Read Grandfather's Dance Online

Authors: Patricia MacLachlan

Grandfather's Dance (4 page)

BOOK: Grandfather's Dance
11.47Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Matthew and Maggie were there, and Rose and Violet. All of my friends from school were there, laughing and chasing each other, and stealing candied roses off the wedding cake. Mr. Willet, my teacher, was there, too, pretending he didn’t see them do it.

The dogs came, blue ribbons tied on their collars, and our cat Seal’s kittens, now grown, wound in and around plants in the garden, watching curiously.

Mama and Papa danced and smiled at each other as if it were their wedding.

William danced with Aunt Mattie and Aunt Lou, one after the other. Grandfather danced with Aunt Harriet once. He looked over her head, out at the prairie. I had never seen him dance before. Except the one time, after he yelled at Jack—his little dance in the moonlight.

Later, after the dancing and food and cake, we threw rose petals and waved good-bye as Anna and Justin went off in Justin’s car, a spray of white roses on the back. And then it was quiet. The aunts took off their shoes and fanned themselves and drank lemonade.

“I almost got married once,” said Aunt Harriet wistfully.

“Me, too,” said Aunt Mattie.

“Not me,” said Aunt Lou. “
I
got a dog.”

“As did Cassie,” said Grandfather.

Grandfather sat on a bench next to the aunts.

“So she did,” said Aunt Lou.

“Doggie,” said Jack, climbing up on Grandfather’s lap. He lay back against Grandfather’s shoulder and reached up with his hand to touch Grandfather’s cheek. I sat next to Grandfather and he put his arm around me. White clouds hung high in the sky. Birds sang in the meadow.

The world smelled of roses.

 

Papa left the tents up so it was like the end of the wedding for days. There were still vases of flowers on the tables and tablecloths that reached the ground. We ate our lunches and suppers under the white tents, and talked long into the night by candlelight. Lottie and Nick slept under the tablecloths, hidden and cool. Caleb stayed, and it was like before, when Caleb was home, teasing me every day.

Aunt Harriet played music in the evening sometimes. Grandfather learned to like the sound of her flute. Once he sang as she played:

 

“Sumer is icumen in

Lhude sing cuccu!”

 

His voice was strong and sweet at the same time.

“I learned that song from Sarah,” he told the aunts.

“And she learned it from us,” they told him.

In the evenings we laughed. Grandfather told stories and the aunts told stories. William told us about when Mama was little, like Jack. Papa told stories about Grandfather trying to train his first horse, the horse pulling him through the barn and out to the slough.

Everyone laughed, and it was almost like the laughter floated out over the prairie, pulled by the winds, here and there and back again.

 

The sounds of voices and laughter are like little pebbles

All around us.

We can reach up and scoop them up in our hands

Holding them close to us.

Saving them forever.

 

When I read my journal to Grandfather, he smiled.

“Forever,” he said, more to himself than to me.

He walked over to the driveway and bent down. Then he came back to where I stood. He took my hand and put a pebble there.

“I . . . ,” he said.

“Love . . .” He put another pebble there.

“You,” he said as he placed the last one.

I stared at them for a long time, then closed my hand over them. When I looked up again, Grandfather was gone.

10

T
he next day Aunt Lou was the very first up in the morning again.

“I’ve driven a car,” she said to Papa. “Now it is time to ride a horse. Only five more days before we have to go back East. It’s time.”

“‘Old lady on a dapple . . .’” began Jack before Mama put her hand over his mouth.

Grandfather and Papa smiled.

“Zeke, maybe,” said Aunt Lou.

Papa looked at Mama.

“I remember a long time ago,” he said softly. “Do you?”

Mama nodded.

“When I first came here I wanted to learn to ride your wildest horse, Jack, and to fix the roof . . .”

“And to plow and almost everything else,” said Papa.

“And she did,” said Caleb with a smile. “She wore overalls, too.”

“I had a lot to learn,” said Mama.

“Well, Sarah taught
me
how to swim when she first came here,” said Caleb.

“In the slough?” exclaimed Aunt Harriet.

“You bet,” said Caleb.

“You bet,” echoed Jack, making everyone laugh.

“I remember skinny-dipping in Maine,” Caleb said. “That water was cold.”

“I’ll ride Zeke,” said Aunt Lou, starting to walk to the barn.

“No,” said Papa, going after her and taking her hand. “I’ll saddle up Molly.”

“I’ll go with you,” said Grandfather. “This time we’ll take a quiet and slow ride around the slough. If that’s possible for you,” he called after Aunt Lou.

“Boppa,” said Jack to Grandfather. He held out his arms.

“All right, all right. A short ride,” said Grandfather.

Grandfather, Papa, and Aunt Lou went to the paddock to bring in the horses. Jack followed Grandfather, walking just behind him, his arms behind his back like Grandfather’s.

“Little Boppa and big Boppa,” said Caleb, making Mama laugh.

We watched them call in the horses and saddle up, Papa lifting Jack up to ride with Grandfather. Aunt Mattie had gotten out a set of paints and a small easel. She began to paint the prairie, the browns and greens of the land, with spots of wildflowers, the blue of the huge sky.

Aunt Lou and Grandfather and Jack slowly rode out through the meadow. Birds flew up from the grasses where they rode, redwings and meadowlarks. A vulture wheeled high against the clouds. I watched Grandfather, tall and straight, Jack in front of him, pointing at something somewhere on the prairie.

“I hope you paint that,” I said to Aunt Mattie.

Aunt Mattie smiled at me.

“You don’t need a painting,” she said. “If you close your eyes you’ll see that scene forever.”

I closed my eyes and waited. Aunt Mattie was right.

I could see it.

 

It is nighttime. We sit under the tents, still there from the wedding.

The aunts and William drink coffee by candlelight.

“Sing, Boppa,” says Jack.

There is a silence.

“Please,” says Jack.

Grandfather begins to sing “Billy Boy.”

 

“Oh, where have you been, Billy Boy,
         Billy Boy.

Oh, where have you been, charming
         Billy?

I have been to seek a wife

She’s the joy of my life.

But she’s a young thing and cannot leave
         her mother.”

 

Then Aunt Mattie sings, too, and Jack’s small voice sings the “billy boys.”

 

“Can she bake a cherry pie, Billy Boy,
         Billy Boy?

Can she bake a cherry pie, charming
         Billy?

She can bake a cherry pie, quick’s a cat
         can blink its eye.

But she’s a young thing and cannot leave
         her mother.”

 

Jack leans back on Grandfather’s shoulder. Aunt Mattie’s knitting needles click in the dark. The moon rises. The candle flickers in the gentle prairie wind.

I close my eyes to keep everything there.

11

T
he photographer Joshua came to take a family picture. He waited for the aunts to comb their hair and put red on their cheeks. He grinned at Mama.

“I remember years ago when you first came here. I took a picture of you and Jacob and Caleb—he was little then. And Anna. And the dogs.” He looked at Lottie and Nick.

“They’re a little older now.”

“We all are,” said Mama. “Anna married Justin this past week.”

“So I heard,” said Joshua.

Joshua shook Grandfather’s hand.

“Hello, John,” he said.

“I’m older, too,” said Grandfather with a smile.

The aunts came out onto the porch. Aunt Harriet and Aunt Mattie wore their traveling dresses and fancy shoes. Aunt Lou wore her overalls.

“I want to be remembered in my overalls,” said Aunt Lou.

“You will,” said Grandfather. “Believe me, you will.”

Mama and William laughed.

“That’s how
we
think of you,” said William.

“You see me every day,” Aunt Lou said to William. “You don’t have to remember me. But I probably won’t get back here anytime soon.”

Suddenly my chest felt tight.

“You could stay longer,” I said.

“Oh, Cassie,” said Aunt Harriet. “We have gardens to get back to. Things to take care of. Meg has been taking care of Lou’s dog.”

My eyes filled up with tears.

“Cassie, dear . . . ,” said Aunt Mattie, putting her arms around me. “We’d love to stay. We’ll come back again.”

This made me cry harder.

“Cassie, next year you can come visit us in Maine,” said William. “Would you like that?”

I nodded.

“But that’s next year,” I said sadly.

“I’m ready!” called Joshua. “Gather up, everyone. Wipe those tears away, Cassie.”

The aunts arranged themselves next to Mama and Papa. William patted the dogs. Grandfather stood next to me, Jack in his arms.

“Wait,” said Papa. “Someone’s coming.”

Dust rose as a car drove up the road. Mama shaded her eyes from the sun. Joshua turned to watch.

“It’s Anna and Justin!” I said.

“We couldn’t miss the family picture,” Anna called out the car window.

“My first,” said Justin.

“Not your last,” said Grandfather. “You can stand behind Cassie.”

Anna smoothed my hair back. Justin poked me.

“All looking here now,” called Joshua.

“You’re not much to look at,” said Grandfather softly. “I’d rather look at Zeke in the meadow.”

“Zeke in the meadow,” said Jack.

We laughed, and just as I looked up at Grandfather, Joshua took a picture. Joshua took many more as the aunts laughed and the sun rose high in the sky. A wind came up and Aunt Harriet’s hat flew away. Papa ran and brought it back to her. And soon, Jack fell asleep. Grandfather handed him to Mama and put his arm around me.

Far off, the cattle moved to the slough for water. Zeke ran with Molly along the fence. Lottie and Nick stood between Grandfather and me, their fur warm.

“Beautiful,” said Joshua.

“Yes,” said Grandfather, looking out at the prairie.

“Oh, yes,” said Aunt Harriet.

“Oh, yes,” said Jack, half awake, half asleep.

Yes.

 

Joshua began packing up. Grandfather walked to the barn, Jack following him. Joshua turned.

“John! Stop for a moment. I want to take a picture of you in front of the barn. Where’s your hat?”

“Here,” I said.

I ran over and handed Grandfather his big black hat. Jack reached up and took his hand.

“Cassie,” said Grandfather. “I want you in this picture.”

Joshua nodded at me.

“Go on,” he said.

I took Grandfather’s other hand. Little swirls of wind made circles in the dirt in the yard. I could smell the roses on the fence.

“Smile,” called Joshua.

“You don’t have to smile if you don’t want to,” said Grandfather.

I grinned.

The camera shutter clicked.

“That’s it,” called Joshua. “The end.”

Later, all of my life, I would hear the echo of Joshua’s words.

All of my life.

The end.

12

A
fter Joshua left, it was quiet. Grandfather and Jack went to make sure the animals had water. The rest of us sat under the tents.

“We’ll have to take these down soon,” said Papa.

“I suppose,” said Mama. “Maybe we can leave them up for a while.”

Papa smiled at her.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe you can leave them up until Cassie gets married,” said Anna.

“I already had my wedding,” I said.

“That’s right,” said Justin. “You had a grand wedding. Where’s that groom?”

“He’s in the barn with Grandfather and Jack,” I said.

As if he had heard me, Nick began barking in the barn. Papa stood up.

“What’s that about? Nick doesn’t bark all that often,” he said.

Jack came to the door of the barn and looked at us. He was not smiling. His small voice carried on the summer wind.

“Boppa?”

Mama stood up. Papa began to run to the barn.

“Cassie!” he called to me. “Come get Jack.”

For some reason, I couldn’t move. William touched me on the shoulder and ran to Jack.

“Boppa!” said Jack more loudly when William picked him up. He pointed over William’s shoulder back at the barn.

“Sarah?” Papa’s voice sounded weak. His face was pale.

“Sarah. I need your help. Now.”

I started to go with Mama, but Aunt Lou held me.

“I want to be with Grandfather,” I said.

“I know,” she said, putting her arms around me.

I began to cry. My heart hurt.

I knew. Somehow, I knew.

 

My grandfather died in the barn where I had found him when I was a little girl. He had come back then to see the place he loved. He had come back to see Papa. Today he lay down in the hay and closed his eyes there.

Papa let me see him for a minute because I wanted to. For a minute Grandfather looked just the same. I thought maybe he would open his eyes and smile at me. But he didn’t. And that made him look different.

When I looked up at Papa he was crying, tears coming down his face like rain.

That made me frightened.

“Papa?”

“It’s all right, Cassie. It’s all right to be sad.”

I reached over and took his hand and stood there until Mama came to get me.

 

Jack was very quiet. He wouldn’t sit on anyone’s lap. He wouldn’t smile.

Just before they came to take Grandfather away I took Jack for a long walk so he wouldn’t have to see.

“You don’t have to do that, Cassie,” Mama said.

BOOK: Grandfather's Dance
11.47Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Salvation by John, Stephanie
Darkmans by Nicola Barker
The Last Executioner by Chavoret Jaruboon, Nicola Pierce
Trouble on Reserve by Kim Harrison
I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
The Reluctant Earl by C.J. Chase
Kiss of Heat by Leigh, Lora
Orphans of the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein
Nearly Broken by Devon Ashley