Katie ate lunch in silence still trying to figure out the puzzle of her dreams. She realized that she hadn’t had a dream at Dean’s throughout the night and made a mental note to point that out to him later. She put her plate in the sink to clean up later and started tidying up a few more things around the house instead. Before long she came across the dusty box she’d set on the table two nights ago and opened it. Inside was an old black and white photo of a woman who looked like Grace from Katie’s dream. My great grandmother, Katie thought. But the man in the photo didn’t look like Donald. She picked up the phone and called Dean.
“I’ll be right over,” he told her and hung up the phone.
Katie was pacing on the front porch, photo in hand, when Dean pulled up.
He held his arms out to her and gave her a hug. “Okay, tell me all about this now,” he said as they went inside.
Katie showed him the photo and led him to the box where she’d found it.
Dean took a good, long look at it to remember Grace’s face. “Are there any other items of hers here?” he asked.
“I’m not sure; I haven’t been up the attic at all yet and it could be full of stuff,” she replied.
“Why don’t we go up there and see what we can find,” he suggested.
Katie led the way upstairs, to a door which hid a set of rickety old stairs that led to their destination. “Whoa!” she cried when she got to the top. “I didn’t know all this was up here. It will take us a lifetime to get through it all.”
“Like the lifetime it took to create it,” Dean said.
Katie glared at him.
“I’m sure they’re labeled in some manner,” Dean went on. “Besides, a lot of them are trunks which usually had some form of personalization on them in those years.”
They opened several of the trunks and boxes, several of which held heavy dark coats or small trinkets and dishes.
Finally, they found one with Grace’s name clearly marked across the top of it. Katie and Dean looked at each other before opening the latch and pushing the heavy lid up. At first they thought it only held clothing and other personal items but Katie pushed all that aside and found a tattered, worn out shoe box lying in the bottom.
“Do you think this is what we’re looking for?” he asked.
Katie sucked in a deep breath and nodded.
Dean reached in and gently pulled the box out and then set it down on a nearby pile of boxes. Dean looked at Katie before he slid the lid off.
Katie gasped partly from the cloud of dust but also because of what was inside “Oh my God,” she said.
Inside there was a stack of love letters and small, dried-up flowers everywhere.
“Must have been from the bouquet he gave her,” Katie said remembering the white and yellow flowers from the dream.
At the very bottom they found a yellowed, very fragile piece of newsprint.
Dean gently lifted it out and turned it over. Immediately his face fell. “It’s Donald’s obituary, that knock on the head must have really done it,” he said solemnly. “It’s dated June 11, 1922.
Katie cried softly. “But they were so in love,” she whispered. “I wonder when they were married?”
Dean took her into his arms and held her. “I take it nobody ever knew about any of this?”
“No, nobody. I don’t think so anyway,” she replied. “Nobody ever told me about it anyway.”
She let Dean hold her and suddenly wondered why it meant so much to her. Why am I the one dreaming about this? She wondered. She looked down into the trunk and pulled away from Dean. “Oh my God,” she said.
“What is it?” he asked.
She pulled away and leaned into the trunk to pull out a large piece of red velvet. “It’s the gown she wore that night,” she told him. She pulled it out the rest of the way and held it against herself.
“You would look wonderful in it,” he told her quietly.
“I’d love to try it on sometime,” she replied.
They pulled other items out and found the suit they assumed Donald had worn that night as well as her travel cloak, corset and shoes. In the bottom corner of the trunk was a little box wrapped in paper. Dean lifted it out and slowly unwrapped it. He was surprised to see handwriting on the other side and handed it to Katie. He opened the box and inside was a plain gold band, undoubtedly Grace’s wedding band from Donald.
Katie turned the paper over and began to read:
To my family,
If you are reading this it means you have found something very precious to me. Inside that box is the most meaningful piece of jewelry I ever owned. I loved Matthew very much but my heart will always remain with Donald the father of my first-born daughter. Nobody will know that as I went and stayed with Donald’s parents during the pregnancy. It was one of the hardest things I had to do, especially after losing Donald so quickly after we were married but comforting to be that near his family. I never even had the chance to tell my parents about the marriage. Donald’s father was at the door before they woke up and took me to the hospital. I hope that nobody hates me for what happened but I do hope that my children, and my grandchildren all have the chance at true love because it only comes once in a lifetime. Cherish the time you’re given and love with all of your being.
Love Grace
“Wow,” was all Dean said.
“I know. It must have been so awful. I’m trying to imagine what it would feel like to be married and left a widow within such a short time,” Katie said. Tears ran silently down her cheeks.
Dean pulled her into his arms. Even he was having a hard time trying to make sense of what was happening. Why had nobody ever gone through any of this stuff and found these secrets before? Why was it Katie having these dreams and nobody else had? He also had a hard time because he couldn’t relate to the way things worked four generations ago. The difference between then and now and how much more accepting the world had become. He gave Katie a squeeze. “I know, it must have been awful. But what do you think all of this means?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“You finding this stuff. You having these dreams,” he replied.
“I don’t know. I don’t understand why nobody else has found this stuff either,” she said. “How many generations and this stuff, all of it, has been left here.”
“Maybe you should start going through some of it. Maybe there are other hidden treasures up here,” he teased.
Katie shivered and realized just how long they’d been up there.
“I think we should go downstairs for a while,” Dean suggested leading her away.
“No, I can’t leave this stuff,” she said preoccupied. She was afraid if she left it, she would never find it again.
“Let’s take it down and put it in the spare bedroom then,” Dean suggested.
They each took a large armload of things and Katie silently led the way down the stairs.
She arranged a few of the things on the bed, including the gown and suit.
Dean watched as she placed everything so carefully with loving hands. He definitely loved her, there was no stopping how he felt. This whole thing was drawing him in. He walked over to her then and took her hands in his. “Come with me,” he said quietly.
“Where?” she asked.
“Somewhere where I can warm you up,” he replied.
She followed his lead and sat on the couch while he built a fire.
When he was sure the fire would keep burning he went to the kitchen and brought her a cup of tea. “Here, drink this,” he insisted.
They sat quietly, still trying to shed some light on what they had discovered that afternoon.
“Do you think her parents ever knew?” Katie asked.
“Knew what?” he asked.
“Knew that she had married Donald?” she replied. “We’ve always been a somewhat ‘well-to-do’ family but it’s all ‘old money’. It’s been passed down for generations. Back then they would have been one of the r
ich. He was too but had been in trouble with the law and her parents didn’t want her to have anything to do with him.”
“Do you think that’s why he died?” Dean asked.
“No, I don’t think so. I think he had straightened himself out way before then.”
“So her parents weren’t very forgiving were they?” Dean said.
Katie shook her head and sipped her tea.
“There has to be some way to get to the bottom of this,” Dean said.
Just then the doorbell rang and Dean went to answer.
Katie strained to hear and could barely make out what the man at the door wanted. When she heard him say “Oh, I was looking for Katie,” she knew who it was and got up. “Mr. Grimshaw, wait,” she said. “Come in, I have some questions for you,” she invited.
Dean stood back and held the door for the elderly man to come in. He walked slowly, not quite fully able to stand up straight, his full weight on his cane.
Katie led him to the dining room so he could sit on a hard chair. With no hesitation, she asked him about Grace.
“Grace was beautiful,” he started. “She was my beautiful hero,” he went on.
Dean brought him a cup of tea and Mr. Grimshaw acknowledged it with a nod before he went on.
“She was the most amazing woman I ever knew. Very strong but always gentle. There wasn’t a single thing I could do wrong. She practically raised her two kids by herself because your great-grandpa worked so hard. Oh he was a great father but always hard at work-had followed in his own father’s footsteps-he was a lawyer you know,” he paused to take a drink. “But I always felt she’d learned the hard way and had a secret she’d never tell,” he paused dramatically and his eyes met Katie’s as if for the first time. “You look just like her,” he told her. “She was wise beyond her years, I could see it in her eyes. Your grandma was never like that—high-strung she was,” he stopped and laughed.
Katie smiled.
“Your great-grandpa died young, worked to hard I still say.”
By this time the tea was gone and it had gotten quite late.
“Would you like to stay for dinner?” Katie asked.
“Oh no, I have to get going. I have a hot date,” Mr. Grimshaw replied.
Moments later Dean was letting him out the front door.
“What are you thinking?” Dean asked Katie on his return.
“I just can’t help but think about Grace and Donald and how they were only able to share their love for such a brief time. The things she wrote in her letter addressed to whoever read it. To think that I was the only one, the first one to read it and how much she sacrificed,” she continued.
“Oh Katie. I’m sorry that this involves you somehow. I wish there was some way I could go back and change things,” he said. “Or that Mr. Grimshaw could have shed some light.”
“He did when he said he could tell she had a secret,” was all Katie could say. It wasn’t proof enough but it was a small reassurance.
Dean cooked them supper while Katie sat quietly thinking about what Mr. Grimshaw had said and then had a quiet supper and played cards before Katie led Dean upstairs and they went to bed. He made love to her with all the passion and love they had shared that afternoon before he held her tight as she slept and eventually drifted off himself.
It was the night of their wedding. He had made love to Grace and was more in love with her than ever. She was his wife now and he hated the thought of having to take her home. It would be best this way, at least for now she had said. She could tell her parents in the morning and she would be with him for the rest of his life. They could start a family. He smiled as he steered the carriage back towards the cottage. The marriage license he’d been given still safely tucked away in his pocket. He passed a carriage that was swaying on the road and he realized that the driver was probably drunk. He carefully passed them by and continued on his way. He slowed in front of the cottage and was just getting out when he was struck over the head with something and everything went dark.
Dean woke with a start. Now it was happening to him. What did all of this mean? He got out of bed and made his way to the spare bedroom. He closed the door and fumbled before he found the switch and turned the light on. He went straight for Donald’s jacket and folded back the left lapel. Inside he found the yellowed paper that showed Grace and Donald MacKay were married on June 10, 1922. He smiled, glad he had found it, and slid back into bed.
He watched Katie sleeping and wondered if she was sleeping peacefully. He soon drifted back off to sleep.
It was the day of the funeral. Grace kept her cool as much as she could but her thoughts kept going back to that fateful morning. Donald’s father had come to her that morning and told her Donald was at the hospital but there wasn’t much hope. Her parents were still asleep and she slipped out without waking them and went with Mr. MacKay. He took her to Donald who had a huge bandage around his head. Grace rushed to him and sank down beside him. “Oh Donald, please don’t leave me. I love you so much. We have just begun our life together. I want to have a baby, your baby and that baby needs a father. Donald, can you hear me?” she cried. She hugged him and held him near to her.
“Grace?” a hoarse voice said.
Grace lifted her head from his chest and looked at him. One eye was open and the other remained shut. “Donald?” she cried. She smiled.
“I love you Grace. I always will,” he whispered. “We’ll meet again, I promise.” He closed his eye again and with that he was gone.
“But, Donald, wake up.”
The doctor had come into the room and looked solemnly at Grace. “I’m sorry Grace, he’s gone,” he told her.
“NO!” she cried. “He can’t be, he just talked to me, he knew who I was,” she said.
“I saw that too Grace and I don’t know how. He hasn’t woken since they found him. Sometimes in the last few moments of life they become lucid for only a moment or two,” he tried to explain.
“I don’t care. I want him back,” she said. She placed her head back on his chest but heard no heartbeat. She knew for sure then that he was gone. He was really and truly gone. Taken from her within hours of becoming her husband. She hadn’t even told her parents. What would she tell them now? HOW would she tell them now? Could she? Would she?
She felt a hand on her arm and had no idea how long it had been. “Come on Grace, come and stay with us for a little while,” Mrs. MacKay said.
Grace lifted her face away from Donald and realized that the hospital gown he had on was soaked from her tears. She pressed her hands to his face and kissed him one last time. “I love you Donald. Now and forever I will always love you.” She let Mrs. MacKay hug her as she continued to cry softly. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Donald but Mrs. MacKay was leading her out of the room. “I want to stay, I can’t leave him,” she said.
“Yes you can, you have to Grace,” Mrs. MacKay said.
Mr. MacKay took her arm on the other side and led her out of the room. They went to the waiting room where she lost consciousness.
Katie woke with a gasp and was trembling.
Dean heard her and held her tighter. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
Katie told him that Donald had died. “His father came to get Grace and took her to him, just like in the note. She got the chance to say goodbye. She hadn’t even had the chance to tell her parents about the marriage and she didn’t know if she would.”
Dean held her and listened. “I had a dream too,” he told her quietly.
She fell silent. “You did? But why?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I saw Donald after he dropped Grace off. He hated having to take her home. Then he had to pass a carriage full of drunks and they must have followed him back to the cottage,” he told her.
“So it was Grace’s fault. Had she stayed and not had to go home, they would have been snug in their bed all night and would have gone on to live life happily,” she said. She began to cry.
“It’s n
ot like that, who knows what would have happened. A little cottage and a gang of drunks, who knows, they may have broken in and killed them both,” Dean said. “I found the marriage license. It was in Donald’s jacket pocket all these years. I put it on the dresser in the other room,” he told her.
Katie got up and went to look at it. Tears filled her eyes when she saw the date and realized they hadn’t even been married twenty-four hours before he left her a widow.
Dean led her back to bed where Katie cried herself back to sleep and when Dean was sure that she had drifted off he too made himself comfortable and went back to sleep.
Chapter 4
The next week went by quickly and it was Friday morning when they again went to work together and Katie could tell there were a few that were starting to talk. She didn’t care. After the previous night, all she cared about was that the story was the right story. When someone came to her and asked her about the relationship she didn’t get into details but she did say that they were in love. At lunch time, she walked into Dean’s office and closed the door behind her. She pressed her finger against the lock and smiled dangerously at Dean.
“What’s up?” he asked as she crossed his office.
She slowly parted the slit in her skirt as she sat down on the desk in front of him. “I might be asking you the same question,” she said as she ran her hands over him. “I want you right now,” she whispered before she leaned forward and nibbled at his earlobe.
“How about we do this later when we’re alone and people won’t start talking,” Dean whispered and kissed her.
“Let them,” she said. “I love you.”
“I love you too. But you better get back to work or I’m going to have other offers for extended lunches,” he teased.
“No way, not on my watch,” Katie replied getting up. She used the mirror in the corner of Dean’s office to reapply her lipstick.
Dean looked on and smiled and ran a hand through his hair.
“What?” she asked as she looked in the mirror at his reflection.
Til We Meet Again Page 3
