Harvesting Acorns (18 page)

Phoebe
saw the exchange, and saw the same hesitation in Ben. This time she sent Jean
Pierre to do the prompting. He loved his wife, did not always agree with her
meddling, but learned to trust her instincts. This time even he could see that
she was right, and that these two needed to admit to themselves first, and then
each other. He called Ben aside. He told him what he felt he and Phoebe could
see was obvious – Ben’s feelings towards Chloe were not purely those of
gratitude and friendship. There was something more there, and they could see
how he fought to hide it. Ben put his head down and remained silent for a while
and then he looked at Jean Pierre and told him:

“She
deserves so much more. She is strong and beautiful; independent and determined.
All I have shown her these last few months is a man who is weak and easily
broken. I can’t offer her anything, could never make up to her all she has done
for us. I couldn’t ask her to take on the responsibility of us. Maybe one day I
will be the kind of man she deserves. One stronger than her, who can be someone
she can lean on.”

Jean Pierre told him to sit down, so
he could tell him a story.

“You
see the relationship I have with my wife. It is rock solid and based on love
and mutual trust and respect. It was not always so. When we first met I did not
always treat her the way she deserved. I would come and go as I pleased, and
she was always there, waiting for me when I returned. I did not deserve her
love, and I did not deserve her. I knew it and my actions reflected that
knowledge; I subconsciously tried to push her away every way I could. After a
while her patience with being treated this way began to wear thin and she
called me on it. I told her that I was not ready to be with her, that maybe,
one day, when I was deserving, we could be together. I will never forget her
words. She told me…” and he was interrupted by Phoebe who had overheard and had
come over. She finished what he had started saying:

“When
love knocks on your door it does not ask if you are deserving. The reason it is
at your door is because it has already found that you are. All that it asks is
that you let it in. And if you do not open because the circumstances are not how
you wanted, or the stars are not aligned the way they should be, or whatever
your excuse; then the risk is yours alone that it may not knock again.”

Ben nodded at them both.

“But
how do I ask her to take on me and Hannah and all of our challenges?”

“She
already has,” Phoebe smiled, “now you just need to love her.”

And she took Jean Pierre’s hand and
they left Ben alone with all he now had to think about. He was sitting where
they left him, trying to think how to approach Chloe, when he was completely
startled and caught off guard by the sound of her voice. He looked up and she
was standing in front of him.

“Ben,
I uh… could we…,” she couldn’t find the words she needed. He stood up and as
soon as they were eye to eye they both knew without words what the other wanted
to say. Ben took her hands in his and then led her out to the garden.

“Chloe,
you deserve the world. All I have is what I feel in my heart…”

“Ben,
with you and Hannah in my life my world would be complete.”
There was no need to say any more. He took her in his arms and they embraced
what had been flickering between them all this time. Ben was still holding her
when they heard a burst of applause. Everyone had come outside and were
cheering at what they were seeing. Joel said at the top of his voice:

“Well
it is about time! We all wondered when you two would stop circling each other
widely.” Everyone erupted into laughter and Ben and Chloe smiled blissfully at
their extended family. Hannah came out and Ben called her to them and the three
of them hugged each other and felt the love surrounding and completing them.
James came over and took Chloe’s hand and pulled on it gently so that she came
down to his level, and then he whispered in her ear:

“This
was the silent part of my wish that I never told anyone – that Hannah would
have a mother too.” Chloe looked at him with such love, she couldn’t answer
him, this was all still too  overwhelming for her. He continued:

“Chloe,
you have made all my dreams come true and now I have something special I have been
keeping for you.” He took something out of his pocket and brought his cupped
hands towards her. As he opened them she gasped… a perfect acorn.

“You
have helped everyone else’s dreams come true… this one is for you.”

Not for the first time since she had
arrived in the village, tears streamed down Chloe’s face as she found
unexpected beauty.

“James,
it has been such an honour to get to share in the beauty that reflects from
your heart. You have taught me so much and I will treasure our time beneath the
giant oak tree forever.” She took out a tissue and wiped her eyes and then
continued. “I hope we can keep up our autumn tradition of harvesting acorns and
distributing hope.”

“I
would love that very much,” he replied and hugged her tightly. Then he and Hannah
went inside to play.

The
next week at work, Chloe wrote a follow up article about Hannah’s transplant
and her progress during her recovery. She still had a long way to go but was
doing well and getting stronger. Chloe had gone back to her normal editing
position but now wrote one feature a week on the understanding that she would
only write about issues that would inspire and touch lives, giving people
opportunities to help each other and build communities, lower their impact on
the environment and do their bit for humanity as well as wildlife.

Their
magazine sales were increasing all the time and feedback from the public was
always positive. Their community was hungry for hope and opportunities to be
involved. Within a year and a half of Chloe taking over the editing of the
magazine, they had branched out to distribute to the rest of the country and
double their issues to weekly instead of bi-monthly editions. They had
submissions from top journalists around the country but they all knew that
Chloe’s criteria for  publishable articles was strict with regard to shock
content and thrill factors. She would only accept contributions of a high
calibre
and was particularly opinionated in her rejections of sleaze and gossip that a
few
chancers
often attempted to submit.

She
had received numerous offers from rival magazines, but her loyalty was with
Edward and Beth Taylor. They in turn valued her contribution and efforts in
producing a top quality magazine. They had just won the award for Magazine of
the Year and Edward, in his letter of acceptance and appreciation revealed
without bars the high esteem they held Chloe in and commended her work ethic,
professionalism and authentic journalistic contributions.

On
a personal level, she and Ben were now officially dating and getting to know
each other on a more relaxed, comfortable and personal level. They found they
had many interests in common and the connection between them was deep and
intense. She and Hannah had bonded strongly and the three of them spent many weekends
picnicking beneath the giant oak. Hannah had not yet been able to return to
school, and Chloe had arranged to work mornings only so that she could tutor
Hannah until she was ready to go back to school. She still met with Phoebe and
Jean Pierre for their weekly dinners; and to catch up on the events of their
lives.

Grace
called one Friday evening and asked if she could visit with Chloe the following
day. She had some news. When she arrived she was beaming. Chloe welcomed her
in, and they sat chatting. Chloe brought some tea and freshly baked rusks – her
skills were improving now that she had a little girl in her life to play
kitchen with from time to time.

“Chloe,
I have some exciting news,” Grace began. “After we spoke to the antique dealer
and we got our drawing back, Joel was so delighted he could not let it rest. He
has been trying since then to find a way to trace Logan or his grandson, just
to thank them for the effort they went through to return it.”

Chloe
listened to her recount all they had been through in their investigations. Joel
had done some research and rediscovered, on the internet, the island he and
Simon had washed up on all those years ago. By what he had read it was still as
unspoiled as possible, the inhabitants had fought many legalities and battles
to protect their land and their rights to freedom of way of life. Their
community had grown as well as their village as more and more Flower Children
left the mainland seeking an alternate, simpler way of life. Joel had
eventually traced Logan’s family.

Logan
had passed away a few years ago, not too long after sending his grandson out
with the painting. It seemed he was tying up loose ends towards the end. Joel
had been given an e-mail address for Logan’s grandson, who he found out was named
Blake. Joel had been overjoyed, he remembered Blake. He had been a toddler at the
time Joel and Simon had been stranded on the island. Joel had spent a lot of
time reading stories to him or carving little wooden sailboats for him and then
delighting in his little squeals of pleasure as Joel had sailed them in a tub
of water.

 Blake
had replied to Joel’s e-mail, expressing his joy that the drawing had found its
way home and told how it had been so special to his grandfather and therefore
really important in the time before his death that it was returned. He always
told Blake there was magic in that drawing – whether it was in the lines of the
artist or the image itself, the tree. Blake had expressed his disappointment at
not being able to find the owner before his travels in that area had ended. Obviously
he had been too young to remember Joel’s time on the island.

Grace
and Joel were both so happy to have been in contact and for being able to thank
him for his part in it all. It had rounded off that bit of mystery perfectly
for them. On a last whim, they had invited Blake to come out again to meet them
and get to know them. Joel had very precious memories of his time on the island
and all he had learned, both about himself, and about life. He especially
remembered with fondness his time playing with Blake and would love to meet him
as an adult, and hear his stories of the island and their lifestyle.

Grace
had just wanted to share it with Chloe. Chloe had really developed a strong
love for that tree and it bonded her closely to Grace and Joel. They were
strong parental figures in her life and her relationship with them had deepened
through everything. She had enormous respect and admiration for them and their
relationship she held as a model to follow and learn from.

On
the next Spring full moon, Ben asked her to join him on a special date. She had
been delighted when he had arrived to fetch her in a horse drawn carriage that
had taken them for a ride along the beach front, through the village and to the
park. He had set a table beneath the giant oak and had prepared an exquisite
dinner for them, complete with pink champagne and a cellist providing mood
music. He got down on one knee and asked her to spend the rest of her life with
him and Hannah. He promised to love and respect her and always do everything he
could to make her feel cherished and special and like the angel she was to
them. In absolute ecstasy and amazement Chloe said yes and they danced together
beneath the tree to the cello music.

Hannah
squealed with delight the next morning when they told her. She was beside
herself with joy that she was going to have a mother, and that it was Chloe.
Next was to tell all their friends. No surprise, everyone was thrilled. They
were all eager to start planning the wedding and offering help wherever they
could. Chloe and Ben said they would take their time with the planning, they
wanted their day to be perfect. They didn’t want a huge church wedding, rather
something small and in an intimate setting. More of a celebration and
commitment to their love rather than a huge traditional ceremony.

Chloe
asked Phoebe to be her maid of honour and Ben asked Jean Pierre to be his best
man – after all, if it had not been for their ‘meddling’ Chloe and Ben would
never have taken the first step in their relationship. Chloe phoned home and
told her parents and her best friends. They were really stunned at this turn of
events. They had been following all of the media around Hannah’s transplant and
Chloe’s role in that as well as her career. They had been in touch throughout
it all, but a wedding was a huge surprise. They all promised they would do
their best to be there for her on her special day.

Chloe,
Ben and Hannah
revelled
in this new stage of their lives. They had all been through so much,
individually and together. Finally they would have all they could wish for in a
supportive, loving family unit. They spoke about it and planned together and
eventually decided that the wedding would be held in the park beneath the tree
where it all began. It would be a short, informal ceremony followed by what
other than a picnic in the park. This was tradition and nothing would be more
fitting than that for their special day. Hannah would be the most beautiful flower
girl and James a dashing page boy.

Chloe
had a special task for James, which she would keep just between the two of them
as a surprise on the day. She also asked Grace to play violin, and for Joel to
accompany her, singing Amazing Grace. It just seemed fitting. Phoebe offered to
do the catering as well as to provide accommodation at her guest house for
Chloe’s family and friends who would be able to come through for the wedding.