Laughter in the Wind (24 page)
“You’re cold,” Olivia noticed, running her hand up and down Rebecca’s arm.
“Yeah, so are you. That’s why I was waking you up, to tell you we need to get under the covers.”
“You found a very effective way to awaken me,” Olivia teased, smiling at Rebecca.
“Let’s get under the covers and I’ll see if I can wake you up some more,” Rebecca suggested.
“Promise?”
“Definitely,” Rebecca vowed.
Rebecca quickly discovered some problems with making love under the covers and their efforts shoved the comforter to the floor and twisted the blanket and sheet into a tangled mess. Finally, their desires quenched, Rebecca pulled the tangled mess up over herself and Olivia, keeping them wrapped in a warm cocoon the rest of the night.
Chapter Nineteen
Five Months Later
Memorial Day weekend started out with rain, but by Monday the ground had dried and the sun was shining brightly. Rebecca and her father had spent the previous weekend at Peacock Cemetery with a Weed Eater and shovels, cleaning up the rundown patch of ground as best they could. They righted overturned stones, straightened markers that were leaning precariously, and shoveled dirt into the old, sunken graves to level the ground, sprinkling new grass seed and straw over the top of the fresh dirt. Rebecca’s dad said he had been planning to clean the old cemetery up someday anyway, and their plans for Memorial Day had only provided him the excuse he needed to put it at the top of his “To Do” list. Rebecca was proud of their efforts and had even remembered to bring another hinge for the broken gate.
The past few months had been full of changes in Rebecca’s life and she had enjoyed spending the weekend working with her father again. She and Olivia had divided the week after Christmas between Olivia’s apartment and Rebecca’s parents’ house. Olivia had loved the cups she had made her, and wore the silver bracelet nearly every day. Rebecca treasured the heart necklace Olivia had given her.
Since school started back in January, she had spent nearly every other weekend at Olivia’s apartment. The few other weekends she had been busy catching up on her homework and planning for the future. She had switched her classes for the upcoming fall semester to the main campus of the community college, closer to St. Louis. She and Olivia had found an apartment to lease halfway between their colleges and each would be driving thirty minutes to classes. Rebecca had been boxing up her possessions for two weeks and they were moving the first of June. After each weekend she had spent with Olivia it had become harder to return home, and she was looking forward to sharing an apartment with her full-time.
Kate had gotten over her animosity and even talked about coming to the city to shop with Olivia sometime. Grandma had surprised them all. Although Rebecca had not explained her relationship with Olivia to her yet, she had asked Rebecca one weekend when she and Olivia were visiting why she didn’t marry her young woman before she got away. It was the only time Rebecca had ever seen Olivia blush. After her initial shock passed, Rebecca had responded, “Well, Grandma, you make a good point there. I’ll definitely take that under advisement.”
That Memorial Day morning she had ridden over to Peacock Cemetery with her parents. They didn’t have to wait long before they heard another car proceeding slowly along the gravel road toward them.
When the car pulled up outside the evenly hanging gate that Monday, everyone but Rebecca and her dad was surprised at the transformation of the old cemetery. Olivia hugged Rebecca, then Willie, as she exclaimed over the improvements. Eliza thanked them both as well. Even though her memories of the cemetery were lit by headlights, the changes were obvious.
Rebecca stood near her parents and allowed Olivia, Eliza, and Grandmama to step up to Mary Farthing’s grave.
Grandmama had insisted on coming today. She said she had to right a wrong. She wouldn’t elaborate and Eliza and Olivia were both puzzled by her request.
Grandmama walked up to MJ’s headstone, set her oversize handbag down gently then knelt down in front of it. “I’m sorry, Mother,” she said quietly. “I didn’t know. You should have told me.”
She took a large urn from the bag and set it on the ground in front of the stone. Eliza gasped loudly, but Grandmama appeared not to notice. She said quietly, “I forgive you for not being there for me. Please forgive me for not understanding.”
Eliza quickly looked over to Olivia, then Rebecca and her parents and placed a finger to her lips to ensure their silence. Rebecca’s parents looked a little puzzled but Olivia smiled and nodded, knowing the truth wouldn’t change anything except for incurring Grandmama’s wrath upon Eliza and her brothers.
Grandmama stood and walked over to Rebecca’s father. “Mr. Wilcox, would you be so kind to help me with something? I desire to inter this urn here over MJ’s resting place. Would you be so kind to help me with this matter?”
He could see the pleading look on Eliza’s face over her mother’s shoulder and he assured her he would bring over a shovel that very afternoon to do her bidding.
Grandmama turned and gestured toward Olivia and Rebecca, calling them to her. As they neared, she held out a hand to each. They stood facing her, nervous and uncertain of her intentions.
“Girls, I need to say something to you, too. I have asked for my mother’s forgiveness but now I realize I need to ask for yours as well. I have caused my granddaughter and her lovely friend unnecessary pain. Can you find it in your hearts to forgive a foolish old woman who didn’t even try to understand?”
Rebecca nodded mutely, unable to voice the emotions the usually stern, remote woman had evoked in her.
Olivia squeezed Grandmama’s hand. “Of course, I’ll forgive you, Grandmama. I love you.”
“Let us make a vow to not allow hatred, fear or misunderstanding to cause pain to those we love so much, to our family.” Grandmama looked around at Eliza, Beth and Willie.
Eliza stepped forward and took Olivia’s free hand, then reached for Willie’s hand. Beth had taken Rebecca’s hand and held her husband’s hand as well. The six stood in a small circle in front of the final resting place of Mary and Jane.
Smiling at Olivia then Rebecca, Eliza promised, “My grandmothers’ lives may have suffered irreparable damage, but I vow I will do everything in my power to see that the same thing doesn’t happen to my daughter or her friends.”
“We are always here for you both,” Beth declared. Willie solemnly nodded his agreement.
Rebecca ducked her head, embarrassed, but cherishing the love and support. She knew she would need it to make it through the days and years ahead.
Grandmama turned to walk toward the gate but Olivia stopped her. “Grandmama, I want to get a picture of you, Mom and me, in front of MJ’s stone. Rebecca, would you use my camera to take a picture, please?”
Rebecca had Olivia kneel on one side of the stone, her mother and grandmother on the other. Rebecca snapped the photo then checked to see if it was a good one.
Turning a little pale as she looked at the images on the camera display, she stammered, “Uh, Olivia, I think you need to see this.”
Olivia hurried over and took the camera. She was strangely silent for a few seconds, then, wordlessly walked over to her mother and Grandmama and showed them the picture. Rebecca’s parents exchanged wondering looks, quickly changing to looks of concern as Grandmama gasped loudly. Suddenly, Eliza grabbed her mother to keep her standing as her knees buckled beneath her. Grandmama quickly recovered although she was oddly pale.
Rebecca walked over and reached for the camera, saying, “May I?”
Eliza handed it to her and she took it to her parents. “Well, I’ll be!” her dad exclaimed. “I guess it
has
been haunted all these years.”
Sitting atop the headstone, smiling at the women kneeling beside them, were two foggy images easily recognizable as the two women from the photo Olivia had investigated months before.
Rebecca walked over and took Olivia’s hand. “We answered all of our questions,” she reminded her.
Olivia didn’t answer. Instead they stood silently together and listened to the sound of light laughter slowly drifting away with the wind.
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