The Road to Bittersweet

by Donna Everhart

  I showed no emotion because I didn’t feel much of anything other than wanting him to get on with his account so we could understand what Laci had been through.

  He turned back to Papa. “I got her out of there, only now we’d traveled hundreds of miles. I didn’t know how to explain it when it come to telling Sheriff Baker here, without sounding like I had something to do with it. That’s where Laci comes in.”

  Papa leaned in towards Clayton. “What do you mean, that’s where Laci comes in?”

  “I talked to Laci the entire way, told her I was bringing her home. It took us a long time. I had no idea if anyone was even looking for us, but I hitched rides for us as often as I could get one. I bought us food often as I could. When we got to South Carolina, I went straight to Sheriff Baker. I told him everything. He didn’t believe me neither. He was getting ready to throw me in jail, only Laci said, ‘No.’ ”

  Momma laughed outright at that, and Papa snorted. “Huh. This is where your story gets off course. That ain’t possible. Boy, you best not be lying about such.”

  I interrupted. “Papa, Laci said my name, down by the river a little while ago.”

  Momma put her hands on the table, and leaned over, like she needed help to remain on her feet.

  She raised her head. “I can’t hardly imagine it. Is it possible?”

  Clayton said, “Yes, ma’am. It is.”

  Papa rubbed his beard and glanced at Momma, who shook her head, still unable to believe.

  Clayton said, “There’s one more thing I want to mention, if I could?”

  Papa nodded.

  “I’d like to marry Laci.”

  Papa’s mouth dropped open and Momma shook her head, more in disbelief than saying no. I didn’t know if she was sad, or happy at Clayton’s request. I was still trying to grasp Laci having spoken.

  Papa said, “Son, that’s all fine and good, but . . .”

  All of the sudden he stopped and turned to Laci, gazing into her eyes. Laci returned his stare, her features calm and steady. She sure didn’t look like she’d suffered. She looked almost happy.

  He asked her, “Laci, is this what you want?”

  After all we’d heard, everyone was spellbound, waiting to see what she’d do.With a small smile and barely a nod she gave her answer, yet both gestures in our eyes was as big as all the mountains and valleys around us. As big a miracle as we was likely to ever see in our lifetime. Papa nodded, satisfied, but he needed more assurances and he got down to brass tacks, facing Clayton again.

  “How do you intend to support her? How are you planning to make money since you’re no longer employed?”

  Clayton tilted his head towards Sheriff Baker. “I’m considering becoming a deputy for Jackson County, if the sheriff here will put in a good word for me.”

  Papa turned to Momma like he had no idea where to go from there.

  Momma said, “Well. I think we need to see how things work out. Won’t be a wedding for some time.”

  Clayton said, “That’s good enough to me. I ain’t going nowhere.”

  After that, the sheriff had to go, but Clayton stayed. Momma set about fixing him a bed of sorts so he could sleep in the kitchen. Considering this new, altered relationship, I was grateful I no longer thought of him the same way. It had been a day filled with wonderment at what took place, and later on, as we lay in our cots, Laci beside me like in the old days, it occurred to me she’d changed more than the rest of us from all that happened. I seen how she’d picked up her fiddle, set in the corner of the room, and played a bit of a song here and there, but it didn’t appear to have quite the same allure as before. It was as if her attention had expanded and now included a bigger view of her world, an opening of her mind, a clarity what enabled her to reach beyond the confines of the instrument. Like the windows Joe talked about when he’d tried to encourage me to see things in a different way, this had happened for her.

  * * *

  The next day, the startled look on Joe’s face seeing Laci sitting in the kitchen captured my own feelings all over again. Each time I went out and come in and seen her by the fire with Momma struck me anew. Joe stayed aloof around Clayton, sizing him up at a distance, while Lyle was intrigued by what Clayton used to do. Lyle followed him around peppering him with questions about jumping from waterfalls, and the high dive platform. Joe and Papa was set to begin work on a new corn crib, and Clayton was put to work fashioning a new clothesline for Momma to hang the wash. Laci sat in the sun watching Josie, while I went to help the men. When I stopped to look around for a second, I was almost dizzy with gratitude at all we’d been given.

  After I’d worked for an hour or so stripping bark with the draw blade, Joe come to where I sat on the ground.

  He watched me for a minute, then said, “I was thinking maybe later on, when we get done, you might want to go down to the creek and do some fishing? I brought a couple bamboo poles. Lyle’s about to have a fit to fish there.”

  I glanced at Joe a little longer than usual, and didn’t give him an immediate answer. His face flushed red.

  He said, “If you want. I mean, maybe you’ll be too tired by then. I just thought . . .”

  I stopped him when I said, “No. I’d like to. I’d like to very much.”

  One thing was becoming very clear to me and that was how alike we was, and I wondered how, after all this time, it took me so long to notice. When the day was over, all of us gathered inside the cabin, around the table Joe had somehow managed to build on the sly. I looked around at the faces, happy, and a little melancholy remembering the little one missing.

  Papa said, “Let’s bless this food,” and I gratefully bowed my head, believing with all my heart we’d been put through hardships for a reason, and come away from them stronger than ever.

  After we ate, as promised, Joe grabbed the poles, and with Lyle and Josie following close behind, we made our way to Stampers Creek. We sat on the embankment and I laughed at Lyle, who was coming out of his shell around me while little Josie pressed against my side. Every now and then her tiny hand would sneak into mine, a miniature version of Laci’s. It was when Joe took hold of my other hand on the way back up to the cabin in the twilight of the evening, I experienced another moment of lucidity, and I thought of that time in the truck, in the middle of the flood when Papa had held Momma’s face, and stared at her with such love.

  Joe’s hand in mine felt perfect, and the vision I held in my mind was as transparent as a pane of glass wiped clean as I pictured all I could have. I understood what was set before me, this bright future, mine and Joe’s, if I wanted it. I gazed about in wonder as if seeing everything anew, and when my eyes eventually rested on him again, all the hard times fell away, like the sun clearing a morning mist. We walked along, hands held tight, taking our time as the familiar and peaceful trickle of water slid over the nearby rocks of Stampers Creek and the call of a distant nightingale serenaded us home.

  Acknowledgments

  I wish to thank the following people for their remarkable dedication, support and encouragement. I can’t imagine taking this wonderful journey without any one of them.

  To my editor, John Scognamiglio, I’m grateful for your enthusiasm, vision and, most of all, your unwavering belief in my writing. Working with you is truly a pleasure.

  To my agent, John Talbot, of Talbot Fortune Agency, thank you so much for your steadfast support and commitment through the years. You are a staunch advocate for my work, and your excitement and passion for my writing keeps me motivated and inspired.

  To Vida Engstrand, Lulu Martinez, Kimberly Richardson, Lauren Jernigan, Paula Reedy and so many others at Kensington, what unique and individual talents you each have, and I greatly appreciate all that you do. I’m truly indebted to each of you!

  To the loyal readers and book cheerleaders I’ve met online, Susan Walters Peterson, Kristy Barrett (Kristy Bee!), Deborah Massey Haynes, Susan Roberts, Nita Joy Haddad and so, so many others, your enthusiasm and praise mean t
he world to me.

  To the independent book stores I visited, a tremendous thank you for supporting me.

  To Jamie Adkins, owner of The Broad Street Deli and Market, you went above and beyond! No words are enough to express my gratitude.

  To all of the book clubs, and in particular my very own,The Thursday Afternoon Book Club, thank you doesn’t begin to express my appreciation for your support and interest in my writing!

  To my tribe over at The Reef, and to The One we call QOTKU, a.k.a. Janet Reid, thank you all so much for your support, your special messages, but most of all, your friendship.

  To my loving family . . . thank you again and again for your love and support. Along with your joy for the shared successes, your encouragement sustains me and keeps me going.

  To Blaine, my generous and loving husband, thank you for all you’ve done, and continue to do. I truly would be lost without you.

  A READING GROUP GUIDE

  THE ROAD TO BITTERSWEET

  Donna Everhart

  ABOUT THIS GUIDE

  The suggested questions are included to enhance your group’s reading of Donna Everhart’s

  The Road to Bittersweet.

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. Wallis Ann is pragmatic and determined, and she handles even the most difficult of challenges as if she’s much older than her fourteen years. Do you think this came naturally to her, or do you believe she conformed given what was required and expected of her?

  2. Laci, Wallis Ann’s older sister, is a mute, but very gifted girl. Wallis Ann observes random moments when Laci seems to be undergoing possible developmental changes, like when she notices a change in her expression, as well as the odd midnight wanderings.What do you think was happening to Laci?

  3. Do you think it was fair for Momma to depend on Wallis Ann so much for Laci’s care, considering Wallis Ann always put Laci first, before her own needs even?

  4. When do you believe the relationship with Wallis Ann and Laci started to change? What did you notice?

  5. With regard to Momma, do you find Wallis Ann the stronger of the two? What was your impression of Momma?

  6. Wallis Ann bears tremendous guilt for some of the events in the story, from her little brother, Seph, drinking “tainted” water, to Laci’s disappearance. Is there anything you think she could have done differently to avoid these tragedies?

  7. What is your opinion of Clayton? Do you think he was wrong to befriend Wallis Ann, only to turn and focus on Laci, given her challenges?

  8. Do you think he exploited Laci’s disabilities, or do you believe it was young love—which is sometimes irrational?

  9. Papa’s desire to provide for his family was evident in all he tried to do. From leaving Stampers Creek and taking them to his brother, Hardy, in South Carolina, to declaring they perform for money. His efforts, while commendable, weren’t successful for the most part. How do you think this made him feel, as the head of the family, the provider? Do you think he made bad decisions, or do you think he did what he could, given the circumstances?

  10. Wallis Ann feels invisible at times, as if she’s being “passed over” in favor of her sister. She feels she can’t speak her mind because of Laci’s disability, and thinks she might as well be as mute as her sister. She assumes what people will say or think if she were to do so, perhaps viewing her as ungrateful. Do you think if she’d spoken up about her feelings early on, Laci’s disappearance might have been avoided?

  11. From their initial meeting, it’s apparent there was some sort of connection between Wallis Ann and Joe Calhoun. In the end, Joe tells her she has to think about herself, see the world around her. He recognizes her sole focus has always been Laci, yet Wallis Ann still can’t let herself do this. If Laci had not returned, do you think she and Joe would have had the chance for a future? Do you believe she would have given up on having something for herself out of this guilt?

  12. Laci speaks her sister’s name for the first time after she’s reunited with her. Do you believe this occurred because Laci’s desire to be back with her sister was so strong, her mind overcame this particular obstacle because of their extended separation?

  13. Little Josie, Joe Calhoun’s daughter, likes to tuck her hand into Wallis Ann’s, much like Laci has always done. What does this signify to you?

  14. Water is a major theme running throughout the book. From the Tuckasegee River, which took and gave life, to the waterfalls, a natural part of Wallis Ann’s environment, yet symbolic in the way she meets Clayton, a risky free fall in of itself. What was the significance of the water to you?