Memories from Acorn Hill

by Melody Carlson

  “Are you volunteering?” Jane pointed a wooden spoon at her aunt.

  Ethel chuckled. “Wouldn’t be the first time I set a young person in his rightful place.”

  “I can vouch for that,” said Alice.

  “Morning, girls,” called Louise as she came into the kitchen. “I see the party has already begun.”

  “Isn’t it nice having Alice home this week?” said Jane.

  “It’s a good thing too,” said Alice, “Since I’m sure I would’ve been completely useless at the hospital right now.”

  “So what are your plans today?” asked Louise as she poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down across from Ethel.

  Alice shrugged. “I’m not sure—well, other than that I won’t be taking any hikes. I would like to get to Potterston to shop for a new pair of walking shoes.”

  “Hello?” called a masculine voice. Mark pushed open the door to the kitchen. “Are males allowed in here?”

  Jane laughed. “Only you, Mark. Come on in.”

  “That is correct,” said Louise. “You are special.”

  “Thanks.” He smiled at Alice. “How are you doing today?”

  “Much better, thanks.”

  “Coffee?” offered Jane.

  He nodded and took a chair across from Alice. “I am so sorry for every—”

  “As I said,” she told him, “it wasn’t your fault. I brought it on myself.”

  “I shouldn’t have let Adam push us so much,” he said, then groaned as he rubbed the top of his legs. “Believe me, I’m paying for it too.”

  Alice felt selfishly relieved at this admission. “Well, I suppose we’re not as young as we used to be.”

  “You’re telling me.” He shook his head. “I could barely make it down the stairs without screaming in pain just now.”

  Alice laughed. “Well, I would recommend some ibuprofen for starters. And then perhaps a hot soak in the tub might help.”

  “And that’s your professional opinion?”

  “Well, that and don’t let Adam push you around so much.”

  The other women actually gave a little applause for this.

  “I know,” said Mark. “It’s awful, isn’t it? I feel so terrible about how things went last night with Laura. I’m considering giving Adam his walking papers today.”

  “Oh, Mark,” began Alice. “You don’t really want to—”

  “I don’t see why not. He doesn’t seem to appreciate anything, and it’s clear that he doesn’t want to be here. All he does is stir up trouble.”

  “But it’s only because he’s feeling so—”

  “I don’t buy that, Alice,” he said in a firm voice. “I mean, I realize that he’s hurting about his parents, but that certainly doesn’t give him the right to make everyone else miserable.”

  “That’s true,” said Louise.

  “We’re all mature adults,” said Jane. “We ought to be able to come up with something that will get through to this young man.”

  “You mean besides my throttling him?” said Ethel.

  Alice made an apologetic smile to Mark. “She offered.”

  “Not a bad idea.”

  “Can’t you just give him a little more time?” asked Alice, surprised that she was actually feeling sorry for Adam now. The idea of Mark asking him to leave the inn was unsettling.

  “Maybe I can give him a warning,” said Mark, “that he can either shape up or ship out.”

  “Yes,” agreed Alice. “That sounds fair.”

  “Now, not to change the subject,” said Jane, “but, Alice, would you mind picking up a couple of things for me if you go to Potterston today?”

  “Not at all.”

  “You’re going to Potterston?” asked Mark.

  “To purchase some new walking shoes.” She grinned at him. “For some reason I find myself in need.”

  “Want some company?”

  “Sure.”

  “Though I do have an appointment this morning,” he said. “Do you mind waiting until after that? I should be back by eleven.”

  “That’s fine.”

  “And, considering that you may still be recovering from that horrible hike yesterday, perhaps I should drive you.”

  “That would be great.” Then she considered something worrisome, but hated to ask.

  “Something wrong?” he asked.

  “Well, I was just wondering … uh, do you plan to invite Adam to join us today?”

  He laughed. “Ah, not this time.”

  “Oh.” She hated that she felt so relieved.

  “I’ll give you my list after breakfast,” said Jane. “Most of all, I want you to go by Gierson’s and get lots of eggs. They’re having a great special and you know we need a bunch for the egg hunt.”

  “You use real eggs?” asked Mark.

  “Of course,” said Louise, “and everyone at the inn is invited to an egg-dyeing party on Friday afternoon.”

  “Sounds like fun,” said Mark. “Count me in.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Alice had to admit that she enjoyed riding in the front seat this time. It felt nice to be a grownup sitting next to Mark as he drove them to Potterston. Their conversation was light and comfortable, carried mainly by Mark as he related several exciting stories about his practice at the zoo.

  “You are quite a storyteller,” she said. She wanted to ask him about his appointment with Richard Watson and whether he liked the Olsen house, but since he did not mention anything about it, she thought perhaps he would prefer that she didn’t know. Still, she was curious about what he was planning.

  “I spoke to Adam this morning,” said Mark.

  “How did it go?”

  He shook his head. “Not too well. Adam immediately got quite defensive. He said that if I didn’t want him around that he might as well just clear out.”

  “Oh dear.”

  “I assured him that I wanted him around, but that I wanted him to be more courteous to others.”

  “Could he understand that?”

  “I’m not sure. He acted as if he hadn’t done much wrong. It’s almost as if he wanted to push me, to see what I’d do about it.” He scratched his beard. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say that Adam is testing me, but that seems ridiculous. Good grief, he’s almost twenty years old. It’s not as if I plan to act like a father to him. I just want to help him.”

  “I know you do, Mark.”

  “The thing is, Alice …” He paused to glance at her, then put his eyes back on the road. “I hate to admit this, but I really don’t like Adam very much.”

  Alice did not know what to say. The truth was that she didn’t either.

  “I know that sounds horrible. It’s certainly not a very Christian way to feel about someone, especially about the only son of your deceased best friend, as well as your own godson. But that’s how I feel. If I were to meet Adam on the street after all he’s put me through, well, I probably wouldn’t give him the time of day. Except that I feel responsible for him, you know?”

  “I know.”

  “But I have to ask myself, just what exactly is my responsibility to him?”

  “I’m not sure, Mark.”

  “I’m not sure either. I’ve considered what your father used to teach, that a godfather was responsible for a child’s spiritual upbringing should the parents be unable. And while I agree with this, at least in theory, I have to wonder what I can possibly do to influence Adam now that he’s all grown up. And do you know what really bugs me, Alice?”

  “What?”

  “I’m feeling angry at Gregory now. I feel that he must not have done a good job raising Adam. It feels horrible to think that, especially considering how much I loved Gregory.” Mark sighed deeply.

  “I can see that it’s complicated.”

  “You said it.”

  Alice was relieved that they had arrived in Potterston now. Otherwise, she might have felt compelled to confess that she, too, disliked Adam. Somehow, she just did
not want to admit that to Mark. It was bad enough that he was having problems with his feelings. At least Alice should try to appear to like the young man. As they walked into the shoe store, Alice decided to look for the good qualities in Adam. Surely, he must have some.

  Alice found an excellent pair of walking shoes after only trying on a few pairs. “These are so comfortable,” she said as she walked around the store, “I don’t want to take them off.”

  “You don’t have to,” said the pleased salesman. “I can ring them up for you and put your other shoes in the box.”

  “Perfect,” said Alice.

  After that, Mark insisted on treating Alice to lunch. “I know I can’t make up for yesterday,” he said after they were seated at a window table at a nice restaurant, “but I can try.”

  She waved her hand. “I think that the sooner we forget about all that the better we’ll feel.”

  He nodded and looked down at the menu. Alice studied him from the other side of the table. He was such a kind and gracious man, and he treated her so well. What more could anyone hope for? Yet she was not sure—not only about her own feelings, but also about his. Perhaps it was better just to go on the way they were and be content that they were simply friends. They both decided to try out the special, a salmon soufflé with sautéed asparagus, and neither of them was disappointed.

  “That was excellent,” said Alice to Mark as the waiter removed their empty dishes.

  “Dessert?” he asked.

  “Oh, I shouldn’t—” began Alice.

  “Why not?” said Mark.

  She smiled as she considered all the calories that she must have burned off yesterday. “Yes, why not?” They both ordered the crème caramel, which turned out to be delicious.

  “We have similar tastes,” observed Mark as they were leaving.

  Alice nodded. “Except that you had coffee with your dessert and I had tea.”

  “Well, we wouldn’t want the waiter to think we were boring.” He smiled as he held the door for her.

  “Thank you,” she told him. “Lunch was just lovely.”

  Mark dropped off Alice at the grocery store. “Do you mind if I run some errands,” he asked, “while you shop?”

  “Not at all.”

  They agreed on how long it should take, and Alice took Jane’s short list and went into the store. She piled her cart high with eggs, relieved to see that there was no limit on the special price. Then she gathered the other items and made her way to the checkout stand.

  “Alice Howard?”

  Alice turned to see a vaguely familiar face behind her. She smiled at the attractive woman in the periwinkle-blue jogging suit but still could not quite place her. “Yes?”

  “Oh, I thought that was you.”The woman smiled brightly. “Matilda Singleton,” she said. “Or at least I used to be.”

  “Matilda Singleton?” Alice struggled to put this vaguely familiar face with the vaguely familiar name.

  “We went to college together.”

  Alice nodded and smiled. “Oh yes, Matilda, of course. I remember you now.”

  The woman patted her platinum-colored hair and stood straighter. “Well, I have to admit that I’ve changed some. And I go by Mattie now.”

  “You look great,” said Alice. It was true. Matilda, or Mattie, almost looked better now than she had back in college.

  “Well, I finally lost that weight.” Mattie patted her chin with the back of her hand, causing her assortment of gold bangle bracelets to jangle. “And then I got a little work done here and there. Just small things, you know. But every little bit helps when we get to be this age. Right?”

  Alice nodded uncertainly as she moved her cart forward in the line. “Do you live around here, Mattie?”

  “I just moved to Potterston last year,” said Mattie. “My late husband Arnold grew up here and he’d always dreamed of retiring in his hometown. We’d barely moved into our condo when he suffered a cardiac arrest.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  Mattie did not look particularly upset. “Well, between you and me and the lamppost, I was about to divorce him anyway.”

  Unsure of how she should respond to that, Alice continued unloading her cart, placing carton after carton of eggs on the moving belt.

  Mattie continued chattering at her as the cashier rang up Alice’s groceries.

  “Lotta eggs,” said the young man. “You planning to make a giant omelet or something?”

  Alice laughed. “Actually, we’re going to boil and dye them for an Easter egg hunt.”

  “You’re serious?” He blinked, then totaled the cost. “I didn’t know people did stuff like that anymore.”

  “They do where I live.” Alice gave him her money and waited.

  “And where’s that?” he asked as he gave her the change.

  “Acorn Hill,” she told him.

  “Oh, you live in Acorn Hill,” said Mattie as she began to unload her groceries onto the belt. “That’s such a sweet little town. I tried to talk Arnold into settling down there but, oh no, he would have nothing to do with it. Potterston or nothing.”

  Alice noticed Mark coming in the store’s entrance. “Need a hand?” he called as he got closer.

  Alice smiled and waved him over. “Do you remember Mark Graves?” she asked Mattie as she returned her wallet to her purse.

  “Is that Mark Graves?” cooed Mattie with obvious appreciation. “Well, he’s still just as handsome as ever.” Then she lowered her voice. “So you actually nabbed him after all. And here I’d heard that you two had broken up.”

  “Actually, we’re just—”

  “Mark Graves,” called Mattie cheerfully. “I’ll bet you don’t remember me.”

  Mark and Alice waited for Mattie to complete her purchases, then the three of them chatted briefly near the exit. Finally, Mattie suggested that they should stow their groceries and meet at the coffee shop next to the grocery store. “We can keep talking about old times,” she told them. “My treat.”

  Mark wheeled Alice’s cart to the Range Rover and then opened the trunk. They decided the weather was cool enough that the eggs would be safe for a short visit.

  “Do you remember her from when we were dating in college?” Alice asked as she handed Mark a bag to be placed in the back. “She was a casual friend of mine.”

  “Not exactly,” he admitted. “The name sounds a bit familiar, but I don’t really recall her face.”

  “Well, she’s lost some weight and even admitted that she’s had some, uh, work done.”

  Mark nodded knowingly as he closed the back of his car with a thud. “Went under the knife to look younger, eh? It’s got to make you wonder.”

  “What?” Alice peered at him as they walked across the parking lot.

  “Whether it’s worth all that pain, money and danger. Any surgery has its risks. Why take the chance?”

  “But she does look good, doesn’t she?”

  He shrugged, and suddenly Alice remembered something.

  “I didn’t get a chance to straighten her out,” she said quickly as they walked toward the coffee shop. “Mattie, uh, well, she thinks we’re married.”

  Mark chuckled. “She does, does she?”

  “I was about to explain to her that we’re not, but then she began chatting with you and I didn’t get the—”

  “Hello, you two,” called Mattie as she joined them.

  As Mark went to the counter to order, Alice filled Mattie in on her marital status.

  “Oh, I see.” Mattie’s carefully penciled eyebrows lifted. “Well, isn’t that something. Alice Howard never married and Mattie Singleton has been through four husbands already.”

  Alice felt her eyes growing wide. “Four?”

  Mattie laughed. “That’s right. I have to admit that those alimony checks came in handy, and then, of course, the insurance.”

  “Oh my.”

  “Now don’t act as if it’s so scandalous,” said Mattie. “It’s not as if all of the di
vorces were my fault. Well, other than the fact that I have the worst luck imaginable when it comes to picking good men and just marriage in general.”

  Alice noticed her large diamond rings, one on each hand, and her glittering earrings. Mattie may have had bad luck with men, but it appeared that alimony and insurance money had paid off. Still, Alice did not believe that baubles were worth the heartache of failed relationships.

  “There you go,” said Mark as he set down the tray of coffee and tea on the small table and joined them.

  “Mark Graves,” said Mattie in an interested, if not slightly flirtatious, tone. “So, tell me, what have you been doing with yourself all these years?”

  Mark smiled and then pleasantly indulged her with a short but impressive synopsis of his forty-year career in animal medicine, including mentions of his various travels.

  “Fascinating,” said Mattie. “I’ve traveled quite a bit myself. Two of my husbands were avid globetrotters. About ten years ago, I even went down the Amazon. My husband Richard booked us a cruise right down that river. I wasn’t too sure about it. Fortunately, the cruise ship turned out to be quite luxurious, and I never even had to get off it if I didn’t want to.”

  “A cruise ship on the Amazon?” Alice thought this sounded rather strange.

  Mattie laughed. “Yes, it does seem a bit incongruous since the people who live down there are so primitive and impoverished. I suppose it was an interesting study in contrasts.”

  “And what have you been doing since college, Mattie?” asked Mark. “Well, other than cruising down the Amazon?”

  Mattie smiled and launched into a descriptive tale about all the various places she had lived and all the unusual things she had done. Apparently, Mattie had only married rich men.

  By the time Mattie finished, Alice felt exhausted. Of course, Mattie had not gone into too much detail about the careers or personalities of the four husbands or their financial contribution to her affluent and exciting lifestyle, Alice noted. “Wow,” said Mark. “That’s quite impressive.”

  “Oh, it’s not much compared to all that you’ve done,” said Mattie in a flattering tone. “How fulfilling it must be for you to go around the world saving endangered animals. I feel rather selfish not to have pursued a career.”

  “Careers aren’t everything,” Mark assured her.