The Leafing: the 2nd book in The Green Man series

by Sharon Brubaker

  “Joe said that it was that bastard, Tony,” Carol swore.

  “When did you see Joe?” Sylvia asked, curious.

  Carol’s face lit up. “Oh, Syl,” she said, excited as a schoolgirl, “we had lunch in the hospital’s café!”

  “Oh-h—h,” Sylvia drawled with a bit of humor jumping into her voice, “a date!”

  “I would like to call it a ‘date’” Carol said, “I hope it’s the first of many.”

  Carol rattled on with how she was worried when Sylvia didn’t show up at work. “There was no answer on your phone and Owen didn’t know either. I just had this gut feeling, so I called Joe. He drove over to your house and found Percy wandering in your yard, whining.”

  “Oh, no!” Sylvia said.

  “But,” Carol said, “It helped Joe begin the search. By the way, Mr. Carter sends his best, but he’s at one of the programs you had scheduled this weekend.”

  “Oh, no!” Sylvia cried again. “I am so sorry!”

  “No worries,” Carol said, “we’re sharing the responsibilities until you get back on your feet.”

  Sylvia groaned, she had scheduled public relations booths and informative talks at every community event she could locate – school festivals, garden clubs, garden fairs, the community college, the university, and at malls and shopping centers in the area. The calendar was packed with events and most of them were after work hours and on weekends.

  “I didn’t want you two to take that on,” Sylvia said.

  “Don’t worry, Syl,” Carol assured her, “That’s what friends are for. Anyway, you’ll be back on your feet in the next couple of days. You are welcome to go and smile and hand out information to everyone. And that brings up the question, when will you be getting out?” she asked.

  “The nurse thought in a couple of days,” Sylvia said. “She said my kidneys had started to shut down. I know they are checking my heart and stuff, but I haven’t really been awake to talk to the doctor.”

  “That’s what Joe said,” Carol informed her. “He can’t figure out how you escaped.”

  The efficient nurse from before came in to check on Sylvia. She snorted with a slight bit of derision. Sylvia thought she would have been a great army nurse. “Hotlips Houlihan” from M.A.S.H. had nothing on this lady.

  “Your young man needs to understand something,” the nurse told Carol brusquely. “Dehydration can cause delirium. There’s also a component of wanting to survive as well as surges of adrenalin. This young lady is a smart cookie. It’s no wonder she could get out of a tough situation,” she added nodding to Sylvia.

  Sylvia mouthed a silent ‘thank you’ to the nurse who nodded efficiently in return.

  “If you are a good girl,” the nurse said, “I’ll see if I can talk to the doctor about letting you go home tomorrow, as long as you spend a day or two lazily at home.”

  “Deal,” Sylvia smiled at her when she answered.

  The nurse plumped up Sylvia’s pillows and left.

  “Did you hear her?” Carol said, starry eyed. “She said ‘my young man.’ How about that!”

  “Oh, Carol,” Sylvia chuckled, “you’ve got it bad.”

  Carol smiled at her friend, “I know,” she said elatedly, “isn’t it great!”

  Carol said her goodbyes and Sylvia was left alone for a bit. She was finally feeling a little better. The poodle Owen had given to her was tucked in beside her in the bed. There were several bouquets in the room. She sipped at the ice water the nurse had replenished. She was feeling well enough that she was beginning to be homesick.

  “Sylvia!” her mother cried softly as she opened the door. “How are you?”

  “I’m doing a lot better, Mom,” Sylvia assured her.

  But, her Mom started weeping as she stood by Sylvia’s bed. She had taken Sylvia’s hand.

  “Mom, it’s all right. I’m all right,” Sylvia told her.

  “I know, I know,” her mother said and dried her tears. “I cannot tell you the nightmare it has been since you were missing,” she told Sylvia. “We had nothing to go on. I thought I had lost you,” her mother sobbed a bit again.

  They held each other as well as they could with all of the tubes and wires.

  The next day Sylvia was released to go home. She was given instructions to take it easy for a couple of days. Sylvia found the effort of getting home and settled exhausting. Her mother stayed with her. Sylvia settled into the couch with a blanket over her. She looked out at the water. She had missed this view.

  Someone knocked at the kitchen door. Sylvia heard her Mom open it with a pleased and surprised, “Oh!” Seconds later Percy came running into the living room with excited little yips. He pranced in front of Sylvia and thrust his head into her hands.

  “Oh, Percy!” Sylvia cried. “I missed you so much!”

  Jon and Marian entered the room with huge smiles. “Percy said he wanted to come home,” Marian told her.

  He had hopped up on the other end of the couch and put his head on Sylvia’s legs.

  “I think he missed you,” Jon said.

  “I definitely missed him!” Sylvia said.

  “Sylvia,” Marian told her, “I brought you some chicken soup for lunch and a dinner you or your Mom can pop into the oven or microwave.”

  “Thank you, Marian,” Sylvia said.

  “Well, we’ll leave you two to get reacquainted,” Jon said.

  Sylvia was more than happy now. She was content. She dozed off with the sun streaming through the French doors and onto the couch warming her to the bone. Percy’s familiar weight gave her great comfort. Her mother woke her mid-afternoon with a cup of Marian’s chicken soup and some buttered saltines. Sylvia was sipping at the soup when her mother dropped a shocking remark.

  “I think I’m going to retire, Sylvia,” she told her.

  Sylvia nearly choked on her soup. “What?” she said, aghast.

  “You heard me,” her mother said quietly, “retire.”

  “I don’t understand,” Sylvia said.

  “Gran’s death, the murder last summer, the heart attack and now this…” she stated, “I can’t keep up. I can’t keep up the quota they expect of me and be with my family too. If it has to be a choice between my job and my family…it’s my family,” she finished simply.

  “Oh, Mom!” Sylvia said. “This was a stupid and horrible thing, but, I’m okay.”

  “But, what if you weren’t,” her Mother said. “I don’t think I could live with myself. You are the only family I have left. If there’s one thing I’ve learned with my heart condition and these other crisis, it’s that life is much too short. It’s not about the money.”

  Sylvia was stunned. All of Sylvia’s life – all she had known, first her Dad, then her Mom, had lived, eaten and breathed the banking industry with gusto.

  “I have thought long and hard about this, Syl,” she stated, “I’ve been thinking and thinking about it these past few days.”

  Joe came by to check on her, too. He updated Sylvia on the status of things with Tony.

  “He’s in big trouble,” Joe told her. “He hired those two guys to assist with scaring, robbing and kidnapping you. All those charges will be added to the murder of his wife.”

  “Wow,” Sylvia said, “and do you think he’ll stand trial, and not get off with an insanity plea?” she asked.

  “I will do everything in my power to prevent that,” Joe assured her.

  “Another thing,” he said, “you mentioned the dumping of the chemicals. How did you know about that?”

  Sylvia shivered, “Tony told me about them,” she said. “He said that after I died that my body would decompose faster due to what was buried underneath the hut.”

  “Okay,” Joe said, “but, there is a really weird wrinkle. The area under the hut was clear of chemicals!”

  “What?” Sylvia exclaimed, “What do you mean?”

  “It was as if there was a magic circle of something that protected the area around the hut. The scienti
sts located a specific area where the chemicals did not penetrate the soil. Weird, huh?”

  “Extremely,” Sylvia said thoughtfully. “Extremely.”

  Although she answered Joe calmly, inside she was extremely excited because it meant the dowsing to eliminate negative energies had worked!

  “How will they clean up the dumping of the chemical waste?” she asked.

  “I’m afraid the charges towards Tony regarding the chemical dumping will cause his attorneys to liquidate most of his assets to pay for the clean-up and restoration. The health department is very concerned that it could leak into the area’s groundwater. They will be working to clean this up as soon as possible.”

  Her mother went home after much coercing by Sylvia, that she was fine. Sylvia sat in the sun on her couch with Percy by her side and didn’t think of anything at all. Some of the recent nights had been filled with nightmares of the time in the hut, but the Green Man came to stay with her, holding her and soothing her until she felt as though she could sleep again.

  Sylvia had a long discussion with the Green Man. He was pleased with her dowsing capabilities and her recognition that dowsing was real, and had incredible ramifications.

  Chapter 39

  Hope is tomorrow's veneer over today's disappointment.

  Evan Esar

  About ten days after she had been found, Sylvia returned to work. Mr. Carter hovered over her, not wanting Sylvia to do too much. She appreciated his concern.

  Owen had not called since she saw him at the hospital. She was puzzled. She texted him and emailed him that she wanted to talk to him. He replied he wasn’t ready to talk yet. Sylvia was caught between frustration and anger. She couldn’t talk to Marian as Jon and Marian had gone on another trip –this time to visit friends of Jon’s in Florida.

  Carol didn’t help matters. She and Joe were starting to see one another. Although she was sympathetic, she would pat Sylvia on the shoulder and tell her not to worry.

  Sylvia buried herself in her work. They had a busy spring planned and Sylvia spent many hours at schools, workshops, fairs and festivals promoting Thurmont. There were more to come after Gwen’s wedding. The only good thing about all of the extra hours is that Sylvia didn’t have time to think or worry about the situation with Owen. Gwen’s wedding was coming up in the next couple of weeks and Sylvia had to make time to get to Connecticut for one last fitting of her dress. Fortunately with all of the extra hours of outside work, she had some compensation time coming and drove to Connecticut on a Friday, stopping directly at the Bridal salon for her final fitting. Miss Hopkins gave her strict orders on appropriate undergarments and Sylvia told her that there would be a lingerie shopping spree on the morrow. Miss Hopkins seemed pleased.

  Sylvia was not about to burst Gwen’s bridal bubble with her own sadness and frustration that Owen did not want to talk to her. Everyone had hovered over her and asked for a retelling of the kidnapping horror which Sylvia relayed as briefly as possible. Gwen, Claire and Sylvia went out to brunch, and afterwards, to purchase the required lingerie per Miss Hopkins. They stopped by to gain her approval and try on the dresses with the new lingerie. They were all amazed at the difference it made in their silhouettes. The final details were organizing the time of their spa date as well as hair and make-up for the big day. Sylvia was delighted for her friend and tried to put on a happy face.

  It was another burst of work and work related events in the following weeks. Sylvia didn’t have a spare moment to think of Owen. Only at night, when she was home alone did she take time to ponder. She had a few teary nights and over analyzed the entire situation. Frankly she was miserable, but she did not know what to do or how to approach him differently. “After the wedding” became her mantra to keep her sanity on the matter.

  Chapter 40

  Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned by me.

  Carl Sandburg

  Gwen’s wedding weekend and Sylvia’s birthday arrived. Sylvia left early Friday morning after giving Percy several hugs and kisses. Carol was going to stay at the house and dog sit with him to keep him company. By noon on Friday she arrived in Connecticut at the Beecher household, ready to begin the non-stop activities, ending with the nuptials and reception the next day.

  The wedding rehearsal came off without a hitch. They stumbled and laughed through the ceremonial practice and it was followed by a lovely dinner at the Inn. Saturday dawned a perfectly sunny spring morning. It was May first and Sylvia’s birthday. She didn’t expect anyone to remember. When she went downstairs, she found a birthday breakfast waiting for her. Audrey had made pancakes with confetti sprinkles and a birthday candle decorating the three stack of cakes. They broke into a chorus of “Happy Birthday” and Franklin lit the candle. Sylvia’s eyes pricked with tears. She was very touched.

  “Blow out the candle!” Claire directed, “But, only after you make one terrific wish.”

  Sylvia thought briefly and finally closed her eyes and blew out the candle. They ate breakfast and Sylvia opened the small stack of packages that were next to her plate. Audrey and Franklin senior gave her a beautiful silk scarf, Gwen and Frank gave her a beautiful summery sweater of fine cotton. Claire gave her a beautiful pair of turquoise earrings.

  “Thank you for remembering, everyone,” Sylvia told them.

  “You are welcome, but, we should be moving on to the day’s events,” Audrey stated. “Girls, get dressed and ready to go to the spa. The wedding attire is already at the Inn. Gentlemen, your tuxes are upstairs in your rooms.” Audrey gave a little clap of her hands and they all moved quickly to follow orders.

  Sylvia packed up and put everything she didn’t need into her car. Taking a very small bag of necessities, she went to meet Gwen, Audrey and Claire in the living room to wait for the limousine.

  Sylvia had never experienced a spa day. She knew that Gwen pulled out all the stops with a facial, a massage, a manicure and pedicure and styling of their hair and make-up for the wedding. The spa personnel provided them with a gourmet lunch from the Inn. Gwen could barely eat, but Audrey kept insisting that she eat something. Gwen eventually gave in. Be did not join them for the pampering, but did join them for the hair styling as well as the professional make up for the wedding. The day passed more quickly than Sylvia could imagine. As evening approached, they went to change for the wedding.

  The wedding was magical. It began as the sun was sinking in the horizon. The ceremony took place on a bricked courtyard next to the inn, just in front of a marina studded with gorgeous boats. Sylvia wished briefly that Owen was with her as originally planned. He was hoping to purchase a boat in the next year. She knew he would love this inn.

  The courtyard was filled with candelabras of gleaming candles that filled the courtyard with soft light. A string quartet played softly in the background and the wedding began. Sylvia, followed by Claire took small steps toward the arch of star lilies, carnations and purple status. Their dresses of midnight blue rippled with dark purple and black shadows in the soft spring breeze. Their hand tied bouquets of iris and lilies were beautifully fragrant. Franklin was anxious to see his bride and stood in a black tux with tails, waiting for her to enter. Gwen did enter, looking like an angel in her gown and upswept hair. Franklin was near to tears with his awe at her beauty. Sylvia was touched. The wedding ceremony itself was brief and the guests departed to the reception inside the Inn. The wedding party spent almost an hour with pictures, complete with a horse drawn carriage ride around Old Saybrook for the party. Sylvia had been paired with one of Franklin’s friends from college. He was nice, but a little too slick for Sylvia. He worked in Manhattan and was a successful young stock broker. They finally went into the reception. Several champagne toasts were given and there was a lovely dinner. Sylvia was happy for her friend and her conjugal happiness, but her thoughts kept wondering where Owen was and what he was doing. She was still puzzled by his lack of response to her queries about talking. It was depressing.<
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  The party continued. After the dinner and the cake, they all gathered for Gwen to throw her bouquet. She had had a special bouquet made just for tossing. Claire pushed her forward to the front of the small group of unmarried girls for the traditional bouquet toss. She and Claire jostled each other and the bouquet landed right in Sylvia’s hands as if there were magnets pulling it directly into her hands. Sylvia smiled, but sent a scowling look to Gwen and Claire who laughed merrily. Sylvia suffered through the garter pull, and the first dances with the bride and the groom, and their parents but, Sylvia wanted the evening to be over. The dances came for the wedding party. Rory, the stock broker groomsman who was paired up with Sylvia took her hand and led her to the dance floor. She endeavored to smile and make small talk as they danced around the floor. She thanked him when the dance ended and began to walk off the floor.

  To Sylvia’s shock, a spotlight shone down on her. She couldn’t help it. She stood absolutely still, puzzled and frozen to the spot on the dance floor. She looked around. Everyone seemed to be anticipating something. She wondered briefly if this was some sort of joke Gwen and Claire had schemed. In a few heartbeats, the crowd parted leaving a grinning Owen looking extremely handsome in a tuxedo with tails. Sylvia was confused. He walked over to her and took her hands.

  “Sylvia,” he murmured and he kissed the palm of her right hand. “Sylvia,” he said again and he dropped down on one knee.

  “Sylvia, you are my moon and stars and sunshine. I love you and no other. Will you marry me?” he asked her and he pulled out a small black velvet box. He opened it. Nestled inside was a gorgeous diamond ring.

  Sylvia was stunned and couldn’t think of what to say. Gwen and Franklin were standing at the edge of the crowd, grinning madly along with Claire. Gwen wiped away a tear.

  “Sylvia?” Owen’s voice took on an edge of concern, “will you marry me?” he asked again.

  Her heart and emotions took over. There was no question. She loved Owen with all of her heart and being.