Call of the Canyon (30 page)

“Yes, I’m sure we could be standing right
next to Anna and Daniel. They wouldn’t recognize us.”

The pair bundled up and headed out the door,
up the trail and through the woods. Soon El Tovar came into sight.
They rounded the corner of the building and there was the canyon,
the Grand Canyon, in all its splendor. Even though it was
wintertime and very cold, it could not take away the magic Kate
always felt. They stood gazing out into the canyon for a while and
then Drew said they really should get back.

Suddenly, all the events leading up to this
one skipped through Kate’s mind, some good, others not so good. It
was like her life flashed before her eyes. She remembered standing
at the canyon rim last year, praying for Drew to come back to her.
It couldn’t end like this, not like this.

Please
, Kate prayed to the canyon,
please don’t take Drew away from me again.
A single tear
rolled down her cheek and she was glad he couldn’t see her cry.
Pulling the scarf up over her nose, she took his hand, taking one
more glance out at the canyon, hoping it wouldn’t be the very last
time.

The couple slowly walked back to the cabin,
Drew kicked the door open with his foot, scooped Kate up and
carried her in like he did for their honeymoon. She laughed and
playfully kicked her legs to be let down. Drew placed her on the
sofa.

“Drew, you know what happens after you
carried me into the cabin for our honeymoon. You didn’t put me on
the couch, if I remember correctly.” She put her arms up for him to
pick her up again.

Drew obliged and carried her into the
bedroom.

“There! Happy now?” He laughed.

“Not yet!” Kate pulled Drew down on the bed
next to her. She laid her head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat.
Then she slid on top of him, feeling his heart beat faster. “I love
you.” She said as she kissed his mouth.

“Kate.” Drew rolled over onto his side and
placed her next to him. “I love you, too. Your mother will
be...”

“You said I could do whatever I wanted
today, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Drew mumbled. Kate wrapped the quilt
of the bed around them. “Let’s stay like this forever.” She
murmured as she snuggled closer. His mouth was suddenly on hers,
kissing her like it was going to be the last time. It made
everything so passionate yet sad. Kate didn’t want to feel sad, not
yet. She wanted to remember everything about Drew that she could
soak in.

* * * *

As the day wore on, Drew grew restless and
began pacing through the cabin, looking out the front window,
watching and waiting.

“Will you sit down? You’re making me
nervous.” Kate ordered him.

“Can’t.” He continued the pacing. After what
seemed like an hour, Kate saw him perk up and rush to the window.
“Finally! I see someone coming through the woods.” He placed his
hand on the glass. “I see her, Kate.” He went to the door and
opened it, waiting for Kate’s mom to grow closer. “She’s waving
something in her hand.”

Her mom ran through the door, smiling. “At
least he’s alive!” She waved the paper around in the air. “We did
get a telegram. Jackson said he was detained due to the flooding in
Pennsylvania and is doing everything he can to get here. He ended
his message with ‘keep the faith’.” She got tears in her eyes. “We
only have one more day to keep the faith, kids. Then we go home,
Katie.”

“No, Mom, I’m not leaving.”

Drew stood in front of her. “Your mother and
I discussed this. I agree with her. The best thing to do, if your
father doesn’t return, is for you to go home.”

Kate couldn’t believe her ears. Drew was
sending her home. “Then, you’ll be coming back with us?”

“No, I think it’s best if I stay.”

Kate started to scream and then sob. “No,
that’s not the way it’s supposed to end. We still have our whole
lives together.”

Her mom and Drew sat with her until she
calmed down.

“Kate, your father and I planned everything
before he left.” Her mother put her arm around her. “This is what
your father wants us to do. If he didn’t make it back, Jackson
wanted you and me to stay in the present. Little did he know his
stubborn daughter would insist on coming back here to look for him.
He agreed it was the safest and maybe the best way to save your
life...for you to be home in Ohio. If, for some reason it doesn’t
work, then Andrew is better off here. Your father made the best
decision...for everyone.”

Drew looked at Kate with tears in his eyes.
“I don’t want to do it. Jack knows best. He’s afraid Joanna won’t
know who I am if you disappear and her life as she knows it ceases
to exist. I would be in a world where no one knows me.”

“Just like I might be in a world where no
one knows me if I stay here.” Her mom says gently. “We’re all
sacrificing here. Your father’s willing to give up everything to
save you. He’s not willing to take a chance with your life.”

“And neither am I.” Drew took Kate’s hand
and Joanna’s hand. He placed them together. “Please, do this for me
and Jack.”

“If you came back to Ohio, all you’d have to
do is use the book to get back here if I disappear.”

“No, Kate. Think about it. I wouldn’t know
about the book, even if I had it with me. Jack was the one who told
me and your mom about it. I’d wake up and be a stranger in a
strange house, not knowing how I got there.”

“Then Maya!”

“Maybe...eventually. She might not recognize
me from the canyon because you never met me. There would be no you
to connect us all. There are too many ‘what ifs’. Jack doesn’t want
me to take the chance.”

Kate nodded through her tears. She couldn’t
look at anyone. She didn’t care if she died or faded away or
whatever was going to happen to her if Drew wasn’t with her.

“What will be, will be,” she whispered.

Chapter Twenty-Six

It was New
Year’s Eve day, the last chance for Kate’s dad to come home. She
and her mother would return to the present that night. Lying in
bed, Kate’s head started spinning round and round and then it
slowly stopped.

Just like the ballerina
, Kate quickly
made the comparison.
I’m not going to make it. The ballerina was
a sign. When she stopped spinning that night, it was a sign my life
will stop, too. I am not going to let anyone know. I will just make
this the best last day of my life.

Kate knew Drew was already up and making
breakfast in the kitchen. He loved doing that. She tucked the
memory away. If they were at home, her mother would be drinking her
morning coffee and reading the newspaper, so routine, yet another
great memory. As she got up, Kate felt a little woozy. She fell
back onto the bed and called for Drew.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” He came
running into the bedroom.

“I’m just a little groggy.” Kate patted the
bed and gave him a weak smile. “Stay with me.”

Drew sat on the bed next to her and placed
his hand on her forehead. “You seem warm to me. I wonder if you’re
getting sick.” He lay down next to her. “My beautiful Kate, please
don’t leave me.” He began to cry.

That was the first time Drew let his
emotions show. Until now Kate assumed he tried to remain positive
for her, clear-headed so he could make good decisions. It appeared
like he gave in. He clung to her and sobbed. Kate lay there
motionless, letting him cry.

“I love you, Drew. I hope you’ll always
remember that. I’m only scared about the future because you won’t
be in it. I’m not afraid of anything else. If my dad doesn’t return
today, I plan on staying until the final minute of the year. I
don’t want to miss a second with you.” She placed her hand over
his. He grasped it tightly. “I’m so afraid you won’t remember
me.”

“Kate, don’t even think that. I will always
remember you. I will be by your side the whole day. I’m not letting
you out of my sight. I love you across the miles, across time. I’ll
love you forever.”

Kate stroked his head. “I thought I invented
that saying.” She tried to get out a small laugh.

“Yes, you did. It will always belong only to
us.”

“Drew, would you get my mom?”

“Sure, be right back.”

Kate’s mom entered the room a few minutes
later. “I heard you’re not feeling well.”

“Mom, I feel really weird. Don’t tell Drew,
but I feel like I’m fading away.”

Her mom ran to her bedside. “Don’t say that,
don’t ever say that!”

“I’m just telling the truth. Let’s all tell
the truth today. It could be my last day.”

Kate’s mom put her head in her hands. “I’m
not going to cry anymore. That’s what I did all last night. I
haven’t slept a wink.”

They held hands and were silent. Kate
finally broke the silence. “Mom, will you help me get dressed?”

“Sure.” She got Kate’s things from a drawer
and then paused. She turned and said, “Remember the day of your
wedding when you promised me I wasn’t going to lose you? You have
to stick to that promise now. Fight your hardest to stay with
us.”

Kate recalled the conversation and slowly
nodded her head in agreement.

They came out to the great room together.
Drew was sitting in front of the fireplace with cups of coffee
waiting for them. Kate sat next to him and placed something in his
hand. “Something to remember me by.”

He looked down at his hand and saw the charm
bracelet he had given Kate. It only had four charms on it; the idea
was to fill it with more over the years. He closed his hand around
it and placed it in his shirt pocket.

“I want to go to the train station today. I
want to wait for my father to come home,” Kate announced.

“Good idea.” Her mom looked at both of them.
“We’ll do whatever Kate wants. Let’s get ready and go. The morning
train should be arriving soon.”

After arriving at the station, Kate stood in
quiet anticipation. She had a good feeling about the train and just
knew her father was on it. As it slowly pulled in, she couldn’t
wait for it to come to a stop. The stairs were finally let down and
passengers began filing off the train.

Kate held her breath. There were many people
coming toward them and it was hard to see. She overheard two
passengers complaining about their trip.

“It took me a week to get out here from back
east.” The portly gentleman shifted a bag from one hand to the
other. “Can’t believe I made it.”

The other man, taller and less stocky,
replied in the same fashion. “I hope those stranded passengers I
met also found a way out. I had to travel by car from Pennsylvania
to Ohio and hopped a train to Chicago. Don’t know what happened to
a lot of them. I was lucky enough to get on this train last
minute.”

Kate found the courage to interrupt. “Excuse
me, sir. I couldn’t help overhearing you were stranded in
Pennsylvania. My father was, too, and I wondered if you met him.
His name is Jack Woods.”

“The author? Why, yes, we were all in the
train station together and then went our separate ways. He was
desperate to get here for some reason. We were all trying to find
other means of transportation to get out of there. I hope he made
it, dear, for your sake.” The man continued on with his travel
partner.

For all our sakes
, Kate thought. She
turned to her mother. “Did you hear that? Dad could be on the next
train. I have a feeling he’s not on this one. That gentleman knew
him and would’ve told me if Dad was on the train.”

“I agree. Let’s make sure though.”

They waited for every passenger to disembark
but there was no Jack. Kate was upbeat although she still felt very
weak.

“Let’s head back to the cabin and
celebrate!” She grabbed Drew’s hand and pulled him along. Her legs
were wobbly and she was still lightheaded, but it wasn’t going to
stop her from feeling positive.

Back at the cabin, the mood was better than
before. Kate was exhausted and melted into the nearest chair. Drew
put a blanket over her.

“I’ll get you something to eat so you get
your energy back.” He smiled at her. “It’s good news that people
from back east are finally making it out here. I pray Jack’s on the
next train.”

Kate’s mom sunk into a chair and smiled at
her. “One more train and I have a feeling your father is on it.
We’ll all be back in Ohio to celebrate the new year together, I
just know it.”

“And if not, you’ll wait for the new year to
pass and come back to the canyon to look for Dad again. You can
just bring him back home again. Kidnap him, if you must.” Kate gave
her mother a faint smile.

Her mother let out a huge sigh. “If only it
was that easy.”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it, Katie. If I brought your
father back to the present, he’d be looking at a forty-something
year old woman. Time has moved on since I first met him.”

“But wouldn’t Dad just be his usual age in
the present?”

Drew slid in next to Kate on the sofa,
placing a plate of sandwiches on the table. “I think I can answer
that, Joanna.” He leaned back, resting his head on the back of the
couch as if deep in thought. “Jack and I had a discussion about
this. He told me Carl Sr. thought long and hard about it. He came
to the conclusion that everyone had just one chance to make the
choice...live in the present or stay in the past. Once you made
that choice, you’d continue to age in that era. Jack has aged in
the present, not the past. There’s no starting over in Ohio. His
life ends there if he doesn’t make it back and his original life
will resume...in the past.”

“That’s confusing.” Kate covered her face
with her hands. “I’m trying to process it.”

“Okay, let me try to explain it another way.
Say Joanna goes back to the canyon and since she’s been there
before, she’d look like her younger self. Even if she met Jack and
they fell in love, he’d make the choice to stay in the past. It
would be like she’s meeting 1927 Jack, not our Jack. He’s continued
on in the past. Does that make sense? Carl felt you got one chance
and that was it. Joanna could visit the canyon like we all do but
Jack would never come to Ohio. It’s like you visiting Lucinda or
Molly or Ruthie...”