by Susan Fox
They bypassed the luggage carousels because neither had checked a bag and in minutes they were climbing into Eden’s Smart car, which she’d left in the airport parking lot. As she drove into the city, each of them was quiet with her own thoughts. Eden was anxious, knowing how stressful and emotional the upcoming discussion was likely to be, and yet she felt a new sense of hope. It wasn’t just that things might work out for her and Aaron but that Di’s idea could provide greater peace of mind for Eden’s mom. Also, it was nice to be able, for a change, to rely on someone else. Her aunt was in charge now and Eden’s role was a supporting one.
Di didn’t seem worried. She watched the unfolding view with an interested expression, occasionally commenting on something she recognized or that had changed.
As Eden turned into the Glebe, she told Di, “This is the neighborhood where Mom and Dad bought their house, back when they were expecting me.”
“It looks friendly. Or at least as friendly as Ottawa’s likely to be. I always thought it was a stuffy, old-fashioned city.”
“To a hippie teenager, I’m sure it was.”
They reached the family home and Di said, “It’s a nice house, though all very Ottawa.”
As they started up the walk, Di reached for Eden’s hand, making her wonder if her aunt was nervous after all. Eden opened the front door and called, “Anyone home?”
“Eden?” Kelsey’s voice came from upstairs, faintly, then getting louder as she continued. “What are you doing here? Did you and Aaron—” She appeared at the top of the stairs, summery in shorts and a tank top. When she took in the two women standing in the entrance hall, she let out a whoop. “Aunt Di! Oh my God, you’re here!” She flew down the stairs, bare feet thudding on each step.
Di set down her colorful backpack and held out her arms as Kelsey flung herself into them. They embraced for a long time, and then Di pushed Kelsey back to arm’s length and said, “Let me look at you. You’re even more beautiful in person than on the computer screen. And look, we have the same eyes.”
“I can’t believe you’re here. This is so cool!” Kelsey turned to her sister and said reproachfully, “You didn’t tell me.”
“It’s nice to see you, too,” Eden teased.
“Well, I’d have planned something fancy for dinner. It’s not fair, taking me by surprise.”
“Hey, you’re the spontaneous one,” Eden said. “Roll with it.”
Kelsey laughed. “Okay, you got me.”
“Where’s Helen?” Di asked.
“Sitting in the backyard with Dad,” Kelsey said. “I can’t wait to see her face.” She grabbed Di’s hand and tugged her toward the back door with Eden following. Kelsey flung open the door and called, “Mom, Dad, Eden’s home and she brought a surprise.” She shoved Di forward and stepped out behind her.
Eden was on their heels, also eager to see her mother’s reaction.
Her parents were seated in padded garden chairs on either side of a table that held a pitcher of lemonade and two tall glasses. They’d been facing away from the house, toward a border of purple coneflowers and yellow-green spurge, but at Kelsey’s call they both turned.
Her mom rose slowly, nearly bald again and frail in her summer dress, and raised a trembling hand. “Di?” she said in disbelief.
Dad was beside her immediately, putting his arm around her to steady her.
This time it was Di whose steps flew as she rushed across the grass. Eden’s father moved aside as Di put her arms around her sister, who returned the embrace. No words were spoken, but tears flowed freely as the two women clung to each other as if they would never let go.
Kelsey gave an excited bounce and Eden’s eyes were moist. She wished Aaron could witness the reunion he’d helped facilitate.
Dad walked over to her and Kelsey. “Well.” He swiped a hand across his forehead, looking more than a little stunned. “Eden, how did this come about?”
“Aunt Di wanted to meet everyone and this was the only chance before Kelsey goes back to school.”
He glanced at his wife and her sister, who showed no signs of separating. “Let’s give the two of them some privacy. We need to make up the spare room. And Kelsey, what were we planning for dinner?”
The three of them sprang into action. Twenty minutes later, Kelsey had put fresh sheets and a vase of flowers in the spare room, Eden had a pan of corn bread in the oven, and their dad was draining a big pot of rotini. They’d decided that the warm day called for pasta salad.
The two women came in from the garden arm in arm, blotchy-faced and smiling. “I’m going to show my sister the house,” Mom said, “and we both need to freshen up.”
Eden and her dad and Kelsey set to work chopping and slicing, assembling the salad with leftover roast chicken, cheeses, veggies, olives, and other goodies. Then, they all sat down at the table—the kitchen table because, as Dad said, Di was family.
From the untroubled look on her mom’s face, Eden figured Di had yet to mention her proposal. It seemed dinner wasn’t that time; the conversation remained light and the atmosphere was festive. It wasn’t until after a dessert of fruit salad and brownies that Di said, “I want to talk to all of you. Let’s go into your sitting room.”
Leaving the dessert dishes on the table, they went to the front room with its comfortable, well-worn furniture and numerous potted plants. Eden’s parents sat side by side on the couch, she took one of the chairs, and Kelsey sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning against her legs. Di waited for them to seat themselves and then chose a straight-backed chair, moving it so she faced the four of them. Despite the formality of the chair, she looked relaxed as she sat down, erect and confident.
“There’s a reason I wanted to see all of you together,” she said. “Before Kelsey went back to university.”
“A reason?” Eden’s dad said, his brow furrowing.
“So far tonight,” Di went on, “we haven’t talked about Helen’s cancer, but it’s time we did.”
“Oh, Di,” Eden’s mom said, her voice having lost its earlier animation, “let’s not. This is so perfect, having you here. Let’s not spoil it with talk of illness.”
Di smiled sympathetically at her sister. “My intent isn’t to spoil it.” She glanced around the room at the rest of them, giving Eden a slight nod. “But there’s something I need to say, and I’m not big on beating around the bush, so I’m just going to come out with it. It’s time you all got rid of the elephant in the room.”
Looking puzzled, Eden’s dad said, “Elephant?”
Di replied calmly, “I’m referring to the fact that Helen is afraid she might die, and that it’s a valid fear.”
Eden’s mom gave a small gasp and her dad’s face hardened. “We don’t talk that way in this house.”
His wife clutched his arm. “Listen to her, Jim.”
“I think it’s time you talked that way.” Di’s tone remained even and nonaccusatory as she told him and Kelsey the same things she’d discussed with Eden the previous morning.
Tears slid down Mom’s thin face and Eden was terribly afraid this had been a mistake, but then her mother said, “Thank you, Di. Thank you so much. I didn’t know how to say it. I didn’t want to let them all down.”
“Let us down?” Dad hugged her close to his side. “You could never let us down. We love you.”
Kelsey slipped forward to kneel in front of her mother and rest her hands on her knees. “We do. We only want what’s best for you. That’s what we’ve been trying to do.”
Mom touched her hand. “I know. You’ve all been trying so hard. I have, too, but sometimes I run out of steam and I get so damned scared. I don’t want you to be scared, too, and yet I really want to be able to talk to you about it.”
“Mom,” Eden said, moving forward to kneel beside Kelsey. Having had more time to process Di’s ideas, she hoped she could bring the rest of her family to the same understanding she’d reached. “We can’t help being scared any more than you can. I think what
Aunt Di says makes sense. Being able to share the fear is better than each of us keeping it locked up inside and trying to deal with it. And failing.”
“I know it would be better for me,” her mom said. “I hope it would for you.”
“It would for me,” Kelsey said, blinking teary eyelashes. “Sometimes I feel like a little girl again, scared of monsters. When I was a kid, I could run to my mommy and daddy, but now I cry alone in my bed.”
Eden leaned over so her shoulder touched her sister’s. “Kelsey, I’m so sorry. I should have known and been there for you. We could have cried together.”
“And now you can run to your mommy,” their mother said, smiling through her own tears. “And your daddy?” She aimed the question at her husband, and before he could answer, she went on. “Jim, even though we’re a loving family, in some ways we’ve all been isolated little islands, holding our misery and fear inside ourselves. I believe Di’s right, and if we’re honest and share our feelings, share our tears, we’ll all be stronger for it.”
He drew a ragged breath. “That sounds pretty good to me.”
Eden guessed how hard this was for him and her heart filled with pride. And relief.
His shoulders squared, and despite the red rims of his eyes, he already looked stronger than he had in a while. “No more pretending. Not from any of us. Total honesty from now on. Right, girls? Right, Helen?”
“Right,” they all echoed.
They would be there for one another, and so would Di and Seal. Eden knew she was extralucky in also having Aaron. She couldn’t wait to Skype him, to see the face she loved on her computer screen, and to tell him about her family’s new philosophy. She only hoped that, when she did call later tonight, she’d have even more good news.
Her dad turned to Di. “Thank you for coming all this way to knock some sense into our heads.”
“You’re very welcome, Jim.” She beamed at him. “But that’s not the only reason I came. I want you and Helen to consider moving to SkySong, at least for the short-term. And I want Eden and Kelsey to visit as often as possible, so we can all work together on Helen’s healing.”
Kelsey said, “That’s brilliant!”
“That’s impossible,” Dad said. “Our home is here. We can’t just pack up and move.” He gazed at his wife. “Right, Helen?”
“I suppose not,” she said slowly. “I have doctors here, my cancer support group, and my job if . . . when I recover.” She turned to Di. “I could retire, I’ve earned a decent pension, but I enjoy the challenges and rewards of my work. And Jim loves his job, too, and it’s here.”
“I would never put my work ahead of you,” he said firmly.
“That’s what I thought,” Di said.
“I’m sixty-six,” he said. “And look, since our new policy is total truth, here it is: Ever since you were diagnosed, it’s made me think about the fragility of life. And how, much as I do love my job, I love you more. I don’t know how long I’ll have you—or you’ll have me, for that matter—and I want to spend more time together. If that’s for decades more, I’ll be a very happy man. If it’s not”—he swallowed hard—“then I want to enjoy the time we do have.”
“You never said any of this before,” his wife said, sounding confused.
“I was afraid you’d think I was being negative about your chances of surviving the cancer. And I’m not. Absolutely not.” He gave her a narrow-eyed stare.
Her lips twitched. “Well. That’s telling me, I suppose.” She shook her head slightly. “But Jim, you do love your work and you’d be bored out of your mind without it. And I truly hope to get better and go back to teaching. We shouldn’t make decisions with the short-term in mind.” She gave a small laugh. “And now I’m the one to say we should be positive. See, once I got the fears off my chest, it cleared the way for the optimism.”
“You make excellent points,” Dad said. “I bet I could stay on as a consultant. Or if not, and I do get bored, I’ll find something else.”
“Helen,” Di said, “if you decide to return to Ottawa, your job will still be here. But you’ll also find teaching and counseling opportunities on Destiny, even at SkySong itself. As for doctors, there are great ones in the area, and a wonderful support group.”
“You should totally do it,” Kelsey said.
“I’m tempted,” Mom said slowly. “But it’s so much to think about.” She gazed down at Eden with troubled eyes. “What do you think? You’re the practical one.”
“This has to be your decision, Mom. You and Dad. But I will say that Aunt Di and Uncle Seal have built something terrific at SkySong and you’d love it there.”
“What about you, Eden?” Dad asked. “Would you stay here in Ottawa? How are things going with you and Aaron?”
Her heart skipped, but she kept her voice even. “My relationship with Aaron shouldn’t be a factor in this.”
“Total honesty now,” he reminded her with a smile.
She took a breath. “Okay, you’re right. But I truly don’t want to influence you. If you stay here and need me here, Aaron and I will keep seeing each other however we can. I’ll want you to support that.” She swallowed and told them a truth she hadn’t revealed before. “We love each other.”
Kelsey broke in with “Yes!” and a fist pump.
“We think we have a future together,” Eden continued. “But it doesn’t have to be fast.”
“And if we move?” Mom asked quietly.
“I love my job, too, but I love you and Dad and Aaron more. I’d give up my job and move as well. I’d look for work on Destiny Island.”
“I’m coming, too,” Kelsey said. “Don’t leave me out of this.” She bumped Eden with her shoulder. “I want to see this magical place that turned my sister into a nicer person. Not to mention is home to hotties like Aaron.”
Eden rolled her eyes. “You need to finish your degree.”
“That’s right,” their mother said. “You can come visit on holidays.”
“Mom,” Kelsey said, all seriousness for once, “I love you. You’re going through a rough time and I want to be there. I can go to school anytime.” She blinked and her voice quavered. “I feel the way Dad does. I d-don’t know how long I’ll have you. I hope it’s forever, but cancer is scary. This recurrence is scary. I can’t just go back to school and pretend it’s not happening.”
“Oh, honey,” Mom said, “it’s bad enough that this is messing up my life. It shouldn’t have to mess up yours.”
“But it does,” Kelsey said. “We’re a family and we’re in this together.” Her chin came up. “I’m an adult. I get to make my own decisions. I think you should go to Destiny Island, but that’s your decision to make. It’s my decision whether to go back to school or to be with you. And I’ve made that decision. Tomorrow, I won’t be going to McGill. If you stay in Ottawa, I’m staying with you. If you move to the island, I’m going.” She sniffled. “So there.”
Their parents exchanged helpless gazes.
Eden spoke up. “Kelsey’s right. She’s an adult. She has the right to make this decision.”
Her sister shot her a surprised glance. “Thanks, Sis.”
Eden smiled back. “Until this summer I wouldn’t have said that. I didn’t think you were a grown-up. But you’ve convinced me.”
“I think maybe it took this summer for me to grow up,” Kelsey admitted.
“Here’s a thought,” Di said. “Come for a visit. Come for a week to see what you think.” She winked at Eden, who well knew the impact a week on the island could have on a person. “You’ll soon figure out if it’s your destiny.” She rose. “And now, you all need to sleep on this. We’ll talk again in the morning.” She came over to her sister.
Eden and Kelsey moved aside and Di bent down to hug Helen and say, “Good night, my dear sister. I’m going to get ready for bed and phone Seal. Do you know, this is the first night we’ve been apart in almost fifty years?”
The notion made Eden smile. Decades spent with
the man you loved. It was possible. Her mom and her aunt were both doing it, and so had Nana. The track record on her side of the family, together with Aaron’s own strong character, would more than compensate for his parents’ and grandparents’ poor examples.
When Di left the room, the rest of them dispersed quietly. Eden and Kelsey dealt with the dishes while their parents went up to their bedroom. For once, Kelsey wasn’t chattering but quiet with her thoughts, as was Eden. When the dishwasher was humming, the sisters parted in the hallway with a hug.
“This is going to be so good,” Kelsey said with an air of quiet, tired confidence.
It would be, if their parents agreed. “Sleep well, Sis. Tomorrow’s going to be an interesting day.”
Eden drove home and walked straight through to the bedroom, where she took her computer from her bag and collapsed on the bed. She Skyped Aaron.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he said. “How did it go?”
“Pretty well.” She gave him a summary, watching his face as he listened.
“What do you think your parents will decide?”
“Aunt Di was smart, suggesting they visit for a week. They can check out SkySong and Destiny before they make major life decisions. I think they’ll agree to a visit.”
“If they do, do you think the island will win them over and they’ll move here?”
Thinking of her sister’s words, Eden smiled. “It’s a magical place. Maybe they’ll decide it’s their destiny. But even if they don’t, you and I have our plan. We’re going to focus on all the positives and on our love. Right?”
“That’s absolutely right.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
On this early December afternoon, there wasn’t a single taxi waiting outside Vancouver International Airport. Taking her place third in line, Eden sighed impatiently.
It wasn’t raining, but the wet ground and the raindrops on passing cars told her it had been. No surprise; she’d learned that on the West Coast, bouts of rain were as predictable in fall and winter as spells of sunshine on summer days.