A Place In the Sun
9
"Kata, could you bring me the phone?" Gillian asked one morning a few weeks later, sitting cross-legged on her bed at Wildwind.
"Ok Mommy!" Katalin ran off to retrieve the phone in the hall, coming back a few moments later climbing up on the bed and handing the phone to Gillian.
"Thank you, Kata, now, could you please go gather your things into your bag?"
"Why, Mommy?" Kata's face crinkled up. "We're not going back, are we?"
"No, baby, we're never going back there."
"Then why are we going?"
"We're just going to get a place of our own."
"Oh.." Kata went to get together her clothes.
Gillian quickly dialed the number.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Mrs. Fargate, this is Gillian Andrassy, I was wondering if you have any rooms available," Gillian said.
"Gillian! Gillian, how long have you been back?" Myrtle asked.
"About a month, I've been staying at Wildwind, but I really need to get a place of my own."
"Of course I have a room for you, when do you need it?"
"Can we move in today?"
"We?"
"I'll explain when I get there."
"Then by all means, come right away!"
"Thank you, Mrs. Fargate."
"I've missed you being around, Gillian, see you soon."
Gillian hung up the phone and went to pack her own things.
"What are you doing?" she jumped as Dimitri said this, coming into her room.
"Packing," she said, placing a pile of shirts in her suitcase.
"To go where?"
"I'm getting a room at Myrtle's."
"You can stay here as long as you'd like, Gillian."
"I'd really rather not stay here, too much traffic."
"Don't be a stranger."
"I won't," she said, giving her cousin a hug. Kata stood at the open doorway. "Are you ready, sweetie?"
Katalin nodded, "I'm all packed, Mommy."
Gillian quickly stuffed the rest of her clothes into her suitcase and zipped it. "Dimitri, I'll give you a call once we're settled in. Thank you for everything."
"Goodbye, Gillian," he said. Then stooping down to Katalin's height, he gave her a hug and told her, "Now be good for your Mommy. I love you."
"'Love you, too, Dimi," she said quietly.
Gillian took Kata's hand and led her down the stairs.
...
"You should find everything about the same as it was before," Ruth told Julia as they walked around the hospital.
"I'm so happy to be back here," Julia said.
"We're happy to have you back. Now, I've got to get back to work. Welcome back."
"Thank you, Ruth."
Julia walked around the halls that felt so foreign and unreal to her, yet so familiar. It felt so good to finally get to be a nurse at Pine Valley Hospital like she'd dreamed of. But, it wasn't the same as if she'd have gotten to work alongside her sister. After walking around for a bit, she left quickly remembering somewhere she'd been meaning to go.
...
"What? Oh, ok, I'll try her there later, thanks," Ryan said, hanging up the phone.
"Who did you call, Ryan?" Tracy asked him, cuddling up to his side.
"Oh, I was just trying to check on Gillian, but she's left Wildwind and moved to Myrtle's."
"You really should stop it with her, you're divorced, honey, you don't have an obligation to check up on her."
"Trace, don't be so cold. Just because we were married and aren't anymore doesn't mean we aren't still friends and we don't still care for each other."
"Do you care for her more than me?"
"It's not the same."
"So I guess that's a yes?"
"Tracy…" he sighed, standing up.
"Ryan, really, it's not fair to your girlfriend, ME, for you to be so wrapped up in what's going on with your ex! I'm the one here, living with you, not her! Where has she been for the last four years, huh? She hasn't bothered to check back in with you after all that time!"
"I don't know where she's been or what she's been up to since she left but that doesn't mean that I didn't wonder and that I don't care."
"Do you think of her when we're together?"
"Tracy, can't you just be supportive of me? Yes, you're here, you're the one I chose to live with me, ok? But someone I care very much about was nearly killed in a car accident, isn't it human of me to see how she is?"
"Yeah, whatever. I've gotta get to work, we're not done discussing this."
"Yes, we are, Tracy."
She shook her head "no" as she slammed the door behind her.
...
Gillian struggled with her bags as she entered Myrtle's. She sat her things down and walked in, staring at her surroundings, nothing had changed since she had left.
"Mommy, this is where you lived, before I was born, with Daddy?" Katalin asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes, baby," she said, tousling her hair.
"Hello?" Myrtle called from the kitchen. "Gillian, is that you?"
Myrtle came from the kitchen with a smile on her face, going straight to Gillian for a hug. "Welcome back sweetie!" Myrtle said, sitting down on the couch, motioning for Gillian to join her.
"Thank you for letting us stay here."
"You're always welcome here. Is this the other part of the "we"?" she asked.
"Yes, Mrs. Fargate, this is Katalin," Gillian said, pulling Kata up into her lap.
"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Katalin," Myrtle smiled.
"Nice to meet you, too," Kata nearly whispered.
"How old are you, Katalin?" she asked
Kata held up three fingers, "Three. I'll be four soon."
"Her birthday's in November," Gillian said.
"She's Ryan's child?" Myrtle guessed.
"Yes," Gillian nodded. "But he doesn't know, and I'm not ready to tell him, so please, keep this quiet, not many people know about her and I want to keep it like that until I can tell him, I don't want him to find out accidentally."
"I understand, I won't tell him, but don't you think you should as soon as possible? He's lost so much time with her already."
"I will tell him, just not right now, Kata and I have both been through so much in the past month, we need for our lives to settle some first."
"I understand," Myrtle said, standing up. "Why don't we go upstairs and see your room?"
"Ok, c'mon Kata," Gillian said, picking up her suitcase.
...
Julia pulled up to an unfamiliar building with a familiar name. She quickly parked at headed to the door. Upon entering, she was welcomed by a familiar atmosphere and a familiar face standing behind the bar.
"Hal!" Julia exclaimed, practically running to the bar.
"Wow, this couldn't be here Mrs. Julia Keefer, now could it? How long's it been?" Hal asked.
"Six years, more than that probably! How've you been? This new place looks great, definitely a step up from the old place!"
"Thanks, I'm glad you approve! The new "Hal's" is doing great, that stage over there has a bright new performer up there singing his or her heart out nearly every night and it's almost always packed to capacity of country fans. You should stay around for tonight's act, it's a new guy in town, never heard of him, but he gave me a little sample of his act earlier and I immediately made room for him tonight. He's over there sitting on the steps to the stage right now," Hal pointed. "His name's-"
"Tyler Barrows," Julia smiled, looking where Hal pointed.
"You've met?"
"Yeah, just once. We ran into each other at the Valley Inn a few days after I got back in town."
"He seems like a great guy. I notice that you don't have your man here with you, how's he been?"
"Noah died a few years ago in an accident at his work. I'm back here alone."
"I'm sorry to hear that, you doing ok?"
"Yeah, I'm doing fine, but of course it's a little hard to be back here in Pine Valley where we shared so many memories."
"I can imagine," Hal said, wiping down the bar. "Why don't you go get you a seat down front, he's about to start."
"Ok, I will, it was great talking to you, Hal," Julia said.
"Same to you, welcome back."
Julia walked to a table about in the middle of the room and sat down, watching Tyler as he arranged things on stage so he could start. After a few minutes, the lights dimmed and he began the first song. The entire place silenced as they watched and listened, he had complete control of the place. When he got to the last song, he looked directly at Julia as he sang.
I am not brave and I'm not too smart
The tin man wouldn't trade for my heart
Got two left feet when I am dancing
and a long history of brief romances
Got no rubies, got no diamonds
None passed down and I cannot buy them
Got a box of hurt and a bag of shame
and you barely know my name
I've got big, big hopes about you
Yeah, I've got big, big hopes.
Got an old leather jacket, would look good on you
and lots of friends, they would like you too
I've got some pull with the moon and tides
and thirty-two dollars, lets go somewhere tonight.
I've got big, big hopes about you
I've got big, big hopes
Oh yeah
I've had hopes before, but not like this
I'm flying over the edge into the sweet abyss
I've got some pull with the moon and tides
and thirty two dollars, lets go somewhere tonight
I've got big, big hopes about you
I've got big hopes
I've got big hopes about you
The last chords of the song faded off as Tyler sat down his guitar. The place exploded into applause, Julia being one of the loudest ones. After everything had died down, he stepped off the stage and went over to her table where she was sitting alone.
"So, how've you been?" he asked her.
"Pretty good, nothing exciting," she said shyly. "That was a great show, I didn't know you can sing."
"There's a lot you don't know about me," he grinned, showing his dimples.
"I'm sure," she laughed.
"I'll be playing here again next Friday, how about you come by a little early and we have a drink or some dinner together?" he asked.
"Thanks, I'd love to."
"I look forward to seeing you again."
Julia smiled as they both stood up. "So do I."
(Song Credit: Ty Herndon's "Big Hopes" from the CD of the same name, written by Walt Wilkins)