| gg |
So as Catherine sat within Vincent's embrace, it broke his heart as he felt a tremble escape, knowing it was a residual response from all the anguish she had been through earlier in the day...and it pained him, knowing there would most likely be other battles in their future, as they fight for this dream they share.
Looking down at her small, hand in his, Vincent couldn't help but smile at this paradox, as he could feel the strength his dear gentle Catherine possessed, and he found it so moving she would respond to him in this way. It was as if she was afraid to let go. So bending his head ever so slightly, he took in the sweet scent of her hair, and then marveled, "It has been a day."
As Catherine stifled her emotions, she spoke from her heart, admitting, "Yes, the way things worked out, are so different from how I imagined they would when I left the tunnels earlier. I was afraid you might have decided not to see me again, thinking it would be the best thing for everyone."
Vincent shook his head in awe, as it was hard for him to imagine Catherine feared "HE" would be the one to walk away. He then huskily asked, "How could you ever think such a thing?"
In response, Catherine confessed, "Today, when Father was so upset, I overheard him remind you of the balance you must maintain, I don't ever want you to become ill because of your relationship with me."
To which Vincent proclaimed, "You must know...you are all things to be now Catherine..."
Vincent then thoughtfully admitted, "...however...I too have wondered if these limited moments can be enough. Ahh, Catherine you deserve so much, yet, ask for so little, and for that reason alone, I should have stood up to Father today. I never should have denied you our trip to the cabin. You did not deserve that disappointment."
With an understanding tone, Catherine said, "You made the right decision to honor his wishes today. I hated to see Father upset too. I don't think we would have had any fun if we had gone leaving Father in such a state."
Vincent, overcome with Catherine's understanding heart, said, "You still have such compassion for Father, even after all you heard him say today?"
To which Catherine thoughtfully replied, "He is the man who raised, loved, and protected you. I could never have anything but respect and affection for Father. And it's clear to everyone how devoted he is to you."
Catherine then snuggled in a little closer and continued, “I mean, how could I possibly blame him? I understand completely."
Vincent and Catherine were always careful not to be affectionate when they were around others, and so discreetly, Vincent bent his head to kiss Catherine's hair, a kiss, which transcended a lover's passion, to convey his love, care, and tenderness for her.
Catherine then whispered, "It would have been impossible for me to believe an hour ago, I would ever be this happy..."
Pleased this was so, Vincent then thought, if ever there was a time he himself had been happier, he couldn't remember when it would have been. And so he told her, "For me as well, and I can feel the shift which has taken place in you."
Still taken aback by this connection they share, Catherine looked up at Vincent, and acknowledged, "Somehow...I know you do..."
Together, they quietly sat, as contentment and happiness settled in, dissolving away all the sorrows from earlier that day.
All of a sudden, they heard a slight commotion from the seat in front of them, between Jacob and Mouse. And they heard Jacob say, “Mouse, be careful! Watch those pointy elbows of yours! That is the fourth jab to the ribs I have endured!"
To which Mouse sorta apologized by explaining, "Hard to sit this long."
Then Jamie, commiserating with Jacob, said, "Mouse's elbows are sharp! He is annoying me too Father!"
Upon trying to help, Mary suggested, "Mouse would you like to sit next to the window? Maybe looking at the scenery will make the time pass by faster."
And though it was a bit discombobulating, for Mary and Mouse to switch seats, they all agreed, that once the deed was done, it really was a great solution.
As everyone felt settled in once more, a comfortable chatter focused on the things they wanted to do over the weekend, and of how eager they were to arrive at the cabin.
And it was then Jamie asked, "How much longer till we get there?"
So in answer to Jamie's question, Pascal gave their charted route a thoughtful perusing, and he cautioned, "According to the map, we have quite a ways to go yet..."
So upon hearing this news, Mouse made a moan of sorts, which caused Mary to advise, "Oh kids, try to sit back and just enjoy the going! It's not always about the destination!"
Thinking Mary's comment was quite profound, Jacob replied, "Here! Here!"
And then because she needed to defend herself, Jamie said, "I didn't mean anything by it! I just wondered how much farther it was...and I AM enjoying the ride, it was Mouse who growled."
So just then, Peter thankfully saw a McDonald's billboard sign, and thought "Food!" What a great diversion! And so Peter asked, "Hey, looky there! A McDonald's right off this exit! Who is hungry? It'll be my treat."
"Oh yes, Peter," said Catherine, "What a wonderful idea!"
And because he wasn't familiar, Jacob aked, "A MacWhoooo?"
To which Catherine kindly answered, "McDonald's is a fast food restaurant, where they serve Hamburgers, French Fries, and milk shakes too. I always especially liked the strawberry flavored shake, but they do have chocolate and vanilla shakes too."
Then as a cautionary tale, Catherine added, “It will be a far cry from William's cooking though."
Because Jacob liked the sound of a milkshake, he said, "Hmmm, a milkshake uh? Well I suppose the strawberry option would be more nutritious than the others, so I believe I will have a healthy Strawberry Milkshake!"
As others began to shout out their orders too, Peter thought he better take control and restore some order to this task, and asked, “Mary, would you mind writing down everyone’s food order? Then when I get to the drive through, I will have everything straight."
"Of course I will, Peter." Said Mary pragmatically."
To which Jacob complimented Mary by saying, "Always ready to help, what a admirable trait to have."
Taken back a bit by Jacob's compliment, Mary blushed and flirtatiously said, "Well you know me, I like to be efficient!"
In reply, Jacob added, "Efficient yes, of course you are efficient, however it’s your willingness to help, your giving spirit of which encompasses your every task! That is what I admire so!"
Suddenly Jacob realized how forward he might have sounded, and so he attempted to backtrack a bit as he added, "I merely meant you are always, what I mean to say is you are always so helpful.…"
Saying thank you in the sweetest of ways, Mary then smoothed back her hair, wetted her pencil, and capably requested, "Ahem, Orders Please!"
Meanwhile, Peter secretly enjoyed hearing Jacob schmoozing up to Mary, and she, becoming flustered because of it.
So after not long after placing their order, Peter began handing out the food, and announced, "Here is Vincent's vanilla shake, a couple of Big Macs, and a large fry. Jacob, here is your vitamin enriched healthy strawberry milkshake!"
Peter smiled as he added in the vitamin comment, tweaking Jacob a bit, and then the rest of the food was passed around to everyone, until it was gone, causing Peter to exclaim, "It looks like they got our order correct. How about that!"
With much gratitude, everyone thanked Peter for treating them, and Catherine, who was starving, took a bite, and said, "So good, how is yours Vincent?"
To which he noted, "Delicious, and brings back a fond memory or two..."
To which Catherine curiously asked, "Memory? About a Big Mac?"
To which Vincent reminisced, "Yes, and of Devin too...when I was a boy, Devin would actually treat me and the others with this sandwich on occasion. You see he would win as many Big Macs as he could by reciting the jingle at each of the local restaurants, and bring the winnings down for us to enjoy."
Thinking that was such a nice thing to do, Catherine tenderly replied, "That is so sweet, I love that story."
With a nod, Vincent agreed, and then meanwhile, Pascal who must have been thinking about Devin's endeavors too, turned in his seat, and asked Vincent, "As good as you remember my friend?"
Loving the fact he had his life long friend to share in this memory, Vincent kindly said, "Indeed Pascal...indeed."
Upon hearing the exchange between Vincent and Pascal, Jacob frowned as he asked, "When in Hades did you two ever have Mcoogles before?"
And because Jacob never knew of these covert shenanigans, Vincent calmly told him of Devin's going Up Top to win them food, which caused everyone but Jacob to chuckle a bit, saying it sounded like something Devin would do.
However Jacob looked at it a bit differently. He instead said, "How do you like that, as strict as I was, and still, Devin got away with such a thing."
And then wanting to add a little humor, Jacob lightened up as he added, "And nary brought his Father even a crumb!"
As everyone laughed a bit, Jamie sweetly said, "I would have brought you one Father."
In response, Jacob patted the dear girl's hand, and said, "I know you would have, say, these shakes are quite tasty uh?"
With a nod, Jamie hopefully asked, “Father, do you think William could whip up some milk shakes like these back home? The kids would love it!"
Mary enforced, "Oh my yes, what a great idea Jamie! The children would love them, and what a wonderful way to make sure they injested their required calcium."
"Not to mention their vitamin "D" added Jacob, and said, "You know, first thing upon our return to the tunnels, I shall look into adding shakes to our menu. Yes indeed."
Liking this idea, Mouse exclaimed, "OK Good, OK Fine!"
Upon studying the map, Pascal told Peter, "I think we are close! That's our exit!"
As Peter turned onto their exit, he said, "Right you are my friend, right you are."
And then Peter asked his co-pilot, "So Pascal, have you ever been to the country?"
In a low tone, Pascal answered, "No, I haven't. This will be just as new to me as it will be for Vincent. I am trying to hold down my excitement. Between you and me Peter, I can't wait!"
Peter cast an understanding smile in Pascal's direction, as he nodded and said, "I do believe this will be a great weekend!"
Peter began to contemplate the sleeping arrangements, and so he mentioned, “Cathy, there should be enough room for all of us at your cabin, but if not, half of us could go over to my place. After all they're only a stones throw away from each other."
Feeling a little disappointed at the thought of splitting up, Catherine replied, "I think it will be more fun for us all to stay together. As far as rooms, there are four bedrooms upstairs, and they each have two single beds, and two more bedrooms downstairs. Also, one of the couches turns into a bed. So there
should be plenty of room. We'll just have to put the bedding on and start a fire in the fireplace, and I think we’ll be good."
Peter agreed, "Yep, sounds great, I just wanted to offer."
And with that said, Peter pulled into the driveway of the Chandler cabin, and happily announced, "We're here everyone! Let's unpack!"
So as Vincent unloaded the cooler, he commented how heavy it was! To which Catherine delightedly replied, "It should be! I have it filled with beverages, lunch meats, fruits and breakfast fixings too."
Marveling at her generosity, and thoughtfulness, he sighed, "Ahh Catherine."
Everyone else grabbed a bag of gear, and before they knew it, they were building a fire and getting all settled in. It was decided Jacob, Peter, and Mary would each have their own rooms, Catherine and Jamie would share her bedroom, Pascal and Mouse would share a room, and Vincent would sleep in Charles room, which had huge king-size bed, and everyone agreed Vincent would be comfortable there.
Everyone seemed to find their comfort zones quite quickly there, and it wasn't long before everyone was just doing their own thing, when suddenly, from the top of the stairs, Mouse excitedly yelled, "Jamie! Come quick, come see what Mouse found!"
So hurriedly, Jamie ran up to check things out. Well of course this caused everyone else to wonder what had Mouse so excited, when a second later, Jamie urgently yelled down the stairs, saying, "Vincent, you better come up here!"
And so as everyone speculated, Pascal joined Vincent to see what was up! Well once upstairs, they found Mouse holding a raccoon, causing Jamie to explain, "Mouse said it was looking at him through the window and so he let him in! But Vincent...what if he bites, and plus...I don't know if Catherine would want him in here!"
Vincent feeling quite in agreement with everything Jamie was concerned about, said, "Jamie is right Mouse, this raccoon is wild and isn't used to people like Arthur is."
So as if the raccoon knew his fate was in the balance, he snuggled up in Mouse's arms, prompting Mouse to say, "Doesn't look wild to me!"
Vincent approvingly nodded, as he admitted, "You do have a way with animals, however the other issue remains, you should ask Catherine how she feels about a raccoon being in here."
So as they all descended the wide cedar staircase, with the new wild life resident, a smiling Mouse approached Catherine, saying, "Look, raccoon Up Top for Mouse too! Vincent said you might not like him here...do you Catherine?"
And because he did seem to be domesticated, and very sweet, Catherine looked about, and said, "He does seem tame...I am fine if Mouse keeps him, does anyone else have reservations?"
To which everyone else began to site Mouse's talent with handling wild animals, and agreed with Catherine except for Mary!
And so Mary in a scolding manner said, "I suppose, but only if you keep track of his exact where-abouts, AND if he sleeps OUT on the porch!"
Happy for this outcome, Mouse looked at his furry pet, and said, "Catherine said you can stay!"
So with the pet dilemma behind them now, Peter took the liberty of showing Jacob, Pascal and Vincent around, being as much at home at the Chandler cabin as he was in his own.
They looked at plaques, and awards Charles had accumulated through the years for his fly-fishing abilities, and Peter pointed out other innovative features of the cabin which Charles had implemented.
Meanwhile, Catherine suddenly found herself feeling a little self-conscious about this place, as she was now seeing it through new eyes. She thought of how extravagant it might appear to everyone here, who had little in the way of life's luxuries.
But as quick as she thought about it, she just as quickly put those thoughts out of her mind. She didn't want it to over shadow her good mood, and put a damper on the day. She just wanted everyone to have a good time, as they all shared these pleasures with her.
Yes though Catherine's family was affluent, deep down she was just like everyone else here, she knew true treasures could not be bought.
After everything had been put away, and the bedding was put on all the beds, Catherine announced it was time for the Official Midnight Walk, and with such a clear sky, it is guaranteed to be a stargazer’s delight.
Upon hearing a few queries, Catherine explained, "Well, as a rule, we all gather together, and go on A Midnight Walk, it happens to be a Chandler Family Tradition."
In a show of solidarity, Vincent stood by Catherine's side, saying if it was tradition, then she could count him in. And so Pascal, Jamie and Mouse followed suit as well.
Mary though, looked apologetically at Catherine, and said, "Oh Catherine dear, if you don't mind, I would love to make a cup of tea, and just enjoy the fire."
But before Catherine could answer, Jacob, kindly bowed out too, saying, "Why Mary that does sound nice. Oh my yes, so Catherine and the rest of you, go ahead and enjoy yourselves, keep the tradition alive, however, count me errr I mean to say count US out this time! I will stay behind with Mary."
As Peter, looked at Jacob, he thought, "Hmmm, Jacob was being unusually charming!" And so because of the vibes Jacob was emmitting towards Mary, Peter decided to have a little fun! And so he chimed in, "Once again a great suggestion Mary, I think I'll stay behind too, and I'll keep both Mary AND Jacob company."
As Jacob looked at his old friend cross ways, he firmly reminded him, "Peter, Peter...it IS a lovely night and you did say you were eager to get back to nature this weekend, so, go ahead, join the others, and...GET BACK TO NATURE!"
As Peter stood pondering, he scratched his chin, and said, "Well, if you insist, maybe I will go." Peter then turned his back to Jacob, and with a pixilated smile, he told Catherine, “Count me in after all kiddo.”
So, it was Peter, Jamie, Pascal, Mouse, and his new friend the raccoon of course, joining Vincent and Catherine on their midnight adventure.
Thinking his raccoon may be hungry, Mouse asked, "Catherine, any fruit for Mouse's friend?"
To which Catherine offered, "Why yes, here, I brought some apples, bananas, strawberries, pears and grapes. Just help yourself."
Catherine then thoughtfully added, "Mouse, I've been wondering, don't you think your new friend should have a name?"
Mouse thought about it for a minute before he cheerfully said, "You name him Catherine!"
Warmly Catherine smiled, and then suggested, "Hmmm Lets see, I have always been fond of an old Beatles song called, Rocky Raccoon. Could we call him Rocky?"
In agreement, Mouse looked at his pet, and declared, "Yes Rocky sounds good! Hi Rocky."
To which coincidentally, Rocky made a funny sound, causing Mouse to say, "I think Rocky likes Catherine's idea too!"
Everyone laughed as the little raccoon danced on Mouse's shoulder, and truly appeared to approve of his new title!
In preparation for their walk, Catherine filled a big thermos full of hot chocolate, grabbed some blankets along with a couple of flashlights, and then headed for the clearing in the back of the cabin. Once there, she asked, "Peter do you think this is a good spot?"
After looking about, Peter concluded, "Perfect Cathy."
Looking upward, Vincent breathlessly said, "You had not exaggerated about the beauty of the night sky up here Catherine. In fact, it's even more spectacular than I could have imagined."
In awe herself, Catherine replied, "Yes. It is spectacular."
They all spread out the blankets, steaming mugs of hot chocolate were passed, and everyone relaxed, sat back, and took in the beauty of it all.
It was quiet for a moment, when Vincent broke the silence as he spotted some familiar constellations, and noted, "Leo, Bootes, Ursa Minor, Draco, I can see them so clearly here…"
Then breaking the Zen like moment, Pascal irritably complained, "Mouse! I am trying to relax and check out the stars, but Rocky is spraying apple bits all over me!"
"On me too..." cried Jamie "...He is a messy eater Mouse!"
With a tone indicating he was quite insulted, Mouse said, "OK good OK fine! Mouse and Rocky will move over here by Peter. Peter likes Rocky."
Mouse then settled in by Peter and when he did, he smiled up at him, as he said, "Better here by you!"
Peter, trying not to act as annoyed as everyone else was with the raccoon, reluctantly smiled back at Mouse, thinking to himself, How did I get so lucky?
In an effort to change the subject, Peter mentioned, "Ahem....Yeah, well I will be coming back this way in a month or two, I just received my renewed hunting license the other day...and it'll be turkey season..."
Then as Peter remembered a "Little Cathy Story" he directed his attention toward Vincent, and asked, "Uh Vincent, speaking of turkeys, did Cathy ever tell you she is an expert in turkey calling?"
As Catherine was surprised Peter brought this up, she daringly said, "What? Oh Peter..."
Eager to hear this story, Vincent curiously said, "No she had not! Please, please do tell me more Peter,"
And so Peter began, "Well, one year, our two families merged up here to spend Thanksgiving. Cathy's father Charles and I, were in charge of hunting the Holiday Bird, and though we kept hearing turkeys gobbling all around us, we never came across one! Well because we didn't want to come back empty-handed, we trudged around the woods here most of the day. Heaven sakes, there was a lot of pressure on us! Then as it started getting late, we decided to call it quits and we headed back to the cabin, dragging our guns behind us.”
With a smile, he looked at Catherine, and continued, "We had just cleared the woods, when we spotted Cathy! Here comes Little Cathy, who was...how old were you, kiddo?"
Catherine laughed at the memory of it all, and said, “I was Eight!"
With a nod, Peter continued, "Ah, yes Eight, any way, here comes Little Eight year old Cathy, making a funny sound, with five turkeys following behind her, just as if she was the Pied Piper. Well, both of our jaws must have dropped to the ground when we saw her with a parade of turkeys! Well of course we asked her how in the world she got them to follow her."
With a raised brow, and a smile, Catherine proudly took over the story, and continued, "I explained to both you and Dad, I attracted them by Turkey calling! Yes, it’s true, I learned turkey calling from this hunting tape Dad had! I practiced for about an hour or so all by myself up in my room, however it turned out Mom could hear me from the kitchen and so finally, she came and asked what in the world I was doing. To which I defiantly told her, I was planning on catching a turkey all by myself, since Dad and Peter wouldn't let me go with them!"
"Needless to say..." grinned Peter "...we had to run and get a Butterball turkey from the supermarket! Cathy couldn't bear to part with any of her corn pecking pals."
After stifling a guilty smile, Catherine then revealed a long kept secret, by adding, "And...you needed to pick up some cranberries too...well Peter, I may as well confess, I may have attracted the turkeys by my Turkey calling, but I got them to follow me, because I had a pocket full of dried cranberries, which Mom wasn't to happy about, because she was planning on cooking them for our Thanksgiving Dinner!"
Everyone enjoyed the story; however, it was Vincent who did most of all. He loved getting some insight into Catherine, the little girl! What a joy she must have been.
Finally, one by one, everyone excused them-selves to go on back to the cabin. Only, Catherine, Vincent, and Pascal remained behind.
As he gazed into the sky, Pascal turned to Catherine to say, "I just want to say thanks for this weekend. I have never been anywhere like this before."
Catherine was surprised to learn he had never had an opportunity to experience life outside of the tunnels. Looking with wonderment at Pascal, she asked him, "Never Pascal?"
Shaking his head no, Pascal explained, "My father was one of the originals in the tunnels, so I was raised there right along with Vincent. We just never considered any other way of life. There were the Top-siders, and then there was us. Oh sure we would venture Up Top from time to time and have a bit of fun, but the Tunnels was our home."
Vincent thoughtfully reminded Pascal, "Oh yes...we've shared some times uh Pascal?"
"Yes, we did." Pascal then turned to Catherine and continued, “We especially loved Halloween, because then, we could go above, and Vincent didn't have to hide, he could go Trick-or-Treating just like everyone else! So this one Halloween in particular, it was Vincent, me, Devin, and Winslow, and there was one house where they gave out prizes to the best dressed...do you remember Vincent?”
To which Vincent nodded, and softly said, “I remember.”
Pascal thoughtfully continued, “Well here we are walking up to the house with another group of kids who were dressed up like the "Wizard of Oz" characters...and the lady who lived there was just about to give the girl dressed as Dorothy the prize until she saw you! She thought you were with them! Oh my gosh, she gave you this huge Hershey Chocolate Bar. We were so jealous; all we got was a pretzel stick!"
Vincent looked at Pascal a bit suspiciously, "Yes, and as I recall half of that candy bar came up missing! I always suspected Winslow."
To which Pascal inserted, "Only after Devin suggested it was him."
With a glint of wonder, Vincent asked, "Are you insinuating, Devin was diverting attention from himself?"
With a shrug of his shoulder, Pascal said, "I'm just saying."
Feeling as if he had been duped, Vincent noted, "I always prided myself on being so aware, however in this case, I believe you are on to something Pascal! Yes, I now would wager DEVIN was the one who snitched the other half."
With a smile in his eyes, Vincent then recalled, “Be that as it may, that candy bar, I remember eating it so slowly, and savoring every bite."
Pascal then thoughtfully added, “I remember you made it last till Christmas Eve."
In agreement, Vincent said, "Yes, because I knew Peter would be supplying us with a treat or two for Christmas...ahhh those were some good times."
Vincent lowered his head feeling a bit melancholy thinking about the old days, Winslow, and his brother Devin.
Vincent then told Catherine, "Yes we had many good times; however, I shudder to think of some of the mischievous things we used to do. Though, I must add, we only had the nerve to do those things when Devin was with us, once he left the tunnels, and us, well it was different then."
Pascal felt sad, still feeling the loss of Devin too, and then shared, "Well, it was also because we were getting older, and our fathers started piling on the responsibilities. I became my father's apprentice on the pipes about then and that became my life, from that point on."
Vincent commended his old friend, "Yes Pascal, you really have made a vocation out of your job. Your dedication is quite admirable."
Humbly, Pascal said thank You, and then confided, "Yes, well I really do love my job. In fact, I was a bit hesitant about coming here. I did not expect to feel so relaxed being away from the pipe chamber. But I really am enjoying myself!"
Catherine smiled at Pascal and said, "I just love that you came too Pascal. The stories of your childhood and of Vincent as a boy are so fun for me to hear."
Catherine then thoughtfully said, "You know, hearing your stories gives me a bit of a homesick feeling. Do you know what I mean? Like I really missed out on something special."
She thought to herself, of how in her own childhood, she had anything she desired without literally being spoiled. But somehow, she felt like the unfortunate one here. Catherine did not have a sweet memory such as cherishing a candy bar because it was so special and rare!
Pascal caught up in the throes of reminiscing spoke out emotionally, as he said, "Yes, it was a wonderful childhood, we had some great times. And I'm just so lucky to have had Vincent to go through it with.”
Pascal then looked at Vincent as he revealed, “You my friend, are a brother to me."
Vincent looked back at Pascal, and agreeably said, "Yes, I feel the same."
Feeling suddenly tired, and very content with his standing in Vincent's life, Pascal thought it was time to turn in, and so with a big yawn, he said goodnight.
And then there were two...
To be continued
Chapter Three
Looking down at her small, hand in his, Vincent couldn't help but smile at this paradox, as he could feel the strength his dear gentle Catherine possessed, and he found it so moving she would respond to him in this way. It was as if she was afraid to let go. So bending his head ever so slightly, he took in the sweet scent of her hair, and then marveled, "It has been a day."
As Catherine stifled her emotions, she spoke from her heart, admitting, "Yes, the way things worked out, are so different from how I imagined they would when I left the tunnels earlier. I was afraid you might have decided not to see me again, thinking it would be the best thing for everyone."
Vincent shook his head in awe, as it was hard for him to imagine Catherine feared "HE" would be the one to walk away. He then huskily asked, "How could you ever think such a thing?"
In response, Catherine confessed, "Today, when Father was so upset, I overheard him remind you of the balance you must maintain, I don't ever want you to become ill because of your relationship with me."
To which Vincent proclaimed, "You must know...you are all things to be now Catherine..."
Vincent then thoughtfully admitted, "...however...I too have wondered if these limited moments can be enough. Ahh, Catherine you deserve so much, yet, ask for so little, and for that reason alone, I should have stood up to Father today. I never should have denied you our trip to the cabin. You did not deserve that disappointment."
With an understanding tone, Catherine said, "You made the right decision to honor his wishes today. I hated to see Father upset too. I don't think we would have had any fun if we had gone leaving Father in such a state."
Vincent, overcome with Catherine's understanding heart, said, "You still have such compassion for Father, even after all you heard him say today?"
To which Catherine thoughtfully replied, "He is the man who raised, loved, and protected you. I could never have anything but respect and affection for Father. And it's clear to everyone how devoted he is to you."
Catherine then snuggled in a little closer and continued, “I mean, how could I possibly blame him? I understand completely."
Vincent and Catherine were always careful not to be affectionate when they were around others, and so discreetly, Vincent bent his head to kiss Catherine's hair, a kiss, which transcended a lover's passion, to convey his love, care, and tenderness for her.
Catherine then whispered, "It would have been impossible for me to believe an hour ago, I would ever be this happy..."
Pleased this was so, Vincent then thought, if ever there was a time he himself had been happier, he couldn't remember when it would have been. And so he told her, "For me as well, and I can feel the shift which has taken place in you."
Still taken aback by this connection they share, Catherine looked up at Vincent, and acknowledged, "Somehow...I know you do..."
Together, they quietly sat, as contentment and happiness settled in, dissolving away all the sorrows from earlier that day.
All of a sudden, they heard a slight commotion from the seat in front of them, between Jacob and Mouse. And they heard Jacob say, “Mouse, be careful! Watch those pointy elbows of yours! That is the fourth jab to the ribs I have endured!"
To which Mouse sorta apologized by explaining, "Hard to sit this long."
Then Jamie, commiserating with Jacob, said, "Mouse's elbows are sharp! He is annoying me too Father!"
Upon trying to help, Mary suggested, "Mouse would you like to sit next to the window? Maybe looking at the scenery will make the time pass by faster."
And though it was a bit discombobulating, for Mary and Mouse to switch seats, they all agreed, that once the deed was done, it really was a great solution.
As everyone felt settled in once more, a comfortable chatter focused on the things they wanted to do over the weekend, and of how eager they were to arrive at the cabin.
And it was then Jamie asked, "How much longer till we get there?"
So in answer to Jamie's question, Pascal gave their charted route a thoughtful perusing, and he cautioned, "According to the map, we have quite a ways to go yet..."
So upon hearing this news, Mouse made a moan of sorts, which caused Mary to advise, "Oh kids, try to sit back and just enjoy the going! It's not always about the destination!"
Thinking Mary's comment was quite profound, Jacob replied, "Here! Here!"
And then because she needed to defend herself, Jamie said, "I didn't mean anything by it! I just wondered how much farther it was...and I AM enjoying the ride, it was Mouse who growled."
So just then, Peter thankfully saw a McDonald's billboard sign, and thought "Food!" What a great diversion! And so Peter asked, "Hey, looky there! A McDonald's right off this exit! Who is hungry? It'll be my treat."
"Oh yes, Peter," said Catherine, "What a wonderful idea!"
And because he wasn't familiar, Jacob aked, "A MacWhoooo?"
To which Catherine kindly answered, "McDonald's is a fast food restaurant, where they serve Hamburgers, French Fries, and milk shakes too. I always especially liked the strawberry flavored shake, but they do have chocolate and vanilla shakes too."
Then as a cautionary tale, Catherine added, “It will be a far cry from William's cooking though."
Because Jacob liked the sound of a milkshake, he said, "Hmmm, a milkshake uh? Well I suppose the strawberry option would be more nutritious than the others, so I believe I will have a healthy Strawberry Milkshake!"
As others began to shout out their orders too, Peter thought he better take control and restore some order to this task, and asked, “Mary, would you mind writing down everyone’s food order? Then when I get to the drive through, I will have everything straight."
"Of course I will, Peter." Said Mary pragmatically."
To which Jacob complimented Mary by saying, "Always ready to help, what a admirable trait to have."
Taken back a bit by Jacob's compliment, Mary blushed and flirtatiously said, "Well you know me, I like to be efficient!"
In reply, Jacob added, "Efficient yes, of course you are efficient, however it’s your willingness to help, your giving spirit of which encompasses your every task! That is what I admire so!"
Suddenly Jacob realized how forward he might have sounded, and so he attempted to backtrack a bit as he added, "I merely meant you are always, what I mean to say is you are always so helpful.…"
Saying thank you in the sweetest of ways, Mary then smoothed back her hair, wetted her pencil, and capably requested, "Ahem, Orders Please!"
Meanwhile, Peter secretly enjoyed hearing Jacob schmoozing up to Mary, and she, becoming flustered because of it.
So after not long after placing their order, Peter began handing out the food, and announced, "Here is Vincent's vanilla shake, a couple of Big Macs, and a large fry. Jacob, here is your vitamin enriched healthy strawberry milkshake!"
Peter smiled as he added in the vitamin comment, tweaking Jacob a bit, and then the rest of the food was passed around to everyone, until it was gone, causing Peter to exclaim, "It looks like they got our order correct. How about that!"
With much gratitude, everyone thanked Peter for treating them, and Catherine, who was starving, took a bite, and said, "So good, how is yours Vincent?"
To which he noted, "Delicious, and brings back a fond memory or two..."
To which Catherine curiously asked, "Memory? About a Big Mac?"
To which Vincent reminisced, "Yes, and of Devin too...when I was a boy, Devin would actually treat me and the others with this sandwich on occasion. You see he would win as many Big Macs as he could by reciting the jingle at each of the local restaurants, and bring the winnings down for us to enjoy."
Thinking that was such a nice thing to do, Catherine tenderly replied, "That is so sweet, I love that story."
With a nod, Vincent agreed, and then meanwhile, Pascal who must have been thinking about Devin's endeavors too, turned in his seat, and asked Vincent, "As good as you remember my friend?"
Loving the fact he had his life long friend to share in this memory, Vincent kindly said, "Indeed Pascal...indeed."
Upon hearing the exchange between Vincent and Pascal, Jacob frowned as he asked, "When in Hades did you two ever have Mcoogles before?"
And because Jacob never knew of these covert shenanigans, Vincent calmly told him of Devin's going Up Top to win them food, which caused everyone but Jacob to chuckle a bit, saying it sounded like something Devin would do.
However Jacob looked at it a bit differently. He instead said, "How do you like that, as strict as I was, and still, Devin got away with such a thing."
And then wanting to add a little humor, Jacob lightened up as he added, "And nary brought his Father even a crumb!"
As everyone laughed a bit, Jamie sweetly said, "I would have brought you one Father."
In response, Jacob patted the dear girl's hand, and said, "I know you would have, say, these shakes are quite tasty uh?"
With a nod, Jamie hopefully asked, “Father, do you think William could whip up some milk shakes like these back home? The kids would love it!"
Mary enforced, "Oh my yes, what a great idea Jamie! The children would love them, and what a wonderful way to make sure they injested their required calcium."
"Not to mention their vitamin "D" added Jacob, and said, "You know, first thing upon our return to the tunnels, I shall look into adding shakes to our menu. Yes indeed."
Liking this idea, Mouse exclaimed, "OK Good, OK Fine!"
Upon studying the map, Pascal told Peter, "I think we are close! That's our exit!"
As Peter turned onto their exit, he said, "Right you are my friend, right you are."
And then Peter asked his co-pilot, "So Pascal, have you ever been to the country?"
In a low tone, Pascal answered, "No, I haven't. This will be just as new to me as it will be for Vincent. I am trying to hold down my excitement. Between you and me Peter, I can't wait!"
Peter cast an understanding smile in Pascal's direction, as he nodded and said, "I do believe this will be a great weekend!"
Peter began to contemplate the sleeping arrangements, and so he mentioned, “Cathy, there should be enough room for all of us at your cabin, but if not, half of us could go over to my place. After all they're only a stones throw away from each other."
Feeling a little disappointed at the thought of splitting up, Catherine replied, "I think it will be more fun for us all to stay together. As far as rooms, there are four bedrooms upstairs, and they each have two single beds, and two more bedrooms downstairs. Also, one of the couches turns into a bed. So there
should be plenty of room. We'll just have to put the bedding on and start a fire in the fireplace, and I think we’ll be good."
Peter agreed, "Yep, sounds great, I just wanted to offer."
And with that said, Peter pulled into the driveway of the Chandler cabin, and happily announced, "We're here everyone! Let's unpack!"
So as Vincent unloaded the cooler, he commented how heavy it was! To which Catherine delightedly replied, "It should be! I have it filled with beverages, lunch meats, fruits and breakfast fixings too."
Marveling at her generosity, and thoughtfulness, he sighed, "Ahh Catherine."
Everyone else grabbed a bag of gear, and before they knew it, they were building a fire and getting all settled in. It was decided Jacob, Peter, and Mary would each have their own rooms, Catherine and Jamie would share her bedroom, Pascal and Mouse would share a room, and Vincent would sleep in Charles room, which had huge king-size bed, and everyone agreed Vincent would be comfortable there.
Everyone seemed to find their comfort zones quite quickly there, and it wasn't long before everyone was just doing their own thing, when suddenly, from the top of the stairs, Mouse excitedly yelled, "Jamie! Come quick, come see what Mouse found!"
So hurriedly, Jamie ran up to check things out. Well of course this caused everyone else to wonder what had Mouse so excited, when a second later, Jamie urgently yelled down the stairs, saying, "Vincent, you better come up here!"
And so as everyone speculated, Pascal joined Vincent to see what was up! Well once upstairs, they found Mouse holding a raccoon, causing Jamie to explain, "Mouse said it was looking at him through the window and so he let him in! But Vincent...what if he bites, and plus...I don't know if Catherine would want him in here!"
Vincent feeling quite in agreement with everything Jamie was concerned about, said, "Jamie is right Mouse, this raccoon is wild and isn't used to people like Arthur is."
So as if the raccoon knew his fate was in the balance, he snuggled up in Mouse's arms, prompting Mouse to say, "Doesn't look wild to me!"
Vincent approvingly nodded, as he admitted, "You do have a way with animals, however the other issue remains, you should ask Catherine how she feels about a raccoon being in here."
So as they all descended the wide cedar staircase, with the new wild life resident, a smiling Mouse approached Catherine, saying, "Look, raccoon Up Top for Mouse too! Vincent said you might not like him here...do you Catherine?"
And because he did seem to be domesticated, and very sweet, Catherine looked about, and said, "He does seem tame...I am fine if Mouse keeps him, does anyone else have reservations?"
To which everyone else began to site Mouse's talent with handling wild animals, and agreed with Catherine except for Mary!
And so Mary in a scolding manner said, "I suppose, but only if you keep track of his exact where-abouts, AND if he sleeps OUT on the porch!"
Happy for this outcome, Mouse looked at his furry pet, and said, "Catherine said you can stay!"
So with the pet dilemma behind them now, Peter took the liberty of showing Jacob, Pascal and Vincent around, being as much at home at the Chandler cabin as he was in his own.
They looked at plaques, and awards Charles had accumulated through the years for his fly-fishing abilities, and Peter pointed out other innovative features of the cabin which Charles had implemented.
Meanwhile, Catherine suddenly found herself feeling a little self-conscious about this place, as she was now seeing it through new eyes. She thought of how extravagant it might appear to everyone here, who had little in the way of life's luxuries.
But as quick as she thought about it, she just as quickly put those thoughts out of her mind. She didn't want it to over shadow her good mood, and put a damper on the day. She just wanted everyone to have a good time, as they all shared these pleasures with her.
Yes though Catherine's family was affluent, deep down she was just like everyone else here, she knew true treasures could not be bought.
After everything had been put away, and the bedding was put on all the beds, Catherine announced it was time for the Official Midnight Walk, and with such a clear sky, it is guaranteed to be a stargazer’s delight.
Upon hearing a few queries, Catherine explained, "Well, as a rule, we all gather together, and go on A Midnight Walk, it happens to be a Chandler Family Tradition."
In a show of solidarity, Vincent stood by Catherine's side, saying if it was tradition, then she could count him in. And so Pascal, Jamie and Mouse followed suit as well.
Mary though, looked apologetically at Catherine, and said, "Oh Catherine dear, if you don't mind, I would love to make a cup of tea, and just enjoy the fire."
But before Catherine could answer, Jacob, kindly bowed out too, saying, "Why Mary that does sound nice. Oh my yes, so Catherine and the rest of you, go ahead and enjoy yourselves, keep the tradition alive, however, count me errr I mean to say count US out this time! I will stay behind with Mary."
As Peter, looked at Jacob, he thought, "Hmmm, Jacob was being unusually charming!" And so because of the vibes Jacob was emmitting towards Mary, Peter decided to have a little fun! And so he chimed in, "Once again a great suggestion Mary, I think I'll stay behind too, and I'll keep both Mary AND Jacob company."
As Jacob looked at his old friend cross ways, he firmly reminded him, "Peter, Peter...it IS a lovely night and you did say you were eager to get back to nature this weekend, so, go ahead, join the others, and...GET BACK TO NATURE!"
As Peter stood pondering, he scratched his chin, and said, "Well, if you insist, maybe I will go." Peter then turned his back to Jacob, and with a pixilated smile, he told Catherine, “Count me in after all kiddo.”
So, it was Peter, Jamie, Pascal, Mouse, and his new friend the raccoon of course, joining Vincent and Catherine on their midnight adventure.
Thinking his raccoon may be hungry, Mouse asked, "Catherine, any fruit for Mouse's friend?"
To which Catherine offered, "Why yes, here, I brought some apples, bananas, strawberries, pears and grapes. Just help yourself."
Catherine then thoughtfully added, "Mouse, I've been wondering, don't you think your new friend should have a name?"
Mouse thought about it for a minute before he cheerfully said, "You name him Catherine!"
Warmly Catherine smiled, and then suggested, "Hmmm Lets see, I have always been fond of an old Beatles song called, Rocky Raccoon. Could we call him Rocky?"
In agreement, Mouse looked at his pet, and declared, "Yes Rocky sounds good! Hi Rocky."
To which coincidentally, Rocky made a funny sound, causing Mouse to say, "I think Rocky likes Catherine's idea too!"
Everyone laughed as the little raccoon danced on Mouse's shoulder, and truly appeared to approve of his new title!
In preparation for their walk, Catherine filled a big thermos full of hot chocolate, grabbed some blankets along with a couple of flashlights, and then headed for the clearing in the back of the cabin. Once there, she asked, "Peter do you think this is a good spot?"
After looking about, Peter concluded, "Perfect Cathy."
Looking upward, Vincent breathlessly said, "You had not exaggerated about the beauty of the night sky up here Catherine. In fact, it's even more spectacular than I could have imagined."
In awe herself, Catherine replied, "Yes. It is spectacular."
They all spread out the blankets, steaming mugs of hot chocolate were passed, and everyone relaxed, sat back, and took in the beauty of it all.
It was quiet for a moment, when Vincent broke the silence as he spotted some familiar constellations, and noted, "Leo, Bootes, Ursa Minor, Draco, I can see them so clearly here…"
Then breaking the Zen like moment, Pascal irritably complained, "Mouse! I am trying to relax and check out the stars, but Rocky is spraying apple bits all over me!"
"On me too..." cried Jamie "...He is a messy eater Mouse!"
With a tone indicating he was quite insulted, Mouse said, "OK good OK fine! Mouse and Rocky will move over here by Peter. Peter likes Rocky."
Mouse then settled in by Peter and when he did, he smiled up at him, as he said, "Better here by you!"
Peter, trying not to act as annoyed as everyone else was with the raccoon, reluctantly smiled back at Mouse, thinking to himself, How did I get so lucky?
In an effort to change the subject, Peter mentioned, "Ahem....Yeah, well I will be coming back this way in a month or two, I just received my renewed hunting license the other day...and it'll be turkey season..."
Then as Peter remembered a "Little Cathy Story" he directed his attention toward Vincent, and asked, "Uh Vincent, speaking of turkeys, did Cathy ever tell you she is an expert in turkey calling?"
As Catherine was surprised Peter brought this up, she daringly said, "What? Oh Peter..."
Eager to hear this story, Vincent curiously said, "No she had not! Please, please do tell me more Peter,"
And so Peter began, "Well, one year, our two families merged up here to spend Thanksgiving. Cathy's father Charles and I, were in charge of hunting the Holiday Bird, and though we kept hearing turkeys gobbling all around us, we never came across one! Well because we didn't want to come back empty-handed, we trudged around the woods here most of the day. Heaven sakes, there was a lot of pressure on us! Then as it started getting late, we decided to call it quits and we headed back to the cabin, dragging our guns behind us.”
With a smile, he looked at Catherine, and continued, "We had just cleared the woods, when we spotted Cathy! Here comes Little Cathy, who was...how old were you, kiddo?"
Catherine laughed at the memory of it all, and said, “I was Eight!"
With a nod, Peter continued, "Ah, yes Eight, any way, here comes Little Eight year old Cathy, making a funny sound, with five turkeys following behind her, just as if she was the Pied Piper. Well, both of our jaws must have dropped to the ground when we saw her with a parade of turkeys! Well of course we asked her how in the world she got them to follow her."
With a raised brow, and a smile, Catherine proudly took over the story, and continued, "I explained to both you and Dad, I attracted them by Turkey calling! Yes, it’s true, I learned turkey calling from this hunting tape Dad had! I practiced for about an hour or so all by myself up in my room, however it turned out Mom could hear me from the kitchen and so finally, she came and asked what in the world I was doing. To which I defiantly told her, I was planning on catching a turkey all by myself, since Dad and Peter wouldn't let me go with them!"
"Needless to say..." grinned Peter "...we had to run and get a Butterball turkey from the supermarket! Cathy couldn't bear to part with any of her corn pecking pals."
After stifling a guilty smile, Catherine then revealed a long kept secret, by adding, "And...you needed to pick up some cranberries too...well Peter, I may as well confess, I may have attracted the turkeys by my Turkey calling, but I got them to follow me, because I had a pocket full of dried cranberries, which Mom wasn't to happy about, because she was planning on cooking them for our Thanksgiving Dinner!"
Everyone enjoyed the story; however, it was Vincent who did most of all. He loved getting some insight into Catherine, the little girl! What a joy she must have been.
Finally, one by one, everyone excused them-selves to go on back to the cabin. Only, Catherine, Vincent, and Pascal remained behind.
As he gazed into the sky, Pascal turned to Catherine to say, "I just want to say thanks for this weekend. I have never been anywhere like this before."
Catherine was surprised to learn he had never had an opportunity to experience life outside of the tunnels. Looking with wonderment at Pascal, she asked him, "Never Pascal?"
Shaking his head no, Pascal explained, "My father was one of the originals in the tunnels, so I was raised there right along with Vincent. We just never considered any other way of life. There were the Top-siders, and then there was us. Oh sure we would venture Up Top from time to time and have a bit of fun, but the Tunnels was our home."
Vincent thoughtfully reminded Pascal, "Oh yes...we've shared some times uh Pascal?"
"Yes, we did." Pascal then turned to Catherine and continued, “We especially loved Halloween, because then, we could go above, and Vincent didn't have to hide, he could go Trick-or-Treating just like everyone else! So this one Halloween in particular, it was Vincent, me, Devin, and Winslow, and there was one house where they gave out prizes to the best dressed...do you remember Vincent?”
To which Vincent nodded, and softly said, “I remember.”
Pascal thoughtfully continued, “Well here we are walking up to the house with another group of kids who were dressed up like the "Wizard of Oz" characters...and the lady who lived there was just about to give the girl dressed as Dorothy the prize until she saw you! She thought you were with them! Oh my gosh, she gave you this huge Hershey Chocolate Bar. We were so jealous; all we got was a pretzel stick!"
Vincent looked at Pascal a bit suspiciously, "Yes, and as I recall half of that candy bar came up missing! I always suspected Winslow."
To which Pascal inserted, "Only after Devin suggested it was him."
With a glint of wonder, Vincent asked, "Are you insinuating, Devin was diverting attention from himself?"
With a shrug of his shoulder, Pascal said, "I'm just saying."
Feeling as if he had been duped, Vincent noted, "I always prided myself on being so aware, however in this case, I believe you are on to something Pascal! Yes, I now would wager DEVIN was the one who snitched the other half."
With a smile in his eyes, Vincent then recalled, “Be that as it may, that candy bar, I remember eating it so slowly, and savoring every bite."
Pascal then thoughtfully added, “I remember you made it last till Christmas Eve."
In agreement, Vincent said, "Yes, because I knew Peter would be supplying us with a treat or two for Christmas...ahhh those were some good times."
Vincent lowered his head feeling a bit melancholy thinking about the old days, Winslow, and his brother Devin.
Vincent then told Catherine, "Yes we had many good times; however, I shudder to think of some of the mischievous things we used to do. Though, I must add, we only had the nerve to do those things when Devin was with us, once he left the tunnels, and us, well it was different then."
Pascal felt sad, still feeling the loss of Devin too, and then shared, "Well, it was also because we were getting older, and our fathers started piling on the responsibilities. I became my father's apprentice on the pipes about then and that became my life, from that point on."
Vincent commended his old friend, "Yes Pascal, you really have made a vocation out of your job. Your dedication is quite admirable."
Humbly, Pascal said thank You, and then confided, "Yes, well I really do love my job. In fact, I was a bit hesitant about coming here. I did not expect to feel so relaxed being away from the pipe chamber. But I really am enjoying myself!"
Catherine smiled at Pascal and said, "I just love that you came too Pascal. The stories of your childhood and of Vincent as a boy are so fun for me to hear."
Catherine then thoughtfully said, "You know, hearing your stories gives me a bit of a homesick feeling. Do you know what I mean? Like I really missed out on something special."
She thought to herself, of how in her own childhood, she had anything she desired without literally being spoiled. But somehow, she felt like the unfortunate one here. Catherine did not have a sweet memory such as cherishing a candy bar because it was so special and rare!
Pascal caught up in the throes of reminiscing spoke out emotionally, as he said, "Yes, it was a wonderful childhood, we had some great times. And I'm just so lucky to have had Vincent to go through it with.”
Pascal then looked at Vincent as he revealed, “You my friend, are a brother to me."
Vincent looked back at Pascal, and agreeably said, "Yes, I feel the same."
Feeling suddenly tired, and very content with his standing in Vincent's life, Pascal thought it was time to turn in, and so with a big yawn, he said goodnight.
And then there were two...
To be continued
Chapter Three
| Holiday Anyone? By Sharon Holtz Chapter Two |
