Laughter in the Wind (19 page)

Her mother raised her hand to stop her attempted explanation. “I recommend something that takes a lot of thought, but a modest expense. I can see how much she means to you, but you’ve only known Olivia for a few weeks. She’ll be thrilled with the thought you put into a gift, much more so than if you spend a lot of money.”

Rebecca realized she couldn’t really argue with anything her mother had said. Her work-study job didn’t allow for an expensive gift, anyway. “Okay,” she told her mother. “I’ll think about it.”

They stopped by Kate’s house before heading home. She was home alone that afternoon, resting for the week of work ahead and catching up on her laundry and housekeeping. Jimmy was at his parents’ house, working on his van in their garage. His father and brother were helping pull his blown motor so they could rebuild it. It had been a few weeks since Rebecca had spoken with Kate and she felt a little awkward at first, almost like she was a stranger. She realized then how much she had changed in just a matter of weeks. Kate didn’t seem to notice a difference and the opportunity never presented itself for Rebecca to really talk with her.

Their time was mostly spent making plans for Christmas. Kate had to work in the afternoon on Christmas Day, so they agreed to have their Christmas celebration the evening before. They would leave Dad’s gifts at Kate’s house so he wouldn’t find them. Kate would wrap them and bring them with her on Christmas Eve. She and Jimmy would go to his parents Christmas morning—they only lived a few minutes from them, easier to get back and get ready for work. This worked for June, also. They could spend Christmas Eve with her family and Christmas Day with J.T.’s folks. Rebecca realized she hadn’t even discussed Christmas with Olivia and wasn’t sure if they would be able to meet at all.

On their way home, an advertisement on the radio for a pottery studio gave Rebecca an idea for a gift and her mother agreed it would be a good idea. Rebecca had never been good with arts and crafts but her mother was. She agreed to help her design and make her gift the following weekend.

The final week of classes sped by. Olivia and Rebecca spoke nightly on the phone. They agreed to let go of their mysteries from the past, believing the last of their questions would never be answered. Instead they concentrated on the future. By Wednesday, Rebecca had gathered enough courage to tell Olivia her thoughts for the following school year.

She had picked up information at the community college in Rockford about their main campus only forty-five minutes out of St. Louis. She wanted to be closer to Olivia but wasn’t sure if she could afford more than the community college. Rebecca envied Olivia whose paternal grandparents had bequeathed her a large college fund. But she knew she would rather have her Grandma alive and present in her life than a college fund.

“Olivia,” she started hesitantly. “I’ve been thinking about next year, the fall semester you know. I checked things out at the community college’s main campus up by St. Louis. I thought about trying to move up there so I could be closer to you.”

Olivia started to reply, but Rebecca cut her off. “They don’t have dorms but they can help you find affordable housing nearby. I’d only be about forty-five minutes away.” She waited nervously.

“Bec, that’s great! Maybe we could find a place together, in between our schools,” she hesitated slightly, “if you want.”

“Really? I mean, are you sure you want me around all the time? You might get tired of me, you know.” Rebecca tried to make light of her true concern, that Olivia might not like her as well if she was subjected to her twenty-four/seven.

“I’m sure, Bec. But if you’re worried I’ll change my mind, it’s still, ten months away? I think by then I can convince you.”

Olivia’s argument made good sense so Rebecca relaxed a little. “I guess you’re right. I’ll find a job so I can pay my half of things, though,” she insisted.

“I don’t suppose you’d consider being my personal masseuse, would you?” Olivia suggested playfully.

Rebecca chuckled deeply. “I think all of those services will be rendered free of charge, Liv. Or maybe we could take it out in trade.”

“Ooh, sounds interesting. I can’t wait.” Olivia’s voice became more serious. “What do you think your mom and dad are going to think about it?”

“I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to find out the hard way. They may fuss a little bit at first, but Mom’s been encouraging me to make some decisions about the future so maybe she’ll see this as a good start. I’ve been wondering when to talk to them and I think I’ll wait until after the holidays.”

“I hope they don’t give you a hard time,” Olivia replied.

* * *

Friday evening they attempted to figure out their holiday schedules so they could see each other. “Mom and I are flying out to Oregon the day after Christmas.” Olivia said. “I was supposed to stay until the tenth of January, but I convinced Mom to let me change my ticket. Now I’m flying back on the third. I thought maybe we could spend some time together that week before classes start again.”

Rebecca’s heart tripped at the idea of spending an uninterrupted week with Olivia. “At your place, right?” she said hopefully.

“I was hoping most of it would be at my place.” Olivia’s tone made her intentions clear.

“I’ll be there,” Rebecca promised. She swallowed and shook her head to clear her mind. “What about before Christmas? I hope I can see you a few times before then.”

“When are you finished with finals?”

“My last one is Thursday, the thirteenth. What about you?”

“Ooh,” Olivia groaned. “I’m not done until the following Monday.”

“Shoot! I was hoping we could get together next weekend.”

“Wait!” Olivia nearly shouted. “I just checked my schedule. I have finals on Wednesday, Thursday and then my last one is Monday. I’ll be done with most of my studying by Thursday. Maybe I could drive down Saturday morning and head back first thing Sunday morning. That would give me plenty of time to study before Monday’s test. What do you think?”

“I think it sounds like a plan. What about the next week or weekend?”

“We’re having a family dinner at Grandmama’s on the twenty-third. I promised Mom I would help her get ready for it the day before. But maybe between my final on Monday and the weekend we can figure something out. Talk to your parents and see if maybe you can visit me.”

“I’ll see what I can do. Maybe you can help me convince them next Saturday when you’re here.” Rebecca knew both her parents liked Olivia and felt her chances would be better with her help. It looked like her holidays were suddenly looking bright.

* * *

Both Rebecca and Olivia hit the books that weekend, preparing for their tests, although Rebecca found time to drive into Rockford with her mother on Saturday morning. They went to the pottery store where Rebecca’s mother helped her design and make matching coffee cups for her and Olivia. Her mother had exchanged phone numbers with Eliza the preceding week so Rebecca was able to contact her without going through Olivia. Rebecca had asked Eliza to email her a recent picture of Olivia. She was able to place pictures of Olivia and herself on the cups, with the title
HARMON & WILCOX, P.I.
After adding some artwork her mother thought would fit, she was pleased with the final results. She hoped Olivia would recognize the feelings she had put into her work.

Rebecca watched her mother make the rounds of the pottery store while she waited in line to pay for her finished cups. She saw her stop to look closely at a green vase displayed on a table with various other assorted glass designs. When she noticed her passing by it a second and third time, she made a decision.

Wednesday morning before she went to work, Rebecca took another trip to the pottery store. The price on the green vase was more than she anticipated and it put a significant dent in her checking account, but after all the support her mother had given her the past month, she deserved it. The store gift-wrapped it and Rebecca took it to Kate’s house in Rockford for safe keeping until Christmas.

There were six years between Rebecca and Kate and they had never been as close as she and June were. She thought about bringing up some of the recent changes in her life but Kate was in a hurry to get ready for work on the afternoon shift at the nursing home and Rebecca didn’t want a rushed discussion.

Thursday afternoon, Rebecca skipped down the hall after finishing her test. She felt good about all of her tests and was pleased with her accomplishments during her first semester of classes. She ran through the cold December air to her Buick and headed home to celebrate. Her mother had promised apple pie again for dessert in honor of her achievements. Along the way, she stopped at a local convenience store for a cherry Coke. Near the checkout counter, she noticed a small display of locally handcrafted bracelets. Most were of a southwestern style with jade and silver on a strip of leather. One caught her eye, a simple silver band with an inscription delicately carved into it.
The courage to love is the courage to live.
She quickly picked it up and placed it on the counter, digging a little deeper into her pocket to pull out the extra cash.

When she reached home, she texted Olivia to let her know her test went well. Olivia didn’t return her text until after five, and she was equally optimistic about her success.

After two slices of apple pie, Rebecca helped her mother with the supper dishes. She retreated to her room as soon as they finished so she could call Olivia. They were both excited about meeting on Saturday. When Olivia asked her what they would be doing, Rebecca had a sudden inspiration.

“Just a minute, Olivia. Let me check with Mom.” Rebecca hurried to the living room.

“Mom, can Olivia and I help you and Dad put up the Christmas decorations Saturday?” She knew they planned to decorate that weekend but wasn’t sure when. She was relieved to see a smile and nod of approval from her mother. “Thanks, Mom!”

“What have you gotten me into, Bec?” Olivia had sudden images of her and Rebecca struggling to lift a reindeer onto the roof.

“Don’t worry, Olivia. It’ll be great. Dad does the outside lights and lawn ornaments while Mom is in charge of the tree, the Christmas village, the nativity scene, and the best part. She always bakes the day we decorate and we get fresh warm cookies and hot chocolate.”

Olivia was amused by Rebecca’s childlike enthusiasm. “Sounds like Mom will be pretty busy.”

“She delegates a lot. She tells us where she wants things, then she comes back later and makes us fix it if we don’t get it right the first time.” Rebecca laughed lightly, remembering past experiences with placing the separate figures of the Nativity scene in countless arrangements before her mother was satisfied. “Trust me, it’ll be fun.”

* * *

Friday evening, Rebecca helped her father check the bulbs on all the exterior lighting and ornaments. Afterward, her call to Olivia was filled with excitement for Saturday. It must have been contagious, with Olivia sounding more and more interested as Rebecca described the assorted lighted wire figures her father had collected over the years. The thought of decorating was almost more exciting to Rebecca than the thought of seeing Olivia again, feeling the rush of heat that always stole through her when their eyes met. Almost, but not quite. By the time their call ended, they were both eager for morning to arrive for more reasons than just decorating.

Chapter Sixteen

Saturday morning, Rebecca arose early, going outside to finish her chores before breakfast so they would be out of the way when Olivia arrived. She showered and spent a few extra minutes at the mirror before going to the kitchen for coffee, toast and a bowl of cereal.

“Hmm,” her mother said, looking around the edge of her paper. “That’s right, Olivia should be here in a couple of hours. All I needed for a reminder was to smell your perfume.”

Rebecca blushed then became concerned. “What do you mean? It’s not too strong, is it?”

“No,” her mother laughed. “You smell fine and you look fine. I’m just trying to pay you back for all those times you teased your sisters.”

Rebecca filled her coffee cup, buttered her toast then sat down across from her mother. Her mother scanned the paper faithfully every day, looking for any of her “kids” from the school. To her delight, several of the troubled youth she had counseled over the years went on to be recognized in the surrounding communities for their civic efforts. Unfortunately, she also discovered some of their names in arrest reports or even obituaries. Rebecca never scrutinized the paper like her mother did, but sometimes she would scan the headlines on the back of it as her mother read the other side.

“Mom, did you see that article about the centenarians?” she asked.

“The what?” Her mother sounded puzzled, turning to the front of the paper to find the small article Rebecca was referring to, near the bottom corner.

“Local Retirement Community Home to Four Centenarians” headed the article. “That’s where Kate works,” her mother said. “I guess I skipped that one.” She scanned the article briefly then stopped and peered around the paper at her daughter. “Rebecca,” she said excitedly. “What was the name of the man you were looking for, the one in that picture?”

“Ralph Dunlop,” Rebecca offered. “Why, did you find a Dunlop?”

“I did better than that!” she exclaimed. “I found Ralph Dunlop.”

Rebecca called Olivia as she was backing the Buick out of the driveway. “Meet me in Rockford at the courthouse,” she said. “I’ll explain more then.”

Next, she called Kate and asked if she could stop by with a few questions about one of the residents at her job. Kate assured her she would be home and Rebecca pushed the speed limit to get to her house quickly. When she pulled into Kate’s driveway, she noticed their car was gone and she found Kate home alone when she entered the house.

“Hey, big sis,” Rebecca greeted her. “How’ve you been?”

Kate gestured to a basket of laundry that was overflowing onto the couch. “Just shove that out of your way and sit down.” She returned to the recliner in front of the TV where she had obviously spent most of the morning, judging from an empty plate on the end table beside her, presumably left there after breakfast, an empty coffee cup beside it and a bottle of Coke with a growing condensation ring surrounding it. She certainly hadn’t spent any time fixing herself up, judging from the baggy sweatpants and sweatshirt she wore, undoubtedly Jimmy’s based on their size. Her hair, usually moussed or gelled into place, was flattened in the back and on one side. Remnants of her makeup from the previous day remained where she had failed to remove it. Rebecca reminded herself that she certainly couldn’t be considered fashionable either. Besides Kate worked nights and it was still early.