Chapter fourteen : Untitled
It is again the month of January, and it has been almost three years now since the Blythe family had heard from Walter. No phone calls, no post cards, no letters, no nothing. Jem, Nan, Di and Shirley, after having spent a quiet Christmas at Ingleside are already back at Redmond and in the middle of their students lives. On a rare occasion, neither does Rilla or Joyce was at the Kindred Spirits restaurant that day because there had been a snow storm last night, a very big one, disturbing everyone various activities for the day. Even Gilbert couldn't go out on his patients calls that day. There was snow everywhere, on such a level, so high, that anyone with a right mind wouldn't try to take a walk in it. Anne was happy to have her husband and two of her daughters at home with her in such a bad weather. In the morning, the four of them had all taken together a very small but delicious breakfast made of eggs, pancakes, orange juice, tea and coffee, after that they each vacate to their different occupations, Gilbert had gone into his study to work on some of his medical cases, Anne went upstairs into their bedroom where she had her own little corner with a bureau on which she always seats to write her stories, Rilla had gone into her bedroom as well to write a long romantic letter to Ken and Joyce had stayed downstairs in the living room, laying right on the carpet on her stomach, in front of the burning fireplace, writing on her own little notebook various little thoughts that was going through her mind. This is mostly how that snow day had passed for the four occupants of Ingleside. Now it was getting near nine pm, and they each had taken a book of their choice and have a small reading session in the living room in a way to relax their mind and body, before going to bed. This was why they had been startled when they heard the telephone ringing at this hour, when it had not been ringing, for a change, all day long. Looking at each other with surprise in their eyes, wondering who could be calling at this hour, finally, it was Joyce that got on her feet to answer the call on the phone that was still ringing.
- Hello, Blythe residence !
At first, Joyce didn't ear any response back or anyone speaking at the other hand of the receiver, but she could distinctly ear the sound of breathing at the other hand of the receiver.
- Hello there, Blythe residence, how may I help you ?
- Hi, big little sister !
Oh, the sound of that voice, Joyce could have recognise it anywhere, anytime, even if it has been such a long time since she had heard it.
- Walter, Walter is that you ?
- Yes dear sister of mine, it is me, Walter !
Before saying anything else, Joyce turned in the direction of the living room, calling out :
- Mom, Dad, Rilla, come quick, it's Walter on the phone !
Anne, Gilbert and Rilla didn't wait a long time before they were all encircling Joyce with their bodies, trying to reach the receiver with their hands, or each and everyone of them trying to speak at the same time.
- Walter, I am going to give the phone to mom, ok ?
- Oh, Walter, my dear boy, my dear son, how are you, is everything alright, are you warm enough, have you enough food to eat everyday, do you still write, do you still play the guitar ?
- Oh, dearest mother, yes I am alright, I do have food to eat everyday, and yes, I do still write and play with my guitar everyday !
- Well, you do sound alright to me, and I am so happy and relieved to ear your sweet, sweet voice again, but your father wants to know if you are in good shape and in good health ?
- Mom, you can assure dad that he does not have to worry one bit about my health and good shape, because where I am at, I have the chance to go swim everyday and take long walks whenever I want to.
- And Rilla wants to know when are you going to come back home ? Actually, we all want to know that !
- Yes, yes, yes I am going to come back home, one day, I just don't know when that day will be yet, but I will be coming back.
- Oh, son, you do know that whenever you are ready to be coming back home, we will all be so happy to see you back.
- It warms my heart so much to ear you say that, mom. I love you all so much...
- Oh, Walter, Rilla wants to let you know that she will be marrying Kenneth Ford in a year and a half time, and she wants to know if you think you will already be back then ? Hello, hello, Walter are you still there ?
But all Anne could ear at the end of the receiver was the sound of the beep the telephone always makes when the caller had hung up.
- I don't think he had the time to ear the last question, the call got cut off...
Anne gave the receiver back to Joyce going straight into the loving arms and embrace of Gilbert who was already ready to catch her.
- It was Walter, he called us, we talked with him, he sounded just fine, Anne-girl.
After having put the receiver back down, seeing how Rilla's eyes ere starting to get wet, Joyce went to her little sister, took her in her loving arms, so that they could just like their mother and father, share some tears of joy and some tears of sadness all at the same time, after having had the chance of speaking with Walter, after so long, on the telephone, on this very cold night in January.
...
- The call got cut off...
Walter was saying to the lady in white that was right by his side while he was making this phone call to his family.
- But you did it, Walter, I am so very proud of you and they must have been so happy to ear your voice after so long.
Walter hung up the receiver of the phone that the owner of the restaurant in Haïti where he and the lady in white had been engaged to play music for the diners every night, had kindly accepted to let him make this long distance call to Montreal, then he took the lady in white in his loving arms into a caring and tender embrace.
- I don't think I would have made that call, if it weren't for you, dear wife of mine !
- Oh no, you don't have to thank me, Walter. It is me who his not ready yet to face my father by making a call just like the one you just made.
- I know my love, there is no rush, but know that I will be by your side, just like you were by my side, when you will be ready.
Walter and the lady in white sealed that promise with a kiss, then they quickly made their way out of the restaurant, before the thirty minutes break that they have each night got over before they go back on stage, to go out on the very warm January night, cross the street, walk through the soft sand and have a quick swim in the always ready water of the beach where they had first made love when they had gotten married almost three years ago.
...
- Redmond university, hi, how may I help you ?
- Hi, may I speak to one of the Blythe students please ?
- Just a moment please, I will see which one I can find for you first.
- Thank you.
Somewhere in a dorm room at Redmond, a telephone was ringing.
- Jem Blythe speaking, hi.
- Hey Jem, is everyone with you ? Because I have such a good news to tell all of you !
Indeed, they all had gotten the habit of spending all of their evenings in the boys room, Faith was laying besides Jem on the bed, Nan and Gerry were reading together on the carpet, seating side by side, Di was positioned on the carpet as well in a grand-écart with her legs wide open on each side of her body, making stretching movements so that her arms, legs and whole body do not get to frigid, Carl was not too far from her, laying on his back on the carpet with his text book covering his face. For once, Una didn't have her camera in her hands, instead, she had a notebook with a pencil, drawing things only known to her, because she won't let anyone see what she was drawing. She was seating besides Shirley on his bed who himself was looking out of the window that was above his bed, at the snow falling down on this cold January night.
- Hey everyone, Joyce his on the phone, and she has a good news to tell all of us.
Jem said so that everyone in the room could pay him some attention and at the same time, for him to let Joyce know that everyone was there with him.
- We have received a phone call from Walter tonight, Jem, Walter has finally called us, he sounded well and healthy, but he said that he still doesn't know when he will be coming back home, but it almost doesn't matter, because we have heard of Walter tonight !
- Really, Joyce, Walter called at Ingleside tonight ? That is such a good news ! Thanks for calling and letting us all know about this, dear big little sister.
When she heard the name of Walter, Faith stood in a siting position behind Jem and put her arms around his waist. Jem put down the receiver.
- Joyce said that Walter called home tonight, that he sounded well and healthy, but he still doesn't know when he will be coming back.
Then he loosened his body into the loving and caring arms of Faith. Nan and Gerry let go of their books and went straight into each other's arms. Carl got up on his feet, took Di by the hands and started to jump up and down with her with excitement. Shirley took off his eyes from the view of the window and looked straight at Una who had stopped drawing in her notebook, but Shirley could see that she had her eyes closed with silent tears coming down her cheeks. Shirley couldn't tell if they were tears of joy or tears of sadness, since she already heard of the good news that Walter had finally called home, like the rest of them, the only thing left for him to do, was for him to start looking back at the snow that was slowly falling on this cold night of January.
...
A.N. : Well, let's just call this chapter a flash forward chapter. Because this is clearly something that took place in the future, almost three years after Walter took off and seeing as the previous chapter was taking place almost two years after Walter took off and I was already planning to write this chapter after the one of yesterday I had decided to simply continue with what I had initially planned.
No, this was not a dream chapter, Walter really did call home that night in January, almost three years after he took off. This chapter was to honour the request of all the readers that had asked or said that it was such a heartbreaking thought that Walter hadn't called, or wrote home for one or two years, this was my gift to you readers...
Now, in the next chapter, I will be continuing exactly where I left off with Joyce having to take care of the mysterious men, almost two years after Walter took off.
I hope that I did not disturb you readers too much with this chapter from the future but at the same time, I cannot wait to ear and read what you all will have to say about this chapter !
Kim.