Back to Jerusalem

by Jan Surasky

“As soon as the guys around here figure out what a great woman you are, you’ll be dating up a storm.”

  “I think I’m meant to be an old maid aunt.”

  “Oh, hush, Sparky. We’d better settle in before the sun goes down.”

  As the daylight faded, Sparky picked up the mechanical engineering books she loved. Jenny looked at her shorthand, but her mind was on Bud and the next Syracuse weekend.

  As the sun began to set, Jenny looked up at the reds, the oranges, the mauves. She suddenly thought of Jake. It must have been hundreds of sunsets they watched together, his arm around her to shelter her from the cool evening breezes, their talk silly stuff, Jake’s brothers and sisters, Jenny’s job, school, the crickets they heard by day, the owls by night. She must write Jake a letter. She would find out how he was getting on.

  As she watched the sun quickly sink into the haze of the cloudless gray sky, she was certain the sun set only over Jerusalem and the shores of the beautiful, blue lake it sat on.

  Chapter Twelve

  The day was bright and sunny. Bud whizzed them through Penn Yan in a bright, yellow Camarro. Another Syracuse weekend and activities from dawn to dusk. Jenny knew the shorthand homework must go until at least Monday.

  The pace of college life was a drain for a girl from the farmlands of southern New York. Sodas on Saturdays at Embrey’s Drug Store had been replaced by mixers at Holt Hall, the student union. Clubs galore had replaced the lazy afternoons out in the fields and in the barn with her school classmates. Even sailing, practiced by the wealthier students who could afford it, replaced the occasional ride in a Kris Kraft with Bud.

  Jenny dreaded the Syracuse weekends. Endless activities with students who seemed only to know how to party. But, she liked the security of it. No dates to find among her own college classmates. No Saturday nights in the dorm alone while everyone partied.

  “Hey, Jen. Did you bring a swimsuit?”

  “I did.”

  “Great. We’re gonna picnic at Taughannock over on Cayuga Lake where the Cornell Ivy League types hang out and the partiers from Ithaca College. I’ve already got a few six packs in the back to get us started.

  “Did you get a bikini?”

  “No, Bud, I didn’t.”

  “You gotta get with it. The SU women are really cool. Besides, I like to show you off.”

  “I’m not sure Mother would approve.”

  “C’mon, Jen. You’re in college now. You can do what you want.

  “Do you wanna stop at Melroy’s Department Store? They have better stuff than hardware and apparel.”

  “Maybe next time.”

  “Okay, we’ll head for Katt’s room. Drop your suitcase and get you settled. Then, we’d better take off for Taughannock before the sun goes down. Lotsa guys with sailfish and water skis.”

  Katt, heavy makeup intact, was waiting.

  “Hey, Bud. Just put the suitcase over there.”

  “Hey, Katt.”

  “My date should be here soon. Then, we can get a move on.”

  “I think we’ll head out now. Just bring yourselves. We’ve got extra food and brew.”

  “Jenny, make yourself at home. No roommate. Lucky number for the draw for singles.”

  “I hope your date can cook. The hamburger meat is raw.”

  “No problem. I turn a pretty mean burger myself when I’m in the mood.”

  “Don’t take too long. You gotta join the bikini parade. I bet Long Island has a lot to offer.”

  “Bud, you’re crazy! Take him away, Jenny.”

  Taughannock was beautiful as they searched for a spot to stake out.

  “Hey, Jenny, over here!“

  Jenny gratefully lay down her pile of blankets and towels on a fairly clean table as Bud lay the cooler on the ground.

  “Well get the rest of the stuff later. Let’s get changed.

  “See you on the beach!“

  Bud was out of the men’s bath house and on the beach while she was still struggling with the latex of her swimsuit. But, the struggle was worth it. The cerise of her suit set off the chestnut of her hair. Her bare legs, clad only in a pair of rubber flip-flops, gave rise to a very slender figure.

  Bud let out a long, slow whistle as she approached. “Score one for Keuka College. You’re gonna knock ’em dead when we get you that bikini.

  “Hey, what do you say I race you to that float? Last one in cooks the hamburgers.”

  His well-honed muscles fairly rippled as he moved through the waters with a perfect Australian crawl, his blond hair, wet and shaggy, still bleached from the summer sun. He beat Jenny to the raft by only a few strokes. As he pulled her up, his laughter echoed across the waves.

  As they lay upon the bare wood, sunshine pouring down upon their backs, Bud rubbed Jenny with suntan lotion from a small bottle he had toted through the water in a zippered pocket of his swim trunks. Jenny basked in the coolness of the lotion and the warmth of his touch.

  “Hey, Bud. Scott Wilson. Met you at your dad’s cottage this summer. Auto meet. My dad sells Mercedes. Good to see you.”

  “Great to see you, too.” Bud stood up to shake hands with a well-built swimmer in plaid swim trunks.

  “How’s it going at Syracuse?”

  “Swell. Training’s been keeping me busy. But, it looks like a good season.”

  “Great. We should get together sometime. I’m at Cornell. There are plenty of beer kegs and the gin flows like water at my frat house. I’ll call you.”

  With that, the swimmer dove into the water and was out of sight before Bud could call an answer.

  “Hey, Jen, we should get back and start the fire. I’m starving.”

  The swim back was leisurely and Bud was attentive, putting his arm around her waist as they reached the shore. Katt and Jason, dates in tow, were already setting the table when they reached their spot.

  “Hey, Katt. Pretty fancy tablecloth.”

  “The best Long Island has to offer.

  “Bud and Jenny, I’d like you to meet Jim Wentworth. He came all the way from Long Island to grace upstate New York.”

  “Welcome, Jim. What brings you to the hinterlands?”

  “Katt, of course. She’s hard to say no to.”

  “Not exactly. I’ve been begging him for weeks to get up here.”

  “And, I’d like you all to meet Brenda. She’s a Wells College woman.”

  As Jenny took Brenda in, a wave of sympathy shot through her. A small town girl trying to make it with a fast-paced college crowd.

  Wentworth was good with the hamburgers, and they were eating before sundown. Just in time to volley a few badminton birdies across the beach before dark. As the sun set, Katt and Jim took off for the campus. Jason and Brenda headed back toward Wells.

  “Jen, how about getting a look at one of the highest falls around? Let’s pack up and head across the road.”

  As they walked the trail, a generous, dirt path constructed by the CCC during the Great Depression, Jenny looked around. Beautiful mountains, evergreens dotting steep inclines, some uprooted by the storms of spring, tops pointed perilously toward the pathway. Rocks and boulders tumbling downward perpetuating the laws of gravity. Occasionally, the sound of a night bird. A stream rushing along a shale rock bed.

  As they reached the moonlit falls, its height towering above them, Bud took Jenny’s hand. He kissed her hard on the mouth. Then, he moved his hand toward her breasts.

  “Bud, I don’t want to.”

  “But, Jenny, you’re in college now. Most girls put out.”

  “I want to wait.”

  “You’re way too old fashioned. But, I will respect that.

  “C’mon, let’s get back. I’ve got a big game tomorrow, the first of the season. And, you need your beauty sleep.”

  As they drove, the moon lit the way for the yellow Camarro as it sped back to campus along the dark, narrow roads.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The summer following Jenny’s freshman year was frantic.
Bud had proposed, and Mother had convinced Jenny to set the wedding date for the next summer over her objections that she wanted to finish at Keuka College. Leaving Bud at such a large university with all those sophisticated women was just too big a risk according to Mother.

  Jenny took a job at Embrey’s Drugs to escape the fray and worked a lot of hours. She found peace only in trips to Aunt Gert’s on the few Sunday afternoons she could get away to help set out the gardens and weed them.

  Pedaling past the Martin farm brought no sight of Jake. Anne and Sarah were there, weeding the fields, cultivators in hand, their long dresses swaying in the breeze. Approaching the Walker trailer showed Sammy working on the perpetual wreck, this time a Chevy coupe.

  “Hey, Sammy.”

  “Hey, Jenny.” The rather lanky boy looked down, his scruffy overalls covered in grease. He knew the protocol, and he knew Mrs. Thompson’s feelings on exchanging conversation.

  “What have you been doing, Sammy?”

  “Working for Mr. Anderson. Pay’s pretty good. Pa’s been sick, so I can help out.”

  “How’s Etta? I always liked the cookies you brought to school she baked.”

  “Pretty good. She had to drop out of school to get married. She’s expectin’ in August.”

  “I’m sorry she had to drop out of school. I bet she could get a good job with Mr. Schneider down at his bakery. He’s always looking for good help.”

  “Thanks, Jenny. I’ll tell her.”

  “Sammy, have you seen Jake?”

  “Not for a while. But, he stopped over the other day for a game of catch. He’s got some kind of a scholarship so he’s going to New York.”

  “New York?” Jenny tried to hide her disappointment. “But, that’s so far away.”

  “Well, it’s a good opportunity for Jake. It pays everything. All he has to do is to help some professor do some research.

  “I hear you’re getting married, Jenny. Congratulations.”

  “Well, it’s not until next year, but thanks, Sammy.

  “Guess I’ll pedal on to Aunt Gert’s. She’s waiting for me to set out the new orchids and gardenias. See you, Sammy.”

  “See ya, Jenny.”

  Aunt Gert, decked out in a new pair of overalls and a bright, red polka dot scarf which held back her honey brown hair greeted her niece with the usual bear hug. Chaucer tagged behind.

  “How’s work, Jenny? Jim Barnes keeping you busy?”

  “Mr. Barnes has me waiting tables, working the soda fountain, and sometimes helping the pharmacist package prescriptions. I’m worn out by the end of the day. But, it’s good, Mother doesn’t push me to choose a color for the bridesmaids’ dresses or the flowers for the church.”

  “Mattie likes to do that herself. I’m surprised she’s letting you have any say at all.

  “Well, you’ve got a year to tie up the details, so take your time. You’ve got a lot to think about. Your studies, for instance. Have you decided what you’re going to do about them?”

  “Bud said he would get me a job on campus so I could support us. He needs to finish school. But, he promised he would get me a job that includes a free course or two.”

  “Good. That way you can keep up your art work.

  “So, let’s get to work. The new gardenias arrived yesterday and the new orchids today. They both could use a lot of sun and warmth. Let’s head for the greenhouse.

  “Why the long face, Jenny? I thought you liked digging in the greenhouse dirt.”

  “Jake is going to New York. I just found out about it from Sammy. He got a scholarship there.”

  “Well, I know it must be a disappointment for you. But, Jake is a smart boy. I’m not surprised. And, Hobart is good to its promising students.”

  “I know I don’t have a right to expect Jake to stay here. But, I will miss him. He’s been a part of my life since I was ten.”

  “Well, Jake has had a good upbringing. The Martins are good people. But, there was always a little restlessness in Jake. A desire to go beyond the simple, farm life he has been given. Jake is a hard worker, and he has a wisdom beyond his years. He’ll do fine.

  “And, you, Jenny. You’ll be busy. What with work, and then school, and planning a wedding, you’ll have little time to think about Jake. That will be a blessing. I know what it’s like to miss someone who you’ve shared your innermost thoughts and feelings with for a very long time.

  “Okay, let’s get busy with those orchids and gardenias.”

  The new orchids were covered in the deepest purple striations, and the gardenias the purest white. Their beautiful, delicate perfume filled the nursery. Jenny repotted them to give them room to grow, digging in the lush ebon topsoil. Chaucer lay nearby, too old to dig holes in the bags of potting soil.

  “How is Bud taking all this, Jenny?”

  “He’s busy helping his dad sell cars. He wants to stay as far away from the arrangements as he can.”

  “Well, that’s normal. Guys don’t always go in for all that. And, Bud is used to having everything done for him.

  “Rafe was different, though. He was so artistic, and had such a spirit of adventure. It would not have done for him to have an ordinary wedding. He had ours all planned. He wanted lilies of the valley all over, for to him they represented beauty and peace. My dress would be the hues of the rainbow, his palette and his universe. Wild flowers in my hair, and soft earth beneath our feet. We would leave in his plane, from that landing strip over there, and leave the guests to dance the night away.”

  “It sounds beautiful, Aunt Gert. Is that why the lilies of the valley come up everywhere around here?”

  “Yes, we planted them in the spring. Rafe wanted to make sure there were enough for my bouquet and for the tables and for the guests to take home. Their perfume is delicious.”

  “Mother is planning a traditional wedding for me. Formal floral arrangements for the church, red roses for my bouquet.”

  “Have you chosen a dress yet, Jenny?”

  “Mother hasn’t seen one she’s liked. We’ve looked all over Syracuse and Rochester. She’s hoping Mayva can make one. Mayva is a dressmaker besides running her hair salon on Saturdays.”

  “Yes. I’ve seen her work. Very delicate.”

  “Mother has clipped designs from all the European bridal magazines and Vogue. She has specifically mentioned that the fabric must come from New York, the dress of satin with a very long train, lots of tiny buttons, trim of bows and lace, with a bridal veil of special fabric she has heard about.”

  “Well, I hope Mayva is up to this. But, I know she’s determined. She once made a long dress for Mrs. Anderson when Leland held a political rally to support a candidate for governor which he held at the Penn Yan Country Club. It got a mention in The New York Times.”

  At that, Chaucer barked at a garter snake making its way toward a pile of clay pots. The snake was too fast for the dog, who was putting his paw lazily out to try and capture his prey. The snake wriggled under the pile, leaving him to whine a bit at the loss and plop down again at Jenny’s feet. She laughed, setting down her trowel to pat him.

  As Chaucer waggled his tail in response, the “sundial” clock in the corner struck four. “I’d better head home, Aunt Gert. I promised Mother I’d peel the potatoes and help put the meatloaf together. She invited Hiram and his wife to supper. It’s her annual contribution to keeping what Father calls the best hired hand this side of the Rockies.”

  “See you the next Sunday Jim Barnes sets you free.”

  “I’ll be here. It’s the only peace I get from wedding plans and apartment hunting talk.”

  Jenny hugged Aunt Gert. She had come to appreciate these Sundays more and more as she knew they were getting scarcer.

  As she pedaled back home, the sun began to set, signaling the shorter days of autumn. As she looked round, she could almost picture the leaves of Jerusalem turning.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jenny moved quickly toward the barn. It was early evening a
nd she hadn’t had time to herself in weeks. As she went, she heard the long, low whistle of the whippoorwill. It was Jake. He hadn’t forgotten their signal.

  “Hi, Jenny.”

  “Hi, Jake.”

  “I’ve waited for you a lot of evenings. You haven’t been around.”

  “I know. Mr. Barnes has kept me busy nearly seven days a week.”

  “I’ve been fairly busy myself. What with helping Pa and heading for Geneva three days a week, I’ve hardly had any sleep.”

  “I’m sorry, Jake. How’re Anne and Sarah?”

  “They’re good. Sarah’s getting engaged to Jesse Watson. He’s apprenticed to his Pa since he was seven making furniture, so he’s ready for his own place. That means they’ll have a house of their own down the road.”

  “I bet your mother is pleased.”

  “She’s glad Sarah will be so well settled.”

  “What are you working on in Geneva?’

  “I’m doing some research for one of my professors. We’re doing a paper on the political process.”

  “It sounds interesting.”

  “I wanted to include a part on checking to see if our representation benefits everyone, or just the monied crowd. So, he suggested I knock on doors, especially the poor, or people like Pa who don’t have a regular job, and see what they think.”

  “What about New York?”

  “You heard about that?”

  “Yes. I saw Jimmy.”

  “Well, Professor Thornton has a friend who teaches at Columbia in New York. He suggested they work together on the paper and I could be their research assistant. His friend just got a big grant, so it would pay for most of my tuition to Columbia.”

  “That sounds great, Jake. But, what about your parents? What do they think?”

  “Well, Pa was against it in the beginning. But Ma, though she didn’t want me living in New York, finally convinced him that it was an opportunity. He doesn’t like higher education. He thinks it corrupts people.”

  “I’m glad you got the scholarship, Jake. It’ll make it easier.”

  “Yes. And, I’m glad to be working on something I have some say on. Professor Thornton says if we do it right, our findings could be published in a law journal. And, then, maybe it would change things for better representation for the poor.”