Reunions Two: And Life Goes On

By Jeanie Le Claire

"While Julie Davidson embraces her future, she hides secrets about her mother's past. Julie knows she must find a way to keep her mother's secrets buried as her own story unfolds. When she realizes that her fiancé, Kenny, is not all that he pretends to be, their lives turn into a mysterious and escalating roller coaster of a ride thriller. There are unexpected and riveting results that will keep you turning the pages until the full story is told."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jun 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781312296015

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Reunions Two: And Life Goes On

REUNIONS II:

And Life Goes On

By Jeanie Le Claire

CREDITS

Editor and Web site design: Diane Bluemel

Cover Photo: Jeanie Le Claire

Back Cover Photo:  Michele Fox-Faust Photography

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters and places are the result of the author’s imagination.

If there is any resemblance to an actual person, whether living or deceased, or to any event or location, it is entirely a coincidence.

www.jeanieleclaire.com

[e-mail]

Copyright © 2012 by Jeanie Le Claire

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission from the Publisher. Printed in the United States of America.

ISBN: 9S78-1-312-29601-5

Dedicated to:

My husband, Randy, for his encouragement, love and always being proud of me. And, on those nights when I can’t stop writing, thank God, he cooks as great as he golfs!

My children; Michael, Lacy and Jeffrey, they are the joys of my life. Children can keep you young and make you feel old at the same time!

My canine companion, Buddy, who stays at my side each day with unconditional love no matter how good or bad my day goes!

Special thanks to educator Ron Shannon for his expertise regarding firearms. We're never too old to learn!

And my chief cheerleader/editor/dear friend, Diane Bluemel, for just being fabulous!

PART ONE

CHAPTER 1

Ashes to ashes; dust to dust.

The minister paused at the gravesite. He held his tattered Bible in one hand while placing the other on the gleaming, bronze colored coffin. A moment later he drew his hand back while shaking his head from side to side. He wiped a tear before it escaped his eye.

Jim Williams was a good friend to me. We played many games of chess. He usually won. He smiled as the large group of mourners laughed softly.

I will miss him, but I can smile knowing that he is with God and those he loved.

The minister walked to where the family was seated on cold, gray metal folding chairs. They were protected from the steady drizzle by a green canopy that cast its own shadow over the group. Others who had arrived too late now tried to ever so slightly push themselves under the protective cover. Various colored umbrellas gave off sudden popping noises as they were quietly opened by those who were lucky enough to have one.

Fran, I am so sorry for your loss, the minister told the gray haired woman who sat stoically. I know how close you were to your brother.

The minister leaned in so he could whisper to Fran only. And you know he’s with Annie again, don’t you?

Fran took his hand and squeezed it as she nodded in agreement.

He turned to the two young men who sat next to her.

Matthew, JJ, I know you’re going to take care of each other. Your father was so proud of you. He loved his sons so deeply!

He next moved to the young woman who sat next to Matthew holding his hand.

Caroline, you know Jim thought of you like a daughter. He was so happy that Matthew had found you. And those granddaughters of his… He rubbed the top of the head of the dark haired toddler in Caroline’s lap and then smiled at the older girl who sat next to her.

He adored you, Abby! One of Jim’s favorite subjects was this little girl! I guess there’s nothing like that first grandchild! But he loved Lexie just as much when she was born! He was so proud of her, too. And how his face would light up when he spoke about the new baby coming! I know that Jim lives on in them and in all of you.

The minister moved back to the casket, and while putting his hand on it, he said a final prayer. He then looked up and with a small smile said, You all know how Jim loved food. The family hopes you will join them at Jim’s home to share lunch and memories with his family and friends.

The minister stepped back from the casket, and the family moved in. Fran, Matthew and JJ each took one of the flowers from the bouquets that lay on the top. Other floral arrangements were set up around the gravesite. A scent of refrigerated flowers hung over the area, only pulled down by the drizzle as it drifted into the open space.

Matthew buttoned his raincoat, pulled his two-year-old Lexie into his arms and took his wife’s hand. She gave her other hand to their three-year-old Abby. He waited as his aunt took JJ’s hand. They moved to the waiting cars and climbed inside.

JJ broke the somber mood in the vehicle.

I’m hungry! Abby’s hungry. Lexie, too!

We’ll be at Dad’s in a little while, Matthew said. Then we can have something to eat. If I know Aunt Fran and Caroline, they’ve been cooking like crazy!

Yes, JJ, there’s so much food! We made fried chicken, and there’s beef in the slow cooker. And Jim’s friends brought over so many other dishes! Fran said.

She turned her face to the window to hide the tears that were building up in her eyes.

There’s no point in upsetting everyone again, she told herself.

Is Dad going to be home? JJ asked.

The other three looked at each other with concern. They were unsure if JJ’s mentally challenged mind had allowed him to comprehend his father’s death.

Matthew took his brother’s hand and looked into his eyes.

Speaking slowly, he said, JJ, remember we talked about Dad. He’s in Heaven now. His spirit is still with us, but we won’t be able to see him. Remember?

Oh, yeah. He’s dead! He said it with such finality that the others began to cry.

I’m sorry, Aunt Frannie! I forgot. Don’t cry, JJ said, as guilty tears began to roll down his own face.

JJ, it’s all right, Fran responded, wiping his face with a tissue that she pulled from a box in the limousine. I’m going to fix you the biggest plate of food! And wait until you see the chocolate cake I’ve made. It has lots of chocolate frosting on it, just the way your father…liked it.

The rest of the long ride was made in silence. Fran held onto JJ’s hand, while Caroline massaged Matthew’s. Abby had fallen asleep, and Lexie dozed as she leaned on her mother.

A procession of cars followed to the home of the late James Williams, a home that held secrets that James had kept from Matthew and JJ.

*****

After everyone left the Paddock Lake Cemetery, a young blond woman walked quietly under the canopy. The cemetery attendants were just about to lower the casket when one of them noticed her gazing.

I’m sorry, he said, as they backed away and walked to the pickup truck. Both men got inside and lit a cigarette.

Always a late comer! Well, I don’t mind getting out of the rain for a smoke, the younger man told his partner.

The woman stood at the casket staring at it for a long time before she realized that she was crying. She pulled one of the yellow daisies from the bouquet she had sent. She instructed the florist that the card should read, From an old friend. She noticed that the card was missing, and realized that they had probably been collected for the family. She looked at the name on the headstone.

"James Williams…my mother loved you so much! I hated you for a long time, because you hurt her! She always thought you were going to leave your wife and come to her. But you didn’t, and I couldn’t understand.

"But Mom told me how you needed to stay, because love isn’t always about two people. You had your sons to think of. I don’t think I understood how much Mom loved you until I read her journals and saw all the mementoes she’d kept from your time with her.

Thank God she met Dave and married him! At least he made her happy! You only hurt her! But she forgave you, and I will try as well!

Julie Davidson didn’t realize that she had crushed the flower in her hand until she stopped talking. She threw it into the gravesite and then pulled two others from the bouquet.

"Daisies were Mom’s favorite. My dad knew that and Mom said you did, too.

"I remember you bringing them to our house and to the camper for her. It seemed like my father always held them in one hand for her while he carried a case of beer in the other for himself. It took me a lot of years to admit he was an alcoholic. But I loved him, and I know Mom tried to.

"I thought you came between them when Mom wanted a divorce. But I know now that Mom couldn’t take watching Dad drink like he did. She did the right thing by getting us out of the house. I told her that so many times. But she had a lot of guilt over her decision to leave Dad.

"I know it wasn’t your fault, but I needed to blame someone. And there you were! In our lives, but only when you could get away from your family!

I hope you’ve found peace now, Jimmy. When those boys found your body, they said you were calling my mother’s name before your heart gave out. I hope you’ve found her!

Julie tucked a strand of hair back under her hat and pulled the heavy veil back down over her face. She didn’t want anyone to recognize her. She put one of the two yellow daisies through the top button hole of her black trench coat. She tugged the coat belt a little tighter, pulled the collar higher on her neck, and while turning away from the coffin, she opened her umbrella and exited the canopy.

Julie turned to the gravesite next to Jimmy Williams and placed the second daisy on the double granite marker. She slowly ran her hand over the names on the headstone.

Annie Baker French. Loving wife of David French. Beloved Mother.  David French, beloved husband of Ann.

Julie choked as she whispered, Mom, I miss you so much! I wish you were here to tell me what to do! But now you have Dave and Jimmy with you, and I know you must be smiling.

Julie stood at her mother and step-father’s graves and let her tears fall. She suddenly felt a breeze brush her face as if someone was touching it gently.

Julie looked again at her mother’s grave, then at Dave’s, and finally, Jimmy’s.

She smiled as she thought about how her mom had told her and Dave years ago that she had purchased cemetery plots for them in the little town cemetery where Annie had lived. Dave worried that she was ill, and Annie reassured him that she was fine. But she was adamant that her final resting place would be here with Dave beside her. 

You must have known that Jimmy would someday be here with you. I don’t know how, but it’s done. Julie smiled at the thought of her mother’s plan. Then her smile turned to a frown.

All right! I guess I knew all along that it would come to this! I have to go to Jimmy’s and get that box! Julie whispered with determination.

It had been drizzling earlier, and now a cold rain fell as she walked on wet grass toward her car. She could hear her black knee high boots squish, squish, as the water squeezed out.

Julie was careful to park away from the gravesite, so no one would notice her presence. With her back to his family, she had stood at a gravesite a few rows from Jimmy’s to listen to the service. She wasn’t taking any chances!

Julie sat in her car for a few minutes and watched as the cemetery workers lowered Jimmy’s casket into the ground. Even with her windows rolled up, she was startled to hear the muffled sound of the backhoe as it moved dirt over the site.

Finally, one worker patted down the last of the dirt with his shovel while the other gathered the few bouquets that hadn’t been removed by the funeral home staff. He laid them in a pile on top of the fresh grave. The dirt was black, and little rivulets of water ran down the mound which created small puddles.

One of the workers glanced over at Julie and said to his partner, That lady’s still here. I wonder what she’s waiting for.

The other shrugged. You never know what someone’s thinking in this line of work, do ya?

Julie started her car and managed to do a three point turn in the road, allowing her to exit in the opposite direction to avoid passing the workers.

"I have one more thing to do for you, Mom. I’ve got to get into Jimmy’s house and find that box before his family does! If his family finds it, they will be hurt.

I’m not going to let them think that it was wrong that you  loved each other!

*****

Julie drove her car to the Williams home and passed it. She parked at the end of the street and looked around before she exited her car. She was quick to check that her hair was tucked under her large brimmed hat and the extra thick veil, so that anyone looking would have a hard time seeing her face or knowing that she was a blue eyed blond.

She walked up the few stairs and could hear laughter coming from the house. The windows gave off a soft glow from the lamps burning inside. She peeked in one and saw the large group gathered in the living room.

Good! Maybe no one will notice me come in!

Julie quietly opened the door and slipped inside inconspicuously. She noticed Jim’s sister, Fran, was in the dining room where a bounty of food was spread out. Julie took in the odors of beef, ham and fried chicken and saw the many cold salads that were in a variety of colored bowls, probably belonging to the neighbors who had brought them.

A card table sat next to the dining room table and was covered with various cakes, pies and cookies.

No one will go home hungry, Julie thought.

And again, there was the distinct smell of funeral flowers.  Julie saw the many bouquets scattered in the living room and into the dining room. There were more flowers than she had noticed at the funeral. Some of them must have been directly delivered to the house.

Jimmy must have been very well regarded, she thought.

Julie was nervous, because she did not want to interact with Fran or Jim’s sons. She took off her coat and laid it on a chair in the front hallway, because the rest of the guests had shed theirs. She had to look like she belonged!  Although there were no wrinkles in her black knit dress, she smoothed the dress out from nervousness.

Julie looked around the room again and decided to make her move. Where was that box? It held too many secrets about the love her mother and Jimmy shared, secrets that Julie was well aware of! Secrets no one else should know!

The brick fireplace was burning, and Julie made her way to it by moving around the edges of the crowd. She stopped and warmed her hands, admiring the Milwaukee cream city colored brick and the thick wooden mantle.

She paused for a moment to look at the pictures on the mantle. Gold, silver and wooden frames captured the moments that must have been important to Jimmy. There were pictures of him with his sons, one with his sister, Fran, and a picture of his granddaughters with Santa Claus. But Julie was on a mission!

She knew Jimmy would not have left the box in plain sight, so it must be in his bedroom. Perhaps in a closet? Or the attic? she wondered.

Julie quietly slipped into the empty hallway and saw that there were five closed doors to choose from.

She didn’t have time to admire the oak trim on the ceiling and floors. Or the expensive six panel oak doors. She didn’t notice the cream colored carpeting under her feet. She went to the first door and found that it was a linen closet. Sheets, towels and cleaning products were stacked neatly on the shelves. Shutting the door quickly, she went on to the next.

She slowly opened it and found a bathroom. She walked inside and turned the lock on the door after she’d shut it

Julie took in her surroundings for a moment. It was decorated with stark white fixtures and a simple, older brass light fixture. The walls were light tan and the brown towels that hung on the towel bars looked well used. A vase stood on the sink vanity. It was filled with yellow silk daisies that had seen little dusting. Julie smiled at the thought of Jimmy with a dust cloth trying to clean them.

I don’t think that happened very often, she said to herself with a grin on her face.

Julie ran the sink water for a few moments in case someone was in the hall. Cautiously, she opened the door and smiled, when she saw that the hallway was still empty. She listened for footsteps, exited the bathroom and walked toward the next door.

Julie noticed that door was slightly open enough for her to peek inside.

This must be Matthew’s room, she whispered.

The room was painted beige with a green and gold plaid quilt on the bed. There were pictures of Matthew on the bureau top. Pictures were of his athletic accomplishments, and some were of formal dances with a different girl in each picture.

Wow, he sure got around! she giggled.

Trophies were on shelves, and Julie saw that Matthew played a variety of sports in his earlier years. A baseball with signatures leaned on a trophy, and a hockey stick stood in the corner of the room. A football rested on a shelf.

I guess Jimmy never changed the room after his son moved out, Julie thought.

She pulled the door closed the way she had found it. She moved to the next room, but this door was open all the way.

JJ’s room, Julie whispered. The room was a stark difference to Matthew’s. The shelves were lined with metal toy cars and trucks, action figures, and a teddy bear was on the bed. The room shouted of JJ’s mental stage as being equivalent to a six- or seven-year-old, and the sadness that his sweet mind would never go any further.

Julie turned at the sound of footsteps coming and ducked into the bedroom. She heard someone walk into the washroom and shut the door. She waited behind the bedroom door, afraid that someone might discover her there. How would she explain?

A few minutes later, she heard the sink water and then the bathroom door opened. The footsteps again went back down the hall toward the living room. She let out a sigh of relief and moved out of the bedroom toward the next door. It was shut.

Slowly, she turned the knob on the door, thinking to herself, This has to be it!

Julie peeked in the room and saw that she was alone. Quietly, she pushed the door almost shut. She wanted to be able to hear if someone should come down the hall.

Clearly, this was the master bedroom. The shades were pulled down and Julie had to pause for a moment to let her eyes adjust to the darkened room.

It was decorated with pale blue walls, a brown, ivory and blue plaid quilt, and an old rocker with faded blue cushions stood at the corner. A chest of drawers was off to one side of the room. A small, boxy television stood on it. A pair of nightstands stood like guards on each side of the bed. The television remote was on one of them.

But Julie’s eyes stopped when she saw the painting hanging directly across from the bed where Jimmy would see it as he lay waiting for sleep. It was a painting she remembered her mother doing.

When had she painted that? Julie thought for a moment; then she remembered. It was while she was seeing Jimmy, just before their affair ended.

The picture was of a glistening lake surrounded by pine trees. Annie had told Julie that it was a special memory for her, but she would not say anything else about it. Once it was done, Julie remembered that she hadn’t seen it again. Had Mom given it to Jimmy? She must have!

Julie looked closer and saw that it was the only painting that her mother hadn’t signed, and now she knew why. Jimmy must have brought it home while he was still with his wife, Madeline. He must have told her that he had bought it in order to hang it in their home.

Julie touched the painting, and for a moment, she thought about watching her mother paint when she was a young child. It brought a smile to her face.

She looked around the room again. It didn’t take long for anyone to see which side of the bed Jim used. The mattress was clearly indented from his body sleeping on one side of the bed. A man’s wristwatch was on the night stand. Julie remembered seeing it before, but why? She couldn’t remember, and it wasn’t important now. She had to find the box!

Julie crept to the nightstand and opened the top drawer. She rifled past a few wallet sized pictures of Jim’s sons and granddaughter. Underneath those, she saw a picture of a lake with a faded flower taped to it. Her mother had put the date on the back of the photo. She stopped and looked at her mother’s handwriting.

Julie recognized the photo as one that had been in the box she had dropped off anonymously at Jim’s house less than five years ago. Julie had found the box after her mother died, and she had followed the request her mother made. Annie wanted Jimmy to have the box and all its contents. It told the story of their love and the times they had spent together.

Did Jimmy look at it before falling asleep and remember Mom on that day at the lake? Julie wondered.

Julie stared at the photo of the lake, then the painting on the wall which was where her mother and Jimmy had made love in the tall grasses. The painting on the wall was the same as the picture in her hand! She had read about the lake in her mother’s journals before she turned them over to Jimmy.

She rubbed the picture between her thumb and forefinger. She liked to think of her mother being happy.

But then she heard a loud group laughing in the living room and quickly pushed the picture into her dress pocket.

Why didn’t I bring my purse in from the car? she thought to herself. She had a small flashlight in it that might have helped her move through the nightstand and closet contents with a little more speed.

Julie continued to rifle through the two nightstand drawers, but she didn’t find any more of her mother’s belongings. She jerked her head up at the sound of footsteps, but they stopped down the hallway, and she heard a door close.

Someone must have needed to use the washroom, she thought, as she stared at the closet door.

Julie slowly opened one of the two sliding doors. She saw Jimmy’s clothes neatly hung on hangars - subdued colored sweaters, a few plaid flannel work shirts, white and blue dress shirts, men’s khaki pants, dress pants and two pairs of worn out jeans.

Tucked in the corner was a plastic see through dry cleaners bag. Julie looked closer. As she lifted the bag off the clothing, she could not believe her eyes. She saw a blue striped angora sweater.

Mom wrote about dancing with Jimmy in high school, and he was wearing this sweater, Julie thought. I can’t believe he kept it!

She didn’t realize that it was the same sweater that Jimmy had died in. She had come across the paramedics that day in her home town. They had stopped because an old man had died of a heart attack along the creek on property his own father had once owned.

She had stopped to help, and when she was told who it was, she had lifted the sheet off Jimmy’s body to say goodbye, as much for herself as for her late mother.

Jimmy had been found with a picture of her mother in his hand. Julie had kept that picture when the paramedics carried his body to the ambulance. She didn’t remind them, and they never asked her for it. Perhaps it was because they were so shocked at her emotional reaction to Jimmy’s death.

But they couldn’t understand what she was feeling.

Julie looked at the shelf above Jimmy’s hung clothing. It held many boxes, but none that resembled the one her mother had left. She pushed the boxes aside one at a time as quickly as she could. Some of them were open, so it was easy to see the contents.

But none held what she was looking for. She dropped to her knees, and pushed Jimmy’s shoes and boots to the side. She felt her nylon catch on the hardwood floor and tear.

Damn! Where is it? she asked out loud.

Those are my dad’s shoes. Julie was startled by the voice. She jerked her head around and saw JJ standing in the bedroom watching her. Julie stood up and brushed off her dress.

Hello. I know who you are, she said to the young man. "You’re JJ, right? JJ suddenly smiled and nodded yes.

My name is Ju...Judy. Julie had to protect her identity.

Hi, Judy. My dad is dead. Today he is dead. You can ask my brother.

She walked over to JJ and smiled.

I know. He was a nice man, she looked him directly in his eyes. He had Jimmy’s brown eyes. She saw that JJ was having trouble comprehending the loss of his father.

JJ, can you help me find something? she asked.

Sure. What? he replied.

Julie heard a voice in the hall. It was a woman’s voice. She did not want to be found in the bedroom