The Seasons of the EmmaLee

by Michael Lindley

  We also spoke of home in Charlevoix and I tried to fill Jonathan in on what had changed since we had been away. Certainly, there were new people and places to talk about, but I also tried to help him understand how much the War had also changed those who had stayed behind. What I noticed most in returning was the change in attitude and spirit in the friends and family I had seen since my return. Many seemed to share a more resolute sense of purpose, while others still struggled to find their way. All clearly had a renewed love of their country and appreciation for those who had left to defend it.

  I found it hard to talk about Luke and Catherine and I was surprised Jonathan hadn’t asked. In the end, I wasn’t able to find the right way to tell him his brother and his best girl were now together. That would have to wait until Jonathan came home to us in Charlevoix.

  Jonathan sat uncomfortably in the firm seat of the passenger train carrying him on the final leg of his journey home. He rode in his Navy dress uniform and his cane lay against the seat at his side. He looked out across the countryside of northern Michigan, the pine forests and rolling hills coming slowly to life as spring continued to press her will upon the land. It was mid-April and there were still pockets of snow back in the shade of the deep woods. Where the sun could reach the land, fresh green colors from sprouts and buds were beginning to take over the dull grays and browns of winter. Through the morning he had seen deer in the meadows and ducks and geese flying low over the trees. As he pulled through towns he saw families waiting to meet loved ones, many soldiers like himself who had been away far too long.

  He would be in Charlevoix by mid-afternoon. His family was coming down to the depot on the lake to meet him. His friend George would be there. He wondered often about Catherine, but he didn’t expect she would come out to see him, and frankly, he wasn’t sure what he would say to her.

  He saw Emily Compton the day before he was being discharged from the hospital. He was able to stand on his own and walk up to her with his cane when she came into see him for the last time. They both stood there awkwardly for a moment, then she came to him with her arms open and hugged him tight to her. There had been little left to say. She wasn’t certain if she would be coming up to Charlevoix for the summer. She had tentative plans to stay in Ann Arbor and take classes and continue to work at the hospital. She left him that morning with a kiss on his cheek and there were tears in her eyes as she wished him good luck and said goodbye.

  His reflection in the train window stared back at him, but he could also see Emily’s face in his mind and the tears in her eyes. He could hear her words and the soft tones of her farewell… Good luck, Jonathan. Please write to me.

  He had searched for deeper meaning in her embrace and kiss and in her parting words, but he knew he was fooling himself. Their worlds had come together for brief periods, but there was so much dividing them in what lay ahead. She had friends and family in a world so different from where he had come from and where he was going. She had a career in medicine that would surely consume her and guide her path. His plans were only tentative possibilities. One step and one day at a time, Gerome had so often reminded him.

  The train slowed as it approached the depot platform in Charlevoix. The skies had grown dark in the past hour and it was now raining hard. He looked out across Lake Charlevoix as he passed in front of the Belvedere Club property and the fine homes up along the hill. The train rattled over the old bridge across the channel and its brakes squeaked as it was brought to a stop at the station. Jonathan looked across the aisle and out through the window toward the depot. The platform was empty. If anyone had come, they were inside trying to keep dry from the storm. He pulled his bag down from the overhead shelf and with his cane, made his way slowly up the aisle to the exit door. A conductor took his bag for him and helped him down the steps onto the platform.

  George Hansen came running out from inside with an umbrella up to shelter him from the heavy rain. “McKendry! Welcome home, you sonofabitch!”

  He smiled as his friend swept him up in a big hug.

  Then he saw his parents standing together under the shelter of the depot’s roofline and he walked together with George under his umbrella to meet them. His mother came forward first and fell into him with a tearful greeting. He stood facing his father. The elder McKendry held out his hand and they shook formally, a firm grip of affection between father and son.

  His father smiled at him and said, “Welcome home, son.”

  Jonathan moved forward and hugged his father and felt him squeeze back. It was the first time he could ever remember hugging his father.

  “Your mother has prepared a huge feast and we have a whole bunch of friends and family coming over to join us for dinner,” his father said, as they separated.

  “That sounds great, Pop.”

  “You’re walking so well,” he heard his mother say.

  “Well, you met Gerome when you were down in Ann Arbor. Without him I’d still be lying in that bed back in the hospital.”

  His father reached his arm around him and said, “Let’s get you home now.”

  The dinner had been a loud affair with everyone trying to talk at once and beer and wine flowing freely. His family had planned an open house and there was food on every table and countertop and a steady procession of people coming through the house to welcome the young sailor home.

  Jonathan was standing in a corner of the living room talking to several old friends. George came up and joined the conversation with two fresh beers for himself and Jonathan. After a few minutes, the others moved away leaving the two old companions together again.

  “Jonathan, how many times did you think about this day when you were away overseas?”

  “Oh, at least every day,” he answered. “I’m having a hard time believing I’m really here now. I know I’m going to wake up soon and still be in that damned hospital back in the Pacific.”

  George looked around the room. “I imagine Luke will be by any time now. I wanted to talk to you about Luke when I was down in Ann Arbor, but… well, I don’t know.”

  “What about Luke?”

  “Well, it’s really Luke and Catherine I need to talk to you about,” George said.

  Jonathan shifted his weight on his cane. “Yeah, Catherine… you know George, your sister and I have not kept up very well.”

  “I know,” said George. “But what you don’t know is what’s been going on between Luke and Catherine.”

  Jonathan stared into his friend’s eyes. “Luke and Catherine?”

  “Jonathan, they’ve been together for some time now. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this earlier.”

  Jonathan looked down at the glass of beer in his hand, then took a drink. He shook his head and a smile slowly spread across his face. “Well, I knew there was someone. It never crossed my mind it was my own brother, but what the hell, does it really matter who? I knew it was over between us long ago and I really didn’t expect her to wait for me after all this time.” He paused for a few moments. “But Luke, that is a surprise.”

  “You don’t seem too shook up?” George said.

  “No… no, I guess I’m not. Has Luke cleaned up his act? Is he treating her okay?”

  George sighed before he answered. “It’s really hard to say. Luke still spends a lot of time down at The Helm, and Catherine’s there more than I would like to say. He’s working steady over at the boat factory, but I’ll be honest with you, he hasn’t changed much.”

  “I haven’t heard about any more trouble with the law.”

  “I guess there have been a few minor scrapes. Since I’ve been home, what bothers me most is how much Catherine has changed. I swear you won’t know her when you see her, Jonathan.”

  “Why is that?”

  “She’s just a whole different person,” George said. “God, I don’t know exactly, but it’s like Luke’s personality has crept inside her and all the joy’s gone out of her. She doesn’t even look like you remember. Her hair and face are usu
ally a mess and her clothes, well… it’s just a damned shame.”

  “Have you talked to her about it?”

  “You can’t get two words out of her anymore.”

  Jonathan saw the crowd around the door into the kitchen moving aside as his brother, Luke, walked into the room. He saw Jonathan and George over in the corner and slowly made his way in their direction. Jonathan looked at his brother and was amazed at the deeper lines of age he saw in his face. His hair was cut much shorter and there were traces of gray already beginning to show. He had a half empty beer in his hand.

  “Welcome home, war hero,” he said with a slur in his voice Jonathan remembered well.

  Jonathan reached out to put his arms around his brother, but Luke just put out his free hand and shook Jonathan’s with a weak grip.

  “How are you, Luke?”

  “Bout the same.” He nodded his head slowly, looking his brother up and down and at the cane in Jonathan’s left hand. “So, looks like we both got bum legs now, huh?”

  Jonathan just nodded.

  “Hey look, I can’t stay. I got a couple of things I need to get to, but I’m gonna be down at The Helm tonight. Stop by and I’ll buy you two war heroes all the beer you can drink. How’s that?”

  Jonathan hesitated.

  “Well look, really, I gotta go,” Luke said, “but stop by tonight, okay?”

  “Yeah, I’ll try to come by,” Jonathan said. He watched his brother turn and walk out of the room. He felt George put his hand on his shoulder.

  Catherine Hansen was waiting at the bar at The Helm when Luke walked in. She finished her cigarette and put it out in the full ashtray in front of her. A nearly empty glass of beer rested in her other hand with red lipstick on the rim. Her dress was a faded print that looked far past new. Her hair was pulled back and collected with a green rubber band and the ends lay in ragged clumps down her back. She saw him come in and turned on her stool to make room for him to slide in next to her. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek as he sat down. “Hey honey,” she said.

  Luke didn’t answer. He got the bartender’s attention and just nodded for the usual. The clock on the wall behind the bar showed a little after four in the afternoon. There were a few other customers down at the other end of the bar and no one was sitting at the tables yet. Luke got his drink and drained half of it before he spoke. “Just got back from seeing your old sweetie.”

  “Now, Luke, don’t start on that,” Catherine said. “He’s old news and you know that.”

  “Yeah, I suppose. I asked him and your brother to stop down later after all the folks get their fill over at the house. I figure I owe him a cold beer or two, what for goin’ out and fighting for the country and all.”

  She didn’t answer and just looked straight ahead at the bottles lined up along the shelves behind the bar.

  “I guess he got pretty tore up over there,” Luke said, looking down into his glass. “He’s got a cane and… God, it looks like he’s lost 50 pounds.”

  Catherine turned to face him. “Luke, you know I don’t have those feelings for your brother anymore, now don’t you?”

  He nodded.

  “There was no way I was waiting for that boy, or anybody else after all this time. Besides, he’s got eyes for that Compton woman,” she said with a scowl. “I’ve got my own life now and I’ve got you.”

  Luke didn’t look at her. “I suppose he knows about all that by now.”

  “I suppose,” she answered quietly. “There’s something else you need to know.” She finished her drink and signaled for another. Luke still didn’t look up. “I’ve been late about five days now, Luke.”

  He finally turned to look at her. “What do you mean, late?”

  “My period.”

  He just looked at her without answering and then looked back to his drink. “You sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure, goddamit!” she said. “I’ve never been late a day before.”

  “Okay, then.”

  “Just okay?”

  “Well, just what I said, okay.”

  She grabbed him tightly by the arm and pulled him around to face her. “I’m telling you we’re gonna have a baby, Luke.”

  He wouldn’t look her in the eye. “Yeah,” he said, “I heard you.” He pulled his arm away and took his drink and finished it.

  Catherine sat staring at the side of his head for a few moments. She sighed a deep sound in her throat, then grabbed the empty glass in front of her and threw it as hard as she could against the far wall. It crashed into the liquor bottles and glass, and alcohol splattered in all directions. The noise echoed through the empty bar.

  Bud, the old bartender, came scrambling over when he heard the explosion. Catherine got up and walked quickly out of the bar without saying another word.

  “What in hell was that?” the old man asked.

  Luke looked up and said, “It’s just the bitch drunk again. Put it on my bill.”

  The guests had left the McKendry house and Jonathan was sitting at the kitchen table eating a sandwich he had made. His mother was scurrying around cleaning up and his father came in and sat across from him.

  “It’s good to have you home, son.”

  “Thanks for going to all this trouble and having everyone come over. It was good to see so many old friends and faces,” said Jonathan.

  “Sure, sure. Did you see Luke? He wasn’t here more than a few minutes.”

  “Yeah, I saw him.”

  “You’ve heard about him and Catherine then?” his father said.

  “Yeah.”

  “You gonna be all right with that?”

  Jonathan just nodded, looking down at the table. He noticed his mother looking at him over her shoulder at the sink. She looked away when he saw her.

  “So, how’s the business been, Pop?”

  “It’s been pretty slow, honestly. The past few years have been real quiet up here. Mom’s had to take another job up in town cause things have been so slow over at the hotel.”

  “This summer should be better, don’t you think?” Jonathan asked.

  “I hope so.” His father paused. “I hope so.”

  Jonathan took another bite from his sandwich and when he had swallowed said, “I’ll be around this summer to help out, Pop. I’ve been thinking about going away to school next fall, but I haven’t been accepted yet.”

  His father was looking out the small window over the table, seeming to consider what his son had just said. “I was hoping I could count on you a while longer than that, Johnny.”

  “What do you mean?” Jonathan asked. He noticed his mother turn to watch them.

  “I’m gonna need your help, son. I’ve been runnin’ a little slower these past couple of years. We didn’t want to tell you about it because you had enough to deal with.”

  “How bad? What is it?” Jonathan asked with alarm in his voice.

  “There’s no reason to get all worried,” he answered. “I’m not gonna check out any time soon, but my heart’s been on the blink and I’ve had to slow way down. I’m just not going to be able to keep up with the business if it comes back at all this year.”

  Jonathan rubbed his eyes and was quickly trying to consider the ramifications of all this. “You’re sure you’re gonna be all right?”

  “Yeah…I’ve got this medication and your mom’s been cooking all this special food for me.”

  Jonathan tried not to show the disappointment that was pounding in his brain. He was both shocked at the news of his father’s health, but also glad to hear it apparently wasn’t a dangerous condition. But, he couldn’t help think about school and his own future. He struggled to push those thoughts aside for now. There will be time for all that.

  “Have you talked to Luke about this?” Jonathan asked. “Has he been any help?”

  He watched his father shake his head and he could tell from his expression what the answer would be.

  “Your brother hasn’t been much help to anybody, includin
g himself. I honestly can’t tell you why Catherine took up with him and for the life of me, I can’t see how she stays with him. He’s been lucky to keep his job over at the plant these past years with the drinking and all.”

  His mother came over and joined them at the table. “Johnny, your brother needs help and maybe you can get through to him. God knows we’ve tried,” she said.

  George came by to pick him up around seven that night. He had his father’s old Chevy pickup with tools and lumber stuffed in the back. Jonathan had changed out of his uniform for the last time, he figured.

  “How about a little look around town before it gets dark?” George asked as Jonathan slowly eased himself up into the truck.

  “Sounds good. Can you take me out to the pier? I want to see the big lake again.”

  They slowly cruised up Belvedere Avenue, then north through town. It was warm enough to roll the window down and Jonathan was enjoying the fresh smells of spring and the sights and sounds of his hometown. They drove slowly up Bridge Street, waving to a few people along the way. They passed The Helm and Jonathan could see his brother sitting at the bar through the open door. He looked away, thinking about his conversations at the kitchen table with his father.

  Down to the right the city docks on Round Lake had a few early boats tied up and a few moored out on buoys on the lake. They passed the place at the park where Luke had attacked Connor Harris on that summer night. Jonathan stared at the spot as they passed and he was sure he could still see the blood stain where Harris’ head had fallen on the sidewalk. He remembered Emily Compton kneeling there looking at him, the terror in her eyes and the helpless feeling that had overwhelmed him that night.

  George must have sensed his thoughts as he turned up the volume on the radio in the truck to divert Jonathan’s attention.

  “The old town looks pretty much the same, don’t you think?” George asked.

  “It looks pretty damn nice, is all I can say.”