Jennifer Robins (8 page)

****

Chesterfield Drive was about twenty minutes from the center of town and John’s new office. Most of the houses on the street were new, with a few older ones intermingled among them. The sun filtered through the large maple and oak trees spread out along both sides of the street. Sun beams danced across the green lawns and rested on the shrubs and flowers in the front yards. The fresh aroma of blossomed flowers filled the warm spring air. Andrea could hardly wait to see the house.

Rosemarie pulled into the long black-topped driveway. “Here we are, folks,” she announced as she parked the car in front of the attached two-car garage. Wide stone steps led up to the majestic white structure. “I like it already,” Andrea remarked, admiring the front porch with its ornate pillars.

“How big is the lot?” John asked.

“One acre. You’ll love the back yard. But let’s take a look inside first.” Rosemarie motioned for them to follow her up to the front door. Long, narrow stained-glass windows stood on each side, making for an impressive welcome. They walked into a large foyer.

Andrea’s heart quickened the minute she stepped into the house. She loved older houses and had always wanted to live in one. She was delighted with the printed wallpaper, the wood floors, and the wide archway to the left of the foyer. In the rear, a large country kitchen sat beside a formal dining room, which wrapped back around to the living room in the front of the house. It was all there, even an old cellar with wine racks still standing against the stone walls.

Rosemarie cheerfully pointed out the spindled banister alongside the staircase to the second floor. “Did you ever see such beautiful woodwork? You won’t find this in the newer houses.”

John smiled, obviously in love with her Irish brogue. He liked it too, but the back yard excited him more. When they walked out to the patio from the kitchen door, John turned to Andrea. “Hey, babe, I think I’ve found the big yard I wanted. Look at this, it’s great.”

They walked to the rear of the yard, John with his arm around Andrea’s waist. Rosemarie remained on the patio, watching the happy couple take their tour of the yard. They looked at the grapevines, fruit trees, shrubs, and flowers. “Oh, John, this place is so nice. I have pictured a place like this in my mind many times through the years. It’s unbelievable that it’s really here. When we left this morning, I never thought we would find something like this.”

Excited, the couple returned to the patio and smiled at Rosemarie. She smiled back. “Come on now,” she said as she ushered them back to the foyer. “The bedrooms are a nice size, and there is a small sewing room with lots of windows.”

John followed Rosemarie up the stairs while Andrea lingered behind to admire the wood banister. She ran her hand across it. It was smooth and shiny. Then she went up the stairs and stood looking around at the wide hallway and the long windows at each end that almost touched the floor.

Suddenly, a cold draft hit her, taking her by surprise. It was brief, only lasting a moment. She wondered what it was. After a few seconds, she went down the hallway to join her husband and Rosemarie.

Without a doubt, this was the house for them. They made an offer that afternoon, which was quickly accepted by the executrix, a niece of the deceased owner. They made arrangements for the closing on the day they would move in. Trusting Rosemarie to attend to everything, they started back for Chicago to get ready for the move.

Along the way, they talked excitedly about the house, not even making a rest stop. Excitement kept them moving on, as though nothing else mattered but getting moved into that wonderful old house.

****

Packing and sorting through seven years’ worth of accumulated junk turned out to be a major job. John was no help. He had to be at the office most of the time, attending to details of his transfer. In the midst of it all, the house was being shown to prospective buyers. Despite all the confusion of people walking through the house stepping over half-packed boxes, Andrea managed to get everything in order for the move.

The weeks went by fast. Before they knew it, they were waiting for the movers to arrive on the morning of June thirtieth. John made sure the water had been shut off and everything was in order. “Well, babe, it’s almost time to say goodbye to our first home. Remember when we bought this house? We thought it was the greatest thing. Now it seems so small compared to the one in Michigan. We’ll have to buy more furniture. I wanna get yard furniture for the patio first. I can lounge out there between my yard work and after I get home from a long day at my new — oh wow! My own office.”

The movers arrived early, as scheduled. John hurried outside to meet them as they pulled into the drive. They wasted no time getting everything loaded. They were ready to go before noon. John and Andrea stayed behind to make sure the house was clean and secure before leaving. Then they stopped at the real estate office to drop off the keys so salespeople could continue to show it.

John went on and on about his new office while they drove along. “I know I’ll make this office take right off for me. I already have some good contacts for business. It’s gonna be good, Andrea. I just know it.”

It made her happy to know how much he deserved all of this. He had worked hard to get where he was, and now it was paying off. He’d dreamed of having his own office ever since he’d started with the company. What a great accomplishment for John. The century-old house and a charming small town were more than she’d ever hoped for.

When they arrived in Partersville, they met Rosemarie at her office to sign the final papers. She greeted them with a smile. “I have the papers ready, Mr. and Mrs. Devon. If you’ll have a seat in the room over there.” She pointed to the same room they’d sat in last time. “I will be right with you.”

She walked away, leaving John and Andrea seated at a round table. John kept running his hands through his hair. “I hope those movers will be done unloading before dark. They have a deadline, you know. I think it’s nine at night.”

“Don’t worry so much, John. You always do this. You worry about things before you know for sure. They know what they’re doing.”

Rosemarie returned with the papers and set them in front of John. “Here you are.” She handed him a pen.

Once the papers had been signed, Rosemarie gave them the keys to the house. She then reached down behind the table and brought out a beautiful bouquet of flowers. “I wish you happiness in your new home. If you need anything, please call me. My phone number is on my card. Thank you again.” She shook their hands and walked them to the door, waving as they got into the car and drove away.

“Wasn’t this nice of her?” Andrea admired the flowers. “I bet everyone in this town is like that. I think we’re going to be happy here.”

“You’re probably right. It’s a big change from Chicago.”

They drove to the house, laughing and talking about the wonderful life they were going to have there. They found the movers busily unloading the van. Rosemarie had opened the door for them earlier. The men were hustling along at a fast pace, anxious to finish for the day.

Andrea got out of the car and started to instruct the movers where she wanted the furniture. “Be careful with that coffee table, it’s very old. I got it from my grandmother.”

“Hey, Andrea, these guys will do just fine without your help. Just tell them where to put things and forget the history of every piece.” John gave the men a wave, and they all laughed.

“Give me a hand, Andrea,” John called out to her. The back seat of the car held boxes of odds and ends from John’s office. “We can put this stuff up in the bedroom for now. I have to sort through it before I take it to the new office.”

When everything had been unloaded, the driver asked John to sign a paper, and the movers left. It was nine o’clock at night and they had to be off the road by ten.

Hungry and tired, John broke open a box of cookies and started to munch on them. “Want some?” he offered, holding the box out to Andrea.

“No, I want to get some of these boxes unpacked so we can shower and go to bed sometime tonight. The towels and bath things are in that big box over there. How about taking it up the stairs for me? I’ll get some of the kitchen things out so we can at least have coffee in the morning.”

For the next few hours, they unpacked boxes and moved furniture around. By eleven, they were both exhausted and ready for a shower and bed.

After they crawled under the covers, John looked into Andrea’s lovely brown eyes and tucked a strand of her long, brown hair behind her ear and away from the deep dimple on her right cheek. He kissed her goodnight and held her close.

John had to report to the office early the next morning, leaving Andrea alone with the chore of unpacking the rest of the boxes and putting seasonal items away in the attic. She struggled to get the boxes up the two flights of stairs to the attic. She couldn’t imagine why there still was so much left after she’d thrown away as much as she had while packing. John was such a pack rat. He had so many prized gems he wouldn’t part with.

Finally she managed to get them all up to the attic. Having set them in the middle of the floor for later distribution to both sides of the attic, she went down to the patio to take a break. She sipped a glass of iced tea, the warmth from the sun embracing her as she looked around at the trees and flowers in the yard. She took in a deep breath of the clean air and let out a contented sigh.

She finished her tea, then went back into the house. It was ten-thirty. There was plenty of time to organize the boxes in the attic before fixing lunch. Andrea always tried to eat three meals a day. She had a tough time keeping weight on her twiggy figure. Returning to the attic, she began to sort the boxes. She would put the winter clothes on one side of the attic and the Christmas things, along with John’s junk, on the other.

The attic floor consisted of wide boards fitted closely together. At the outer edges, six-inch boards spaced a foot apart extended out to the edges of the roof. The only light came from a round window the size of a basketball, situated in the front wall of the house. It was just bright enough to see her way around the musty space.

Nothing like working in a hot attic on her first day in her new home. She’d dressed in a thin summer outfit for the occasion and brought a flashlight in case she needed it. The floor creaked as she walked back and forth, setting boxes over to the sides. The heat of the attic had her feeling sweaty and sticky in no time.

Aiming the flashlight on the parted boards, she looked for insulation under them. John had not checked for it when they’d looked at the house. She saw nothing that looked like insulation, but she noticed something under one of the boards in the far corner, near the steep pitch of the roof. It looked like something had been wedged under the wood—perhaps it had been hidden there. She’d almost missed it for all of the dust. It appeared to be square, like a box. She wondered what it was.

She started toward it on her hands and knees until the roof boards touched her head, then she lay down on her stomach to wiggle her way in. She got closer and closer, until she could almost reach it. Setting the flashlight down beside her, she stretched her arm out as far as she could. At last she felt the object. Once she got hold of it she began to pull, but it was stuck. She twisted and wiggled it back and forth until it finally let loose.

Now that she had it firmly in her hand, she proceeded to crawl backward to get out from under the confined area. Once she was safe on the flat, sturdy floorboards in the center of the attic, she sat up straight. She set the box on the floor in front of her and brushed the heavy dust from the top of it. Heat from the wood floor warmed her sprawled legs as she looked down at the treasure she’d released from its hiding place. The old wooden box’s metal latch had rusted in place. Andrea pried at it until her fingers hurt, but it wouldn’t budge.

Again and again, she tried until finally it let go. Suddenly, the light from flashlight went dim. She knew the batteries were old, but she shook it anyway, trying to bring the light back up. It didn’t work. All she got was a dull orange glow from the silver cylinder.

Inside the box, sitting on top of what appeared to be a book, was an old photograph. It was printed on thick, cardboard-like paper. Although it was dull and yellowish with age, it seemed to be in pretty good condition.

Her eyes strained in the poor light as she tried to see. She stood up and walked over to the round window at the far end of the attic. Holding the photograph up to the daylight, she was able to see it more clearly. Her heart quickened as she got a good look at the figure imprinted there. “Oh!” she cried out in astonishment. The woman in the photograph could have been her twin ─ a remarkable resemblance to say the least.

Andrea thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, so she picked the box up and went downstairs, hurrying to her bedroom for a better look. Sunlight flowed in through the window, accompanied by a soft breeze that lifted the curtains up and down in a rhythmic motion.

With the wooden box next to her, she sat on the bed. Amazement held her as she gazed down at the face in the photograph. She marveled at the woman’s clothing. A high lace collar overlaid her dress, with a jeweled brooch at the neck. On the back of the photograph, she found a date — June 3, 1888. Small print at the bottom looked like the name of a studio.

She couldn’t help wondering who the woman was, and why the box had been hidden up in the attic. How had it even fit under those boards? But most of all, why did she and the woman look so much alike?

Setting the photograph down, she turned her attention to the other items in the box. The book turned out to be an old family Bible. She picked it up and dusted it off with her hand. It smelled musty. Gently, she opened it to the first page. Ink spots stained the page, suggesting it had been written with an old-fashioned fountain pen. Names and dates had been printed with great care, faded still but legible. Joseph Foster Dickens, Anna Marie Dickens, followed by Betsy Ellen and Sarah Helen Dickens. The dates were all in the 1870s and 1880s. A list of grandparents, aunts, and uncles followed. The city names sounded like places in England.

The box also contained a jeweled pillbox, an old locket, and three large hairpins with jeweled ends, very old and tarnished. Andrea looked at each of these antiques with great interest. She wondered why anyone would put these things in a box and hide it up in the attic. Or had it been put up there and forgotten?

By the names in the Bible, she guessed the woman in the photograph was Anna Marie Dickens. It seemed logical. It was possible this Anna had lived in the house a hundred years ago. That they looked so much alike was the remarkable thing. Photograph in hand, Andrea walked over to the mirror on the dresser and stood looking at her reflection. She held the photograph up next to her face to compare the likeness.

As she looked at the image in her hand, she began to have a strange feeling. Even though the photograph’s sepia tones had faded, she could picture the woman’s dress as dark green. She imagined she could feel the heavy taffeta gathered around her own waist. The brooch on the collar was mother-of-pearl surrounded with gold filigree. Her hand tingled, as if she knew how the dress and jewelry felt.

The plain, colorless photograph shook in her trembling hand. Overwhelmed with sorrow

that penetrated her soul, tears swelled in her eyes. The intense emotions full of fear mixed with sadness caused her to begin crying uncontrollably. Andrea had never experienced such heartbreak and sorrow before.

“Oh, oh… what is happening?” she muttered as she hurried over to the bed and threw the photograph down on it. There was no rhyme or reason to why she suddenly had these frightening sorrowful feelings.

With tears streaming down her face, she ran to the bathroom, turned the cold water on, and splashed it on her cheeks. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly until she stopped crying. She looked in the mirror over the sink. Her eyes were swollen and red, her face white, and she didn’t understand why.

Several moments passed before she was able to completely compose herself. Taking a towel from the rack beside the sink, she wiped her face. Still trembling, she returned to the bedroom and sat in the chair by the window. Tears dripped down her cheeks again. Sorrow pierced her heart like the thrust of a knife. She felt as though something awful was about to happen — but what, and why?

The phone rang, startling her. She jumped to her feet, wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand as she hurried to answer it. “Hell…ooo…?”

“Andrea, is that you?” John asked.

“Yes, it’s me.”

“I wanted to remind you I won’t be home until late. I have calls to make and papers to fill out for tomorrow.”

“I remember, John.” Her voice cracked.

“You sound like something’s wrong. What is it?”

Andrea steadied herself. “I’m fine.”

“I think I’ll be home a little late tonight. I’m swamped with work and won’t get out of here any sooner. Don’t worry about dinner for me, I’ll grab something from the diner.”

She agreed and hung up, glad the conversation had been brief. It was difficult for her to conceal how upset she was. She needed time to think about what had happened and why she’d had those awful feelings. Her mind raced with questions. Strange as it all was, she finally came to the conclusion it had to be her imagination — a foolish reaction when she’d seen the photograph. Besides, she was tired from moving and all the excitement.

After putting the photograph back in the box, she glanced one more time at it before setting the lid in place. The terrible feeling started up again, so she quickly took the box to the closet and set it on the floor inside, then closed the door. She returned to the attic to finish putting the boxes out of the way, hoping if she kept busy she would forget about what had happened. Still, the haunting memory of the photograph lingered without mercy.