Farewell to Cedar Key

by Terri DuLong

“Isn’t that the truth.”

  “One decision can alter the entire path of our life. You know, if Lily hadn’t had the ballet class that day . . . well, who knows. Do you ever think about how different your own life would have been if you’d married Grant?”

  I was surprised by her question. “Sometimes, yeah, I do. But I’ve always felt strongly that it just wasn’t meant to be. We were young, he was just starting a career, and I really don’t think we would have lasted.”

  “Yet look at the two of you all these years later. Still very close. You support each other, you’ve raised your daughter together as much as possible, and you get along better than many married couples.”

  “My point exactly.”

  Mallory laughed. “Oh, come on. You’re not still against marriage, are you?”

  “I’ve never been against it. I’m just not sure it’s right for me.”

  “And you’re too damn independent to give it a chance, aren’t you?”

  I remained silent for a few moments. “Hey, I thought you always supported my decision about Grant.”

  “I did support it and I support you, Josie, but it doesn’t mean that I have to agree with you. It’s pretty obvious that you’ve always been the one great love in Grant’s life.”

  My head shot up and I stared at her. I waited for her to add something to what she’d just said, but she didn’t.

  “Well, if you’ve finished philosophizing for today, I really have to finish packing.”

  She got up and came to give me a hug. “Kicking me out, are you? Glad I asked for the punch bowl before our conversation.”

  I laughed and nudged her in the ribs. “Get outta here. I’ll see you on Sunday at my mom’s.”

  24

  By the time Saturday evening arrived, I was fully packed except for last-minute carry-on items.

  I had spent most of Friday trying to decide what to make for dinner for Simon and Lily. It was times like that when I wished I’d paid more attention to my mother’s offer of cooking instructions. I didn’t dare do any of my Italian dishes since Simon had already proved his own skill in that area, so I eventually decided on a casserole with stew beef, cheese, potatoes, and herbs. I figured salad and my homemade biscuits would complete a nice meal, in addition to my cheesecake with blueberries.

  “I have the dining room table all set,” Orli said, walking into the kitchen. “Anything else I can do?”

  “I don’t think so. I have brie in the fridge to go with crackers before we eat, and white wine is chilling. Thanks for your help.”

  “I’m looking forward to meeting Lily,” she said. “Well, Simon too.” She let out a chuckle. “But I think it’s so great that despite lack of sight, Lily seems to manage pretty well.”

  “I agree. I know Simon is quite proud of her,” I said as the doorbell chimed. “There they are.”

  I opened the door to see Simon holding a bottle of wine and a bouquet of flowers. Lily stood there with Leo beside her on a leash.

  “Welcome. Come on in.”

  I made the introductions and noticed that Lily wasn’t wearing the sunglasses; her eyes were closed.

  “I thought this red zinfandel might go with dinner, and the flowers are for you,” Simon said, passing me a beautiful arrangement of orange roses and pale yellow lilies, accented with burgundy mums and lush greens.

  “Oh, Simon, thank you so much. They’re gorgeous,” I said, bending my head to inhale the heady fragrance. “Have a seat in the family room.” I gestured with my arm. “I’ll just get these into a vase.”

  Orli followed me into the kitchen as I reached into the cabinet and then filled my best crystal vase with water.

  “Cute,” she whispered into my ear. “He’s really cute.”

  “Shh!” I whispered back and tried to suppress a giggle. “Bring out the brie and crackers while I get these arranged.”

  “They really are so pretty, Simon. Thanks again,” I said, placing the vase in the middle of the dining room table. “Okay. We have some brie and crackers, and what can I get you to drink? I have some pinot grigio that’s cold, and Lily, I have diet soda, sweet tea, lemonade?”

  “Pinot for me,” Simon said.

  “Sweet tea sounds great.” Lily had Leo already curled up beside her feet.

  “Does Leo need a bowl of water or anything?” I asked. I was a novice at being a hostess to a dog.

  Lily laughed. “No, no. He’s fine. Thanks.”

  “He’s just beautiful,” I heard Orli say as I headed to the kitchen. “It’s okay to pat him?”

  “Oh, sure. He loves people.”

  I turned around to see Simon behind me as I removed the wine bottle from the fridge.

  “Here, let me open that for you.”

  “Thanks. Corkscrew is there on the counter.”

  “Your daughter resembles you closely. Very pretty girl.”

  “Thank you. Actually, she did manage to get Grant’s lovely green eyes.”

  I proceeded to pour the sweet tea and got out two wineglasses, which I placed on a tray.

  “It’s so nice of you to invite us to dinner, Josie. Lily was looking forward to meeting Orli.”

  “Good, I’m glad. I know Orli felt the same.”

  Simon filled the glasses and said, “I’ll take these for you.”

  We returned to the family room to hear both girls involved in a conversation about some current singer or band that they both seemed to love.

  I lifted my wineglass. “Here’s to both of you, and welcome to Cedar Key. I hope you’ll be happy here and your practice will be successful, Simon.”

  “Thanks,” they both said.

  “My dad said you’re leaving on Monday for the Boston area. You must be so excited, Orli. Christmas in New England and celebrating a special birthday.”

  “I am. I love being up there. Oh, I love it here too.” I saw her shoot me a quick glance. “But there’s just something about the Boston area. So much to see and do. Have you ever visited there?”

  Lily nodded. “We have. My dad took me to Boston a few years ago. The history of the city is amazing. Are you considering Boston for college?”

  Orli surprised me by saying, “Actually, yes, I am. I’ve been doing some research on various colleges there.”

  She was? I knew she’d mentioned in passing that she’d like to go out of state and might have even hinted at Boston, but somehow this sounded a bit more definite, and I noticed how she avoided looking at me.

  “Well, we’re happy to announce that Lily has made her college decision,” Simon said.

  “Oh, how exciting. Where’re you going?” Orli leaned forward on the sofa.

  A smile crossed Lily’s face. “I finally decided last week to attend the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.”

  “Congratulations,” I said, and from the look on Simon’s face, I knew he was happy with her choice.

  “Actually, it was Lily’s first choice when she got accepted but she wanted to be sure, so we also visited a few other campuses.”

  “What made you decide on UNF?” Orli asked.

  “Well,” she said, leaning forward to stroke Leo’s ears. “It’s a nice campus. Not too big, and I think it’ll be easy for Leo and me to get around. But they have an excellent Disability Resource Center and that was important to me. I had an interview with the DRC team and I was impressed with the services and accommodations that they provide.”

  “That’s wonderful,” I said. “You must be so excited.”

  “Are all of the course materials accessible?” Orli asked.

  Lily nodded. “Yeah, they are. They have digital conversions of the textbooks for electronic book readers and accessible text-to-speech functions. It’s still a foggy area with many of the colleges and the Disabilities Act, but the U.S. Justice Department has been very good about addressing any violations. There was a recent lawsuit filed against Louisiana Tech University, and they agreed to stop using learning materials that limit access for students with visua
l disabilities.”

  “That’s wonderful,” I said. “And it sounds like you’re very well informed on the subject.”

  Simon laughed. “Oh, yeah. Sometimes she’s like a dog with a bone on this issue, but I do applaud her involvement.”

  “What are you majoring in at college?” Orli asked.

  “Communication, with a focus on public relations and the media. Have you decided on a major yet?”

  Orli shook her head. “Ah . . . no . . . not quite. I’m considering maybe something in business.”

  “Well,” I said, glancing at my watch. “Dinner is almost ready. Just give me a few minutes to get out the casserole and pop my biscuits into the oven, and we can eat.”

  “Everything was delicious, Miss Josie,” Lily said, wiping her lips with a napkin.

  “It certainly was,” Simon agreed, shooting me a smile across the table.

  “Thank you. As soon as I get the table cleared we can have some of my blueberry cheesecake.”

  Orli jumped up to help me remove the dinnerware.

  “Coffee or tea?” I asked.

  “Coffee would be great,” Simon said. “But let me help you.”

  “No, no. We’re fine.” I raised my hand in the air.

  “I’ll have tea, please,” Lily said.

  I followed Orli to the kitchen and stacked the dishes on the counter. “Just leave those and I’ll rinse them after and get the dishwasher loaded,” I said, removing my cheesecake from the fridge. “You can take out the dessert plates and forks and I’ll get the rest.”

  “They’re so nice, aren’t they? I really like them both a lot.”

  I smiled at my social butterfly. Orli always did feel comfortable meeting new people. “They are,” I agreed.

  Following dessert, Orli took Lily into her room to listen to some of her CDs and Simon insisted on helping me clean up in the kitchen.

  “Thank you again,” he said. “I know that Lily has enjoyed this evening as much as I have.”

  I looked up from loading the dishwasher and smiled. “Good. Then we’ll definitely have to do it again after I get back.”

  “It’s a date,” he said, making me wonder if we’d ever have a bona fide date.

  25

  Sunday flew by with the Christmas gathering at my parents’ house. It was great to see Maggie again, and the entire day was filled with laughter. By the time Orli and I boarded our flight in Atlanta, I was feeling less concern about my mother.

  She’d seemed her perky self the day before, and even seemed resigned and accepting of the fact that both Orli and I would be absent from her house on Christmas day.

  I settled back in my seat as we got airborne and patted Orli’s hand.

  “A girl could get used to first class pretty fast, couldn’t she?”

  Orli giggled. “I know. So much more room, and that pre-flight drink was nice, wasn’t it?”

  I nodded. “Yes, having a glass of wine at the gate makes me feel special.”

  “You are,” Orli assured me.

  I let out a sigh and once again wondered how Grant and I had gotten so lucky to produce such an outstanding daughter.

  I reached into my carry-on and removed the scarf that I was working on for Grant’s mother. A few more rows and it would be finished. Not a knitter herself, Molly always showed great appreciation of the knitted items I’d made for her over the years.

  I had liked Molly from the first time Grant had introduced me to her. His dad had passed away the year before we met, but I remembered thinking how self-assured and independent Molly was despite being a new widow. And how vastly different she was from my own mother. I’m not sure she ever agreed with my decision not to marry her son, but she never voiced her thoughts and had always assured me that whatever Grant and I chose to do was up to us.

  I nodded off following lunch and woke to see Orli dozing beside me with her iPod earbuds in place. Glancing out the window, I saw the Boston skyline in the distance and felt the air pressure inside the cabin begin to change.

  Orli yawned and stretched. “Are we almost there?”

  “Almost,” I said, pointing out the window.

  She leaned across me and smiled. “I can’t wait to see Dad.”

  It had been nine months since I’d seen him, and I realized I was also looking forward to it.

  As we descended on the escalator to baggage, I saw Grant immediately and my stomach gave a lurch. Leaning against a wall, hands in his jean pockets, he looked every bit as handsome as the day I met him. His cranberry turtleneck and black cashmere sport jacket boosted his good looks, and his dark hair streaked with gray added to his appeal.

  As if feeling my stare, he glanced up, smiled, and waved.

  “There he is,” Orli exclaimed, waving back before leaving the escalator to run into his open arms.

  I laughed as I walked toward them. He kissed Orli on the cheek and released her to envelop me with his hug. I loved the ease and familiarity that Grant always managed to make me feel in his arms. He surprised me by brushing my lips with his rather than the usual peck on the cheek.

  Swinging his arms around our shoulders, he said, “How great! I have both of my girls together again. Good flight?”

  “Oh, it was,” Orli bubbled. “First class was great, Dad. Thanks.”

  “Yes, thank you, Grant. We both enjoyed it.”

  “Good. Ah, here we go,” he said. “Baggage is coming out.”

  We walked closer to the carousel, his arms still around us.

  Within a few minutes, we had our bags and headed to the parking lot.

  The Boston sun was shining and the air was crisp, making it feel more like autumn than December.

  “You really are having a mild winter,” I said as Grant placed our luggage in the trunk.

  He nodded. “Yeah, there’s a cold front coming in this evening though. We could end up having a white Christmas after all.”

  “Oh, good,” Orli said as she got into the backseat, leaving me to sit up front next to Grant.

  Grant drove along 1A, heading north. There were other routes he could have taken, and I wondered if he recalled my fondness for driving along Lynn Shore Drive with the mighty Atlantic to my right.

  “I always forget how pretty it is up here,” I said, and all of a sudden had a flashback to that spring of sixteen years before when Grant and I had sat huddled on a blanket at this very beach, making out and declaring eternal love for each other. I smiled at the memory.

  “It is,” was all he said, and I wondered if he was having the same recall.

  Orli carried most of the conversation as we made our way to Danvers and Route 62.

  “Oh, wow, there it is,” I heard her say, and glanced up from the road to see the familiar imposing structure. Although I could tell that it had received a facelift, the buildings still looked down on the town of Danvers from high atop the hill.

  Grant turned onto the long, winding road that led up to Kirkbride Village and slowed down halfway at a guard hut, where he waved to the man inside, and the security gate lifted for us to enter. As we curved to the entrance I saw that four brick buildings stood in the late afternoon sun, which lent a softness and coziness to what many local residents remembered as a frightening and eerie place. The developer had preserved the outside shell of the original Kirkbride Building, where Grant now resided, once home to so many lost souls. Now gone were the confining black bars, replaced with white shutters on each side of the stylish, large windows, creating a sense of warmth. Large trees that still had not shed all of their autumn leaves gave an atmosphere of peace rather than horror to the place. I had to admit that the uncomfortable feeling I’d had years ago on seeing the former mental facility was gone.

  “Oh, this really is pretty,” I said as Grant pulled into a spot in front of the first building.

  “I told you,” he said, and I saw the smile on his face.

  “Wow, it doesn’t look anything like the scary place it used to be.” Orli jumped out of the car and
looked around her.

  I got out and followed Grant to the trunk. I had to agree. The malevolent aura the place had always exuded had disappeared and in its place was a very pretty condo complex.

  “I hope you’ll like it here,” he said as we followed him to a triple-size glass front door that allowed the beauty of the inside atrium to be seen from outside.

  Grant swiped a card in the security pad, and I stepped inside to see five condo units in the shape of a U. The developer had strategically placed a huge crystal chandelier in the center of the glass-peaked roof, allowing the prisms to catch rays of sunlight, which distributed splashes of color throughout the atrium. Beneath the chandelier I saw an intricate freshwater fishpond. Varying tiers held aquatic plants and flowers, with ceramic statues of mermaids, fairies, and angels adding serenity. The waterfalls flowed into the pond from various directions, creating a soft, trickling sound while colorful fish swam among the lily pads. Throughout the atrium, metal benches added welcome and respite from the outside world.

  “This is so upscale, Grant. Really gorgeous!” I looked around and saw there were two condos on either side of the entrance and a larger one at the rear, which completed the U shape.

  “Oh, Dad, I just love it,” Orli said as she went to give her father a squeeze. “It’s hard to believe this was a mental hospital years ago.”

  He nodded, and the three of us looked over as the door on our right opened and an elderly woman emerged, holding a watering can.

  “Hello, hello,” she said, walking toward us with her hand outstretched.

  I saw a smile cover Grant’s face. “This is Estelle Fletcher, my neighbor. And, Estelle, this is my daughter, Orli, and her mother, Josie.”

  “Well, well,” she said, nodding. I wondered if the woman always spoke with double words.

  Grant’s description of her had been understated. I took in the white frizzy hair that was pulled tightly back from her forehead and had managed to escape the purple silk scarf at the nape of her neck. Dramatically arched dark brown eyebrows caused a questioning expression, and blood-red lipstick had been applied beyond the natural contours of her lips. She wore a bright orange and red caftan, which added to her unusual appearance.