A Summer Romance

by Tracey Smith

  Once inside she headed straight for the shower, hoping that she could wash away the eerie feeling that was hanging over her. She placed the picture of Agnes and Marge on her dresser, again feeling a pang of sadness when she gazed at the desperate expression on Agnes Devereaux’s young face. It was as if the girl knew that one way or another her happiness would be destroyed on that night.

  Maggie stood under the warm water of the shower allowing it to wash over her, willing it to take with it her apprehension. Regardless of how she came to be here the happiness she’d found here was very real and she wouldn’t let that be sullied by the strange circumstances that surrounded it.

  She did feel refreshed when she emerged from the shower, and desperate to see Aaron again. She promptly dressed then called him, feeling the last of her tension release the moment she heard his voice.

  Aaron arrived a short while later with a backpack slung over his shoulder and a charming smile on his face.

  “I missed you,” he told her, lifting her into his arms and kissing her the way only he could. Maggie sighed happily as he lowered her feet back to the floor. “I was thinking we could take a walk. There’s a place I’d like to show you. Maybe have a little picnic, unless you’d rather go to town for dinner.”

  “No! A picnic sounds perfect,” Maggie said. All she wanted was to be alone with Aaron away from the town of Sweetwater, away from everything.

  He smiled and took her by the hand as he led her out the back door.

  “Where are we going?” she asked as they stepped into the woods.

  “You’ll see,” he answered cryptically as he led her along a path through the woods.

  ~20~

  They walked hand in hand through the darkening woods. The sun had just set and the forest around them was coming alive with the sounds cicadas and tree frogs. The air was warm and heavy with sweet smelling dew. The rising moon was full, embedded in a sea of stars, bathing the woods in a bluish glow. Maggie had never walked through the woods at night before. She wondered if it always felt this magical.

  Aaron led Maggie past the barn down a new path. Just a short distance into the woods they crested a small hill and came upon a lake of sheer glass reflecting the moon and stars above in a nearly perfect mirror image. Maggie gasped at the sight. A thrill of excitement ran through her as she realized that this had been the lake she’d found last month, where she had spent a lazy afternoon swimming under the sun. The realization that it was so close to the barn she’d been searching for that day, that it had been so close to Aaron, made the memory even sweeter.

  “What do you think?” Aaron asked, looking toward Maggie.

  “Beautiful,” she whispered. There was no other word. Maggie wondered idly if the world around her had always held so much beauty or if she was just seeing it through different eyes now. Aaron led her to the same flat outcropping of rock where she’d sunbathed and pulled out a large blanket from the backpack he’d slung over his shoulder. He spread the blanket across the rocks and gestured for her to sit.

  Her nerve endings were zinging with awareness as he sat beside her. To be with him here now, in the place where she’d laid beneath the sun dreaming of his hands on her for the first time, it seemed surreal.

  “This is amazing,” Maggie said, looking out over the glassy water.

  “A beauty beyond compare.” Aaron’s words were heavy with emotion. Maggie turned to him and found his eyes riveted on her. In the blue moonlight his face was washed of all color, a pearlescent white, and his hair similarly appeared silver rather than the rich golden blonde she knew it to be, but his eyes held their crystalline blue color, practically glowing in the night. She felt that familiar stirring that only he could incite. She sucked in a ragged breath, belatedly realizing that she hadn’t been breathing. He smiled her favorite crooked smile, as he turned away to rummage through his backpack. He pulled out two sandwiches wrapped in paper towels.

  “I hope you like turkey and cheese,” he said smiling apologetically as he handed her a sandwich.

  “I’ve lived on ramen noodles and pizza for the last six years,” she told him, smiling. “I’m not picky.” He chuckled softly as they both ate, looking out over the glassy surface of the water.

  “It’s so beautiful here, it doesn’t seem real,” Maggie whispered after several moments of silence.

  “I live in constant fear of the day I’m going to wake up and realize this has all been a dream,” Aaron admitted. “Especially now.”

  “It does seem like a dream. Do you ever feel like this is too good to be true?” Maggie asked, turning to Aaron.

  “I try not to think about it,” he answered quietly.

  “I just don’t understand how any of it is possible,” Maggie continued. “I lived over a thousand miles away from this place. How did that ad end up in front of my dorm room? Was it meant for me?” She knew Aaron didn’t have the answer but it felt good to finally ask the question out loud, and once she had, every other question began pouring out.

  “Why me? How did she pick me? And how did she know I would even answer the ad? Any other day I wouldn’t have even noticed the flyer. I’m not even sure how long it had been there.

  “Or was it just random? Had she put the ad up all over the country? In every college dorm? How many people responded? Was it just me?” Maggie could feel the familiar panic building as she released the floodgate on the questions she’d been holding back.

  “I don’t know, Maggie. I don’t really know how either of us ended up here, but whether it was random or not I’m glad that we’re here. I’m glad that I met you. I wouldn’t take any of it back,” Aaron answered.

  “I am too. I’m so happy that I met you, I just, I need to understand. I found this picture today…” Maggie relayed the story she’d been told of Ms. Devereaux and the tragic ending to her love story.

  “And now here we are. I’m living in the big house. You’re living in the barn, the same barn that her lover lived in. It’s like she’s playing some kind of game with us, putting us into these roles to watch it play out or something. I know how strange that sounds, but honestly what part of any of this doesn’t sound strange?” Maggie felt desperate for someone to explain this all to her in a way that made sense.

  Aaron was quiet for several minutes as he considered everything she’d told him.

  “I mean, haven’t you ever wondered if you were chosen?” Maggie asked.

  “I know that I was chosen,” Aaron responded quietly.

  “What do you mean?” Maggie whispered.

  “I was released on my twenty-first birthday.” Aaron paused and glanced at Maggie for her reaction. She kept her expression open, to show him that he could feel comfortable talking about that part of his life with her.

  “I’d been struggling with trying to figure out what I was going to do when I got out. Even though I’d dreamt of that day, dreamt of freedom, I had no idea where I would go or what I would do. I had no idea how to live in the real world. I was terrified.

  “Then the warden called me into his office. He told me that someone had contacted him and offered to take me on as a work-release. I could serve out my parole time working for her at her plantation. There was no explanation as to who she was or why she was interested in me. But I wasn’t really in a position to question it, and honestly it seemed like an answer to my prayers. I had no reason not to accept the job.”

  “So she just sent for you? And you never found out why? Never wondered?” Maggie asked in disbelief.

  “You have to understand, when I was first convicted I had the faith of a child. Faith that somebody would suddenly realize that a mistake had been made and release me. Faith that someone would wake me up from the nightmare I was living and tell me it had all been a bad dream. That faith got me through the first few years.

  “Then after that it was a countdown. A countdown to the day I would be released and could start my life over. I dreamt of that life; of being able to come and go as I pleased; of being able t
o sleep soundly, without fear; of having my own home, a job.

  “And then all of a sudden I had it all. It was just given to me, by this woman I didn’t even know. A woman I never saw, who never asked anything from me in return. Maybe I was too scared to ask why.” Aaron’s eyes were pleading, hopeful that she would understand. Maggie tried.

  “And you’ve never found out why she chose you?” Maggie asked.

  “No,” Aaron answered. “I had no idea what to expect when I first arrived. My imagination ran wild on the bus ride down, wondering what this woman wanted from me. All I had was the instructions to report to the Sheriff’s department when I arrived. After a long lecture about how he didn’t want any trouble in his town, Sheriff Rutledge gave me a package that Ms. Devereaux had apparently left for me. It contained a key to the barn and the garage, directions to the plantation and a letter detailing my job duties. That was it. At first I kept waiting for the shoe to drop, to find out the catch. But it never came.

  “I had this great place to live and a job I was actually good at. I finally had a picture of the future, something to work towards. When I was in lock-up I had taken some small engine repair classes so that I had a job skill when I got out. When I realized that my responsibilities at the plantation wouldn’t take up all my time I picked up some part time hours at Sam’s repair shop. He’s been letting me work for parts and use his tools to fix up some old lawn equipment, that way I’ve got my own stuff. I just put that ad in the paper to see if I could pick up some more work, and suddenly Ms. Devereaux is sending out letters of recommendation. I don’t even know how she knew that I was looking. I mean, she’s not even around.

  “I don’t know why she’s doing any of this. I don’t know who she is or why she chose me. But I’m grateful and I’m happy.” Aaron looked pleadingly at Maggie, as if he was begging her to be happy too. Maggie didn’t know how she felt.

  “And now she’s brought me to you,” Maggie whispered, feeling her chest tighten with anxiety.

  “Maggie, it’s not like that.” Aaron took her hands in his.

  “Isn’t it?” she asked. She could feel the tears building. “Then why am I here?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know why either of us are here. But does it really matter? Does it have to? Maybe she’s just some lonely old woman who wants to help people, wants to do something good before she dies. She has no children, no family. Maybe she picked us at random, maybe she didn’t. All I really care about is the fact that I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life. I don’t care how it came to be, I’m just happy that I met you. I’m happy that I’m here, I’m happy that you’re here.” Maggie could see the desperation in his eyes and hear it in his voice.

  “I’m happy too,” she assured him as she leaned against him and let him pull her close. She could feel his tension melt away as he wrapped his arms around her.

  It was true, she was happy but she was also terrified. The scariest part, Maggie realized, was that everything that had been given to them could just as easily be ripped away.

  ~21~

  The next day passed in a blur. At work Maggie finished sorting the items from the trunk. She went about the task more mechanically this time, not really seeing the pictures, no longer reading the headlines of the newspaper clippings. Her mind was consumed with the enigma that was her life right now.

  At the bottom of the trunk she came across a leather bound journal. Something about it caught her eye, broke through the haze in her mind. She gently opened it, taking care with the stiff old pages. She found page after page of hand written notes which she realized were listings of names and dates.

  As she examined the faded pages she began to see a pattern. Most entries had three names listed, one male, one female, and the third name varied, but all three names included the same surname. Beside each listing was a date. Maggie tried to make sense of the names and dates but her tired mind just couldn’t focus long enough.

  Toward the back of the journal Maggie found one entry that stood out from the rest. Only one name was listed: Agnes Devereaux. There were no other names listed along hers, only the date February 3, 1954.

  “Who did this trunk belong to?” Maggie asked Ms. Brandy as she carried the old journal over to her.

  “That came from Mrs. Robbins estate,” Ms. Brandy explained.

  “The doctor’s wife?”

  “Yes, she just passed away a few months ago. Since they had no children her estate went up for auction last month.”

  “Do you think this could have belonged to Doc Robbins?” Maggie asked, handing her the journal.

  “Well, let’s see,” Ms. Brandy said, sliding on her reading glasses and examining the book. “Sure looks like it. I’d wager these are probably the birthdates of all the babies he delivered over the years,” Ms. Brandy said, handing the journal back to her.

  “Birthdates?”

  But Agnes Devereaux’s name was listed in the book and she hadn’t had any children. Had she?

  “Honey, you look exhausted. Why don’t you head on home, get some sleep? Take tomorrow off,” Ms. Brandy instructed.

  “Okay,” Maggie said absentmindedly as she stumbled out the door.

  She didn’t even remember the drive home. She seemed to be running on autopilot. She felt mentally exhausted from running circles in her own mind and she was still no closer to making sense of any of it. She didn’t even realize she’d taken the journal until she pulled to a stop in the driveway and looked down to see it in her lap.

  Barney met her at the door, walking circles through her legs and rubbing his head against her feet until she paused to lean down and scratch his head.

  “Did you miss me?” she asked as she pet the purring cat. He followed her all the way to the base of the stairs and then meowed irritably when she began to ascend.

  “Oh don’t be a scaredy cat. Just come up,” Maggie encouraged, but he just sat at the foot of the stairs staring after her.

  Maggie shook her head and continued to climb the steps to her room with the single minded goal of taking a long, hot bath. As she turned toward her room something in her mind registered an aberration. Something was different. Maggie stopped in the hallway and turned slowly to face the East wing. She stared down the dark corridor but saw nothing unusual. She took a few steps in that direction, straining to see through the darkness, but there was nothing but the same bleak emptiness that always emanated from that abandoned wing.

  Maggie turned back to her room, telling herself that her mind was playing tricks on her, but a small part of her was almost certain that a light had been on in the East wing when she’d first reached the top of the steps.

  Once inside her room she placed the journal on her nightstand, promising herself that she’d return it tomorrow. Right now all she wanted to do was sink into a warm bath and forget about everything else. Maggie slipped off her shoes and removed her jewelry placing it on the dresser. She immediately realized that the old photograph of Ms. Devereaux which she had left on the dresser was missing. She couldn’t remember if she’d seen it there this morning, but she was absolutely certain that she’d placed the picture on the dresser last night and she had not been the one to move it.

  Maggie pulled her phone from her purse and called Aaron.

  ~∞~

  “You’re sure you left it here?” Aaron asked a little while later as he stood with Maggie in her bedroom.

  “I’m certain,” she insisted. “The picture was sitting right here on top of the dresser and now it’s gone. Plus when I got home tonight I thought I may have seen a light on in the East wing.”

  “I didn’t see any light when I came up,” Aaron said reasonably.

  “I know. It wasn’t on for long. Maybe it wasn’t on at all. I don’t know.” Maggie began rubbing her temples to alleviate the headache that was coming on.

  “You look exhausted,” Aaron said. “Come on. Let’s get you in the tub.”

  Maggie didn’t protest as Aaron steered her toward the bath
room. He turned the water on in the bath then turned back to Maggie and began to unbutton her blouse. Her skin pricked with awareness as he slid the shirt down her arms and his fingertips brushed against her skin. He placed a soft kiss on the top of her shoulder as her blouse fell to the floor.

  Aaron turned away to check the temperature of the water as Maggie finished undressing. When Aaron turned back she saw the desire flash in his eyes as he saw her standing before him naked.

  He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her tightly against him as he placed a kiss on her lips, then he released her.

  “How about I go fix up some dinner while you take a bath?” Aaron asked as he stepped toward the door.

  “Sure,” Maggie agreed. She was a little disappointed that he wouldn’t be joining her in the bath, but she could also feel the fatigue all the way to her bones and just didn’t have the energy to argue.

  “Promise to check on me to make sure I don’t fall asleep in the tub?” Maggie asked as she stepped into the bath and sunk into the warm water.

  “Promise.” Aaron winked back at her just before he left the room.

  Maggie hadn’t been joking. As her body absorbed the heat from the bath she struggled to keep her eyes open. Finally she leaned her head back and allowed her eyelids to win the battle. She let her arms and legs float in the water, feeling the warmth of the water penetrating through her tired muscles.

  Maggie began to drift off into that hazy limbo between dreams and reality. She was semi-aware of the sounds around her but her mind was drifting slowly to sleep. She heard the bedroom door and knew that Aaron was coming to check on her. She waited with her eyes closed expecting to hear him enter the bathroom, but he never came.

  Finally she fought off the heaviness of sleep and opened her eyes, looking around the bathroom expecting to find Aaron watching her. But she was alone.

  “Aaron?” she called into the bedroom, but no response came.