Jack Jr.'s mother's house was coming along nicely. He had been working hard on it to get it ready by summer. After his conversation with his mother, he tried to distance himself from Katherine. Try as he might, he failed. Jack Jr. couldn't help but wanting to see Katherine. It seemed like there might be a magnetic pull towards her. One day, Katherine asked if Jack Jr. could show her how to hammer a nail in correctly. He tried to guide her. But she kept missing the nail. Finally, Jack Jr. showed her how to do it. He held her hand while she hammered in the nail. They were both caught off guard by the touch that they both blushed and Jack Jr. excused himself. Since he was working hard on the house, he didn't have time to pick Sophie up from school as much. He wasn't able to make the end of the year conference about Sophie. Katherine suggested that they could meet at the park and have the meeting there, which Jack Jr. agreed to.
Before he met with Katherine, he wanted to see if any of his military contact had panned out. One did, looks like the last time that Andrew was clocked into duty was in France but they aren't sure of the year. They were still going through files. Jack Jr. was excited to tell Katherine.
Later that day, he brought Sophie to the park. There were other children from her class playing as well.
Katherine arrived a couple minutes after Sophie went to play. She sat next to him. She had a sweet aroma of vanilla that Jack Jr. noticed. He told himself to get those thoughts out from his head. This is about Sophie.
"Thank you for meeting me" Jack Jr. said
"No problem. I love this park. So I want to tell you that it has been such a pleasure having Sophie in my class. If I could clone her, I would. Sometimes, she has a listening problem, but they all do at that age. Sophie is two grade above her reading level. She excels in math. You and your mother have done an excellent job teaching her" Katherine told Jack Jr.
"Thank you. But she just loves school and you are her favorite teacher. You have set the standards high for all teachers going forward" Jack Jr. said
"Thank you. I adore Sophie. I'm going to miss her once she is out of my class" Katherine said
"Don't be too upset. We'll be around." Jack Jr. said
Katherine smiled "So, how is your mother's house coming along?" Katherine asked
"We are doing the big unveiling this weekend. She'll be done with school and will be able to enjoy the house in the summer time." Jack Jr. answered.
"That was quick. I'll have to come by sometime and see it." Katherine said.
"My mother would love to have you there. Why don't you come to the unveiling? All the crew and their families will be there" Jack Jr. said
Katherine thought for a moment "Well I was part of the crew. I did nail in that one nail. It may have not been straight, but it's in there" Katherine teased
Jack Jr. laughed. "That's right. So you have to be there." Jack Jr. said
"I'll be there" Katherine said smiling
Jack Jr. went inside his coat pocket and pulled out the telegram.
"I got this from my military buddy" Jack Jr. said as he handed Katherine the telegram.
Katherine read the telegram and put her hand to her mouth.
"I finally have a location. Thank you so much Jack" Katherine said
"They are still going through the files to find an exact date. Right now it is a mess so it might take a couple of months for them to get back to me" Jack Jr. said
"I've waited this long. I can wait" Katherine said
Katherine stared into the distance.
"Andrew and I loved coming to this park. He said when he got back, he was going to turn this park into something for the town. He was going to have fountains, water fountains that kids could play in. There is new plastic tubing for playground equipment so the kids wouldn't have to worry about getting splinters from the wood. There would be a few swing sets. There would be a concert stage and an area where the town could hold festivals. He didn't have any plans except for the one in his imagination. He wanted a nice park so our children and the town's children could enjoy it. He was ready to take his presentation to the council but then he was called away" Katherine said.
Jack Jr. nodded his head. "I'm building a farm in memory of Maggie. We always talked about owning a farm. We dreamed about having a stable for the horses, a chicken coop, and a bunch of dogs running around. We will have all that. It's sad that Maggie won't be here to enjoy it but in some way, she'll always be there"
"You are a good man Jack Thornton. Sophie never met her mother and you could have not shared any of this with her. You could have remarried and let Maggie's memory disappear. But you are letting Sophie in on what her mother dreamed of. And I think that is admirable." Katherine said
"Maggie was my love. My first love. I could never let her memory die. Because when I talk about her with Sophie, it is like she is still there. Is everything okay, Katherine?' Jack Jr. asked
"If Andrew doesn't come back, I won't have anyone to share his memory with" Katherine said with tears in her eyes.
"What about his family?" Jack Jr. asked
"He was an only child. They both died in an accident a few months after we got married. He has a couple of Uncles but I don't know where they live" Katherine said
"He still has you to remember him" Jack Jr. said
Katherine wiped away her tears "That's true" Katherine smiled. "Thank you Jack."
After a minute of silence, Katherine rose from the bench.
"I should get going but I'll be at the unveiling" Katherine said
Jack Jr. rose from the bench "Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home? I'll get Sophie and we can walk back. It's not that far" Jack Jr. offered
"No. I will be all right. I just need some time alone" Katherine answered
"Okay. But if you change your mind. I'll be over here" Jack Jr. said pointing to the chair.
Katherine nodded her head. She said her goodbye and walked over to her car. Jack Jr. watched her drive off. After collecting his thoughts, he called Sophie over and they went home.
