Chapter Twenty—"This my Son"
The next morning, Una dreaded facing Walter again. She had merely reminded him of Faith for some reason, she supposed. He had been under considerable emotional stress over the past weeks; something had had to give somewhere. And as for her own conduct—Una turned crimson, remembering how forward she had been—it must have been a temporary aberration. Entering the dining room, she set her shoulders firmly and walked towards their table, ignoring the way her knees threatened to buckle under her once again.
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" Walter asked her, pulling out her chair. His tone was completely matter-of-fact, and his face was unreadable.
Una mumbled something incoherent and sat down.
"I'm glad to hear it. With all the excitement last night, I wondered how easily sleep would find you."
"Excitement?" Una blinked. That was not quite the word she would have used to describe the previous night.
"Yes, the storm, of course."
And neither of them mentioned the experience for the remainder of their journey.
*****************
As the train pulled into the Glen St. Mary's station on a bright autumn Sunday afternoon, Una sighed to herself. It was hard to know if she wanted the last few weeks to end or not; they had been some of the most emotionally wearing of her entire life. For that matter, the past year—starting with her father's death—had changed her life drastically.
Walter, hearing her sigh, smiled at her. Una felt abashed. Walter's life had changed so much more than hers. She smiled back at him, hoping to ease his apprehensions about seeing his family.
"It'll be all right," she told him. "You'll see."
They disembarked separately, not wishing to give the Glen gossips any more fodder than would already come soon enough. Before she gathered her bags and hat from the facing seat, Una slipped off her engagement ring and placed it on a chain around her neck. It was still too soon after her father's death for an "attachment" to be formed according to various members of the family, Shirley had written in the last letter she had received before boarding her homeward ship. Although Una and Shirley had attempted to, if not keep it secret, to not draw attention to their engagement, Nan and Persis had somehow gotten wind of it and said that under no circumstances would there be a Christmas wedding. Hang propriety! Shirley had written. Unfortunately, if we did, the women-folk of this family would hang us. So we won't mention it…and I suppose you'd better not wear the ring; the fact that you're not wearing mourning any more will cause enough talk. Maybe by Christmas, when you come to visit Kingsport, you can wear it without all the hens of the family squawking. I hope so, because I haven't seen it on you yet. I hope the sapphire matches your eyes…that was my intent. Una had had an unholy burst of laughter when Shirley described his sisters and sisters-in-law as "hens". They really weren't, she knew, but since Shirley was younger than most of them, they had a tendency to try and dominate.
No one knew that Walter was coming home. He and Una hadn't been able to figure out how to word a telegram in such a way that would answer all of the questions that would certainly be raised, so they had decided to just return to the Glen and face all queries there.
Sighing again, Una stepped off of the train.
***************
Declining a ride to Ingleside from a passing farmer, Una told the station-master that Jem or someone would call for her trunk the following day. She slipped out of the village and down into Rainbow Valley, where Walter was waiting for her in the maple grove by the Glen Pond. Fear showed on his face.
"You're sure that they won't be angry?" he asked.
"I think they'll only be all too happy to discover that you're alive," she told him solemnly.
Walter looked about him as if remembering a dream. "The valley is even lovelier than it was when we were children. Una, whatever else may come in our lives, you brought me home, and I thank you for that." He held her hand as they walked through Anne Blythe's flower gardens up towards the house, gardens that still held traces of the past summer's glory and hints of the even more beautiful gardens they would be in the spring.
Una stuck her head through the kitchen door. "No one's in here," she whispered to Walter. "Come on in."
They softly made their way into the house. Outside the half-open door to the living room, the only room of the house that appeared to have any activity in it, they stopped to listen to what was going on inside.
Gilbert was reading aloud from the Bible to Jem and Faith's children, who were all half-heartedly listening. Judging by the look on Meredith's face, Una thought, she was dreaming of running and screaming through Rainbow Valley…it was very reminiscent of Faith at the same age. Jem was not in the room—most likely out on a case, Una supposed. Anne and Susan were sitting in rockers on each side of the fireplace, while Faith sat between Matt and Meredith, trying to make them pay attention.
It was the parable of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15 that Gilbert was reading aloud; the story of a son who squandered his inheritance and lived in exile in a far country for a long time, too ashamed and proud to go home. "And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants," Gilbert read.
"And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him…"
"Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son," Walter said, stepping into the room. Una stood outside, clutching the doorframe so hard that her nails were white.
Gilbert looked up from his Bible at the dark-haired man in the room. "What? Who? It isn't…"
"Father! Don't you know me?" Walter was shocked at how old his parents looked after seventeen years apart from them.
"Walter!" cried Anne, her hands clasped over her heart. Gilbert moved over to her, bending over her to make sure she was all right. He looked up at Walter. "Who…who are you?" he asked brokenly. "You've alarmed my wife."
"I'm your son, Walter Cuthbert Blythe."
"For mercy's sakes!" exclaimed Susan. Young Walter, Matt, and Meredith all perked up. This was one of the most eventful Sundays they could remember. Faith just stared.
Walter dropped to his knees by Anne's chair. "I know it sounds hard to believe, but I didn't die at Courcelette. Through a horrible mix-up, I thought for years that you'd rejected me. Una…Una found me and straightened things out. I owe her so much. Una? Where are you?"
Una entered the room. "Tell them…tell them I'm who I say I am!" Walter pleaded. Rejection he had anticipated…the thought that they might not recognize him or be able to realize that he was alive had never occurred to him.
"It's Walter. Truly, it is," she said calmly to Anne and Gilbert. "It sounds preposterous at first, but he can explain."
Anne sank down into her chair. "Walter…my son…"
Gilbert straightened up. "Welcome home. I don't know where you've been, but that doesn't matter." He laughed joyously, as if years had been lifted from him. "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found!" The two men embraced.
In all the commotion, Una found the chair tucked back in the corner that she had sat in at the reading of her father's will. So much had happened since then! "Lord," she whispered, "thank you. Now I know why I received the legacy—to reunite Walter with his family. Let him be happy. Give him this second chance. Amen."
From where he was talking with his parents, Walter looked over and smiled at her. "Thank you," he mouthed. "Thank you so much."
Author's Note: As is cited in the text, the Scripture that Gilbert reads is from Luke 15.