I began writing this story on:
Sunday, December 19, 2010
My little Christmas gift to myself.


THE TREASURE
by Ora Lea Harrison

A Little Story about a Home and the Friends Who Love It


NEW FRIENDS

      I drove along the tree arched avenue searching for the address that my sister had given me.   Seeing it, I pulled into the small parking space beside the curb instead of going up the circular drive.   I wasn't familiar with this older part of town.   The homes with their well kept, beautiful grounds were reminiscent of a wealthier period.
      Beverly had written to me, asking me to look in on her best friend's God-Mother.   I didn't really want to do this but felt that I needed to, nevertheless.   Being a little uncertain, I said a prayer as I began this new venture.
      I studied the house a little before getting out of the car.   The upstairs windows were open and the curtains were moving in the breeze.
      I wondered, momentarily, if I was being watched.
      As I opened the car door and was getting out, I took my shoulder bag from the passenger seat but the long strap got caught on something and when I jerked on it, the contents flew from the open top of the purse and out of the car door.
      I hurried out from the car and scrambled around gathering my personal items, thankful that the street wasn't busy just now.   Looking under the car I saw a lipstick that had rolled to the other side of the car and scurried around to retrieve it.
      Straightening my clothes, I locked the car and walked up the few steps to the sidewalk leading to the house.
      The front door had opened and a woman and a girl, around twelve, stood at the doorway.   A small dog, a Yorkie, was standing with them, barking at me.   "Missy, be quiet!"   the girl reprimanded her.
      Realizing that they had probably been watching from the front window, I was slightly embarrassed.
      As I got closer to them I said,   "I'm Gloria Nelson, I'm here to see Mrs. Thorpe, I phoned earlier."
      The woman stood to one side of the door as the girl moved back a little, holding the door open.   "Please do come in, I'll get my Grandmother,"   she said.   "Go ahead and sit down I'll be right back."
      I stepped in and the woman closed the door and said,   "Make yourself comfortable, Missus'll be down in just a minute," and passed me as she went to the back of the house.
      I heard a light tapping on a door and murmurings of the girl and her Grandmother.

      The entrance hall that I found myself in was a nice sized, well lit room.   Glancing upward, I could see the reason for the light.   I was looking through an oval shaped opening at skylights in the ceiling of the second story of the house.   The hallway of the second floor was a railed balcony.   A curving staircase with a polished banister led to the upstairs.   Apparently, the bedrooms were on the second floor.
      In this lower hallway, there were three sets of double doors with half moon, etched windows over their tops.   The doors to my right were closed.   The ones directly in front of me were opened and I had the view of a formal dining room.   The open doors to my left were directly across from the staircase.   There was a door in the corner of the room next to the staircase that I assumed was a coat closet.
      To my left was an antique wooden coat rack and a gold brocade love seat.   Over the love seat was a painting of a beautiful young woman.
      I could hear the chiming of a clock as I sat down on the love seat.

      Momentarily, I heard a door opening and closing and a woman came down the stairs.   I hesitantly walked towards her, saying,   "I'm Gloria Nelson, are you Mrs. Thorpe?"
      "Good Afternoon, Gloria",   the woman spoke,   "Yes, I'm Patricia Thorpe, call me Patti.   It's so good to see you, Allison's friend's are always welcome here."   I recognized the old Deep South accent from our brief conversation on the phone.
      Seeing her mistress, Missy ran to her.
      Turning to look at her granddaughter standing on the balcony above the staircase, Patti spoke to her,   "Ginger, you're welcome to come down and visit with us, if you'd like."
      Ginger, leaning on the banister, said,   "Thanks, Grams, but I think I'll take Missy out back for a run, if you don't mind."
      "That's a good idea.   Would you ask Maggie to bring in the refreshments on your way out?"
      Refreshments.   I realized that Patti was making an occasion of my visit.   I was touched.
      I followed Patti into the room at my left.   I was pleasantly surprised as I surveyed my surroundings.
      The room was large with tall windows and lovely eclectic furnishings, some from a bygone era.
      The outdoor gardens could be seen through the open windows.
      Missy had followed us and sat back, watching me, until Ginger came to fetch her.

      Sitting down in a comfortable chair, Patti motioned me to a nearby one,   "So, Allison decided that I needed to be checked up on.   It's not enough that we write and talk on the phone,"   she spoke with an amused tone, in spite of her words to the contrary.
      I couldn't help staring at Patti, she was such a gracious beauty, even at her age.
      She was so interesting, that it seemed we had hardly begun our visit when I noticed the shadows beginning to lengthen on the lawn outside the windows and the clock had already chimed twice.
      Our glasses of ice had turned to water, Missy had long ago gone to sleep on a pillow on the floor and the granddaughter was upstairs, probably talking on the phone, from the giggling and squealing that I heard off and on.
      I called Patti's attention to the lateness of the hour not wanting this special time to be over.
      As I was walking towards the front door, Patti touched my arm and looking intently into my eyes said,   "I've so enjoyed your visit, please do come back again, soon.   I can see how you would have a sister that would be friends with my Allison.   Maybe we could have lunch one day real soon."
      I hugged her, she was such a precious person, and said,   "I'd love to come back, I've had such a good visit with you, I'm so glad that I got to meet you.   I'll call Beverly when I get home to let her know that you're doing good."
      I felt as though I'd been in the presence of nobility.
      I was happy that Beverly had asked me to do this for her friend.
      As I got into the car, I turned to look back at the house and saw someone at an upstairs window, looking out at me.   I waved, deciding that it was Ginger but who ever it was backed away from the window, without waving back.
      It seemed an odd thing to do but I started the car and drove home, anxious to tell Beverly about my visit.


Chapter Two

LUNCH WITH PATTI


      The next day, I awoke with an expectant feeling.   Beverly and I had had a good talk on the phone and she seemed as excited as I was about my visit with Patti.
      Returning from an errand a couple of weeks later, I stopped to pick up the mail and was shuffling through it before driving on to the house and saw a personal, small, ivory envelope with Patti's name on the return address.
      Putting it on the top of the stack of mail, I drove on to the house and going in, picked up my letter opener from my desk and slit open the envelopes.
      Opening the small one, I took out the contents, a feminine lacy looking letter asking me to be at her home two days later for lunch.   I hurriedly called to accept the invitation.   Anything else that I'd planned for that time would just have to wait.
      Two days later, I grabbed a fresh shoulder bag to go with a flowered dress and matching low heeled shoes.   Picking out one of my favorite books to take, I hoped that Patti and I would have the same taste in books and wouldn't mind that it was one of my favorite 'dog eared' books of poetry and set out.
      I had no problem pulling up into the circular drive to Patti's home and parking close to the house this time.
      Maggie opened the door to my ring but Ginger was no where to be seen.
      Patti was already in the solarium waiting for my arrival.
      Without getting up, she greeted me and waved me to the chair across from her at the little glass topped table.
      Before I could ask how she was, she began,   "I hope chicken salad with cucumber slices in vinegar will be alright.   Maggie has also prepared iced tea for us to drink.   If you're ready, she'll bring lunch out now."
      "It sounds delicious",   I replied as I passed the poetry book to her, saying,   "I hope you like poetry and don't mind that this is so old and used."
      Looking at the book, Patti's face lit up as she said,   "Thank you so much, this is one of my favorites."
      Thumbing through the book, she stopped at a page and her lips moved as she read the poem on the page to herself.   She then turned the book towards me and passing it across the table, she smiled at me expectantly.
      I looked at the poem that she obviously wanted me to see and reading the title and author, I saw that it read 'When the Wind Blows' by Patricia E. Parson.   I read it and told her that I thought that it was a beautiful poem.
      She smiled an odd little smile and said,   "That's me, Patricia Elizabeth Parson, my maiden name."
      I looked at her, surprised, as I said,   "I didn't realize that you're an actual published poet!   How cool!"
      Patti smiled sweetly and said,   "Yes, I guess you could say that."
      Just then, Maggie brought in a tray with the lunch that she'd done and left us as we began serving ourselves.
      The food was delicious, the room was beautiful and the company was wonderful.   I didn't remember enjoying myself so much in a long time.
      Again, we talked as the afternoon wore on without even noticing.   Finally, I realized that I needed to say 'Good-bye' and rose to go.
      Patti had a slightly sad look on her face and said,   "I hope you'll come again, you're like a treasure that I've discovered."
      Thinking how odd this was since she was the treasure, I told her that I'd be happy to come back anytime she wanted me.
      Again, as I looked back at the house as I was driving away, the face was at the upstairs window and withdrew again.
      I had to remember to ask my sister about others that might live with Patti that she hadn't mentioned.   All that I'd seen so far was Ginger and Maggie and I didn't even know if either of them lived there with her.
      It did seem a mystery.
      That evening, I called Beverly and asked her to find out if she knew anything about the person in the upstairs window.   I was beginning to be concerned about her, in spite of her seeming happiness.
      Beverly called me back later and said that when she had questioned Allison, she didn't know who it might be but that it was probably the housekeeper or another maid.
      I mulled over that and decided that she was right.


Chapter Three

SURPRISES


      Summer drew to a close and Autumn began before I was to see Patti again.   As I hadn't heard from her either, I figured that, like me, Summer was her busy time of the year, also.
      One day, I decided that I was just going to have to put everything on the back burner or I'd never get around to her and did.
      As I walked towards the house, something seemed different and I realized that the curtains weren't moving in the breezes as before.   The windows were closed due to inclement weather, I decided.
      There were no faces in the upstairs window either.
      I realized that the flower beds had changed, the Autumn plants were out now, pansies, spider lilies, golden mums and other flowers that I didn't take time to identify.
      When I rang the bell, Patti, herself, came to the door.
      It had been a couple of months since our last visit and although she still was just as beautiful, she seemed a little more reserved, maybe.
      Taking my hand, we walked to the solarium, as I had begun to think of it.
      I looked around, realizing how much I had missed it and her.
      The little book of poetry that I had given her at my second visit was on the table next to her favorite sitting chair.   I was surprised and pleased.
      We had no sooner began our visit when the doorbell rang.   We could hear Maggie as she answered the door and spoke with someone.   She closed the front door and then came to where we were and spoke softly to Patti.   She was so close to her I couldn't hear what she was saying.
      Patti looked surprised and told Maggie that she wasn't receiving anyone this afternoon to please tell the gentleman to phone ahead if he needed to see her again.
      Maggie left the room and voices were again heard at the front door.
      The door closed and Maggie went back to the back of the house.   I glanced at Patti, who seemed a little upset.
      "Now, where were we?"   she said, as though we had been in the middle of a conversation.
      I didn't know what to say so she continued talking in her sweet conversational way.
      After a little while, I heard piano music coming from someplace in the house, probably upstairs.
      Patti looked towards the open door to the hallway then back at me, seeming to be studying my face, my reaction to the music.
      Very softly she spoke,   "Gloria, I don't believe I've ever shown you any of the other rooms in the house, have I?"
      Puzzled, I answered,   "No Mam', you haven't."
      She rose, a little stiffly it seemed to me, and very graciously led the way across the hallway to the other set of double doors in the entrance hall.   Like the solarium, this room was large and airy but with a more formal atmosphere, similar to an old fashioned parlor.
      One of the first things that my eyes beheld was a grand piano.   I was surprised, this was unexpected even in a home like this.   This one was obviously an antique with a dark wood finish and was the center of attention in the room.
      As no one was here playing, I guessed that there was more than one piano in the house.   I wondered if Ginger could actually play so elaborately.
      "Gloria, do you play?"   Patti brought my attention back to the present.
      How I wished that I did.   "No Mam', we had a piano when I was a child and I played around on it but didn't keep up with it."
      "I see by the look on your face that you understand what the piano means to us,"   she continued.   "Let's keep to the tour for now, we can come back here later, if you like."
      She went over to a door that was in the corner of the room and we went into a hallway.   Flipping a light switch, we walked past the powder room, where the door was ajar.   On down the hall, she slid back pocket doors that opened to a long walk-in coat closet.   A long pole went across the length of the room and there were shelves and a chest of drawers.   The room was filled with an assortment of coats, umbrella's, various boots and other accessories for wearing outside.   Patti walked around the room, straightening as she went.   "I'm afraid we're not as tidy as we should be,"   she laughed.
      Turning out the light and closing the doors, she motioned towards a door,   "That, as you already know, goes to the entrance hall,"   she said.
      Going back down the hallway we entered a door, across from the formal room, that opened into the kitchen.   This was a large, homey room, looking like a picture right out of a magazine.
      Patti spoke to a surprised Maggie, who looked up from her work.   "Excuse us, Maggie, I'm giving Gloria the tour."   Maggie smiled her approval.
      From there, we went through the dining room where Patti lingered for a moment so I could take it all in.   Even though I had known that it was there, having seen it from the front door, I was surprised at the heavy furniture, the table and chairs, the china closet, a tea cart and the side buffet.   These were similar to my own Grandmother's things that I remembered from my childhood.   I told Patti and she was pleased that I liked it.
      This room had beautiful paintings and fresh flowers like the other rooms had.
      "I love this house," Patti said.   "We've been here for many years and collected the pieces of furniture over a long period of time.   T   his dining room set had belonged to my husbands own Mother.   We were delighted when we learned that she had willed it to us.   Even though he had been an only child, his Mother was a very generous hearted person and was always making sure others were taken care of."
      "Would you like to see the upstairs, as well?"   she asked.
      "Oh, yes,"   I replied, anxious to see the rest of the house and where the music was coming from.
      We climbed the curving staircase and stepped onto the balcony.   The piano music was obviously coming from the double doors at the back of the house, down the hallway.   Glancing around, I saw what looked to be a library and two bedrooms that had their doors open.   We went to the bedrooms first.
      They both had dressing rooms, including large walk-in closets and full baths.   One room was obviously used but the second one must have been for guests.   I was surprised to see men's things in the room that was frequently used.   Patti didn't say anything about it.
      On the front wall of the balcony were tall windows and a sitting arrangement, comfortable chairs, lamps and occasional tables.   I wondered if these were the windows that I'd seen the face in.
      "If I lived here, I would like to have a Christmas tree right here,"   I spoke suddenly, surprising myself.
      "How alike we are,"   Patti acknowledged.   "Actually, we sometimes have several trees, depending on how much work we're up to in a given year.   Christmas takes up a whole month so we like to make plans for it throughout the year.   I hope you'll be able to come during December.   Holidays are always better when you can celebrate with friends."
      When we came to a third door, it was closed so Patti knocked softly and waited for Ginger’s “Come in” before opening the door.   Ginger was sitting at her desk studying, Missy was sleeping on the floor close by.
      Ginger looked up and smiling, said,   "Hello, Mrs. Nelson, good to see you again."
      Patti walked over to her and kissed the top of her head, saying indulgently,   "How's my Pet?   I don't believe I've even seen you today."
      She turned to me, "When you live in a house this large, you can get lost, if you're not careful."
      The room was a sweet, pre-teen room.   There was a canopy bed and small couch with a few posters of her favorite entertainers and her school colors displayed.   There was a computer and a phone on the desk that Ginger was working at along with her school books and papers.
      The doors were open to the closet and bathroom and the lights had been left on.   Patti went to both rooms and switching the lights off said, "Sweetie, we don't leave the lights on in rooms we're not using, okay?"
      "Sorry, Grams,"   came Ginger's reply.
      Amidst the clutter on her dresser, I recognized a photograph of an older version of the young lady in the painting in the downstairs hallway.
      Seeing my interest, Patti picked the picture up and said,   "This is my Pamela, Ginger's Mother.
      I wondered about the Father of the child but didn't want to appear too nosy.
      As if reading my mind, Patti took snapshots of Ginger with a man from the mirror and went on,   "This is Ginger's Dad, Chris, he's a pilot for the company Pamela works for."   Ginger looked up smiling at the mention of her Dad.   "Daddy called a while ago, Grams, they're coming to get me this weekend."
      Patti turned to me,   "Chris and Pamela fly in this direction every couple of weeks to take Ginger home with them.   Well, we're off, I'm giving Mrs. Nelson the famous tour, I'll see you at supper if not before."
      Leaving Ginger's room, I noticed the intercom system like the one's I'd seen in other rooms.
      "It cuts down on the running up and down the stairs and a lot of hollering,"   Patti laughed, seeing my curiosity.
      All this time, the piano had continued to play intermittently and Patti hadn't addressed the fact.   Odd, I thought.
      Leaving Ginger's room, we went into the library, where I noticed the doors to a cabinet with a large television inside were opened.   Patti went to the cabinet and closed the doors.   This was a cozy room with a fire in the fireplace.
      "Let's sit here for a moment and enjoy the fire,"   Patti said.   Going to a corner cabinet, she opened the door and I realized that it was a small refrigerator.   Taking out two bottles of water, she handed me one.
      "Pamela works out of state; when she had finished her schooling where she majored in art, she had the opportunity to get in on the ground floor at a new company in Atlanta, Georgia.   They created furniture and she did their designs for them.   Eventually she met Chris and they were married.   They left the furniture business to build their own clothing business when Ginger was born."
      "Even though she adores her daughter, she realizes that with the business, she's unable to give Ginger the same type of upbringing that she had, growing up, and we agreed to keep Ginger until such a time that they can be at home with her more.   Ginger had been here many times and made the transition well.   We've had her for three years now.   She's made a world of difference for me."
      We were beginning to feel drowsy from the fire's warmth and hypnotic spell and rose to finish our tour.
      A door next to the library was opened to reveal a back staircase to the kitchen.
      The next door was to a large linen closet.   The scent of cedar and fabric softener wafted from the room as we closed the door.
      Finally, Patti knocked on the double doors, opened them a little and announced us before we entered the room.
      There was a man sitting at a baby grand piano next to the windows that looked out on the back gardens.
      Not yet aware of our presence, he continued to play the beautiful music that I'd been enjoying hearing.
      Patti walked over to him and he looked up, surprised to see her.
      "Andre`, I'd like for you to meet my friend, Gloria."   Turning to me, Patti said,   "Gloria, this is my husband, Andre`.
      How odd, I thought, why hasn't a husband been mentioned before now?   Knowing that I was having little success hiding my feelings, I walked over to them and held out my hand to him.
      Andre` stood up, taller than Patti and together they smiled largely while I was wondering if this was a joke or had Beverly misunderstood about Patti's husband.   Why had Allison wanted me to check on Patti if she already had these other's in her life?
      "I've been enjoying your playing,"   I said, looking at Andre`.   So, this was the face at the window, I thought to myself.
      "Thank you very much,"   he said, with a slight accent. "Patti has told me much about you, I'm so glad that she’s found a place in your heart.   She'll be a good friend to you."
      Although he wasn't as handsome as Patti was beautiful, he looked like the type of man that she would marry.   They did look good together.
      Feeling the need for my own home, I told them that I needed to get home to my own husband and prepare our dinner.
      "Both of you will have to come here for dinner."   Andre` said.   "If you like, I can have Maggie prepare a traditional Holland meal.   That's the kind of food that I grew up on.
      "I would love that",   I told them.

Chapter Four

LEE’S TURN


      It was starting to rain as I was driving home and I decided that I'd talk to Lee and see what he would say.   Who knows, he might actually come up with a good answer.   He was a man, after all, who should understand men.
      I'm tired, I thought, I need to think about something else for awhile.   Our grandson, Jonathan, was coming this weekend, I'd focus on that.   It would be good to see the little guy, he was growing up too fast and I wished he lived closer so we could share in his life more.

      I wasn't to have my space, however.
      When I walked in the house, Lee was in the kitchen, starting dinner and turned to me saying,   "Your friend, Patti, called, she wants you to call her back as soon as you can.   I thought you went over to her house today."
      "I just left",   I replied with more enthusiasm than I felt.
      Going to the phone, I dialed and waited for Patti to come to the phone.
      "Gloria",   she started,   "I need to talk to you, do you think you could possibly come tomorrow morning around ten?"
      Not understanding, I answered,   "Of course, Patti, I'd be happy to."
      Hanging up, I joined Lee in the kitchen, donned my apron and began helping with the dinner preparations.
      While I chopped vegetables for the Chop Suey, one of our favorites, I told him my story and he listened.   That's a good trait of Lee's, he knows how to listen.
      With a slight frown on his face, Lee said,   "If you really think you should do this, I'm going with you."
      I didn't know quite what to say and didn't feel like it would be appropriate to refuse the offer.   Lee is very protective of me and the whole situation was odd.
      "That would be nice, you can visit with Andre` while I talk to Patti.   They shouldn't mind."
      Over dinner, we talked about what we would do on Saturday, when Jonathan was here.   Sometimes we went to public places but I felt that a weekend at home might be a better idea, this time.
      After we were through in the kitchen, I went into the bedroom where Jonathan would be spending the night to see that everything was ready for him.
      In the kitchen I checked on supplies for baking that needed to be done the following day.   Looking outside, I saw that the light Autumn rain had stopped and that Lee was out back at the fence talking to our neighbor.   He must have seen him when he was taking the dinner scraps to Rowdy, our Cocker Spaniel.


Chapter Five

PATTI'S STORY



      When Maggie opened the door to my ring the next morning, she looked curiously surprised to see Lee with me and seating us in the solarium, went to get Patti.
      Patti seemed thrilled to meet Lee and he with her.
      I explained to Patti that Lee and I were doing errands together and asked her if it would be alright if he visited with Andre` while we talked.
      Smiling, she nodded and moved to an intercom and called Andre`, letting him know that Lee was on his way up.   She spoke with Maggie and Lee followed Maggie upstairs.
      Motioning for me to follow, Patti took me through the side door from the solarium and we walked down the pathways through her beds until we came to a small bench, where we sat down.
      "I'd like to tell you a story,"   Patti began,   "Long ago, when I was just out of high school in Alabama, where I grew up, I went to a dance that was being held in the park to raise money for the local orphanage.   While I was there, a young man asked me to dance.   I hadn't seen him before but was very much attracted to him."
      "Even though he was a virtual stranger, I felt safe with him and we got away from the crowd and went to the swings and talked."
      "He was seven years older and had already earned a reputation for himself as a composer pianist, in spite of his youth."
      "We were married in August, it was just a small wedding at the park where we first saw each other.   Andre` lived in Georgia and was at my home town visiting cousins when we met."
      "He liked our town so much we decided to live there and rented a small honeymoon cottage close to my parents."
      "The following May, I gave birth to my daughter, Pamela.”   She smiled,   “You can see that we didn't waste any time in starting our family."
      "We were very happy together, Andre` got a good job with the local symphony.   They were on the road a lot doing performances."
      "Pamela and I stayed close to home to keep a settled place for him to return to.   It was a little lonely with him gone so much but we had each other, my family and friends and my community service.   I worked a little as a volunteer at the hospital."
      "When Pamela was just a year old, Andre` decided to take a tour with a company across Europe.   This was a different company than he had been working with here to fore."
      "At first, he kept in close touch but after awhile, we heard less and less from him.   I was concerned and tried to get him to come home but to no avail.   He felt that he needed to keep his commitment.   You know how performers are, 'The show must go on'."
      "After awhile, my letters began coming back, unopened."
      "I had been sending my letters to a post office box that the symphony company kept.   They would forward them on to him.   One day, a man and a woman from the symphony company came to the house and told me that they didn't want me to be unduly frightened but that Andre` was missing and they thought that I should know.   They stayed a short while as they told me the only facts that they knew.   They said that Andre` had begun going out without letting anyone know where he was going.   Since he wasn't missing any performances, nothing was said to him about it.   It was his own time, after all.   This wasn't something that they encouraged, however, as they were in a foreign country and things could happen."
      "One day, Andre` didn't show up for the performance nor did they hear from him again.   It had been two weeks since anyone had seen him.   They eventually shipped his personal belongings to me."
      "I went through all of the channels that I could think of, the Embassy's overseas, and other places that I was told about.   I finally hired a private detective.   Andre` had made good money in his work and I had some savings by now.   I can still remember the detective's name, Eddy Thorn, we had gone to school together.   Although he was young, Eddy was a great detective.   He followed lead after lead but eventually had to quit as I wasn't getting money from Andre` anymore."
      "I hadn't counted on going to work with Pamela so small but my Mother was happy to keep her while I worked as a telephone operator.   The money wasn't a lot but I was able to keep up with the bills and the house so when Andre` returned, he'd have our own home waiting for him.   I had a strong faith that he was still alive and would return."
      "It never struck you that he may have been involved with another woman, maybe had begun another family since he had been without his own for so long?"   I couldn't help interjecting.
      She turned as though she had forgotten that I was there and smiling, she took my hand and said,   "It never even crossed my mind, we were truly one, you see, in spite of our geographic distance."
      "One Spring morning, when Pamela was three, I happened to look out of the window and saw a man standing across the street looking at our house.   He was tall and gaunt but familiar looking, never the less.   I kept looking at him through the window and suddenly realized that I was looking at Andre`."
      "Forgetting everything that I was doing, I swung open the door and took off across the lawn and the street, not even checking the traffic first.   God was just watching over me, I guess."   "I grabbed a hold of him and began blubbering like Pamela did when she hurt herself.   Always the gentle person, he held me and stroked my hair and we walked back to the house."
      "Pamela was standing in the front doorway, confused at her Mother crying and being held by this strange man.   Even though I made a point of talking about Andre` to her, just seeing a picture hadn't been enough to prepare her for the real 'Daddy'."
      "I called my work and told them that I wouldn't be in that day and took Pamela to my Mother's.
      "He and I spent the day alone while he tried to catch me up to what had been going on for the previous couple of years."
      "I'm sure you noticed André’s accent."   I nodded,   "Yes, I did"
      "André’s Father was stationed in Europe when he was in the service and he brought home a lovely Holland bride.   She knew very little English so André’s grown up bilingual and carries his Mother's accent.   I adored her, such a precious woman.   My daughter, Pamela, is very much like her."
      "Because of Andre's ability to speak a European language, he adapted well to learning other European languages, as well.   As a popular musician, he was able to move about without suspicion and was approached by our government to use his skills to gather information as well as be a liaison between governments."
      "This was all without my knowledge, I only knew that he was a much needed musician and the love of my life, still is."
      "It was so very frustrating, not knowing whether he was dead or alive or hurt someplace.   Of course the government knew what was going on but I didn't know to ask them and they didn't offer information."
      "Andre said that for about a year he was doing good but then one day, he got caught in a compromising situation and was taken into custody.   He was kept in an old farmhouse near Russia for the next year without contact with any of his companions either in the music world or the government one.   As a composer-musician, Andre` was too special a commodity to the people for them to let him go to a prison where his talents would be hidden.   Instead, he was brought before important people to entertain."
      "There was a family who lived on the farm and they were nice and friendly to him but he realized that they were being paid to watch him and was careful of them."
      "Finally, our government was able to make a trade and Andre` was allowed to come home.   They let him resign from the job and gave him a huge check for the year that he was held and he came home to Pamela and me."
      She sat still for a moment, still lost in the old days.
      I put my arm around her.   I had no idea of the ordeal that she had lived through, she was so sweet and composed.
      Then she turned to me, smiling, “All of this happened a long time ago but it lasted for so long and had such an effect on our lives that it has pretty much ordered our lives ever since.   I wanted you to know as we have been close from the beginning of our relationship.   Very few know about this.   Allison's parents lived next door to us and were our best friends so eventually we told them but I doubt Allison ever knew.
      After you left yesterday, I talked with Andre` and we agreed that we would share this with you and your husband.   You are someone that we both admire and feel that your husband is the same.   Andre` is telling Lee about this right now.   We have our own sides to tell and wanted to do it separately.   We had no idea that Lee would be coming with you today but it does seem to be good timing, doesn't it?”
      We didn’t speak for a few moments then she stood up, gathering her shawl around her. “Come, lets go visit with our husbands.”

The End


Thank you for reading my little story, I hope you enjoyed it and will let me know, okay?
ora.lea @ gmail.com   OLH)

Finished writing, March 8, 2011       Property of Ora Lea Harrison

My Novelettes
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