LOST & FOUND – PART IX
CIRCLES
Chapter 82
A cool breeze was blowing on a sunny second Saturday in November as two wagons rolled down the dusty lane leading to the church. The wagons slowly trundled past the building and kept going up a winding road until reaching the summit of a flat-topped hill and stopped in front of the wrought-iron gates that guarded the cemetery.
Joe and Ted vaulted over the side of the first wagon and hurried to push each side of the double gate open. Adam drove the first wagon through while Ben, driving the second wagon, followed closely behind. They continued on, turning to the left and finally came to a stop in front of a smaller area bordered by a shorter wrought-iron fence.
High, white fluffy clouds scudded across the sky, stippling the still glossy green grass with rumpled shadows as all of the adults spilled out of the wagons. The men began unloading two washtubs full of water while the ladies retrieved buckets, scrub brushes, and large jugs of drinking water, which they stowed under one of the wagons to keep cool. The two tubs were deposited some distance to the left of the wagons and the men hurried back to unload the two cast-iron mowers, gravel rakes, yard brooms, and hand tools.
Alexander and Annalise had quickly scrambled down and the two now stood in the shade of one of the two ancient oak trees that stood guard on either side of the smaller gate, holding hands and keeping out of the way of the quickly moving adults. Their eyes widened now that they were getting their first up-close look at the place they had been forbidden to enter before and they both started when they heard their mother calling them in.
Thea was standing next to a rectangular stone pillar in the center of the family plot, the name "Cartwright" chiseled deeply into each side, and she smiled at their round eyes and solemn expressions as they hurried down the gravel path.
"Everyone has a job to do and that includes you," she said as she reached out to gently touch each small face with her fingertips. "Barbara and I will be cleaning the headstones and you two will be pulling out the grass around the bottoms that the mowers can't reach." The twins each nodded vigorously, excited at being trusted with such an important job and their mother hid another smile at their eagerness.
"All right, let's get started, I want to be back home by noon so don't dawdle now." The children hurried off toward the nearest headstone and Thea turned toward Barbara when the other woman spoke from behind her.
"They've never been up here before, have they?"
"No, we didn't think they were ready," Thea's smile faded and her expression turned serious as she swept her eyes over the eight graves in the front left corner of the plot. Then she sighed and linked arms with her friend.
"Well let's get started," she said in a firm no-nonsense tone and Barbara smiled, aware the other woman was really talking to herself. The two hurried to the farthest grave and got to work, scrubbing the small headstone inscribed with only a death date and the name "Hugh Higgenbotham."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The two cast-iron mowers were making a loud racket as the blade cylinders chopped at the tall grass, one being pushed by Hoss and the other by Dylan on opposite ends of the plot. Nate followed Hoss and Stu followed Dylan wielding yard brooms, busily gathering up the cut grass into long windrows that would be swept into small grass-stacks and collected later.
Mike and John were some distance from the women as they used hand scythes to cut the grass on top of Mitch's grave. A large, arched headstone shaped in buff-colored rock marked his final resting place and John paused to read the verse incised deeply into the stone.
"Greater love hath no one than this,
that he lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13"
He didn't realize how long he had been staring and trying to chase down an elusive memory until he realized Mike was glaring at him.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"I SAID there are a lot of rumors going around about the old man stepping down soon."
Still thinking about Mitch and his dying assertion that he had been innocent, John stared back blankly.
"Who?"
Mike sighed with exasperation. "The old man...the man you work for...the head of our division, you idiot."
John's expression cleared only slightly. "Oh yeah, I've heard those rumors too," he answered dismissively.
"Well have you ALSO heard they want Adam to take his place?" Seeing his friend's stare starting to become unfocused again, Mike kicked his partner in the shin, almost knocking the smaller man down.
"Hey, what'd you do that for?"
"Pay attention, sonny. We are in serious danger of losing Adam to Washington!"
Scowling, John reached down to rub his bruised shin. "Don't be stupid, he's not going anywhere!"
"How can you be so sure?" Mike's expression was dubious, but a faint gleam of hope sparked in his dark brown eyes.
"Oh for God's sake, can't you see that Adam is home now? He's just gotten his family back and you better believe nothing and no one will ever take them away again." John's gaze was now firmly fixed on his partner and his tone was more than irritated.
"I swear," he continued with some heat, "sometimes I think the only purpose your brain serves is to keep your head from caving in!"
John's bitingly sarcastic words seemed to hang in the air between them until a surprised laugh from Mike broke the tension. He shook his head, his curly, dark-brown hair ruffling in the breeze.
"You never cease to amaze me Johnny. Have you been saving that one up for a long time?" The other man flushed slightly red in embarrassment at his friend's astute guess.
Mike laughed again, pleased at being right. "You can't fool me kid, I see what goes on behind those baby blues of yours."
Glad that they were on good terms again, the two men got back to work and John made a conscious effort to pay attention to his hot-tempered friend. But in the back of his mind he still tried to pin down that memory, aware of a nagging feeling of urgency that he didn't understand.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Adam and his father had taken one of the empty wagons to bring back a load of gravel and Ben was now driving slowly up the center of the plot while his eldest son stood in the wagon bed, shoveling the crushed stone onto the broad path.
When they finished distributing the gravel Adam looked up to see that the sun had moved a quarter of the way through the morning and he called a halt to the activity for a short break. Almost everyone had gathered around the other wagon, thankful to sit in the shade, drink from the water jugs, and rest when Stu stopped to stand next to his mother's grave.
A graceful statue of a reclining woman carved out of gray marble topped the rectangular marble headstone, and he smiled as he read the inscription he knew by heart.
FOREVER QUEEN OF OUR HEARTS
Marie Dubois
A gentle and quiet spirit
Came into our hearts
A woman of great worth
She graced us with
The unfading beauty
Of her inner self
Which is of great worth
In God's sight
She lives there still
He reached out to trace his fingers across his mother's name and again wondered if she had insisted in her will on not using her married name to protect him. And again he felt that familiar clenching of his heart in shame at still keeping the secret that had torn his family apart. Slowly straightening up, he cleared his throat and spoke in a low voice that couldn't be heard by the others.
"I did what you wanted, I wrote to Aunt Rachel and she contacted Pa." He looked down and nudged a rock with the toe of his dusty boot back in line with the others that outlined her grave.
"He's coming to see me...says he's been looking for me for a long time." Feeling his eyes beginning to sting, he closed them tightly and continued to stand there silently, his throat working and his heart aching with regrets until a harsh whisper he couldn't hold back escaped.
"I miss you..."
In spite of the bright sunshine, he shivered slightly in the November breeze as a soft weight leaned against his right leg. His eyes slowly opened and he found himself looking down into Annalise's solemn little face. He instinctively bent down to scoop her up and rested one cheek on the silky hair on the top of her head as she wet his neck with a few small tears and he held her tightly.
"I miss her too..."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Adam had managed to keep up with the conversation going on around him, but had still kept an eye on his daughter when she had slipped away from the group. Thea was sitting next to him and he turned to her with a smile when she nudged him with her shoulder, knowing she had been watching Annalise too.
"Some day you will have to explain to me how a man like that became a hired gun."
"Don't you think you should be asking Stu about that?" Thea gave him an incredulous look.
"Are you kidding? If I asked him something like that he'd be so tongue- tied we wouldn't hear a peep out of him for at least a week."
Chuckling, Adam shook his head, but tried to answer her oblique question. "From what I understand, he left home when he was fifteen and we both know how hard it is to make your way in the world at that age." His expression sobered as he continued.
"In my opinion Stu chose to do the logical thing – capitalize on his incredible talent while at the same time learning how to only use his gun when he absolutely had to."
"Hmmm..." Thea murmured, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she considered his explanation, obviously not agreeing.
Laughing, Adam stood and reached down to take her hands and pull her to her feet. "That's enough deep thinking for one morning, it's time to get back to work," he said firmly and a chorus of protest sounded all around them.
"Oh moan, groan, and complain..." he laughed at them and turned back to his wife to see her lips curve in an odd smile.
"What?"
"Oh, I was just wondering how things are going with Joe. He's never been alone for any length of time with the triplets before."
Cupping her chin in one hand, he tipped her face up to give her a quick kiss. "Let's just hope the house is still standing when we get home," he whispered in her ear and turned to walk away, grinning at his wife's muffled laughter.
CIRCLES
Chapter 82
A cool breeze was blowing on a sunny second Saturday in November as two wagons rolled down the dusty lane leading to the church. The wagons slowly trundled past the building and kept going up a winding road until reaching the summit of a flat-topped hill and stopped in front of the wrought-iron gates that guarded the cemetery.
Joe and Ted vaulted over the side of the first wagon and hurried to push each side of the double gate open. Adam drove the first wagon through while Ben, driving the second wagon, followed closely behind. They continued on, turning to the left and finally came to a stop in front of a smaller area bordered by a shorter wrought-iron fence.
High, white fluffy clouds scudded across the sky, stippling the still glossy green grass with rumpled shadows as all of the adults spilled out of the wagons. The men began unloading two washtubs full of water while the ladies retrieved buckets, scrub brushes, and large jugs of drinking water, which they stowed under one of the wagons to keep cool. The two tubs were deposited some distance to the left of the wagons and the men hurried back to unload the two cast-iron mowers, gravel rakes, yard brooms, and hand tools.
Alexander and Annalise had quickly scrambled down and the two now stood in the shade of one of the two ancient oak trees that stood guard on either side of the smaller gate, holding hands and keeping out of the way of the quickly moving adults. Their eyes widened now that they were getting their first up-close look at the place they had been forbidden to enter before and they both started when they heard their mother calling them in.
Thea was standing next to a rectangular stone pillar in the center of the family plot, the name "Cartwright" chiseled deeply into each side, and she smiled at their round eyes and solemn expressions as they hurried down the gravel path.
"Everyone has a job to do and that includes you," she said as she reached out to gently touch each small face with her fingertips. "Barbara and I will be cleaning the headstones and you two will be pulling out the grass around the bottoms that the mowers can't reach." The twins each nodded vigorously, excited at being trusted with such an important job and their mother hid another smile at their eagerness.
"All right, let's get started, I want to be back home by noon so don't dawdle now." The children hurried off toward the nearest headstone and Thea turned toward Barbara when the other woman spoke from behind her.
"They've never been up here before, have they?"
"No, we didn't think they were ready," Thea's smile faded and her expression turned serious as she swept her eyes over the eight graves in the front left corner of the plot. Then she sighed and linked arms with her friend.
"Well let's get started," she said in a firm no-nonsense tone and Barbara smiled, aware the other woman was really talking to herself. The two hurried to the farthest grave and got to work, scrubbing the small headstone inscribed with only a death date and the name "Hugh Higgenbotham."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The two cast-iron mowers were making a loud racket as the blade cylinders chopped at the tall grass, one being pushed by Hoss and the other by Dylan on opposite ends of the plot. Nate followed Hoss and Stu followed Dylan wielding yard brooms, busily gathering up the cut grass into long windrows that would be swept into small grass-stacks and collected later.
Mike and John were some distance from the women as they used hand scythes to cut the grass on top of Mitch's grave. A large, arched headstone shaped in buff-colored rock marked his final resting place and John paused to read the verse incised deeply into the stone.
"Greater love hath no one than this,
that he lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13"
He didn't realize how long he had been staring and trying to chase down an elusive memory until he realized Mike was glaring at him.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"I SAID there are a lot of rumors going around about the old man stepping down soon."
Still thinking about Mitch and his dying assertion that he had been innocent, John stared back blankly.
"Who?"
Mike sighed with exasperation. "The old man...the man you work for...the head of our division, you idiot."
John's expression cleared only slightly. "Oh yeah, I've heard those rumors too," he answered dismissively.
"Well have you ALSO heard they want Adam to take his place?" Seeing his friend's stare starting to become unfocused again, Mike kicked his partner in the shin, almost knocking the smaller man down.
"Hey, what'd you do that for?"
"Pay attention, sonny. We are in serious danger of losing Adam to Washington!"
Scowling, John reached down to rub his bruised shin. "Don't be stupid, he's not going anywhere!"
"How can you be so sure?" Mike's expression was dubious, but a faint gleam of hope sparked in his dark brown eyes.
"Oh for God's sake, can't you see that Adam is home now? He's just gotten his family back and you better believe nothing and no one will ever take them away again." John's gaze was now firmly fixed on his partner and his tone was more than irritated.
"I swear," he continued with some heat, "sometimes I think the only purpose your brain serves is to keep your head from caving in!"
John's bitingly sarcastic words seemed to hang in the air between them until a surprised laugh from Mike broke the tension. He shook his head, his curly, dark-brown hair ruffling in the breeze.
"You never cease to amaze me Johnny. Have you been saving that one up for a long time?" The other man flushed slightly red in embarrassment at his friend's astute guess.
Mike laughed again, pleased at being right. "You can't fool me kid, I see what goes on behind those baby blues of yours."
Glad that they were on good terms again, the two men got back to work and John made a conscious effort to pay attention to his hot-tempered friend. But in the back of his mind he still tried to pin down that memory, aware of a nagging feeling of urgency that he didn't understand.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Adam and his father had taken one of the empty wagons to bring back a load of gravel and Ben was now driving slowly up the center of the plot while his eldest son stood in the wagon bed, shoveling the crushed stone onto the broad path.
When they finished distributing the gravel Adam looked up to see that the sun had moved a quarter of the way through the morning and he called a halt to the activity for a short break. Almost everyone had gathered around the other wagon, thankful to sit in the shade, drink from the water jugs, and rest when Stu stopped to stand next to his mother's grave.
A graceful statue of a reclining woman carved out of gray marble topped the rectangular marble headstone, and he smiled as he read the inscription he knew by heart.
FOREVER QUEEN OF OUR HEARTS
Marie Dubois
A gentle and quiet spirit
Came into our hearts
A woman of great worth
She graced us with
The unfading beauty
Of her inner self
Which is of great worth
In God's sight
She lives there still
He reached out to trace his fingers across his mother's name and again wondered if she had insisted in her will on not using her married name to protect him. And again he felt that familiar clenching of his heart in shame at still keeping the secret that had torn his family apart. Slowly straightening up, he cleared his throat and spoke in a low voice that couldn't be heard by the others.
"I did what you wanted, I wrote to Aunt Rachel and she contacted Pa." He looked down and nudged a rock with the toe of his dusty boot back in line with the others that outlined her grave.
"He's coming to see me...says he's been looking for me for a long time." Feeling his eyes beginning to sting, he closed them tightly and continued to stand there silently, his throat working and his heart aching with regrets until a harsh whisper he couldn't hold back escaped.
"I miss you..."
In spite of the bright sunshine, he shivered slightly in the November breeze as a soft weight leaned against his right leg. His eyes slowly opened and he found himself looking down into Annalise's solemn little face. He instinctively bent down to scoop her up and rested one cheek on the silky hair on the top of her head as she wet his neck with a few small tears and he held her tightly.
"I miss her too..."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Adam had managed to keep up with the conversation going on around him, but had still kept an eye on his daughter when she had slipped away from the group. Thea was sitting next to him and he turned to her with a smile when she nudged him with her shoulder, knowing she had been watching Annalise too.
"Some day you will have to explain to me how a man like that became a hired gun."
"Don't you think you should be asking Stu about that?" Thea gave him an incredulous look.
"Are you kidding? If I asked him something like that he'd be so tongue- tied we wouldn't hear a peep out of him for at least a week."
Chuckling, Adam shook his head, but tried to answer her oblique question. "From what I understand, he left home when he was fifteen and we both know how hard it is to make your way in the world at that age." His expression sobered as he continued.
"In my opinion Stu chose to do the logical thing – capitalize on his incredible talent while at the same time learning how to only use his gun when he absolutely had to."
"Hmmm..." Thea murmured, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she considered his explanation, obviously not agreeing.
Laughing, Adam stood and reached down to take her hands and pull her to her feet. "That's enough deep thinking for one morning, it's time to get back to work," he said firmly and a chorus of protest sounded all around them.
"Oh moan, groan, and complain..." he laughed at them and turned back to his wife to see her lips curve in an odd smile.
"What?"
"Oh, I was just wondering how things are going with Joe. He's never been alone for any length of time with the triplets before."
Cupping her chin in one hand, he tipped her face up to give her a quick kiss. "Let's just hope the house is still standing when we get home," he whispered in her ear and turned to walk away, grinning at his wife's muffled laughter.