When Alice awoke early the next morning, she decided to give Vera a call even though it was Sunday. She and Vera usually did not walk on Sundays because they were often busy with last-minute preparations for Sunday school or whatnot.
“Of course I want to walk,” said Vera without missing a beat. “How else will I ever hear what’s going on over there? I saw you and Mark walk by my house yesterday. You were so immersed in your conversation with him that you didn’t even see me wave.Then the next thing I knew, you were practically running back home. I’ve got to hear what on earth has happened.”
So they met and walked, and Alice talked. Although she could not make complete sense of her troubles with Adam and Mark, she did feel better when she had finished. Vera had raised two children of her own and had some sage advice about young adults to offer.
“Sure, they think they’re all grown up,” she told Alice, “or they want you to think they are, but underneath they are scared to death.”
“Scared?”
“You know, of failing. They’re old enough to realize that getting from where they are now to where they want to be may not be as easy as they had hoped. And it scares them. Overwhelms lots of them. Haven’t you heard of the throngs of twenty-something kids that have returned to the nest?”
“Yes, but I guess I never thought about why that is. To be honest, I don’t remember feeling like that. I just wanted to come home to help take care of my father. It had nothing to do with being scared.”
“Well, maybe you’re just different,” teased Vera.
“Thanks a lot.”
“I’m guessing that Adam is scared about a lot of things. I mean big things like life and death.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” she told Vera when they reached the inn. “Now that I’ve had my therapy session, what do I owe you?”
“Hey, you’ve already paid me by telling me what’s going on,” said Vera. “Now I don’t have to mug you after services to get the scoop.”
Well, one thing Alice could trust about Vera was that even if she did “get the scoop,” she was very discreet about keeping it to herself. Alice knew that her story was safe with her friend.
“Good morning,” said Mark as Alice came into the inn. “Been walking?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact.”
“Feeling better?”
“Oh yes,” she told him. “I feel much better. Jane insisted I go right to bed last night. At the time, I felt bad about doing so, but I think she was right.”
“Well, you’d had quite a day.” He lowered his voice. “What with the missing girl and Adam’s shenanigans.”
She smiled at the use of that old-fashioned word. “I better go get cleaned up so that I can help Jane with breakfast.”
He nodded. “And I am about to take a walk myself.” He peered out the window. “What a great morning for it too.”
As she hurried up the stairs, she wondered if she should have asked him about Adam and whether they should invite him to church or not. Well, that was Mark’s concern, she told herself as she hurried to shower. After all, Sunday was a day of rest. Perhaps that is just what she needed today. No more “babysitting” teenaged girls or willful young adults. Today, she would enjoy church, family and friends, and let someone else take care of the problems.
“How are you feeling?” asked Jane when Alice came into the kitchen.
“Great,” said Alice. “Thanks for the remedy.”
Jane giggled. “I guess that’s what we’ll have to call it from now on. Whenever a sister is ready to lose it, we’ll just recommend ‘the remedy’ and we’ll all know what we mean.”
Alice went to work slicing fresh strawberries and bananas. It was not long until Louise joined them and was put to work supervising the waffle iron.
“I couldn’t resist,” said Jane. “I’ll make Laura whatever she would like, but I thought the other guests shouldn’t be deprived.”
Louise poured a ladle full of batter onto the hot iron. “I saw the Langleys on my way down. Mr. Langley looked fit as a fiddle. He said he had never felt better.”
Alice smiled. “Perhaps this will be a good day for everyone.”
“I certainly hope so.” Louise gave Alice a funny look, almost as if she wanted to ask her about what was going on, but Alice was thankful that she did not.
Alice was tempted to eat breakfast in the kitchen, something they all felt comfortable doing when there was a full house and the table was filled with guests. But knowing that Mark would wonder at her absence, she decided it would be better to simply go out and sit down. She reminded herself to hold her tongue, especially when it came to Adam.
To her relief, all went well at breakfast. When Louise offered the general invitation to the chapel that was always given guests on Sunday mornings, Alice was surprised that Mark spoke for both himself and Adam. “We plan to be there, don’t we, Adam?”
Adam frowned, but nodded as if this had been previously arranged and not open to debate, and Alice began to clear the table.
“So far, so good,” said Jane as she joined her in the kitchen. “Maybe Mark’s little speech got through to our young man.”
“Little speech?” Alice cringed at the thought of Adam being lectured because of her hurt feelings. That certainly wouldn’t help anything.
“Yes,” said Jane. “I missed it, but Louise filled me in last night. Apparently, Mark really laid into his godson.”
“Oh dear.”
“Now, don’t worry about it. Louise thought it was quite appropriate, as did Aunt Ethel. And they’re the only ones in this family who’ve actually raised kids, so maybe they know a thing or two.”
“Maybe,” said Alice, but she wasn’t so sure. If anything, she anticipated that Adam would dislike her more than ever now. And, honestly, who could blame him? Oh dear, she thought, I am in serious need of divine help on this problem.
Chapter Eleven
Alice and Louise walked over to the chapel early. Louise wanted to warm up on the organ, and Alice was meeting with her middle school girls church group before the service. Called “the ANGELs,” an acronym for something only Alice and the girls knew, the group was in charge of dispensing the palms since this was Palm Sunday. Alice had planned a little talk for the girls because, last year, they had discovered that the palms were useful in whacking the heads of boys in the congregation. Alice wanted to ensure that no head-whacking occurred today.
It was a lovely service. Alice never grew tired of hearing the Easter story, of Jesus’ triumphal ride into Jerusalem and the way the people heralded Him as King.
As she left the chapel, Alice realized she was feeling better than she had in days. Perhaps her problems with Adam would be resolved. Then she caught the look Adam gave her as she made her way toward the sidewalk, and the ache in her heart returned. She could see the obvious dislike in his eyes and, even more upsetting, she was afraid that her eyes reflected the feeling right back at him. No matter that she knew he was hurting and that he needed unconditional acceptance, she could not control her feelings. For the first time in her adult life, she felt almost as if she were the same emotional age as one of her ANGELs; for a moment, she longed to grab one of those palms and whack Adam on the head.
She had complimented Rev. Kenneth Thompson on his fine sermon, visited with all her friends and was finally ready to go home when Mark came over and took her hand. “I hope that you have time in your busy schedule to join me for lunch,” he said with a bright smile.
“Well, of course.” She returned his smile, relieved that he had finally been able to break away from Ethel, who had taken him around to show off to all her friends.
“I thought we’d drive into the hills a bit. Are you up for a drive?”
“Certainly.” She smiled.
“Good. Can you be ready to go soon?”
“Shall I change?” she asked. “Is this a formal or informal lunch?”
“Informal,” he said. “I told Adam we’d try to get in a little
hiking. I think it would be good for him.”
She nodded slowly as the realization sunk in. This was not a date. This was a group outing. Still, it was too late to back out gracefully and, besides, she told herself, why should she?
She hurried up to her room and put on jeans and a denim shirt with a tan sweatshirt over it, just in case there was a chill in the air, and then her walking shoes. I can do this, she told herself. I can do this.
“Where are you going?” asked Jane as she saw Alice emerging from her room with a determined look in her eye.
“With Mark and Adam,” she said. “For lunch and a hike.”
Jane stifled a giggle. “You sound like a Marine sergeant, Alice.”
“That’s because I’m trying to convince myself that I can do this,” she said in a hup-two-three kind of voice. “ I can do this.”
“Well, I hope you’re right. If not, there’s always ‘the remedy.’”
Alice smiled. “You know, that’s quite consoling, little sister.”
Jane nodded. “Hey, get your comfort where you can. In the meantime, have fun and don’t let him get to you.”
“Mark?” asked Alice in an innocent voice.
“Yeah, you bet.” Jane gently thumped her sister on the head. “You know who I mean.”
“Right.” Alice nodded. “I can do this.”
Like a mantra, Alice mentally repeated that phrase as they got into Mark’s Range Rover. I can do this—I can do this—I can do this. She was surprised that these were not the first words out of her mouth when Mark offered her a stick of gum.
“Uh, yes, thanks,” she muttered, feeling somewhat dimwitted as he held the pack before her with a questioning expression.
“You okay?” he asked.
She smiled and nodded. “Yes, just thinking about something else.”
“You all set back there?” he asked Adam as he started the engine.
Alice heard Adam muttering something back but could not quite make it out. Probably, it made no difference since he was not talking to her anyway.
“Is that so?” said Mark.
Now her ears perked up a bit. What had she missed? Mark was looking at her with an expression that suggested he expected some kind of response on her part.
“Did I miss something?” she asked.
“Adam just mentioned that he gets carsick in the backseat,” said Mark.
“Oh.” Alice turned to look at Adam and noticed that he seemed to be smirking. “Well, I don’t mind sitting in back,” she said.
Mark looked torn. “You don’t get carsick, do you?”
She smiled. “Never have before.” She was already opening the door. They quickly switched seats, and although she knew it was foolish, she felt as if she had been one-upped by Adam. Once she had taken her place in the back seat, it seemed as if their roles had been reversed, and she was suddenly the youth and the two adults were sitting up front.
Mark tried to include her in his comments, mostly about the region and various hiking trails and sites, but every time she attempted to engage in the conversation, it seemed that she was either cut off or frozen out by Adam. Finally, she decided to focus her attention on the scenery that was flashing by the window. The ride reminded her of when she was a child before Mother had passed away, and her family would take day trips to the mountains.
She smiled to herself as she remembered how her prim and proper older sister never wanted to get dirty or muss her hair, whereas Alice had been a bit of a tomboy. She had not minded baiting a hook or gathering firewood or wading through a creek to catch crawdads. Even the bugs and snakes had not worried her. She just thought they were interesting.
Her father appreciated these qualities, but Louise would sometimes tease her by calling her Al, and Mother would get concerned if Alice carried the dungarees and flannel shirts too far. “Don’t forget you are a lady,” Mother would counsel her, “and a pretty one at that.” Of course, Alice had never considered herself pretty, with her red hair and freckles. Oh, her eyes were nice and people always told her she had a sweet, pleasant face, but pretty? No, she wouldn’t go that far. Now Jane and Mother, they were the pretty ones—beauties really, and Louise had always possessed rather handsome good looks.
Alice wondered why she was thinking about all of this now. It was not the sort of thing that normally occupied her thoughts. Perhaps it was because she was supposed to be on something of a date. But was it really? Here she was, sitting in the backseat, for the most part overlooked. She wondered now if it would have made any difference if she had not come at all. Furthermore, she wished that she had not. She would have been happier at home with her sisters than riding in the backseat with a surly young man taking her place up front. Suddenly, she wondered if she might too get carsick and actually had to suppress the urge to say, “Are we almost there?”
She looked back out the window, reminding herself that she was an adult, and then hummed hymns quietly, harmonizing with the sound of the tires on the curving mountain road.
“First stop, Cutter’s Pass,” said Mark as he parked the Range Rover in a small parking area. “I thought we could have a little hike to work up our appetites and then there’s a café down the way where we can have lunch.”
Adam climbed out of the car and stretched lazily. “I haven’t hiked since Boy Scouts,” he said to Mark. “Not sure if I’ll be able to keep up.” He looked longingly at the front seat. “Maybe I should just wait here.”
“Nothing doing,” said Mark. “We came to hike, and hike we will.”
“Surely you can keep up with two old fogies like us,” said Alice, instantly wishing she had not spoken when she noticed the frown shadowing Adam’s face.
Mark laughed. “That’s right, Adam. We’re three times as old as you. I think that definitely gives you the advantage.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
“It’s a beautiful day.” Not taking any chances, Alice directed this comment to Mark. “Unseasonably warm for April.”
Mark nodded. Soon they were off, and although Adam complained a bit at the start, he had no problem keeping up, and it was not long before Alice noticed that not only was he keeping up, but he also seemed to be driving them faster. They were going up a steady incline when she paused to catch her breath and remove her sweatshirt. It was much warmer than she had expected.
“You okay?” Mark called back to her. Adam was ahead of Mark, standing at the top of the rise now with his hands on his hips as if he was becoming impatient. From where he stood, looking down on Alice, it almost seemed a set up to show off his physical stamina and superiority. Maybe that was just her imagination. She wondered if fatigue could possibly give way to paranoia.
“I’m fine,” she called up the hill as she tied the arms of the sweatshirt around her waist. “Just a bit too warm.” She considered telling them to go on ahead without her, but that might suggest defeat or that she was too old and feeble to keep up with them. For whatever reason, maybe the competitive tomboy still residing within her older woman’s body, she was simply not willing to give in.
“I can do this,” she muttered aloud as she continued walking uphill. But as she said it, she could hear her breaths coming out in short quick gasps and she knew her feet were dragging. Even though she had on her best walking shoes, she was getting a hot spot on her big right toe, which would probably become a blister if she didn’t take care.
When she reached the top of the second rise, she paused in the shade to catch her breath and wipe the perspiration from her brow. That is when she noticed that Mark had on some sort of a safari hat and Adam was wearing his ball cap, actually facing forward now. They were both somewhat shielded from the noonday sun. She wished she had thought to bring along a hat or at least apply some sunscreen. Why hadn’t she planned better?
“How are you holding up?”
She forced a smile to her lips. “Not as well as you two.”
Mark pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped a stream of sweat from his fac
e. “Maybe we should slow down a little.” He turned to Adam. “What do you think?”
Adam made a disappointed face. “I was just starting to enjoy this.”
“That’s okay,” said Alice. “I’ll be fine. How about if we just go at our own pace. If I get tired, I’ll sit down and wait for you guys to come back for me.”
“Are you sure?” asked Mark.
She nodded. “Yes, it’s lovely out here. I would be happy to go at a more leisurely pace and simply enjoy all this natural beauty. I’ve barely had time to admire the wildflowers yet.”
He smiled. “Okay, then.”
It was not long before Mark and Adam were out of sight, but this did not bother Alice in the least. In fact, she was relieved. She stopped by a stream and removed her shoes, allowing her hot, tired feet a refreshing soak in the icy water. She splashed some on her face and even considered drinking, but she knew that would not be wise. Too bad she hadn’t thought to bring a water bottle.
Finally, her feet felt like ice cubes and even the hotspot seemed a bit better. She looked around until she spotted a nice big log that could serve as a handy bench. She had just put her socks back on when she heard a buzzing sound around her head. When she looked up, she saw a number of yellow jackets diving right at her. She grabbed her shoes and leapt to her feet, swinging her arms like a windmill as she attempted to fend off the angry little beasts. But it was too late. She suddenly felt a hot stinging sensation on her left forearm and then another on her right hand. She saw one wasp coming straight at her face. Panicking, she actually threw a shoe at it. Of course, that did no good. She missed the insect, but it did not miss her, and the flying shoe landed right in the stream where it began floating away like a little white raft.
With her remaining shoe in hand and yellow jackets still coming at her, Alice began to run along the stream, hoping to catch the wayward shoe, but after about fifty feet, she realized she was running a losing race. She gave up and just shook her head sadly. She wanted to cry, but would not give in to her emotions. “You are a registered nurse,” she told herself. “You know how to handle emergencies.” Her hand, arm and cheek were all throbbing from the stings.
Memories from Acorn Hill Page 8
