Nell drove her golf cart down to Lot 204; she pulled up beside the minivan and waved to Sara who sat on the small covered decklet that had been built off the camper. Nell grabbed a cut crystal decanter she had beside her and made her way to Sara. "Thought you could just sneak in and not let me know you were here, huh?" Nell admonished playfully. Sara lifted both her hands and laughed softly. “Guilty as charged…..Rita was in a hurry, and she didn't want me to have to wait to sign in. That place up there is like a madhouse!" Sara chuckled good heartedly. Nell bent down and gave Sara a long hug, hoping that some of her energy and strength could somehow transfer itself to Sara’ cancer wracked frame. Nell could feel the wasting of her once vibrant friend's body and it was all she could do to check her emotions and not break down in tears. Nell sat in a sling chair and held Sara's hand. "What can I do" she asked simply. Sara smiled a weary smile and closed her eyes for just a moment. "Did you ever sit so still that you could feel the wind kiss your face?" she asked as she gently squeezed Nell’s strong hand. “I have been doing just that this morning…. just sitting here in the shade…. feeling the breeze on my face and realizing what a wonderfully gentle lover Mother Nature is" Sara laughed. “Rita spent the morning getting the camper ready for the season. I heard her squeal bout an hour ago that she had the water and gas on. While lazy butt that I am…. I just sat here….. and listened to the birds and the sounds of the river. It's amazing the sounds you hear when you just close your eyes….the hammers a thumping…. the drills are whining…. the circular saws are screeching. The Park is waking up from a long nap and our sister’s are busy, busy, busy….. she observed soulfully. Nell squeezed back in response, “I know. It's like this place is reborn every spring. It is constantly changing, yet there is something so stable about it. So comforting.” Nell agreed. “This has always been my favorite place to be" Sara sighed. “When we close up for the season, it's like I close up as well, and every thought I have is reliving the crazy, loving times I have spent here. They are best memories of my life......." She looked away from Nell for a moment and fought to keep her voice steady. “This is my last season here" she acknowledged candidly and without remorse. "But there is no place that I would rather be than here where I have been so fortunate to find friends like you and rest of your motley crew" Sara smiled gently when she saw the tears in Nell's eyes. “I came to say goodbye to the one place that I have loved and have been loved the most." she said simply. “I plan to enjoy every moment, every second that I am here. No matter what happens, this is….. where I want to be." Rita came from the shed; she had a tangle of power cords in her arms. She plopped down on the steps of the deck where Sara and Nell sat and started to cuss as she tried haplessly to untangle the knotted cords. “Sonofabitchy! I know that I put these cords back properly before I left last year," she mumbled as she fumbled. Sara got up and she tried hard not to wince in pain; Nell barely caught the grimace as it fleetingly crossed her features. Sara stepped gingerly down the step and sat beside her partner, “Here Hon…. let me help" and slowly and surely Sara untangled the web of knots while Rita and Nell watched. Once untangled and straightened she handed them back and gave Rita a kiss on the cheek. "There you go, sweetie, all untangled and ready to go back in the shed." Rita picked up all the cords and headed back up to the shed. Sara stood up and watched the woman she had spent the last fifteen years of her life with; trudge back up the path to the shed, then she turned back to Nell, “Please look out for her" she asked Nell. “That is all I want…that is all I need." Nell stood up and held out her hand to help Sara back up the steps. "We will be there for her. I promise." Nell gave her solemn oath in a hushed voice. Sara eyed the decanter and smiled wisely, “How bout you and the girls come down here for a campfire and some of your homebrew tonight?" she invited. "We'll be down." Nell hugged Sara. "Why don't you go get some rest darlin’, you look whipped." "I am gonna go lay down for a bit. But I will see you later" she kissed Nell on cheek and held her hand lovingly on her face. “Be good!” she winked. Nell started to go back to her golf cart but then changed her mind and headed up to the shed where Rita had disappeared too. Inside the dimly lit structure she could see Rita sitting on a small wooden bench sobbing with the untangled cords at her feet. Nell went to her and wrapped her arms around Rita and rocked her like a child, gently she stroked Rita’s dark short cropped hair as her friend cried in gut wrenching pain. Nell’s own tears flowed and mixed with Rita's and she murmured soothingly to her distraught friend. “I know...." she murmured over and over...."Let it out darlin.....let it out...." “What….what…. am I …..gonna dooooo" Rita sobbed, “Sara fixes everything...but.... but ....I can't fix this! I can’t fix what is taking her away from me...." Rita gasped painfully “None of us can," Nell whispered gently....." God I want to......" “I....I ...I don’t know if I can do this...." Rita barely stammered as she cried. “We are just gonna love her every second she's with us, you hear" Nell wiped Rita's tears away with her hands and held her friend's face in her hands. " We are gonna just love her through this….." she whispered hoarsely as pulled Rita close and they rocked together, locked in facing the unwavering truth and it's ugliness in the darken shed while outside, the sun was washing the lot in the beautiful spring time light and songbirds were twittering……. Click On The River To Continue To Chapter 26 © Labinky Park 2008 Labinky Enterprises 2008 |
Chapter 25
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