Sacred Ground

by Adrienne Ellis Reeves

  Her mother looked at her fondly. “They talk about the terrible twos but with you it was when you were eight. You wanted to know the reason for everything!”

  Makima set the box aside. “I’m so glad to find this. I’ll take it home with me. It gives me something to remember Mr. Zeke by.”

  Alana took Makima home to her own apartment after dinner and helped her wash her hair. Assured that Makima was well enough to go to the center the next day, she called their mother and told her not to worry.

  It took Makima some time to dress the next morning. She’d lost weight and it was hard to find an outfit that made the statement she desired. She decided on a jacket and pants she’d bought because the color reminded her of a field of poppies. A white silk blouse and suede slides the color of the suit completed the look she wanted. She had to put on a little more makeup than usual as she was still pale. She put silver hoops in her ears, gave her hair a final brush and left for work.

  She walked into the staff meeting with her head held high, a little late as she’d intended to be.

  “Makima! How good it is to see you again,” Dr. Cook said, rising from his chair. “Are you sure you’re well enough to come back to work?” He seated her in the chair next to him.

  “I’m much better now,” she assured him. She looked around the table, smiled at Eugenia and Jimmy, who both said they’d missed her. She took a deep breath and looked at Gabe.

  “Good to have you back, Makima,” he said as his eyes slid right over her.

  Gabe couldn’t trust himself to look into her eyes directly. He’d never been so deeply hurt in his life. Even when he’d broken up with Olivia it hadn’t made him feel like this. He’d had time in this week when Makima had broken off communication with him to analyze the difference in how he felt about the two women.

  He and Olivia had socialized in the same group. She was pretty, fun to be with, good to talk to and let him know she found him attractive. Over a period of months their friendship became deeper and eventually they spent most of their social time exclusively with each other. They were at a marriageable age and Gabe decided to ask her to marry him. Fortunately before he did, Webster had told him about the affair she was having with a guy in New Jersey.

  His pride was hurt. Close friends commiserated with him and said how lucky he was. He agreed and Olivia faded out of his life.

  With Makima, the first time he’d seen her in the restaurant, an awareness had been established which even the subsequent spilling of salad hadn’t been able to dim. The awareness had become a connection.

  They’d both felt it and it had held when he’d refused to give her land for the clinic and when Alana had pursued him. It had held despite the different way they looked at religion. It had held and grown stronger until they could no longer deny it.

  He’d invested so much more in their relationship than before with Olivia. Thinking of it now, he realized he had grown in maturity since Olivia. Being left with Drew had helped in that process and he was thankful.

  “Gabe,” Dr. Cook said, “have you any ideas about the major fund-raisers for next year?”

  “Yes, I have.” He opened his notebook and began to talk. He wondered if his name had been called twice, because Jimmy and Eugenia were looking at him sideways.

  He ignored Makima completely and when the meeting was over was the first to leave the room. If it caused speculation, he didn’t care. There was too much emotion boiling up in him to be near her.

  Last night he’d wondered what he’d do the next time he saw her. Now he knew. He’d stay as far away from her as he could.

  Makima settled in her office chair with a sigh of relief. The worst was over. She’d survived seeing Gabe. He’d not met her eyes but that was fine. She hadn’t wanted him to. She hadn’t wanted to deal with any negative feelings or outbursts from him. She was strong; actually, she was tough from having to work with the clinic project. So she could deal with Gabe if she had to, but she’d rather avoid it.

  There was a knock on the door and immediately she felt a lump in her throat.

  “Come in,” she said and was so glad to see that it was Lawrence. She gave him a big smile.

  “Makima!” he said as he came over to grasp her hand. “How are you feeling? You’ve had a rough week.”

  “I thought the flu would never go away but I’m much better now,” she said.

  “I figured the work has probably piled up since you’ve been gone.” He looked around. “Got anything I can do?”

  “The thank-you letters to the volunteers and to people who donated items for the fund-raiser still need to go out. You might start on them.”

  “That fund-raiser was phenomenal, wasn’t it? I’ve never seen such a successful one.”

  “It did go well.”

  “You had it so well organized, even what to do if it rained. I was helping some guys to bring the tables in from outside. They were laughing about a supposedly haunted house they’d been to last week. Seems they went there on a dare. One of them said that Gabe’s trees are haunted and that’s why the fence is so high and has barbed wire on it.” He looked at her guilelessly. “You ever heard that?”

  She glanced up and noticed that no matter the expression on his face, his eyes were always watchful. Maybe that’s why she’d told Alana there was something about him that didn’t sit right with her.

  Suspicious now, she said, “I think that’s nonsense. People make a lot of things up out of ignorance,” and went back to work.

  Gabe had been sitting at his desk for half an hour going over the same figures without being aware of what he was doing. He suddenly got away from his desk and began pacing. He wished he had a window so he could stand at it until it was time to go home.

  He couldn’t get any work done. There was nothing in his mind except Makima. How did she dare to come back and say nothing to him? She at least owed him an apology.

  Unable to contain himself any longer, Gabe caught up the notebook he’d taken to the staff meeting and hardly knowing what he was doing, swirled out his door and walked down the hall to Makima’s office.

  He knocked once on the door and before she could answer he stepped inside.

  There at a side table sat Lawrence, who looked at Gabe speculatively.

  “Could you leave us for a while, Lawrence?” The authority in Gabe’s voice made Lawrence get up immediately without checking with Makima and walk out.

  Gabe made sure the door was tightly closed, then he turned his burning gaze on Makima, who was rigid in her chair, watching his every move.

  He pulled up a chair and placed it opposite her so they were eye to eye.

  “I told myself to stay away from you, Makima, but I have to know, why did you refuse my calls?”

  “I was sick with the flu,” she said expressionlessly.

  “Don’t play with me. You weren’t sick the whole week. Why did you refuse my calls?”

  “You really want to know?” A little color came into her face and she stiffened.

  “I’ve asked you twice,” he said grimly.

  “I was angry with you.”

  “Angry with me?” He was incredulous. “What did I do?”

  She leaned across the desk. “If you’d let us have some of Mr. Zeke’s land like he promised me, we wouldn’t have had to get involved with Dakers and Sons.”

  Gabe looked at her in astonishment. “I told you why that wasn’t possible. I explained Great-Grandfather’s will to you, Makima. You said you understood and thanked me for taking you into my confidence. Or do you want to forget that bit of truth?”

  Makima’s mouth took on a mutinous curl and her eyes were blazing. “You could have negotiated something if you’d really wanted to,” she insisted.

  “I can’t believe I’m hearing this.” Gabe got up and paced a few steps away then came back and put his hands on her desk.

  “You’re trying to make me the reason your clinic money has disappeared when I’m the one who tried to find out what happene
d to it.”

  “I didn’t know you were going to do that.” She spit out the words. “Then you had to include Calvin and Alana when you told me. It’s a wonder you didn’t sell tickets so everyone could see my humiliation,” she said bitterly.

  Gabe looked at her as if he hadn’t seen her before. Who was this woman making such ridiculous statements? She’d gone from pale to flushed cheeks, her lips were stretched thin and her eyes were angry. She wasn’t making any sense. Maybe the flu had stolen her reasoning ability.

  “What’s happened to you, Makima?” he said. “You’re not being logical.”

  “Where is logic when what you did made us lose the money and betray the trust of people who sacrificed to give us their dollars when that money was needed for their children?”

  “You want to talk about betrayal? How about when I took you to the praise house that no one else has seen except Drew and Calvin, and I asked you to keep it in confidence. ‘You can trust me, Gabe,’ you said. What happened to that trust?” Gabe asked through his teeth, his eyes locked with hers as they faced each other across the desk.

  “What you did—”

  “Don’t…you…say…that…one…more…time,” he interrupted, spacing his words in the authoritative tone he’d used with Lawrence. “All I did was try to be your friend. What you and the board did was your decision. I had no part in it and I refuse to accept the blame you keep trying to put on me.”

  He straightened and gave her a final look compounded of despair, weariness and pity. “You are suffering from delusions, Makima, and I’m sorry for you,” he said.

  He turned away, opened the door and left the room.

  Chapter 31

  “Calvin?” Gabe called when he got home.

  “Up here in the office.”

  Gabe found him sitting in a chair with his computer on his lap instead of on the desk.

  “Is that comfortable?” Gabe could never get his laptop to work fast for him except on a hard, level surface, but his legs were longer than Calvin’s. And thinner. Maybe that made the difference.

  “This is my favorite way to work when I’m beginning a new book,” Calvin said.

  “A new one? That’s great, Calvin. Is it laid in the South?”

  “Of course,” Calvin said, but Gabe had been around his writer friend enough to sense the excitement under his surface calm. Gabe also knew that when and if Calvin wanted to tell Gabe more, he would do so. Until then the subject was banned except for superficial comments.

  “I was going to ask if you wanted to walk in the forest. I want to see what’s beyond the praise house and thought I’d spend the rest of the afternoon exploring.”

  Calvin looked at him thoughtfully. “I’ll go another time, Gabe. You look like you need the forest to yourself today. I’ll see you when you get back.” His fingers began to move on the computer and Gabe left the room.

  A few minutes later he had begun his walk. The day was warm and sunny. Patches of flowers whose names he didn’t know were springing up around trees. Grasses were growing tall and he could hear little creatures scrambling through the bushes as he walked along. He carried a long stick and occasionally swished vegetation out of the way. When he came to the pond which had been such a surprise to him, he detoured to it and stood for a while watching the turtles sunning themselves.

  He was so still that a doe came to drink from the pool. She looked at him with her big, brown eyes. He scarcely breathed. She dropped her head, drank again and was gone with a graceful leap. The last he saw of her was the flick of her white tail.

  He came to the area where the praise house was hidden and kept walking. He might stop in on the way back. What he craved now was the beauty of nature spread out all around him. He needed its healing properties to restore calm to his wounded spirit.

  The forest was large. Ms. Frye had said something that he’d translated into fifteen acres. That wasn’t much for people who had huge tree plantations, but it seemed large to him. If he came into his full inheritance, he’d have the house, one hundred thousand dollars and this forest.

  The sale of all these trees would bring in a sizable income and he could move back to New York with a healthy nest egg for his and Drew’s future.

  He looked around as he walked, trying to picture how this would look with all the trees gone. With the trees sold for lumber, he’d still own all the land. How ironic that would be!

  There’d be land enough for more clinics than Makima could ever build and more church classrooms than Reverend Givhan would know what to do with, not to mention whatever else the townspeople would find themselves suddenly wanting. The one thing he’d build himself would be a state-of-the-art community center and name it for his great-grandparents. The Sarah and Ezekiel Bell Community Center. He felt a little tingle just saying the names.

  Children for generations to come would benefit from it. He’d establish a foundation to keep it up to date. He and Drew wouldn’t be able to see it all of the time but they could visit Grayson as needed.

  Drew talked about being on the swim team next year. He was doing so well here. It would be a shame to take him away, but Gabe couldn’t leave him here by himself. They were family, closely bonded and necessary to each other. Nothing would make Gabe abandon him. Other people Gabe knew could abandon people they were supposed to care deeply for. They could betray trust, but not Gabe. It would be hard on Drew at first, but he’d make new friends at home and visits could always be arranged between here and New York.

  A snake slithered through the leaves, startling him, and before he knew it he’d used his stick to slash out at it.

  He wouldn’t talk to Drew yet. First, he hadn’t discovered the treasured destiny he came to find and he wasn’t going to let Great-Grandfather down. In fact, this evening he needed to call Moultrie and see what else was required. Having found the praise house, his intuition told him he was nearing the end. He’d get on to that. It would help take his mind off Makima.

  Once the will specifics had been cleared up, he was returning to New York. He could not stay here so close to Makima. It hurt his heart unbearably.

  A glance at his watch told him he’d been walking two hours. It was time to start back, but he just stood, looking all around him and at the tops of the tall trees. The forest was majestic and moving; it was a living entity providing life to all the forest creatures and many benefits to man as well.

  Ms. Frye had told him about private owners who subscribed to the sustainable-forestry initiative which worked on the principle of meeting the need for wood products now, while ensuring healthy forests for the future. That’s what he would have done had he decided to stay.

  Too bad, he thought. Life goes on from day to day and unexpected changes occur to which one has to adjust.

  On the way home he focused his thoughts on the beauty of the trees, the birdsong he heard, the rabbits he saw and the way the warm breeze felt. He kept his mind away from Makima.

  Calvin was waiting for him on the bench. “I see the walk gave you some peace of mind,” he said.

  “It’s much larger than I realized. When you get stuck for an idea it’s a good place to go.”

  “Does it beat walking in Central Park?”

  “It does if you want absolute solitude.” It was on his mind to mention the conclusion he’d come to in the forest, but something told him to wait. He needed to get closer to the end and in all fairness, he should discuss the future with Drew before he spoke to Calvin.

  After dinner, he called Mr. Moultrie.

  “I need to know what remains to be found. I have two scrolls, key number one and the praise house.”

  “There’s one more item to be uncovered and key number two. That’s all. Remember that intellect alone isn’t necessarily the answer.”

  Did that mean another meditation on the bench? he pondered. Maybe another time. He had no appetite for it now.

  At work the next day he made it his business to stay in his office and catch up on his work. He sa
id goodbye to Eugenia as he left because she was in the hall. Friday was the same.

  Saturday, Drew held a barbecue for sixteen of his friends. Gabe helped with all of the preparations then left the yard to Drew as host. He spent a lot of time upstairs, overseeing activities so he could respond at once if needed.

  He was especially concerned about the grill, but Drew handled it like a pro. He called upstairs to invite Gabe and Calvin to come down and eat. A softball game followed, then another round of food. Gabe was eating a well-grilled hot dog when Arnold, a boy about Drew’s size, came over to him.

  “Can I go through the locked gate, Mr. Bell?” he asked.

  “Did you want something there?” He’d had an understanding with Drew that no one was to go into the field.

  “I just wanted to see in there.”

  “You can look through the fence and see there’s only grass, flowers and shrubs,” Gabe said pleasantly.

  “Then why do you keep it locked?” Arnold asked.

  “Because it’s private,” Gabe said.

  “Hey, Arnold, come on,” another boy yelled.

  “Was that as innocent as it seemed?” Calvin asked.

  “I’m not sure. I was expecting someone to try to get into the trees. That was so straightforward, it probably was innocent.”

  Jeff, Angela and Penny stayed to help Drew clean up then Jeff drove the girls home after they all planned to meet at church the next day.

  “That was so cool, Gabe. Thanks for letting me have it.” Drew was beside himself with excitement later when they gathered in the kitchen.

  “That was your first big party. What’d you think of it?” Calvin asked as they sat around the table drinking chocolate shakes.

  “It couldn’t have been better. I got to invite the kids I really like and we all had fun. No fights, no drinking. The two of you were on hand if there was any trouble but there wasn’t.” He looked at Gabe. “Did you know that the parents here keep a list of the houses where their kids can go and be safe?”

  “No, but it’s a pretty good idea. You’re big as a man but I still wouldn’t want you to go to a party where fights and drinking go on.”