| gg |
| Holiday Anyone? By Sharon Holtz Chapter Four |
Catherine and Vincent made their way back to the cabin, and after putting the flowers in a vase for the kitchen table, they stepped through the screen door, and stood on the porch for a moment, looking at the scene before them. Everyone seemed to be having such a wonderful time.
Peter and Jacob were sitting in lawn chairs on the beach, deep in conversation, and laughing as they swapped stories. It sure looked like for now, there was a truce in their back and forth sarcastic rhetoric.
Pascal, Jamie, and Mouse were swimming off the floating platoon raft, which was anchored in front of the cabin's beach front.
And Mary was cleaning the berries she and Jacob had picked earlier, humming a lunar tune, as she stood at the picnic table on the shore.
Yes! Everyone appeared to be having a wonderful time.
As they walked toward Mary, Catherine cheerfully greeted her, saying, "Hello, Mary."
Mary looked up at both Catherine and Vincent, and with a warm smile, asked, "Having a nice day?"
Thoughtfully, Vincent expounded, "Oh yes! Seeing nature’s beauty in all of its splendorous glory, I must say, it has been a truly awesome day, really beyond words."
Mary returned his enthusiasm with a smile, as she said, "Sounds lovely." She then inquisitively asked, "Where all did you go?"
Pensively, Vincent answered, "Catherine took me to a meadow where the grasses were so tall, that when the wind caught them in just the precise manner, they looked like waves rolling on the sea."
"Tall grasses?" Repeated Mary under her breath, thinking it sounded like the same meadow she and Jacob visited today!
Catherine then excitedly added, "And Mary, we actually saw a deer! Vincent and I were able to watch a deer grazing right in the middle of the field..." Suddenly Catherine stopped short, as she realized, she was revealing some incriminating evidence!
Nervously, Mary questioned, "A deer in a meadow? Father and I saw a deer today as well! It couldn't have been the same...”
With her cheeks reddening, Mary stammered, “…it was in a field behind the...
it couldn’t have been the same deer you saw, could it have been?”
Catherine quickly added, "Oh, probably not. I mean there are so many deer up here."
"Must be dozens!" Inserted Vincent.
Catherine nodded her head in agreement, confirming, "Yes dozens at least! I mean what are the odds of us seeing the same deer?"
Thinking about the special moment she shared with Jacob in the field where they saw their deer, Mary thought to herself that she would be so embarrassed if they had observed her in Jacob's embrace. And so she thought, “Oh my! Could it be possible Catherine and Vincent were there too?”
And so she reasoned changing the subject is always a good diversion, and she then nervously noted, “Berries, berries, berries! Look! They are staining my fingers!”
Happy to play along with a subject change, Catherine in response, said, “Yes, Black raspberries do stain, but are so delicious, they are worth it."
To which Mary asked, “Black raspberries you say?”
“Yes, those are black raspberries.” Said Catherine, and continued, "We have always had black raspberry bushes up here. My Mom used to make jams, and pies with them, and Dad and I would love to snitch what we could.”
Thankful for the info, Mary admitted, “I wasn’t sure what kind they were. I'm really not up on my berries. Here, feel free to snitch a few of these."
Catherine happily did snitch one, saying, "Oh, these are so sweet, just as I remembered."
Vincent tried some too, and said, "Yes, quite delicious!"
As the two kept snitching, Mary saw her berry supply quickly depleting...and so she offered, "You know you can have the fun of picking some for yourselves, right behind the cabin!"
And though Catherine finally got the hint, Vincent did not, and kept snitching as they chatted!
So after he snitched quite a few more, Mary dropped the niceties, and hastily scolded, “All right now Vincent, you must save some for Father, he's looking forward to sampling them!”
Teasingly, Vincent snatched up one more, causing Mary to swat at his hand, and admonish him saying, "Vincent!"
Feeling a tiny bit bad, Vincent said, "I suppose the berries taste sweeter when others labor for them, you are right Mary, I will pick some more to replace your stock."
Feeling badly for scolding him, Mary said, "Oh it is much too hot for berry picking now, and look, there is still plenty...golly, I am sorry..."
She then merrily suggested, "But you two should go swimming! See the others out on the raft? It looks like your missing some of the water fun.”
To which Catherine replied, “It does look fun..."
It was then Catherine noticed the flower Jacob had given Mary, in a water-filled tumbler right there on the picnic table. Realizing this was the very same type of flower she herself had picked from the same field, caused Catherine to realize, she had better go hide her vase of flowers pronto!
Catherine then turned to Vincent, and with an urgent tone said, "Well, let's go change."
And the moment they entered the cabin, Catherine quickly grabbed the vase, causing Vincent to ask why! And so she reminded him, they were the same flowers Jacob had given Mary!
Upon realizing Catherine was on top of things, he replied, "Good job Catherine...or should I say Watson!"
With a giggle, Catherine said, "Call me whatever you like, but I am getting these out of here before Mary or Father see them! I'll be back in a second, now go get changed!"
Catherine then raced up the staircase, and she took along her wildflowers too!
Upon meeting again outside, Catherine asked Mary, "Do you want to take a dip?”
To which Mary said, “Oh no, I am fine right here, on dry land.”
She then added, “Swimming really isn’t something I enjoy, it isn't my thing as you kids would say. But you two go on ahead and I’ll watch from here.”
Both Catherine and Vincent told Mary they understood, and then Catherine turned to Vincent and asked, "Tell me, is it true?"
Upon hearing Catheerine's question, Vincent quizzically tipped his head, and asked, "Is what true?"
In a matter of fact tone, she answered, "That you're a magnificent swimmer?"
With a raised brow, Vincent replied, “I guess you'll have to judge for yourself."
"OK, no time like the present.” As Catherine began to take off running, she called over her shoulder, “To the raft!” She then flipped away her sandals, as she headed for the water.
Vincent was on her heels, and pulled off his shirt as he simultaneously kicked off his sandals, and lithely, he took a flying leap into the lake.
Peter laughed as he told Jacob, “Look at them! They are having the time of their lives!”
As Jacob looked over, he replied, “They are having a wonderful time, and to think I have been depriving..."
Jacob then looked at his dear old friend, and gratefully said, "...if you hadn't spoken to me the way you did, I shutter to think what state we all would have been in this weekend.”
Jacob’s quivering chin gave way to the emotions he wanted to convey, but couldn't find the words.
Peter seeing his old friend was having trouble expressing himself, offered, "Ehhh, don't be so hard on yourself. You have proven to us all that changes come hard, but CAN happen."
And then Peter thought he would be nosey, and so he asked, "Speaking of changes, what’s going on with Mary? Are things changing there too?"
Considerately, Jacob confessed, "I will admit things are a bit different between us. But I don't know, thus far we have had a practical, working relationship! I mean between our duties and such...would it be wrong to upend that dynamic?"
In reply, Peter noted, "I suppose that is up to you to decide, but hey, everyone deserves to be happy, even you Jacob...and Mary is a fine, fine lady."
Slyly, Jacob noted, "What about you? Are you interested in Mary?"
To which Peter asked, "Me? What do you mean?"
With a wave of his hand, Jacob grumbled, "You telling that old story again about the token emergency appendectomy. You always pull that story out of your as...ahem bag of tricks whenever you want to impress someone."
Peter chuckled sheepishly, and admitted, "I suppose I have told it a time or two! OK, I admit it. You caught me bragging, but to be open, I'm not looking for a relationship with anyone, but if I were, well as I say, Mary is a fine lady!"
Peter then took a peek at Jacob, and he could see his gears were turning, and so he asked once more, "So are you saying I should retreat while you decide what you wanna do?"
Because Jacob isn't afraid of a little competition, and knew Peter was trying to get him to admit to some feelings for Mary, he spouted, "Do as you please Peter! Turn on the charm! See what I care!"
To which Peter said, "Remember you said it Jacob! Well I am ready to get out of the sun! This sun is frying my brain."
Loving the fact Peter gave him the perfect line, Jacob answered, "Yes, and it isn't doing your leathery skin any good either!"
And so the two decided to find a little shade.
Meanwhile, Vincent beat Catherine to the pontoon raft, and by the time she got there, he was already up and out of the water, standing atop the raft with Jamie, Pascal, and Mouse!
With his hands on his hips, and long golden hair gleaming in the sun, Vincent looked like the victor, of which he was. And though Catherine had a cheering section too, they were all laughing at the sport of it all.
Kindly Vincent reached down, as he offered to help Catherine out of the water, saying, “Allow me.”
In reply, Catherine said, "Thank you, I see chivalry is not entirely dead."
With a giggle, Jamie teased, "I guess you just can't win any races today, uh Cathy?"
As Catherine thought about her race with Jamie earlier, when Vincent thwarted her race to the shower, Catherine raised a brow as she said, "Perhaps not in the literal sense Jamie..."
And so in the mid-day sun, they all had fun horsing around for what seemed liked hours, swimming with a reckless abandon, just like children.
Yes, Pascal was also a good swimmer, and was having a ball, and Mouse and Jamie were as well, but it was Vincent, Vincent most of all was having the time of his life.
As they began to tire, each one found a spot on the raft to stretch out, allowing the sun to dry and warm them.
"Vincent?" asked Pascal, "Do you remember when we were boys, and we would swim at the mirror pool? We would have contests on who could stay under the water the longest, and I swear man, you would stay under forever! You gave Devin, Lisa, Rebecca, Winslow and I a scare many a time."
In response, Vincent owned up, "Ahhh yes, I loved swimming under the water. I felt weightless, and so carefree. I imagined I was Poseidon, God of the Sea, Ahhh, the fantasies of a young boy."
Caught up in a daydream, Catherine was trying to envision life in the tunnels, and dreamily said, “Hmmm, swimming in the mirror pool, I know I have said this before, but I do wish I had known you all back then, life below, sounds so sweet, and charming."
To which Vincent replied, “It's all I ever knew of course, but it was a sweet life...Father and the elders made it so.”
Just then from the shore, they heard Peter shouting, "The grills getting hot, come on in everybody!"
Jumping up, Mouse happily said, "OK Good, OK Fine. Mouse is starving and better check on Rocky."
Jamie constantly up for a challenge, shouted, "I'll beat you guys back!"
Pascal and Mouse took the bait and dove in after her. But there were two people who could have cared less about beating Jamie, because now, they had a moment alone.
Softly Catherine said, "I suppose we better go too, but I could just float here forever....feeling the waves beneath...quite relaxing..."
To which Vincent agreed saying, "Ahhh yes....quite."
Just then, they heard Peter yelling from the shore again, saying, “Hey, Vincent and Catherine, that means you too!”
Sharing one last look between them, Catherine smiled at Vincent as she reluctantly asked, "Well, are you up for another race?”
Vincent stood up, offering Catherine a hand, and replied, “Question is...are you my Dear Catherine.”
And so playfully they swam, racing to shore, and joined the others.
And when Catherine saw the improved menu, over the rations she had packed, she impressively asked, "Oh my! Where did the steaks come from?"
To which Peter humbly said, "Jacob and I got to talking that maybe some red meat sounded good, so we ran up to Kalenauskas Farm & Market while you kids were swimming. And since Mary requested a baked potato...we picked up these big fat fatty fat fatsos!"
To which Mary added, "Oh dear, I hope that wasn't too indulgent of a request, but since William loves to mash everything, I thought of how much I would enjoy a baked potato! Lands Sakes, I haven't had one in years!"
After the rest said how yummy the food sounded, Catherine asked, "Any chores left for us?"
To which Mary commandingly suggested, "The salad needs tossed yet, and you can slice up the garden tomatoes and cucumbers too, and then I believe other than setting the table, we are all set!"
So Jamie and Catherine got to slicing and dicing, while Vincent and Pascal passed out the plates onto the picnic table.
While everyone had fun chatting and chipping in, Mary suggested, "Oh Jamie, after you are done helping Catherine, would you mind getting the sun tea from the fridge Dear?"
After saying she would, Jamie then asked, "Where is Mouse? I haven't seen him since swimming."
To which Vincent replied, "He's taking care of Rocky, making sure he is fed, and giving him some attention."
With an approving nod, Jacob noted, "I see he is taking his pet ownership quite responsibly."
After everyone agreed, Peter then said, "I think everything is ready, let's eat!"
So after the Dinner Call, everyone grabbed a seat, and oh boy, Jacob noticing the empty seat next to Mary, made his way to sit by her. Unfortunately, Peter moved quicker, and sat down first. Of course, Peter knew stealing Jacobs seat would tweak him a bit, and most likely stoke their verbal battle again, but what the heck, Peter was up for a sparring match, and was kinda getting a kick out of it.
Irritably, Jacob cleared his throat, and tried to act content sitting in an alternate seat between Pascal and Mouse.
Vincent and Catherine caught this little glitch in Jacob's plans, and shared a look at one another, each one thinking, "What entertainment!"
"Mary," Jacob said in his most charming tone, "The potatoes are delicious."
"Thank you, Father," Mary replied as she shyly lowered her eyes. "They do hit the spot don't they, and I'm so glad you like them."
In reply, Jacob noted, "I do, in fact, I believe they are the best I have ever tasted."
Peter also piped up, saying, “Yes, Mary, I hate to agree with Jacob, but he is right. They are delicious. You must tell me how you baked them, cuz they never turn out this good for me.”
As Mary happily shared her technique of preparing the perfect baked potato, the temperature, seasoning, and such, Jacob discreetly shot Peter a look, not appreciating his glomming onto his compliment.
Meanwhile, Vincent and Catherine looked to one another, as they observed the little soiree going on between Jacob and Peter. Deciding to create a diversion, Catherine noted, "As long as there are compliments being paid, you did an excellent job grilling the steaks Peter, mine is just perfect!"
Everyone else spoke up, and paid their compliments to Peter as well. Everyone that is except for Jacob! And because of his disappointed demeanor, his silence was heard loud and clear! And so Peter had to ask, "How about yours Jacob? Is it to your liking?"
Wrinkling his nose, he grimaced as he admitted, "Since you asked, mine is a bit rare, would you mind continue cooking it for a few minutes?"
Peter didn't mind Jacob's request at first, but then when he got closer to him, he was most certain he detected a little glint of joy in Jacob's eye for causing him this inconvenience! And so Peter shot Jacob an annoyed look as he grabbed his steak with the tongs, dangling it in front of Jacob's face, he huffed, "Mind? Of course not OLD friend."
As Peter stood at the HOT grill, standing guard over the under-done steak, he could hear Jacob and Mary talking away! And so in wanting to get back to his own plate, Peter hurried the process along, and finally delivered the special order to Jacob.
As Jacob sliced into his steak once more, he gleefully declared, “Just right Doc, and Sizzling hot! Thank you!”
In reply, Peter said, “Your Welcome!"
As he finally sat down to his own plate, Peter sliced into his meat, and was a bit disappointed it was past its peak of perfection. So as he ate his ice cold steak, he looked over at Jacob, who raised his fork of steaming hot beef to him, and with a scalawag of a smile he said, "Here's to you!"
In a silent reply, Peter thought to himself, "Why I aught-ta..."
So after a delightful meal, and all the clean up was completed, everyone settled in about the cabin, and as the evening chill set in, Pascal and Jamie decided to get a fire in the fireplace going, to warm the place up.
Meanwhile, Mouse noticed a machine he had never seen before! And so he asked, "What's this gizmo?"
Informatively, Catherine told him, "That's a VCR. You can put a videotape in here, and this wire transmits the image, which leads to the TV. And you can either control it with the buttons on the machine, or use the remote control. Here, let me show you Mouse. Let's see, first let's pick out a movie...let's see what we have..."
Then with a bit of a chuckle, Catherine said, "...you know, I really can't remember the last time I watched a movie up here. It looks like we have...Moby Dick, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Lost Horizon, The Mutiny on the Bounty, oh my, these look like all of Dad's movies, or wait, here are a couple of Mom's, Breakfast at Tiffany's AND Heidi! Oh we loved watching these movies, and then here's my favorite Franco Zefferelli's "Romeo and Juliet.”
And so Catherine lifted the cartridge, and asked, "Shakespeare, anyone?"
"Yes, that would be lovely," said Mary.
Mary no sooner sat down on the couch, when suddenly Jacob lumbered in to sit next to her, obviously, before anyone else had the chance.
Peter, noticed Jacob's big effort to sit by Mary, and silently got a kick out of this obvious move! As he laughed to himself, he suddenly remembered a repair he had been putting off over at his place. And thinking this would be a good time to do it, he excused himself, informing everyone of his task.
Having too much energy to sit and watch a movie, Pascal and Jamie offered to go along and help.
Mouse stayed because he was far too interested in this new machine, and so he and Rocky stayed back.
Meanwhile, Mary, Vincent, and Jacob loved watching this beautifully produced movie version, seeing all the words of Shakespeare come to life, and Catherine loved it too, telling them as a teenager, she must have seen this movie a dozen times.
To which Mary replied she could understand why, because it was a lovely movie. They all watched, feeling spellbound by the actors, the wardrobe, and by the words, so by the end of the movie, everyone had a tear to wipe away, saddened by the loss of these two tragic lovers.
Meantime, not only did the movie affect Jacob, but he could see parallels to Vincent and Catherine's story, and understood the tragedy that can ensue when other people meddle. It made him very ashamed, and so as guilt raised its ugly head once more, he excused himself, and went out on the porch.
Noticing Jacob’s melancholy, Catherine mentioned, "Vincent...I think Father left upset.”
To which in response, Mary asked, "You mean he is upset over the movie?"
Upon pondering his Father's quick exit, Vincent stood, and thoughtfully offered, "I'll check on him."
As Vincent walked up to Jacob, he softly called out, "Father?"
With his head, humbly bowed Jacob answered, "Vincent."
Looking down at his Father, with care, Vincent said, "Mary and Catherine are concerned about you. They believe the movie upset you."
To which Jacob admitted it did, and then said, "It is a cold bitter reality to realize I am no better than the Montagues or the Capulets! How is it I could not see what I was doing, interfering with you and Catherine like I have. I know you both said you understand, however still, why did it take me so long to see the harm my disapproval caused? Why did it take Peter to point it out to me?”
Lovingly, Vincent looked at his father, and surmised, "Because! Because you were blinded from all the safety AND security concerns you have for me, as well as for our community. I know this, and Catherine does as well...Father, you have not done anything which hasn't been righted, what else can we say to ease your burdon? We have both told you we understood and forgave you..."
As Jacob looked back sheepishly, he thankfully replied, "I know you did, and Peter did as well...still something lingers..."
To which Vincent thoughtfully noted, "Then I believe the problem is you are having a hard time finding a way to forgive yourself...it is written we are always harder on ourselves, than on those around us..."
As Vincent took a step forward, he continued, "Father, you are a good, kind man who meant no harm, So forgive yourself...as we have..."
As Vincent's words rang true within Jacob's heart, he appreciatively said, "Sounds like some wise advice coming from a very wise man...I'd be a buffoon not to take it...I promise to try..."
As Jacob thoughtfully looked out over the scenery around him, he expressed, “You know Vincent, it is not just my interfering which laid heavy on my heart this night, it is seeing you and the others here up top, enjoying all the pleasures of God's green earth, I have to tell you, it has caused me to re-evaluate my vision...and I have to wonder if I have been wrong all these years. Living in the tunnels, depriving you and those of the community of certain things..."
Caringly, Vincent replied, "The tunnels are our home, and Father, we have beauties below as well."
As Vincent gathered his thoughts, he continued, "I, along with many others love our life in the tunnels, where there is an unspoken acceptance for those who have felt lost here above. And there are others, who do have a choice to go above, but remain below with us. And they choose to, because it is their home. The world you envisioned, has been a safe refuge for so many. Mouse, Pascal, Mary, and many more who are still with us, including those who have decided to go back up top. But even they, have remained helpers and true to your cause. And lastly, me. Especially me. I realize there is no place here for me to trully walk freely. The tunnels however embraced me as I grew up, there I felt protected. Father, you along with the tunnels have given me everything! I love you for all you have done for me."
Vincent looked out at the lake as he continued, "This weekend has been a dream that has turned into a reality for me. Yes, it has been a time, but when we return, it will be back to a place I love and call home."
After hearing the assurances Jacob needed to hear, he took in a deep breath, and relayed, "I must say you do clarify things for me Vincent...thank you for your perspective, and for the reminder of what my vision was all about."
As Vincent put his arm around his Father, he answered, "Of course Father..."
Vincent then cleared his voice of emotion, as he broached a more pointed subject, carefully asking, "As far as Catherine is concerned, am I wrong, or do you look upon her differently now..."
Assuredly, Jacob replied, "Yes, its true, I do! Ah Vincent, getting to know her through her friendship with Peter, and other instances, why I can say I have grown quite fond of Catherine now, and...I can say, without a doubt, she is unequivocally worthy of you."
Upon hearing his Father, Vincent with amazement, queried, "She, worthy of me? Oh Father!"
As Jacob responded with an overstated nod, Vincent with wonder, looked down at this man, and realized his Father had a scrutinizing eye, just like any other Father when analyzing a girl for his son...
So with all the heavy subject matter put to rest, Vincent simply said, "I am pleased to hear you host a fondness for Catherine now Father, so very much pleased."
Happy this was so, Jacob recouped his demeanor, and was able to stand perhaps a few inches taller than before, because his beautifully unique son has forgiven him, and he...had been able to forgive himself too!
Meanwhile, Catherine saw Mary was a bit edgy with worry, and so she suggested, "Shall we have some tea while we wait?"
Realizing Catherine was doing her best to help her take her mind off Jacob, and his issues, Mary, smiled as she hesitatingly replied, “Hmmm, some tea does sound lovely."
As she then looked toward Mouse and the VCR, Mary fearfully noted, "I don't know if your tape machine will ever be the same, Mouse is intrigued by it."
Catherine smiled, as she agreed, and then said, "Yes, it does look as if Mouse discovered the rewind button! But, seeing him enjoy himself so much, is worth any possible repairs."
The two women settled down at the kitchen table, sipping their tea, and just enjoying each other's company, when the conversation drifted toward Vincent. And so Mary asked, "This life you lead, your job, family, your relationship with Vincent, it must be difficult to juggle everything at times."
Catherine thought for a moment and answered Mary's question truthfully, and said, "It is complicated at times, keeping the part of my life with Vincent secret from those I love, my father, my best friend Jenny. But I know I must keep Vincent's world safe, and because of how I feel about him, it is worth the difficulties secrecy brings."
With conviction, Catherine continued, "Even if I must live with these limitations, I will do it, because without him...”
Catherine then thoughtfully added, “...I don’t know if anyone can truly understand…"
Raising a brow, Mary confided, “I think I do dear."
With gratitude in her eyes, Catherine smiled as she waited for Mary to embellish on her admittance, thinking she was speaking of her feelings toward Jacob, but she does not, and instead Mary continued asking, "Certainly you have someone to talk and confide in."
And so Catherine replied, "I do, I have Peter, whom I love and respect so much. For him to speak with Jacob on our behalf, it gave us a renewed hope for the future. And I admit it is nice to talk to you too."
Mary returned Catherine's smile, as she responded, “Yes, this is nice isn’t it. I hope you come to me, any time you feel alone or lonely."
Admittedly, Catherine revealed, "It's funny, but feeling lonely is something I've gotten used to. Losing my mother at such a young age, I got use to my aloneness, and learned to keep things inside. A tragedy like that sets you apart from other children. Especially if you had a wonderful Mom like I had."
With a warmness, Mary then notes, "Whenever you speak of your Mother, I see a smile in your eyes. What was your mother like?"
As Catherine reflected, a peaceful smile transformed her face, as she said, "She was very sweet, kind, and full of laughter and fun. Everyone who knew her, loved her! Would you like to see her picture?"
To which Mary thoughtfully answered, "Oh yes dear, I would."
Happy to look at some old pictures herself, Catherine excitedly went to the bookshelf and found the old family photo album. Upon settling back down by Mary, she gently opened the aged album to the first page, and on it was the wedding picture of her parents.
Looking at the happy couple depicted there on the yellowed page, Mary sighed, "They look so happy, and Oh my goodness, she's very lovely.”
With pride, Catherine nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, she was very beautiful."
Just then, Jacob and Vincent walked in, and they seemed to have a renewed spirit, which caused both woman to assume their talk must have gone well. How right they were!
So as Jacob stepped closer, he asked, "What have we here?"
In reply, Catherine kindly said, "Photos of my family. I was just showing Mary this photograph of my Mom."
Looking over the photo, Jacob exclaimed, “She is quite lovely, and my, my, you look so much like her!"
And as Jacob looked over onto the next page, he noted, "And this must be your baby picture Catherine."
Beginning to feel more open and at ease with Jacob, Catherine casually answered, "Yes, that's me with my Mom, Dad, and my Grandma and Granddaddy Chandler."
"Lovely family, very lovely." Jacob then thoughtfully stated, "Your Grandfather Chandler, looks familiar to me."
As he continued to be troubled by the familiarity of Catherine’s grandfather, Jacob carefully said, "Chandler, Chandler, hmmm, sounds so familiar, I had dealings with this man, but where?"
Upon thinking of some possibilities, Mary suggested, "Perhaps he had been a patient of yours..."
To which Jacob scratched his chin, and said, "No...not a patient..."
Then as the details clarified, Jacob expounded, "I know! Mr. Chandler was the young lawyer, who helped represent me! At least I believe it was him! Your Grandfather, did practice law, did he not?"
Informatively, Catherine said, "Oh yes, Granddaddy had founded the firm back in 1949, so it is very possible it was him. Look, here's a photo where you can see him better..."
Thoughtfully, Jacob affirmed, "Indeed! I have no hesitation to say, it was him. Ahhh, He was such a good fair man. Is he still living Catherine?"
"No," Catherine answered sadly, "Granddaddy died six years ago. I had just joined the firm, and we were a three-generation partnership for about four months when he became ill. It was a surprise to us his heart was so bad. He died during surgery."
In response to her loss, Jacob said he was truly sorry.
Receptively, Catherine said, "Thank you Father..."
To which everyone said, it truly is a small, small world sometimes.
Meanwhile, Vincent had been looking at Catherine's baby picture on the next page, and with a bit of reflectiveness in his voice, he said, "You were such a happy baby, your smile, so beautiful."
Smiling while looking down at the picture Vincent was referring to, Catherine wistfully replied, "Daddy always said I had my mother's smile!"
After sharing that personal note, Catherine looked up at Vincent, expecting to return a mutual smile, with him, but was surprised to see sadness in his eyes instead. Unsure why the photos affected Vincent in a downhearted way, she decided maybe it was time to put the pictures away. And so Catherine light-heartedly said, "I suppose I have bored you all enough with the pictures. You better watch me, or I will be bringing out the home movies next!”
She then closed the album, and asked Jacob and Vincent, “Would you like to join us? I have some tea steeping."
Jacob said, he would love to have a cup, and in a quiet thoughtful tone, Vincent also consented.
As Catherine poured their tea, she began to consider what had caused Vincent to become pensive, when Peter returned with his gang.
And so with a cheerful greeting, Peter declared, "Hello, all! My drain problem is finally solved, thanks to Pascal and his knowledge of pipes."
Modestly, Pascal noted, "Just glad it was something I could help with. The system only needed an extra elbow along with a female coupling and a slip joint! It was a good thing Peter had tons of pipe parts to pick from."
To which Peter confessed, "Pipe parts...I must have a fortune invested in pipe! I never could configure it right."
In concurrence, Catherine giggled and then replied, "All I can say is good job Pascal, Peter and my Dad have been trying to fix those pipes for a few seasons, now when you and Dad come up here, you can just relax."
Realizing she was not being a good hostess, Catherine offered, "So do any of you want some tea, or maybe something cold from the fridge?"
Considerately, Peter said, "Actually yea, maybe something cold..."
With that said, he went to scope out the fridge, and as he opened the door, he said, “Here's a soda pop for you Jamie, and hey here's some beer! I don't think Charles would mind, I'll leave him an IOU! Will you have one too Pascal?"
To which Pascal said, "Hmmm, I dunno, the strongest stuff I drink is William's hard cider."
To which Peter chided, "Trust me, I've had some of William's hard cider...if you can handle that, then you can handle a beer!"
And so after uncapping two beers, they clinked to a successful drainage pipe repair.
Meantime, an irritated Jamie yelled at Mouse, "I am trying to watch the movie Mouse! Stop rewinding!"
To which Mouse explained, "Funny, look! They can walk backwards!"
Upon realizing watching the movie right now was impossible while Mouse had the remote control, Jamie went to join the others around the table, and asked, "So what's up? Are we going on another midnight walk tonight?"
To which Catherine thoughtfully said, "Hmmm, we could, or..."
And then addressing Peter, Catherine asked, "Do you remember how we would load up in Dad's old Jeep, and go spotting for deer? Do you think that would be possible for us to do in the van?"
Cautiously, Peter said, “I don't think we should take any chances with our transportation back to the city, but, we could go in my old pick-up truck. We could make a sort of a joy ride out of it for those in the bed of the truck.”
Well Catherine loving this idea, excitedly looked at Vincent, waiting for him to chime in about the adventure, but still he seemed quiet, and thoughtfull. Everyone else thought it sounded like great fun though, everyone that is except for Mary, who cautioned, “Hmmm, I don’t know about a joy ride, perhaps I should stay back again.”
To which Peter clarified, “I thought you could ride in the cab with me."
Meanwhile, feeling excluded from the comfort zone, Jacob wondered why he wasn't also offered a seat up front...hmmm what is Peter up to? And so Jacob noted, "I hope there is room for three. These old bones can't take much bouncing!"
In response, Peter teasingly answered, “I guess we could squeeze you in. Well
I’ll go get the truck."
Peter then extended his crooked arm, and asked, "Mary, would you like to tag along? I can give you a tour of my cabin."
To which Mary said, "Yes, I would love to.”
Turning to Jacob, Mary kindly asked, “Father, will you join us? You haven't seen Peter's cabin yet either."
Upon getting an invite from Mary, and not Peter, Jacob grumbled, "Only if I am invited."
Looking a bit glib, Peter said, "Of course you are Jacob, that goes without saying! We will see you kids in a bit."
And because Catherine was concerned about Vincent, she was happy to have some time alone with him, so they could talk about what was bothering him. And so she said, "Take your time everyone, and enjoy the tour, Peter's cabin is beautiful."
To be continued
Chapter Five
