Harvesting Acorns

by Deirdré Amy Gower

  “Grace, is something wrong?” Chloe asked confused.

  “That drawing, where did you get it?” Grace asked, ashen.

  “I found it while browsing in the antique store opposite the beach on my first day in the village. It grabbed my attention immediately and I just had to have it. Why, have you seen it before?”

  Chloe felt a sense of excitement rising. Another puzzle piece seemed to be forming. Did Grace perhaps know who the artist was?

  “Do you remember when Joel and I told you our story?” she asked, and then continued before Chloe answered. “We mentioned that when we were twenty years old, at our full moon picnic after the second year apart, I gave Joel a drawing that I had done of the tree in the park.”

  Chloe felt herself pale. Could it really be that this was that drawing?

  “Are you saying that this is the drawing you gave Joel that night?” Chloe asked, her anticipation clearly unmasked.

  “Yes it is,” replied Grace, still rooted to her spot in the doorway.

  “But why was it in the antique shop?” Chloe asked.

  “I don’t know. Joel took it with him when he left for his sailing trip around the world. So that he would remember our dream, have something to focus on. But when the boat capsized they lost everything.” Grace began to shiver and Chloe led her into the lounge and went to make her some tea.

  Grace continued when Chloe had handed her a cup of tea and some rusks.

  “I remember how devastated Joel was at losing that drawing, he really treasured it. He could barely tell me he felt so bad.”

  “I am so glad I was the one to buy it,” Chloe said, “ so I can now return it to you, but it really is a mystery how it ended up in that antique store, and so many years after its disappearance.”

  “Would you mind if we take it to the antique shop?” Grace asked Chloe. “To see if they can tell us who brought it in and how long it had been in the shop before you stumbled upon it?”

  “Of course, Grace, it is yours. I have no intention of keeping it now that I know where it belongs,” she affirmed.

  As it was Saturday afternoon, they concluded that the store would already be closed for the weekend so they would go together on Monday morning. Chloe would let Edward know that she would be in a little late for work. This was too intriguing to wait any longer than they needed to. They switched the conversation to the events of recent weeks, the success of Chloe’s article and the picnic and how excited and happy they both were that Hannah would be able to receive all the treatment that she needed.

  “That Ben is a brave but humble man,” Grace acknowledged, “he devoted his life to that little girl. Such a good man. We all thought he would marry again, have someone to help him raise Hannah, but he has just hand a single-minded focus on her, no room for anyone else in his life.”

  Chloe felt a little twinge. Again it baffled her so she brushed it off and continued speaking about Hannah and James. They ended their visit and agreed to meet at the store first thing that Monday morning.

  Chloe spent that evening curled up with her book as usual. Her mind kept drifting to Ben and Hannah and their unusual situation. All the time one heard of single mothers raising children alone, devoting their lives to this task with single minded commitment. When it was a man doing the same it sparked a different kind of admiration. Not greater, just different. Ben was different.

  Chloe had not dated as much as other single women her age, but she had been around enough men to recognise something unique in Ben. It piqued her curiosity just a little bit more, especially now that she had seen the light hearted more exuberant side of him in the last few days. She ended up reading until way after midnight and, after dozing a few times and waking as her book slapped her forehead, she decided to call it a night and climbed into bed.

  She woke a lot earlier than she had intended for a Sunday morning and got out of bed, bleary eyed and fuzzy headed, to make her morning cup of tea. In her lack of sleep stupor she began to run water to wash the dishes and then nipped into the spare room to find a dish towel. She noticed her gown hanging up, looking very inviting and decided on a shower with the intention of cuddling into the gown afterwards.

  She shampooed her hair and as she finished rinsing it and opened her eyes she noticed she had company – a huge, winged roach cross moth of sorts had crawled into the shower. Chloe turned into a naked ninja; it was funny how being in a tight space with something a hundred times smaller than you could do that to you. She flicked it out of the shower and saw it morph into a strange looking wasp impersonation as it righted itself up. It was during her examination of its little stunt that she heard what sounded like the Niagara Falls in her kitchen. She had left the tap running to wash the dishes.

  Her heart sank at the sight; and wading through squelching water to turn the tap off she realised just what the last couple of weeks had done to her concentration levels. As she mopped up the mess she vowed she would not leave the house that whole day. She would stay in her gown and just vegetate on the couch with some good sitcoms and her books. She would indulge in hot chocolate, nachos with avocado and cream cheese and just pamper herself from head to toe. No, she would not even do that. She fully intended just to work on her relationship with her couch.

  Outside, the rumble of thunder promised rain. It got closer and soon the rain poured down, beating against the roof of Chloe’s house. She absolutely loved being cuddled under a duvet during a thunderstorm and listening to the rain on the roof. Her day was perfect and she would recover her physical strength and mental clarity before beginning a new week.

  She must have dozed off because she roused at the sound of knocking on her door. The rain had stopped and the thunder had moved on. She was not expecting anyone and completely forgot that she was dressed in her robe when she opened the door. Ben stood there with a bunch of flowers. Chloe was mortified when, as she saw him, she remembered her appearance. He did not bat an eye. She invited him in and excused herself to quickly throw something on. When she came back, he handed her the flowers.

  “Just a small token of appreciation. All the tests are being done, and with each one I think of you and your part in it.” He smiled at her. It really was a dashing smile, she had not noticed before. The way his blue eyes lit up when he was happy.

  “Thank you Ben. How have the tests been? Are they very painful?” Chloe inquired.

  “Just blood tests so far, but they took a lot of blood from both of us. Hannah is so brave. She has had so many that she does not even fuss anymore,” he said proudly. “Me, on the other hand, I wince like a baby!”

  “You should start getting results in anytime from tomorrow”, Chloe half stated, half asked.

  “Yes, apparently this was the first of three levels of testing. Apparently there is only allowed to be, at most, one mismatch on all three levels. Depending on the result of this one, we will know whether further testing on me will be done, or if we need to find a donor.” His emotions whirled like a kaleidoscope across his face; hope, fear, optimism, doubt. Chloe really felt for him, it could not be easy to stay optimistic under the circumstances, but he really was doing a good job of exuding a positive attitude.

  “I am willing to be tested as soon as we know if it is necessary. I am about to register as a donor, but will wait first to see if I may be a match for Hannah,” Chloe offered.

  “Thank you Chloe,” Ben put his hand on hers trying to convey his sincerest appreciation for Chloe’s gesture.

  There was that odd sensation again. Chloe Dane, what is up with you? She thought to herself. It was not an uncomfortable or alarming sensation. Just something she could not place and it therefore unsettled her for that reason. She felt she knew herself well, could interpret all of her emotions even if she could not control them. She had always felt that one of her greatest strengths was understanding herself and knowing her weaknesses. She got up to make some tea and Ben got up and stood in the doorway to continue their conversation while she brewed the tea. He looked qu
izzically at the laundry basket stacked with wet towels and blankets.

  “Don’t ask,” Chloe blushed as she saw him looking. She had grabbed everything possible to mop up the mess and had put them in the machine just before she had settled on the couch and dozed off. Ben’s unexpected visit had not given her the chance to hang them out. She had been waiting for the thunderstorm to pass earlier before she could do so.

  “I am asking,” he chuckled.

  “Let’s just say exhaustion has left me easily distracted,” she offered as the only explanation she was willing to give.

  “Well then I insist on going out to fetch dinner for you. You relax and don’t lift a finger. Chinese? Thai? Italian? What do you like Chloe? I don’t know you at all.”

  “Pizza?” she suggested a little sheepishly, she didn’t know why.

  “Good choice! I will be back soon, and then will leave you to rest,” he ordered.

  “As long as you are joining me for pizza first. You may leave after that,” she teased in a mock authoritative tone.

  While he was gone, she hung the wet towels out on the line and fixed herself up a bit. She was a mess from her lounging around.

  Ben arrived back within half an hour and they laughed and joked over shared pizza and then Ben left her to have some more resting time. She put the flowers he had brought into a vase and smiled. When last had she been given flowers? Besides through work and the like, when last had a man given her flowers? She could not remember. She knew this was different, but it still felt nice. She undressed again and got back into her gown and back into position on her couch.

  On Monday morning, as arranged, she met with Grace at the antique store. They took the drawing through to the owner and asked if he could shed some light as to who had brought it in and how long ago. He remembered the drawing, it had grabbed his attention right from the moment he saw it. The artistry was unique, but there seemed to be a sense of something wondrous about the subject of the drawing. He had never figured it out but he had been sad to see it go. He had watched Chloe the day she had come into the shop and saw her reaction when she first held the drawing in her hands and really looked at it. No other customers had given it a second glance. He knew it was going to a good home.

  It had been in his store for about five years before Chloe came in. Five years it had stood on its display and no one had been interested. Secretly he was relieved. It had been brought into the store by a man in his early thirties. He had long hair and wore cotton pants and a flowing white shirt. He was what most people would call a hippie. He had said that his grandfather had asked him to find the drawing’s owner. A well-sealed box of items had washed up on their island shore, presumably off a wrecked ship. His grandfather had been leader of the island village.

  “What had he said his name was? Oh yes, Logan.”

  Grace and Chloe froze. Could it be? Could it really be the grandson of the man Joel had told them about. From the Flower Children village who had so kindly helped Joel so many years ago?

  The antique dealer continued to tell them about his meeting with ‘the hippie’. Logan had been convinced that the box was from the boat of a couple of sailors who had found their way to the island after their boat had capsized in a storm. The sailors had spent about six months with them before being able to repair their boat and sail home. Logan had remembered more or less where they had come from but no specifics, just a vague recollection of the town name and country.

  When his grandson had told him he was going to travel and he learned he would be in that vicinity he asked him to try to find its owner and return it. It seemed like something special. His grandson had told the dealer that he had been trying to find ways to locate the owner but didn’t know how. On his last stretch of his travels he had wandered into the antique store and asked if he could leave it with the owner and if he could somehow continue the search.

  The shop owner had agreed, although the drawing did not have an artist’s signature, he had not really known how to go about it. He had taken pictures and ran an article in the local newspaper but had not had any responses. Eventually he had displayed it in the store, hoping that its owners would somehow see it, failing that, it may catch the eye of someone who would appreciate it.

  Grace and Chloe were speechless. Eventually Chloe spoke.

  “I would like you to meet the artist, Grace. The sailor Logan was talking about is Grace’s husband, Joel.”

  The store owner’s eyes widened in disbelief.“I can’t believe this. Things like this only happen in movies, in fairy tales.”

  “Believe me, I have said that same thing many times over the last couple of months,” Chloe assured him.

  Grace was still standing dazed. She looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks.

  “Chloe, whatever you feel about the life you ran from, I believe you were brought here for purposes far greater than all of us. Look at how all the little pieces are forming. Joel will be so happy, I can’t wait to take this home to him.”

  They thanked the store owner and left together. They stopped at Tea for Two for some tea and croissants and shared the story with Phoebe. She was just as astounded as they were at how the events of the lives of total strangers were being orchestrated and connected to each other in the most supernatural ways. Chloe excused herself after about half an hour, she needed to get to the office and catch up with her other work that had taken a backseat after all the excitement of the last week.

  Chapter Ten

  Not long after she arrived, she got a call from Ben. He asked if he could see her that evening after work for a quick coffee. He had some news. He did not sound his new usual optimistic self that she had got to see during the last week. She was worried. She knew it must be something to do with the results and felt a knot grow in her stomach. She agreed to meet him straight from work. She found herself battling to concentrate for the rest of the afternoon. As soon as her clock struck five o’clock, she shut down her computer and dashed out of the office. She went straight to Ben and Hannah’s home. Hannah was out of hospital, but resting in her room when Chloe arrived. Ben invited her in and she immediately saw that all was not well.

  “Ben, are you OK, please tell me the news is not bad about the results.” One look at his face and she knew that it was.

  “I… I…” and he sobbed, “I am not a match. I can’t be Hannah’s bone marrow donor”. And then he broke down.

  Chloe immediately put her arms around him.

  “Oh Ben! I know how much it would have meant to you to be the one to give her the seeds of life she so desperately needs.”

  He nodded. There were no more words to express his anguish. Chloe stepped back and with her fix all attitude she attempted to take control of the situation.

  “Tomorrow I will go and be tested. We will spread the word and I believe with all my heart that a donor will be found in no time,” she reassured him.

  He found his words again:

  “Yes, what is most important is that there is a donor, it is not important whether it is me or not. It would have made the whole process a lot quicker, but we have got this far, I have faith it will all work out.” He had composed himself again and they discussed what needed to be done.

  They didn’t talk too loudly as they had heard Hannah stirring and Ben had gone to check on her. He didn’t want to worry her with his fears and the details of what needed to be done. He just wanted her to be calm and rested so that her body did not have to cope with any anxiety or added stress on top of her illness.

  “Would you like to meet Hannah? I can’t let you spend any time with her but I can introduce you from the doorway. She is so susceptible to everything at the moment.”

  Chloe was overcome, she had been waiting to meet Hannah, but understood that she could not be exposed to any germs and so had to be kept isolated.

  “I would love to meet her,” she replied appreciatively.

  Ben led her to Hannah’s room and opened the door quietly.

  “Hannah,
I would like for you to meet someone special.” Hannah opened her eyes and smiled at her dad and then at Chloe. She was an angelic looking child. Big blue eyes glittered despite her weak condition, you could see she was a happy, loving soul.

  “Hello Hannah,” Chloe smiled at her.

  “Hi,” Hannah replied.

  “Hannah, this is Chloe. She is the one I told you about who had been listening to James and helping him to make his dream come true, for you to have all you need to get well.”

  Hannah smiled sweetly at them and then closed her eyes, she really was tired after all she had been through in the hospital.

  “Nice meeting you Hannah,” said Chloe, “I look forward to spending more time with you soon. Rest well.”

  And then Ben closed the door and they returned to the living room.

  “I need to dash off now to sort some things out at home and for tomorrow, and then I will call you first thing to arrange to see the doctors for testing,” she told Ben.

  “I appreciate that Chloe, it is no walk in the park for anyone to agree to be a donor, and I admire your offer.”

  It was a beautiful evening and so Chloe went for a brief walk on the beach to watch the sunset and contemplate all that had, and was going to happen. She needed to rally up volunteers to be tested. It was not something you could coax people into. The testing part was easy, the first part anyway, that was just blood tests. But when it came to actually donating bone marrow, it was a painful procedure for a donor as bone marrow is harvested from the hip bones.

  It was a huge thing to ask of someone. It was different for a parent, or family member offering to make that sacrifice for a child they loved, but how did one go about asking strangers to do that? She knew that this was precisely why she was here. She could do this on behalf of Ben, as a non-relative being the first to pave the way in being tested and offering to undergo the procedure. Whereas Ben being tested and possibly donating was expected by the public, Chloe doing so would be encouragement for others to do the same.