Waiting for Dusk (15 page)

Katie noticed one of the servers approaching
Henry and then heard him say, “There’s a Mr. Jack Woods here to see
you, Mr. Henry. He just wants to wish you well and tell you he’s
sorry he missed the wedding. He didn’t want to come in since he
wasn’t dressed for the occasion. He said something about
fishing.”

“Nonsense! Tell him to come in and at least
share a toast with us.” Henry was always so kind to everyone.

Jack Woods! The same Jack Woods I almost met
at Kolb Studio. The one who looks like my father. Katie thought she
better leave the room for some reason. She got up, excused herself
and headed for the stairs.

When she was safely in her room, she looked
out the window that overlooked the back porch and garden. There,
standing talking to Henry, was her father...or Jack Woods. Katie
sat on her bed and wondered how long she should wait.

She must have dozed off for a few minutes and
was startled awake by voices outside her door.

“I don’t care what you say, Maya. That girl
needs to go home now. This isn’t right. I was never for it and now
I’m definitely not! It was just for the summer, I was told.”

There was silence and then it seemed someone
else was talking. Katie couldn’t make out what the person was
saying. Then she heard Jack’s voice again.

“I love her but I don’t think she takes this
as seriously as I do. She never did!”

That voice definitely sounded like her
father. He said Maya. That was Mrs. Johnson’s first name. Then
silence again.

Katie cracked the door open to look around.
Seeing no one, she walked quietly to the top of the stairs. Mrs.
Johansson was just at the bottom of the stairs so Katie quickly
stepped back until she was gone.

She was talking to my father or Mr. Woods.
Katie planned on getting to the bottom of this but not now. She
intended to enjoy every moment of this wedding and this day. She
ran down the stairs, around the corner and back to the dining
room.

“There you are!” Drew came walking toward
her. “Would you care to take a stroll in the garden?”

Katie took Drew’s arm and they walked out of
the house and into the evening air. The band started to play and
music floated into the evening sky. Torches were lit throughout the
backyard. Guests mingled in the garden and headed for the tent.
Strings of lights hung inside giving it a magical glow. Katie
wanted to distance herself from the wedding theme of the night and
just pretend she was at a really great party, with a really great
guy.

“A penny for your thought,” Drew said.

“A what...? Oh, um, nothing. I was just
thinking this was a magical night.”

“Kate, I hope we get married on a night just
like this, a magical night.” Drew pulled her close. She took a step
back. “Am I scaring you again? Too fast?” he said with an impish
grin on his face.

“No, you are not scaring me. Just slow down a
bit and let me at least tell you...”

“...that you love me,” he finished for
her.

Katie playfully pushed him and he pretended
to fall down bringing her with him. They landed on a little wrought
iron bench. “You knew that was there all along, didn’t you?” Katie
couldn’t stop laughing.

Drew kissed her and said, “Would you like to
dance?”

“Here? In the garden?” Katie saw that
everyone was gone.

Drew took her in his arms and they swayed to
the music. Soon they were joined by another couple.

“Aren’t you two ever coming down to the tent?
We are so alone done there. Kathryn, I need you for support,”
Anna’s voice traveled through the night air.

“If I must!” Katie said as dramatically as
she could. Then she giggled, took Drew’s and Anna’s hands and
headed for the tent.

It turned out to be a very enjoyable evening.
Katie danced with Cliff, her partner, and then they cut in on the
wedding couple. She was thrilled to be dancing with her Uncle
Henry. She even danced with Mr. Johansson. She noticed Cliff
slipped away and thought she saw him dancing with Frieda on the
back porch. How romantic. It was like Frieda was Cinderella. Why
was she seeing everything through the eyes of a fairytale? She
needed to remind herself to be more tough and independent like
Mulan or Pocahontas. Yet, didn’t even they fall in love?

Lucinda came up to her. “Kathryn, did you
know that you are all staying again tonight? We will serve a big
breakfast in the morning. Then Henry and I will be on our way. We
leave Monday for our honeymoon in San Francisco and then the shore.
I’ve never seen the Pacific Ocean before.”

“How are you doing?” Katie was dying to ask
her that all night.

“Fine. I’m fine. I’m a married woman now with
responsibilities.” Lucinda crossed her arms almost defiantly.

“Know that I’m always here for you and when I
am not, you are in my heart. I love you, Lucinda.”

“I love you, too. You know, there is
something special about you that I just can’t place my finger on. I
feel like I’ve known you forever.”

“And I, you.”

The girls hugged and Lucinda wiped tears from
her eyes. “Stop it now. See what you’ve done to my make-up.” She
half-heartily laughed.

The guests began to leave and Lucinda was
called to say good-bye. Katie walked away from the tent. She stood
alone looking up at the evening sky.

“Are you looking at the man in the moon? If
you are, I’m jealous.” Drew came up behind her. He pointed up in
the sky. “Let’s say when you see him, that’s me, smiling down on
you...wherever you are.”

“Why? Are you going somewhere?”

“Not tonight but we are both heading back to
school. We need to make plans to write to each other.”

Katie didn’t know how she would do that. She
tried to think of a way to get out of it without hurting his
feelings. “Can we just make plans to meet back here? I’m not very
good at writing. I don’t want you to be disappointed.”

“Whatever you wish,” he whispered in her
ear.

“I wish to have you take this necklace off.
It feels like it is choking me.” Katie touched the pearls that were
around her neck as Drew undid the clasp.

“There, all safe and sound.” He patted his
pocket as they walked around the side of the house. They were
alone. Katie stopped, and turned to him. “Don’t leave tonight,
Andrew.”

“This must be serious. You called me Andrew.”
He took Katie in his arms and kissed her. He kissed the front of
her neck and down to the top of her dress.

“Don’t stop,” she breathed. Right then and
there she made up her mind that if this was going to be her last
night with Drew, then it would be a special night. “Stay with me in
my room.”

He stopped kissing her and took her by the
arms. “How could I do that?”

“We’ll sneak you in. You’re invited for
breakfast, aren’t you?”

“Wearing the same clothes?”

“We’ll roll up the sleeves of your shirt and
you don’t have to wear the jacket, no tie. It will work.”

“Are you sure about this?” Drew looked very
solemn.

Then it dawned on Katie it was not the 21st
century but the 1920’s. Good girls didn’t do these kinds of things.
Well, neither did she. What was she thinking? She just decided that
Drew would be her first and hopefully her one and only. She was not
thinking rationally. Plus how did they have safe sex in this day
and age? Her head spun and she took a step back. Andrew grabbed
her, breaking her fall.

“Would it be alright if you just stayed with
me in my room, nothing else?” Katie decided to clarify. “I don’t
want to spend a moment away from you.”

“I think I can do that.” Drew pulled her to
him. “Or at least try.”

They rounded the corner to the back of the
house. Most of the guests were gone. No one seemed to miss them.
Katie looked around for Mr. or Mrs. Johansson. They would be the
hardest to fool, but didn’t see them. She looked at Drew in the
moonlight, and wished he wasn’t a dream. She hoped she would wake
up, and see him next to her in bed tomorrow.

They waited until the servers cleaned up and
put out the torches. Then they both said good night to the
newlyweds, then Loretta and Anna. Katie pointed to the window of
her bedroom.

“I think I can get up there from out here,”
Drew said.

There was a roof over the back porch. The
plan was to climb up to it, then over to her window. They kissed
and acted like they were parting ways for the night.

Katie ran up to her room. She quickly took
off her dress and hung it away in the closet. She rummaged through
the bag that Mrs. Johansson packed for her. She found something
that was appropriate and casual to wear. No nightwear, not a good
idea. Then she heard a light tap at her window. She ran over and
opened the window. Drew slid into the room.

They stayed up talking for most of the night
making plans on when and how they would meet again. Drew was
determined to come to the canyon as much as he could his senior
year. He was trying to get permission to do a field study here and
receive credit for it.

“My parents aren’t too happy that I will miss
Thanksgiving with them,” Drew stated. “I offered for them to come
out here with me. I don’t think my brother and sister would like
that very much. They are younger and their friends are in New York.
I’m sure they have plans for the holiday week. My sister loves to
shop. There really is no shopping here, is there?”

“No,” Katie laughed, “There’s not.” She
couldn’t believe what a gentleman Drew was. She decided this is
what it felt like to really be loved. That’s what Lucinda got, too.
Love from a man that would do anything for her.

“Kate? Kate?” Drew waved his hand in front of
her face. “I think I lost you for a moment.”

“I’m so sorry. What were you saying?”

“I asked you if you thought you could come
here for Thanksgiving holiday.”

“Yes, most definitely. I will be here.” Katie
really didn’t mean that because she knew she had to get her hands
on a book. She wanted a book she could keep, not depending on
anyone else, so she could come and go as she pleased.

They both fell asleep right where they
were—Drew in the overstuffed chair and Kate on the bed.

* * * *

Katie woke with a start. Sun streamed in her
window, and Drew was asleep in the chair. She was thrilled he was
still there. She tiptoed out of the room to the bathroom, splashed
water on her face, then gazed in the mirror. She still had some
remnants of yesterday’s makeup so she scrubbed until it was gone,
fluffed her hair and snuck back to her room. When Katie opened the
door, she saw the chair was empty. Drew was gone.

She got ready for breakfast wondering how
Drew woke up and disappeared so quickly. She looked out her window
and saw guests in the garden. She decided to go down and join the
others. Drew was already mingling with the other guests. He and
Daniel were in a discussion with some men she recognized from the
wedding. Drew had his white shirt on with the sleeves rolled up,
just like she suggested.

Anna came up from behind her. “This time we
are all sitting together!”

She took Katie over to where Drew and Daniel
stood.

“Kate! Good to see you again.” Daniel called
out. Katie realized that all of Drew’s friends would be calling her
Kate. That’s how he referred to her so it made sense they would
also.

The couples sat together and waited for the
bride and groom to enter. The best man announced them. Everyone
clapped as Lucinda and Henry came in. Henry had a large grin on his
face. He beamed. Lucinda seemed a little more subdued but was
smiling, too. Katie hoped they were happy and things worked
out.

After breakfast, Anna told Katie they had to
pack and get ready to go back to the boardinghouse. Katie couldn’t
believe it was time already. Everything was over. The dream was
over. She had to go back to reality, but not before she told Drew
she loved him. That was on her list and nothing was going to stop
her. She tried many times to tell him but something or someone
always got in the way of the moment. She touched the necklace Drew
gave her. Kate would never take it off. She would wear it every
day.

“I will see you later back at the
boardinghouse before I leave.” Drew told her.

“Before you leave?”

“I’m afraid I leave before you this
time.”

Kate hoped to make him feel better. “Then I
will come to the train station with you.”

“Sounds good. I will pick you up.” Drew
squeezed her hand.

The Johanssons were packing the Buick when
Katie came to the front of the house to go upstairs. Molly and
Ruthie were already in the car. Anna ran down the stairs. “We got
your things, sweetie. Let’s go.”

Everyone was pretty quiet on the ride home.
Katie thought of all the events that led up to that point. It
wasn’t over yet and she planned to make the best of it.

“I’m going to see Drew off at the train
station when we get home,” Katie announced.

“He’s finally going back to New York. Good
for him. He’s a nice young man, but his life is there.” Mrs.
Johansson seemed to know more about him than she let on.

“He’s planning on coming back here. He wants
to study here and even find a college close by.”

“Really?” Then Mrs. Johansson got very
quiet.

When they got back to the house, everyone
helped unpack the car. Katie couldn’t wait to get to the room to
see if her book was still there. She slid open the drawer and there
it was. She took it out and hugged it to her chest. “I wish I could
make you all mine,” she said to the book. Now I’m talking to a
book, she thought, I must be going crazy!

She gazed out of her window until Drew came
for her. As soon as she saw his horse she ran outside.

“Now it’s time for me to ask you where your
bags are,” Katie teased.

“I had them sent ahead to the train station.”
He pulled her up behind him.