet were always sleazy or smelly, and sometimes both.” Rose and Emily giggled together and wrinkled their noses.

  “I told Darlene I was through with her blind dates, but she said she’d finally met a guy who was perfect for me. Someone polite and good-looking, and smart, too.”

  “Was it Dad?” Emily asked, and Josie nodded.

  “I met him for coffee at a little hole-in-the-wall diner. At the time, your dad was in college, studying to be an accountant. He was working part time at a diamond import company in New York City, and I was working in a jewelry store back then, so we had something in common.”

  “Did you think he was cute?” Rose asked.

  “Of course. Your father was very handsome,” Josie said, feeling a little color come to her cheeks. “But the longer we talked, the more I realized that I’d never met a kinder, more compassionate person. That’s what really attracted me to him.

  “On that first date, we stayed at the restaurant until it closed, and then he walked me home. I’d had so much coffee by then that I couldn’t sleep, so I was still up when Darlene got home from work. She could tell right away that we’d hit it off.”

  “I’ll bet she was happy,” Rose said.

  “Yes, Darlene bragged for years afterward how she matched us up,” Josie said to the girls. “I wonder what happened to her. I haven’t thought about her in a long time.” She was quiet for a few seconds. “Your dad has been gone for years now, but I still see him every day, in you girls. When you furrow your brow and concentrate on something, Rose, you look exactly like he used to. You have his stubbornness, and his determination, too. And Em, I’ve told you before that your eyes are just like his, but I think your strong sense of justice also came from him. Your father always insisted on doing the fair thing, the right thing, even when there was an easier way out.”

  “I’m glad you ended up with Dad,” Emily said.

  “Me too,” Rose said.

  “I’m grateful every day that I took a chance on one more of Darlene’s blind dates and met your father,” Josie said. She reached out to smooth a strand of Rose’s hair away from her face. “Otherwise, you girls wouldn’t be here, and we wouldn’t all have each other. In the end, that’s the only thing that matters.”

  1994

  EMILY AWOKE WITH A START. THE BEDROOM SHE SHARED WITH Rose was dark and quiet, but something had disturbed her sleep. The clock on the nightstand read 1:46 a.m. She thought perhaps Rose had had a nightmare and called out, but the lump in Rose’s twin bed was silent and unmoving. Emily was ready to close her eyes again when she heard the floor creak on the other side of the room. She turned to see Rose, fully clothed, standing at the open window.

  “What are you doing?” Emily asked, sitting up. She glanced over at her sister’s bed again, confused as to what was under the covers if Rose herself wasn’t there.

  “Shhhh. I’m going out.”

  “What?” Emily was wide-awake now. “What do you mean, going out?” Only then did she notice trailing out the window the portable fire-escape ladder that their mother insisted they keep in the bedroom. “You’re going down the ladder?”

  “Duh,” Rose said. “Tyler and Jason are coming by to pick me up. Tyler Crowe’s the most popular guy in school. He’s a senior! And he just got his own car. Crystal’s coming, too. They should be here any minute.” Rose craned her neck out the window, obviously watching for someone.

  “Where are you going to go?”

  “I’m not sure, just riding around, probably. But it doesn’t matter,” Rose said. “We’re just going to have a little fun.”

  “You’re crazy. What if Mom finds out?” Emily asked. “She’ll kill you.”

  “Look, Mom’s hardly home anymore unless she’s sleeping. If she really cared about what you and I were doing, she wouldn’t be like that. So, I figure I’ll just hang out with my friends. They want to spend time with me.”

  At that moment, they both heard a hushed voice calling from the lawn below. Rose stuck her head out the window and waved.

  “Rose, what if Mom wakes up and finds out you’re gone?”

  “She won’t. The only way Mom’ll find out about tonight is if you tell her,” Rose hissed. “But I know you wouldn’t do that, right? ’Caus
e we really need to look out for each other.”

  “I don’t think this is a good idea,” Emily said, but she knew nothing she said or did would prevent her sister from leaving.

  “It’ll be fine,” Rose said, clambering out onto the ladder. “I’ll be back before morning. Go back to sleep.” When she finally uprooted herself from her mattress, Emily made it to the window just in time to see Rose and a boy she didn’t recognize run together around the side of the house.

  Emily sighed. Of course, there was no way she could go back to sleep now. She was torn between risking her sister’s wrath by going to wake their mother and just waiting for Rose to return, hopefully unscathed and unnoticed. She climbed back into bed and pulled the covers up over her head. Everything having to do with Rose was difficult these days, and it was getting worse.

  Her sister was a sophomore in high school. So much had changed since the beginning of the school year. Rose was blonde, beautiful, and gregarious. She was easily the most popular girl in her class. In fact, she was one of the most popular girls in the whole high school, and she’d recently begun to hang out with a couple of the seniors.

  Maybe that’s why she’s wearing so much makeup, Emily thought. Heavy eye makeup and lipstick were now the norm on Rose’s face even though their mother disapproved. On the first day Rose had tried to leave for school wearing bright red lipstick and blue eye shadow up to her eyebrows, a huge fight between Rose and their mother had ensued.

  “Go wash that off your face, every bit of it. No teenage daughter of mine is going to leave this house looking like that,” their mother had insisted before confiscating Rose’s cosmetics. It hadn’t done any good. The next day, Rose had left the house with a freshly scrubbed face and returned after school looking like she’d stepped out of a cosmetic advertisement in a fashion magazine. With her vast circle of friends, Rose could get her hands on new makeup, or nearly anything else she wanted, almost immediately. Their mother’s continued seizure of beauty products, scolding, and grounding hadn’t worked. Eventually, she’d given up trying to enforce the cosmetics rule, and Rose now wore as much as she liked.