Destiny's Gate (12 page)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Paige’s Big Surprise

The snowfall felt light and fluffy beneath my feet as I ran along the gravel road to Peggy’s house. Only a few inches had fallen, as I gleefully observed the flakes swirling around in the light wind. I felt invigorated with the crisp, clean smell in the air. I sprinted to Peggy’s white picket fence and unlatched the old wooden gate. Collecting myself, it seemed odd that Peggy was not greeting me. Banging on her freshly installed red door, I became concerned, and tried the door knob, finding it unlocked. I stepped inside, calling her name. Upon entering the communications room, the antique lamp was not turned on and shadows were cast upon the
bookshelves.

“Surprise!” shouted Carole and
Peggy.

“Oh my goodness, you almost gave me a heart attack! No kidding. What are you up to?” I stopped to catch my
breath.

Peggy turned the table lamp on and there they were, hiding in the corner. Carole held a cake while Peggy lit the candles. I was very grateful for their friendship. Tea and double chocolate cake was just what I wanted. I shook my head laughing at both of them with
delight.

Carole shared, “I’m so sorry, Paige, I haven’t seen you much lately. I’ve been helping my dad with his wellness shop. I’ve been taking inventory of our medicines. He hasn’t been feeling
well.”

“No problem, Carole. I’ve been a bit...busy lately too. I’m so glad to be here with you both today. This is the best birthday yet.” I sensed it troubled her more than she was willing to express and because it was my birthday celebration, she did not want to go into any more detail.

Peggy left the room and returned with a gift wrapped in gold foil and a rainbow coloured bow. I beamed as she presented it to me.

“Our gift is handmade for you, Paige. Carole and I believe you are ready for
this.”

“Thank you so much,” I said, as I graciously accepted the
gift.

By this point, I was extremely curious to see what they were referring to. I predicted the content by its size — probably a large photo of some sort. Basking in their enthusiasm, I methodically unwrapped the gift, savouring the moment, and as it peeked out of the foil, I was surprised to see two needle-pointed poems side by each, in a wooden frame, which
read:

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not
die.

Mary
Frye

Native American
Prayer

I give you this one thought to keep -
I am with you still — I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,

I am sunlight on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awake in the morning’s hush
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not think of me as gone -
I am with you still — in each new
dawn.

As I looked up to meet their eyes, I burst into tears. It was the best gift that I had ever received from friends. Each beautiful poem was needlepointed in different patterns. I understood instinctively that Peggy had done the first poem and Carole, the second. The craftsmanship was as admirable as the thought they had put into my gift; this gift graciously given after all that I had experienced in the past five months at O’Brien Manor. Only the three of us could truly understand the words spoken in both poems; each with their own interpretations. There is life after death, after all! Carole ran over and bent down to hug me, and then I bolted from the loveseat to hug Peggy in her rocking chair. Words were not exchanged about why they were giving this to me now and I was not going to question
it.

Back at the manor, as Hanna and grandma prepared my birthday dinner, I chuckled as I sat down on the world’s longest living room sofa, and remembered the first day arriving at the estate. My parents and I sat on this very spot and wondered what year the formidable couch had been manufactured
in.

“Surprise, Paige! Happy seventeenth birthday. We’ve missed you so
much…”

Disbelieving my own ears, I looked up and stared blankly as my parents ran into the room with open arms. Seeing them brought tears to my eyes and I appreciated my tall, tanned, blond hair, blue-eyed dad contrasted with my short, lively, brown-eyed mom with her auburn hair and mole like mine. They were a sight for sore eyes. It was too good to be true. Wincing as my chest grew tight I realized how overwhelming it was to see them again without a hint of their
arrival.

Mom pulled away from me, and grabbed my cheeks with both hands. “Look at you! You’ve grown up so much! Not another ounce on you though, I might add. Are you sure you’re feeding her enough, Hanna?” mom yelled towards the kitchen in a playful
manner.

I shot her a glare.
You haven’t been gone that long, mom!
I cut my mood short and stared into the face that reflected my own. Mom always said our moles made us models like Cindy Crawford. Though I did not believe her, I appreciated her
sentiment.

Dad took a step back and noted, “You are more beautiful than ever! There’s a glow about you that I haven’t noticed before. What’s changed?” Dad placed his hand on my right arm and together we sat down. “We want to hear
everything.”

Mom stared at me and I knew not to outline the recent events at O’Brien Manor, especially around Halloween. I laughed and asked them what on earth they were doing home when our last conversation was about their visit at
Christmas.

Grandma strutted into the room and interjected, “I called them home for your birthday. It is our first time celebrating such a special occasion together and I hoped they could at least come home for a long weekend. We’ve noticed you’ve been under a lot of stress lately,
Paige.”

I reflected for a few minutes and personally felt the stress was actually last month, but they were correct, it had continued on into November. I nodded my head in agreement. I realized I had been extremely exhausted since Halloween and jumped up to thank grandma by hugging her as tightly as she could tolerate. Looking over her shoulder, I observed dad with his beautiful wide smile, sparkling, white teeth, chiselled face and his baby blues. He looked happy.

Dad laughed aloud and commented, “Careful, Paige, or you’ll be giving your grandma a chiropractic adjustment. Don’t squeeze her spine too
tightly.”

I cut the hug short and looked at him with tears in my eyes. He always knew how to lighten the mood and I counted on that right about
now!

Grandpa joined us. He confidently walked over to mom and gave her a bear hug and then turned and shook dad’s hand. “Thank you for bringing our daughter home safely. I worry about the two of you over there in
Italy.”

“Well, we are only home for a short visit, Ted. And life in Italy agrees with my wife, I’ll have you know. We are staying in a posh villa called Degli Argentieri in Fegina, adjacent to Monterosso al Mare. Lori mingles every day with the locals in the shops. She loves it there and is writing articles
daily.”

Dad had a sparkle in his eyes and unfortunately for me, I picked up that he was thinking romantically about mom. I interjected, “And I suppose the two of you don’t mind the empty nesting thing
either?”

“Why, Paige, look who’s all grown up?” mom said light-heartedly. “We’ll have to chat later about what you’ve been up to. Yes, dad, I love it in Italy. The scents of the lemons, limes, olives and vineyards are magical. And I found out the hard way, in the shops, that the owners often understand English, though they pretty much pretend they don’t. Until they get to know you, that is. I love it there, mom and
dad.”

It was the best birthday I could ever remember having. Everyone got along so well. There was laughter and even a few tears shed over the fact that we had all missed one another. The birthday dinner consisted of crab legs that mom and dad had flown in from the East Coast (thank heavens to online ordering) and quinoa with chopped herbs, garlic, zucchini and carrots. And there was also the to-die-for marble, double fudge chocolate cake. All this on top of the birthday cake I had already enjoyed earlier with Peggy and Carole made my stomach gurgle. It really touched my heart when mom presented the cake and everyone sang Happy Birthday to me, even though dad dragged out the ending of the song
to you
– that was a bit over the
top.

For the rest of the evening, I doted on every word they had to say about living in Cinque Terre, five lands making up a National Park in Italy, a conservation area. I was especially excited when mom’s face lit up about the fairytale land they had entered from the moment they arrived on the train and stepped out onto the tarmac in the middle of nowhere smelling the fragrant air and then spied the Mediterranean Sea across the road as they walked to their villa. She described it as similar to the feeling Cinderella must have had at the ball. And the more she researched the fascination by tourists of the area, the more she discovered it was actually a very spiritual place: hiking the trails that join the five lands is not only an educational journey but physical as well. They discovered Mary Shelley, author of the novel
Frankenstein
, summered there with her family and it was said that her husband Percy — a romantic poet — drowned while sailing in La Spezia located further south down the coast from them. They hiked all the way to the village of San Terenzo and Lorici to stand where the Shelleys once stood, and rumoured to vacation with Lord Byron, author of dad’s favourite poem. It was a beautiful moment until dad began to recite the poem to
mom:

She walks in beauty,
like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow’d to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day
denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their
dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is
innocent!

I sat through the poem and as if that wasn’t bad enough, mom, with flushed cheeks, explained that looking out from their villa balcony over the Mediterranean Sea was ‘the giant’, a carving at the edge of a cliff representing the god Neptune, naked. Now that’s where I drew the line and bid adieu.
Ugh.

That night as I lay in bed talking to myself, I thanked all those responsible for my parents safe return home: my grandparents, dad’s supportive colleagues who approved a few days’ vacation and Creator for allowing it to happen. I gave thanks over and over and over again, looking up towards the ceiling at the beautiful angels that I imagined were hovering and listening in on my
thoughts.

Mom came by to tuck me in, a bedtime ritual she hadn’t done in years, and I allowed it. She was the best mom in the world and I was grateful for her. I looked forward to the next day, knowing we would spend it together exploring the estate. It was comforting as she kissed me on the cheek and said goodnight, from dad as
well.

I slept like a baby, no voices or scary spirits trying to mess with me, nothing at all. My dream was peaceful and seemed to last all night — I dreamt I was an eagle perched in a nest on the edge of a cliff. I pushed off with my powerful talons soaring through the air exercising the full span of my wings, free-falling over a valley surrounded by a mountain range covered in pine and evergreen trees. When I spied a magnificent waterfall cascading down from the crest of the mountain to the valley floor, I careened towards it, felt the residual spray on my body and expelled a resounding cry expressing my delight to the
universe.

Awakening rejuvenated and happy, I bounded out of bed. Mom and I decided, before brunch, we would have a mom and daughter day much to the displeasure of everyone else. She added, perhaps only a half day, to manage the objections. Dad grinned and agreed daughters need their moms and then winced as he looked past me to grandma. She was frowning and I guessed it was because of the years she and mom had been disconnected. I tried to include grandma, but mom remained firm reiterating it would be just the two of us. I knew enough not to get myself caught between two strong-willed ladies, hugged grandma, and then departed with mom arm in
arm.

“So, dear, shall we go to our secret hide-away?” mom giggled. “And don’t worry about my mother — she’ll get over it, Paige.” She steered me towards the showpiece of the manor: the black walnut staircase. A part of me wanted to stop and ask her about the hidden room in the wall, adjacent to the landing. However, I refrained, as I was sure it would lead to a whole day of discussion, particularly if mom did not know about
it.

“Let’s go!” I exclaimed and ran up the stairs taking them two at a time. I was nicely surprised mom kept up with me. Well,
almost.