Chapter 10
A family is where love is,
unless you keep looking
beyond the mark.
The front had been talked about ever since it came onshore in Washington State with its trailing edge dipping into California. The local New Bern television channels, along with the many weather channels tracked the storm all the way across the states showing plenty destruction footage to add emphasis to their dire warnings. The prediction for the New Bern area was heavy rain, high winds and possibly hale. Then, as the front progressed across the country, a tropical storm started to track up from the Caribbean. The weather prognosticators were predicting the merging of these two weather events could be something very nasty. And the air force was sending a hurricane hunter into the weather system coming up from the gulf to see if there was any rotation.
Life in New Bern carried on with little to no concern of the weather. Nobody worries until it is too late and then they wonder what happened.
All day long the sky was getting darker and darker as the front from the west came closer and closer. The weather system from the south carried on its northward track. The combination of the two systems made the wind pick up and the rain come down. The rain came down hard. The rain came sideways. The rain splashed up. The hardness of the rain made you wince. If you stepped out, there was no getting away from the rain.
Then came the deep grumbling thunder that seemed to roll on and on across the entire sky. It came from the west and rolled all the way to the east. A type of thunder that rattled the sky and everything below the sky. A thunder that gave everyone an uncomfortable feeling akin to doom and gloom. And then there was the keenly watched for lightning. Old folks know about counting between the flash of lightning and the onset of thunder as an indicator if the storm is coming or going. Young people don't count; they rely on the weatherman and their new houses for protection.
The television weathermen were front and center from about three o'clock onward supported by various newscasters dotted about the area to report on any action as it happened. Their favorite shot was of viciously swinging traffic lights at important intersections while traffic inched through the ever deeper street flooding.
The merging of the two weather patterns was evolving into the mother of all storms as the two mighty titans slowly collided and fought for dominance. Anyone in the New Bern area could sit on their porch and watch the action in real time rather than watch it with the usual weatherman drivel interspersed with adverts for the usual old person's pills and potions. As the titans collided the thunder and lightning show dramatically increased. The time between the lightning and the thunder was only a hair-breath. The collision seemed to happening in a roughly north-south direction.
The real action started about six o'clock and continued throughout the entire evening. Some folks grew tired of all the fuss and went to bed. Others stayed up watching and complaining about their cell phone connection not working while the old fashioned telephone land lines continued to hum along.
The increased action meant that roofs, walls, doors and gutters were severely tested. Flooding went from a possibility, through probability and certainty to a full blown river down every street for miles around. The rain event went into the books as a one in ten-thousand year event.
Eventually the local channel personnel were ordered off the streets and the reporting continued from inside buildings and from well protected areas.
And the rain continued to lash down. The rain pounded, the rain slashed and the rain became colder and colder. The rain slowly turned to slush and then to hard hail.
The black sky was heavily illuminated by the consistent lightning flashes. The sky danced with the light show as spectacular as any Fourth of July. The lightning danced from cloud to cloud, from ground to cloud and the usual cloud to ground. It was the cloud to cloud lightning that was the most spectacular as it seemed to coincide with the pealing thunder as though orchestrated by the hand of Thor himself.
The fight of the titans seemed to intensify about seven in the evening. All the local television news shows preempted the national shows to predict, warn and cajole everyone to stay inside and ride the storm out while staying tuned to their particular channel. Since it was ratings week this storm was played up to the hilt by each channel as if the world was going to end.
Jane and Wilson Lewis, sat on the porch of their house looking out over the river watching the storm pass by. There was something in the power of Mother Nature that caused Jane to marvel at the hand of God and knew he was in control.
Being over in Huntsville, Jeff and Debbie Hamm, did not get much of the storm. They listened to the news but paid little attention. Getting the children to do their homework was far more important than any noisy storm.
David and Lynn Grover. David watched the news and yelled at his wife to stay away from the windows. They knew exactly where the storm was when they saw a bolt of lightning and immediately heard the clap of thunder right over their house. David was thinking that that was mighty close. Lynn was white as any sheet. That is when they lost power and smelt burning in the house. Fortunately Lynn had purchased emergency lights that plugged into the wall. Getting the two lights they both started to go quickly from room to room to find where the smell was coming from. The study had the strongest smell and that is when Lynn pointed to the power strip. David quickly unplugged it from the wall. The power strip was still smoking as he held it up by the cord.
"Let's unplug," said David and took off unplugging everything he could from the power outlets. He was wondering if the horse had already left the barn.
Kate and Grayson Bartholomew fretted as the storm rolled by. The harvest was in and the land was waiting to be turned over. Grayson was glad it was raining as the rain helped in bringing back much needed nutrients.
Their main concern was their old barn. The local joke was Methuselah took one look at it as walked by on the opposite side because he thought it was too old. The barn sort of leaned in two directions because some of the main supporting posts had been replaced at different times with different degrees of skills. The barn doors sort of closed and the roof was sort of water proof. Because of the barn's condition Kate and Grayson kept most of their important items in their new barn.
As the storm came rolling in Grayson winced as he listened to the old barn creek and groan as it moved in the storm. He kept peeking out the window and saying, "This is it. This is the storm."
Kate said nothing but stayed closer to the interior of the house, just in case.
Harvey Wellington had heard that bad weather was coming and, as usual, was somewhere else than his old house when the bad weather arrived. The onset of the storm did not stop the old preacher driving to his old home to make sure it was ready for the storm. This time he left his retreat to safety too late: he could not leave because he could not see the road because the flooding was well underway. Peaking out the window, he was glad Alma, his wife, was in town visiting their grandchildren. Their old frame house was well looked after and in good shape, but it was old and Harvey was not sure if this wind would be too much for the old square nails that still held his home together.
Harvey constantly looked out the window at his car. He was mighty proud of the old Cadillac as it was his father's. Harvey had parked the car away from the house and trees so that nothing should fall on it but he was not sure if he had picked the high spot… and the water kept rising. Then he would glance over the fence at the old Calhoun place. It was well built and Noah had it in good shape… except of late. No one had moved in after Noah and Allie left and the house. It was like the house had and air of abandonment and decay about it. Harvey had talked to Wilson about doing something with the house, but with four siblings things was moving slowly.
The black of the sky seemed to get blacker, if that is possible as the actual front approached. The wind whipped and ripped as the two fronts fought it out. The trees started to make the noise of screaming banshees as the wind blew through. Then came the thunder and lightning. It came fast and furious. Flashes of brilliant blue/white color lightning right over head. It was as if the lightning was dancing right above his old home. The lightning was one thing but the noise of the thunder was something else. The noise was immediate, it was powerful, and it shook his home and Harvey's very being. Harvey dashed to the bathroom as the safest room in the house. He thought that room was better than the small pantry with all its cans ready to fall on top of him.
Bam… then he smelt the ionized air about him. Crack… then he felt a tingling in his fingers. Crash… as lightning struck his oldest and grandest live oak tree and split it in two. Boom… followed by a tearing, crashing, falling noise he was not sure off.
There are prayers and then there are real prayers. And as the saying goes, there are no atheists in fox holes. That is exactly how Harvey felt. He honestly felt his time had come to see his Maker. Harvey was not afraid of dying as he had seen it enough times during his ministry. He was sad to go without saying good bye to his lovely wife. His prayers were not of a reprobate seeking redemption but as one of the faithful who had run the race and was finishing along side Paul. His prayers were for the multitude of other people whom he had counsel with and never listened. He was pleading their cases before his Father on high as the storm pillared the immediate area.
Harvey's house screeched and swayed. The trees continued to screech away like screaming hordes. The smell in the air, the immediate thunder and lighting… it all conspired to test Harvey's faith and did not find him wanting.
The front kept on moving like a relentless, grumbling giant as it moved across the land causing death and destruction wherever it felt like.
It was when Harvey could count twenty seconds between the flash and the sound did he even attempted to get out of the bathroom. Before he did so it was time to kneel down and offer a prayer of thanksgiving and gratitude for being spared. Then he turned on the flashlight he had been hugging for so long. It was a metal flashlight, like the ones used by the police.
As a result of the vicious shaking virtually everything in the house had been moved. The front door was jammed because the porch had collapsed. The back screen door was gone as was his small shed he used to house his riding mower. His flashlight picked out the mower and, right beside, the red five gallon gasoline container. It was when the flashlight picked out the split live oak tree and his heart sank. Family story went something like that tree was planted back in the 1840's when Harvey's ancestors arrived from Africa. Every male ancestor had carved their initials in that tree. His son's initials were the last to be added when he reached the obligatory age of thirteen.
Out the back door window Harvey could see his car standing there all washed and shiny with no damage whatsoever. He wanted to go over for a closer look but the whole area, for as far as the eye could see, was covered in water. It was then he noticed a water moccasin being washed along in the current. That changed his mind about venturing out. So he turned his attention to his house. Going from room to room he surveyed the inside mess. Things had got tossed about, had moved, and left a general air of dust and unkempt living. At each window he would stop and stare out into the black night. There were no lights in any direction and with no cell phone reception Harvey decided to hit the sack and see what the morning would bring.
Harvey had forgotten how miserable the long nights were before his pa installed window air conditioning. All those uncomfortable memories came rushing back as Harvey tried to find some breeze to cool him down. The raging weather had passed leaving heat, humidity and stagnant air in its wake. Harvey could take the heat and humidity, so long as there was a breeze blowing. Now there was only stagnant air and that made the night a very long and miserable one.
In the morning the flooding had subsided enough that Harvey could see some semblance of solid ground. Harvey opened the back door to spy out the land and see if it would be safe enough to reach his Cadillac that had a first class air conditioner. Before he could step one foot outside the house he gazed across to the Calhoun house and froze.
Thor's hammer had hit the house dead center along the roof line then crushed everything down to the ground. In one sense it was awesome to look at, and in another sense it was tragic to see. Harvey went back inside and spent the next thirty minutes looking for the wellington boots he knew he had somewhere. With boots and a long stick he ventured out and carefully made his way about his house before striking out to the Calhoun house. It was a heartbreaking site of destruction. He didn't get too close just to be on the safe side. The more he looked the more he was sure the house was beyond repair. Not only was the house crushed in, the large chimneys at each end of the house had collapsed. Family legend had it those chimney bricks were made by indentured white men back in 1772 then replaced in 1810 by black slaves after a terrible storm blew through. The storm of 1810 must have been powerful as it moved the house by two inches. Now the end had come to just about the oldest house in New Bern.
Since the refrigerator was dead Harvey worked hard to get his smoke house going so he could start the long process of smoking all the meat he had before it spoilt. Despite being wet, his pile of oak wood was basically dry and good enough to use. Soon smoke was easing out from around the door and Harvey knew it was time to start hanging the meat and letting the smoke work its magic.
Because Harvey lived so far out of town he knew it would be a while before he would get power, telephone and the road being safe and passable. Rather than fret he set to cleaning up. He was glad his smart wife had stacked up on bottled water since their well had started to play up and they were wondering if it would be cheaper to fix the well or try and get city water out their way. With cans, smoked meat coming along and water Harvey was not worried but he was concerned his wife would worry until he made contact.
It was four days before the water went down to a point that Harvey could get out. Harvey loved his Cadillac. He loved the front bench seat, the radio and the fine air conditioner. As he drove out he had the air conditioner cranked up relishing the drive in such comfort. His first port of call was his daughter's where his wife was staying. It was a joyful reunion as he retold the events of the previous days. His wife kept saying she was never worried as she had faith he would be okay. After a long talk Harvey and Alma drove round to see Wilson.
Harvey's Cadillac is distinctive and Wilson saw it pull up the drive way. Harvey in town was not too common. Harvey and Alma at the house was very unusual so Wilson got up and was at the front door before Harvey rang the bell.
"What's wrong?" Wilson said as he scanned Harvey's battered condition.
"It's the house… Noah's house. I think lightning struck it and now it's in bad shape."
"Livable?"
"No Wilson. I recon it is the end of the road for that old house."
"That Bad?"
"It got pretty rough out there for a while. I thought I'd be seeing my Maker in a few minutes. It was that rough."
Remembering his manners Wilson said, "Come on in."
"No thanks. I just got out and need to get cleaned up properly.
"So the roads are drivable?"
"Everything is fine… except for the old oak tree and Noah's home. You'd be fine driving out. Just don't get too close to the house. I'd say it's not too safe clambering about. But that's just me talking. You go look and make up your mind." With a friendly wave Harvey and Alma walked back, hand in hand, to his car.
"Who was that?" asked Jane as she joined Wilson at the door. She did not need an answer as she saw Harvey driving down the road. "What did he want?"
"It's the house… it's gone." Muttered Wilson as he struggled to comprehend the ramifications of Harvey's words.
"What house are you talking about?" asked Jane as she saw the worried look in her husband's face. Then the penny dropped. "Dad's house?" she added in a choking voice.
"That's what he is saying."
"We have to look." Jane said leaving Wilson still holding the front door open.
The two of them drove off down the familiar road to the home Jane grew up in. Basically Jane had lived in two homes her entire life. The home she grew up in and the current home. Time away at university did not count as that was temporary. The sense of belonging is intricately woven into the place you grow up in. That sense of belonging; that tie to the land; that peace you feel when you go home was starting to unravel the closer they got to Noah's home. The small knot in the pit if Jane's stomach was getting tighter and tighter the closer and closer they got.
When they turned the corner from which they could see the house Wilson stopped the car and looked. It was a fill five minutes before Wilson put the car in gear and drove down to the usual parking spot. They got out and then, hand in hand, walked about the ruin.
Jane tried her cell phone but it was no good. Wilson got a little too close for Jane's liking and she told him to get back. Even to their untrained eyes they knew the house was beyond repair. The end had come after three hundred years of use.
There was an air of pathos about the ruin that Wilson could not shake. Jane, on the other hand, was reliving fond memories as she looked here and there. They walked and looked, then looked and walked. At least all of Allie's paintings were out of the house.
When they got back to their home, Jane did the rounds of her siblings to let them know the sad news. She said once cell connection or the internet was back up she would send photos.
It was about two months later that the family gathered at the ruin. Wilson had hired a structural engineer to have a look at the house to see if it was possible to fix and rebuild. The engineer had completed and PE sealed his study but Wilson wanted the entire family to hear his verbal report.
"Wilson here hired my company to look at the house to ascertain its state and could it be successfully rebuilt." The engineer looked round at the gathered group and continued, "As you remember a front blew through the area. Rain, strong winds accompanied by thunder and lightning. From weather data a strong cell passed this way going from this side to that." The engineer indicated the directions with his hands. "To some this was a blessing as it missed populated areas. On the other hand, it came your way with gusto!
"I have been through the wreckage and have concluded that a bolt of lighting hit the house roughly half way along the ridge line punching a large hole in the roof, powering its way into the house and destroying structural members as it went. You can see this by the burn paths and how the wood broke. On its own, the hole in the roof was pretty bad, but could have been fixable. However, the damage to the structural members was severe. Think of it as a punch right down from the roof through the attic, second, first floors and to the dirt under the house. On its way through the house it blew out everything close by. With such a huge hole and no support, the house gave way, cracked in two and collapsed into the pile you see in front of you." Eyes swung from the engineer to the house wreckage. The engineer let his words sink in before continuing. "I think that just about covers what happened. It must have happened all under a second. Fortunately, because of the rain, the house did not catch fire." The sense of fortunateness was lost in the depth of the destruction to their old dwelling place.
The next question Wilson asked was about the possibility of rebuilding. The engineer paused as the various families gathered a bit closer. "I'm assuming the understanding of rebuild is to rebuild the house using as much as possible of the original structure as against demolishing and rebuilding from scratch which is, obviously, doable. If you can turn around I can point out some of the challenges to the original definition of rebuild." Everyone turned to face the house. "Let's start with safety. In its current condition the structure is very unstable. So, to make it safe to work in and about will cost you money. If you look closely at the center, where the house is punched through… the house is basically in two pieces leaning up against each other. Remove one half and the other will fall down. So, to work on the house would require working on the two halves separately to be able to rejoin them together. A difficult, challenging and costly proposition. And, to be honest, I'm not sure if it can be done.
"Then we come to the structural members. The main ones being the ground floor beams on which everything stands. Even though they are original they seem to be in fine condition. Except where they are broke. Again I have to go back to the two halves of the house. We would have to jack up both halves of the house to get under to bolt new wood to the original beams to restore the original strength. That sounds easy but then you have to be working on the first floor and the attic because they are broke in a similar fashion. So to do the fix, I would think the house would have to be supported at three levels so that the work could be done safely."
Finally someone asked the real question, "What cost are you thinking of?"
The engineer slowly said, "I'm glad you asked. I did some rough calculations, talked to a few fellow engineers, and talked to a few lumber suppliers and we think something in the order of $600,000 would do it." The engineer knew there would be sticker shock. There always is on major renovation projects such as this.
The same someone from the back chimed out with, "What's our options?"
The engineer was ready with the list. "The most expensive is the rebuild as we are talking about. The other type of rebuild, the clear everything away and rebuild the same type of house using modern methods would be about $300,000. The last option is to clear the land and leave it alone. If you choose the third option, you could charge a company a good fee as the wood, doors and windows are all in good condition and well worth salvaging and reusing."
There was a long pause that was broken by Wilson asking, "Any questions for the engineer?" When there was no reply Wilson followed up with, "Are you sure? Ask now while everyone's here?" There was no reply.
The gathering broke up as family members started to wander around the house looking carefully at it. With that going on Wilson turned to the engineer and thanked him for his work and report and said he'd get back to him if something else came up.
It was pointless discussing the report. Wilson printed up copies for every family and mailed it off with a request to think about what should be done about the house in a timely and professional manner. Since Wilson and Jane were the closest he did not want to start receiving phone calls about the house and, say kids using it as an adventure playground.
It was another four months later before a unanimous family decision was reached to have the house torn down and as much reused as possible. It was a gut wrenching decision as it meant the end of their home. Even while it stood in its forlorn condition, some of the family members thought a miracle would happen and the times on the porch could continue.
The name of the company was euphemistically called Retread Housing Contractor's. They specialized in the careful tear-down of old houses so that the intrinsic value of the lumber, fittings, doors, window frames, pluming, bricks (especially slave made bricks) could be realized. It was not a large company, only two crews, mainly black who had a hankering for preserving things their ancestors, more than likely, built in the first place. In some ways you could look upon these men as artisans in their own right as proper taking down takes as long as proper putting up. Their skills come from the fact they understand how things were constructed in the old ways of doing things. Because of that superior knowledge and understanding they had developed the skills to remove key items without undue stress or damage.
Since Wilson and Jane lived the closest the work of keeping an eye on the house removal fell to them. Virtually every day one of them went out to the house site to see what the crew had discovered or uncovered. The discoveries helped mask the pain of watching the house slowly disappearing board by board, brick by brick and fixture by fixture. Of all the poignant items to turn up was a small wooden horse that Jane said was made by her father for young John. She never went back to the site until everything was cleared away and the grass was growing. Sometimes painful memories never die but live on and on and on.
It was about five years later that Harvey came knocking on door. Jane opened it and said, "Why Harvey, what a pleasure to see you. Please come in." Their paths had not crossed in a long while. Jane yelled to Wilson who was outside mowing the lawn. They sat in the kitchen as Wilson needed a shower badly.
After the small talk Harvey felt comfortable to broach the topic that was pressing on him. "You know the land has been sitting there…."
"And we appreciate you taking care of it for us." Wilson quickly interjected. Jane gave him a glance that said to be quiet and listen.
"Oh, that's okay. Keeps the place clear of too many critters." Harvey laughed at his little joke. The whole area was overrun with big and small critters. "Jus the other day I was at the Oteley's place. They moved out ten years gone by and have not touched it. Shame to see such fine land go to waste. Made them a fair offer, or so I was thinking, and they turned me down. That was okay since the place is small." There was a pause as Wilson got up for more water and ice. Mowing is always hot work. "You know I now have great-grandchildren on the way. Makes me feel old. Those there rug rats come by and give me a big hug and all is forgiven… so long as they come to church on Sunday. Some of them seem to have lost their way and don't know where to turn. I suppose that is part my fault and part my job to round them up before it is too late. That is part why I am here… to round them up and push them in the right direction along the straight and narrow path that few are going to find." Harvey was starting to find his stride. If there was anything he was going to say that was important to say, he would couch it in religious terms with shades of parables: just like in old Biblical times. "But where to push them to? That is the question. Moses had Israel. Brigham Young had Utah and Stephen F. Austin had Texas. Each the promised land," The analogy whipped by Wilson and Jane leaving them confused as they didn't know Harvey had been reading US history with his grandchildren. Harvey continued in his reticent manner, "But we have to move on. To keep the faith: sort of. Which leads to the question of how to keep the faith? We could sit about, read the Bible, and say all is well in Zion and do nothing. Or we could still read the Bible but then do what Christians should do and that is do the work Christians should be doing. And that is why I am here."
Thoroughly intrigued but totally baffled, Wilson sidestepped his ignorance by replying with, "Good. Okay. Fire away." Jane gave Wilson one of those stares that could only go between a husband and wife that said, "What on earth are you doing?"
"It's like this," Harvey continued in earnest, "I'm looking for elbow room for the family." When Harvey said the words, 'elbow room' Wilson understood exactly what Harvey was after. "The family just won't leave. Worse than superglue between two sheets of paper. I know I should have been harder on them when they were young, but that is all in the past. They're not lazy; they all work hard and pull together. Which I suppose I should be glad about. Just they are marrying and having small ones too fast. Just look at last year. Two marriages, one divorce and three babies. And the worse thing about the divorce is young John never left. Says he has no where to go. What am I supposed to do? He is good out hunting Gators and a good hunter is good to have about when money is a bit short as it gets sometimes. Then he starts to build him a shack over in the corner away from everyone. Only a dirt track to his place. See what I mean, showing initiative and not fussing. So a good boy to have about even though he is now a fallen leaf from the old oak tree.
"But that is not what I came to visit about…" The pause stood there for a while while Harvey rolled his hat in his hand. "It's like this. Your house is the end of the road, and we are next to you. No one comes down the road now-a-days. Oteley's have gone, now you have gone so now it is just us. Boy I sure do miss you pa. The times on the porch making music, talking, eating and a bottle or two. They were good times. Jus like everything else, time moves on and there is no going back. This is a one way trip and we made the best of it back in those days. But, like I says, those days are all behind and I have to look forward.
Harvey's demeanor changed as he started to get to the heart of the visit. "I'm looking for some room. Elbow room. Something for now and the future. Like I says, the Oteley's are not interested, so I was wondering if you were interested? Interested in selling the land to me and my family?"
Jane got up like a rocket and started to walk about the room in an agitated manner. She had not seen it coming. Even though Wilson was ready, he wore a rigid face and was already forming arguments against selling the land.
Being a preacher Harvey was skilled in reading body language. He had to because a preacher has to know if his words were hitting home of not. What he was reading was not a nice tail. Feeling crestfallen Harvey made the best out of a sticky situation by saying, "I see's this might be a surprise, but I got no one else to turn to. I would appreciate if you think about it for a while and let me know."
The minute the door was closed and Harvey was driving down the road Jane turned to her husband and said in a very firm tone, "There is no way we are ever going to sell the land."
"Over your dead body?" asked Wilson.
"Mine and the others."
"Fine." said Wilson as he started to get up. "Then I'll email the others and tell them what happened and your decision."
Thoughtfully Jane added, "No, don't do that. Just tell what happened and ask their opinions."
"We should let the others know you are against it."
"What happened to 'we are' saying as against 'I am' saying?"
"I'm not so sure…" Mulled Wilson.
"Sure about what?" Cut in Jane, "That is the family lot we are talking about. I grew up there…"
"Okay, we'll keep it then."
"Good. We'll keep it."
"Then I better send the emails to the others." Said Wilson as he headed to the study.
"Well, what do you think?" Asked Jane with a heavy accent on the word 'do'.
"I married in to the family. I didn't grow up there and don't have that type of attachment. What I think is not as important as that you and the others think. Remember it is a four way deal in Noah's will." After a pause he added, "Remember you said, 'Just like the four musketeers, all for one and one for all'"
"I wish you would not keep repeating that silly saying. I only said it once."
"It was not how you said it, it was the actions that went along with it and the broom handle you poked me with. Good thing it wasn't a sward or I'd be a sieve full of practice holes!"
"Wilson, I do wish you would be serious."
"I am!. It's just that there are four of you and at the last time we got together we started to talk about the land but ended up with lots of stories about old times and nothing about the future. The four of you have to agree on what to do." Wilson then added, "You could rent the land to Harvey for a nominal fee. I mean he is mowing it for free. That's the least you could do for him."
Jane folded her arms and squirmed a bit as she thought. She was having an internal argument with herself. The land was her, and her siblings land. Renting it felt like a betrayal to the memory of her parents. No one uses the land and the chances of building on it seems very remote as the land was owned four ways and getting everyone to give up something for the greater good loomed higher than Mount Everest. But her father bought the house. The land came with it. Is the house the chicken or the egg? Would have Noah bought the land if the house was not there? If the house was key, what does that make the land? A diminished second? The house was important to Noah. He visited it as a boy. He had dreams of one day owning it. Which he did and then fixed it up. The house played an important part in the weddings and funerals of the family. Without the house they would not have happened there. Is the house key or not? They didn't save the old house and no one can afford to buy the others out… which means no one will ever build that type of house again… But it is home and will always be home no matter if a house is there or not.
Thoughts, random thoughts. Arguments for and against. Rational and irrational thoughts against and for. Round and round they went with no finish line in site.
Early in the morning, two days later, Jane drove out to the home site. Only the porch light was on as she drove by Harvey's place. She noted six working cars out front and knew of seven out back in various stages of rust and decay. Typical about these parts. She remembered the several attempts her mother made at painting the old Chevy pick-up that was the furtherest out back. The charcoal sketches showed promise as did the other hand sketches. It was the color and shading that proved so difficult to capture. Actually it was not really that. Pathos in a face is totally different from pathos in an inanimate object. Allie could not capture the shabbiness, the slow decline, the decay and put it on to canvas. Sometimes going between eye and hand is lost in translation.
Unbeknownst to Jane she pulled up in the same spot her mother used after she said good bye to Lon so many years ago. Jane walked the same path down to the same docks and stood on the same spot her mother did. The difference being Noah was not there. She scanned the docks with her powerful flashlight. She was glad she had put in new batteries before heading out. Since nature does not stop, Jane was looking out over richer foliage, older trees and fatter snakes. Shaking off the feelings of déjà vu she reached up and lifted down Noah's old red canoe. Despite being old, it was well loved, maintained and solidly built. She gave the canoe a good review before slipping it into the water, tossed in her backpack then deftly got in and pushed off. She did not use the head flashlight she had packed. She knew her father never used lights before dawn
Everyone knew Noah was a morning person and one of his favorite things to do was an early morning canoe ride. Jane, being the oldest, enjoyed more rides than the others. Those early mornings when her father would pick her up, blankets and all, carry her down and popped her into the hammock he had made between the two front seats of the canoe. And then they were off. The steady rhythmic pattern of paddle in, pull and out… only to be repeated again and again would lull her back into a blissful half sleep that kept a smile on her face.
There was one old family story that Jane kept close to her heart. It was one her mother told her just before she and Wilson got married. That was why she was here. Her mother told her the story of when she came back to see Noah, right before she was to marry Lon. Jane paddled along with a rhythm she developed from her father. "Anyone can paddle," Noah would say, "but it takes a skill to get into a rhythm. Once you are there it makes paddling easy and the ride smooth." Jane found her groove when she reached her last year in elementary school. Once Jane found her groove Noah would let her paddle while he would sit back with a big cheesy grin on his face. Once in middle school Jane's interests changed and the times alone with her father dwindled to virtually nothing. Jane was thinking being with her friends was much more interesting than being with her father. With 20/20 hindsight, she could see the folly of that shortsighted decision.
Jane slowed up as she approached a large tree that had half fallen into the water so many years ago. This is the same spot her mother slowed up to tell the story of the time Noah had brought her here. At that time Noah did not slow down and went around the tree and into a small lake fed by the waters of Brices Creek. This was also the same spot her father stopped when he brought Jane to tell her the same story. She never told her father that her mother had already taken her out there. Sometimes discretion is better than saying too much. In the early morning she could hear first her mother, then her father telling her the same story from their two different and same points of view. From the two stories it was easy to see their love had never gone away and had became deeper over the years and through the five children.
Jane pushed on and into the lake to watch the sun rise. She remembered the many times she sat in her father's lap, all bundled up, to watch the sun rise. They usually didn't say much, just watched as one of the greatest miracles happened right before their eyes. Once the bottom of the sun had broke free it was time to head back as Allie would have breakfast waiting. As Noah worked the paddle he would often repeat Whitman's poem As Adam, Early In The Morning or change O Captain! My Captain! to suit our homeward voyage by including eggs and bacon in it.
Jane was amazed how easily the memories came home as she sat there that early morning. She realized how rich her early life had been. How much time and effort her parents put in to treat each child as a separate individual. Then again, her parents did have a very bohemian lifestyle that allowed both to be close to home all the time.
Then she remembered how upset her mother was when all the children had used her paints to become fierce Indians in their war pained faces. They did use a lot of paint and it did get on more than their faces. Mother was very upset while her father laughed, pulled out his camera and started taking photos. Mother was not amused. One of those photos remained on Allie's bed to the very end. It was taken down and placed under her hands so it would be the very first thing she would see when she is resurrected. If there was one thing Allie believed in it was the eternal nature of the family and her deep faith that one day she would see young John again.
Just as Jane was getting ready to turn and go back she heard the low noise of birds coming in to the lake area. Staying still she saw the Canada geese swooping in low, feet down, slowing up and then touching down. The sights and sounds caught her breath away. The beauty and majesty of the birds was something her mother had talked about, but Jane had never seen it like this. Just like her father she always carried some bread when out canoeing: just in case. She pulled out the bread, broke it into pieces and tossed it onto the water. The honking became louder and more robust as the ducks came closer looking for an easy meal. Jane felt like a little girl let loose in the candy shop.
When the bread ran out it was time to head home. She had been there long enough for the sun to gain some height to make the trip back warmer than expected. The sun did not diminish the smile that was on Jane's happy face.
Just as Jane pulled into the dock she caught a glimpse of two white swans out of the corner of her eye. In a flash she turned and looked: the swans were not there. Ever since her father started with that swan, swans were not welcome with the children. That is why Jane pulled out of the dock and paddled off in the direction of the swans, just to make sure. She never found one, let alone two swans.
Jane struggled a bit putting the canoe up as she was worn out. This had been the most exercise she had done in a long while. It felt good though.
Harvey was outside feeding the chickens as Jane drove by. She slowed up and he came over. "On the river I see." Harvey said. "Heard someone go by and saw your light. Not many folks know about the boat house so I checked and saw your car. Figured you would be okay."
"Not much gets by you," chuckled Jane. "You've been a good friend."
"That's what the Good Book teaches, but so hard to do these days. Too much stuff getting in the way." Harvey nodded to one of his grandchildren lounging on the porch with white earplugs. "Can't hear the morning over the boom, boom from that Apple thing. Worst gismo ever invented." Harvey had a dejected look on his face. "You know, in the old days your pa and I could only get the radio out here. Then things 'improved' as they say and the television made its way out here when they built that new tower in town. Things changed a lot since then. It was like time was stolen that day. Before that we had time to do things and get things done. The came the television and you had to watch it. If you didn't you didn't know what happened and be left out. Strange that." Harvey thought for a bit than added, "You know old mother Grant, out on the Hodskiss Road? She's the only person I know with no television. Never had it and never will. Spends her time writing letters, knitting and feeding her twenty or so cats. Too many cats she has. Someone said it was bad for her health. Don't know about that. What I do know, I don't like visiting her. But I got to as she does come to church. Are you still going? You and Wilson?"
Jane said with confidence, "Of course. We both do."
Nodding, Harvey said, "That's good."
"I have to go now. You take care Harvey, and thank you for being such a good friend to our family."
"Just like that movie, Crocodile Dundee, everyone needs a friend."
Jane gave a light laugh to the movie analogy: it was a good one. "You're right," she replied with feeling that surprised even herself.
The next morning Jane knew exactly how out of shape she really was. She hurt from head to toe. Even thought Wilson had no sympathy for his wife, he knew there were times it was best not to point out such lapses in judgment. He offered to give a gentle massage which was readily accepted. It was then he realized his lily white wife had failed to apply sun screen. The massage was tricky but it did sooth the beast and her desire for canoeing alone in the morning.
Once the sunburn had stopped hurting and her muscles had rested Jane sauntered over to where Wilson was sitting and plopped down beside him. "I was thinking." she opened with.
Wilson put down the cookbook he was studying. "What have you been thinking about?"
"The house."
"This house?"
"No, silly. The land the house used to sit on."
"Okay, I'm with you now. So what are you thinking about your old place?"
"It's not there."
"Yes…" Wilson replied, hoping for a little more.
"Well, it's not there is it?"
"No, it's been gone for a while now." Wilson was getting a little bit concerned where this was going as talking about the land had been a taboo topic of late.
"That's the point. It's gone and I'm thinking I'm okay about that."
"Okay it is gone or okay that it's gone and it's time to move on?"
Jane gave Wilson a gentle whack on the arm. "You lawyers are always trying to split hairs. Let me make it simple for you. I'm okay that it is gone. I don't want a replacement and I don't think anyone else is going to want to live out there. Too far. If we do sell I'd like to ask that the docks are kept up and we can use it whenever we want."
Wilson looked carefully at his wife. This was different from their last conversation about the land. Carefully he asked, "Are you sure?"
With newly found confidence Jane replied, "I am."
"What changed your mind?"
"The other morning. Being there, out on the water. There was no house… just me." Jane continued, "I realized there is more to it than just a house. I remembered Cecilia Condor, Simon Garfunkel's daughter. She said something to me along the lines of, 'I wish I had a family like yours.' I was thinking the same until I found out her parents had split up for good. Then I started to think about our children. I hope we have done as good a job as my parents did with me."
Wilson held on and said, "And so do I."
"You put in so much time and effort and don't know if it is good enough until years later. Later, when it is too late to change anything. It really is like Harvey says, a one shot deal.
Once Jane had changed her position and explained why she did so to the rest of the family, it took six months to draw up the contract to sell the land to Harvey and his heirs. The deal was made on the back of a solid handshake with Wilson representing the Calhoun family and Alma representing the Wellington family. The handshake was honored on both parts.