Dovetail: A Novel(22)
“Maybe you should go back inside and sit down?” he said kindly. Pearl saw that Joe had a compassion that had been missing in his father. Was it because his mother died and he knew what it was like to have loss, or was this something a person was born with? She had a feeling people were born with it, and she knew herself well enough to know she’d never had it. Only recently had she started to realize all the damage she’d done in thinking only of herself.
“Not until you see the best part,” she said. “The lake.” She set the glass down on a bale of hay next to the barn door, then continued to the back of the property, with Joe trailing behind. The path down to the lake had never been paved, but a century of feet pounding its course had turned the dirt hard as asphalt. She was able to go about halfway, then stopped at the top of the incline. They could see the lake through the trees ahead; sunlight danced on the surface of the water. “The rest of this is rough sledding for an old lady like me. I’ll wait here while you go take a look.”
He hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, and then you can report back and tell me what you see. Let me know what shape the dock is in.” From a distance it looked fine, but she knew that up close it could be another story.
He nodded. “I’ll be right back.”
As she watched him head toward the path, Pearl thought about the reliability of the lake. All of life was change, ongoing, never ceasing. Babies were born and grew up, seemingly overnight. And then, in the blink of an eye, those babies were married grown-ups announcing that they were expecting babies of their own. No one had warned her how fast it all would go.
The landscape, too, changed. Trees grew taller, saplings thickening and growing until they canopied overhead. Houses were built and over time fell into disrepair. Some were torn down and new ones built in their stead. Others took on additions or remodels, changing the look of the original house. Roads were widened and traffic lights updated. It was hard to keep track of it all.
Stores were the same for decades and then overnight became different kinds of stores. Tomlinson’s Groceries was bought out by a national chain. Frederick’s Pharmacy lost its soda fountain counter and candy display to focus solely on pharmaceuticals, snacks, and health-related items. She’d gotten her walker there, and Howard had gotten more than one cane. He had a tendency to misplace them. It was a shame to watch the world transform before one’s eyes, powerless to stop it.
The lake, though, was timeless, looking almost exactly the way it had when she was a child. A spot of consistent tranquility in the midst of a fast-forward world.
She whispered, “The world is for the young.” Pearl wasn’t quite sure if she’d heard that expression somewhere or come up with it on her own, but she did know the truth of it. She was young once, with all sorts of wonderful possibilities ahead of her. Now the only thing she had left was this young man, her grandson. If she was going to make things right, it would fall to him. And it would have to happen soon, or it wouldn’t be happening at all. So much depended on it.
CHAPTER TWELVE
1983
Kathleen stood at the front counter of Secondhand Heaven, the phone pressed to her ear. She listened as the old lady on the other end of the line rambled on, going over everything they’d discussed numerous times already. Kathleen absentmindedly looped the curly cord around one finger while commenting periodically to let Pearl know she understood. “Yes. Sure. Of course.” She gazed around the room until she spotted her assistant, Marcia, then mouthed the words Help me, along with a roll of her eyes.
In response, Marcia sprang into action, opening the front door and letting it close so that the jangle of the bell could be clearly heard. “Excuse me!” she yelled. “Is there someone here who can give me the price of this dresser? Hello! Anyone?”
Kathleen said, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Arneson, but I’m alone in the store, and I have to attend to a customer.” She unraveled the cord from her finger. “No, there’s no need to call back. I understand perfectly. Yes, I will. Thank you, Mrs. Arneson. Goodbye.” Kathleen set the receiver in its cradle and put her hand to her forehead.
“What was that all about?” Marcia asked with a grin.
“Pearl Arneson giving me more instructions. She must think I’m a complete idiot.”
“What now?”
Kathleen’s eyes went heavenward, resting on a crystal chandelier with the price tag twirling on a string off the bottom of the fixture. “She wanted to let me know her grandson, Joe, has agreed to take the job and will be staying in her house. She wanted confirmation that I will take all her furniture on consignment.” She waved her hand. “And on and on. This is all stuff we’ve talked about before. Am I sure I’ll take all the furniture? Do I have enough room in the store? It’s going to be a lot of furniture, you know.” She looked around the store. The stock hadn’t been replenished in a while, so the floor space was thinning out. And there was the back room and a garage, now standing empty, ready for the overflow.
Marcia shook her head. “She’s old. I’m sure she forgot you already talked about it. I heard she’s dying.”
“I heard that too. She told me so herself.” Kathleen exhaled. She remembered how Pearl Arneson had come into the store two weeks earlier to set up the sale of her home’s contents. At the same time, she’d announced her terminal status without a hint of emotion, making it sound more like a deadline than the end of her life. She was a hard woman to figure out, but Kathleen was not without compassion. “I’m sorry if I sounded impatient with her.”