Running Stitches

by Carol Dean Jones

  Back in her room, she took everything out of her back pack and spread them out to air. She took the tooth brush, soap, and a tee shirt with her to the bathroom and stood under the shower fully dressed, expect for her shoes. The water wasn’t hot, but then it wasn’t cold either. She scrubbed the parts of her body she could get to. She wanted to pull off all of her clothes and stand under the running water, but she was afraid someone would walk in. So far, she hadn’t seen anyone.

  Finally feeling clean, she turned the water off and used the tee shirt to dry her feet so she could put her shoes back on and returned to her room. Once the door to her room was securely locked, she undressed, spread her wet clothes out on the chair to dry, and dried herself with the tee shirt. She pulled on a long tee shirt and lay across the bed intending to rest awhile. It was dusk when she laid down. When she opened her eyes again, the sun was shining. She had slept into the next day!

  Caitlyn didn’t know what time she was supposed to leave the room but decided to stay until someone told her to leave. She was glad she hadn’t eaten the candy bar yet. She was very hungry.

  Later someone knocked on the door, but she didn’t answer. They knocked again. Finally, an angry voice said, “Hey! It’s time to get out of there.”

  “Okay,” she responded. “Just let me pack up my stuff.” Before leaving, she counted her money. She had $3.97, probably enough for something from a fast food place. Once on the street, she headed for the only one she knew of and read the menu. She could just make it if she drank water.

  She took the food and sat down at a booth in the back. I’ve got to figure out what I’m going to do. She knew she couldn’t continue this way and was seriously considering turning herself in to the police. I’ll just let them do whatever they want with me except take me back to Buck.

  The idea of being returned to Buck frightener her so much she knew she wouldn’t take the chance. She would just stay in the street until something happened. Surely something good would come along sometime. Maybe Mattie would come back and get her.

  She walked over to the park in case Mattie was looking for her. The old man with the twenty dollar bills was there again. “Hi, there,” he greeted her. “I was wondering what happened to you.”

  “I’m fine,” she responded.

  “My son is coming again today and he’ll be bringing more money. He’ll give you some too I’m sure. Come on over to Second Street with me and I’ll introduce you to him.”

  Caitlyn had the same feeling she had in the bus station several months before. This didn’t feel right. She didn’t answer him, but her body seemed to know what to do on its own. She turned and ran as fast as she could. She ran and ran until she didn’t recognize anything around her.

  She was in a different part of town--a part she had never seen before. There were large houses with soft green lawns. She finally stopped running and discovered she was so out of breath she was wheezing.

  She was dry and needed a drink. She spotted the entrance to a park on the other side of the street and headed that way. She saw a water fountain and benches. She got a long cool drink and sat on a bench. She wished she could comb her hair so she didn’t look so out of place in this neighborhood. She would like to stay here. She knew she would at least spend the day in this paradise.

  Chapter 37

  Sarah and Charles were driving back from the prison. It was a warm summer day and Charles had put the top down on his convertible. With the wind in her hair and her head thrown back laughing, Charles thought she looked like a young girl. He reached over and squeezed her hand.

  They drove on quietly enjoying the day and each other’s company. After a while Sarah spoke, asking Charles if he thought it was realistic that Andy might be released at his next parole hearing. “If he does what he said he’s going to do, I think it’s a done deal.” Andy had a plan for continuing the men’s computer training after he was released. Although he was eager to be free, he didn’t want to leave the men in the middle of their training. He was thinking about offering to return once a week to conduct the classes.

  “I hope so,” Sarah responded. “It will be good to have him back in the neighborhood.” Sarah and Charles had driven up to the prison to show Andy the key and get his opinion about it.

  “I have no idea,” Andy had said, “but it can’t be for much. It’s too small.”

  “If your grandmother sewed it into the quilt and then specifically gave it to you,” Sarah had pointed out, “then she must have also given you what it opens. Right?”

  Andy agreed with her logic but said he couldn’t think of anything she had given him. Then he remembered the two cedar chests in the attic. She had several specific bequeaths in her will. Andy was to have the Tie Quilt and the two cedar chests. Both chests had been stored in Andy’s attic since her death.

  “Did you ever open them?” Sarah had asked.

  “I took a quick look. There were several quilts and some old jewelry of hers. I think there were some books, stuff like that. The chests weren’t locked and, even if they were, that little key wouldn’t have opened them.”

  Before they left, Andy told Sarah to use the key she had to his house and take Charles or Sophie with her and go up in the attic. “The two chests are sitting together on the back wall. Pull the cord to turn the light on. I poked through them right after they were delivered, but I didn’t pay much attention to what was inside. I never understood why she wanted me to have them.”

  As they were driving home, Sarah asked Charles what he thought about them being the ones to check out the chests in Andy’s attic.

  “It’s fine with me,” he responded, “if that’s what you want to do. What’re you thinking?” he asked as he parked in front of Sarah’s house and turned toward her.

  “I’m thinking about this woman going to such lengths to sew that key inside the quilt and then to have specific bequests in her will that give the quilt and the chests to Andy. She had a plan and a reason for that plan.”

  “Yes,” Charles responded. “She clearly had something in mind…”

  Sarah continued, “…and her plan was not for you and me to go rummaging through the chests and discover whatever it was that was so valuable, at least valuable to her. She wanted Andy to do that.”

  “I see where you’re going,” Charles said thoughtfully. “Perhaps we should save this task for him. Even if he doesn’t get out at this next parole hearing, he’ll certainly be back home soon.”

  “And who knows, Caitlyn might be back home soon as well. They could be doing this together,” she said with a hopeful smile.

  “So what do you want to do?” he asked. He admired this good woman for her sensitivity. She was absolutely right about the key. This was a job for Andy and, hopefully, Caitlyn.

  “I want to put the key in a safe place and keep it for Andy and his daughter!”

  “Good plan,” Charles said but then added with a mischievous grin, “but don’t put it where Barney can drag it under the bed.”

  “Oh, you!” she said, gently slapping his arm. “Don’t make fun of me.” She reached over and gave him a light kiss and got out of the car. He smiled at her with love in his eyes as he turned off the car and followed her inside.

  Barney met them at the door, looking just a bit peeved at having been left behind. Charles got him into a tussle on the floor and all was forgiven. After lunch, Charles explained that he had some chores to take care of and that he would call her later.

  Barney followed him to the door and stood at the window watching him drive away. Sarah heard a small whine coming from the front window. “I know, Barney. I miss him too.”

  * * *

  Charles pulled up in front of Kendra’s Katering. He had a two-thirty appointment with Kendra to plan the Friday picnic. He had convinced Sarah he could provide all the food but, of course, he couldn’t do it alone. He spent a few minutes describing the setting and what he had in mind. Kendra asked if they would need a collapsible table, but he said there were pic
nic tables scattered throughout the park.

  He said his main concern was that she provide containers which would keep the food cold for at least two hours after he picked it up. He also said he needed to be able to carry everything about a half mile back to the waterfall area. Kendra assured him she could provide a push cart with large wheels that would work fine on the nature paths in the park.

  They sat down with the menus and began planning the meal. Kendra explained that an elegant picnic didn’t include hot dogs and potato salad. She suggested a papaya mango salsa diced small enough to eat on a chip. She then suggested an elegant meat and cheese platter with an arrangement of sliced goat cheese, a small round of brie, thin sliced cheddar, an assortment of thin sliced smoked meats, and a variety of crackers, miniature croissants, and finger breads.

  And with that, she recommended a simple salad of baby greens, feta cheese, green grapes, mandarin oranges, slivered almonds, and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. In addition, she would include a nice bottle of wine, wine glasses, linen napkins, silverware, and a table covering. “In this case, I’d suggest one of our picnic quilts,” she added.

  Charles was overwhelmed and said this was just what he wanted. Kendra said she would supply everything. She asked if he would like wait staff to accompany them, but he wanted this to be private. He was willing to do whatever was needed to set it up. She assured him everything would be completely prepared and ready to place on the table. She suggested bottled water in case it was a hot day.

  “By the way,” she added, “do you want a light dessert?”

  “That would be nice. What do you suggest?”

  “How about fresh strawberries and a chocolate dipping sauce?”

  “Perfect,” he responded with a grin. “I’ll pick it up at 10:00 a.m. on Friday.”

  He handed her his credit card, expecting her to enter an amount equal to the national debt. And she did.

  Chapter 38

  It was dusk. It had been a warm day with a light breeze and Caitlyn had been enjoying the park most of the day. A German shepherd had wandered in from one of the adjacent houses. He checked out Caitlyn cautiously wagged his tail, and leaning down with his bottom high in the air, he invited her to play. Caitlyn took a pair of socks out of her backpack and tied them in a tight knot. She then threw her make-shift ball as far and she could and the dog instantly retrieved it. His whole body was wagging as he waited for her to throw it again. It made her laugh and the sound startled her. How long has it been since I laughed?

  Caitlyn got up from the bench and walked with the dog. She let him lead her to all his special spots. She followed him down a hill and suddenly he disappeared through a hole in the fence. She stopped. He immediately came back and looked at her, barked an inviting bark, and ran back and forth clearly asking her to follow. She decided to go ahead and follow him.

  With him in the lead, she tromped through a wooded area which suddenly opened to a manicured back yard. There were flower beds along the edges and a large slate patio with plants in large pots. There was a large table with six or eight chairs around it and two padded lounge chairs. On the far side of the patio, she spotted a brick barbeque pit. A happy family lives here. Caitlyn often imagined that houses she looked at were filled with happy families, especially in the evening when she could see the lights on inside. They always looked warm and happy. She was too young to realize that looks could be deceiving.

  The dog was lying just outside his spacious dog house. There were blankets inside and a large water bowl by the door. The dog lay stretched out proudly in front of his house. Caitlyn looked at him and thought he was smiling at her.

  It was dusk and someone called, “Jake, come eat.” The dog jumped up, paused a moment to look at Caitlyn, then ran to the side door. Someone let him in. Caitlyn crept behind the dog house and waited. No one came outside. As night fell, she began to feel chilly. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast but had learned not to think about it. She crept inside the dog’s house, curled up in the blankets and fell asleep.

  She jumped up in shock when she felt her face being licked. She laughed and put her arms around the large dog that was now in the dog house with her. She heard people talking outside and moved to the far corner of the dog house and curled up as small as she could get, pulling the blankets over her. Jake saw this as a fun game and began tugging on the blankets. “Stop!” she whispered but he continued the game. Someone came up to the shelter and poured fresh water in Jake’s bowl. “Come on out, fellow,” the woman called. Jake went out and Caitlyn could hear the woman talking to him as they walked around the yard.

  After the woman went into the house, Caitlyn slipped out of the dog’s house and ran through the woods back to the hole in the fence and into the park. Jake didn’t follow her. Caitlyn sat on the bench and thought about her situation and decided she couldn’t live in this part of town. There were no restaurants with scraps and no people she could ask for loose change. The first time she had done that when she was with Mattie, it had been humiliating. She had gone into a nearby alley and cried. But it got easier, especially when she was hungry. She decided to retrace her steps and return to the part of town Mattie had told her was safest.

  It felt a little like coming home when she crossed the foot bridge and walked past the Fifth Street Shelter. Suddenly she knew what she should do. She decided to start spending her nights in the shelters and eating at the nearby church soup kitchens. If she got caught, she would just have to deal with it. She couldn’t keep wandering around like a lost waif with this gnawing pain in her stomach. She went straight to the nearest soup kitchen and mentally thanked Mattie for teaching her where they were. That night she went to the Fifth Street Shelter and waited for a woman and her children to go in. She slipped in with them and found a cot nearby. No one paid any attention to her.

  Caitlyn spent a week following this pattern. As before, she got stronger, the pain in her stomach got weaker, and her color returned. But she continually waited for the other shoe to drop.

  Chapter 39

  “It’s a perfect day for a picnic,” Sarah exclaimed as they drove south toward the state park. Charles had picked up the food cart from Kendra’s Katering and stashed it away in the trunk of the car. The top was down, the sun was shining, and the sky was blue.

  Sarah was wearing white knee length shorts and a blue tee shirt that accented her deep blue eyes. She wore a long white scarf around her neck which trailed behind her as they drove. Charles took his eyes off the road for a moment and basked in her relaxed, confident beauty. She caught him looking and smiled.

  It was Barney’s first ride in Charles’ car with the top down. He was nervous at first and stayed on the floor in the backseat with his long muzzle stuck under Sarah’s seat. After a while, he sat up but remained on the floor. By the time they were half way there, he was up on the back seat with his ears flying in the wind.

  As they pulled into the park, Barney started wiggling and whining to get out. He remembered his first visit here when he was allowed to play in the waterfall. Charles snapped his leash on and helped him out of the car. He then helped Sarah out and handed her the leash. “This will be your job today. I have a little something that will keep my hands full.”

  “The picnic basket?” Sarah asked. Charles had volunteered to bring the picnic food and she had instructions to just bring herself and Barney. When he opened the trunk, she gasped. “What’s all that?” she asked astonished by the size of the cart.

  “It’s not all food. We have accoutrements as well.” Kendra had been right when she said he could easily push the cart on the nature path. They started up the path toward the waterfall, all three excited about the adventure. Sarah stared at the cart, wondering what it could possibly contain. It appeared to be enough for a sizeable group.

  The path had sections where it was uphill. Charles tried to look casual as he pushed the cart. He hoped Sarah didn’t notice that it was becoming a challenge. When they arrived at the waterfall, they chose
a table not far from the water’s edge. It had been raining the previous week, and the foliage was a lush green. Barney stood and stared longingly at the water. “Be patient, young man,” Charles assured him.

  Charles unzipped the bag and removed the first item. It was a brown and green quilt in a leaf pattern. Sarah rushed over to look at it and smiled knowingly when she recognized the signs of a mass-made imported quilt. “But pretty,” she added. She helped him spread it out on the table. Next he removed crystal wine glasses, water glasses, a bottle of chilled wine, and several bottles of sparkling water.

  As he began removing the food, Sarah exclaimed, “Oh my, how chic. Now don’t tell me you did all this. I know better. How did you come up with such an elegant spread?” Charles continued to pretend he had prepared it all but finally laughed and told her about Kendra’s Katering.

  At the bottom of the bag, Charles saw another container he didn’t expect. He pulled it out and opened it to find a dog bone lying on top of a container of what appeared to be chicken stew. He remembered mentioning the dog to Kendra and was very pleased she had remembered him. Charles had forgotten to include Barney in his meal planning.

  Sarah took Barney’s leash off and told him to stay nearby. He tested the limits several times, but Charles firmly said, “Barney, No!” and Barney ran back to the picnic table. Charles and Sarah took their time with the food, sampling this and that, and sipping the wine. “The food is excellent,” Sarah commented, clearly enjoying everything Kendra had included. Charles would probably have enjoyed a big steak. The food was a little girlie for him, but he didn’t say so. He knew Sarah wouldn’t like that comment, and he also knew the meal was perfect for her.

  They clipped the leash back on Barney and took a little walk to the top of the waterfall. It was a steep climb but it was worth it. Looking down, they could see their picnic site, the water gently flowing over the rounded rocks, and a little squirrel timidly approaching their table. Barney quickly led the way back to the table and the squirrel was long gone before they got there. “We have one more course,” Charles said, as he pulled out a thermos of coffee, two mugs, and the strawberries.