Carry the Light

by Delia Parr

  “Don’t worry about me. I’m feeling a whole lot better now that I’ve slept most of my day away. Take Daniel with you and let him help you with the boxes. The yard has waited this long, so another day or two won’t matter. I’ll just sit here a spell, have a cup of tea while you’re both gone and give Annie a call. If I have a problem, I’ll hang up and call you on your cell phone. I have my necklace right here, too.” She smiled as she held up the Total Care pendant she could press to summon help.

  “Are you sure? Maybe it’d be better if Daniel stayed here. I could probably move the boxes myself, if Andy is too busy. But I’ll fix your tea for you before I go,” Charlene said. She filled a mug with water, added a tea bag, slid the mug into the microwave and set the timer.

  “Every man likes to be needed, and I’d venture to say that every man needs to be needed,” Aunt Dorothy countered. “It might be better all around if you asked Daniel to help you once in a while instead of being so independent all the time, especially when it comes to that store of yours.”

  Stung by her aunt’s gentle reprimand, which was as unexpected as it was uncharacteristic, Charlene swallowed hard.

  “Sit down. Talk to me. Andy Johnson can wait a bit,” her aunt instructed.

  Charlene sat down opposite her aunt.

  “You’ve been good to me, Charlene, and I’m grateful for everything you’re doing to help me,” her aunt said. “Now you can take what I’m going to say with a grain of spilled salt and toss it right over your shoulder if you want to, but I’ve got something that needs to be said, because days like this remind me I might not have too many days left.”

  Charlene nodded. Although she wasn’t sure where her aunt was going, she had a feeling this conversation was not going to be as lighthearted as their talks usually were. She was relieved, however, to know she hadn’t been overreacting today, and she was moved by her aunt’s ability to talk openly about her death.

  Aunt Dorothy folded her hands together and laid them on top of the table. The bright orange nail polish was the only reminder of yesterday’s makeover session. Her expression grew serious. “When you moved in here to take care of me, and Daniel came down on weekends, I noticed that you two didn’t seem as happy with each other as you used to, although you both try to hide it pretty well.” She drew in a shaky breath. “I’m probably to blame for that, since I was the one who encouraged you to open that store of yours here in Welleswood. And I—I wanted you to know I never would have encouraged you to do that if I thought for one minute that running that store would put a strain on your marriage.”

  Charlene glanced away, troubled that her aunt seemed to be taking responsibility for the distance in Charlene’s marriage—an estrangement Charlene had thought was undetected. Obviously, she had been mistaken. She needed to reassure her aunt that she was not to blame, although Charlene felt very awkward discussing these problems.

  “It’s not your fault,” Charlene whispered, drawing in a long breath and looking directly at her aunt. “Ever since the children left, things between Daniel and me have been…different. I thought we just needed a little time to adjust, and with Daniel working all the time, frankly, I needed something to do. Something meaningful. If I hadn’t opened my store here, I would have opened it somewhere else.”

  Her aunt’s gaze was steady, if not piercing. “Do you love that man? Really love him?”

  Charlene blinked hard. “Yes. Of course, I do,” she insisted without hesitation.

  Aunt Dorothy cocked her head. “Do you think he still loves you?”

  “I—I guess so. Yes, I do,” she replied with more confidence—confidence that had somehow grown since coming to stay with Aunt Dorothy.

  “Then stop dillydallying around, and get his attention again, even if that means shutting down your store for good,” her aunt instructed. Her eyes began to twinkle. “Flatter him. Wear some toilet water. Cut your hair and fix it pretty, like you used to do before you opened that store. And learn how to flirt a little, too.”

  Charlene gasped with surprise at receiving pointers from her aunt on how she might win back her husband’s devotion. “Flirt? With Daniel?”

  Her aunt shrugged. “Why not? But all the flirting in the world won’t keep him interested unless you have something in common, something you love to share together as much as you loved raising your children. And don’t think it’s taking care of me now, because I’m not going to be here forever. And if you think you can’t do it, then remember those rings I showed you. You come from a long line of strong women, Charlene. Do what you have to do, just like I’m certain they did.”

  Flustered by her aunt’s candor, as well as her advice, Charlene didn’t know what to say. At that moment, however, the microwave dinged, and Daniel came in through the back door, giving Charlene a double excuse to avoid responding to her aunt, and to end their conversation.

  When Charlene got up from the table to get the mug of tea, Aunt Dorothy turned and smiled at Daniel. “There you are. Were your ears ringing?”

  He laughed as he brushed the dirt from his jacket. “No, why?”

  “We were just talking about you. Andy Johnson called. Apparently, there were a lot of boxes that got delivered today for Sweet Stuff, and Charlene needs your help getting them out of his way,” she said before turning her back to him again. Glancing in Charlene’s direction, she lifted her brows and batted her lashes, as if urging Charlene to do the same.

  Charlene caught a chuckle before it escaped, and thought about imitating her aunt for less than half a heartbeat. But she smiled at her husband, instead. “It wouldn’t take too long, but if you’re too busy in the yard…”

  “No, I’m done working outside for today,” he said before walking toward Aunt Dorothy. “Take a look,” he urged her, and helped her out of her seat and over to the kitchen window, where Charlene joined them. “What do you think?”

  His blue eyes sparkled and his smile was proud, reminding Charlene of how he’d looked the day he’d finished building the fort for their son in their backyard in Grand Mills. Warmed by the memory, she looked out the window, and heard Aunt Dorothy gasp with surprise.

  “The birdbath is done! And look, Charlene. There are feeders for the birds, too.”

  “I see them,” Charlene replied, equally surprised and impressed by the transformation of the area just outside the window. Freshly trimmed bushes and trees now created a natural backdrop for a small alcove, where a pair of double shepherd’s hooks held wooden bird feeders. In the center of the alcove, the cleaned and restored birdbath rested on a concrete pedestal.

  “With all the wild-bird seed out there now, you should have plenty of birds to watch this year, right from here. I should have the rest of the yard trimmed back, and a walking path cleared out so you can see right through to the creek, by Easter,” he informed her. “I haven’t found it yet, but I’ll keep looking for that bench you mentioned.”

  “Thank you. Thank you,” Aunt Dorothy whispered, then turned and kissed his cheek. “I think I’ll just stand here and watch for a while, just to see if the birds will find the feeders. You two go ahead.”

  Charlene dragged a kitchen chair over and set it next to her aunt. “If you sit down, you can still see just as well, and you won’t get as tired. Your tea is ready, too.”

  “I think I’ll wait awhile for my tea. Just set it on the counter for me,” her aunt replied. She sat down, but kept her gaze focused on the window.

  “Did you want us to stop and pick anything up while we’re out?” Daniel asked.

  “If you wouldn’t mind, I need a couple of boxes of tissue. Charlene knows what brand I like.”

  “Fair enough,” Daniel replied, and nodded to Charlene. “I’ll get the car and meet you out front.”

  “I just need to grab a jacket,” Charlene said before he slipped out the door. “We won’t be long,” Charlene promised her aunt. As she was heading out of the kitchen, she heard her aunt call out to her, and turned around. “Yes?”

 
“Splash a little toilet water on before you go, and don’t forget to make a fuss over Daniel for helping you.”

  Charlene laughed and hurried to get her jacket. But she did pause long enough to dab a little perfume behind her ears before she left the house.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Charlene stared at the seven plain brown cardboard boxes that Daniel had carried into her showroom from next door. The largest was big enough to hold a television; the smallest was maybe the size of a toaster. There was nothing written on any of the cartons, except the name of her store. They had to have been hand delivered, although Andy Johnson had offered no information about who might have dropped them off.

  When Daniel set the last box down, he shook his head in answer to her question about whether Andy had revealed anything regarding this one. “Not really,” Daniel reported. “His best guess is that you volunteered to serve on some committee that was collecting donated items and just forgot about it.”

  “Volunteer? At the busiest time of the year for me? No way,” Charlene replied, and stepped closer to the boxes to study the handwriting again. “Some of these boxes look like they came from the same place. See? Look, the handwriting is the same,” she said, pointing.

  Daniel pushed the two boxes labeled in orange marker together while she picked up the smallest box, which had been addressed in turquoise ink. They organized the boxes into four groups. “Now what?” he asked.

  “I guess we open them.”

  Growing excited, Charlene hesitated, just like she did on Christmas morning when deciding which gift to open first. “This one,” she said, and pointed to a small box sitting by itself.

  After Daniel sliced through the packing tape with a knife, she lifted the flaps and immediately caught the aroma of chocolate. Inside, on top of individually wrapped chocolate chicks and bunnies, she found a handwritten note. Her fingers trembled as she opened it and read out loud:

  Dear Charlene, we were so sorry to hear the news about your store and the losses you suffered. Please share these with your customers and try to enjoy the holiday, too. Sincerely, Ronnie and Lonnie Calder, Twin Treats.

  “What’s Twin Treats?” Daniel asked.

  Overwhelmed by the twin sisters’ thoughtfulness and generosity, she blinked back tears. “It’s a little candy store in Mount Ephraim, just a few miles from here,” she replied and shook her head. “I met them at the candy convention last year, but we never did get together again like we said we would. I can’t believe they did this for me. From what they told me, their store doesn’t do nearly the business I do at Sweet Stuff. They must have sent half of their inventory to me.”

  “Then they didn’t send any of the other boxes?” he asked.

  “I don’t think so. Let’s open the others to see if there’s more candy and other notes,” she suggested.

  Excited now, she worked in tandem with her husband. Once he opened a box, she checked inside for a note while he moved on to the next. When they were finished, she was almost dazed by the assortment of Easter candy that filled each box. She looked at the two notes in her hand and the one Daniel held. She couldn’t imagine how word had spread and how these caring people had responded so quickly. All the notes contained messages similar to the Calder sisters’, and Charlene’s heart filled with awe and gratitude.

  “One note is from Joe and Hazel Welsh. They own Aunt Celia’s Chocolate Boutique in Philadelphia. The other note is from Janice Mueller. Her candy store is in Collmont. Here. Take a look at these while I read the note you have,” she suggested.

  “It’s from somebody named Lisa or Linda something. I can’t make out the signature. Maybe you can,” he said.

  Charlene glanced at the signature and recognized it immediately. “It’s Lisa Ashe. The first time I went to the candy convention, Lisa took me under her wing. We’ve been friendly ever since, although I haven’t spoken to her in six weeks,” she explained.

  While Daniel read the notes she had handed to him, she read Lisa’s message:

  I hope you don’t mind, but the instant I heard what happened to your store, I sent out an e-mail to a few good people like you who add joy and pleasure to their customers’ lives with a bit of candy and with friendship. I hope this chocolate will help make Easter very special for you and your customers. Call me!

  Lisa Ashe

  While Charlene wiped away more tears, Daniel finished reading the other notes and handed them back to her. “All this candy came from your competitors?” he asked.

  Pressing the notes to her heart, she nodded. “Selling candy can be very competitive, but for the most part, many of the small store owners I’ve met feel a lot like I do about their stores, although I’m sure they probably turn a greater profit at year’s end than I do. We offer more than candy to our customers,” she explained, hoping he would understand. “Some folks who stop into Sweet Stuff just need a place to warm up from the cold outside, or want someone to listen to their problems. Other folks are just plain lonely, and stop to chat or taste a piece of chocolate they’ve never tried before. Sweet Stuff is about celebrating the happy moments in people’s lives, or reaching out to someone who is grieving. It’s about loving and caring for people we know and trying to be just as loving and caring to people we don’t.”

  He gazed at her so tenderly, her heart skipped a beat. “I always thought your store was just a hobby,” he murmured. “I never knew that you ran the store less like a business and more like a…a ministry.”

  “I never thought you were interested in my store, so I never told you,” she said quietly.

  “But I should have known,” he said, clearing his throat and glancing at the boxes. “I think you have enough candy now to be able to fill all your orders. Your friends have really saved the day for you.”

  “I wish I could say you were right. I hate to disappoint the well-meaning people who donated all this candy, but I still just don’t think it’s possible to fill my orders. I’d need a full day just to get all this candy sorted and organized, and I’d need another day or two to call the seventy-eight customers who placed orders to ask them to choose what they want from the candy I now have available. Even if I set up some kind of assembly line and get people to help me fill the baskets, which I was already considering, I’d still have to wrap them up and call the customers back to tell them to come and pick up their orders. And with Aunt Dorothy feeling poorly again today, I’m not certain if I want to abandon her right now,” she replied, hoping she didn’t sound like she was whining. “I’m afraid this is one problem I can’t solve, even with other people helping me.”

  “When you put it that way, probably not,” he said, and narrowed his gaze for a moment. “Maybe you should look at solving your problem from a different perspective.”

  She cocked a brow. “Such as?”

  He held up both hands. “I’m just a plain country boy, not a businessman, so don’t get too hopeful, but I can’t help comparing your situation with a problem Jake Edison had years ago when I was a kid. He had an apple orchard not far from my parents’ farm.”

  “I own a store and sell chocolates. He had an orchard and sold apples. What could we have in common that might help me right now?” she asked.

  “I’m positive I told you about him before,” he said. “Right at harvest time, Jake took a spill from his tractor, landed on his head and spent the next couple of weeks in the hospital in a coma before he finally woke up again. Sound familiar?”

  Charlene rolled her eyes. “No, not really. But if you’re telling me to curl up on the couch and sleep away the next couple of weeks, you can forget it. Unless you want to handle everything like I assume Jake’s wife had to do for her spouse.”

  He grinned. “I’m up to the challenge, but if my idea works, it will only take a couple of days, not weeks. And you can forget the couch idea. I’d need a little help, assuming you’re game in the first place.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Why?�
� she asked. “Why now? You’ve never seemed interested in my store before.”

  “Why now?” he repeated, and let out a sigh before he caught her gaze and held it. “Because…because I don’t want to lose you. Because I’m beginning to realize that unless we find something we can enjoy together, we might never be happy again, the way we used to be. For starters, that could be working together to get your customers taken care of.”

  Her heart trembled, but before she could respond to him, he continued. “Maybe you’re right,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. “Maybe it did take this accident, along with Aunt Dorothy becoming ill, to make me realize that I’d been so busy working extra hours, trying to fill the emptiness in my life after the kids left, that I forgot what was most important to me.”

  Tears blurred Charlene’s vision, and a lump in her throat made it almost impossible for her to breathe, let alone speak. To hear him talk about their problems and his hopes to resolve them was an answer to her prayers.

  “You, Charlene,” he whispered. “Our marriage. That’s what matters most to me. Unless…unless it’s too late.”

  She eased into his embrace, laid her cheek against his chest and listened to the beat of his heart. “I love you,” she whispered. “It’s not too late. I made mistakes, too. Lots of them. I’ve missed the kids, too, and I thought opening the store and taking care of my customers would be enough, but it isn’t. I need more. I—I need you,” she managed before dissolving into tears.

  He held her tight and rocked her for several long minutes. “Where do we go from here?” he asked when she finally stopped weeping.

  “Before or after we get my customers’ orders filled?” she teased, before starting to cry again or deciding being held in his loving arms was all that mattered.

  He hugged her hard. “After.”

  “What’s your plan?”

  He grinned. “Do you trust me?”

  “Completely.”

  “Good. Let’s lock up for now. We’ll call Aunt Dorothy and tell her we’re headed home once we make a quick stop at Tim Fallon’s. You know where his store is, right?”