Waiting for Dusk

by Nancy Pennick

  “No, just tired. I think I’ll head up to my room for the rest of the night. Good night.” Katie cleared her dishes, put them in the dishwasher and headed for the stairs.

  “Good night, Katie. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  When Katie was in the safety of her own room, she grabbed the book and lay down on her bed. Better put the television on. It’s a little early to think about sleeping, she thought. But why am I so tired? Maybe it was all that sun and water. I think I’ll just close my eyes for a minute and then read another chapter.

  Chapter Five

  Katie woke with a start. She looked around and saw the pine walls of the boardinghouse. Her heart skipped a beat. I’m back! Why am I so happy about that?

  She wanted to see Mrs. Johansson, the girls, and even Mr. Johansson. Then there was Drew. Would she see him again? She wouldn’t dare tell anyone what happened outside the other night. They might not let her see him again.

  Listen to me, Katie thought. I’m worried about what people will think about me in my dream.

  She thought about the kiss. It was just like in the fairytales when the heroine waited for the prince to kiss her, like Snow White or Sleeping Beauty. Only she didn’t want the prince to wake her from her dreams.

  Katie got out of bed. She knew the routine. She filled her pitcher with water and then visited the outhouse. She looked around almost hoping to see Drew. All she saw was miles and miles of blue sky. It seemed to go on forever. It was the most beautiful shade of blue she ever saw. She was overwhelmed by the beauty of it.

  A voice broke through the moment. “Any day now. We’d all like to use the facilities.” Lucinda laughed and waved at her.

  Katie waved back, then hurried off. When she returned to her room, her uniform was lying on her bed. Katie slipped on the black dress, the black stockings and shoes. Finally the crisp white bib apron was tied on over the dress, and she was ready. She found a lovely gold-handled brush in her drawer, and fussed with her hair until she looked presentable. Then Katie headed to the kitchen for breakfast.

  “Good morning, everyone,” Everyone was already at the table except her.

  “God Morgon, Katie,” said Mr. Johansson. Katie frowned.

  “That was good morning in Swedish,” Ruthie informed her. “Mr. Johansson tries to teach us a few phrases now and then.”

  “Oh, then god morgon to you, too, Mr. Johansson.”

  They ate breakfast quickly so they wouldn’t be late for work. Lucinda told everyone about the pillow fight the night before and had everyone laughing. Katie could see why Lucinda was so much fun to be around. She decided to give her another chance.

  After cleaning up breakfast, the four girls piled into the car and were ready for another day at work.

  “Thank goodness it’s Friday. Our last day of work for the week!” Lucinda clapped.

  Katie almost laughed aloud when she heard the saying ‘thank goodness it’s Friday’. If Lucinda only knew what that simple phrase would turn into. As the old car rambled down the road, Katie found it hard to keep her eyes open. She felt like dozing but sat up straight because she did not want to fall asleep. She decided to close her eyes and rest until they got there. She heard the girls laughing and talking the whole way there and then the car suddenly came to a stop. They must be at the hotel. They all got out of the car and ran into the back door of the kitchen.

  Miss Betsy was waiting for them. “Lucinda dear, you will be working in the dining room all day today. Ruthie, Anna and Kathryn, come with me.”

  She assigned tasks in the kitchen to each girl and then went into the dining room to watch over Lucinda.

  Katie had the job of retrieving eggs from the hen house again. She did much better this time. Just as she opened the kitchen door to go inside, she heard a familiar voice.

  “You do get a lunch break, don’t you, Kate?”

  She whirled around to see Drew standing behind her. She almost dropped the basket of eggs.

  “Yes, of course I do,” she said indignantly. She really didn’t remember last time if she did or not.

  “Well, then I would love to have lunch with you. I’d love to show you the park.” Drew pointed past the hotel.

  “The p-p-park?” She completely forgot she was at some sort of resort people in the 1920’s vacationed at.

  “Do you know where you’re at?” Drew chuckled light-heartedly.

  “Well, I know it’s hot and dry here. Not too much grass. Lots of pine trees. The sky is always blue and the sun shines high in the sky,” Katie tried to be factual. Too scared to look around the first day, she just gazed at the other girls’ faces during the car ride to the hotel. This morning she had her eyes closed the whole time.

  “Come here,” Drew took Katie’s hand. She almost dropped the basket again. He took it from her and set it on the step.

  They walked to the end of the building and around the corner. Katie gasped. She put her hand over her mouth and then mumbled, “The Grand Canyon.”

  “Yes, that’s right. You didn’t know you were working at El Tovar at the Canyon?”

  “Yes...yes of course I knew!” Kate fibbed. Her eyes were still as large as saucers. It was such an overwhelming sight. She looked at Drew. He was looking at the canyon with awe, too. “You love it, don’t you?”

  “Yes, that’s why I’m here. To learn as much as I possibly can about it.” He became very quiet.

  “I need to get back, but I’ll meet you later for lunch.”

  “Lunch it is.”

  The morning seemed to drag by. Katie thought it would never be lunchtime. Then the backdoor flew open and Drew walked in. He was greeted by everyone. He knew them all by name. “Cook, what’s good for lunch today?” He slapped Cook on the back.

  Cook’s brown skin glistened from working over the hot stove. He wiped his brow and turned toward Drew. “Everything’s good, Andrew. You know that. I am the Cook!” They laughed like they were the best of friends.

  Katie loved when Cook laughed. His teeth were the whitest Katie ever saw. His face lit up the room and he put everyone in a good mood.

  Cook handed Andrew a pail. “Have a good lunch. And don’t fall into the canyon. I swear you get too close to that edge.”

  “You’ll have to join me, Thomas, on a hike or maybe that mule ride down the trail,” he teased. “I know you don’t care to get too close to the canyon edge in any form. You’ll have to get over that fear if you want to be a ranger someday.” He slapped Thomas on the back. “Or you can stick to being the greatest cook here at the park.”

  Andrew headed for the door, but not before catching Katie’s eye and pointing toward the canyon. Katie’s heart skipped a beat. She wanted to gaze into that face for longer than a minute. She couldn’t wait.

  Cook broke Katie’s thoughts. “Hello, Kate! It’s time for a lunch break. Hey, that rhymes.” He laughed at his own joke.

  Katie jumped and came back to reality. “Thanks, Cook,” she said as he handed her a little pail covered with one of the dining room’s cloth napkins. She didn’t realize he called her Kate.

  Anna ran up to her. “You are on your own today. You can go into the lunchroom or there are tables outside in the back. Here’s some sweet tea.” She handed Katie a small jug.

  “Thanks, Anna. I think I’ll go outside today.”

  Anna’s dark brown eyes seemed to have love and concern in them as Katie took the tea from her. Anna was lovely, even though her long hair was tied back in a bun and covered in netting like the other girls. Anna’s dark blonde hair was done up so neatly. Katie didn’t know if she’d ever get the hang of it.

  “Have a good lunch then. See you in a half-hour.”

  Half-hour? That’s all I get? Well, I better make the best of it. She hurried out the door.

  Katie ran around to the front of the hotel. She didn’t see Drew anywhere.

  “Up here!” She looked back at the hotel. El Tovar was an amazing structure of dark timber and stone. She scanned
the building from side to side. Then she spotted Drew on the front porch.

  “Oh, I don’t’ think I’m allowed up there.”

  “It’s fine. Come on!”

  Katie sheepishly climbed the steps. It was a beautiful day, the porch was beautiful and he was beautiful. Cook gave them fresh turkey sandwiches on crusty rolls with lettuce and tomato. Katie shared her tea with him. As they ate, they talked about trivial things. Kate realized she wanted to know more about him but could wait.

  Drew pulled out a pocket watch. “You still have fifteen minutes. I want to show you something.”

  He took Kate by the hands and pulled her up, stacked the pails and put the napkins inside. He set the pails under some brush, hidden from view. They went straight to the canyon from the porch. Drew walked out on a piece of rock that jutted out a little further than the rest of the land.

  “Drew!” Katie felt butterflies in her stomach.

  He held out his hand. “Come on. I won’t let you fall.”

  She slowly stepped onto the rock, and inched towards him. Her heart pounded but she felt safe. He put both arms around her, holding her tight as they both faced the canyon. “There is nothing like it, is there?” He whispered softly in her ear.

  Katie could have stayed like that for the rest of the day, but knew she had to get back to work. The magic had to end. “I have to go.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  They stepped back a few feet until they were on what Katie thought was more solid ground. She knew the rock was just an extension of the land but it felt as if she was miles from El Tovar. She turned to run back to the hotel, then stopped.

  “Drew, I...” She looked into his eyes, his sparkling emerald eyes. Her heart flipped. “I hope to see you later.”

  “You will. You definitely will. Tomorrow is Saturday!”

  Katie ran up to the brush next to the hotel, grabbed the pails and headed to the back of El Tovar. Saturday couldn’t come soon enough. For now, she needed to finish her shift and then head to the boardinghouse and go to sleep. She knew the only way to get back here was through her dreams. How confident am I? Will I be able to return? I’ll just have to believe, like in all good fairytales.

  After the work day finished, Mr. Carl was waiting in his usual spot as the girls came out the back door. “Where to?” he joked.

  “Home, my feet hurt.” Lucinda answered for all of them.

  “Sounds good to me.” Kate nodded in agreement, although the girls would never know the real meaning of those words.

  Chapter Six

  Katie woke up in her own bed back in Ohio. Not as startled but still a little confused. How could she keep having the same dream? She needed to do some investigating. Maybe she saw those people on the family trip to the Grand Canyon. She sprang out of bed because a brilliant idea just came to her.

  Her father always took a lot of pictures. He liked to take what he called ‘people’ pictures because it added to their memories of the vacation. He snapped pictures with the servers in the restaurants, and even the bellhops bringing in the luggage. He loved to get pictures of strangers doing interesting things, too. Of course, there were lots of Katie and her mom, too.

  “Morning, Mom!” Katie glided into the kitchen.

  “Mmm, you’re in a good mood today, sweetie. And look at you! You have quite a tan after being at the beach.”

  “I’ve been working on this tan all summer. You just haven’t noticed.” Katie quickly changed the subject. “Mom, where are the pictures from the Grand Canyon vacation?”

  Her mother’s expression changed to one of surprise. “You want to look at vacation pictures?”

  “Mom...” Katie was impatient.

  “They’re on the computer. You know that.”

  “Yeah, I do. Didn’t you make an album, too?” Her mom had the habit of making a scrapbook of all their trips. Katie really wanted to study the pictures.

  “Yep, I did. Guilty as charged. Don’t make fun of me. It’s relaxing and also a good hobby.” Her mother laughed.

  “I’m not making fun of you. I really want to see your album. I’m sure it’s very well done, fun to look at and informative.” Katie hoped she gave all the right answers.

  Her mother disappeared for a minute and returned with the book. “Have fun! I’m going to the grocery store. Want anything?”

  “Not that I can think of but I’ll call you if I do!” Katie said as she headed outside and sat on the deck. She really wanted to concentrate on the photos.

  Her mom did a nice job. The book began with their road trip. They stopped along the way to detour from their route and do extra sight-seeing. Katie flipped the pages. Come on! Get to the canyon already! She thought and then stopped.

  There was a beautiful scenic picture of the canyon with her father standing on the edge of what looked like a rock, a very familiar rock—like the one Drew and Katie had stood on. So it does exist! She probably remembered that spot and placed herself there in the dream. Next she scanned the faces of the people in the pictures, but did not recognize anyone.

  Suddenly she realized her mother didn’t use all the pictures, so Katie ran in the house and turned on the main computer. She sat down and waited, tapping her foot. They took over three hundred pictures on that vacation, so it would take some time to load.

  The phone rang. Katie picked it up one the first ring since she was right at the computer desk in the kitchen.

  “Katie? It’s Mom. I’m going to have to go to the university. Got a call from a student. I’ll grocery shop on my way home from there. Sorry to leave you home alone. I thought we could do something again today.”

  “Not a problem. I have things that will keep me busy.”

  She hung up the phone, then got back to studying the pictures. Ooo! There are some pictures of our servers at the Grand Canyon, she thought. One girl had blonde hair. Anna?

  Katie clicked on the girl’s face and zoomed in. Not a match. She continued doing that throughout the day and came up empty.

  Her phone buzzed. Katie took it out of her pocket and looked at the screen. She got a new text message. It was from Ty. Coming home tomorrow. Can’t wait 2 c u.

  Wow! Is it August already? Ty had been at basketball camp for the month of July. They would start school in a few weeks and be juniors together—Ty on the basketball team and Katie as a basketball cheerleader. That’s what they always promised each other every summer since Ty moved in across the street from her. Had eight years gone that fast?

  Well, Tyson would be on the basketball team but Katie would definitely not be a cheerleader because she didn’t try out. Ty kept telling her that she was good enough to make the squad but that wasn’t the point. It wasn’t a top priority anymore. She’d have one more chance in the fall and wasn’t sure if she was going to take it.

  Katie’s mind wandered. She thought about the girls from the boardinghouse and hoped Lucinda had a good day as a Harvey girl. She wondered what Drew was doing at that very moment. Katie clicked on the picture of her father standing on the rock by the canyon. She stared at it until she heard someone come in the door.

  “Katie, are you still looking at pictures?” her mother asked.

  “No” She clicked off the picture and closed the window.

  “Look who I found in the driveway,” Joanna’s voice sounded light and happy.

  Katie swung around. “Ty! Your text said you were coming home tomorrow!”

  He just gave her one of those goofy, crooked grins that she loved.

  Katie jumped up and flew into his arms after he set the groceries down.

  “Thanks, Ty, for helping me bring the bags in. I’ll let you two catch up. I’m glad Katie has one of her friends back in town.” Katie’s mom patted him on the arm.

  They went into the family room to talk.

  “I swear you grew another inch while you were gone!” Katie exclaimed.

  “Six-foot-three now! I’m going to make the varsity team, I just know it!” Ty seemed so self-confid
ent. The camp must have really helped him. His sandy blonde hair was tousled and his hazel eyes flashed brightly. “Our dream will finally come true!

  “Oh, Ty, that’s just a kid’s dream. I probably won’t make the cheer squad. I don’t think I will even try out.”

  “You have to! It will be a perfect junior year just as we planned. Remember the other part of our plan?”

  Katie nodded. “When we turn sixteen we have our first beer together. How lame is that?” Katie laughed so hard she rolled onto the floor.

  Ty laughed, too, and joined her on the floor. He was lying very close to her. “Gosh, Katie, you are so beautiful.”

  Where did that come from? Ty was one of her closest friends. He was not supposed to be calling her beautiful. He moved his face closer to hers.

  Oh, no, he wants to kiss me, Katie thought. She pulled back and then jumped up. “Come on, Ty. Let’s go for a swim before dinner.”

  The two teens entered the kitchen.

  “Would you like to stay for dinner, Tyson?” her mother asked.

  “Yes, I’d like to very much, Mrs. Roberts.” Ty nodded his head. He turned to Katie and said, “I’ll get my suit and be back.”

  “Ty is such a nice boy. He’s grown so much and is more mature. By the way, have you cleaned the pool today?”

  Her mom seemed to be playing matchmaker. “Yes,” Katie lied as she ran upstairs to get her suit.

  She sat on her bed. She didn’t like that Ty tried to kiss her. The only person she wanted to kiss was Drew and he was just a dream. She needed to stop that. It was turning into an obsession, but she didn’t care. The dream was almost becoming her real world, and she was going through the motions in this one.

  Katie found a bathing suit, and slowly began putting it on. She couldn’t wait for the day to end.

  Chapter Seven

  Katie heard a familiar voice. “Kathryn? Are you awake?”

  “It’s Saturday and we don’t have to work.”

  She sat up in bed. “Come in, Anna.”