Waiting for Dusk (18 page)

One day Dad was pulling out some old rotted
wood in the kitchen and behind the boards was a shelf. On the shelf
was this set of old books. Dad liked to read and was thrilled he
had something to occupy his time when he wasn’t working. Little did
he know what he got himself into!”

Carl came to the first resting bench and sat
down.

“So your dad found the books. Your dad and
mom didn’t go antiquing and find them in a quaint little old shop?”
Katie remembered the story Mrs. Johnson told her.

“That’s right, although there’s some truth to
it. My dad did give the books to my mother for safekeeping,” Carl
continued. “Dad decided to read the first book that night before he
turned in, placing the book on his nightstand when he was done.
When he woke up, to his amazement, he was in a dormitory, a college
dormitory for men. He thought he was dreaming, of course, so he set
out to explore this alien territory. Everything seemed a little
strange to him. People were dressed differently and he didn’t
recognize a lot of things. That’s when he convinced himself that it
was a dream and to just go along with it.

Dad found his way outside and discovered he
was on a college campus. One building he could relate to was the
library, so he headed there. He thought he could at least research
and figure out where he was and why he was there. The first person
he encountered was my mother, who had just graduated from the
college and worked in the library. She was a free spirit and a
liberal thinker, so maybe it was fate that the first person he
would come across would be her. Plus it was the sixties. My mom
came up to him and asked if he needed any help because he
definitely looked like he needed it. It was love at first sight,
for Dad anyway. Mom said that he had this bewildered look on his
face, guess she couldn’t tell it was love!”

Carl stood and stretched, then motioned to
Katie to start their walk again. “Since he thought it was still a
dream, he told her everything. He kept on insisting it was 1927.
Mom thought he was on some type of drug, not the prescription kind
if you know what I mean.”

“So your dad ended up here at Oberlin
College, if I understand this correctly.”

“Yep, you are correct. My dad ended up
staying the day at the college library. My mom took him to lunch
and explained what a lot of things were, especially television. At
the end of the day she helped him find the dorm room he woke up in,
and they parted ways. Mom thought she’d never see this guy with a
Swedish accent again. She felt a little sad about that. He was so
kind and sincere and was such a gentleman. They had exchanged first
names and that was about all. When dad woke up, he was back at the
boardinghouse. It didn’t take him long to figure out that reading
the book had something to do with the dream he had. He decided he
would read again that night. He was determined to go back to figure
this out, plus see that beautiful woman again. The motivation was
love.”

Katie gasped. Carl looked at her. “Are you
okay?”

“Yes. It’s just when you said that it sounded
so familiar. I was determined to go back for the very same reason,
love.”

“Love can be a powerful thing. It’s what kept
my dad here. I’m getting ahead of myself though. You wanted to hear
everything as it happened. You probably can guess where my dad
headed first when he came back to the university.”

“The library.”

“Mom was shocked to see him and had to
convince him this wasn’t a dream. It was really happening. They
decided to put their heads together and figure the entire thing
out. My mom agreed the book definitely had something to do with the
time travel. She told my dad to bring the book with him the next
time he came and she would wait for him in the library as usual. He
showed up the next day with two books, one for her. Mom said she
would read it and maybe find some sort of clue. Dad said he’d let
her do the reading now. She read the book that night and put it on
her nightstand after finishing. You can probably guess what
happened next.”

“She woke up in the boardinghouse.”

“Exactly right. Imagine their surprise when
mom entered the kitchen that morning. Dad was making some coffee
and dropped the pot when he saw her. Mom said that was the day she
knew she was falling in love with him. He showed her the house and
the property. He was building his barn for the horses he wanted to
get. Mom could tell he really loved the place. She said his eyes
lit up whenever he talked about his true passion, to own the
property and make it a horse ranch.”

Carl paused and opened his water bottle. He
took a drink and then pointed down the path. “Which trail do you
want to take?”

“This one.” Kate didn’t care. She just wanted
him to keep telling the story.

“That’s when my parents realized they were
torn between two worlds. She didn’t want him to leave his, and he
didn’t want her to leave hers. They went on this way for a few
weeks, visiting back and forth. Finally Dad decided he wanted Mom
to keep all the books with her, feeling that was safer. He brought
all the books with him, and stored them in her apartment under lock
and key. Since Dad left the books at her apartment, he didn’t know
he had no way of getting back. He originally thought if he read
from the book to get to the present he’d just automatically go
back. That’s how they discovered the magic was not in the reading
but the book itself. Dad went back to the dorm to sleep, unaware he
would not go back in time.”

“Let me guess,” Katie broke in. “He was still
in the dorm when he woke up the next day.”

“Right again. You’re getting good at this.
When Dad woke up in the dorm the next day, without ever returning
to the boardinghouse, he realized he needed at least one book to
get him back to 1927 otherwise he would be staying in Oberlin
forever. That’s when they understood the power of the books. They
did a lot of experimenting with the books until they understood how
they worked.”

This time it was Katie’s turn to stop and
look around. She thought she heard something, but didn’t want to
distract Carl. She pretended to check her shoe and ran to catch up
with him.

“Then one day, Dad popped the question. They
decided to marry at the college where they met. That’s also when
they decided to change his last name to Johnson. They didn’t want
him to have the same last name as he did in 1927. All they really
did was Americanize his name. Dad was comfortable with that. He
then wanted to introduce his new bride to everyone back at the
boardinghouse because it was almost up and running and he had to be
there. Little did he know they would encounter the racial prejudice
that they did. Mom tried to prepare him but he kept saying
everything would be alright. Eventually everyone accepted they were
a couple in both decades. When everyone got to know Mom and Dad as
a couple, things were good. They went back and forth through time
living an interesting life until I came along.”

“Aw, Carl, that can’t be true.” Katie patted
him on the shoulder.

“They both tried to convince me it wasn’t
true but I still believe it. They were having quite the life doing
what they wanted for many years until I showed up. My mom and dad
decided I would never travel back in time. They felt that having me
grow up in the time period I was born was the right thing to do. I
have respected their wish. My mother never went back when I was a
small boy. My dad did once in awhile.”

“Why, Carl? Why wouldn’t they let you go?
Didn’t you want to see the boardinghouse and the barn? Meet Flicka
and Thunder?”

Carl gave a quick laugh. “Even you have met
the horses. That’s alright. My parents were only protecting me.
After I was born, they had a serious discussion. They wanted me to
have the best life possible and decided I would grow up in the
eighties and nineties, not the twenties. There would be less
prejudice, they hoped. I would have it a little easier in the here
and now, although that wasn’t always the case. People can be cruel
and judgmental in any time, any place. I guess my parents made the
right decision. Dad stayed here with us, again out of love. They
raised me together and took me all over the country.

The first time I went to Grand Canyon with
them, it was if they were home. It is a special place, a wondrous
place. I did get to see the boardinghouse and the horse ranch, only
it was the nineties. Someone else owns it now. Then, as you know,
Dad got cancer. I was in high school during that time. Mom still
had her job at the library. She went to part-time when dad got
sick. She just couldn’t give that job up. It was a part of who she
was and Dad didn’t want her to. He passed the year before you moved
in next door. You know the rest, Katie.”

Katie was overwhelmed. It was a beautiful and
romantic story. She loved the whole thing. She loved how Carl and
Maya protected Carl Jr. and made sacrifices for him.

Katie and Carl walked along for a time in
silence. They entered the wooded section of the path, and seemed to
be the only ones walking the trail. They walked in rhythm, their
feet hitting the gravel path in unison.

“You’re getting off the beat,” Katie
teased.

“No, it’s not me. Listen.” They looked around
but saw no one. “When I say ‘run’, you run as fast as you can.”

Katie didn’t like the tone of his voice. Carl
was going into protective mode. He took her hand.

“This is ridiculous. It has to be an animal
or something.” Katie heart was beating a little too fast. She
didn’t really believe her own words. “This path isn’t exactly
straight. Maybe someone is just behind us and we don’t see them
yet. Let’s stop and see what happens.”

Carl’s eyes narrowed but he nodded in
agreement. They stopped and listened. The footsteps they thought
they heard stopped too. Then they started up again, faster.

“Run, Katie, run!” Carl pushed her ahead of
him.

“Hey, guys. No need to run. It’s just me.”
Tyson came around the corner.

Katie felt a little odd. He knew I was here.
Did he follow me? Is he stalking me?

“Ty! Long time no see.” Carl shook his hand.
“Boy, you have shot up. How tall are you?”

“Six feet three.” Ty said. “Didn’t know you
guys were ahead of me. We could have walked together. I should
actually be jogging for my workout. I’ve been running on and off
here at the park. Had to stop for a rest back there. Do you mind,
Carl, if Katie goes home with me?” He turned and faced her. “I got
my license just in time for Homecoming.”

She shot Carl a ‘help me’ look.

“You know, Ty, I promised Katie’s dad I would
bring her home after our walk. I have to stick to my promise.”

“Oh, sure. I understand. I’ll see you later.”
Ty jogged away.

“That was strange,” said Katie.

“It’s like he was stalking you,” Carl
repeated what Katie was thinking. “I don’t like it. I leave
tomorrow and now I wish I wasn’t.”

“It was probably coincidence.”

They finished their walk and came out on the
other side of the parking lot. Katie noticed the Gray’s car in one
of the spots. Ty was still there. She decided she was making way
too much of what just happened. Ty had been her friend forever.
He’d never acted strangely before. She just didn’t like Carl’s
reaction to it all. He was acting like she was in danger.

“I want you to text or call me daily. I want
updates about what’s happening here in Ohio.”

“Or you’re just being the Carl police. I’ll
be fine. Didn’t you ever stalk a girl when you were a
teenager?”

“No, I didn’t.”

Katie thought it best to change the subject.
“Speaking of girlfriends, do you have one?”

“Yes, back in California, I do. Nothing
serious, so don’t tell my mom.”

Katie was happy that Carl was confiding in
her. “Scouts honor.” She held up two fingers, then three and then
started laughing. “Whatever!”

They hopped in his car and headed home. Katie
thought she saw another car close behind in her side mirror but
said nothing. She wasn’t going to let anything ruin the day. She,
Carl and their families had a secret that was beyond all the high
school stuff. It was important to protect it. What kept them all
together was more powerful than anything she had ever experienced.
It was the gift of love and she would do anything to protect
that.

Chapter Twenty-Two

It was hard to
believe it was the first week of October. The leaves were beginning
to turn their fall colors. When Katie looked at the reds and
oranges of the leaves, it reminded her of the colors of the canyon
and took comfort in that for some reason. To occupy her time until
Thanksgiving, she decided to write Drew some letters even though
she couldn’t mail them. Katie planned to tuck them in the book and
take them to him in November. It was a great day to write about
those changing leaves.

Katie pulled open her desk drawer and
retrieved a flat, lavender box. She went to a stationery store to
purchase what she needed to write letters to Drew. It was fun
trying to pick out what would be acceptable as old-fashion paper.
She was tempted to buy an ink well and pen, but found out that
fountain pens had been around a long time already. At the very
least Katie was learning some history.

“Katie! Ty is here!” Her mother called up the
stairs.

“I’ll be right down.”

“I’ve already sent him up!”

Katie was trying to avoid having Ty in her
bedroom or being alone with him anywhere. It made things much
simpler. She tried to make sure she gave him enough attention so he
didn’t feel neglected because she didn’t want him following her
again. Throughout the first month of school she thought she caught
him behind her in the hallways or saw him at the mall when she was
there with Lindsey and Jordyn. Still those were typical places that
teens would be or hangout so maybe she was being too suspicious.
Katie also kept Carl updated on everything like he asked. Just what
she needed, a paranoid brother and a stalker boyfriend.