Reunion: A Novel

by Lauraine Snelling

  How were her sons? Neither Eric nor Paul had called lately. But then they had texted, most recently to apologize for not being able to attend Kirsten’s graduation. She should be grateful that she had heard from them and for the fact that they would be able to attend the reunion. She smacked her pillow into better shape, flipped over, and tried to take deep breaths and relax again. She should be grateful for a lot of things.

  Grateful yes, but what about that man? Who was the man who fathered her? And, like Bjorn kept asking her, why did it bother her so much that she was not a Sorenson by blood? She pounded the pillow again, as if pounding a pillow might release some of her feelings and frustrations. Feelings of what? The oh so simple but oh so big question drifted into her mind again. Who am I? And the second, Why didn’t my mother tell me years ago? Why did she live a lie? Bjorn said the lie was not her own, but her mother’s. But why was there a lie at all? Please, Lord God, I need some answers here. A verse from the Old Testament came to her mind. “I have called you by name.” But what name? Who am I?

  If Bjorn were here he’d heave a sigh and ask her what was wrong. But then he didn’t think this new facet of her life was really that important. If only she could agree with him, then this wouldn’t be eating at her. Lord, I wish he were here.

  The slowest five minutes of her life had passed when she looked at the clock again. Throwing back the covers after the third episode of five minutes, she stuffed her arms in her robe sleeves and made her way back downstairs. The pictures kept calling her name. She sat down in her chair and pulled the craft table closer to her lap.

  She turned to the stack of the oldest pictures and started to sort again. Perhaps she had missed something. Halfway through the stack she found a strange photo stuck to the back of another. Someone had cut off part of the picture. She studied the image of her mother, then moved it closer under the lamp on the end table. Her mother and another couple on her left, the women, or rather girls, were the two in the middle. The photo wasn’t ripped but someone was definitely carefully cut out. She dug the magnifying glass out of the drawer. Sure enough, that was a man’s hand resting on her mother’s left shoulder. She turned the picture over and searched for a date. This had to be one of the earliest pictures. Where was it taken? Why had the man been cut out? Was this a clue? Was that her biological father’s hand on Dagmar’s shoulder?

  Keira carefully inserted the picture in an envelope and, flipping all the other pictures over, searched for any other clues. Nothing.

  At three a.m. she tucked the picture into the table drawer with the magnifying glass and set the table of photos off to the side so she could get up. One clue.

  Back upstairs, she crawled into bed and yawned enough to spring her jaw. After snuggling down, the sense of being alone took her breath away. Her hand found Bjorn’s pillow and his empty side of the bed. Bring them home safe, oh Lord. And please help me go to sleep.

  The phone woke her and a glance at the clock made her clear her throat so she wouldn’t sound like she just woke up. “Hello.”

  “We made it and all is well.” Bjorn paused. “Are you all right?”

  “Of course, I just haven’t talked much yet. You found the church and everything?”

  “Yes, but I can’t begin to describe the devastation. It looks like a bomb went off.”

  Keira shuddered. “Worse than what we saw on the news?”

  “Yes, it’s a cumulative effect. We’re waiting for Pastor John to get here to show us where to unload the supplies. I’m thinking we should send a construction crew down as soon as they can get building supplies in.”

  Keira couldn’t help but smile, she was so proud of her husband. “You have enough to eat?”

  “More than enough. Don’t worry about us, okay?”

  “Trying not to.”

  “Here he comes. He’s riding a bike. I wonder if his car was too damaged to drive. Bye.”

  Keira hit the off button. So many more things she wanted to ask him but that would wait. She dialed her brother’s cell. “Good morning. Bjorn just called.”

  “Good, he just called me too.”

  “He said Pastor John was riding his bike to meet them. Did he ever mention that his car was too damaged to drive?”

  “No, he never said a thing about it.”

  Keira kept from yawning, but barely. “Bjorn said we should send a construction crew down there. Maybe they could work on the church.”

  “I’m sure that man of yours will come back with plenty of good ideas for ways we can help. Did you sleep all right in that big house all by yourself?”

  “Once I got to sleep. Sure made me aware how much I depend on him. Since he doesn’t travel so much anymore, I’ve gotten spoiled.”

  “I hear you. I need to head over to the church. See you in a while.”

  “Right.” Keira hung up. I forgot it’s Sunday. She flew down the stairs to start the coffee and then back up them to get ready. Thank you, Lord, for the phone call or who knows when I would have woken up.

  Sitting by herself in church made her aware again how much she and Bjorn did together. If this was a taste of widowhood, she wanted none of it. Marcus thanked the congregation for the swift reply to their call for bedding and supplies for the folks in Missouri. “They made it there safely and in good time, thanks for your prayers too. Bjorn mentioned that we should send a construction crew down there, so please be thinking about that.” He looked around at the people gathered. “I have to tell you how proud I am to serve a congregation that responds so quickly and with such generosity when we hear of a need. Please continue to pray that God will show us what needs to be done and how best to do it.”

  After the service, Leah invited her over for dinner. “There’s plenty of food left.”

  “Not surprising, since you always plan enough to feed a swarm of locusts.” In Leah’s book, running out of food at any event was close kin to disaster. “Thanks. Shame there’s no pie left. I have some other dessert in the freezer; do you want me to bring it?”

  “Sure, we all need more sugar. Why don’t you bring over that box of pictures? Among the three of us, perhaps we can identify a few more people. I thought I’d work on the memory book this afternoon.”

  The urge to tell her about the cut-out part of the picture was tempting, but there was no time now. “I have something to show you when we get home.”

  “What?”

  “I found it about two thirty, as in a.m.”

  “Keira, that’s not fair.”

  “I know, so let’s hurry.”

  Keira dropped her car off at home, grabbed the picture to put in her purse, and then bagged up the others she knew Leah would want. But before leaving, she pulled out the envelope and studied the picture again. “Curiouser and curiouser.” The quote from Alice in Wonderland floated through her mind. This was becoming a mystery for sure.

  She walked on over to the Sorensons’. “By the way, where is Kirsten?” Keira asked when she greeted Leah in the kitchen.

  “Sleeping. She said she didn’t sleep well last night and did we mind if she missed church.” Leah planted her hands on her hips. “Okay, what gives?”

  Keira took the envelope out of her purse and handed it to her. “I sure understand the not-sleeping-well thing. Last night I was wishing we had a dog again.” She watched Leah’s face for a response. The space between her eyebrows furrowed. “Is this what I think it is?”

  “Found it stuck to the back of another picture. Someone was cut out. Look at that curvy line. And see a man’s hand on Mother’s shoulder? I even got out the magnifier to look better. Definitely a man. But who is the other couple? I don’t remember seeing any other pictures of them.”

  “There might be more in those I have. We’ll look after dinner.”

  After they ate, Marcus excused himself to work in his study. When they were done cleaning the kitchen, the two women headed for Leah’s lair to go through the photos Keira had brought over.

  “I was looking through th
em last night and pulled out some I thought you’d like to use.” Keira handed over the plastic bag of photos.

  “This must be Dagmar’s confirmation picture,” Leah said, handing back a gray cardboard piece to Keira. She folded back the top and stared at the picture of three girls in white dresses and four boys in shirts and ties. One of the boys wore a vest. The Lutheran pastor, in his robes, stood behind them.

  “Shame that these were all hidden away. Think I’ll frame some of them and put them up on the staircase wall.”

  The doorbell rang and Leah showed two men from the congregation into the study.

  When they heard Kirsten in the kitchen, Keira glanced at the clock. Had her niece really been asleep this long? “Is she all right, pregnancy notwithstanding?”

  “Of course. She’s catching up from all the nights of studying and getting ready for graduation. She really didn’t get much sleep.”

  “Sounds familiar. I still think there must be more boxes in the attic.”

  “You want to go out there and look? We could go now.”

  Before Keira could answer her cell phone rang. She checked the incoming number before answering. “Hey, Bjorn.”

  “Everything’s all unloaded, thanks to these two strong young backs we have along. John invited us to stay for supper, but I think we’ll head on back. We might find a motel in Kansas City if we get too tired. Once we’re out of the tornado zone, we’ll stop to eat for sure.”

  “Well, be careful. I’m at Leah’s so I’ll pass the news on.”

  “Thanks. You might call Betty too. José’s cell phone is on the fritz.”

  “I will. Love you. Bye.”

  She relayed the message to Leah. “Should I go tell Marcus?”

  “Yes, that’s what the men are talking about in there.”

  Keira did as she said, and then stopped in the kitchen. “Kirsten, Bjorn passed on a message from José. His cell phone isn’t working. They’re heading back.”

  Kirsten turned from fixing a sandwich. “Thanks.”

  “So how does it feel to be a high school graduate?”

  “Tired, good. Never dreamed I’d sleep most of the day away.”

  “Your mom and I are going out to the home place. You want to come?”

  “No thanks. You two have fun.”

  The home place looked the same as the other day. The grass was going to need mowing again soon. “I was thinking maybe we should plant a garden in case someone needs to live here. They might enjoy that.”

  “I need to get mine planted first. One of the jobs for this week.” Leah opened the door and entered. The unlived-in smell was back. “Where would I find cinnamon sticks?”

  “Whatever for?”

  “To simmer on the stove and drive out that musty smell.”

  “Good idea.” Keira went to the pantry and returned with a pint jar that held cinnamon sticks. “Mother always kept them to make fruit soup. After a year, should we toss most of the spices?”

  “Nah, lots of mine are older than that.” Leah filled a small kettle with water, added two cinnamon sticks, and set it on a burner. “They tell Realtors now to bake bread or chocolate chip cookies when they’re showing a house. Makes people feel at home.”

  “That reminds me, I think I’ll bake bread tomorrow.” Keira headed for the stairway. “Might as well get on with it, monsters or no.” She called from about halfway up the stairs. “Bring a stool, will you please?”

  Leah answered from the kitchen. “Coming right up.”

  They set the step stool under the handle for the recessed stairs. Leah looked from the stool to the ring used to lower the staircase. “They didn’t figure on the high ceilings. I know I can’t reach it. Can you?”

  Keira stepped on the first step. “Let me brace on your shoulder.”

  “This doesn’t look like a good idea.”

  “We’re here now.” She stepped up to the next step. “Have I ever mentioned how I hate ladders?”

  “Once or twice.”

  Hand on Leah’s shoulder, Keira stepped on the top step with one foot and then slowly brought the other one to join it. Still slightly crouched, she stared at the ring. “You think there might be a taller stool out in the barn or garage? I can’t reach this even if I stand on my tiptoes.”

  “And you can’t do that. Get down and we’ll go look.”

  Keira climbed down as gingerly as she climbed up. “How come I never minded climbing trees but ladders really get me?”

  “I hope that’s a rhetorical question.” Leah folded the stool back up. “We could just wait for one of the guys.”

  “How did Dad expect Mom to open that?”

  “He probably figured he’d be the one doing it.”

  They found a six-step ladder out in the garage and together hauled it into the house and up the stairs.

  “I’ll go up this time. This one should be tall enough.”

  “If you say so. There just better be more boxes up there after all this work.”

  “Is there a light up there?”

  Together they set up the ladder. “I don’t know. I don’t do attics.”

  “Not even when you were a kid?”

  “Nope. Attics are notoriously dark places. Every book I ever read that mentioned attics, something bad happened there. I always told the boys that I never went in attics because there were monsters there.”

  “And you are how old now?”

  “I’ll get a flashlight.” She went back downstairs, dug the flashlight out of the drawer, checked to see if it still worked, and then, realizing she’d dawdled as long as possible, went back up the stairs to find no Leah. “Leah? Where’d you go?”

  “To the bathroom. No monster came and grabbed me.” Leah climbed the ladder and pulled on the ring. When nothing happened, she pulled again, harder. They heard creaking and groaning as the end of the trap door started to come down.

  “Hear the creepy music?”

  “Keira, you keep this up and you’ll have me scared. We have to move the ladder.”

  “Which means you have to come down.”

  “And what if it goes back up?”

  “Let’s just move the ladder and see.”

  “I’m warning you.” Leah came down the ladder and sure enough, the thing started to close.

  “I’m not one to say I told you so, but…”

  “Okay, plan B. I’ll get something out of the sewing room to tie through that ring and then when you come down, you can hang on to that.”

  “This all started out so simple.”

  Keira located a piece of cording and handed it to her friend. “Here you go.”

  “It’ll probably come down so fast it’ll crack me on the head.”

  “Oh, that’s a great picture. Don’t be so negative.”

  Leah followed plan B and soon the ladder, with cable hand rails, lowered to the floor.

  “Fancy that.”

  “I’ll let you go first, since I climbed the higher ladder.”

  Keira made a face. “I don’t think so. See, I told you, it’s dark up there.”

  “Give me the flashlight. And it had better work.”

  “I tested it.” Keira followed Leah up the stairs, hanging on to the cable on both sides. Open stairs like this were nearly as bad as ladders.

  Leah stood on the top step so she could see as she shined the flashlight around. “There’s all kinds of stuff up here. A big trunk, boxes, a chair, even a bed.” She climbed the rest of the way up and stepped into the attic. “This is a treasure store.”

  “I’m coming.” Keira climbed slowly but made it into the attic without mishap. “Where did all this come from?”

  “Just accumulated over the years, I’m sure. Shame we don’t have two flashlights.” She shone the beam up, looking for electric lights. A single bulb hung above them. “It has a push-in switch.”

  Keira reached up and, lo and behold, they had light. Not a lot and there were still a plethora of shadows but at least they could see ahead of t
hem. “Look, there’s a crib. I think all of us had our turn in it. If the family that stays here has a baby, we’re all set.” They opened the trunk to find old clothes and some small boxes. One contained a music box. No pictures, so they shut the trunk and continued past an oak chair with a broken leg, a side table, a chest of empty drawers, and boxes of jars, baby clothes, letters.

  “This one I’ll take home with me.” Keira quickly closed the cardboard lid on the box of letters and carried it over to the stairs before dusting off her hands. They should have worn jeans and work shirts.

  “Why did she keep this junk?” Leah wondered while digging into another box.

  “Who knows? She must have planned a use for it.”

  Under two other boxes, the women found and opened a third. “Bingo.” Leah peeled back the newspaper that covered the top. “Pictures, letters, all manner of things.”

  “Great. We don’t have time right now, so let’s take them home to look through.”

  “Good idea. The light is pretty poor up here.” She set that carton to the side and opened the next. More of the same. “Remember when you said Dagmar probably had every card any of us gave her? Well, looks like you were right.”

  “How could I spend all my years in this house and never know about these things?”

  “Because you don’t do attics and there wasn’t an easy way to get up here.” Leah stood and swung the light around the room. “I think we’ve found everything on this side. Let’s put these boxes by the opening and search the other side.”

  “You know, if someone installed dormers, this space is plenty big enough to finish. Put a real stairway up to it and I can see having a sewing or craft room up here. If someone wanted to get really fancy, they could even put in a bathroom.”

  Leah flashed the light on the ribs of the roof. “Insulation and wall board. I wonder if they ever thought about that?”

  Keira sneezed. “This dust is getting to me. Let’s take our loot and leave. Now that we know how, we can come back later.”

  “We need to tell the kids about this; there might be some things they would like to keep.”