“One is fine.”
“And be sure to have the doggy gear cleared out. It smells just fine in here, but sometimes a buyer sees dog things and gets concerned.”
Hope nodded. “Okay. I can do that.”
“Thank you so much for this listing! You won’t be sorry, I promise.” Natalia joyfully hugged Hope then left.
“Oh, Andy,” Hope told him, “the wheels of progress are turning now.” But his tail just wagged happily, and she wondered if he understood what was going on. “Do you want to go home to Sisters?” she asked. He ran to the door and waited for her like he thought it was time.
“Well, not now, silly.” She got his leash and a plastic baggie. “But we could take a walk.” Then, as she strolled him around the condo’s lawns, she began humming to herself and finally singing out loud the old hymn that Nona had loved.
“Andy walks with me. Andy talks with me. Andy tells me I am his own.” Suddenly Hope stopped walking and started to giggle like a crazy woman. She got it. She understood why Cherry and Faye had laughed so hard at Nona’s funeral. It really was that funny. Or at least it seemed that funny to her at the moment. But then she noticed Mrs. Hobbs watching her with a suspicious expression.
So Hope just waved and continued to walk, and continued singing the old hymn to her happy little dog. So what if Mrs. Hobbs reported her to the condo committee for singing on the condo lawns. Before long, Hope wouldn’t live here anymore.
Chapter Twenty-two
On Sunday Hope was antsy to start packing and wished she hadn’t told Natalia that she could show her place. On the other hand, maybe this older couple would want to buy her condo. Of course that seemed nothing short of miraculous. But just in case, Hope decided to do some de-cluttering and to put her energy into making her unit sparkle and shine. She even ran out and bought lemons to put in a pretty bowl on the counter and a gorgeous bouquet of irises to set on the dining room table. Then she rounded up all of Andy’s things and ran them down to her car. Then she rounded up Andy, which wasn’t difficult, and set out to find a dog-friendly café with outdoor seating.
By the time she picked up packing crates and got back to the condo, the only sign that someone had been there was Natalia’s business card. So, assuming the coast was clear, she started to empty out the bathroom cabinet. And instead of feeling gloomy about the prospects of leaving her condo and jumping off into the black abyss (otherwise known as her sisters in Sisters) she felt only a happy anticipation. She wasn’t even too troubled by the phone call from Erica a few days ago, reporting that there was no sign of anything going on at Nona’s house. No trucks, no Brian, nothing. Just a pile of old furniture and things out by the garage.
“Are you having a yard sale?” Erica had asked. So Hope had explained that those things were supposed to have been picked up by someone, and Erica had mentioned that Hope was lucky not to have any CC and Rs in her neighborhood. “I’d be in deep doo-doo if I did that where I live,” Erica had joked. Of course Hope was aware that, where Cherry was concerned, she probably already was in deep doo-doo herself. But then Cherry could’ve called to have those things removed if they were troubling her.
Hope wondered how Cherry and Faye were doing, and if they had even noticed her hasty departure. Of course Monroe or his dad would’ve been in communication with Faye, so she probably had an idea of what was up. Still, it seemed a little odd that neither of them had called. But then, that’s how it had always been between the three of them, at least in adulthood. They were disconnected. Almost totally disconnected. And, to be fair, Hope was as much to blame as any of them.
Monroe’s flight from Seattle arrived shortly before noon on Monday. She took him for some lunch at McDonald’s (his choice) and listened as he filled her in on his situation. “Dad wants me to live with him in Seattle. At least that’s what he says. And that’s what he’s telling my mom. But I heard them on the phone, arguing as usual, and it sounds like it has more to do with paying child support than him really wanting me. He thinks if I stay with him, it’ll save him money.” Monroe’s fist was clenched. “I just wish I could divorce both of them.”
Hope sort of laughed. “Yeah, I see your point. But you have to realize they’re both in a really tough spot right now.”
“A tough spot that they got themselves into, don’t you think?”
She nodded. “It’s certainly not your fault.”
He looked down at the remains of his Big Mac.
“You don’t think it’s your fault, do you, Monroe?”
He shrugged then picked up a fry, slowly dipping it in ketchup.
“Monroe, no matter what you think, it is not your fault.” She was using her attorney voice now. “You do understand that, don’t you?”
“I don’t know. I think I might be partly to blame.” He looked up at her with sad brown eyes. “I mean I didn’t exactly make it easy for them. Sometimes they fought over me—I mean like what was the best way to parent me, you know?”
“I know a lot of parents struggle with that, Monroe. But it’s not the kids’ fault.”
“Well, they didn’t agree on much. Dad’s pretty easygoing about stuff. Like he’d tell mom to lighten up, or that he’d been like me as a kid. And Mom was like the heavy, you know. Kind of like she thinks she has to control me or I’ll go out and smoke crack and shoot somebody.”
Hope smiled. “I doubt she thinks that. But she loves you, Monroe, and she seems to be a worrier.”
“Isn’t it funny that her name is really Faith.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, even though she calls herself a Christian, she worries about everything. She always expects the worst. That doesn’t seem like faith to me.”
Hope considered this. “That’s interesting. To be honest, I don’t think my name fits me too well either. At least it hasn’t in the past. Anyone who knew me well would not have described me as hopeful. And yet I feel more hopeful than ever now.”
“How about Aunt Cherry?” Monroe continued the game. “I know her real name is Charity, but I’m not sure exactly what that means. I guess that she’s always giving and helping others. According to Mom, she does a lot of volunteering so maybe her name fits.”
“Maybe…but I remember Nona telling me about our names once. She said they were taken from a place in the Bible. I don’t know it by heart, but it was something like this: ‘Faith, hope, and charity, abide these three, but the greatest of these is charity.’” Hope made a face. “At the time I was a kid and I didn’t really like hearing that Charity was the greatest of us three girls. Especially considering she was the youngest and, in my opinion, pretty spoiled. But then Nona told me what the scripture really meant.”
“What did it mean?”
“The best I can remember—and I should probably look up the verse—but Nona said that charity was actually another word for love. And, of course, the Bible wasn’t talking about us three girls or even the Sisters Mountains. But what it meant was that love was the most important thing of all.”
Monroe had a thoughtful look. “Yeah, that makes sense.”
“Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a lot of love between my sisters and me.”
“So Faith, my mom, hasn’t been very faithful. And you, Hope, until recently, haven’t been very hopeful. And Aunt Charity might be good at volunteering and stuff, but I don’t think she’s been very loving. Not to you anyway. I’ve heard her talk.”
“Ironic, isn’t it.” Hope shook her head. “I wonder what our mom would think.”
“I’m glad my name doesn’t mean anything.”
“Of course, it means something,” Hope told him. “Monroe was my mom’s maiden name.”
“Sure, there’s that…yeah. But it doesn’t really mean anything else.”
She smiled at him. “Well, why don’t you make it mean something then?”
Hope thought about their conversation as she and Monroe unloaded the contents of cabinets and closets, carefully filling the plastic crate
s she’d purchased and clearly marking each one so that once she was able to unpack them, it might not be too confusing. When that would be was anyone’s guess.
On Tuesday she called about renting a U-Haul truck. Her plan was to pack and move as much as she could without making her place look barren—so that Natalia would be happy while showing it. And she and Monroe would transport this to Sisters. Then, eventually, when her condo sold or Nona’s house was finished, she would fly out, make arrangements with movers, and then drive her car back to Sisters. She knew it was an optimistic plan, but it felt good to be hopeful. She wanted to live up to her name.
By Thursday afternoon, she and Monroe had loaded the last of the crates into the rented truck. And since she’d get another pink slip if she left it parked there all night, she decided it was time to pack up the dog and just go.
“I’ve never driven a truck like this,” she confessed to Monroe.
“Oh, it’s not that big,” he assured her as she pulled out of the parking lot. “You’ll do fine.”
“Too bad you’re not old enough to drive.” She looked both ways, checked her rearview mirrors, and then cautiously turned left onto the busy street.
“I turn fifteen next month,” he told her.
“That’s right. July fifth. You were almost a firecracker baby.”
“I tell my friends that Fourth of July fireworks are just my birthday eve celebration.”
“That’s a good one.”
“Mom probably won’t let me get my permit, though. She’ll probably assume that I’ll get in a wreck or run over someone.”
“Give her time, Monroe. Going through this divorce has stretched her in ways she probably doesn’t even know yet. Maybe eventually it’ll help her to grow.”
“If it doesn’t, I’m heading back to Seattle.”
“So you never told me exactly how it went with your dad. I know he wants custody of you, but why did he let you come back?”
“Mom convinced him that I’d get into serious trouble being unsupervised, as she calls it, for the whole summer.”
“Oh…”
“And I told Dad that I wanted to give Sisters another try. I called Alex while I was home, and we talked a lot. He seems like a good guy. He’s going to teach me some guitar chords, and he told me about the music program at the high school. He says it’s pretty cool.”
“And there’s a lot to do in Sisters,” Hope assured him as she cautiously entered the freeway. “Hiking, lakes to explore, horses if you’re into that, mountain biking—”
“I want a mountain bike. I rode Aaron’s a few times. There are some cool trails around town.”
“I want a mountain bike, too,” she admitted. And then she realized that would be a perfect birthday present for Monroe. Maybe even an early present so that he’d have a way to get around. Hopefully Faye wouldn’t object. Hope remembered the adage “sometimes it’s easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission.” Maybe that’s what she’d do with the bike situation. Besides, last time she’d spoken to her older sister, Faye had told Hope that she was responsible for Monroe now. So, really, how could she complain? And she would make sure that Monroe had a helmet.
Hope stopped at the café in Marion Forks for dinner. Monroe had never been there before, and he seemed to enjoy all the hunting and fishing paraphernalia there. He even got into a conversation with a fisherman while he was walking Andy down by the river. And, as Hope continued the drive up the mountain, Monroe talked enthusiastically about learning how to fish. “I saw a fly fishing shop in town,” he told her. “Maybe I’ll go and check it out.”
She wanted to say, “See, there is a lot to do in Sisters.” But that sounded so parental that she decided to hold her tongue. “I’ve always wanted to learn to fly fish, too,” she said instead. “Maybe we can take a class or something.”
Monroe continued to chat pleasantly, and as they got closer to Sisters, she realized how thankful she was for his company. And his cheerfulness was like the antidote to her old fears and concerns about returning to the same place she’d gone running from a little more than two weeks ago.
“Look how much snow has melted from the mountains,” he said as they drove over the pass.
She glanced briefly and nodded. “My mom would say that the Sisters were wearing their summer frocks now.”
“Is it too early to go hiking up there?”
“It might be—for beginners anyway. But it’s close.”
“Maybe by my birthday?” he asked hopefully.
“It’s a possibility. As long as the weather stays warm.”
“Have you even been to Hoodoo?” he asked as they passed the ski resort.
“Oh, yeah, lots of times. It’s where I learned to ski. Back then it was pretty small with only a few lifts, but I hear they’ve really improved it. I’d like to check it out this winter.”
“Me, too,” he said eagerly. “I want to learn to snowboard.”
She laughed. “For a guy who was dragging his heels about Sisters, you seem to have a lot of things you’d like to do.”
“I think I was dragging my heels more about living with my mom,” he said quietly.
“Oh, yeah…” She nodded. “I kind of forgot that.”
“But as long as you’re around, I’m not so worried.”
She nodded slowly, telling herself not to feel pressured by his trust in her. He was only being honest. Besides, didn’t she plan to become a full-time resident in Sisters? Wasn’t she cutting all ties to Portland? Really, there was no turning back now…was there?
And then, just as the sky became pink with the sunset, they were rolling into town. “I have no idea what condition the house will be in,” she confessed as she reduced her speed. “I had a friend check on it and she said it looked as if nothing was being done.”
“But Brian wouldn’t stop working on it, would he?”
“I don’t know.” She had wondered if her being there had been an incentive to Brian. And just thinking that made her feel guilty because she remembered when she had shamelessly flirted with him simply to get Lewis’s attention. Almost as if she’d been imitating her baby sister, and that was really humiliating to think about.
But now, even if it meant slowing down the remodel, she should make it clear to Brian that theirs was simply a business relationship. Unless he wanted to be friends. That would be fine, too. She felt uneasy as she turned down her street. Hopefully Cherry wouldn’t be outside or looking out her kitchen window when this big hulk of truck parked in front of Nona’s house. Although, she did want to talk to Cherry eventually. She wanted to make an attempt at amends. She just didn’t want to do it tonight. For that reason, she came up to her house from the other direction, quietly pulling up and turning off the engine.
“Trying to sneak into your house?” Monroe teased.
“Sort of. I don’t want to disturb Cherry and her family.”
“And you probably don’t want to be disturbed by her either.”
She gave him a wry look. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Let’s get out quietly, okay? Just get what you need for tonight. And we’ll unload tomorrow.” She reached for Andy, who was trembling with excitement, as if he knew he was home. “No, please, do not bark,” she warned him as she let him out of the truck. Thankfully, he just made a beeline for the front grass, relieving himself on his favorite lilac bush, then rolling in the grass as if to say he was happy to be home.
“Look at that,” Monroe whispered to Hope as they went around to the door that led into the back porch and kitchen. “Looks like your windows have arrived.”
Hope looked at the neat stacks of plastic-wrapped bundles. “I think you’re right.” She felt a surge of hope as she pulled open the screen door then unlocked the other door. Andy burst into the porch ahead of her. She turned on the light to see that things looked pretty much the same in there. Washer, dryer, as well as some paint cans and tools and things, sitting neatly on a piece of plastic on the counter next to the washer.
/> Hope opened the door to the kitchen, bracing herself for the state of deconstruction that she’d left behind, but was pleased to see that things had changed. She turned on the light switch to see that the old-fashioned chrome and glass chandelier had been hung in the kitchen. But also the lower cabinets, the appliances, and the sink were in place. Although the soapstone countertop and upper cabinets were still missing, it was encouraging to see this much. “Wow,” she said as she ran her hand over the smooth surface of the cabinets. “These are nice.”
“Check out the floor,” Monroe exclaimed.
She looked down as Andy trotted around, curiously sniffing everything. “That is gorgeous!” She knelt down to run her hand over the wood grain.
“They turned out nice, huh?”
“Much better than I expected.”
“Looks like someone’s been painting, too,” Monroe said as he went ahead of her into the living room. He turned the light on there, and Hope noticed that the new chandelier had been installed there as well. She was glad she’d taken time to mark the light boxes with their final destinations. Also the furnishings she’d had piled in one corner were now neatly arranged. Maybe not to her liking, but at least a person could sit down on the old sofa or the wooden rocker now.
“Is this the right color?” Monroe asked as he looked at the celery green paint.
“It is.” She nodded in amazement. “Do you think it looks okay?”
“Yeah. It’s nice with the wood floors.” He went ahead to look in the spare room now. “It’s painted in here, too. Cool color, Aunt Hope.”
She had picked out a darker green for the spare room. Almost an olive. “You like it?” she asked as she peeked in. “Not too dark?”
“I think it’s great.”
“And it’s good with the floors, too.” She noticed that the bed was centered on the back wall again, with the end table she’d saved in place as well. “I wonder if Brian did all this.”
“Man, he must’ve been one busy guy then.” Monroe had moved onto the bathroom now. “Check this out, Aunt Hope.”
Love Finds You in Sisters, Oregon Page 20
