September Wind (52 page)

             
“
You sure?”

             
“
Look at them. My mother and I go out looking at jewelry just for fun sometimes, and I’ve seen a couple worth thirty thousand. These are real.”

             
“
Rose. I think this is what my aunt was talking about the day I went over in the storm. I’ll bet my uncle won these gambling. Oh, poor Grandfather. No wonder he came all the way out here.”

             
Rose handed Emily the diamond. “Uhm. I wouldn’t exactly call him poor.”

             
“Yeah, well, I was talking about a different kind of poor.” Emily replaced everything and closed the jewelry box. “We’d better go.”

They went back into the hallway, over to where Gabriel was patiently waiting. She seemed to be enjoying the curses coming from Pearl.

              “
Thanks, Gabriel,” Emily said as she handed back the key.

             
“
That’s okay.”

             
“
Say, I heard what happened to your brother. I’m really sorry.”

             
“
Thanks. I still can’t believe he’s gone.”

             
Emily touched her arm. “Is everything okay?”

             
“
Yes. It’s still tough, but… actually it looks like Mr. Schillings is going to have to pay my family some money.”

             
“
Good. That’s real good.”

             
The girls were ready to leave when they heard another round of curses.

“I guess I’ll have to call Otto,” Gabriel said. “He can let her out. She’s supposed to catch a plane tomorrow. Good riddance, I say.”

              They had a good laugh, and then headed down the stairs, and up the hallway. Gabriel turned into the front office as Emily and Rose left through the front door.

             
They were about to start down the steps when her grandfather crept out from behind the bushes.

             
He lifted a gun from out of a cloth sack and pointed it at the case. “Just hand me the box, if you will. You can keep the necklace.”

“You’d actually shoot me, Grandfather? I always thought you hated me, but… I’m your own flesh and blood.”

              She was amazed that even with the gun pointed her way she wasn’t completely intimidated by him. He didn’t answer her, just wagged the gun.

             
She moved out of the way. “I-I’m really curious as to why you’ve waited so long to do something about the diamonds?”

             
He gave her an odd look.

             
“
I know they’re in here.” She jiggled the box. “I just found them.”

             
“Oh.” He lowered the gun, looking depleted all of a sudden, and then said more to her in just a few moments than he had in all her life. “I was waiting for Francine to die, if you must know. She never would’ve shared the profits with me. Your uncle Carl would’ve, but not her. Don’t think she ever cared for me, and that’s just as well. So now, just hand ’em over and I’ll be on my way.”

             
Emily noticed Gabriel coming up behind him. “What’re you going to do with the all the money, Grandfather?” she asked. She saw the statue in Gabriel’s hand and before she could stop her, she hit him over the head.

He fell in a heap.

Emily handed the case to Rose, hurried down the steps and knelt next to the old man. “You’d better call an ambulance.”

             
Gabriel leaned over him. “He’ll be okay. I could’ve hit him a lot harder. Anyway, the police will be here soon. I was using the phone in the den to call Otto, and when I saw him with the gun, I put in a call to the station. ”

             
Gabriel went in and came back with a pillow for Emily to place under her grandfather’s head. She loaded a sack with her supplies onto a bike-rack, waved goodbye, and headed up the road.

             
By then, the old man was groaning. He opened his eyes and Emily stood and moved back toward the gun that lay in the grass. She watched him sit up, realizing he was in no condition to put up a fight.

             
“Are you all right?” she asked, stepping closer again. He didn’t answer, just stared into the distance.

             
A few minutes later, a police car drove into the yard. One of the officers picked up the gun. The other went over to Grandfather.

Emily explained what happened.

“Now, are you certain you don’t want to press charges?” the officer asked when they were ready to leave.

             
“
No, no, I don’t. He was just trying to scare me.” She looked down at her grandfather. “Will you have a doctor check him out?”

“We’ll stop by the hospital. But we’ll still have to talk to him about the gun.”

“Oh… and, sir? He drove a rental over, it’s probably parked up the road…”

             
“
We’ll take care of it, Ma’am.”

They helped the old man to his feet, and placed him in the car. When they drove off, Emily looked over at Rose and noticed she was still holding the box.

“He forgot his diamonds. All that trouble and he’s still without his diamonds.”

* * * *

The following week, Emily found out her grandfather was in the hospital, and went to see him. He was looking better than she’d seen him for years.

             
“Hello, Grandfather.”

He glanced up as she moved to stand beside his bed, and then dropped his eyes back to the bulge of his feet under the covers.

              “
Grandfather, I know your life hasn’t been the greatest, but…” Her voice quivered and her eyes filled with tears. She noticed his breath didn’t smell like alcohol.

“
All of my life, anyway since Grandmother died, all I wanted was for you not to hate me.”

             
His mouth twitched, but he didn’t try to stop her.

“I’d like you to explain how you could hate my father just because his skin’s a little darker.” She paused, hoping for a response.

              But he gave none.

             
“
Can you at least tell me how that’s an excuse to hate your own granddaughter?”

             
All at once, he looked up with hurt in his eyes. “It’s because of your father that Rachael’s gone.” The old man dropped his head, fumbled with his hands. She saw the familiar pulsing of his jaw-line. “Your father didn’t belong with Rachael in the first place. It’s wrong, mixing breeds. We don’t go mixing cows with cats, or pigs with chickens, do we?”

             
“But you’re talking about animals. We… you, me, and my father, we’re humans.” She took in a breath, suddenly feeling empowered. “No one can ever take back the pain and loneliness I’ve felt all my life. But now I’m going to do something that only
humans can do, and that’s to say I forgive you. I have to because I feel so, so, sorry for you.” She stopped and looked around the room, trying not to burst into sobs.

             
He moved his eyes from his feet to his hands clinched on his lap. She was surprised to see he was blinking back tears.

She reached over to cup her hand over his for a moment. Then she pulled a small cloth sack from a pocket and set it on his stand.

              “
These are your diamonds.” She didn’t want to embarrass him any longer and turned to leave.

             
When she reached the door, he called to her. “The gun wasn’t loaded.”

She swung around to face him.

When he raised his eyes to hers, she bit her lip, not wanting to spoil the moment with tears. “Thanks for telling me.”

             
When she returned to the car, she told Rose, “I feel so much better. You’ll never believe what he said to me.”

“Well?”

              “
He said the gun wasn’t loaded.”

             
“
Yeah? And?” She gave Emily a hard look. “That’s it?”

Emily smiled.

“You’re happy as a lark ’cause the gun wasn’t loaded?” Rose shook her head.

             
Emily smiled some more. Obviously Rose would never understand. “I guess it’s just that I don’t think he hates me anymore. I could see it in his eyes. Maybe after everything that’s happened, it’s made him see life differently. I don’t know. Something’s done it, anyway. And I think it’s mostly because he hasn’t had a drink for over a week now.”

             
Rose moaned. “You sure don’t expect much, do you, Emily?”

             
She shrugged. “Actually I do, and what he showed me was something.”

             
“Well, that’s good, of course,” Rose said. “Forgiveness is important… important for the soul. But just don’t let him hurt you again.”

             
“
You know, I just thought of something that might help prove Father’s innocence,” Emily said. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner. It’s a letter my Aunt Francine wrote to him. He gave it to me when I was in the hospital.”

             
Her father phoned the next day before she even got a chance to reach the lawyer.

             
“We’re both here, Father,” Rose said.

“You’ll never guess what happened. Emily, your grandfather dropped the charges. I’m out of jail.”

              “
Grandfather? But he’s here, in the hospital.”

             
“
Nevertheless. He had a good talk with the police, and told them what really happened. The judge accepted my lawyer’s request. The case is closed.”

             
“
So when’re you coming home?” Rose asked.

             
“
I’ll be there tomorrow afternoon. Oh, Emily, listen. I talked to Steven several days ago and gave him our address. He sent you something. If you don’t get it today, I’m sure it’ll be there by tomorrow.”

             
“
What is it?”

“I want it to be a surprise. You’ll like it, though, I promise.”

* * * *

That night, Emily could barely sleep, wondering what Steven could possibly have sent her. Maybe a picture of the cats and dogs? It still hurt to think of them. She tried not to
.

             
The next morning she got up early and looked out the window. If she stretched her eyes just so, she could faintly make out the end of the driveway where the mailbox stood.

It was Saturday, and after breakfast Adah invited the girls to go into town for groceries.

              “
I think I’ll pull out a book and sit on the porch, if you don’t mind,” Emily said. “A little time of solitude might do me some good.”

Rose gave her a knowing grin as she left with Adah.

Emily watched them disappear up the road. The first thing she did was retrieve the acorn from her bag, and plant it where she could keep an eye on it from her bedroom window. Today seemed like a perfect day for planting.

She picked up a couple of books and took herself out onto the porch. She hadn’t bothered to ask what time the mailman came, but kept listening up the road for him to stop at the end of the driveway. She walked up twice, checked both ways, and then headed back to the porch.

Finally two and a half hours later, the mailman pulled up to the house.

             
Emily went down to pick up the bundle of mail. The large package at the bottom was for her.

             
She put the other mail on the kitchen table and took her package up to her room. She pulled the box open, and found a note from Steven, and another box inside. She picked up the note.

Emily,

Glad you’re okay. We found these letters up in Aunt Francine’s attic.

             
Steven

She ripped the box open, and picked up one of the letters her father sent to her throughout the years. “
My Dear Emily
,” the letter began, the way they all did. Tears streamed down her face as she read.

Later, Rose walked in, knelt beside the bed, and listened as Emily finished reading the last one.

              “
Whew. This could make a person weep for days. And then again, if I were you, I might just be angry.”

“I was at first, but I’m not anymore.”

              “
It’s easier that way, isn’t it. Say, Emily. I was thinking about the drama club. And well, if you want to join, I thought since you’d be with me, you’ll make sure I don’t let
you know who
sweep me off my feet.”