A Fool Stumbles Into Love Ch. 03

Cal looked up and laughed, "You mean the gazebo."

"Yeah, how's the gazebo coming?"

Cal pulled Maureen along and they stood beside his grandfather, "It's the damnedest thing. There are already footers here from where somebody else had either built or tried to build a gazebo before."

Jared gave the ground a thoughtful eye, "That ought to make your job a lot easier."

Cal replied, "Yeah sure, but it is a little confusing. We're building on the same site where an older one was. What happened to the old one?"

Jared looked at his grandson. The boy was always inquisitive, and imaginative. The older man scratched his head, "This is an old house. It probably goes back to the Nineteenth Century. It wouldn't be that unlikely for something as transient as a gazebo to have been here once before and been torn down.

Cal nodded. His grandfather was smart.

The older man looked at Maureen, "You grew up here. Do you remember anything?"

Maureen answered, "I did grow up here, but I don't remember much, and I don't remember anything from when I was really little."

Jared asked, "Did you ask your mother?"

Maureen answered, "No."

Jared responded, "I'm going in to say hello. I'll ask her."

Cal watched as Jared went up on the porch, knocked; apparently someone heard him, because he went in the house.

Jared got in the kitchen and found Andrea sitting at the table having a coffee.

She said, "Let me get you a coffee."

He nodded and sat down. He started to talk, "Neither one of them remembers the gazebo."

Andrea answered, "I didn't think they would. What does your grandson remember?"

Jared gave her a puzzled look, "I don't think he remembers anything."

Andrea continued to talk, "I recall your daughter's accident and her death. I remember we went to her funeral. What, he was in the second grade at the time?"

Jared responded, "Second grade, the spring of his second year in school. Almost no one went to the funeral. She had a few friends, a couple doctors, you and your husband, that was about it."

Andrea added, "People were pretty hard hearted then."

Jared nodded, "Nobody said anything to the boy who got her pregnant, just her. Hell, she was only fifteen. You would have thought someone would have let up. All anybody wanted was for her to put the baby up for adoption. I'm glad she agreed with me and kept him."

Jared got up and peaked out the window, "He's grown into a fine young man, a little shy maybe, but a good man."

Andrea walked over and looked out at the two young people, "I'm glad aren't you?"

Jared turned a little and looked at her. He didn't quite know what she meant.

Andrea added. "I mean they've found each other again."

Jared, "They don't remember. Neither one; I thought maybe your girl might have?"

Andrea poured some more coffee. "She was only four went she had her accident, when the limb from the old maple broke off and hit her and her tricycle, mangling both her legs. I remember it like it was yesterday, but she doesn't remember anything. God's been kind that way."

Jared commented, "She was a pathetic little thing."

Andrea, Maureen's mom continued, "It happened at the end of March. It was so windy; the limb broke off and crushed her little legs. It should have killed her. The doctors were convinced she never walk again, even if she did live."

Jared smiled wanly, "I remember. It was tough for you and your husband."

Andrea continued, "We didn't have any money, no insurance, the operations were going to break us. But she's our only child, you know how it is.

Jared nodded, "Yeah, I know."

Andrea went on, "We were sorry no one in town wanted to hire your girl; what a young girl, fresh out of nursing school with an illegitimate six year old herself. It was like everybody wanted to punish her for keeping her baby."

Jared, "I remember. But I hated that they were punishing him too. You know there are no illegitimate children, only illegitimate parents. But people didn't see it that way. I was glad she could help out with your girl. She needed the practice; I wasn't making enough money to hire a full time babysitter, so when you agreed to let her bring her boy here while she took care of your girl it all worked out."

Andrea spoke wistfully, "He was six, a lonely little boy ostracized by the kids where you all lived, and she was only four, all crippled and nearly dead. People around here kept their kids away because they didn't want or couldn't answer the questions their kids asked. She was sick, suffering and alone. Your little grandson showed up and gave her a reason to live."

She looked up at Jared, "Your grandson saved my daughter's life." She was starting to cry as she looked back outside where the young people were talking, "They're out there and don't even know. They don't know any of it."

She looked back at the old man. "What should we do?"

The old man was wiping his eyes, "Leave them alone. They found each other. If it's important enough they'll remember. If it isn't they've still found each other."

Andrea wiped her eyes, "I want to tell them."

Jared touched her shoulder. He wasn't the touchy feely type, but he touched her, "What would you say; how a little boy came with his mother to nurse a little girl who was probably dying, how the little girl didn't die, how after more than six months a charity took up her cause, carted her off to a hospital, took her away from her only friend."

He stepped over to the screen door, "We, his mother and I, more or less told him she'd died. We told him angels had come for her. It nearly killed him. As it was it broke his heart.

He looked at Andrea again, "Your daughter was his only companion for six months. You remember they'd created their own little fantasy world, what with dragons and heroes, and princesses. His mother decided he shouldn't say goodbye. She was afraid it would be too much on him. You remember how they were."

Andrea listened and commented, "I remember. I remember the little boy sitting on the sofa while therapists pulled and hauled on her broken little legs. I remember how he sat there and listened to her screams and crying. I remember the fantasies they created; how they played and prince and princess, him the prince who fought off the dragons, the therapists being the dragons, and how she'd cling to him like he was her last connection with life. I remember it, I remember it all; every baby tear, every reassuring word that came out of that little boy's mouth."

Andrea added, "When the hospital people came we didn't say anything either, for basically the same reason. We were afraid, afraid the separation was going to be bad enough, why add to it with all those emotional goodbyes."

Jared, "Do you think we made a mistake breaking them apart like that?"

Andrea frowned, "Come on they were little, only six and four, she forget, he forgot, who would have believed they'd reconnect twenty years later."

Jared, still staring out the window, "They did though didn't they? Look at them out there now. I wouldn't know how to tell them."

Andrea, "You're right. We won't tell them. If they remember, then OK, but we can't tell them."

Later that afternoon Jared left to go back to his garage. Andrea got dressed up, packed a small shopping bag full of clothes and left for the evening. As she left she kissed her daughter on the forehead, "You two be good tonight. I'll be back sometime after lunch tomorrow."

Maureen, arm already around Cal, "Don't worry mom."

Cal added, "Don't worry, we'll be good."

Andrea got in her car and drove off. She'd booked a room at the local Motel 6. She was comfortable leaving those two alone together. This was a relationship made in heaven. She was also comfortable with her one little act of sabotage. She and her husband didn't have many pictures of their daughter when she was a toddler, but they had a few, maybe ten. She'd left them on her bedside table in a small envelope. If they opened the envelope they'd see them. Maybe the pictures would spur something. If they didn't open the envelope, well that was OK too.

She'd stay away for the night. She'd get back tomorrow. Maybe she'd find out something then.

A note from the author:

I hope you're enjoying this story about Maureen and Cal. It originated with a request from one of my daughters that I write her a fairy tale. When I'm done with the adult version, I'll put my daughter's version on if you like.