Stepping into the Sky: Jump When Ready, Book 3

by David Pandolfe

  “Where did these clouds come from all of a sudden?”

  Rose jumped and spun around. A man stood facing her. He looked to be in his late sixties, maybe early seventies. He had a kind face with warm green eyes, his thinning gray hair combed back.

  “I…don’t know,” Rose said. She looked at the sky.

  The man smiled. “I didn’t really think you’d have the answer. Clouds just have a way of going where they please.”

  Maybe he could explain things, somehow make sense of what she’d just seen. She gestured at the plots behind her. “Something seems wrong.” No, that didn’t make sense. Did it? “I think I might have gotten…are your family members somewhere nearby?”

  The man pointed past Rose to the stones she’d just been facing. “My wife and son,” he said. “I come to see them most days. Now that I’m retired, that is. Before that, often times it was just weekends but I felt bad about that.”

  “Your wife and son?”

  “Olivia and Ethan,” he said. “Both of them passed away before me. That’s not the way it’s supposed to work. At least, that’s always been my understanding.” His mouth lifted in a smile but his eyes betrayed lingering sadness.

  “Olivia and Ethan?”

  “Yes, that’s right. This is such a nice spot. I’ve always liked to think they enjoy this little hill. And the sunlight.” He looked up. “Not today, as it turns out. It got cloudy suddenly. I wonder if it will clear up later.”

  Rose glanced at the sky again when she wanted to spin around and look at the stones. “I…hope so. It was sunny when I got here. I think it was. ”

  The man kept his eyes on hers, his brow creased with concern. “Are you okay, miss?”

  “I thought—” Rose couldn’t wait anymore and broke off eye contact. She spun back around to see those two names she could swear hadn’t been there a moment ago. Olivia and Ethan.

  The man walked up next to her. “Ethan died young,” he said. “In a car accident when he was just a teenager.”

  Rose’s gaze remained riveted on the two stones. There had been four before. She’d seen four grave stones, she felt sure! Still, she heard herself speak through her sense of shock. “I’m so sorry,” she said.

  “Olivia passed away when she was just fifty-six. Part of me wondered if she wanted to join Ethan again. A mother never gets over losing her child.”

  “Fifty-six,” Rose repeated numbly.

  “Miss, are you sure you’re okay?”

  His voice sounded muffled and far away.

  “Miss?”

  Rose shook her head briskly. She turned to face him again, doing her best to offer a smile. “I was just confused, I think. Yes, I must have gotten confused.”

  The man nodded. “I bet you got lost, didn’t you?”

  “I think I did,” Rose said. “That must be what happened.”

  “Happens to me too sometimes. And I’ve been coming here for decades. They really should put up some signs, don’t you think? People get lost in places like this.”

  Rose got back on the main path and walked quickly. She’d have to come back some other time to visit her parents. It just wouldn’t be right to not be there when Henry and Nikki arrived. She told herself that was her reason for leaving but part of her wondered if she was being honest with herself. That experience of getting lost and ending up at the wrong plots bothered her. How was it possible that she’d gotten lost someplace she’d been hundreds of times before? And that man—he’d seemed nice but where had he come from all of a sudden? He’d scared the heck out of her just appearing out of the blue like that.

  Before crossing behind the row of birch trees, Rose looked back to see that he stood talking to someone now. A young man. The funny thing was, from a distance that young man looked quite a bit like Joseph.

  ~~~

  “Rose, is that you?”

  Olivia called out from somewhere in the house as Rose came through the front door. It sounded like she might be in the room she called the “parlor,” the smaller of the two sitting rooms and one of Olivia’s favorite spots. Rose guessed she must have come inside when all those clouds rolled in. Olivia had probably thought it was about to rain, not realizing the sun had already come out again, the day returning to the sparkling jewel it had been earlier. They’d been enjoying such wonderful weather lately—a string of warm, sunny days stretching back as far as Rose could remember. In fact, those clouds that had suddenly encroached had taken her completely off guard. Rose couldn’t recall the last time it had rained, which she supposed was a little strange. But it wasn’t like she was going to complain about the continuing nice weather. As far as she was concerned, there couldn’t be a better omen for an upcoming wedding than such a breathtaking spring.

  Sure enough, Rose found Olivia relaxing in her favorite chair with a book propped open on her lap.

  Olivia lowered her reading glasses and smiled. “Where were you off to on your own this morning?”

  Rose briefly wondered how Olivia knew she hadn’t been with Joseph. She didn’t recall mentioning anything. Then again, she didn’t remember deciding to go to the cemetery. She decided not to ask, fearing she might have said something and forgotten that too. The last thing she needed was another reminder of how distracted she’d been lately.

  “I went to visit Mom and Dad,” Rose said, hoping her expression didn’t convey the confusion she still felt at what had happened.

  Olivia closed her book. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea. Do you?”

  Rose’s heart started beating faster again, the anxiety of what she’d just experienced returning. “Why do you say that?”

  Olivia thought for a moment. “Well, dear, you’re so close to your wedding. It would seem such a shame to spoil things by making yourself feel sad.”

  It seemed a strange thing for Olivia to say. In the past, she’d always encouraged Rose to visit the cemetery. In fact, they’d almost always gone together. Why was it she couldn’t remember when they’d last gone?

  Rose was about to ask when the doorbell rang.

  “I bet that’s Joseph,” Olivia said. “He’s probably wondering where you disappeared to this morning.”

  Rose suddenly realized she’d forgotten to tell Joseph about the lunch date she’d arranged. Or had she told him and forgotten? She struggled to keep her confusion from showing. “I invited the new couple over,” she said. “Henry and Nikki.”

  Olivia’s eyes flashed briefly with both surprise and anger, then her expression changed to one Rose didn’t quite recognize. She seemed guarded. But there was something else too. She seemed almost fearful.

  “Why would you go and do something like that?”

  The doorbell rang again. “I thought it would be nice getting to know them. After all, they’re our neighbors now.”

  Olivia spoke softly, more to herself than Rose. “Not for long.”

  Rose stared at her. “Why would you say that?”

  Olivia got to her feet. “I wonder if they’ll decide they don’t really belong,” she said. “They’re not really from here, are they?”

  Rose opened her mouth to speak but then spun on her heel. It was beyond rude to keep Henry and Nikki waiting at the door. She left the room and Olivia followed.

  Rose kept her voice low as they walked down the hall. “Why does it matter where they’re from? They seem like nice people.”

  Olivia reached out and took hold of Rose’s hand. She kept her voice low as they approached the door. “But you don’t really know what they want, do you? They’re very young to own a house like that. Has that occurred to you?”

  “Well, I assume they’re from money. They wouldn’t be here otherwise.” Rose found herself growing annoyed at Olivia’s ongoing protectiveness. “You don’t suppose they’re after mine, do you?”

  Olivia tightened her hold on Rose’s hand, sending a pulse of urgency before relaxing her grasp. “In fact, yes, that’s part of what I’m worried about.”

  For some reason,
Olivia’s words echoed in Rose’s mind. That’s part of what I’m worried about. Rose could swear she’d voiced that same concern before about someone she cared for, suspecting motives Rose knew to be above suspicion.

  Just as Rose was about to open the door, Olivia started climbing the stairs.

  Rose lowered her voice to a whisper. “Where are you going?”

  Olivia didn’t stop or look back. “I’m tired, dear. I suspect I got up too early this morning.”

  Rose waited until Olivia was out of sight. She took a deep breath, forced herself to smile and opened the door.

  “I hope we’re not late,” Nikki said. “Henry kept going through boxes trying to find things.”

  “Not just things,” Henry said. “I still haven’t found my record collection. The movers must not have marked the box.”

  Nikki rolled her eyes. “I’m sure we’ll be okay for another day or two.”

  “Not totally in agreement on that point.” Henry mock-rolled his eyes in return.

  Rose laughed, already glad she’d invited them over. They were exactly what she needed right now. “I have tons of records. I don’t mind at all if you’d like to borrow some.”

  Rose led them into the family room, where she kept her records stacked next to the stereo. She chose some and brought them over to coffee table. “Have a seat. How about these? They’re some of my favorites.”

  Henry and Nikki sat next to each other and Rose sat across from them. She watched their faces as they looked at the album covers.

  “Wow, Elvis Presley,” Nikki said.

  Henry read the next label. “The Dave Clark Five.”

  Rose couldn’t tell from his expression if he’d heard of them before but she didn’t think so.

  Nikki flipped the next record over. “Herman’s Hermits,” she said. “I remember them.”

  Rose giggled. “What do you mean? They’re new.”

  Both Henry and Nikki looked up simultaneously.

  “I remember reading about them,” Nikki said. “I saw an article in…I forget. Where was that Henry?”

  He looked at her and shrugged.

  “I bet it was in Tiger Beat,” Rose said. “At least, that’s where I heard of them.”

  Nikki’s eyes lit up. “Yes! I think that was it.”

  “These are great,” Henry said. “Do you have any Beatles?”

  “Oh, sure! Hang on. How did that happen?” Rose got the records from where she’d left them on top of the stereo cabinet. The fact was, she’d left them there on purpose. Now, she felt bad about it. Henry and Nikki were welcome to borrow them, she reminded herself. After all, they were going to be friends. She just knew it.

  Rose sat down again and passed the records across the table.

  “Check these out,” Henry said, glancing at Nikki. “These are awesome.”

  Rose giggled again. Awesome. She liked the way they talked. They seemed so different. She needed different right now.

  Henry looked up from the album cover. “We couldn’t possibly borrow these. I bet you’ve had them a long time.”

  Rose cocked her head. “Their new one just came out last month.”

  “Oh, sure,” Henry said. “When did you get the first one? I mean, was it recently?”

  Rose thought back to when she’d gotten the first Beatles record. She’s bought it at Woolworth’s. It had been raining that day, cold and windy. She remembered it clearly. She’d been excited about it. At the same time, it felt like so long ago. Like something that had happened when she’d been a child.

  “Don’t mind Henry,” Nikki said. “He can be really nosy sometimes.” She nudged Henry with her elbow and turned to him. “What does it matter when Rose got them?”

  “Just curious.” Henry smiled at Rose. “Can we really borrow one of these? That would be great.”

  Suddenly, Rose wanted to say no. Now, the album felt like something she’d had all her life—a precious possession linking her back to some distant time.

  “We’ll find yours by tomorrow, Henry,” Nikki said. “I’m sure it’s in the box upstairs.”

  Rose focused on the two of them. She forced herself to smile. “No, please. I want you to. What’s a house without good music, right?”

  “That’s really nice of you,” Nikki said. “You know, Henry has some—”

  “Well, hello.”

  Joseph stood in the doorway. Rose’s pulse quickened and her face grew warm. She’d forgotten to call him again. Suddenly, it also occurred to her that she’d stopped thinking about the wedding. For just a short time, she’d forgotten all about it.

  Joseph looked into Rose’s eyes. “Didn’t we have plans?”

  Rose stared back at him.

  “We were going to the florist,” he said.

  Rose’s face continued to heat up but then she remembered. So, it wasn’t just her. Joseph was losing track of the details too. She felt like laughing. Weren’t men always rolling their eyes at women and their wedding plans? Always acting as if the whole thing took care of itself?

  “We did that yesterday,” Rose said. “Remember?”

  Joseph kept his eyes on hers. “Yesterday.”

  “Yesterday, remember? Just after I almost drove Henry and Nikki off the road.” She turned to face her guests again. “I still can’t believe I did that.”

  Nikki laughed. “We’re fine. Don’t worry about it.”

  Henry turned to Joseph. “Weddings are insane. God, it felt like it took weeks for us just to sign all the invitations. How long have you guys been planning yours?”

  Rose watched Joseph regard Henry, his eyes narrowing. He’d reacted the same way yesterday, his guard going up for no reason she could imagine. “I invited Nikki and Henry for lunch,” she said. She wasn’t about to admit she’d then nearly forgotten and wandered off to the cemetery, never mind acknowledge that she’d also forgotten to inform Joseph. She’d heard enough about her being distracted lately. “I thought it would be nice to go out. We could stop for sandwiches and take them down to the beach. We haven’t done that in a while.”

  Joseph shoved his hands into his pockets. He thought for a moment, then nodded. “That sounds good. We should do that.”

  Rose’s heart lifted at the thought of the four of them becoming friends. She felt sure Joseph would warm up once he got to know them. For just a moment, she thought about calling Linda. It seemed wrong, somehow, not to include her best friend in this new relationship. At the same time, might Linda feel like a third wheel around the two couples? Maybe it would be better to leave things as they were for now.

  Rose jumped up from the sofa. “Come on, you guys. Let’s go.”

  Nikki and Henry got up to follow. As they entered the hall, Nikki turned to her. “This sounds like fun. We haven’t had a chance to get to the beach yet.”

  “We did catch a nice view of the water from the road leading up here,” Henry said. “That’s quite the drop-off too.”

  “That really is a sharp turn,” Nikki said. “It looked like the guardrail has been repaired recently. Has anything bad ever happened there?”

  Rose stopped walking. For some reason, she suddenly imagined a car crashing through that rail and launching into the sky. Not just any car, Joseph’s car. She recalled those images from yesterday, images she’d thankfully forgotten until now. Was she having some sort of premonition? No, that was nonsense. No one truly had premonitions. People probably just imagined things that way later, when they looked back.

  “Rose?” Joseph stood watching her, his eyes meeting hers with concern. “Everything okay?”

  Nikki and Henry stood waiting too. She’d gotten so lost in thought that they’d all come to a halt, waiting for her to start walking again.

  Rose glanced back toward the family room, trying to think of a way to explain her actions. “I forgot my keys. I’ll be right back.”

  “You don’t need them,” Joseph said. “We’re taking my car.”

  Rose wanted to tell him she didn’t think that
was a good idea but it made no sense. Joseph had always been a good driver. Much better than herself, in fact. This ridiculous daydreaming had to stop, now.

  Rose started walking again and turned to Nikki. “It is kind of a sharp turn, you’re right. But nothing bad has ever happened there. Not to the best of my knowledge, anyway.”

  9

  The Rapids

  Twice they’d almost gotten through. Both times, Henry had watched Rose’s eyes as she’d questioned the reality she’d created for herself. He’d wondered if it might have been too soon when he’d asked her about her Beatles records, but it had seemed like an opening, a small way of making a dent. So, he’d gone with it and didn’t doubt that Rose had stopped to wonder at the nature of how time moved for her now compared to the way it had when she’d been in the physical realm. Nikki’s attempt had been more effective, definitely. Rose had completely shut down, literally remained frozen in the hallway as she’d considered Nikki’s question about that spot where both Joseph’s life and hers had ended. Henry had gotten his hopes up that it might even be that easy, that Rose would suddenly realize the truth. But then Joseph had woken her up again. No, not Joseph, Henry reminded himself—the entity posing as Joseph. And he hadn’t really woken Rose up. In fact, just the opposite. He’d seduced her back into the dream with just the sound of his voice.

  Outside, the sun remained shining, the sky nearly cloudless, the same as it had been when he and Nikki walked over. After Henry had found her outside this morning—standing in the garden as if she had no idea where she was or even who she was—the sky had started to blacken, night suddenly replacing day. There hadn’t been any way to know but they’d guessed Rose had stopped thinking about them sometime after leaving the house again. Wherever she’d gone—whatever had been on her mind—had caused them to be forgotten. They’d been left again taking haven from the dark and withered world they’d crossed through before. They hadn’t been sure what to do or how they’d even be able to find Rose’s house again. It seemed like about an hour passed before the sun returned to the sky. They’d opened the front door to see the neighborhood they’d first found themselves in the day before.