by C J Murphy
Noeul spoke so softly, she could barely hear it herself. “Diver Jon’s.”
“Yes. My family never accompanied me on the other adventures. I found out Acadia has decent wheelchair accessibility on several trails and adventures, so I brought them along. My sister has spina bifida and is confined to a wheelchair because of her condition. We chose the boat adventure, because the owner figured out a way to make it accessible for…”
“His son, Jon Jr.” Noeul covered her mouth as her voice broke.
Jordan got up from her chair and knelt beside Noeul. She held her hand out, and Noeul clasped it in her own. She was silent, not allowing Jordan to say anything else for a few minutes while she tried to collect herself.
Jordan put a finger under Noeul’s chin and lifted it until they were eye to eye. “I don’t understand it all. I know that some force has been leading me to you. I think we are meant to solve this grafting problem together. Even the fact that we’re here right now is a miracle. I wasn’t originally supposed to give that presentation. Henry broke both legs skiing. I know you’ve met that man. What in the hell was he doing skiing? I happened to be back at Cornell to check on a mutual friend, Max Keller, after he fell. I was headed to Harpers Ferry, looking for the next clue to find you. Elle overheard me and asked me to do this as a personal favor to her. I need you to find it within you to trust that I mean you no harm. I’m sorry that I had to invade your privacy, that I disturbed those memorials. I promise I put them back exactly as you placed them and ensured they were water tight. If you have a better explanation for all this, I’m all ears.”
Noeul’s mind was spinning. She felt sick. The only stabilizing force was Jordan’s hand in hers. What in God’s name does this all mean? This couldn’t be clocked up to coincidence. The odds were astronomical. After Aggie’s death, her life had been upended and completely off the tracks. Completing their ‘bucket list’ was her way to heal and pay tribute to the woman she’d loved for so long. She’d revisited the places they’d been together and ventured to the places they’d never gotten to. I know I didn’t put those clues in with her ashes. I know I didn’t.
“Jordan, I think I need a strong drink. How about we walk down to the pub at the corner? I need a shot of Irish whiskey.”
Jordan offered a small smile. “My sister has told me, more than once, I’ve driven her to drink. I think I can accommodate you. Can you stand?”
Noeul nodded and allowed Jordan to help her to her feet. She needed to calm her nerves and process all this. Right now, she felt like she was on overload. She needed to put her analytical mind to work. Mentally, she started columns in her mind, filling in the data from all Jordan had told her.
As they walked to the pub, a million thoughts bombarded her. Jordan was quiet, seemingly content to let her process everything and ready to answer questions when asked. Noeul didn’t say anything, as she watched Jordan throw away the now cold lunch. They entered the bar and headed outside to the small tables. After they were seated, Jordan asked her what she’d like.
“Bushmills if they’ve got it. Three fingers, neat.”
“A woman after my own heart. Coming right up.” Jordan went back inside to order their drinks.
Noeul’s mind spun. The feeling reminded her of being a child on the swings and twisting the chains together tightly, then picking up her feet to spin as the chains unwound. At the end, the forceful jerk always brought her to a dizzied stop. Years of research and I can’t even begin to analyze this with any solid footing. What the hell am I supposed to do with this?
After a few minutes, Jordan returned with two glasses, placing one down in front of Noeul and holding her own as she sat. “Seek and ye shall find. This quest has been a winding path to find you.” Jordan clinked their glasses.
Words floated through Noeul’s memory, as she took her first sip. The smooth, amber liquid burned away disbelief as it slid down her throat. A dozen phrases bounced around in front of her eyes, words appearing as if written by an invisible hand. Words that she’d recently heard in different conversations and dreams.
Seeker…Seek.
Words hovered, quick and blurred, like a hummingbird’s wings. Phrases drifted in and out of her vision.
…A seeker’s heart is destined to find you.
…A seeker will appear.
…The rider is your future and she walks your path.
…Her journey brings her closer to what she seeks.
…You are part of her quest.
…The seeker draws close.
…The distance between you seems like a giant leap. In reality, it’s a single step.
Noeul gripped the glass so tightly, her knuckles were turning white. She brought it to her lips, nearly spilling with her shaky hands. Jordan reached out to calm her as she downed a third of the whiskey.
“Oh…my…God…” Noeul whispered.
***
Jordan watched the fear and confusion cross Noeul’s face. She knew it was a lot to take in and make sense of. She looked away, trying to give Noeul time to collect herself. The day was warm, and Jordan pulled at her shirt, trying to release the heat that had built up under the collar of her button-down.
Part of her wanted to ask about Noeul’s distress, to confirm she was okay. The other part knew that what Noeul needed, more than anything, was time. She used the silence to process a few things of her own. Noeul said she didn’t put the clue sheets in with the memorials. If that’s true, how did they get in there? Did Noeul accidently include them? Somehow, she doubted the woman would have forgotten that detail. Had someone else found the memorials before her and placed them in there? That didn’t make sense either. Why would anyone do that? Besides, at least two of the memorials required an escort to get to them. There was no logical explanation, and yet she’d taken a picture of the first one and had Sarah’s video of another. She slowly sipped her drink while sneaking glances to check on Noeul. She looked up as Noeul spoke.
“I don’t understand this, Jordan.”
“Well, that makes two of us. I’m willing to try and find the explanation if you are.”
“I know I didn’t put those clues in Aggie’s memorials. I have every one of them she wrote in a keepsake box at my home. I didn’t make any copies, and I deciphered the codes before I ever set out. I had pictures on my phone for convenience while I was traveling. Jordan, I can say with surety that I did not put those in there.”
Jordan paused and swirled the liquor in her glass before taking a sip. The liquor was certainly calming her nerves. Unfortunately, on an empty stomach, it was going straight to her head. The buzz wasn’t unpleasant at all, but it was distracting at a time when she needed all her faculties. “Noeul, I’m going to go order us some food. I know you might not be hungry. I still want you to try. I don’t know what you had for breakfast. I’ve only had a muffin and the apple I almost choked to death on.” She grinned and finished the rest of her drink. “I’m going to have another drink. I’m not done numbing my frazzled nerves yet.”
“You don’t have to do that, we’ve already thrown one lunch away.”
Jordan smiled at her and pointed to her glass. “How about this? I’ll let you get the next round to make it up to me. I’ll be right back.”
The waiter stood near the bar, so she placed an order for them of burgers and fries. Jordan watched Noeul from a distance, the confusion on her face so evident it made Jordan take pause with what she was doing. Maybe this was a terrible idea. I asked her to give me the afternoon to explain, and she has. If she walks away, I’ll have to live with it.
Jordan walked back to the table and sat down. The urge to say something was creating continual pressure in her chest. She actually coughed and pounded on it with her fist, as if to expel the compulsion from her body. Noeul sat in front of her, staring blankly into her drink. When she raised her eyes to Jordan’s, those eyes didn’t seem any clearer.
“I’m at a loss here, Jordan.” Noeul put her hands up to her face and rubbed her eyes,
shifting nervously in her seat. “I’ve had some strange things going on of late. Things I can’t explain. For the last month or so, I’ve been having conversations with Aggie.”
Jordan’s eyes widened.
Noeul shrugged. “I know what you’re thinking, and yes, I’m fully aware that Aggie has been gone for years.”
“I’m not doubting you. After what I’ve seen and experienced on this journey, nothing surprises me. Noeul, something has been leading me to you. Something I can’t explain no matter how many ways I look at it. There’s no logical explanation for those clues, no logical reason for the coincidences that have presented themselves to me. I am sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I’ve been destined to find you since the very beginning of this. I’m not trying to invade your life. I have a goal to eradicate hunger, if I can. I believe I have the superfood to accomplish that. Unfortunately, it’s not hardy enough to survive where I need it to, in places that have little to no rainfall. I’m missing something, and everything tells me what I’m missing…is you.”
Noeul didn’t reply. The waiter placed their lunch on the table. They ate in silence, not speaking again until they’d consumed at least half their burgers.
“Talk to me, Noeul.”
Jordan watched, as the pale woman signaled for the waiter to bring two more drinks. She slid the glass she had back and forth with the thumb and middle finger of her right hand.
“I’m trying to put this all into some kind of logical scenario. It’s like looking at Salvador Dali’s The Apotheosis of Homer. Your mind can’t settle on any one thing in the painting, your eye is constantly drawn to something different. Just as you start to settle on the broken bits of Homer, Pegasus catches your eye. Suddenly, you’re drawn to Gala. You can never settle, never analyze any one piece.”
“Like walking through a carnival funhouse.”
Noeul threw her head back and laughed, and Jordan watched some of the tension melt out of the woman right in front of her.
“Yeah, something like that. It’s all distorted and disjointed, out of place and context.”
Jordan wiped her mouth with the cloth napkin and relaxed back into her chair. “Will you let me help you try and work through it?”
“To be honest, Jordan, I don’t think I have a choice.” Noeul closed her eyes and shook her head side to side. “I’ve been listening to my dead wife tell me my future is about to change, that a seeker who walks my path is about to appear. I can name a dozen different phrases you’ve used or that I’ve heard in the last three hours that I’ve dreamed about, had conversations about, and can’t seem to get the hell away from. Personally, if you’re not a figment of my imagination, I have to believe you’ve been sent here by the only person in my life who has ever talked to me from beyond the grave.”
Jordan wasn’t sure how to respond to all Noeul had said. She closed her own eyes and tried to clear her mind, to allow any help from places unseen to guide her as to how to proceed. If only she’d hear the voice, a whistle, anything to try and ease Noeul’s distress.
“Noeul, I don’t have all the answers. I promise, I’m not a figment of your imagination. I’m very real and well…I need your help. It must be your decision. All I can say is that everything in the marrow of my bones is telling me you are the key.”
***
The waiter set down another glass of Bushmills and took their empties and the plates. Noeul looked up to the young man. “Thank you.”
He smiled. “Do you need anything else right now?”
Noeul shook her head and pulled her eyes back to Jordan. Her brain was spinning. Aggie, I need a sign. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.
Beside them, a woman began furiously digging through her purse. Faint music drifted up from the duffle-bag-sized catchall. The refrain was soft at first, growing in volume as the woman brought out her phone and fumbled with the case around it. The woman swiped at the screen over and over with her finger, unable to answer the call or silence her phone. Noeul heard the entire chorus.
Noeul threw back her head and laughed so loud, all the diners around them turned their heads to her. The attention had no effect on her laughter. She looked at Jordan who seemed alarmed. “Jordan, I’m fine. Aggie has her own way of driving home a point.”
Jordan’s eyes grew as wide as saucers. “She spoke to you just now?”
Noeul was nearly hiccupping from the boisterous laughter. “Not in the way you think, although it wouldn’t be the first time. I asked her for a sign.” She nodded to the table where the phone sat on the tabletop, now silent. “In one of our conversations,” Noeul made air quotes with her fingers, “Aggie recited the lyrics to a song.” Noeul discretely pointed at the table across from them. “That song, 'Turn, Turn, Turn' by the Byrds. Aggie even added a few lines of a time to this and a time to that.” Noeul picked up her drink and sipped. “I asked for a sign, and she gave me one. Something I could understand. The fact that the owner of the phone couldn’t get it to shut off clearly tells me Aggie’s hitting me over the head with a sledgehammer, while wearing a set of velvet gloves.”
Jordan sipped her own drink. “You’re kidding.”
“I couldn’t make that up if I tried.”
They sat there for a while with their drinks. Twenty minutes later, they paid and began to make their way back to Noeul’s bed and breakfast. They walked slowly. Noeul could feel the pleasant stupor from the liquor. She needed to sleep. Jordan’s tension was palpable to her. They hadn’t discussed where they went from here. Noeul needed to sleep on it and try to process it all somehow. The streets were still busy with people walking in and out of shops. She peered into them as they passed, watching the shoppers peruse the merchandise and make purchases. It was a pleasant evening.
“What are you going to do now, Jordan?”
“Well, I’d say a great deal of that answer depends on you. If you agree to help me, we work out a plan on how to proceed.”
Noeul wrapped her arms around herself. “And if I decide not to?”
Jordan put her hands in her back pockets and kicked at a pebble in front of her with the side of her shoe. They’d reached the entrance to Noeul’s stop. “Well, if that’s your decision, I guess I go pick up my dog and we stay the night. After that, I’ll head back to Cornell. I took the sabbatical to find you. I’ve accomplished that. If you choose not to help me, I’ll go back to teaching and researching on my own until I figure out a way to accomplish my goals. I’ll help Sam take care of Max and, at some point in the future, I’ll be walking my sister down the aisle to marry her fiancé, Sarah. Beyond that, I don’t have any plans.”
“How are Sam and Max?”
Jordan sighed. “Sam still has the restaurant. Unfortunately, Max has developed signs of dementia.”
Noeul reached out and rested a hand on Jordan’s forearm. The look on Jordan’s face told her Sam and Max meant a great deal to her. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I appreciate that. We’ve been doing all we can to hold it at bay.”
Noeul crossed her arms. “Other than those two, no one special waiting on you back at Cornell?”
Jordan sighed. “Uh no. I haven’t been very lucky in that regard. This morning, you talked to one of the few girlfriends I’ve ever had. I spent last evening with Kallie, her wife Paula, and their two great kids. I’m married to my research, Noeul. I’m well aware that it can disappoint me. The other side to that is it won’t rip my heart out. What about you?”
“I’ve had opportunity. I’ve never pursued anything so, no. There is no one special in my life. I have two best friends that run a cabin business. I grow vegetables, make goat cheese, sell soap and lotion at the farmers’ market, and enjoy a quiet life with a dog and a one-eyed cat.”
Jordan ran her hands through her hair. “Aren’t we a pair?”
Noeul wrapped her arms around her chest. “I don’t know, Jordan. I don’t know. Let me sleep on this, and we’ll figure something out tomorrow.”
***
After leaving Noeul with her cellphone number, email address, and other pertinent contact information, Jordan went back and sat in her Jeep to wait. She’d turned down Noeul’s offer to find her a room, using Bandit as an excuse. There was nothing more she could do right then to convince Noeul to work on the research with her. If she decided to help, Noeul had all the necessary information to contact her.
As Jordan put the seat back in the Jeep and closed her eyes, she thought about the striking woman that she’d spent the evening with. Jordan knew how old Noeul was. Nothing she could see disclosed Noeul’s age other than a few stray streaks of silver in her long, black hair. Jordan shook her head and let that thought settle to the bottom of all the things she had on her mind.
Twenty minutes flew by, and soon she heard a vehicle pull up beside her. Jordan sat up and looked out her window to an eye roll and a wave from Kallie. Jordan got out of her vehicle and slid into the passenger side of the Dodge Ram club cab. As she was buckling her seatbelt, Jordan started to laugh.
Kallie furrowed her brow at Jordan. “What?”
“The days when you used to pick me up certainly have changed. Bye-bye Corvette convertible, hello diesel monster truck.”
