5. The Writing On The Tree

Time continued to carry forward as Ginny and I settled into a comfortable co-existence. We somehow managed to fall into an understanding, each recognizing the signs of when the other needed alone time and when we needed the company of one another. It was easy with Ginny, I even hedge to say it was easier than with my family because first of all there were only two of us, the fewer people the less conflict, but more than that we just seemed to mesh. We never conflicted because we never seemed to disagree on much at all. Of course it didn't hurt that Ginny was without a doubt the most agreeable and flexible person I had ever met. She was very much a go with the flow type person, which allowed any potential conflicts to be smoothed out before they even began.

This all being so, the events of today caught me by surprise. I had just finished a book we had picked up from town earlier in the week and put it down before going downstairs to meet Ginny in the kitchen. She was staring out of the window over the kitchen sink with that distant look in her eye and the feeling in the air that let me know that today was not a social day for us. I turned to go when she called out to me asking me to stop.

"Jasper, it's been a long time since you've asked to me to help you search your memories. Are you no longer interested in your past?"

I could feel sadness and annoyance in her emotions and I was perplexed as to why it was bothering her. I was still very curious about our past and friendship, but knowing how much it drained her when we did explore the past and considering we had already developed a pretty well balanced relationship without our past being revealed, I had thought perhaps it was better not to push the subject.

"It's not necessarily that I'm not interested, but we seemed to have built a pretty decent life here and I didn't see taxing you when I understand our history a little more now."

She turned and looked at me with a combination of hurt and anger in her eyes that I really didn't understand. The feeling I had registered in her eyes hit me an instant later in a wave that was far more intense than I had anticipated and I was greatly confused as to how my answer would cause such a reaction in her. Her fury blazed for a moment before it transformed into desolated hopelessness and her whole frame slumped before she turned back to look out the window.

"Ginny, I'd be happy to explore more of our past if you want to, I just didn't want to drain you if it wasn't necessary. Is there something else I should know about our friendship that I haven't already revealed?"

She sighed and shook her head, but I felt the sadness and apprehension around us and I was suddenly even more curious about the past we had yet to explore if she were experiencing these emotions under the impression that I didn't care. Obviously there was much more to our friendship that I needed to understand.

I walked over behind her and placed my hand on her shoulder, "Please Ginny, I'd really like to know more, I was honestly only considering your well being."

She nodded and I felt her body tense as the room faded and I was once again in another memory.

The sun was shining as we sat on a small hill near a local park. I sat back on my elbows looking up at the clouds and I leaned over and pointed one out to Virginia sitting next to me. She smiled up as she found the sailboat I had pointed out and her ringlets danced as she giggled at my praise for finding it so quickly. It was the last day of school before summer vacation and next year we would be going from the fifth grade to the sixth.

I looked over to watch Virginia lay back on the blanket searching the skies for another cloud. "Oh over there," she said, "see just above the tree line…there's a teddy bear holdin' an umbrella."

I looked to where she was pointing and couldn't see it. "Here, lay down…maybe the angle will help." I lay down next to her and scooted so my head was next to hers and for a moment I was too distracted by the smell of her lavender shampoo to notice the clouds at all. "Can't you see it Jasper? It's right there." She pointed and I finally recovered myself and followed her gaze making out the outline that could be a teddy bear holding an umbrella.

"Oh yeah," I answered, "I see it now." I didn't attempt to move away again, confused by the new feeling and yet not wanting to move away either. So I stayed there with my head just inches away from my best friend Virginia's and tried to ignore the butterflies bouncing around in my abdomen.

We stayed there another ten minutes before Virginia got restless. When she sat up and left I felt a strange sadness inside that I had never felt before. She grabbed my hand to pull me up to follow her and a funny tingle ran up my arm and made my chest hurt. I didn't understand what was going on, but I thought I kind of liked it. She led me to a tree at the edge of the park and asked if I had my pocketknife, I nodded and handed it to her and she took it more adeptly than any girl I had ever known and began to carve skillfully into the trunk of the tree.

I'm not sure why, but the memory changed ever so slightly, I now found myself in the same place but standing next to a much older Ginny.

"Oh Jasper, I'm so glad you could make it." I took Virginia's hand and kissed the back of it gently with a bow. She curtsied in reply and then began reintroducing me to faces from our past that were familiar and yet had changed a bit with age. She went around the group making formal introductions back and forth. We all stood chatting for a long time before we made our way onto the hill where the men assisted me in laying out the blankets as the ladies knelt down and dug into their picnic baskets bringing out a large spread for us all to share. We all sat in a circle on the blankets and I was a bit annoyed when Virginia ended up seated on the far side of the circle next to Timothy Blackwell. They laughed and talked the entire time and shared the easy and open conversation that this whole picnic was conceived of in order to allow us to share…not them. Even all of these years later, Timothy Blackwell still managed to be the bane of my existence.

Soon the food was finished and we all worked together to clean up after which the ladies began dragging their husbands and suitors down to the playground taking turns being swung in the large wooden swings hanging for the use of the area children. I chuckled as I watched grown men and women revert to their childhood before my very eyes. I smelled her before I heard her.

"Jasper, I'm sorry that we haven't gotten to spend as much time together today as I had hoped."

I turned to look at her, I was sure the hurt I had been feeling was evident in my eyes. I nodded and she looked down appearing contrite. The reached out and looped her hand around my elbow. "Come with me, I want you to see somethin'."

She led me to the tree line and right there in front of me was the carving we had made nearly ten years before, browning with age but still there. VSB + JAW Friends Forever Suddenly the memory of that day returned to my mind full force.

She had just finished carving the tree with my knife before turning to me giggling. "Jasper, your initials spell out the word Jaw! I never noticed that before."

I looked down and blushed before looking at the carving again in wonder. "Virginia, what's your middle name?"

She giggled, "Scarlett." Then she reached her hand forward and took my hand lacing our fingers and leaned forward placing a kiss on my cheek. I flushed red again as my hand shot up to my cheek and rested over the place that still tingled from her lingering kiss.

I leaned over to return her kiss when I heard a piercing voice scream across the meadow. "Virginia Scarlett Benjamin, come here right this instant!" My head shot toward the sound and saw her mother storming across the grass and my eyes grew wide as I saw the anger in her eyes. She snatched Virginia's hand right out of mine and stormed away dragging a crying Virginia behind her.

"Our friendship was never the same after that." I whispered.

"She made me stay away from you," she whispered back looking with a sad expression at the carving in the tree trunk. "I missed you so much." She shifted her gaze to my eyes. "I still miss you Jasper…every day."

My eyes grew wide as she slid her hand down my arm and intertwined our fingers as she leaned forward and placed another sweet kiss on my cheek just like that day so many years ago. I reached my hand up to cover the place her lips had lingered with a blush filling my face, a matching one filling hers. Just then we heard the voice of Timothy Blackwell from the playground below calling for Virginia and she blushed a deeper red.

"Promise me I'll see you again Jasper…please, promise me." Her eyes searched mine in earnest and I nodded. She let go of my hand and walked quickly away to join the group below. I stood there in a daze as I stared at the letters carved in the tree running my fingers over them gently. I pulled out my pocketknife slowly and carefully carving a heart around the aged letters before closing it and walking away still dazed but a bit happier.

I pulled my hand back hastily from Ginny's shoulder, confusion filling my mind as I analyzed what I had just seen in my head. I heard Ginny sigh, obviously feeling my confusion.

"Ginny?"

"Hmm?" I heard her barely answer.

"I know you're probably tired, but I'd like to see more as soon as you're ready, but not today okay?"

"Sure"

I started to walk upstairs but I turned at the bottom of the steps and went back to the kitchen, "Hey Ginny, I'm curious, What is my middle name?"

She turned and stared and I could sense her anxiety although for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. She opened her mouth to speak when her cell phone rang. She jumped and ran to grab it off of the countertop.

"Hello? Oh hi Wes." I felt a sense of relief and then excitement. "Really? Is it in town now? Oh thanks Wes, I'll go pick it up right away and let you know what I think. Alright, bye, bye."

She turned to me with her eyes bright. "That was the publisher, how would you feel about a little drive to town?"

I smiled and nodded wondering why she was so excited all of a sudden. "What's going on? What do you need to pick up?"

"Well it seems that they just finished up the mock up release of my newest book and two copies are waitin' at the post office for me to preview right at this moment. Mr. Whitlock, would you like to be the first person in America to read GS Benjamin's newest novel?"

My eyes widened with excitement, "Would I? My dear Miss Benjamin, it would be an absolute honor!"

She smiled a wide smile grabbing her keys off the hook by the door and we both took off running full speed to the hummer and made our way into town, both of us dropping the topic of conversation for now…but I made a note to myself to ask about my middle name again later.

We got to the post office and as soon as the worker handed her the package she ripped it open and pulled out two hardback copies of her newest novel Unfinished Business. I read the synopsis on the dust cover eagerly. A young southern lady is left behind as the love of her life goes off to fight a war she wishes never began, but not before they are married and she is impregnated. Lost in a war too desolate for description, she is informed that he is gone forever. What happens when five years later he returns to find his life turned utterly upside down with a remarried wife and a child he never knew existed? Will he ever learn to live again? Will the ravages of war allow him to heal and become whole? These are the questions but will there ever be any answers?

I opened to the first page and began to read of the separation of two hearts that had just been united and I recognized right away that this story had to be based on her own tale, only in this tale her husband returns to her. If only that had been possible…maybe her life would have turned out differently. I found myself wondering about her husband. I tried not to push knowing that it was a painful subject, but I couldn't help but hope that this book would maybe open the door to a discussion on the subject. I followed Ginny back to the car and eagerly consumed the first chapter on the drive back to the house.

When we got home she smiled and I nodded to the book indicating I was off to my room to read. She nodded and moved over to the couch with her cell phone in hand. Just before I closed the door I heard her voice, "Hey Wes? It's perfect!" I smiled and walked to the bed sitting on the edge and opening to chapter to and I was instantly pulled once again into the mind of GS Benjamin…also known as my best friend Ginny.

Author's Note: Okay guys, I promise you that I have the next chapter of Chasing Away The Shadows done…my beta is looking it over as soon as she gets time…but she's a very busy girl right now, so I'm not sure how soon I'll get it back. In the way of good news…I also have an extras chapter to go with it…so 2 for the price of 1…although it's really racy…fair warning. Anyway, please tell me what you think of this chapter. I'm working on very little sleep…the baby is sick and I've been up most of the night the last two nights with her. I'm exhausted, but when inspiration strikes, you gotta run with it! Anyway, please take the time to review…Anybody have any theories yet? I'm just curious. Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you all soon! By the way, I warned most of you that this would be a short one. We only have a two maybe three more chapters to go! I'm not sure when I'll post again, but the way this story is sticking with me, it probably won't be too terribly long…then again, I do have the wedding to write for Chasing the Shadows so who knows! Love you guys!