It was the first time in two weeks that Walter had taken the time to shave. He had almost forgotten the slender face behind the rugged beard and scruffy exterior. Instead of his usual thermal underwear, plaid shirt, and wool pants, he reached to the back of his dresser drawer for his normal Sunday best, which he hadn’t worn in close to two years. It had been a long time since he had gone to Church. He wondered if they still fit.
The pants were a bit snug around the waist but the shirt fit just fine. His collar needed to be starched, but other than that, he was ready to go. His shoes were shined, his tie was in place, and his hair very neatly combed. He was a new man. As soon as his mother was done with the collar, he fit it down under the neck of his shirt and positioned his tie.
His mother was quite impressed with the transformation her son had gone through. “Must be a special girl,” she said, smiling. “You look very handsome today.”
He blushed. “Thanks. And she is special. Mom, did I ever tell you about Gretta Trempealeau?”
“I know that name. At least I think I do. How long have you known her?”
Walter buttoned his vest. “She lives in White Plains. We met in France when I was in the hospital. She’s a nurse.”
His mother grew concerned, and her smile faded.
“What’s the matter, Mom?”
“I’m just wondering if this is the best thing for you,” she said, handing him the suit jacket. She had really hoped that her son would soon learn to forget his time in the war and everything he had seen, and by dating a nurse who had also spent time in the war, he wouldn’t be forgetting. He would just continue to be around the same reminders all the time. “Are you sure this is healthy for you?”
He slipped it on and began buttoning it up. “Why wouldn’t it be? She’s a terrific girl, she makes me laugh, and she makes me feel good. Mother, she also understands. That’s something Ella just couldn’t do, and, just a few days ago, I realized that I could live with that. I know what you’re thinking, and I’m not going to forget the war. Neither is Gretta.”
“How are you going to pick her up?”
“I’m not. She’s picking me up.”
His mother smiled again, and, for the first time in a long time, her eyes twinkled at her son. “What kind of world is this where the girl picks up the boy because the boy refuses to learn to drive?”
He took his mother in his arms and kissed her cheek. “From where I’m standing, it’s a perfect world, Mother.”
She couldn’t help the tears that flowed over her eyelids as she held her son tightly. She vowed that she would never say anything again about forgetting the war. If this transformation in her son was any indication of something good, she wasn’t about to toy around with it. He had transformed from the scruffy and bitter hermit he had made of himself before, to the clean cut, clean-shaven, handsome young man who was all excited about his date, just like the old days when he had been courting Ella.
“She must be some special girl,” she said through her tears. “You’ll bring her home to meet me, will you?”
“Of course, I will,” he said, offering her his freshly-pressed handkerchief. He pulled galoshes on over his shoes and wrapped his father’s old cloak around his broad shoulders. After taking his handkerchief back, he gave his mother one final kiss good-bye before putting on his hat, and headed out the door to meet Gretta up by the road.
She watched him trudge through the snow, making his way up to the road. He carried himself different than most days. When he went out to repair the feeding stations or refill the feedbags, he went out like it was just a job he had to do. Now, he walked like he had a purpose in mind.
I can only hope that this Gretta is all that he says she is. All I want is for him to be happy, and he’s happy now. I hope things stay this way.
~~~~~~~~
Walter’s heart was in his throat as he hurried down the trail through the woods toward Glen Road. The bitter cold winds slapped at his freshly shaven face, constantly reminding him why he liked growing a beard. His neck was growing chilly, so he pulled the cloak up higher. He wished he had worn his long underwear. The wind seemed to blow straight through the cloak, but none of it really seemed to bother him. He was going to be thoroughly enjoying himself for the first time since the war. He knew it.
He didn’t have to wait long at all as Gretta arrived the minute he reached the road.
“I know of a little place in Croton for dinner,” Gretta said, heading down the road. "It’s quiet, out of the way, and sometimes they have a musical act. Does that sound good to you?”
Walter shrugged. “I like out of the way places.”
“Really? You could’ve fooled me!” she teased.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been to Croton,” he added.
She grinned and shook her head. “Amazing. You’ve been through France, stayed for two weeks in Paris, yet you have never been four miles up the road to Croton-on-Hudson, New York.”
“Gretta, there are many places just a few steps from our land that I have never been. It’s just never been that important to me.”
Before they knew it, she was pulling into the small parking lot of the small country diner. It was a very small place—six tables in all and a bar with about twenty seats, all empty. In the corner, there was just enough room for three or four people to set up to play music. Tonight, there was a small victrola set up.
“It’s not fancy,” she explained, almost feeling apologetic. “But they serve great food here.”
“Hello, kids,” the counterman greeted, a very big smile appearing on his graying features. “What’ll it be tonight? Coffee?”
Both Gretta and Walter nodded and took a seat in the back corner booth. The counterman took their orders and went to work right away, brewing fresh coffee and making their dinners.
“Mister,” Gretta called out. “The record is finished. Do you mind if we pick something to play?”
“Don’t bother me none,” he answered from the kitchen.
“What do you want to listen to?” she asked Walter.
“Anything you pick is fine by me,” he answered. “I really don’t know much about music.”
“I guess that answers my next question,” she said, wandering to the record stack.
He got up and joined her. “Which is?”
“Whether or not you can dance.”
He smiled. “Can’t do that either.”
“We’ll go for a softer one then,” she said, pulling a copy of My Blue Heaven out of its sleeve and placing it on the turntable. After putting the heavy needle down on it, she took Walter by the hand.
“There’s really nothing to it,” she said, placing one of his hands on her waist and taking the other in her left hand. “You don’t need to know any special dance steps. Just sway in time to the music.”
For the duration of the song, they danced and soon grew closer until they were holding each other. The song had ended, but they stayed together for a while.
“Thanks for teaching me how to dance,” he said, his voice shaking.
Gretta simply smiled and tightened her grip around his ribs. “My pleasure.”
After a moment’s hesitation, he put his finger under her chin and tilted her head back for a short, but sweet, kiss. His heart raced, not believing his own actions. As they separated, their eyes met for a few seconds before they were interrupted by the counterman bringing them their order.
“My Blue Heaven is one of my favorites,” he said, setting the tray down on the table and allowing the couple to take their seats again. “Normally, I don’t care too much for the stuff coming out these days. It’s all too fast for me. But, that’s a good one.”
Gretta blushed. “I like Gene Austin. He’s my favorite.”
The counterman picked up his empty tray and set the bill down. “I think I have more by him. I’ll see what I can find.” Pretty soon, another one of his records was playing.
“Maybe we can dance like that again sometime?” Walter asked. “I liked that very much.”
“I did, too,” she answered, her cheeks keeping their rosy color.
Saturday, March 19, 1921
Walter tied Percy to the hitching post just outside Crimper’s Five and Dime Store. This had been the first time in a year he had been to Crimper’s store, for obvious reasons. He knew Ella worked there, and since their break-up, he hadn’t cared to run into her again or purposely put himself in a situation where it could happen. Even if all he wanted was to spend two bits at their lunch counter, there was always the chance he would run into her.
But, he felt like a changed man. He felt he could stand up to anything, whether it was the Dogs of War, Lions of Injustice, or his First Love. He knew he had fallen very hard for Gretta and knew that, as soon as possible, he was going to ask her to marry him, but he also knew he still harbored feelings for Ella, and this scared him to death.
He let out a pent up breath when he found Thelma Crimper working the candy counter instead of Ella. She looked rather frazzled, a few strands of her light brown hair coming down here and there. She had a slighty wild look to her eyes.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in!” Thelma said, putting her hands on her hips and smiling. “I haven’t seen in you in years!”
Walter smiled. “I’ve just been avoiding this place, I suppose. I actually missed the smell of your fresh candy.”
“Avoiding this place? What did Earl and I ever do to deserve that?” She smiled warmly. “I’m just pulling your leg. What can I get for you today?”
He looked over the several small boxes of chocolates and candies she had. “I’ll take a box of these,” he said, pointing to the chocolate covered peanut clusters. Gretta had once mentioned how she liked those. He tried to not look at the chocolate-covered strawberries. Those were Ella’s favorite.
“Buying chocolate, huh?” she teased, winking at him. “Who’s the lucky dame?”
“How do you know these aren't for me?”
“You haven’t been in here for over a year, the Walter I know would rather munch on venison jerky than chocolate, and I saw how you looked at those strawberries. Face it, Walter. I know.”
He blushed. “Well, you’re right.”
“Look, Walter. You don’t need to avoid this place any more. Ella quit. She’s no longer here.”
“Where’s she working now?”
Thelma giggled. “Maybe I should tell you she’s gone to work for our competition just so that you’ll avoid them?” She laughed and popped a jellybean in her mouth. “Actually, from what I understand, she’s not working anymore.”
Walter’s eyebrows shot up. “But she’s the bread-winner. Her mother’s depending on Ella’s income…”
“Not anymore, from what Jessica Lytell said. You remember Jessica? Old Man Lytell’s wife? Anyway, she heard from someone whose brother knows someone who heard from a very reliable source that they saw Ella hanging off the arm of one Edward Kline at the Christmas Ball this year.”
“Edward Kline? Don’t think I know him.”
She leaned forward. “Very rich. Filthy rich,” she whispered.
Walter smirked. “I know Ella well enough to know that she wouldn’t socialize with people like that. She never cared to be around the rich. Besides, how would she have gotten to know him? She has no social ties with anyone who would have gone to that Christmas ball.”
Thelma shrugged. “It’s what I’ve heard. They say that her mother pretty much encouraged this, so now they’ll never have to go hungry again.”
“Well, I’ll believe it when I hear it from Ella, or I see it in the Sleepyside Sun. I tend to just ignore half of what the Lytells say. Most of it is all jibberish.”
“I suppose. Well, anyway, here’s your candy. Anything else today?”
“I don’t think so.”
He paid for the chocolate peanut clusters and rode home. This news of Ella kept rolling around in his mind, not allowing him to think of anything else. It was hard to think of Ella as someone who would marry for money. She had never been interested in things like this when he knew her.
Before he fell into the “obsessing about Ella” trap, he began thinking of his dinner date that night with Gretta. She had invited him to see a film at The Cameo. He had never been there, let alone seen any moving picture. He had heard about them, but never had the desire to go, not even with Ella. She preferred long walks with conversation over a moving picture.
There I go again, thinking of Ella. If she’s truly getting married, she must be over any feelings about me, if she even harbored any.
Gretta tried to enjoy herself as much as possible, but it was hard to concentrate on a film while sitting next to someone who seemed very distracted and acted as if he didn’t want to be there.
She had lost track of the storyline, but had already read the book, so she wasn’t too worried. Instead, she concentrated on John Barrymore, her favorite actor, and the reason why she suggested seeing the film in the first place. The theater in White Plains had already moved on to the newest film. The film focused on the menacing face of Mr. Hyde, giving her the shivers.
“Rather scary, isn’t it?” she whispered to Walter, who hadn’t said a word through the whole movie.
He simply nodded, not giving any answer.
“You didn’t really enjoy the film at all, did you?” she asked as he held the driver’s side door open for her.
“It was all right. I’m not big on films anyway.”
She waited until he got in on the passenger side. “But did you really have any idea what the film was about?”
He grinned. “Not really. To tell the truth, I was rather distracted, actually.”
“I knew you were,” she said, starting her car up. She let the engine heat up for a little while.
“Would it be all right to confide in you what it was that was distracting me?” he asked, taking her hand in his.
Gretta eyed him suspiciously. She really had no idea what he was talking about, but was actually really dying to find out just what was on his mind.
“Sure.”
“I heard something today at Crimper’s that I’ve been thinking about all day. I went to the candy counter.”
Gretta’s heart sunk just a bit, as she knew just who worked that candy counter. While in the hospital, Walter had told her all about Ella and had even said that she worked the candy counter.
“Thelma Crimper was working it, which is why I had the courage to go up to the counter in the first place. She said that Ella had quit.”
Gretta’s heart had fluttered momentarily when he admitted to her that he didn’t have the courage to face her again, but sunk again because she had thought he had asked for Ella specifically.
“She said that rumor had it that Ella was to marry some rich man. This just isn’t the Ella McKenzie I know. She would never marry for money, but Thelma tells me that it’s her mother’s doing, and not Ella’s.” He saw the hurt expression on Gretta’s face. “I didn’t go into Crimper’s with the idea that I would see Ella. In fact, I was dreading it and avoiding the candy counter at all costs until I saw it was Thelma. Anyway, it’s silly, I know, but it’s been bothering me.”
Gretta’s first reaction was to feel hurt that he was thinking about Ella all day long, but suddenly felt very warm that Walter thought enough of her to confess this to her.
“As far as the rumor goes, yes, she is getting married. I wish she had picked any other man than the one she did, because Edward Kline is a very good friend to my family. He is my brother Alex’s age and a very sweet man. But Walter, you should see her now. I don’t think you’d recognize her.”
“So you’ve met her?”
“I didn’t realize it was her when I saw her. Picture something like Cinderella. We were at the Christmas Ball. I had been to enough of these balls to be able to distinguish between real society and made-up society. She outshined and out-glimmered everyone there.”
Walter sat back in the car as she pulled out on to the road. Things were silent for a while. Gretta didn’t know what else to say, and it was pretty obvious that he was still thinking of Ella. She pulled out onto Glen Road, and, before she knew it, they were right at the trail Walter used.
“Can I tell you something?” Gretta finally spoke up, breaking the silence. “I left the minute I met her, because I just couldn’t handle it. I raced out of there like the building was on fire because I just didn’t want to say anything to her. I remember the hurt in your eyes that day we met up again, when I asked you about her. I thought back to that hurt, and suddenly, I took her presence very personally. So, I had to leave. At first, I wanted to come straight to you, but I couldn’t think of any good reason why I should ruin your Christmas with bad news. So, I went to the Town Square instead. That was the night I realized just what I felt for you.” She took his hand and shyly let her eyes meet his. “Walter, I do care deeply for you. I think might even love you. The more I think about it, the more I think that I have probably loved you ever since we first met.”
Walter continued to look into her eyes, but said nothing. Emotion was running high, and he didn’t know what to say. He had to face facts that, even while he was with Ella, a thought or two did drift back to the bright, friendly nurse he had met a few years previous in France. His blue eyes looked down at her hand, which held his very tightly. He smiled, sending warm rays through her body even in the cold and frigid weather.
“Gretta, I’m a man of few words. You know that. But that doesn’t stop me from thinking a lot. I’ve had lots of time to think and, well…” he looked directly into her eyes, still holding her hand. “We all have a past. Ella is in mine, and hopefully, she can be in yours, too. I must admit that I feel rather flattered that you felt hurt by Ella’s presence and that you thought that much of me. But, I have to ask you to not hate Ella. We parted as friends, and honestly, it shouldn’t matter to me at all who she marries and why. That is her life. I’m more interested in what’s going on with us. What about you, Gretta?”
She began to blush furiously. “I don’t hate Ella. It just made me think back to that day you snapped at me when I asked about her. But, as far as us? Walter, I’m more than happy with you. I look forward to our dates all the time. It gets to the point where I really look forward to our times together.”
“Walk me to the cabin?” he asked.
Gretta giggled. “You know these woods better than anyone else, and you want sweet little me to walk you to your cabin to protect you from all the bad bears and catamounts?”
He grinned. “No, it’s not that. I just have something I want to give you. Mother and Ivan are visiting her sister.”
She smiled, giving him a sideways look while she turned the car off. “No monkey business, right?”
He tried to look offended. “I’m a very honorable man, Gretta. No monkey business.”
They strolled along the path, talking quietly about the show they had seen tonight, and eventually, they made it to the small clearing where the small Maypenny cabin stood. Although dark, it felt very inviting.
“Come on in. I’ll make some tea for us,” he said, pulling her along.
Gretta shed her gloves, cloak, and bonnet, while Walter threw another log on the fire and poked and prodded at the embers to get it going again. She wandered into the small kitchen and checked the kettle on the cast iron stovetop for water.
“You probably don’t want to use that one,” he said, finding a different kettle. “We use that one to put moisture in the air. It’s all rusty inside.”
He stoked the fire inside the stove while Gretta worked the handle on the water pump until water came spilling out into the teakettle.
“Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve used a water pump?” she asked him, pumping once again. “Ever since we got running water installed in our house, I haven’t missed this at all!”
Walter grinned. “I kind of like it.” In no time, the fire inside the stove had started up once again. He took the little hook down from the wall and removed one of the cast iron covers to put the kettle on the flame. “Give it a few minutes to heat up.”
Gretta grinned. “I’ve made tea before, Walter.”
“But I thought you were a modernized woman.”
She rolled her eyes and playfully swatted him on the arm. “I am modern, Walter, but that doesn’t mean I still don’t know how to cook. Now go tend to your fire in the other room and leave me alone to make the tea.”
He smiled and leaned forward for a gentle kiss on her cheek. “If you say so.”
About thirty minutes later, they had their cups of tea and were settled on the homemade couch in front of the fire.
“Now, what was it that dragged me from the car to your cabin in this cold?” she asked, taking a sip.
“I hardly dragged you,” he defended himself. “The reason I went to Crimper’s today was to see if there was anything there you’d like. While talking to Thelma, I saw something that I knew you'd like, because, while in France, you had mentioned how much you missed them.” He reached over to a small wooden table for a little paper package and handed it to her.
Gretta smiled and took the package. “You needn’t buy me things,” she admonished, but couldn’t hide the fact that she was quite flattered by it. “Peanut clusters!” she cried. “I love these!”
The camelback clock on the mantel chimed ten-thirty.
“I suppose I should really get going back home,” Gretta sighed.
The minute she stood up, a loud cry came from just outside the living room window. It was a long, low yowl of some kind.
“What was that?” she asked, knitting her eyebrows.
Walter headed for the window. “It’s a catamount. I’d say it’s in a standoff with something at the moment.”
“How am I going to get to my automobile if that thing is out there? They’re dangerous, you know.”
Walter pulled the drapes back further to get a better view. “I know they’re dangerous,” he replied, trying not to sound annoyed. He knew she was probably just scared. “I can’t see anything, but it’s very dark out. I can’t let you go out. The cat might not strike, but that’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”
"Where is the nearest telephone?" Gretta asked, feeling panicked.
"Lytell's," he replied, not taking his eyes off the window.
"Lytell's!" she cried.
“One thing you learn from this kind of living, Gretta, is that you have to deal with things whether you want to or not. I don't need a telephone or anything. Stay right here.”
Gretta stood, glued to her spot. She almost wanted to look out the window, but hated the thought of looking at this vicious catamount.
“They can’t break windows, can they?” she cried after him.
“As a general rule, they leave you alone. It’s not interested in your habitat. Basically, unless provoked or it feels threatened, a catamount won’t strike first.” He appeared from his room wearing a wool coat, bearskin hat, and gloves. He slipped his thick hunting boots on, laced them up and grabbed his father’s old Civil War rifle off the top rack that hung on the wall. “I’m going to head out and check out the situation,” he said, stopping briefly to grab a few bullets from the shelf.
“Be careful,” she called after him. Feeling braver, now that she knew that a catamount wouldn’t at all be interested in her, she headed for the glass window to watch. Suddenly, she saw Walter’s figure come around the corner. Another loud cry was heard as the shrubbery started thrashing about. Two very small cubs came bounding out.
“It’s a momma with her babies!” she gasped. “Something must be threatening them! Walter!” she cried, not registering that he wouldn’t hear her. “Don’t shoot!”
There was more thrashing, and another loud wail came from just a few yards from where Walter was standing. He raised the gun and took aim.
“Walter!” she cried, running through the cabin and out the door. “It’s a mother! Please!”
“Gretta!” he yelled, still not taking his eyes off the thrashing thicket. “Get back in the cabin!”
“Please don’t kill her! She’s only protecting her babies!”
“I know that!” he cried. “I’m trying to aim for whatever it is that is attacking her!”
She backed off and headed for the wooden steps. She knew she was going to be in trouble when the whole thing was over, especially for running out of the cabin and straight into the face of danger.
Suddenly, the thrashing stopped. A low growling noise was all that could be heard outside of the soft cries of the two cubs who had wandered up to the cabin. Walter lowered the gun, but kept aware of what was going on. Slowly, he crept back to the cabin and closed the door.
“Walter, I’m sorry!” Gretta cried, but was hushed.
Without taking his boots off, putting the gun away, or anything, he tracked snow across the living room and back to the window. “I think the mother survived. I could hear her growling at me. She’s not upset with me or anything, but she wants to go to her cubs. But, she won’t do anything while I’m still standing out there.”
Sure enough, a few minutes later, the mother catamount came limping out of the brush and cautiously headed for her little cubs, who were hovering by the chimney. After checking them over, the little family headed back to the forest where she would nuzzle with them and lick her wounds.
Walter turned on his heel and headed back to the kitchen table and sat down. First, he unloaded his gun and put the bullets back on the shelf where they belonged. Next, he carefully laid the rifle across the table, aiming the barrel towards the wall. He took a few deep breaths and started unlacing his boots.
“Walter,” Gretta said quietly, meekly approaching him. “I am sorry I ran out there.”
“I told you to stay in here. You had no business being there,” he said, trying to stay calm.
“I know,” she said, hanging her head. “It’s just that I saw it was a mother with cubs, and I didn’t want you shooting the mother.”
“I’m going to explain something to you, Gretta,” he said, setting his boots aside. “This is not your territory, nor is it mine. Everything you see out there belongs to that mother cat. Whatever animal she was fighting was invading her territory, and so was I. However, she was more concerned with the other animal at the moment since it was attacking her. Whoever won that fight was going to go after the next thing that was the most threatening. And that would have been me. With you out there, making noise, it would have been the both of us, or maybe just you. I don’t want to scare you, Gretta, but if you really want to hunt sometime, you have to be smart about the woods. Someday, I’ll take you hunting, but until you can learn to be quiet and not so concerned about killing a mother catamount, I’ll hunt by myself.”
Gretta was on the verge of tears. She knew Walter was right, and she had acted very stupidly. “I’m sorry,” she sniffled, a tear escaping.
He stood and closed the gap between them. “Gretta, I am not angry. I’m upset, but not angry.” He had never seen a woman cry before. Even when his father died, his mother had done her grieving in private. He had never even seen Ella cry before.
“I’m sorry, Walter. I can’t help it,” she said, holding back her sobs. “I know you’re mad at me, and I did do something really stupid.”
He wrapped his strong, shaking arms around her and held her close. “It’s all right now,” he said, letting her head fall on his shoulders. “It’s all right.”
Gretta sobbed on his shoulder for a few minutes, occasionally telling him she was sorry.
An hour later, she was on the couch, still teary-eyed and nursing a hot cup of tea. Walter threw another log on the fire and made some tea for himself.
“It’s way too late for you to head back now, even if I were to take you to your automobile on horseback. Why don’t you sleep in Mother’s bed tonight and you can head back in the morning?”
She nodded. “People around here won’t talk, will they?”
He shrugged. “Even if Old Lytell or his kid sees anything, people around here usually just take everything they say with a grain of salt. Old Joe just likes to spread gossip. Joe Jr. is a chip off the old block.”
“What about the Beldens?”
“They keep to themselves.”
~~~~~~~~
“This is my mother’s room,” he said, guiding her to the back of the cabin. “My room is right through this door. I share with Ivan. Damn! I forgot to see if there is a fresh chamber pot. Hang on. I’ll be right back.” He hurried past her inside the room and ducked behind the bed.
“Walter, are you sure your mother won’t mind?”
He thought for a minute. “You know, I’m not sure. Is this usually a big deal with mothers?”
Gretta laughed. “I can sleep on the couch where I slept last time.”
“No,” he said, standing up. “You can take my bed if you want. I’ll sleep in here.”
She finally gave in and let him put her up in his room. It was a room the size of her own bedroom, but made incredibly smaller by the fact that there were two beds in it, a bedside table between them with an oil lamp, and a bureau. The only thing left was a large, bearskin rug that covered the floor between the beds.
“Feels cramped,” she commented, nervously sitting down on his bed.
He sat on Ivan’s bed across from her. “It’s what I live with. That’s why I spend so much time outside. Well, have a good night. If, um, if you need, I have an extra…” he reached inside the bureau and pulled out a floor-length nightgown. “That is, if you want.”
Gretta smiled her thanks and took the gown from him. “Have a good night,” she said, stepping forward and pulling his head down for a kiss.
So much welled up inside the couple that they did not want to let each other go. Walter wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close as he let his kiss grow deeper. Gretta’s hands found their way around him and let her neatly filed fingernails gently scratch and caress his back. Shivers went up and down her spine as he deepened the kiss, his hand finding its way up her neck and through her pinned-up hair.
“Oh, Walter,” she gasped, breaking the kiss. “I love you!”
“I love you, too,” he moaned, holding her tight. Suddenly, the sensation he dreaded hit him like a speeding train, and he found he had to back away from her. There wasn’t anything he could do about it. Holding her at arms length, he reached up and ran a finger through a stray curl that had tumbled down to her neck. “I have to say good night before anything happens that shouldn’t.”
Her chest was heaving, her eyes twinkling in the amber glow of the oil lamp. “I understand. I mean, I agree.” She felt very tight, but very loose. She felt relaxed, yet anxious. She couldn’t really describe these feelings to herself, but knew that if they didn’t stop, she’d be feeling something that she would not be able to stop. She could tell the same of Walter, too.
~~~~~~~~
Gretta sat on his bed for a long while before undressing. She felt uncomfortable about wearing his nightgown, so she set it on Ivan’s bed. She also felt rather odd about sleeping in his bed, but the idea of sleeping in his mother’s bed was an even stranger feeling. Mrs. Maypenny did not know her at all. They had never met.
Finally, becoming comfortable with her surroundings, she unbuttoned her dress and let it fall to the floor. Next, she unlaced her boots and set them aside. She untied her underskirts and folded them up. After making sure her clothing was neatly folded and set on the other bed, she climbed under the five layers of blankets. In just a few minutes, she was fast asleep.
In the other room, Walter had just as hard of a time getting to sleep. His mind kept drifting back to the beautiful woman in the next room, constantly feeling very jealous of his covers. Even though the room was very dark, all he could see was bright sunshine, even if he closed his eyes. His world had been very dark until she had stepped in. Gretta was someone he began to wonder how he ever lived without. He made plans with her, talked about his dreams, her dreams, and could often chatter about the most insignificant things as if they held a high importance.
Every night, instead of the light brown hair and light brown eyes he often dreamt of before, he now found himself dreaming of her jet-black curls and dark brown eyes. Her face was the last thing he saw each night, her voice rang in his ears, and now, the feel of her body against his would always make certain feelings inside him well up. He had to face facts. He was deeply in love with her.
The next morning was cold. Gretta found it very hard to get out from under the nice, warm covers. Her sleepy eyes roamed around the room, taking in the small room that was now brightly lit by the sunlight flooding in. Dreading the icy-cold feeling of the floor below, she bit it all back and gently poked a foot out from under the covers. The air was cool, but the floor was fuzzy and warm. She had forgotten the bear rug.
“I’ll have to talk Walter into making a nice rug for me the next bear he gets,” she murmured to herself, setting both feet down on the rug. She pulled the covers back and quickly got dressed. Something good smelling wafted from the other part of the cabin. Following her nose, she wandered out the door and to the main part of the house.
“Breakfast?” she asked, seeing Walter at the stove.
“Thought maybe you’d like some bacon and eggs,” he said, turning from his frying pan and smiling at her. “Did you sleep well?”
“At first, no. I kept jumping awake every time I nodded off, thinking I was hearing a catamount. You?”
“I guess you can say that I had a lot on my mind and just couldn’t fall asleep.” He plucked each bacon strip off the pan with a fork and took it off the flame. Next, he cracked two eggs and let them sizzle in the bacon grease until they were done to his liking. “I hope you like your eggs sunny-side up.”
“Wouldn’t have them any other way,” she said, grinning. “What can I do to help?”
“The table is already set and the coffee is brewing. It should be done by now. If you want, you can strain it.”
He gestured to the other frying pan with the soupy, brown mixture inside. Gretta took care of the coffee and before they knew it, they were ready to eat.
“It’s snowing,” she commented, remembering the view from his bedroom window. “Do you suppose that mother cat and her little cubs found their home again?”
“I would think so,” he said, pulling the chair out for her. “I’m sure they were warm all night long. Were you?”
“Definitely! Your covers are the warmest!”
“They have to be. If we happen to run out of fuel, we would need them to stay warm.”
“And that bear rug is the softest thing I’ve ever put my feet on.”
“That was my first bear. Dad and I went shooting one winter. I was probably ten years old. Ivan was just a baby. Dad helped me clean it and everything.”
Gretta smiled. “I think that’s sweet. Dad has taken my brothers hunting, but he’s never done anything with Christine and me. Maybe if I had been hunting before, I wouldn’t have acted the way I did last night.”
“Hey,” he said, his voice quiet. “Don’t worry about that anymore. It’s in the past. Let’s keep it there.”
Gretta smiled and nodded. “Let’s make a pact. Let’s never let the sun set on a disagreement or a fight. Is that all right with you?”
Walter smiled. “Sounds very much like advice I could have used a long time ago.”
They ate their breakfasts in silence. In truth, Gretta didn’t care for eggs done this way. She preferred scrambled. She also never liked coffee that had been made in a frying pan. She liked percolated coffee. But, after his hard work, she didn't have the heart to tell him.
“So, what kept you up all night?”
“You.”
“I did nothing of the kind. I was in the other room.”
“Then what were you doing interrupting my beauty sleep?”
Gretta giggled, eyeing his stubble. “So, how did I keep you awake?”
Walter’s smile grew wider as he blushed. “I just kept thinking of the beautiful woman in the next room.”
She flushed and quickly stuffed a large chunk of egg in her mouth to avoid smiling in embarrassment.
While she was getting ready to leave, he decided he would head outside to find the animal that the catamount had fought, and to get old Percy ready. Mostly, he wanted to be outside to think about things. She was definitely the person who made him the happiest, but was she happy with him? He had to find out.
He dragged the dead carcass of another catamount back into the woods, hoping that the other scavengers would find it and deal with it in a way that only scavengers knew how. It was a male who had, perhaps, gotten too close to the mother’s cubs, or perhaps he had just said the wrong thing.
By the time he had made it back to the cabin, Gretta was waiting on the steps, all bundled up with her cloak and bonnet in place.
“Ready?” he asked, heading for the stable.
“I am.”
“I saddled Percy with an old side saddle. It’s not the greatest, but it’ll work. Mother and Ivan took the other two horses with the carriage, so I’ll have to walk alongside you.”
She strolled through the snow to join him. “I hope my car isn’t buried under all this snow!” she laughed.
“If it is, you know you can stay here again.”
“Not until I stop by the General Store and send a wire to Mother and Father to let them know where I am.”
Walter smiled. “Tell them they can trust me. I’m an honorable man.”
“You were sure testing that honorability last night while saying good-night,” she said, a nervous smile spreading across her rosy features.
“Something tells me that I’ll be testing that time and again with you,” he teased, wrapping his arms around her. His smile faded and he took her by the hand. “Gretta, I have something important that I want to tell you. Ever since that day we met again, when your car went off the road, I’ve been thinking of you every night. I think of your charm, warmth, deep brown eyes, your curls, and that inviting smile. For all intents and purposes, I’d say you are the devil in disguise, because you’ve really made a few thoughts surface that shouldn’t be surfacing. But I can’t help it.”
Gretta looked up at him with uncertainty. She wasn’t sure where he was going with this.
“I know I haven’t been the nicest person on earth, and deep down, I know you deserve better than me, but I love you, and I can’t help but dream of you every night and dream about what it would be like if we were together forever. Don’t you ever find yourself doing the same?”
“Every night,” she replied, looking into his blue eyes.
“What if we didn’t have to dream that anymore? What if it became a reality? What if we—” he hesitated for a moment, hoping to God that he was doing the right thing. His blue eyes widened with hope as he finished his sentence. “What if we got married?”
Her features softened as he spoke, but when he asked her his final question, her heart did a back flip and began to go from beating rapidly to pounding. “You mean spending life with each other, being the first people we see in the mornings and at night?”
“That’s exactly what I mean,” he whispered, taking both her hands. “Gretta, I have given it serious thought. Just spending the night in the next room over from you was pure Hell, and I mean it. I’m asking if you’ll accept me as a husband.”
She couldn’t spit any words out. Her eyes filled with tears, and her lips trembled as she nodded her head. “Yes!” she sobbed. “Yes, I will!”
Walter couldn’t explain the joy he felt. He hadn’t felt this way for the longest time. He held her tightly while she cried tears of happiness on his shoulder. They stayed like this for a while until Percy’s little impatient grunt brought them back down from the cloud they were standing on.
“I suppose I should get you back to your automobile, ma’am,” he said, drying her tears with his scarf. He hoisted her up on the saddle and made sure she was settled in before leading her out.
~~~~~~~~
Walter couldn’t stop smiling all day. Ivan and his mother would be returning that evening, and he couldn’t wait to tell them. The sun shone brighter that day than any other day he could remember. Not even the day he proposed to Ella.
Ella who? He thought to himself, grinning.
Ella was no longer anyone to get hung up on. She was no longer a reason to avoid going to town or anything. Ella was a sweet person, and he truly believed that they would probably have been happy together, but everyone had changed after the war. Not only had he changed, but so had she. While the rest of the world was advancing towards an era of forgetting the old days, he found that he preferred to remember them, and he found a woman who lived the same nightmare he did and still found a way to move on with life without forgetting the past, too.
Gretta Trempealeau. The woman from White Plains, New York. It took a war for them to meet, another conflict to bring them together, before they finally made peace and fell in love.
Epilogue
June 19, 1921
Gretta stood still as Christine and her mother fussed over her veil and gown. She checked her reflection in the mirror and then twirled around so that both women could look at the dress again. It was a modern gown. Her mother had hoped that she could have worn her own wedding gown, but it was just too small for her. Gretta was much taller than she was and built like her father. But, there was still hope for Christine someday.
“Is everyone decent?” her father’s voice came from outside of the bedroom.
“Come in, dear,” her mother called.
Mr. Trempealeau came in through the door, smartly dressed in his best suit, and mustache neatly trimmed and brushed. “I just thought I would come in to give my girl a few words.”
Mrs. Trempealeau kissed her husband on the cheek and took Christine by the hand and led her out, closing the door behind her.
“So, today’s the big day,” he said, taking his daughter’s hands.
She nodded, feeling too choked to say anything.
“You love Walter?”
She nodded. “Yes, Daddy. I do.”
“You know,” he said, breathing deep to avoid his own tears. “I really had nothing planned to say when I came in here, honey. Look, all I want is for you to be happy, and, with Walter, you’re happy. As long as he can take care of you, respect you, and give you everything you need, I have no problem with him at all.” He had successfully swallowed the lump in his throat.
“Daddy?” she asked, feeling like a little girl again.
“Yes?”
“I love you,” she said, wrapping her long arms around her father.
He buried his face in her veil and held her close. “My little girl,” he cried. After a few minutes, he let go of her and blew his nose with his handkerchief. “You know, I don’t think I cried like this when you left for France,” he said, laughing and straightening her veil.
Gretta smiled through her tears. “Thank you for everything.”
Walter stood outside, dressed uncomfortably in a new tuxedo his future in-laws insisted he wear. He felt silly wearing a top hat and tails. Alex, Gretta’s other brother, Frederick, and Ivan stood near him, all dressed in tuxedos, but not as elaborate as his. His mother stood nearby, pressing a handkerchief along her swollen eyes.
Mrs. Trempealeau came out the cabin door and headed for the small group of people beside the lilac trees. Father O’Sullivan was officiating as the pastor at the First Christian Church of Sleepyside.
“She’s just about ready,” she reported, taking her spot next to her sons.
The world seemed to spin for a while as Walter watched his lovely fiancée be escorted down the steps and across the lawn to the small group. There was no one else in this world but her. He smiled broadly as she was handed over to him. He took her hand and held it tightly as the Father spoke.
He barely remembered saying his vows, but he figured he must've said them, because, before he knew it, the Father was pronouncing them “Husband and Wife” and giving him permission to kiss the bride.
~~~~~~~~
They stayed that night at the Glen Road Inn. Walter watched her sleep that night after consummating their marriage. He had never dreamed of doing these things with anyone. He had heard talk while in the Army and knew what kind of pictures the men carried around with them, but he never thought he would be doing these things the men talked about, let alone with her.
Gretta shifted in her sleep, twisting the covers a bit and exposing her breast just a little. His first instinct was to cover her up, but he caught himself before he did.
She is very beautiful, he thought, his eyes traveling the length of her body. What is a guy like me doing with something so…
He didn’t finish his thought, for she opened her eyes and caught him staring at her. She smiled, took his hand, kissed it and placed it over her breast. His new instincts took over as he began to make love to her one more time that night.
A turn to the
right, a little white light,
Will lead me to my Blue Heaven.