The Rescue Quilt

by Carol Dean Jones

  “I think it would be more festive, don’t you?” she responded.

  “Yes I agree, and that will give me some free time this afternoon. After I finish my reports, I think I’ll go poke around Timberlake. I’m curious about the lake and its proximity to the Hawkins property.”

  Sarah had her mouth ready to warn her husband to be careful but remembered that he had seemed insulted by her lack of confidence in him the last time she had offered such a warning. Instead she smiled and said, “Have a good morning. We’ll be back in a few hours.”

  Charles threw her a kiss as she went out the kitchen door. When he didn’t hear the car start up, he looked out and saw the two trudging through the snow toward Sophie’s house. He chuckled when he saw Sarah unclip Barney’s leash and set him free to run with abandon through the drifts. I guess his medications are working, Charles thought with a smile.

  It took them almost a half hour to reach Sophie’s house what with all the detours Barney had to make in order to get the most out of being off leash. They were both covered with snow when Sophie opened the door.

  Emma entered the foyer cautiously and looked at Barney. Barney wagged his tail. The two dogs cautiously performed the traditional sniffing rituals that all dogs perform as they get to know one another.

  Sophie had coffee ready and invited Sarah to join her in the kitchen where she had a plate of breakfast muffins spread out along with butter, several varieties of jam, and a plate of assorted dog biscuits.

  Both dogs followed them into the kitchen while eyeing one another guardedly. They made a few gestures seemingly to determine pecking order, but both being middle-aged in dog years apparently decided it wasn’t worth the effort and they went to opposite sides of the room, sighed, and stretched out on the floor. Barney had clearly worn himself out romping to Sophie’s house and Emma seemed to respect his condition.

  “So tell me how it’s going with Emma,” Sarah said.

  “We’re doing just fine. She’s on the relaxed side like I am. We both move around leisurely and we manage just fine. I had Caitlyn coming by to walk her, but she told me Emma starts looking back at the house by the time she gets to the end of the block, so I decided to just send her out back on her own.” Sophie had a fenced yard, which she rarely used and Sarah was glad to hear Emma was enjoying it. “By the way,” Sophie added looking triumphant, “I was able to get an appointment with that fancy groomer downtown. You know, the one that was written up in the paper because some Hollywood producer flew him to California to groom the dogs in his movie.”

  “Today?”

  “No, in a couple of weeks. I ordered their total beautification package,” Sophie added with a mischievous grin as she poured two cups of coffee and set them on the table next to the tray of muffins.

  “I’ve been thinking about something, Sophie. You said that these rescue organizations need money and I was wondering if they might like to run a raffle. If you like the idea, I was thinking about talking to the Friday Night Quilters. We could make a quilt and donate it to them as a fundraiser.”

  “Yes, that’s a good idea,” Sophie responded tentatively.

  “You sound hesitant…?”

  “No, it’s not that. I love the idea. I was just thinking how much I’d enjoy being a part of that, but you know me. I can’t thread a needle, much less make a quilt.”

  “You realize it’s all done on the machine now, don’t you?” Sarah asked.

  “There’s still a needle to thread…”

  “How about if I were to promise to always thread your needle for you. Would you consider giving it a try?”

  “Maybe…” Sophie responded thoughtfully. “Maybe.”

  Chapter 8

  The doorbell chimed.

  It was eight o’clock on New Year’s Eve and the Parker house was brimming with friends and family. Sarah’s son, Jason, was in the kitchen helping Sarah refill the platters while his wife, Jennifer, sat at the table holding their two-year-old daughter, Alaina, who was eating a peanut butter sandwich.

  Martha, Sarah’s daughter, was in the living room visiting with Andy and Sophie who had pulled up chairs near the refreshment table and were sampling the hors d'oeuvres.

  The doorbell chimed again.

  “Would you get the door, Charles?”

  “I’m on my way,” Charles called to his wife as he made his way through the crowded living room. “Good to see you, Andy,” he said as he passed his neighbor and friend. “Is Caitlyn with you?”

  “She’s in the guest room playing with Barney,” Andy responded just as Charles reached the front door.

  Charles swung the door open and stood speechless. “John?” They hugged the way only a father and son can hug. There were tears in both men’s eyes. “John, I had no idea you were coming.”

  “You weren’t supposed to know. Sarah and I planned this surprise on our own. And that’s only half of the surprise. Look who else is here,” and he pulled his brother into the light. Charles hadn’t seen his son, David, for many years and the two men were obviously at a loss as to how to break the ice. Finally David extended his hand and said, “Hi, Pop. Good to see you,” and they shook hands somewhat awkwardly.

  “Come in, come in,” Charles said guiding his sons into the living room. “Friends, I want you to meet my sons. Some of you know John already, and this is his brother David.”

  “Hello all,” David said as he closed the door. “Which one of you is the incredible Sarah my brother keeps talking about?”

  Sarah stepped out of the kitchen and met David halfway across the living room. “So good to finally meet you in person, David,” she said as she accepted his bear hug. He reminded her of a young Charles. “I’m so glad you agreed to come,” she whispered to him.

  “It was time,” David responded. “It was time.” They smiled at each other, both glad that she had called him. David and his father had been unnecessarily estranged since his high school years. Even talking to him on the phone, Sarah had felt he was ready to face his father and his own feelings. Seeing them together, she knew she had done the right thing.

  “Did you fly in today?” Charles asked, taking their coats. Only Sarah noticed that his hands were shaking.

  “Yes, we got here early this afternoon, checked into the motel, and spent the rest of the day checking out your delightful town.”

  “You should have stayed here with us…” Charles objected, but John interrupted him.

  “I’ve already had that argument with your wife, Dad. We’re fine right where we are. Now, take me to the food.”

  After filling their plates, the two brothers circulated around the house meeting and talking with the Parker’s friends and Sarah’s family. By midnight, the crowd was down to only ten. Jason and Jenny tried to get Alaina to sleep in the master bedroom, but she was wound up and fussy, so they decided to take her home. Several of the older folks left around eleven, but Sophie decided she would stay until the end. They got comfortable in the living room where they sipped wine and shared thoughts about the past year until the crystal ball dropped on Times Square.

  Sophie got a ride home with Andy and Caitlyn, leaving John and David as the last to leave. Charles, catching David alone in the kitchen, put his hand on his son’s shoulder and gentle spoke. “David, I’m sorry about everything. I know you got a raw deal when it comes to fathers…”

  “Don’t Dad. We’ve both made mistakes and we’ve both done the best we could with the hands we were dealt. I’m sorry about the part I’ve played in all this, but let’s start fresh with this new year.” He offered his hand and the two men shook. Charles couldn’t resist, however, pulling his son into a hug.

  After everyone had left, Charles reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box wrapped in gold foil. “Happy Anniversary, my dear,” he said as he handed her the gift.

  Later as Sarah was getting ready for bed, she looked in the mirror at the dainty gold chain and heart-shaped locket Charles had clasped around her neck. The locket was
engraved with tiny flowers and inside he had placed a picture taken at their wedding. Sarah remembered that moment and loved that Charles understood what it meant to her. It was their first kiss as a married couple.

  * * *

  “Was that John on the phone?” Sarah asked as she poured her husband’s coffee.

  “Yes, actually both boys were on the phone.” Sarah smiled hearing his fifty-something year old sons being called boys. “They’ll be here in about twenty minutes.” The night before, Sarah had invited John and David to come for breakfast, forgetting that the house was in disarray following the party. She and Charles got up early and together had the house in order and breakfast made before they arrived.

  Sarah checked the casserole and saw that it would be done just in time. “That smells great,” Charles said when the aroma wafted across the kitchen when the oven door was opened. “What’s in it?”

  “It’s got all good stuff,” she responded. “Sausage, cheese, sour cream, eggs, mushrooms, even some spinach for good measure.”

  “And this is on my heart-healthy diet?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

  “One helping, my dear husband. Only one helping along with a couple pieces of dry toast to fill you up.”

  Charles grumbled but appreciated his wife’s efforts to keep him on the straight and narrow after his recent stroke. “Just be thankful,” she added, “that you’re getting any of it at all.”

  When John and David arrived, Barney hurried to the door to greet them. “So this is the infamous dog that wouldn’t come out of his room last night,” David said, scratching Barney’s ears until his eyes began to close. “And the cat? Where’s she?”

  Sarah pointed to the top of the kitchen cabinet above the refrigerator. “She’s been there since the first guest arrived last night. She doesn’t like for her peace and quiet to be disturbed.”

  Sarah pulled the casserole and biscuits out of the oven and placed them on the table, which was already set for four. They were all surprisingly hungry considering the amount of food that had been consumed the previous night.

  Sarah accepted their praise as gracefully as she could considering she was pretty proud of the meal herself. She didn’t often try out new recipes on guests but couldn’t resist this one when she found it online.

  “More casserole, Dad?” John asked passing the dish.

  Charles glanced at Sarah and then answered, “No thanks, son. I’m fine.”

  “Am I missing something here?” John asked looking back and forth between the two. Sarah saw the slightest movement of Charles head indicating that she shouldn’t respond. She immediately realized he hadn’t told John about his stroke.

  “Your father’s on a diet,” she responded with a half-truth.

  John laughed and patted his father’s stomach. “Getting a little flabby there, Pops?” he teased.

  Charles gave Sarah a grateful nod and she silently vowed to talk with him about the importance of sharing his life with his sons, the good and the bad.

  “So what do you boys want to do today?” Charles knew they had an evening flight.

  “I’d like to just hang out and watch the game, if it’s okay with you folks,” John responded. “I have a case I was hoping to discuss with you, Dad, and I wanted to hear what you’ve been working on.”

  “Good idea,” Charles responded. “David and I have lots of catching up to do too so let’s stay around here, and later we can go out to dinner and we’ll drive you to the airport in Hamilton.”

  “We have a rental car…”

  “Let’s turn it in here in Middletown. We can drive to Hamilton for dinner later. There are some great restaurants out near the airport.”

  The men took their coffee into the living room and turned on the game. Sarah smiled, happy to see Charles enjoying time with his sons. She decided to take Barney and walk down to Sophie’s house, leaving the men to bond male-style – around a ballgame.

  Chapter 9

  “So what do you think?” Sarah had just told the Friday Night Quilters about her idea for a pet rescue fund-raising project and they were listening intently. The group of a dozen or so women had been meeting in the Running Stitches quilt shop since the week it opened, and Sarah had been a member since she moved to Cunningham Village. In fact, it was in this shop and with the help of these women that she had learned to quilt.

  “I not only love the idea,” Kimberly said, looking at her sister, “but we’ll volunteer to quilt it.” Her sister Christina enthusiastically nodded her agreement. The sisters, both in their late sixties, were original members of the Friday Night Quilters and had purchased a long-arm quilting machine the previous year. In addition to their own quilting, they offered their services to other members of the group for a nominal fee. “…and no charge for this one!” Kimberly added.

  Ruth, the shop owner, offered to supply all the fabric for the project. They spent the rest of the meeting looking through pattern books and talking about what size to make the quilt as well as what pattern to use. They ended up with so many ideas that they decided to each go home and work up a suggested pattern and the group would vote on them the following week.

  Sarah hurried back to Cunningham Village eager to tell Sophie about the meeting. She put in a quick call to Charles saying she would be late and then called Sophie to ask if it was too late to stop by. The meeting had run late, but she was eager to tell Sophie about it.

  “Come on over, kid. I want to hear all about it.” She put water into the coffee pot and filled the basket with decaf, knowing that Sarah couldn’t handle caffeine in the evening. She laid out a plate of assorted cookies and was reaching for the sugar bowl when she heard Sarah at the door. “Come in,” she yelled. “It’s open.”

  “You know what Charles would say about that unlocked door,” Sarah said as she pulled off her scarf and boots. Sophie handed her the knit booties she kept in a basket near the door especially for Sarah who always insisted on removing her shoes when she came in.

  “Nonsense,” Sophie grumbled. “That door hasn’t been locked for ten years. I don’t even know if I own a key.”

  “But Sophie…”

  “I pay plenty for that security force sleeping in the entry kiosk. Let them do their job.”

  Sensing that Sophie was in a mood, Sarah remained quiet until Sophie had devoured two or three cookies. Sugar always sweetened her disposition.

  “So tell me about the meeting. Did they like the idea?”

  As Sarah talked about the quilter’s response to their idea, Sophie grabbed a pad of paper so the two could start making plans.

  “I think we should start with a small quilt like the one you gave me for my couch,” Sophie suggested. Emma stood up and stepped out of her new fleece-lined dog bed which completed her collection. She now had one in every room. She walked across the kitchen floor and stretched out on the floor, resting her head on Sophie’s foot. Sophie smiled and reached down to scratch her head.

  “You mean a throw?” Sarah asked.

  “Okay, if that’s what you call it. I just think that would be a good way to test the waters and see if this can make a few dollars.”

  “Good idea,” Sarah responded. “We can do a bed quilt sometime in the future if it seems worthwhile. That would be lots more work and much more expense.”

  Sarah reached for the pad and sketched out a couple of patterns that the group had considered earlier, but they couldn’t come up with a way to relate the quilt block to the idea of rescued dogs.

  Finally Sarah sketched a log cabin saying, “This is one of my favorite blocks.”

  Sophie looked at it and tilted her head thoughtfully. She pointed to the center block and asked, “Could that center be made bigger?”

  “Sure. What do you have in mind?”

  “Well, I was wondering…do they make fabric with dog designs on it?”

  “Sure, all kinds – big dogs, small dogs, realistic ones, artsy ones, different breeds. Why?”

  “Wouldn’t i
t be cute to put a dog in the middle? It would almost look like it was in a dog house.”

  “Hmm,” Sarah responded thoughtfully as she picked up the pencil. “We could make the center larger like this and add narrow strips around it.” She quickly sketched a simple dog shape inside a larger center square and surrounded it with log cabin strips. “What about that?”

  “Hmm,” Sophie responded, cocking her head to the left. “Something’s wrong.” After a couple of moments, she brightened up and announced, “It needs a roof.”

  Sarah made a few adjustments to her drawing but suddenly squealed, “I’ve got it!” She turned to a fresh page and drew an elongated five-sided shape. “We’ll modify the log cabin block to have five sides instead of four like this.” She sketched a few logs all the way around and highlighted the two on the top that came to a point. “That’s the roof,” she added as she sat back to admire her work.

  “A dog house -- I love it.” Sophie reached for the pad and looked at it. “Would the quilt just be one great big dog house?” she asked. Not being a quilter herself, she wasn’t sure how their design would be turned into a quilt.

  “No, I’ll suggest we make lots of these blocks and put them together with fabric strips between them. Everyone in the club could make a few dog house blocks.”

  Sophie sighed. “I’m sorry now that I was so stubborn last year when you wanted me to take your beginning quilting class,” she said regretfully. “I’d really like to be a part of this.”

  “You can,” Sarah said warmly, putting her hand on her friend’s arm. “You could come to the club and help. Even if you don’t want to sew, we need people for cutting and ironing. We’d love having you there…I’d love having you there. Will you consider it?”

  “I just might,” Sophie said with a half smile.

  Chapter 10

  Sophie woke up slowly, enjoying the comfort of the cozy quilt Sarah gave her for Christmas and the warmth of her husband’s body snuggled against her back. Suddenly her eyes shot wide open and she bellowed, “….but my husband is dead!”