Changing Seasons

by Christine Sterling

  Chelsea came over to her and grabbed one of Lacy Lou’s hands in her own. “I wonder what Marty will do now?” Chelsea wondered out loud.

  “I’m not sure. Has he said anything to anybody?” Lacy Lou asked. It had been three days since his mother died and Marty still hadn’t said a word to anyone.

  “Not yet. It may just take a bit for him to process everything.” Chelsea gave a quick glance over to Marty before turning back to Lacy Lou. “He is going to need a friend.”

  “I’m sure he has plenty,” Lacy Lou said, withdrawing her hand. “He doesn’t need me.”

  Chelsea raised her eyebrow. “You continue to think that, Lacy?”

  Lacy nodded, her throat thickening. She moved away from the grave plot, back towards the clinic. Where she was safe.

  Chapter 2

  Marty picked up his fishing pole and basket and walked out into the sunshine, locking the door behind him. He was out of food at the house and he didn’t want to go use his few coins to go to the mercantile.

  Truthfully, he didn’t want to see anyone.

  It had been three weeks since he buried his mother and the pain in his heart hadn’t lessened one bit. Marty couldn’t even bring himself to go into her bedroom. He did go in her room the day of the funeral to take the bible off the night table, but everything else remained as it was that terrible day.

  He couldn’t stand the pity on the faces if he went into town. Folks were kind enough, to be sure, but they also asked him questions that he wasn’t prepared to handle. Such as was he planning on selling the home? What would he do next?

  Luther Garrison had stopped by to see him. He wanted to talk to him about his mother’s will, but Marty still wasn’t ready to talk to anyone. Instead, Luther left a small stack of papers on the table by the door for when Marty was ready to read them.

  He knew there wasn’t a loan against the house, his mother never wanted to be in debt to anyone. He didn’t have a clue about taxes, but he was sure Luther could help him. The lawyer helped Mrs. Dan… Mrs. Tuckering when she received a letter from the state.

  It was just something he didn’t want to think about right now.

  Spying an empty coffee can on the porch, he grabbed it to use for worms and headed to the small overgrown garden patch at the side of the house. He hadn’t tended the garden and now it was overgrown with weeds, insects and cucumbers the length of your arm.

  He saw several tomato plants staked up along the far side. Their branches sagged under the weight of their bounty. Marty had forgotten everything his mother had planted. Odessa could grow vegetables that would make your mouth water. Marty’s talents lay in eating and he could clear a patch of beans in one sitting.

  Leaning his pole against the tree and the basket on the roots, he walked over to the plants and draped the branches over themselves in an attempt to hold up the tomatoes. He watched as the branches simply flopped back to where they were before. He made a note to pick the tomatoes when he returned from fishing.

  Kneeling in the dirt, he used his hands to dig in the warm soil. It wasn’t long before several thick worms appeared between his fingers. He scooped some of the dirt into the coffee can and dropped the worms on top, watching them disappear under the loose soil. When he counted just over a dozen, he picked up his pole and basket and headed towards the river.

  He was coming through a clump of trees when he heard her. He stood there for a moment and just watched her dipping her toes in the water. She was singing a hymn and the melody filled the air. Marty had never heard her sing before and it filled his heart with joy for the first time since August.

  Lacy Lou stood in the water with her skirt lifted up to her knees. She held the excess fabric in one hand and trailed her fingers in the water with the other as she moved deeper into the river. Her dark hair had escaped her hair pins and was cascading over her shoulder, blocking her face.

  The edge of her beige skirt was dark from the river water. He saw her jacket on a bush, so she was dressed in just a chemise. It was white with blue ribbons threaded through eyelet lace. Marty felt his mouth go dry.

  He took a step forward and the crack of a branch underfoot alerted Lacy Lou to his presence. She stopped singing and turned to see who was spying on her. Suddenly a smile broke out on her face and she sloshed through the water to the shore.

  “Whatcha doing out here, Marty Gale?” she asked, climbing on the rocks lining the riverbed. Marty took a deep swallow. Her ankles were slim, and she had the tiniest feet he had ever seen. Lacy Lou dropped her skirt, the hem of it sinking into the water and hiding the ankles he was admiring a moment before.

  Marty cleared his throat. “I was just going to go fishing for dinner.” He put his fishing pole and basket down. “You didn’t scare them all away, did you?”

  Lacy Lou laughed. She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head, the dark curls bouncing around her cheeks. “No. I think there are plenty of fish out there.”

  Marty crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her. “What are you doing out here?” They were at a part of the river that not many folks went to. It was just where the river curved as it moved from Silverpines down towards the ocean.

  He discovered this spot after his mother told him that his father wasn’t returning. He ran through the woods until his legs were burning and he thought his lungs would burst. He stopped when he couldn’t go any further. This part of the river had become his special place when he wanted to escape the world.

  He couldn’t think of anyone he would rather share it with than the beauty in front of him.

  “I just needed to think,” Lacy Lou said, pushing her hair back from her face. “It is peaceful here.” She looked at the river. “You can’t see the town, but you can see the shore on the other side.” She hugged herself as she turned back to Marty. “It is like you are the only one out here.”

  Marty let his arms drop and he sat down on a log next to the shore. “I know exactly what you mean. I spent a lot of time here in between running for Miss Hattie.”

  “Were you looking to be alone? I can head back to town if you were,” Lacy Lou offered.

  Marty shook his head. “I’d like the company.”

  Lacy Lou pointed to the pole he leaned against the tree.

  “So, are you going fishing? Or are you just going to let it sit there?” she asked.

  Marty reached over to get his pole and basket without getting up from the log. He held the pole with his boots and rummaged in the basket for the can of worms.

  “You ever baited a hook before?” he asked, holding up a wriggling worm.

  Lacy Lou climbed up the bank and sat next to him. Marty inhaled deeply. She smelled like sunshine and linens drying on the line. “No. I never went fishing before.”

  “Never?” Marty asked.

  Lacy Lou shook her head. “Nope. Never ever.” She took the worm from Marty and looked at it. “Hmmm… I never really handled a worm before.” She gave Marty the worm back and carefully brushed the dirt off her skirt “What?” she looked at him incredulously.

  “You.” He pointed to her skirt. “The bottom of her skirt is a good four inches wet and you are worried about a little dirt from the worm.”

  “Hey,” she said, poking him with her elbow. “The water will dry. I just don’t want to have to do laundry again before the end of the month. The cleaner I can keep the skirt, the longer I can wear it!”

  Marty shrugged his shoulders. “Okay, let’s get this worm on the hook and see if we can catch anything.” He demonstrated how to thread the worm before casting the rod into the water.

  “Would you like to fish?” he asked, handing Lacy Lou the pole. She nodded and eagerly took it. Marty watched as the line tightened out as it moved with the current.

  “When do the fish bite?”

  Marty chuckled. “It’s called fishing, not catching.”

  Lacy Lou blinked several times. Her eyes growing wide as she looked at him. “You mean we could be out here all day and not c
atch a single thing?”

  “I guess we could,” he said, “but it shouldn’t be that long.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because the line is tightening.”

  “Oh,” Lacy Lou gave a little screech as the pole jerked in her hands. “Help me, Marty,” she said standing up.

  Marty stood behind her; his arms wrapped around her waist so he could hold the pole. Her dark hair tickled his nose. He tried not to bury his nose in the dark locks, and instead leaned over to help her guide the fish to shore.

  She fit perfectly in his arms, he thought. He was at least a full head taller than her, so as he pulled her backwards to get a better hold of the fishing pole, the top of her head hit his chin.

  “Easy now,” he whispered. “You want to wait until the fish takes the bait. Right now, he is just playing with it.”

  Lacy Lou leaned back into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder. She tightened her grip on the fishing pole.

  “Once you feel the fish take the worm you want to jerk the pole to set the hook.”

  “Oh-oh okay,” she stammered. “I think I can do that.”

  Marty felt the line pull. “Now,” he said, jerking the pole backwards. The fish started to pull away, taking the line with him. “Reel it in,” Marty directed.

  Lacy Lou cranked the reel, drawing in the line and the fish closer to shore. The line jerked left. Then right. Then left again. Lacy Lou squealed when the fish appeared at the top of the water.

  “Get it, Marty!” she said.

  Marty released her and he instantly felt the loss in his arms. He grabbed his net from the basket and dipped it in the water to capture the fish.

  “Is it a big one?” Lacy Lou said.

  Marty laughed. He held up the fish, which was no longer than his hand.

  “You would think it would be bigger for all the fuss it was making.” Lacy Lou gave a little pout.

  Marty released the fish from the hook and set the fish back in the water. He watched it swim away.

  “Why did you do that?”

  “It was too small to eat.” Marty looked at her. “Do you want to try again?”

  Lacy Lou nodded and Marty proceeded to bait her hook. She dropped the line back in the water and sat on the log.

  “What are you going to do with the fish you catch?” she asked. Marty watched as she dug those small toes into the mud of the bank.

  Marty gulped. “Well, I have to…I mean you have to catch them first. I plan on having a fish dinner.”

  “I’ve never cooked fresh fish.”

  “Would you like to?”

  “I dunno,” she said. “What would we have with it?”

  “Fish. Fish. And more fish.”

  Lacy gave a little laugh. “I guess that sounds like a fine plan.”

  Marty returned to his seat next to her.

  “You said you were out here thinking. Do you wanna share what you were thinking about?”

  Lacy Lou shrugged. “It wasn’t anything important. Just the changes coming to Silverpines.”

  Marty looked out at the water. There was something about the waves which he found soothing. If he ever left Silverpines he would want to make sure he was by the water.

  “What change are you worrying about?” he asked without looking at her.

  “It’s nothing, honestly; and it is everything.”

  “I guess that makes sense.”

  Lacy Lou sighed. “There is talk that when the hospital opens the clinic will close. They’ve already started combining it with the apothecary.”

  “Well that’s good, isn’t it?”

  “I guess,” she said, moving the dirt with her big toe.

  “What about that are you worried about?”

  “Mostly about not having a place to live.”

  “Well aren’t they building dormitories? You’d be close to the hospital and clinic.”

  “I know. I just don’t want to leave my apartment. It is so nice to live alone.”

  “I don’t think being alone is that great,” Marty said softly.

  Lacy Lou brought her fingers up to her mouth. “Oh, Marty, I am so sorry. It was thoughtless of me to speak like that.”

  Marty shrugged. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “Are you doing alright? We’ve not seen you in town lately.”

  “I’ve not wanted to go. I just see the people looking at me.” Marty tossed a rock in the river. “It’s like they are saying, ‘there is poor Marty Gale. Living all alone since his mother died.’” He looked at Lacy Lou. “It’s like they expect me… I honestly don’t know what they expect.”

  Lacy Lou handed Marty the fishing pole. “Why don’t you fish for a bit?”

  Marty grabbed the bamboo rod. His fingers caressed the back of her hand as he took the pole from her. He lifted the rod a few times, letting the line move in the water.

  The sound of birds caught his attention. He looked up to see a group of geese in a V formation heading towards the water. “Can you imagine that? Being able to go anywhere you want?”

  Lacy Lou shook her head. “I think about it all the time. But where would I go? My life is here. My friends are here. I’ve never had friends before.”

  Marty turned and looked at her. “Really? Everyone knows you and likes you.”

  “Yes. Everyone knows me, but I don’t know how well I’m liked. Especially by some of the wives.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  Lacy Lou fixed her skirt. Marty could see that the bottom was starting to dry. “Think about it, Marty. They don’t like that their husbands spent time at Miss Flora’s.”

  Marty’s mouth went into a small o. “I guess I didn’t think about that.”

  “Most people don’t. Until you go into the store and folks move to the other side. Or you’re asked to leave because you are making folks uncomfortable.”

  “I’ve never seen that,” Marty said.

  “Then you haven’t been paying attention. It is really hard transitioning out of a life like that.”

  “I can’t imagine.”

  “I hope you never feel like you have no way to escape, Marty. It is a terrible feeling.”

  “Any change is hard,” he finally said.

  “I know,” she whispered back. Lacy Lou put her arm around Marty’s shoulder. “You are the best friend I’ve ever had, Marty Gale.”

  Then Marty did the stupidest thing he thought he could ever do. He leaned over and kissed her.

  Chapter 3

  October 1900

  The leaves were starting to change, and cooler weather could be felt coming through the silver pine trees and down the mountain into the town.

  Marty loved this time of year. He would sleep with the windows open, allowing the cool breeze to race through the house. The sound of the crickets would serenade him as he drifted off to sleep.

  October had been his mother’s favorite time of year as well. He remembered her making big pots of applesauce on the stove and canning as a treat for the winter months.

  He had asked Miss Hattie to show him how to make applesauce and she promised she would, as long as he brought back extra apples for her.

  Marty hadn’t seen Lacy Lou since they day he ran into her at the river. She had been busy working at the clinic and he finally had the energy to go through all of his mother’s things.

  Lacy Lou offered to help, but Marty said he was better off doing it on his own. He didn’t want anyone around if he needed to cry.

  He divided the house into three piles. Things he knew he would need to keep. Things he would never use and could be sold. Things that just needed to be thrown out.

  He heard of a tinker from New Harbor that would travel to pick up items he could resell down in the markets along the docks. Marty asked him to come out and rummage through everything that Marty didn’t throw out. Marty was able to sell off many of the things he didn’t think he’d ever use. It put a little bit of money in his pocket and cleared
out some space in the house.

  He did stop by Luther Garrison’s office to go through all the necessary steps to transfer the house into Marty’s name. His mother had the foresight to create a will, and Marty was the sole beneficiary, apart from a teapot that was willed to Charlotte Tuckering.

  After the disasters, Charlotte and his mother became the best of friends. Charlotte would often stop by for tea and visit with his mother. When Marty dropped off the teapot to Charlotte, she was so overjoyed, she cried until he left.

  Charlotte was getting ready to open a tea shop in town. She had been talking about it for a while. Marty heard all about it when Tess would come into the apothecary to visit.

  Marty was happy for Charlotte. He admitted to himself that she wasn’t one of his favorite people, but in light of the fact that she admired his mother, Marty didn’t think her all that bad.

  He made a note to send Charlotte his mother’s dishes and extra cups. She would need them when she set up the shop.

  The taxes on the house were paid for the next ten years, so Marty didn’t have to worry about those either. Right now, the house and property were his to do what he wished. He hadn’t decided if he was going to stay or leave Silverpines. He didn’t have anywhere in particular to go, it was just that there wasn’t anything holding him to Silverpines.

  Except that dark-haired beauty with the porcelain skin.

  If he wasn’t such a coward, he would let her know exactly how he felt. He wanted to marry her.

  She was so smart and beautiful he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He figured she enjoyed his company too since she was spending a lot of her time with him.

  They spent every Sunday after church together. Sometimes they would fish, and Marty would prepare a light supper for them.

  Other times they would sit in the back yard and Marty would make a fire for the cool autumn nights.

  Before it turned dark, he would walk Lacy Lou back to her apartment above the clinic. He would leave her with a kiss on the cheek before returning back to his lonely house.