The Angelic Occurrence

by Henry K. Ripplinger

  “Oh my gosh, Matti, did you say St. Mary’s church?”

  “Yes, I did. And it says right here in my notes that it be located on the corner of 13th Avenue and Winnipeg street. Besides them getting married, there is also the parish priest’s 25th anniversary going on that day, too. Since Eddy knows him, they plan to join the party in the afternoon and then the next day they are holding a small reception at a friend of Eddy’s who owns a café and art gallery.”

  The blood was draining from Jenny’s face.

  “Matti, would the name of the café be Henry’s and the art gallery, The Pederson Art Gallery?”

  “Now, Jenny, you be reading my piece of paper in front of me before I even be telling you!?”

  “Oh, Matti, I know Henry!” Jenny didn’t want to say she knew Eddy in case it was the same one that along with his friends attacked Henry and her.

  This was unbelievable!

  “I met him the summer my parents moved from Vancouver to Regina way back in 1956. We only stayed for two months before moving again to Ottawa. But Henry and I became very close that summer.”

  Something just didn’t sit right with Matti and she thought she would just say it straight out. “Now a lot has been going down for you today, Jen, but I needs to ask you and if you want to tell me it’s none of my business, go right ahead… Is Henry the father to Camilla?”

  “No, Matti, I really was raped. One night Henry and I went to a movie and as we were walking home after the show, some boys attacked us and three of them took me to the park and that’s where and when it happened. I didn’t even know it did. I fell unconscious when they dragged me out of the car and when I came to, Henry and some people found me. It’s amazing Matti, but I think my guardian angel erased the memory of that awful event from my mind. I was totally surprised to learn that I was carrying the child of one of those boys a few months later after we moved to Ottawa. I have always felt there was a reason why my angel saved me from the trauma of that night but still allowed the pregnancy to take place. I feel it has something to do with my coming back here.”

  “Back to the scene of the crime, you mean?”

  “Well, not exactly. You see, Matti, there have only been two men in my life: one was James and the other was—”

  “Henry!… Right!”

  “Right, Matti! You are just too perceptive. You see through me as easy as looking through glass. Am I that transparent?”

  “The thing is Jen, you’re always in the light. It’s easy to see where your heart is. Trouble be, most people live in the dark and that’s why many relationships be cautious, suspicious and filled with mistrust. It’s hard to see where they be at or what they up to. With you, it be the same as if I be talking to my angel.”

  “Oh, Matti…well, let’s hope our relationship is always open and honest. That’s the way I want it to be.”

  “And me too, Jen, and now that you opened that door so kindly for me, I would just love to walk right in. So, tell me all about this dream boy or should I say, this dream man, that still has a home in your heart.”

  “I know this may sound juvenile, but the morning we met in a grocery store something magical if not spiritual happened when we gazed into each others eyes. I fell instantly in love with him and so did he with me. And in the two months that followed, our love for each other just deepened. After we moved to Ottawa, Henry and I wrote to each other, but something happened to our letters… I… I don’t want to get into it, but as a result we both met other partners and got married.”

  “But the love you had for him never went away…?”

  Tears surfaced in Jenny’s eyes.

  “Yes, Matti, I really still do love him, but he’s married and here’s another big reason why I am so worried about approaching Camilla—”

  “Oh my good Lord, Jenny, this be getting better than the TV series, the Young and Restless! You’ve got me on pins and needles now. I am listening to your heart speak, not your mind, and it gives me tingles throughout my body.”

  Jenny chuckled through her tears. “I needed that, Matti. It really is an almost unbelievable story.”

  Jenny took a deep breath and then went on, “When I spoke to Stan, the father who adopted Camilla, I nearly died when he told me who Camilla married.”

  “Surely, not Henry!?”

  “No, but you’re close, Matti. She married his son, Jeremy. They already have a young son. Do you see now why I am so nervous to contact Camilla? I don’t want to get mixed up with the family for fear of what might happen again.”

  “This be an incredible story, Jen. What more is there possible to tell?”

  “Well, I told you before why J.J. hardly speaks to me, right?”

  “Besides that husband of yours taking him away you did mention that J.J. blames you for the divorce. That he saw a bookstore owner giving you a farewell kiss on the cheek and he thought you was doing something more serious with the man.”

  “That’s right, Matti. J.J. accused me of being unfaithful and breaking up our home. He would never listen to me or my side of the story. I would hate for this to happen again in the Pederson family.”

  “You mean, Henry might get interested in you again and your daughter, Camilla be like J.J. blaming you for a possible breakup between Henry and his wife?”

  “I know it all sounds so silly, Matti. Henry probably isn’t interested in me in the least anymore, but I’m just so afraid of the possibility that it paralyzes me to make a decision. I think that’s why I am putting it off to the fall. I’ve already lost my son, so it seems and now to lose a daughter would be devastating. Just telling Camilla she’s adopted will cause enough grief. I certainly don’t want to add more. In a way I now wish I didn’t know that Camilla married Henry’s son. It just makes me so nervous.”

  “Well, Jen, I now done heard everything. That is some tale. That would make one great story. People would hardly be able to put the book down. No ma’am, that be one amazing tale. For once I don’t know what to say or what to do or what to tell you.”

  “You have no idea how long and hard I struggled with the decision whether I should still come to Regina. But something inside kept urging me on and so, for better or worse, here I am and so far things are going so well.”

  “See there now, you done right, Jen. It’s good to be with your daughter and catch up on all you missed. That social welfare worker lady you keep mentioning will help you with all this. She’ll know what to do, that for sure.”

  There was a long silence. If Matti knew how her new brother-in-law, Eddy Zeigler fit into all this she would be incredibly upset, Jenny thought. Jenny wondered if it was possible that Eddy and Henry became friends over the years? There was no love between them when she had left for Ottawa.

  “My gosh, we’ve been talking for a long time. But I’m so happy to hear that you will be coming. This gives me all the more motivation to get my yard done. I already put in the paving stones in the backyard, which will lead up to a gazebo at the very back by the fence and I’ve already given the plans for the gazebo to a carpenter to study. They were the same plans that James had given the carpenters in Ottawa to build the gazebo on the estate. This will be a smaller version, of course. I have a wildflower patch planned near there and the only thing that will be missing is my Angel of Thanksgiving. I plan to write James and ask if he will send it to me. Oh, I hope and pray he does.”

  “Well, it don’t belong to him! It belongs to you. It was a gift not only from us, but the way I understand it, it was even commissioned by your papa before he died. Wasn’t that so?”

  “That’s exactly right, Matti. But how it came to me by way of Thomas and the rest of you is incredible.”

  “It seems to me that everything surrounding you is unbelievable. All that has happened to you, and still you remain so calm and peaceful.”

  “Oh, I hope I can attract the Monarchs this spring. I had
a landscape gardener look for some milkweed plants to put in the backyard before the winter came last fall, but he couldn’t find any. He did manage to plant some mature Lilac trees though in front and back of the house. I just don’t want to wait years for things to grow. If I spend a little more on mature plants, trees and flowers I can start enjoying them all right away. I can hardly wait for June when the Lilacs bloom…I love the fragrance so much.”

  “So what will attract the Monarchs then if your gardener couldn’t get any milkweed plants? Have you some other flowers that will attract them?”

  “Matti, you’re not going to believe this, but I found some a week ago when I went to the nursery at the south end of Regina. It’s a good thing I recognized them as they were identified by their Latin name. Funny thing though, the lady that served me said that I must have some kind of a double as she sold several milkweed plants to a younger lady a year ago who also loved butterflies and wanted to attract them. And what she said next sort of took me back…”

  “What did she say?”

  “She said, the woman was as beautiful as a wildflower! It was kinda eerie as I always thought of Camilla as being my wildflower…”

  “Yes, you be saying many times that little child of yours be a wildflower…now, ain’t that something?”

  After a brief silence, Jenny shrugged and continued, Oh Matti, I am so glad spring is here. By fall or sooner everything will be done. It will look like a miniature Greystone Manor Estate garden!”

  “Oh yes, Jen, I’m sure it will be all of that and more. Thomas said many times, your knack for gardening is just as good as his. And tell me, did all your lovely antique furniture fit into your new home?”

  “Perfectly, Matti. It almost seems as if the home were especially made for every single piece. The dining room is even big enough for the tea wagon and wait until you see the bedroom. The writing desk fits so nice by the bay window and the two Victorian chairs fit into the corner as if they were made for that space. I’m so glad I bought the antique bedroom set three years ago. James would never have allowed it had he lived at home. Amazingly, James never even saw the set in all that time.”

  And before Matti could get a word in edge wise, Jenny rambled on, “Everything is just fitting so well here. I’ve even met one of my neighbours next door. She’s very nice, and after learning of my love of art, she suggested I volunteer at the MacKenzie Art Gallery, so that’s what I did. I have already made several friends there, and Matti, the driving here is nothing compared to Ottawa! I’m downtown in ten minutes or less, five minutes to the public gallery and there are two shopping malls in the south end that are so easy and quick to get to as well! The only downside to this move that I can see is the winter driving, especially when it melts and freezes, but it was like that in Ottawa at times, too. All in all, Matti, I am so glad I moved!”

  “I be so happy for you, Jen! I just can see your sparkling blue eyes, filled with the Lord’s blessings, shine even more brightly if that’s at all possible. Like I said, I never did know anyone who can be happy and content in most, if not all situations. You truly be an earthly angel.”

  “Oh, my friend Tammy used to think that too, Matti. But the truth is we all are, and if not, we’re supposed to be. The purpose of angels is not only to protect us, but to help us shine and bring us closer to Jesus and each other.”

  “See, just the way you talk and think Jen, be such an example to me. I am one to get fired up quick when things don’t sit right with me.”

  “You still can, Matti, as long as it doesn’t control you. You must always be the boss of your mind because if you’re not, feelings can get stirred up very quickly causing us to say and do things we may regret. At times we can get upset so much that we are in a state of turmoil sometimes for days on end.”

  “I think you and Thomas would make a good pair. He be thinking that way all the time, too. “Take it easy, Matti,” he say time and again. “You are in control of how you feel. You don’t have to allow circumstances and the weaknesses or shortcomings of others to control you.” It makes sense, just it be so difficult for me to put into action, but I keep trying.”

  “When that happens to me, Matti, I discuss things over with my guardian angel and tell her to put thoughts into my mind right away that will bring healing and love into what’s troubling me.”

  “Now you see, that be what Thomas says. Or he asks, ‘how would Jesus want me to react or look for the good in others so as to diffuse the situation and remain in peace?”

  “At times it’s difficult, but it can be done. It’s a moment to moment choice we make. We can allow ourselves to get upset or choose to remain calm and at peace. Otherwise not only is the situation upsetting, but our thoughts about it can prolong the upset for hours if not days. If we are diligent and think carefully before we speak or react and ask for strength from above or from our angel it can be done.”

  “And you be a living example of that! Just being your friend has helped me reassess the way I look at things and helps me to break out of my bad habits. You be one of my greatest blessings. You be a beacon, Jen, like a lighthouse full of light to guide those around you just like a lighthouse be guiding a ship in the dark and going through stormy waters.”

  “Oh, Mattie, that’s a good way to describe it and so kind of you to say. And before you go, would you please try to get J.J. and Nora’s phone number for me? I would like to give them a call and wish them well.”

  “For sure, Jen. I’ll get the number and call you back real quick.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Jeremy stood at the kitchen window and gazed out to the backyard at Camilla sitting in her new gazebo. It was finished just in time for her birthday!

  Neither he nor Camilla could believe that the carpenter had the exact plans of the gazebo that Camilla had seen in her dreams. No sooner had she started to describe the gazebo she wanted built than the carpenter went to his truck and brought back a set of plans that another lady across the city wanted built that summer as well. It was amazing!

  Jeremy studied Camilla more closely. She was writing in her journal when he noticed her chest heaving; she was crying. Jeremy went outside and made his way over to his wife and sat down beside her. He put his arm around Camilla and softly asked, “What’s troubling you, honey? It’s your birthday, shouldn’t you be happy?”

  Camilla couldn’t answer and sobbed all the more. She opened the journal she was writing in and showed it to her husband. He lowered his eyes and read:

  May, 24, 1987

  Today is my 30th birthday and I don’t know who I belong to!

  “What do you mean you don’t know who you belong to…?”

  “Oh Jeremy, this may sound so silly, but for as long as I can remember, I have always felt that my Mom and Dad were not really my parents.”

  “Oh, Camilla, what on earth got you thinking that? I met your parents and they love you to bits. I have to admit there’s not much of a family resemblance, but Stan and Valerie were your mom and dad. They would have told you if they weren’t.?

  “Not necessarily. Two years ago when I took the job at the Balfour Tutorial School for unwed mothers I counseled a girl who had similar feelings to mine. She said for as long as she could remember she felt that she was adopted and sure enough, when she was eighteen, she found out through her aunt that she was! She was so upset with her adoptive parents for not being truthful with her. I spent months trying to help her understand her adoptive parent’s position and the many reasons why they withheld that from her.”

  “Why on earth would you feel that you’re adopted, Camilla?”

  “Well, for one thing, just as you just said, my appearance is so drastically different from them and… I guess it is just a feeling that I have that I can’t explain. But it was when Dad died that I really got to thinking. I never told you this, but when we were in Victoria, the day before the funeral, a lady pho
ned and asked for Dad. I told her Dad had passed away. She identified herself as Mrs. Hamilton. When I asked her what it was about she said under the circumstances it didn’t matter any more.”

  Jeremy looked at his troubled wife, “So?”

  “Oh Jeremy, I had the strangest feeling that I knew that woman all of my life. There seemed to be an energy or connection between us that is hard to explain. It was almost spiritual and I can’t seem to shake it from my mind. And what is even more, after I spoke with her and hung up I noticed a name on the pad of paper that my Dad had written down…”

  Camilla opened her journal and took out a small piece of paper that was hidden between two pages and showed it to Jeremy. Once again he lowered his eyes and read:

  “Does it look like it reads Camilla mother or Camilla’s mother?”

  “It’s hard to tell the way your dad put a double circle around your name. But that doesn’t mean that this woman is your mother if that’s what you’re getting at.”

  Jeremy gazed at his wife and studied her long and hard, “Is that what you think, Camilla, that Marjorie Hamilton is your mother?”

  “I don’t know, Jeremy… I feel so guilty for thinking that my Mom and Dad aren’t my real parents, but I can’t help it…”

  Camilla broke down again and began sobbing. And before Jeremiah could offer some comforting words, Camilla blurted out between sobs, “And I think the girl that I remind your Dad of is connected to this somehow, too!”

  “Camilla, now that’s silly. How could this be possibly connected to some girlfriend that Dad had when he was fifteen? Why that was…30 years ago…”

  “See, exactly my age…and, and the girl moved to Ottawa. Don’t you see, Jeremy? And remember what your grandmother said, that the girl moved away just two weeks after school started and your dad never heard from her again.”

  “Look, Camilla. I know my Dad and the way he’s raised us. He would never have sex before he got married and for you to jump to some conclusion that his girlfriend is connected to this Marjorie Hamilton and that…that Dad made her pregnant before she left for Ottawa is absolutely preposterous!”