Part Three

She Said

“Finally, I’ve got you alone.” Di approached Dan, who was sitting by himself on the dock, down by the lake.

He waggled his eyebrows. “Your place or mine?”

She laughed. “Let’s row across to the Pavilion. I think we need to talk.”

Dan nodded and went to launch the rowboat. Soon, they were gliding across the water to the rhythm of his even strokes. They passed between two overhanging willows and into the small cove that hid the building that Matthew Wheeler had chosen to have built a few years before.

Di opened the door and pulled out a couple of chairs while Dan secured the boat. She set them in the shade by the water’s edge and they sat together in contemplative silence for a short time.

“What are you thinking?” he asked, at length.

She looked at him for a moment and smiled. “That I’m glad that we, at least, managed to end a romantic relationship without messing up the whole group dynamic. I’m glad we’re still friends.”

“Me, too.” He looked away. “Is it going to make things better, that Trixie’s leaving, or worse?”

“Better, I hope.” She turned to watch him, but he did not turn back. “You’ll keep an eye on things here, won’t you?”

He nodded. “Of course.”

“And who do I need to get to keep an eye on you?”

A hint of a smile crossed his lips. “I don’t need anyone to do that.”

One of Di’s eyebrows rose. “Really! That’s not what I’ve been hearing.”

Dan groaned. “Who’s been talking now?”

“Honey told me she’d heard something. Who have you been going out on dates with?”

He shot her a look of alarm. “Why?”

“Because I’m intrigued now. What’s the big deal?”

He rubbed a hand across his eyes. “There’s no one that I’ve been on dates, plural, with. Date, singular, yes; there’ve been a few of those.”

“But no one worth a second date?”

“No.” He shuddered. “Lately, definitely not.”

“That bad?”

He got out of his chair and wandered over to the very edge of the lake, kicking a stone into the water. Di noticed that he was now tense, that his shoulders were hunched.

“Dan?”

He turned to her. “They don’t understand what I’m looking for, what I need.”

She considered that for a moment. “You need a deep connection, a sense of belonging and that you are valued. You need to share more than something physical, something more than what’s on the surface.”

He shrugged. “I wouldn’t have put it that way.”

A smile tugged the corners of her mouth. “No. You’d say something shallow, and probably crude. But you’d mean that you want someone who can first and foremost be a close friend.”

Some of the tension left his shoulders and he returned to his chair.

“I never did have to explain things to you,” he told her.

Her smile widened into a grin. “Just as well, or I’d still be in the dark.”

Dan smiled back. “Yeah, you would. I never know what to say.”

“When you meet her, it won’t matter any more.”

He frowned. “Her?”

“You know what I mean.” She reached over, squeezed his hand and let it go. “And in the meantime, you’ve got important things to do here.”

Their eyes met and he nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

He Said

The loft of the barn at Ten Acres had once been a common hang-out for the male Bob-Whites, but in the years that they had lived away from Sleepyside, and the months of construction of the new house at Ten Acres, it had rather fallen out of use. So it came as a surprise to Brian that Jim asked to meet him there during his second and impromptu trip to Sleepyside of Di’s visit.

Jim was sitting quietly near the window when Brian arrived at the barn. There was something about his stance that disturbed the other man, but he simply said, “You wanted to speak to me?”

“I talked to Indira.” His eyes stayed fixed on something in the middle distance and his voice was flat. “I was right; she didn’t have any plans, but we came up with one together.”

Something in the way he said it caused Brian to pause. “Jim? Are you going to tell me what’s happening?”

Jim turned and looked his best friend full in the face. “I need to ask your permission.” For several long minutes, he did not elaborate. Brian waited silently. “Indira and I decided that, if you don’t want to acknowledge your role in this scheme, she’ll make legal arrangements for me to take custody in the event that something happens to her.”

The room spun around Brian for a moment as he tried to assimilate this startling piece of information. “You? How does that help?” To his own ears, his voice sounded defensive. He wished that he had waited a moment longer, to get his emotions further under his control.

“Just in case something happens. You said yourself that it probably wouldn’t.” That same flat voice drew out the syllables. “If you find the idea so unpalatable, you’d better reconsider the decision to withhold your name from the birth certificate.”

“I’m not in a relationship with her,” Brian replied. “I never have been and I doubt that I ever will. I’m just a donor. Why should my name be connected to this?”

A burning anger seemed to be ignited in Jim as the words were spoken. “To give the child some sort of link to their past. Every child deserves that. I’m not asking you to take responsibility here, when Indira quite clearly doesn’t want you to; I’m just asking that the baby be allowed the security of an alternate carer if the worst happens.”

“And what if it does? Are you going to live up to that responsibility?”

“Of course.” Jim’s anger dissolved as quickly as it had arrived. “If anyone knows the value of adoptive parents, I do.”

Brian took a few minutes to consider the matter. “I’m not sure that I want you to do this,” he admitted, finally. “I wanted to be anonymous.”

“I won’t tell, unless some time in the future there’s a medical reason to do so,” Jim promised. “I’d do that in any case, though, so I don’t see what difference it makes. And before you ask, I won’t promise not to.”

“I’ve already given Indira information on my and my family’s medical history.”

Jim frowned. “Your medical history doesn’t stop at the moment of the child’s conception. You don’t know what the future holds for yourself, or any of your immediate family.”

There did not seem to be an answer for this, so Brian let it go. Knowing that he was treading on thin ice, he put one more question.

“Is this something to do with you and Trixie?” The searing glare he received in reply confirmed the matter in his own mind. “Just let her go. Find someone new. None of us will think less of you if you do.”

“You don’t know the first thing about it,” Jim muttered. “So, are you giving your approval, or do we need to think of another plan?”

Brian turned the matter over in his mind for a moment. “Okay,” he agreed, relieved to find that saying it aloud took a weight off his mind. “Do that. I’m sure it won’t be needed, but if it makes you feel better, you have my approval.”

Jim nodded. “Thanks.”

She Said

Di’s last day in Sleepyside arrived. In the past twenty-four hours, she had spent a little time with each of the Bob-Whites, mostly in small groups. She had also had a one-on-one talk with each of her siblings and parents. As he had left for work, her father had given her a tight squeeze and asked that she visit again soon. She had promised to do so, without hesitation.

The visit was ending in a similar way to how it had started. Honey arrived to take her to the train station, with Joshie in the back seat. She stowed her suitcase and climbed into the front passenger seat.

“I kind of don’t want to go,” she told Honey, as they crept down the long drive. “It feels like I only just got here… but on the other hand, I want to be back, too.”

Honey nodded, waiting for a car to pass before she pulled out. “I think I know what you mean. It’s like when I visit Manor House. I don’t really belong any more, but it’s so comfortable being there.”

Di made a sound of agreement and looked out the window at the familiar landmarks. “Sometimes, I feel like this all won’t be here any more if I take my eyes off it, like I won’t ever see it again if I go. Or, maybe it’s that the people won’t be the same.”

“Nothing stays exactly the same,” Honey answered. “We’re all changing, all the time. I just hope that the next time it’ll be easier, and then easier again the time after that, and the time after that, until we’re back to being how we used to be.”

“We don’t need to be how we used to be,” Di corrected. “One day, we’ll be better than we used to be.”

“I’m holding out for that day.” Honey smiled. “One day, there’ll be all the Bob-Whites together and we’ll all be happy about it.”

Diana held on to that thought all the way home.

He Said

“Brian, come and help me with this!” his boss called, and he hurried to catch the papers that were escaping from the top file in the pile she held.

“Phew! Thanks. I thought I was going to lose the lot.” Catherine bundled them back together and then bent to retrieve the ones that had gotten away from her. “Have you got a few minutes? I think I’d better have an assistant for the next pile.”

“Sure.”

He followed her into the archive room and helped her pile the files she wanted in a way that left them more secure.

“You know, you’ve really been an asset to us, over the past year.” She indicated that he was to follow as she walked. “I’ve been glad to have you working here.”

“That sounds a little ominous,” he answered. “Am I about to be fired or something?”

She shook her head. “That’s about the farthest thing from my mind.”

They unloaded the files next to the first lot and started sorting them in companionable silence.

“So, have you got a changeover plan in place yet?” Catherine asked him after a time.

Brian turned to her with a confused expression. “Excuse me?”

“A plan to transition from working here full-time, to studying full-time,” she clarified.

He shook his head. “I haven’t given it a thought.”

She smiled, bemused. “You haven’t noticed how much you’ve improved, have you?”

Her words brought a flash of revelation to Brian. It was true that he was not fully recovered, but he was better than he had been at any time since the car accident.

“I don’t suppose I have.” A revelation hit him. “That’s what you meant before, isn’t it? Not that you were expecting to fire me, but that you were expecting me to quit.”

Her smile, this time, held a note of sadness. “It’s been great, Brian, but I think it’s nearly time.”

He did not know quite what to say, at last settling on, “I’ll think about it and let you know.”

She Said

Packing and cleaning were nowhere near the top of Trixie’s list of things she wanted to do, but they had to be done if she wanted to actually move. Since making her decision, she had managed to get a good deal done, but it was getting more difficult as she went along.

She gazed at the two boxes that had never been unpacked after moving here and pondered whether to look in them, or just haul them off to her parents’ place unseen. After a moment’s consideration, she decided to take a look in case the contents could be thrown out, or if they contained some of those things she had never managed to find.

Unsealing the first box, she pulled out a few things that went straight into the discard pile, then happened upon something that caused her chest to feel tight. Pulling it out, she set it on the floor on the opposite side of the box.

She frowned at the fake clock, whose purpose she had never been able to fathom. Next out of the box was the coin or medallion that she had found inside, along with the mysterious note. Her frown deepened to a scowl as an association of ideas brought other matters to mind – her former relationship with Jim and its bitter end. She started hauling items out and strewing them around herself until the box was empty. The clock, the coin and the note were unceremoniously dumped back in and she filled the rest of it with items she had already decided to store.

Up to that point, she had intended to take a trip to the farm in a few days’ time. It now seemed imperative to do it right away. She rushed through the second box, which contained many items she had been hunting unsuccessfully. Rescuing those, she repacked it and started carrying everything down to the car. The boxes that she had prepared did not quite fill the space, but she decided that didn’t matter. The sooner the clock was out of sight, the better.

The travel time went quickly, but by the time she arrived, it was later than she would normally visit. She shot a quick apology to her parents, who looked like they were almost ready for bed, and hurried up to the attic with the offending box in her arms.

She hauled it up the stairs, shoved it into the darkest corner and turned her back on it. She made short work of the other boxes and after another round of apologies raced back to her car and drove away.

From there, the process of packing went more smoothly. Nothing else she owned could conjure such strong emotions, either positive or negative.

He Said

At a quarter past eight on Saturday morning, Brian sat down at the small desk in his apartment to deal with the paperwork accumulated in the past week. It was a habit that he had nurtured since his first days at college and one that gave him a certain satisfaction. Recent events had, however, drawn his attention to certain details that had escaped his attention.

Looking over his bank statement, his budget and his upcoming expenses, Brian slowly realised that his financial position was better than he had anticipated. It was true that he had been living frugally and spending little on recreation. His lack of a car kept him close to home most of the time and this was beginning to wear on him. He disliked having to rely on others to take him places that were not in his usual area.

His discussion with Catherine had brought to his attention that he was now perfectly able to drive, if he had a vehicle.

I could visit Sleepyside more often, he considered, thinking of his mother’s disappointment when he left it too long. I could take trips on weekends and find new places to go on walks. And would it ever make shopping easier.

He took a sheet of paper and began listing the features he would like in a car, and the limiting factors. He revised his budget, decided on an upper limit for the initial costs and then started researching which cars best met his needs while staying within his means.

His eyes lingered on an image that he had found of a suitable car for sale. Deep in his heart, he knew that this was what he needed – and that he now had the means to achieve it.

She Said

Trixie looked around the room and nodded. This was the last box in the last room, which meant that she was finally finished with this wretched packing and could get on with the leaving. Of course, there was still some cleaning to do, but that was easy when compared to the part of the job which was now complete.

She had a job lined up at the foundation and they had promised to clean out any materials stored in the adjoining house, ready for her to move into it. This chapter of her life was closing and a new one was beginning. It was refreshing to feel the winds of change when she herself had invited them. This was a positive change and one that she needed.

She picked up the box and carried it down the stairs to the van she had borrowed. Tonight, she would stay at her parents’ place, tomorrow she would dedicate to cleaning and last-minute errands and the following day she and all of her worldly goods would take the road trip down to Kentucky.

Kentucky. In a way, it seemed like such a long way away. She would no longer be able to just drop in on any of her family or friends. But when did you last do that? asked an accusing voice inside her head. And when was the last time you were pleased when they dropped in on you?

“Shut up!” she muttered, aloud. “It’s not like that!”

But was that the truth?

As she walked through the empty rooms and looked for things she had missed, she contemplated that question. She flicked off the lights, one by one, until the apartment was in darkness. Her key turned in the lock and she checked that the door was secure before turning away. I haven’t been myself lately, she admitted to herself at last. I need to fix this, before I mess up anything else. I just hope it’s not too late.

He Said

The phone rang as Brian was fixing his evening meal. He gave the pot a quick stir and reached over to pick it up.

“Brian.” Indira’s voice responded to his clipped greeting.

“How are you, Indira?”

“It didn’t work,” she told him, sounding almost offended at the news she was delivering. “So much for all that testing and counting and what have you.”

“You don’t think it’s a little unreasonable to expect it to happen on the first try, do you?” Brian asked, with a hint of humour in his voice. “Most people don’t get pregnant from just one encounter, no matter how much they want it to be otherwise.”

Indira laughed. “I’m glad to hear that your sense of humour is recovering. I was really just wanting to let you know that we’d need another appointment in a little while. You’ll keep some time free for that, won’t you?”

“I was expecting that I would need to for several months, perhaps even a year,” he answered, “so, yes. Let me know when it will be.”

She named a tentative date, which he jotted on a convenient notepad.

“And were you happy with the way we arranged things last time?” she wondered. “Or did you want to try a more personal method?”

He was surprised enough to laugh. “No, the method we chose is just fine.”

“Just checking.” He could hear the laughter in her voice. “I’ll talk to you again soon.”

He said goodbye to her and returned to his cooking, shaking his head. How this friendship worked was beyond his understanding, but he was glad to know Indira; she brightened his life considerably.

She Said

Diana settled on her sofa with a cup of coffee and dialled Honey’s number. She frowned as it rang five, then six times. The receiver was snatched up and a male voice greeted her.

“Oh, hi Mart. It’s Di.”

“Di. Oh. I guess you wanted to speak to Honey.”

She smiled at the awkward way he was speaking. “If she’s not there, it’s okay. I can talk to you instead, you know.”

“Of course,” he answered, in a more natural tone. “You just surprised me. I was expecting it to be Jim again.”

“Should I ask?”

He laughed. “There’s no mystery. It’s just that he’s been asking me questions about plants and I thought he must have thought up some more.”

“I see. Well, I’m not Jim, and I don’t want to ask you anything about plants.”

“No. But you probably wanted to ask to speak to Honey.”

“Isn’t she there?”

“She’s here,” he answered, “but she’s asleep.”

She felt a stab of disappointment. “I thought I’d called early enough, but I guess you keep different hours from me.”

“You’re telling me.” She could hear the humour in his voice. “I’m hopeful that when Josh is a little bigger, Honey and I might graduate to staying up past eight o’clock sometimes, on special occasions.”

“Sounds like a good goal,” she agreed. “So, how are you?”

“We’re all good.” He paused a moment. “It was good to see you. Are you settling back in well?”

“I am. It’s almost like I never left. But I’m hoping to make it down again before too long. I want to see everyone more often and I can’t rely on you all coming to see me.”

He sighed. “We all miss you, you know. Sleepyside isn’t the same without you.”

“I’ll come back one day,” she promised. “When the time is right, all the Bob-Whites will be together again.”

“Yeah, we will. Even if I have to take my sister and her–” He broke off abruptly. “If I have to take Trixie and Jim and nail them to their seats.”

What was he going to say? she wondered, frowning. Aloud, she giggled. “I’ll look forward to seeing that.”

He Said

Early morning at Ten Acres had quickly become Jim’s favourite time of the day. The sound of birdsong in the trees and the gentle breezes that shifted the branches made for a peaceful setting that was soothing to his soul.

One morning, while the sun was still low in the sky, Jim left the house and set out for the site of the old summerhouse. Now that the building work was complete, there were things that he wanted to do with the area. It had become more practical to carry out these plans now that he was living in the house.

Arriving at the site, he set down the few things he carried and began making some measurements. He noted these with the pencil and paper he had brought and then started to sketch a plan. The first draft did not meet his approval and so he began another. This time, he nodded satisfaction and stood back to contemplate the area, checking the details of his plan against the physical features.

Leaving the plan weighted down by a rock, he returned to the house for a drink. Then, having picked up a few more supplies, he returned and began marking out the various areas. It was hard work hammering the pegs into the ground and the sun was now beating down. Jim wiped the sweat from his brow and checked back on his plan.

As each set of pegs was complete, he tied strings to them to mark the edges of the shapes. When all of them were marked, he walked through his design to check its dimensions. He looked back at his work and was happy with the result.

“Now, to get the materials to finish,” he muttered to himself.

The day was becoming unpleasantly hot and Jim decided to delay the next stage until the following morning. Early the next day he visited a landscaping supply company, chose the paving stones and the materials to lay them properly and arranged for them to be delivered. He considered, for a time, having a professional lay them, but in the end decided it was better to do the job himself.

With that achieved, he turned to other matters, satisfied with his progress.

She Said

Nothing was going to keep Honey away on Trixie’s last morning in Sleepyside. No matter how many things went wrong, she was determined to make it there in time to see her friend off. So, it was no surprise that practically everything went wrong. The coffee maker sprang a leak, Joshie spat his breakfast in her face, she found a stain on the shirt she was going to wear… in short, if it could go wrong, it did.

Joshie had wailed as she left, but Mart told her just to go. He had taken the time the night before to talk to his sister. Honey thought he knew that for her things were different. She was fretting about how wrong the situation seemed as she pulled into the driveway, and only felt slightly relieved that Trixie’s car was still there. It would be just her luck to have missed her altogether.

She parked the car and got out, heading for the kitchen door. At her greeting, Helen Belden bade her to enter.

“She’s in her old room. Why don’t you go on up?”

“Thanks,” she replied, trying to smile.

It seemed as if her friend’s mother had taken one look at her and known that what she needed most was to see Trixie alone. Perhaps it was obvious, or perhaps Mrs. Belden just knew her that well. She ran lightly up the stairs, as she had so many times before. And Trixie was there, just like old times, rummaging around in a drawer.

“Oh, hi. I didn’t expect you this morning.” She shoved the contents back in the drawer and closed it. “Did I forget to give back something I’ve borrowed?”

“As if I’d worry about that!” She threw her arms around Trixie and hugged her. “I can’t believe this is happening. I thought we’d live close together forever.”

“And I thought there was a unicycling poacher in the Preserve,” Trixie joked, weakly. “We don’t always get these things right.”

“I’m going to miss you so much!” Honey’s words became muffled as she gave Trixie another squeeze. “I can’t believe we’re going to be so far apart. You in Kentucky and Di in Montreal and me right where I’ve been all this time.”

“You’ve got Mart,” Trixie reminded her. “And Dan’s not far away, either.”

Honey pursed her lips, holding in the thought that Jim was just as close to her as Dan.

“And we’ll keep in touch,” Trixie continued. “We can talk any time we like. And email. And I’ll come and visit at Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

“I’ll come and see you, too,” Honey promised. “Any time I can make it.”

“That would be great, Hon, but I don’t want you to go to too much trouble just for me.”

“Trixie!”

“I mean it. I know I haven’t been such a great friend lately–”

“But–”

“And you have so many better things to be doing with your time–”

“Trixie,” Honey interrupted, a warning clear in her voice. “You know that’s not true.”

Her best friend sighed. “I’ve messed everything up. I messed up Di’s visit and I messed up things between the Bob-Whites and I’ve even messed up stuff at the farm. Moms is really annoyed with me.”

Honey’s expression softened. “It’s not that bad. We all still love you and we want you to be happy.”

Trixie looked away, eyes brimming with tears. “I’m going to miss you, Honey, but I think I need to go. I need to sort out my mess before it spills over onto anyone else.”

“Well, I am going to visit you. You’re my best friend!”

Trixie smiled. “Thanks, Hon. That means a lot to me. You’re my best friend, too. And my best sister.”

“One of these days, one of your other brothers will get married.”

At that, Trixie’s smile widened. “It doesn’t matter. No matter who it is, you’ll always be my best sister.”

Honey smiled. “Imagine if Brian married Indira. Wouldn’t that be funny?”

Trixie snorted. “From what I’ve seen and heard of her, he might as well marry an alien. They’re as opposite as you can get.”

Her friend nodded. “That’s what I mean. Can you think of any couple less likely?”

“You mean, like Di and Principal Stratton?” she suggested, remembering a long-ago April Fools joke.

It was Honey’s turn to snort. “I’d forgotten all about that. You’re right; that is more unlikely.”

“And that’s not even getting into the really squicky ideas,” Trixie put in, laughing. “How about Mr. Lytell and–”

“Stop right there,” Honey interrupted. “Whatever you were going to say, I don’t want to hear, because Mr. Lytell and anyone is too squicky.”

Trixie considered for a moment. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“But I’d like Brian to find happiness with someone,” Honey added, thoughtfully, returning to her previous point. “I don’t suppose it would be with Indira… would it?”

For a few seconds, her friend hesitated. “No. Just no.”

They both burst into giggles. And for those few minutes, they were just two friends enjoying each other’s company, without the shadow of imminent separation.

Continue to part four.