All The Way
Chapter 38
Hallie struggled to carefully set the larger pitcher of lemonade on the table, straightened, and used her forearm to brush the long strands of hair from her moist face. Straightening her blue jumper, she looked at the dolls seated around the table; Lady Katherine, Miss Mindy, Little Annie and a little brown bear she had impulsively named, Fuzzy. At the far end of the room, lace curtains bellowed out as a cool spring breeze blew through the garret, an unfinished room just below the roof of her home.
When they moved into the large rambling farm house and explored each floor, she had begged her mother to make the garret her special room. The sloping cedar ceiling made the room uncomfortable for most adults to use and the idea of a play room for their daughter seemed a logical solution.
Hallie had transformed the room into her own special world with tables and chairs for coloring and drawing, puzzles, tea parties for her dolls and large puffy pillows for daydreams. Struggling to carry the large pitcher of lemonade up the flight of stairs had been a labor of love for her guests, their shiny glass eyes staring ahead, their faces smooth and flawless, their hair neatly combed and dressed in their Sunday best. Hallie sat at the head of the table and stared at the drawings she had taped to the walls, the guitar in the corner, the Victorian doll house on a small table, and the toys spilling from a large toy chest. Staring at the doll house, the brightly decorated kitchen, she imagined sitting there someday with her husband. She wanted a cheerful kitchen where she would prepare their meals. Her brow knitted together as she wondered if her husband would make her cry. Would he make her like cry like her daddy had made Mommy cry?
Her eyes drifted to the wood paneling, studying the designs created by the wood, imagining figures and forms. It was a game she played with the clouds and paneling when she wanted to distract her mind from an unpleasant thought. If she worked hard enough, she could find animals and faces and soon her mind traveled to a new place far away from what was bothering her. The image of her parents in the kitchen, their voices, hushed and angry would not leave. Slipping down the hallway with the heavy pitcher, she heard the kitchen door slam and heard her mother's sobs. She hated when they secretly fought, as though she wouldn't know, always trying to maintain a happy family for her benefit.
She heard the stairs squeak and suddenly felt warmth on her cheek.
"How's my baby girl?"
Hallie nervously toyed with the teacup while the back of her right hand pushed his face away.
"I'm not a baby, Daddy!"
Pulling a small chair from the corner, Edward Stokes, dressed in a suit and freshly shaven sat beside his daughter on a child's chair.
Ed smoothed down the hair of Lady Katherine and smiled at his daughter, before lovingly pushing back a lock of his daughter's hair.
"Oh, Hallie, you'll always be my baby girl."
"But I'm not a baby anymore," She insisted as her eyes trailed over the suit and knew what it meant. Her father would be away for a while. It seemed he was always away.
"Why do you have to go?"
"Hallie, you know I have to travel, I have to work. You and your mom need food, a place to live. You love the toys I buy." His eyes moved around the room at the toys and recalled the business deal behind each one of them.
"I'd rather have you than a toy," She whispered, her lip beginning to quiver.
Quietly he sighed, trying to find the words that would make things right between them.
"I try to do my best for you and your mother. I hope you can understand that someday." He told her, his voice a little cool. "Sometimes that's not easy. Maybe when you're older you'll understand." He added as he stood and looked down at her, checking his watch, noting how her small fingers nervously toyed with the teacup.
"Well, baby girl, your daddy needs to leave. Come down and see me off."
He started for the doorway and noted she hadn't moved. Returning, he bent to kiss her cheek. Hallie's hand again moved to push his face away, his hand slipped around her fingers, holding them. He managed to place a kiss on her cheek despite her protest.
Standing, Edward looked down at his daughter and watched her fingers vigorously rub the area he had kissed in an effort to remove all traces of it. Brows furrowed, eyes sparking with fire she looked up at him and asked. "Why did you make Mommy cry?"
If he was surprised or upset about her question he didn't let it show. "Your mother just broke her favorite piece of china. She's better now; I told her I'd replace it for her." Again, he checked his watch. "I've got to go now, baby girl. I know what will cheer you up, a new doll for your tea party." He said, glancing at her dolls as he stepped to the doorway. "Bye, Hallie!" The steps began to squeak and he was gone.
Hallie got up from the table and walked to the window and swept back the lacy curtains. From her window, she commanded a full view of the front of the house. Her father's car sat in the drive and at a distance she watched a gray vehicle travel up their lane, moving in and out of view as it wound its way through the fur and birch trees.
Briefcase in hand, top coat thrown over his arm, her father walked to his car, opened the back door and placed the items on the back seat. The gray car pulled to the front of the house and a large man emerged from the car dressed in a navy three piece suit and red bow tie. They were too far away to hear distinct words, but the sound of their voices grew louder, their gestures more animated. Finally, the man with the bow tie turned and walked to the house as her father angrily slammed the back door of the car, turned and shouted something unintelligible. The man in the bow tie merely paused, turned, and shook his head before continuing to the front of the house, disappearing from view. Watching her dad's car disappear, she quietly crept downstairs.
Muffled voices came from the yellow kitchen. Peeking through the crack in the closed kitchen door, she watched her mother at the sink, her long blonde hair spilling over her shoulders and down her back, her fingers nervously toying with buttons on her cotton dress, her eyes turned to the man in the red bow tie who stood by her side, the man was her Uncle Eliot. Their voices were soft and whispered. Her uncle's hand slipped inside his top coat and pulled out his wallet, opened it and began pulling out bills. Suddenly, her mother's fingers reached out and covered his hands, her head shaking back and forth, her face looking up at him beseechingly. Only then did she hear her uncle's voice grow louder, his hands pulling her closer to him.
"Please, Arielle!" She heard her uncle say. "Take it! You and Hallie need it; I want you to have it!"
His hands placed the money in her left hand, while her right tried desperately to wipe away the tears. Lovingly, his hand cupped the side of her face, bending, he kissed her cheek, slipped his arms around her, and held her in his arms.
Hallie watched as her uncle's hands lovingly moved across her mother's shoulders and hair…..comforting her…. loving her….in the same way her mother's hands, loved and comforted her when she fell and hurt her knee. Her mother's fingers moved across his lapel, caressing the fabric, her lips moving, speaking to him softly. Hallie couldn't look away, watching the scene unfold, her young mind processing the tender moment, when suddenly her mother pushed away, placed the money in the pocket of her dress and straightened.
Her uncle picked up his wallet from the counter and slipped it back inside his jacket, smiled then asked. "Where's the second most beautiful girl in the world?
Arielle gave a nervous laugh and smiled weakly. "Hallie's upstairs playing with her dolls."
Hallie's eyes widened. Quietly she scrambled down the hallway and up the stairs. Smoothing down her jumper and rearranging the teacups she waited patiently, listening for the squeaking stairs.
Pretending not to hear she spoke to the doll dressed in Victorian finery. "Oh, Lady Katherine, it's so nice for you to join us for lemonade."
Hallie acted surprised when she felt a quick kiss on her cheek.
"Oh, Uncle Eliot! How nice of you to visit!"
Eliot bowed and looked around the table at the dolls and stuffed bear.
"I would be honored, Miss Hallie if I could join you for lemonade."
Hallie smiled, and waved to the seat vacated by her father. "Of course, Uncle Eliot, we would love for you to visit."
He carefully sat on the small chair, slipped his monocle from his breast pocket and looked around the table at his company.
"Good afternoon, Lady Katherine," He began, and then turned to the next doll. "It's nice to see you again, Miss Mindy, and you Little Annie."
Hallie giggled softly, watching her uncle address her dolls with such formality. She loved how he could pop the monocle from his eye.
Her uncle turned fully to stare at the small brown bear at his side. With mock surprise he asked. "And who is this little character with the black button nose?"
Giggling, she called out. "That's Fuzzy, Uncle Eliot. You know Fuzzy."
"Is that Fuzzy?" He asked, turning to her, his eyes wide with surprise. "How does it go, Fuzzy, wazzy, was a bear, Fuzzy wazzy had no hair, Fuzzy wasn't very Fuzzy wazzy?" Turning back to the little bear, he asked. "Fuzzy, did you do something to your hair? You don't look so fuzzy this week?"
Hallie was flushed with laughter. "You're silly, Uncle Eliot." Her uncle chuckled along with his niece.
His eyebrows arched. "Before I forget, I have a gift from my garden." He announced reaching in his breast pocket and pulling out a small red rose bud. "A rose for a beautiful lady." Eliot smiled, watching her eyes grow wide, her lips forming a perfect circle while her slender fingers slipped around the red tissue paper covering its thorny stem.
Eliot chuckled, enjoying her child-like awe.
Bringing the bud to her nose she inhaled its sweet perfume, then popped from her chair and placed her arms around his neck.
"Thank you!" She whispered in his ear, enjoying the fragrance of his aftershave.
"You're welcome, Hallie." He answered.
Stepping back with a flourish, she placed the rose in the sugar bowl on the table.
"I think it's time we have our lemonade." Reaching for the large pitcher on the corner of the table, she struggled to lift it. Eliot reached across the table to help his niece lift the sloshing liquid.
"Let me help." He asked while trying to place his fingers around the handle. Hallie pulled the pitcher toward her.
"I can do it." She firmly told him. The surface of the pitcher slick with condensation, the ice sloshing and clanging against the glass, the pitcher tilting further to one side until finally, the container slipped to the side sending an avalanche of ice and chilled water all over her face, chest and legs. Hallie gasped, eyes wide with shock, she felt a jolt of cold spread across her body. Suddenly, her hands, arms and shoulders behaved like particles and streamed through the open window carried by the breeze. Her whole body flowed like sand on a dune, disappearing, streaming along the air. Her uncle's face shifted and changed, his hair growing lighter, grayer. The room shifted and spun and began to fill with light, the ceiling morphing from brown to blue. Her body streamed along in a fluid motion, feeling as light and airy as a cloud. The cold chill that had coursed through her body began to feel warm. The bright sun felt warm on her face and her body relaxed in a wooden chair. Before her, strands of silver hair glistened in the sunlight and a familiar face tilted up to meet her gaze, his hands gently soaking up the spilled lemonade with a napkin.
"Uncle Eliot?" She asked, studying his face, the silver in his hair and the plaid shirt. She spoke again and listened to the change in tone of her own voice. "Uncle Eliot?"
Eliot tossed the napkins to the side and stared into her eyes, his fingertips trailing across her cheek.
"Yes, Hallie, it's your Uncle Eliot. I've been worried about you."
"Why?" She asked. "Have I not been alright?"
She watched a smile spread across his face. "Do you know where you've been and what you've been doing?" Eliot asked and watched her response.
Her blue eyes shifted and moved around, looking at the trees, stream, the house, and the mountains beyond before turning her attention to herself. Looking down, she noticed the wet t-shirt clinging to her chest and noticed her well-developed bosom. Quickly she looked up and noticed her uncle watching her, then modestly averting his eyes. She smiled and remembered how uncomfortable her uncle became when she began developing a slender waist, shapely hips, and breasts…...essentially entering puberty. His little girl was growing up and asking questions, asking questions about why her body was changing…...asking him questions about becoming a young woman. Again, she looked down at the wet t-shirt and remembered. Heaving a giant sight, she realized she was remembering…...she was remembering everything.
"I'm so glad you're here, Uncle Eliot." She whispered, turning to watch him smile, his arms reaching out to pull her into his embrace. Holding her close, he whispered in her ear. "Welcome home, my darling Hallie. I'm so glad you've returned."
~~~tbc~~~