Spirit of the Revolution (12 page)

“Mathias?”

Her voice cut into his thoughts. The expression on her lovely face verified she understood his mood, even though she couldn’t know the cause. She extended a hand toward him, in an obvious desire to provide some kind of comfort. Then seeing the impossibility of her actions, she drew back at the last moment. Would that she didn’t have such a restriction.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said as she tucked her wayward hand into her lap.

Mathias responded with a quiet chuckle he hoped masked his torment. He appreciated the intention of her gesture, regardless of outcome. “Nothing to apologize for. I appreciate the fact you cared enough about my feelings to make the offer.”

Her discomfiture faded. Curiosity took its place. She carried that same expression when she first learned of his existence.

“You have a question,” he said. “Go ahead and ask it.”

“Mathias, would I feel anything at all if I touched you—without trying to go through you, that is? I know a spirit lacks solidity. But, while growing up along the coast of Oregon, I had no difficulty feeling the moisture of an early morning fog, Yet, I could still go right through it. I just wondered if I tried not to pierce your form—”

Mathias raised his hand in silent invitation. As he did so, he recalled the times when inadvertently one of his previous tenants walked straight through him, and he could feel the sensation of the passing. Yet, he never stopped to consider whether they could feel anything in return.

Jolena spread her fingers, mirroring them with his. They looked so small in comparison. Nevertheless, he twined his fingers around each one of hers first, and then for several minutes she traced the outline of his entire hand. She presented him with a dazzling smile as she did so.

“I
can
feel you. The sensation is hard to describe, it’s kind of like—like soft down feathers when they barely graze the skin, with just a touch of cold—um—crispness. Or maybe the sensation feels more like thin strands of cool silk with a touch of early morning dew. Then there’s just a hint of something else I can’t quite put my finger on— Oh, I know I’m doing a horrible job of explaining this. But really, there aren’t any words
to
describe it. Can you feel me?”

“Yes, I can. But likewise, I have no words to express how it feels when I touch you. I can tell you it’s a very pleasant experience.” A true enough statement and nothing more needed saying.

She smiled in response to his words and dropped her hand into her lap.

“So,” Mathias said, breaking the lengthy silence that followed, “do you have any more questions or experiments you’d like to conduct?”

She studied him for a moment, took in a breath, and then said, “Just one question. I don’t know if you remember this or not, but right before I left on tour, Sam said something. I didn’t understand what he meant by the comment and it has nagged me every day since.”

“Really? What did he say to you?” he asked.

“He didn’t say anything to me. I just overheard the comment.” She lifted a single shoulder and then said, “His remark had something to do with the timing of my trip. He said it worked to your advantage or something like that. What did he mean?”

Mathias suppressed his surprise. He had no idea she had overheard the remark and he’d rather not reveal the answer if he could help it. Despite his wishes to the contrary, she gazed at him intently, waiting for an explanation. But just then, as if the heavens understood his reluctance, a shooting star blazed across the sky, and he drew her attention toward it.

“Did you see that?” he asked.

Jolena gasped her delight as a second one followed the first. “Yes, I did,” she said. “Both of them.”

“You know, when we were kids, Sam and I had a neighbor lady who used to insist that every time a shooting star lit up the sky, it indicated that someone had died. She said it was their soul shooting toward heaven—or hell as the case may be,” Mathias said, hoping to shift the topic of conversation.

Jolena laughed as she set the rocking chair in a steady, slow motion. “Really? That’s funny. When we were kids, we always believed hell was way deep down in the ground somewhere, not up toward heaven. Deep, dark holes used to terrify us for that very reason. Kay and I used to think that if we weren’t careful, a devil would surface and yank us in.”

Several more shooting stars made their way across the sky, each more vibrant than the one before. All the while, he avoided her previous question by guiding the conversation elsewhere. Finally, Jolena smothered a yawn.

“I’m so sorry, Mathias,” she said, “I would love to stay out here with you all night and look at the stars. But I’m finding it very difficult to stay awake now.”

“There’s no need to apologize,” he replied. “Hopefully there will be many such evenings ahead of us.”

She looked puzzled by the comment. “What do you mean,
hopefully
?”

“Well, I don’t presume to know what your ultimate plans for this house are.” He shrugged and folded his arms against his chest.

“Plans? I don’t understand.”

“Well it seems not everyone keeps a house for an entire lifetime anymore,” he said. “Isn’t it possible that one day, you might want to sell this house and move somewhere else?”

“Sell my house? Are you crazy?” She sat upright in her chair and glared. “Why would such a notion even cross your mind? I fell in love with this house the minute I laid eyes on it. As you very well know, I put hours and hours of hard physical labor into restoring it. Part of me is in this house, and now part of this house is in me. No, Mathias, I will never sell it. This is my home, and just so you know, I intend to
die
here. How could you possibly think otherwise?”

Mathias tried very hard not to laugh over her indignation. He lifted a hand to appease her wrath. “All right, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you all riled up. I can think of many possibilities for such an event, you know.”
Like marriage to some doddering fool
, he muttered inwardly.

“Well, there aren’t any circumstances I can think of,” she said. “I finally have a place I belong, and I’m staying right here until the day I take my last breath.”

Mathias touched his heart as he gave a nod. “I’m relieved you feel that way Miss Michaelsson. However, I truly hope you aren’t planning to die anytime soon.”

Jolena shook her head and fixed her gaze to his. “No, I’m afraid not. You’re just going to have to put up with me for years and years to come. You’re going to have to watch me get old and crotchety, and probably even senile in my dotage. People will stop by for a visit and think I’ve gone quite insane as I carry on the most amazing conversations with my furniture, because by then, I simply won’t care what people believe.”

Mathias chuckled in response to the imagined scene. “You? You’re going to get old, crotchety, and senile—hmm. Well, in that case, I think I’m going to have to hang around. I certainly wouldn’t want to miss the expression on everyone’s face when you hold those amazing conversations with your furniture.”

Jolena laughed and dipped her head to the side. “Well, let’s hope you don’t get your first taste of what that’s like during Nancy’s visit should I forget and speak with you in her presence. After all, my dear sweet sister would probably have me committed.”

Chapter 9

“Does everything look all right?” Jo halted just as she stepped past the archway and entered the family room. She took in every detail, looking for something she might’ve missed.

“There’s nothing else that needs doing, I promise you. Everything is immaculate,” Sam said yet again. “So stop fussing. Just go upstairs and tidy up a bit before they arrive.”

William sent a wink toward Sam and nodded. “That’s right, go up now and get yourself all prettied up. Your family hasn’t seen you in quite a while. Right? You don’t want them to see those dirt smudges on your face and wearing dirty clothes. So, go take your shower and change into something pretty, like that pale blue dress you wore to the summer barbeque. You look very lovely in that one. We can take care of everything else down here while you freshen up a bit.”

“Everything else?” asked Jo as she attempted to wipe away smudges that probably didn’t exist. “Did I miss something?”

“You’re going to want something nice playing on the stereo when they come in aren’t you?” He flashed a grin and leaned toward her. “It won’t take me but a moment to line up several of our favorite songs. We could have them playing one right after another with no interruptions of any kind, I guarantee it.”

“Don’t you dare, William Ferguson,” Jo gasped, feigning horror. “Despite our upbringing to the contrary, Nancy has never been a fan of Deep Purple or Foreigner, and she would surely think I had lost my mind if “Juke Box Hero” blared from the stereo the minute she walks through the door.”

“How about a little bit of the Beatles, then? Everybody likes them, right?” asked Alex. “Maybe we could put on ‘Come Together’ or perhaps ‘Revolution’ would be a more appropriate greeting, all things considered.”

The comment caused her to giggle. She sat down on the sofa and crossed a leg over her knee, forgetting for the moment the need to take her shower. “You know, it might at that,” she said, as her bare foot began swinging in circles.

“We could appear to them then, wearing the cheesiest smiles this side of the Mississippi,” Jed added. “Perhaps they might think we’re cute instead of scary.”

“Not if you don’t lose the tomahawks, Jedediah,” Sam warned with pointed finger. “Tomahawks and cute just don’t go together.”

Jo burst out laughing as she conjured the image of Jedediah, smiling from ear to ear while wickedly twirling his weapons of choice. And all the while, they would hear “Revolution” playing in the background. At that moment, she couldn’t say the idea didn’t tempt her.

“Well, at least we finally got you to laugh,” Sam said with a tone of satisfaction.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said. “I know I’ve been wound up pretty tight these past few days, worrying over the house and trying to plan some fun activities. But there’s just so much to do and to see around the Philadelphia area. They’re only going to be here one week. I didn’t know what to choose, or what they would enjoy the most.”

“I think you’ve chosen well,” Mathias said. “Besides, I really don’t think it’s going to matter what you do, as long as you do it all together.”

One hour later, the rented minivan arrived just outside her gate. Nan refused to let Jo pick her family up at the airport, and the wait drove her crazy. So much so, that she paced like a caged animal in front of the sitting room window while awaiting their arrival. As they got out of the vehicle, Jo bounded out of the door, with her boys in close pursuit. With arms outstretched, Jo flew into the open arms of her sister.

“Hello, Nan. Oh, it’s so good to see you again!” She proceeded to greet each person with hugs and kisses, taking care to mention each name for the benefit of her ghostly companions. Then standing back, she took in the sight of everyone at once.

A hand covered her mouth as she shook her head in amazement. “Zach and David, I swear you boys have grown at least a foot since the last time I saw you. And Jeannie, my goodness, you’ve become such a beautiful young woman—”

“You got that right, Jolena. She is a pretty thing, isn’t she? Why isn’t she married yet?” asked Jedediah as if truly perplexed.

Jo smiled, dropped her arms, and clasped her hands together. “She certainly isn’t old enough to consider marriage, for heaven’s sake.”

Nancy looked puzzled over the odd comment. “Well, of course not, Jo. She isn’t even seriously dating anybody—”

She waved a hand in dismissal. “Oh, don’t mind me. Just seeing the vast change in the kids is taking its toll, I’m afraid.” Jo scooped Mary up in her arms for a hasty change in subject. “And look at you, you precious little thing. You’re getting so big. Do you even remember your Auntie Jo, hmm?”

Little Mary giggled, and then pointed at Mathias and waved. “Hi, hi, hi,” she babbled.

Jo followed the toddler’s gaze as she looked at each ghostly resident, smiled and waved at each in turn. Each of the boys either waved back or blew her kisses, much to her young heart’s delight. The display confused her, and she looked to Mathias for an explanation. He simply shrugged.

“Sometimes little children can just see us, Jolena. I have no explanation as to the why of it,” he whispered.

Nancy shook her head, shot her gaze heavenward, and sighed in exasperation. “One would think after the long plane ride and the drive here from the airport, our little angel would’ve had enough ‘bye-byes’ to last her the rest of the day. Jolena, darling, the outside of your home is even more beautiful than what we could see from pictures alone. Now, hand Mary over to Bob and show us the rest of it. We’re so anxious to see all of the details.”

After Jo relinquished Mary to her daddy, Mathias made ready to leave so she might have private time with her family, he said. But she shook her head in return and with a subtle wave of her hand, invited them all to follow. They traversed the grounds first. As expected, Nancy fell in love with her bountiful flower garden, but Bob preferred her barn, which housed a plethora of antique farm equipment. Some of those antiques dated back to the eighteenth century and he drooled over them. She then took her family through each room of her house and pointed out the rooms she assigned them. While they settled in, Jo and the boys ambled into the kitchen.

“There were some girls getting
married
at sixteen when I was alive,” Jedediah said as he carried a stack of plates to the table. “I don’t understand why Jeannie isn’t even courting.”

“Yes, well, those days are long gone. Girls today wait a great deal longer for marriage than what they used to,” Jo replied as she set the bowl of chips and some dip on the table beside the plates.

“Well, does she at least get to speak with the boys her age, or do they keep her locked up inside her bedroom?” asked Alexander.