Shadows 02 Girl in the Shadows (17 page)

stopped when I saw a collection of dream catchers. It brought back memories of Peter Smoke. the
Indian boy I had met in school when I lived with
Brenda in Memphis. He had given me a dream
catcher. but I had left it behind when I fled Brenda's
home.
"What is it?" Echo wanted to know.
I couldn't think of all the signs for the words I
needed. so I borrowed a pen from the handicraft artist
and wrote it all out on a slip of paper for her, just the
way I remembered :Peter Smoke had told me about it. The Indians believe that the night air is filled
with dreams both good and bad. The dream catcher,
when hung over or near your bed swinging freely in
the air, catches the dreams as they flow by. The good
dreams know how to pass through the dream catcher,
slipping through the outer-holes and sliding down the
soft feathers so gently that many times the sleeper
does not know that he orshe is dreaming. The bad
dreams, not knowing the way, get tangled in the
dream catcher and perish as soon as the sun comes up
the morning.
She read the note and smiled with incredulity.
"Really? Does it work?" she wanted to knaow. I
nodded and then I bought her one.
"We'll hang it over your bed and you won't
have any more nightmares," I told her.
She blushed. I imagined she was thinking about
the night she crawled in beside me. I thought about it,
too. Was there any difference between the sexual
excitement I had felt then and the excitement I had
felt with Tyler? There were still questions about
myself I desperately needed to answer, and I knew I
wouldn't find the answers in books or magazines or
even talking with more experienced women. These
were answers that had to be discovered by myself
within myself.
We continued through the arts and crafts
festival, pausing to watch an artist create a sculpture
out of clay, another painting someone's caricature, and
another showing how she had woven beautiful
blankets. There was a booth where you could have
your picture taken and put on a mug. Echo thought
that was terrific. so I had both our pictures taken and
put on mugs.
"We'll drink from them tonight," I told her
when they were completed.
She was smiling widely again, laughing and
enjoying herself. Thank goodness for the fair. I
thought as we reached the other side of the displays. I
was turning her so we could make our way back when
I caught sight of Skeeter and Rhona coming out of a
tavern at the corner of a side street. Afraid Echo
would see them or they would see us, I quickly moved
to block her from view, When I glanced back. I saw
that two dark-haired men, both stout and rough
looking, had followed Rhona and Skeeter and were
now facing Skeeter and speaking to him with large,
threatening gestures. They were backing him up, one
stabbing him repeatedly with his finger in Skeeter's
shoulder. I hurried us along the path of booths. telling Echo we had better get home before her grandmother
got worried.
As soon as we were home. Echo couldn't wait
to tell her grandmother about the fair. She mentioned
nothing about the mall and neither did I. She went,
instead, into a long explanation about the dream
catcher and the mugs.
"It's very nice of you to buy all that for her,"
Mrs. Westington told me. "Let me reimburse you." "No, please. They're my gifts to her." "That's very nice of you."
The house was filled with the wonderful
aromas of all the food she had been making while we
were away.
"Something smells delicious," I said. "I decided to think of this as a form of
Thanksgiving," she said. "Maybe if I change my
attitude, things will be better. Maybe, just maybe, that
girl's been turned around enough to set her eyes on a
decent life for herself here. I fixed a turkey, my
special garlic mashed potatoes, cranberries, and
asparagus, which used to be Rhona's favorite
vegetable. I took out one of the pies I had frozen as
well, the apple. We'll put some ice cream on it. too.
Rhona used to love that."
She explained it all to Echo and then she asked
us to help set the table. I saw that Trevor was
definitely going to be at this dinner, which made me
happy. Echo considered it all to be a big party, a
celebration and confirmation that her mother was back
for good. I decided not to say anything about what I
had seen back at Healdsburg. I really didn't know
what it was all about anyway, and for the time being I
saw no reason not to hitch a ride on Mrs. Westington's
train of hope. I was just so happy she could get herself
to be optimistic after all that had happened.
To Mrs. Westington's deep disappointment,
however, Rhona and Skeeter did not return, nor did
they call to say when they would be back. Trevor,
dressed in what were obviously some of his nicest
clothing, arrived at dinnertime. He saw from the look
on my face that all was not well,
"Just sit yourself down. Trevor," Mrs.
Westington told him. "We won't be waiting dinner on
anyone who doesn't have the decency to call." Nevertheless. I saw how she procrastinated and
tried to delay the actual start of the meal. Finally, at
nearly seven-thirty with no word from Rhona, she
decided to begin, and Echo and I helped her bring out
the food. Rhona and Skeeter's empty place settings were difficult to ignore. Hoping to change the mood.
Trevor raved about the food and so did I.
"I'm past the age where I need compliments,"
Mrs. Westinton said.
"You need compliments till the day you die."
Trevor countered. "Everyone needs a pat on the back
now and then."
"Well. I won't hear of it," she said. "And I don't
need to be treated like a disappointed child. I was a
fool to harbor any expectations and waste my energy." "You mean, you didn't do this dinner for me,
April, and Echo?" Trevor teased.
She gave him a look that could sink a battleship
and he roared with laughter.
"I have a madman on my property," she told
me.
Actually. I thought Mrs. Westington was more
depressed because of Echo's disappointment than
because of her own.
Such an elaborate and joyous family dinner as
the one Echo had envisioned with her mother present
was probably a dream. She nibbled on her food and
had to be continually pressed to eat more.
"I wish that girl wouldn't have come back,"
Mrs. Westington finally muttered. "She's only made
matters worse by giving the child hope.'
After dinner Mrs. Westington permitted Echo
to do more of the cleanup than usual. Trevor waited in
the living room to challenge Echo to a game of
checkers, something they often played in the evening.
She played, but she kept looking toward the windows,
hoping for headlights to indicate her mother's arrival.
It didn't happen and she finally grew tired enough to
go upstairs to bed. The sadness brought on fatigue as
well. Trevor and I looked at each other. Now that I
had the chance. I told him what I had witnessed in
Healdsburg.
"There's the distinct possibility they're gone,"
he whispered. "Run away."
"I hope so," I said. Looking at Echo's face. I felt
cruel for saying it, but every instinct in me told me
that I wasn't wrong to have that hope.
I followed Echo up because I saw in Mrs.
Westington's face that she would like me to do so to
be sure Echo didn't burst into tears and cry herself to
sleep. One of the most moving things
I
saw and
probably would ever see was when I stood off to the
side and watched Echo signing her bedtime prayer.
She did it slowly enough for me to understand she
was praying more for her mother than for herself. After she crawled into bed. I hung her dream
catcher and she smiled. Of course, she wanted to
know why her mother had not come home.
I explained that to be fair to her, she didn't
know her grandmother had made such a wonderful
dinner.
"If she had called, she would have known," she
correctly reminded me.
I nodded and, struggling for some excuse, came
up with the idea that she probably had met many of
her old friends again and wanted to renew her
friendships and catch up on the news. For now. Echo
accepted that. She gazed up at the dream catcher again
and closed her eyes with an expression of comfort and
self-assurance on her face. She hugged Mr. Panda.
too. I watched her for a while and then I went
downstairs. Trevor had zone to his own quarters. Mrs.
Westington was alone. She was listening to music and
knitting.
"I do it just to keep the arthritis at bay," she told
me. There was still a half hour to go before I would
meet Tyler at the motor home. so I sat with her. She
was quiet, but then she suddenly put the knitting down
and turned to me. "I know I'm not long for this world,
April. My daughter's unexpected visit has brought
home clearly what that means."
"Now, Mrs. Westington..."
"No, no false hopes, no promises, no head in
the sand any longer. I can't have Echo left in the lurch
and I certainly can't have her at the mercy of her
selfish mother. I want to talk to Tyler about getting
Echo placed in one of those schools quickly and then
I'm going to talk to my lawyer about future custody,
the money I have in trust, all of it. I'd like you to help
me with it all."
"Of course
I
will," I said.
"Thank you." She lifted the knitting and fixed
her eyes on me. "So don't go thinking about picking
up and leaving," she added.
I laughed. Either I wore my heart on my sleeve
and had a face that was made of glass with my
thoughts printed on the inside or she was just a good
mind reader.
"Like I told you," she said. "your coming here
was meant to be."
"Maybe so," I said, thinking about everything.
especially Tyler parking his car in the shadows on the
road and making his way through the darkness to meet
me in the motor home.
"If you want, turn on the televison."
"No. I'm fine,I'm going over to the motor
home," I said. "I still have things to pack. I'll be
getting rid of it any day now."
That was no lie.
She nodded and then stopped knitting. "You
never did bring that doll into the house."
"No, but I guess I will, if it's still all right." "Considering what else has been brought here,"
she said. smirking, "there's no reason not to. I'd much
rather have that doll around than that Mr. Skeeter," "Yes," I said. smiling. "So would I."
I left her knitting, but sinking deeper and
deeper into her own thoughts and worries. They were
written in the darkening lines on her face and I was
truly very concerned about her.
When I stepped outside. I saw that a heavily
overcast sky had thickened the darkness. There was
just enough of a glow from the house lights to outline
the way to the motor home. Tyler had chosen a good
night to arrive unseen. I thought. I saw that he hadn't
put on any lights in the motor home either, but as I
drew closer. I did see he had lit one of the candles we
had in the kitchen. The light flickered in the windows.
He was being so careful. A veil of secrecy had been
cast like a net over the motor home and both of us. It made what we were about to do seem even more
forbidden.
I opened the door slowly and entered, closing it
softly behind me. I realized I was tiptoeing. too. When
I
looked into the living room. I saw Destiny
silhouetted in the shadows. but I didn't see Tyler. For
a moment I had the chilling idea that Destiny had lit
the candle.
"Tyler?"
"Back here," I heard. He was in Uncle Palaver's
bedroom. "You could have put on the lights," I said. "I thought you had to conserve the batteries." "Yes. I suppose."
I took the candle and made my way back and
found him lying on the bed, his hands behind his
head.
"Hey," he said. "Hey."
"I see Rhona's van isn't there. Did they leave for
good?"
"We don't kniow. They didn't call or return for
dinner. I took Echo for a ride earlier to the mall and
then to the fair in Healdsburg."
You were there today? We had some of our
product for sale at one of the booths."
"Yes, and while I was there I saw Rhona and Skeeter come out of a tavern. Two men looked like they were threatening him. Maybe because of that, they ran off. When I got back here. I found Mrs. Westington had prepared a big dinner as a sort of
celebration."
"Why? Celebrating what?"
"She was hoping that somehow Rhona would
change if she made her feel more at home. I guess.
She's very, very depressed now. She wants to talk to
you about getting Echo into the school and then she
wants to set things up with her attorney, trusts, stuff
like that. She's thinks the Grim Reaper has been
peering in her window."
"Well. I hope not, but she's wise to want to do
all that. I'll help with the school."
He sat up. "What does this mean? You're going
to leave?"
"Not until it's all arranged. I promised her." "Good," he said. "Well, in an ironic way. Rhona
did us all a favor. She convinced Mrs. Westington to
do the right things with Echo and I won't have to quit
tutoring to force her to do it. That will make my
mother happy, too."
"That's nice," I said dryly, still not appreciating
why his mother was so against his tutoring a deaf
child, since that was his life's work.
"You okay? You want to put on the lights?" "No, this is fine," I said. Actually, it made me
feel better to be more in the darkness than the light
when it came to being with him like this.
"Destiny eyed me coming in," he said. I could
see his smile. "But I told her I had your permission
and she relaxed."
"Right," I said. laughing.
He patted the bed. "You okay with this? Being
in here?" he asked when I hesitated.
"Yes. It's fine," I said, and sat.
"I thought about you a lot today," he said. "Did
you?"
"Yes. Actually. I couldn't get you out of my
mind and couldn't wait to get here."
"Where did you tell your mother You were
going tonight?"
"Just out, Don't worry about it," he said sharply. I wanted to ask him if he didn't think he was a
little old to be sneaking around his mother. but I didn't
want to ruin the moment or get him angry.
"Echo's so upset about her mother," I told him.
"It's heartbreaking to see.'
"We'll help her later." he said. "Let's not think about all that now." He reached out for my hand and to tarn me more toward him. "Let's just think about this." He brought his lips to mine and we kissed. It was a long, lingering kiss, almost too long. I had to
take a deep breath.
"Sorry." he said. "I'm a little overanxious." "It's okay."
He kissed me again, softer, and then he held me
for a moment, brushing his lips over my cheek and
then down to my neck. I moaned softly and lay back. I
let him start undressing mee. He wasn't as awkward
about it this time and he paused periodically to kiss
inc again on the lips, the neck, and then my naked